FIRST LEG OF THE TRIP

Tuesday, Feb. 13, ’07 left Port Angeles for Portland, our first stop in this 6 + week trek around the western U.S. Found what I was searching for immediately upon arriving at the R.V. park - SUN! Quickly retrieved the chairs, beverage table, books, and a glass of wine from me, a martini for Roy. It lasted ~2 hours, then cold and now it’s raining as only it rains in Portland. Heavy.

Wednesday, Feb. 14 – It’s Valentines day!! For the first time, I sent an electronic card to Roy – well, I guess I can call it that, not a commercial one, but one I made with pix to send to him. Here are the pictures –

This was as we were leaving for our Bon Voyage party on board the ship for our Mexican cruise in 1976 – my nickname in those Angela Davis days? PH (pubichead…) I loved my Afro –

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/cjdacook/RJ.jpg


This one was just a couple years ago, Roy helped me with a catering job – we were done and just cleaning up – and as it was for friends, I had already hit the wine, can you tell????


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/cjdacook/ROYMEATJACKS.jpg

Our Valentine’s Dave Menu????

VALENTINE’S DAY
FEB. 14, 2007
Portland, Oregon

our menu


Roasted Beet and Grapefruit Salad
18 Hour English Muffins

Roasted Garlic Mashed Yukons
Filet Mignon
Creamy Roquefort Sauce

L’Ecole No. 41, Ferguson 2004
Commemorative Reserve
Columbia Valley

Snickers Brownies
French Vanilla Ice Cream

Canoe Ridge 2003
Cabernet Sauvignon Port
Columbia Valley


It’s 1 p.m. and the brownies are done – finally, the damn oven in here just does not cooperate!

Candy Bar Chocolate Brownies
Dave Lieberman – Food Network

Rich, decadent, moist and chewy with chunks of candy bars melted in, you couldn't ask a brownie for more. One of the best parts about them is that you can do them in one bowl, so cleanup's a breeze. The one thing you have to remember is to put the candy bars in the fridge before you got to chop them up or you'll get mush instead of chunks.

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus a little more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 mini chocolate-peanut candy bars, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups), refrigerator cold (recommended: Snickers "fun size")

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 13-inch cake pan (aluminum is fine) with butter. Beat the 1 1/2 sticks butter and the sugar together in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then stir in water and vanilla. Sprinkle the salt and baking powder over the mixture, then mix in. Do the same with the cocoa.

Finally, stir in the flour until just blended. Put the candy bars in a food processor or blender and pulse on low speed until all the bars have been reduced to a coarse crumble. Fold the crumble into the batter thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the center is set, the edges look a bit crusty, and the top of the brownies start to crack a little. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

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The beets and garlic head are in the oven roasting. Potatoes ready to go. Portland has a Year-Round Farmer’s market today from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., we will go check things out there and see what we can cram in the fridge.

Oh that farmer’s market was a sight to behold!!! Right out of the 60s – with a great little retro store behind the market!! Couldn’t smell any funny cigarettes, but they had to be there, somewhere!

Roasted Beet and Grapefruit Salad
Dave Lieberman – Food Network

6 small beets
1 medium ruby red grapefruit
2 ounces alfalfa sprouts, trimmed
Salad dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
3 pinches salt
10 grinds black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Thyme leaves from 10 delicate sprigs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil. Roast about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until fork tender. Remove beets from oven, unwrap and let cool 5 minutes before peeling. Slice the beets into eighths.

Remove the peel of the grapefruit with a sharp knife, cutting all the way down to the grapefruit flesh. Then cut the individual grapefruit segments out from their skin, using the supreme technique. Place the grapefruit segments in a bowl. Take the inner grapefruit remains and squeeze whatever juice you can out of it over the top of the grapefruit segments in the bowl.

Make the dressing by mixing together all the dressing ingredients along with all the juice that you can strain from the bowl of grapefruit.
Assemble the salad: Make a little heap of alfalfa in the middle of the plate. Scatter the cut beets around the plate. Pinch off pieces of the grapefruit segments and scatter them around the plate. Drizzle generously with dressing, top with a couple more grinds black pepper and serve.
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I prefer roasting beet my way to the above – just rub with olive oil and roast open on a sheet pan.

This vinaigrette is just spot on – it is delicious. I had Champagne vinegar in the trailer so used that and didn’t have fresh thyme, but the dried leaves worked o.k.

The entire combination of this salad works. And it was even tasty with the L’Ecole wine, which having read the label – no wonder I liked it, my favorite blend, Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc.

Overall, the dinner was very good. The filets were Christmas presents from Mattie and Wendy and so tender and juicy!! The brownies were good, but damn are they rich. Sent the rest in to the folks in the Portland office where they were promptly dealt with…those I probably won’t make again, but the beet and grapefruit salad, I certainly will!!!

Thursday, the 15th, we finally got to meet up with Scotty/Morris-what an absolute sweetheart! He acted like he had all the time in the world to explain about the ‘making of a restaurant’ – when it looked like he had people lined up waiting for him to make decisions. We love the building and what he is doing with it and I’m so glad we got to see the before and it will be opened and the rage of Vancouver by the time we get back up here. If only I were 29 years younger, I’d be right there in line with my application!! Left a bottle of my favorite champagne for him to enjoy on opening nite.

His menu looks over-ambitious, but I sure hope he can pull it off, it’s sounding wonderful. He also will have a pastry chef on site – which to me is one of the most important people to have!

Can’t tell more than that till we get back here to try it out once it’s opened! Flakey old FoodDude, didn’t make it – never seem able to connect with him. Will try another time thru.

It’s now Friday a.m., Great-White-Father is up and about and time to get this caravan on the road to Medford. Tracie has her menu lined up and reservations made for this evening at the Culinary School!! Going to be a fun time! I think Susan is doing the Saturday brunch for us…

Talked to Kelly for a minute yesterday and she has her menu in place also – we will prep together while imbibing Sex on the Beach. Great-white-father will act as bartender to keep us happy!!! We’ll be with Kelly and Brent on Wednesday (?) of next week.

Everyone in California is bragging about the weather – and the damn sun better stay In place till we get there – tired of this Portland rain!!! Medford? Don’t know yet.