Oregon started issuing a special run of Pacific Wonderland plates today and yesterday Jim came home with two pairs.  We’ve always loved this old plate style and were excited they are being reissued. To celebrate I invented a Pacific Wonderland cocktail.  I was shooting for all Oregon products, but had to fudge as I needed sugar, and a twist of lemon.  I started playing with the idea of a Vesper variation, but the Old Tom Gin is so herbacious that in this it worked better as an accent than as a main ingredient.    This might be improved by a bit of lemon juice...
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This morning was the second race of the America’s Cup. Nadya and I were on a weekend trip to Bend, so we didn’t have our normal way to keep track of the race. Of course, normal this year wasn’t too normal because there was no TV coverage but that is another story. We ended up in a coffee shop, following the race via Twitter and talking to people all over the world. Is this the new radio?
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I had a busy week last week with with four new recipes. This week it’s simple things like sausages and sauerkraut and leftovers from the freezer! I started reading a new blog that links to reviews of Rachael Ray recipes.  (I know, I know!  Hey, either she can cook, or she’s hired good cooks.) First up was Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole. I made this with steak, and halved the recipe.    I thought there were too many tortillas, though maybe mine were bigger than the ones intended.    Jim suggested that next time I serve it on top of lettuce as a salad, and I...
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I made this tonight.  Definitely a keeper.   I used two white sweet potatoes, three carrots, two parsnips, a good dozen garlic cloves (on the grounds that they were small), and added an onion cut in sixths.   I used a bit more seasoning and rubbed some on the chicken under the skin. Next time I’d cut back on the olive oil (but I eyeballed it so the recipe may be right), try boneless thighs, and maybe skin some of the chicken to see how it comes out.
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When I was a kid, yeah that long ago, I read everything I could about the Navy Hydrofoil Patrol Craft USS High Point. High Point was decommissioned and eventually stricken from the US Navel Register. According to Wiki, she was purchased in 2002 with the intent to restore her. Today while out for lunch I saw a flyer asking for volunteers for the restoration crew. According to the website, she is moored on the Columbia and will be moved to Portland to make it easier to work on and to have a greater pool of volunteers. Nadya said I needed another hobby.
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Some mornings the sky looks better than other mornings. Today is one of those days.
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