Sliders Revelation -- Dinner Roll Buns

I debated about whether or not to post something about burgers because honestly this town has had a lot of freaking burger action lately -- to the point where it's just about overkill. Pun intended.

But it's not often that something this delicious comes around in a bun so I'd feel bad if I didn't tell you about the incredible beef sliders that we cooked up recently.

I've been a little burnt out on burger buns lately. As funny as that sentence sounds it's true. You know, I put together these rad burgers with great meat, sometimes cheese and all sorts of tasty fixings and then they go on mediocre store bought buns. The first way out was to buy nice crust ciabatta buns. I still do that and they're great -- fluffy, porous and perfect for sopping up juices since they hold up well.

Last week I entered new terrain -- beyond ciabatta. I was perusing the New Seasons Market Arbor Lodge baked goods area when I came across Marsee Baking's take and bake dinner rolls. I had sliders on my mind and these little guys were just the right size. You know where I'm going with this.

Once home I left the meat out to get to a good temp. while I gathered the condiments -- mayonnaise, whole seed mustard -- and prepped the fixings -- butter lettuce, cilantro, homemade spicy garlic pickles and french-cut dilly beans. Once that was done we stoked the grill and formed the patties with salt, pepper and hunks of Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue inside for good measure.

When my boyfriend put the sliders on the grill I threw the dinner rolls in the oven and several minutes later both were ready. I think the pictures speak for themselves but in case there's any doubt these were the best burgers of the season so far. Too good not to share.

Burgers are about the easiest thing to cook but if you want some tips I think this is a great article.

Blue cheese beef sliders baby...

River's Edge Smoked Salmon

I got a really nice package on my doorstep a few weeks ago from a woman that I used to work with at The Alameda Cafe -- Erika Simeon. I hadn't spoken with her in years and since then it turns out that she and her dad have started a business smoking and selling the above -- River's Edge Smoked Salmon.

The past two and half years they've been perfecting this secret recipe smoked salmon and I was lucky enough to get samples of the King and Coho. The King was definitely my favorite because it was so moist and flavorful. The Coho -- on the salt bagel above with cream cheese, capers, and scallions -- was a bit drier but still really good.

According to Erika they use wild line caught Northwest salmon, organic brown sugar, and solar evaporated sea salt for the small batch alder smoked salmon.

We went to the coast last weekend and I brought along a couple packages of chevre, along with some fresh herbs clipped from the garden and some of last year's garlic. I minced the herbs (oregano, mint, thyme, chives, sorrel) along with the garlic and whipped them into the chevre with a good amount of half and half. One of the tastiest things that we ate over the weekend was wamed and sliced Pearl Bakery baguette smeared with the garlic and herb chevre and topped with River's Edge Smoked King Salmon along with a nice, dry French rose.

Although River's Edge products aren't available in local stores yet -- I'll let you know when they are -- you can purchase the smoked salmon online. If you're local email Erika at erika@riversedgesalmon.com for free Portland area delivery.

Local smoked salmon at your service

River's Edge Smoked Salmon www.riversedgesalmon.com

Gartner's Country Meat Market and Cincinnati Chili

My boyfriend and I have a semi-annual tradition -- a Cincinnati chili Super Bowl Sunday party. The way it came be was several years ago when we lived in Southeast Portland I cooked up a huge pot of my brother's killer Cincinnati chili recipe on you guessed it -- Super Bowl Sunday.

I talked to my brother on the phone that day -- he's in Cincinnati along with the rest of my family -- and told him about the chili party. He said something to the tune of that's perfect. As in, Cincinnati chili plus Super Bowl equals perfection. It wasn't though in his terms because we didn't in fact watch the Super Bowl. We never do. Not only do we not have television reception, we just aren't into football and neither are a lot of our friends.

Anyway, our no Superbowl on Superbowl Sunday chili party became tradition from that day forward and it's always a hit. This year people were so into it we actually ran out of chili -- first time ever. Luckily it was in the final hours of the party and everyone had had their fill by then. If you don't know much about Cincinnati chili here are some spots that you can learn a thing or two from. (Please disregard the fork twirling in the Saveur photo -- that just isn't how it's done.)

My friend Rale made us a very special card for the Cincy chili party this year...

That social networking is lame?

I had no idea Cincinnati chili likes cheese puffs

I can't get enough of Cincinnati chili. It's always the first food I eat when I land in Cincinnati and I've been known to have it for breakfast on more than one occasion while visiting. It's that good. It's home. (Anthony Bourdain, I'm sad that you tried Cincinnati chili for the first time with someone who sneers at it for your Cleveland No Reservations episode. Next time you're in Portland I'll make you some.)

My brother's recipe is fantastic. And as much as I miss the parlor aspect when I make it at home I actually think it's better than most of the Cincy parlor renditions. You even get the steamy windows when you cook it at home. Stumble upon a Cincinnati chili parlor in the wee hours -- when people are on the late night crawl and fueling up -- and from the outside you'll think you've arrived at an open-all-hours greenhouse.

Pork and beef German weiners from Gartner's Country Meat Market

Although I've never found a good source for the mini dogs and buns that a proper Cincinnati chili coney requires I've made do with Gartner's delicious German weiners. These pork and beef, sheep casing dogs are better than any hot dog I've ever known and I like that they are on the skinny side, all the better to fill those coneys with more chocolate and cinnamony Cincy chili.

This year, Gartner's Country Meat Market was a mad house the day before the Super Bowl. It's always busy before holidays -- especially summer holidays -- but this time around it felt like a popular NYC borough bar, five people deep. And it's money in the bank for Gartner's that after ten minutes waiting to place your order any carnivorous sane person will find at least one or two (for us three or four...) more items in the case to add to their order.

We added a quarter pound of really good lunch meat -- beef thuringer. It's an emulsified bologna type meat that we slapped between some tasty cheese bread with mustard and called it lunch. We also bought a couple cheddar onion knackwursts for breakfast the next morning. Gluttons.

And even though we managed to eat our way through a large stockpot of Cincinnati chili this year we were left with a dozen Gartner's weiners. One thing we did with those was cook up a mean migas scramble with them, eggs, cheddar, red chile flakes, and of course the requisite sliced and fried corn tortillas. Mmmm

Gartner's Country Meat Marketwww.gartnersmeats.com 7450 NE Killingsworth St., Portland 503.252.7801 Tue.-Sat. 9am-6pm Sun 10am-4pm

Say Cheese: Last Day for Steve's Cheese Feb. 21st, Sneak Peak at Cheese Bar to Open Mid-March

Only the good die young...

but only the great rise again like the phoenix.

Sorry for the cliche overload but it's hard not to wax poetic when discussing Steve Jones' still-open-but-not-for-long Steve's Cheese on NW Thurman and his newest venture Cheese Bar due to open mid-March at 60th and SE Belmont.

I spoke with Steve late last week and here's the scoop...

How would you describe Cheese Bar?

Cheese Bar is a cross between an old world delicatessen and a tabac.

What's a tabac?

In France and Italy both there are these things called tabacs and they're on almost every corner. It's where old men come in in the morning and buy their tobacco -- although we obviously won't be selling tobacco -- and then they'll stand and have a glass of espresso and maybe a croissant. And then in the evening they'll come back and have a glass of grappa and piece of cheese or something.

I've always really liked the social aspect of them. People coming in and out -- and quite often they're in and out in twenty minutes. It's really the only fast option you have in Europe -- everything else takes forever. So it's kind of cool you can get a little bite or boost and keep on moving. That's kind of been my intention with this. If people want to linger they can but Cheese Bar is more for when you're on your way home and you stop and have a glass of beer and a piece of cheese, or a glass of wine and a small bite.

Other differences between Steve's Cheese and Cheese Bar?

I keep telling everyone [Cheese Bar is] everything you've got now [Steve's Cheese] and more. We'll still carry everything including all the meat and cheese but you'll also be able to have a beer while your shopping. That's, you know, my dream moment. To get a beer and then shop for cheese. I mean, hell yeah, that's perfect.

I think if we've got a really long line I'm just going to grab a pitcher of beer and just pour everyone a little glass and say, "Here, have a beer." I used to shop at an old meat shop in St. Louis and no matter what time of day you'd walk in they'd ask -- "Want a bavarian beer?" It's 9:30 in the morning and they'd be offering you a beer..."

Same killer cheese selection at Cheese Bar plus beer and then some

Other things I learned about Cheese Bar:

The small menu will be stocked with sandwiches, soups, salads (such as garbanzo, tuna, and red pepper) snacks (sardines on toast), and hot plates ranging from $2-$10.

Cheese Bar will have the same rocking cheese selection (available in-house or to-go) as Steve's Cheese as well as all the other retail food and drink products such as vinegars, pastas, pickles and more.

There will be in-house beer, wine, and beer and wine cocktails. Curious about the latter -- we shall see.

And the look and feel? Lots of reclaimed wood and reused materials, four tables, two small bars (one standing bar, the other with stools), and a warm color scheme with lots of reds and browns.

I know where I'll be come mid-March.

Cheese Baropens mid-March 503.222.6014 6031 SE Belmont St. 10am-11pm Tue.-Sun.

Happy Anniversary Blog: One year and counting

Yep, it's been one whole year of blogging and I thought I'd do a year in the life post of the Food Lover's Guide to Portland blog. I'll start this off with a confession. When Sasquatch Books vice president Sarah Hanson asked me at Wordstock 2008 to start a blog for my book I remember a sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn't a one too many Manhattans feeling. It was more of an -- I don't want to be a self absorbed, write-ad-nauseam-about-trivial-kitchen-experiments kind of person. I don't want to share my personal life with strangers online. I don't want to bore people, and bore myself to tears. Well, I hope that my initial apprehension has served me well and that I've risen above my fears and provided something truly worthwhile in this endeavor -- nearly 100 posts later. Mostly I hope that I do not, in fact, bore you to tears. If I do -- please move along because what follows is simply a year in review -- ghosts of my blog's past.

My first post revealed my stinky side -- my kimchi habit.

All my kimchi fixings

And I'll have you know that shortly after that batch of kimchi (for which I bought a new mandoline) I sliced off the tip of my right ring finger slicing radishes on it. That's one way to delay the writing of your book by the way.

One of my favorite blog posts was about the April Fool's Voodoo Doughnut wedding that I got to attend. The fact that this was just days after I went to ER for my sliced finger and was hopped up on Vicodin made this weird event even weirder...

Beneath the Cruller Chandelier of Life...

Some other good times researching/writing the book and blogging about it include meeting Earnest and Sumiko Migaki of Jorinji Miso and learning all about their local miso...

I love that we have local, hand crafted, delicious miso in Portland

Talking with Belmont Station and Biercafe co-owner Carl Singmaster about all things beer...

I got to try my first sour beer with this man!

Going on yet another amazing Wild Food Adventure with John Kallas...

This spring I ate wild sorrel, young salmonberry shoots, and stinging nettle thanks to John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures

Volunteering with Oregon Food Bank at its Eastside Learning Garden...

Mid-March harvest of collard greens from OFB Eastside Learning Garden

Taking a Kookoolan Farms cheese class...

I learned how to make ricotta, herbed chevre and more at a Kookoolan Farms cheese class in the spring

And attending Home Orchard Society's All About Fruit Show in the fall...

Thanks to Home Orchard Society experts at the annual All About Fruit Show this fall I found out my ancient backyard apple tree is a Gravenstein

Thanks for reading, thanks for caring.

Here's to another great year!

Eat, drink and be hairy.

Fremont Tangerines: New Seasons Markets

In recent years my relationship with citrus has grown. Lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and then some. I've always loved citrus -- from quartered oranges at half time during elementary school soccer, to childhood morning's eating halved grapefruit topped with a generous pour of sugar, to fresh squeezed lemonade when lucky in the summer growing up.

What's changed in recent years is that I don't just appreciated citrus solo as in a slice of orange or a segment of tangerine -- I appreciate it as an accent, a bright contrast to everything from soups and salads, to pastas and marinades. A generous squeeze here, a bit of zest there.

Below is visual evidence of my evolving relationship. It happened around the time I found the beautiful piece of heavy aluminum kitchen equipment on the left of this photo at an estate sale. I'd been looking for one of these citrus juicers for some time because we grew up with one and it worked wonders come lemonade time as a kid. A few months after I found it, my brother and his wife bought me the new orange one. And then just weeks later I found the old stand up citrus juicer (good luck comes in threes) at a thrift store. I juice citrus so frequently now that three is indeed better than one. Do my dishes?

The long limbs and beauty of synchronized juicing.

Anyhow, my original train of thought with this post was this:

A couple weekends ago when New Seasons Market hosted a front-of-the-store Saturday and Sunday citrus tasting I was very happy. I tried a bunch of citrus that I'd never tried before.

The best of the batch that I tried -- the tiny but oh-so-full-of-flavor Fremont tangerines. Wow -- if you haven't tried them and you love tangerines even a quarter as much as I do you better get your heinie over to New Seasons and grab a few.

They've brought me back to wanting citrus and only citrus -- no accouterments.

I think you're going to like these.

White Pine Products: Kinda Nutty

A couple years ago I wrote a story about locally grown horseradish (wasabi grows in the Pacific Northwest too by the way) and for that I interviewed the Krizos in the Klamath Basin. It was a really interesting story to research and then I didn't talk with the Krizos for a couple years.

A few weeks ago I got to see the working cover design for my bookFood Lover's Guide to Portland. I love it and I should because I took all of the cover photos except one -- the one of the Krizos' harvest truck.

So I got to check in with them about this agricultural shot of their truck filled to the brim with horseradish. They gave the green light and that opened up the dialogue. A couple weeks later I heard from their son -- Ira Krizo -- who lives in town and runs a thriving local, wholesale food business -- White Pine Products. Ira provided the recipe to go with that seasonal horseradish story in 2007 -- horseradish crusted filet mignon with a blue cheese cream sauce.

In 2007 Ira's all-natural (some organic) White Pine Products -- granolas, candied nuts, pancake mixes, and more -- were only in a few stores. Since then WPP has grown and diversified. You can now find White Pine Products in local Whole Foods Markets, Market of Choice stores, and other food and drink shops around town.

The past few weeks I've been lucky enough to sample several White Pine Products and here are a few of the tasty treats I've enjoyed as a result...

Caramalized onion, feta, white wine and spinach spaghetti topped with candied pecans.

Butter lettuce, bacon, egg, and maple spice hazelnut salad with a miso lime vinaigrette.

As you can see from the photo below there's a lot more to White Pine Products than spiced nuts (Although WPP's are so fresh and perfectly spiced they takes spiced nuts to a whole new level.) I'll let you know how the pancake mixes, granola and muesli are next time...

White Pine Products line-up.

White Pine Products 503.794.4083 www.whitepine.usWPP online store

Kitchen Kaboodle: Still Need Last Minute Gifts?

I love me some Kitchen Kaboodle. That sounds a little dirty but it's not. It took me a while to realize that Kitchen Kaboodle is locally owned. I think it's because it reads like a big chain -- large selection, multiple locations in town, online shopping etc. but no sir -- Kitchen Kaboodle has been a locally owned, Portland tried and true establishment since 1975.

Despite the fact that they shortened their hours drastically at all locations for a few months Kitchen Kaboodle stores are open holiday hours now through January 3rd -- seven days a week. As far as I can see the stores are filled to the brim and in full swing. I was a little worried before the holiday hours to be honest. The slashed hours felt a little last breath to me.

So last week when I purchased my very first slow cooker from them (and then made that bright red chuck above into a lovely pot roast) I was pleased to see both the Northwest and the Northeast locations hopping with local shoppers. There are loads at great gifts at Kitchen Kaboodle in every price range -- stocking stuffers, huge honking Cadillac-like kitchen equipment, and everything in between.

Kitchen Kaboodle's three Portland locations (there's also a shop in Clackamas as well as in Hillsboro) are fully loaded so you'll find the same kind of diverse assortment of cookware and dinnerware as at a Sur La Table. A lot of the products—ranging from Le Creuset and All-Clad cookery to kitchen linens, tools and gadgets, and glassware—are displayed throughout the store on tall metal racks. There's a kitchen knife and table cutlery section, a table setting and flatware section, along with all sorts of gadgets big and small, and even a home furniture section. I love this store for its diversity, friendly service, and competitive prices.

There's a lot of sale merchandise at the moment too so if you still have some shopping to do head over. And what about the pot roast? It was delicious. The parsnips, carrots, potatoes and onions soaked up all the juices and it was melt in your mouth comfort food. Next up: pulled pork, posole, and congee.

Please support our lovely and local Kitchen Kaboodle! Kitchen KaboodleHoliday hours 1520 NE Broadway St, Portland; 503.288.1500; Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm. 404 NW 23rd Ave, Portland; 503.241.4040; Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm. 8788 SW Hall Blvd, Portland; 503.643.5491; Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm. www.kitchenkaboodle.com

Dovetail Bakery about to spread its wings: New retail location!

I'm in the final edits stage of my book at the moment and in an effort to stay on the sunny side about the seemingly endless tedium it's been great in the past few weeks to add some exciting new ventures to the pages of Food Lover's Guide to Portland.

One that I'm very excited about is Dovetail Bakery's soon to open retail location on Northeast Alberta Street. For years Dovetail has vended at farmers market and delivered wholesale only, with no retail location.

These lovely vegan baker ladies have been working around the clock the past few months to make the retail bakery happen and if all goes well Dovetail Bakery plans to ring in the new year and open shop on January 1st, 2010. The new Dovetail Bakery location has indoor and outdoor seating and plenty of bike parking in front.

Grand opening Jan. 1st, 2010! Dovetail Bakery 3039 NE Alberta St. Portland, Oregon 503.288.8839 Hours: Tue.-Sun. 8am-8pm

Same great vegan sweet and savory pastries at new retail location.

New menu to include:

Cinnamon rolls Aunt Miriam's sticky buns Seasonally inspired sweet buns Daily selection of cookies Seasonally inspired loaf cakes Seasonally inspired muffins Sweet & savory tarts Seasonal fruit pies Changing selection of cakes & cupcakes Artisan breads Housemade coconut yogurt w/ Dovetail Bakery granola & fruit Daily soup (featuring farm direct produce) French press Courier CoffeeMagic Kombucha Special orders are always welcome!

*Everything baked fresh on site. *Loads of local ingredients. *New CSA/CSB program. Dovetail has partnered with local farm Wealth Underground Farm that will provide the CSA portion (veggies, fruits, beans, etc.) while Dovetail will provide the bread and pastries CBA portion. Contact Dovetail for more information.

The fabulous Dovetail Bakery ladies move shop to Northeast Alberta.

Dovetail Bakery 3039 NE Alberta St. Portland, Oregon 503.288.8839 Hours: Tue.-Sun. 8am-8pm dovetailbakery.blogspot.com

Smoked Salmon Alfredo -- Siletz Tribal Smokehouse

Even though this isn't a recipe-based blog every once in awhile something happens in my kitchen that I have to share. A few days ago, armed with a quarter pound of smoked salmon and a handful of brussels sprouts I decided to make smoked salmon alfredo. With brussels sprouts. It was delicious and I'm going to give you a recipe in a minute.

First I want to tell you that the smoked salmon I used was a nice surprise. I often get shelf stable smoked salmon (rather than refrigerated, often vacuum-packed smoked salmon) for various far away folks during the holidays and walking down the aisle where I normally find it at New Seasons I noticed a new package of smoked salmon on the shelf -- this one from Oregon. I grabbed a box.

You can't miss the packaging

I'd like to give you some info. beyond the fact that it was yummy, and moist and made my stomach happy but for some reason the website attached to the product -- Oregon Smoked Foods, Inc. -- is acting funny. I'll revisit it soon and get you some more information. I'm curious. The only info. I can give you about the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians is that I gathered and included some very interesting old recipes from the tribe for a story I did about lamprey in 2006 for the Portland Tribune.

For now, let me tell you about the tasty smoked salmon alfredo I made.

First I sauteed several thinly sliced brussels sprouts over medium heat with half a diced yellow onion and two minced fresh cayenne chiles in a couple teaspoons of bacon fat and tablespoon of butter. After a few minutes I added the broken into hunks smoked salmon and took the pan off the heat. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.

Next I put a salted pot of water to boil and once boiling I added a pound of spaghetti and let it cook till done.

While the pasta boiled I put a small oven-safe dish in the oven once it was preheated to 400 degrees and left it in there for a few minutes to warm up. I removed the pot once it was hot and cracked a couple eggs into it with a cup or so of finely grated asiago, a half cup or so of half-and-half and I whisked that together.

Then I mixed this heated egg/cheese slurry with the right out of the pot and still piping hot cooked pasta and the hot brussels/onion/chili/salmon mix. I ground some fresh pepper over the lot, added a few shakes of sea salt, and topped the spaghetti with some minced parsley. It was delicious and I highly recommend it.

This smoked salmon salad from Tria Cafe in Philadelphia that a hungry blogger recently wrote about sounds pretty yummy too if you're looking for other smoked salmon ideas.