Saturday, June 24, 2006

garden, dylan bday, chicago

so its saturday and its pretty hot here this weekend, in the 90's, but tuesday it drops back down to the low 80's, high 70's for awhile...my garden is growing pretty decent now, i have a ton of peas and about 15 or so baby tomatoes...

ate a nice fruit salad with cherry yogurt from tillamook for breakfast along w/ some bacon... got a nice beef roast/chili in the slow cooker right now for dinner, i'll letcha know how it works out later... took a little roast, salt and pepper rubbed it, browned it on all sides on a hot skillet. sliced up a big onion pretty thick style, put that in the bottom of the slow cooker, added some dried mexican peppers, two thai chilis, a big red bell pepper, couple cloves of garlic, put the beef in, some dried cayenne pepper, some paprika, a can of black beans, a large can of diced tomatoes, a dash of worchestchire, a dash of bbq sauce and put that thing on blast.

so i was in chicago earlier this week for work for this compliance conference...only there for 2 days, 1 night...didnt get back though till 3:30 am on tues night because of a shitty united airlines layover..i was supposed to bounce at 8:30 pm from denver but it got pushed back 1 hr at a time t ill it was like 1 am...when we finally bounced....which made for an extrmely tired paul at work the rest of the week...chicago was dope though..killed an amazing ribeye w/ a horseradish crust at this steakhouse called wildfire... the river that runs through the city looks gorgeous..the city was clean...lake michigan was gorgeous! nice beach man on the cusp of the city! here's 2 phone flicks:




























also it was dylan's bday the other night... he was dying to go to this german joint rheinlander for the past few months..he loves the yodeling staff and the accordian player. this pic is really dark here but you can make out that he wore his german yodelling hat to the spot...we got him a record player and a few records...

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Anthony Bourdain, The Pacific Coast, Full Sail Amber Ale, Waterfalls, and a new JOB

a post from melenie:

So excited that our friend Rich flew out here to visit us from philly...it was a dope week. We took a day trip to the coast and hopped on Highway 101. It was such a scenic drive...we enjoyed the beach, the sites, and the trees.....hehe. LOTS of TREES.

I interviewed for this really decent teaching gig at a school only blocks from my house. Right after the interview, Rich and I went Downtown to Powell's bookstore to scope out some new reads. As he was paying at the register, I glanced outside and saw Anthony Bourdain smoking a cigarette in front of the store!! I ran out and introduced myself....this is how the conversation went.....



Me: Sup Tony Bourdain? What the hell are you doing in Portland?

Bourdain: (He looks scared, then he smiles) Well, we're shootin for the series. Checkin out the scene. (he's looking at me like I'm some alien and I continue to speak in a speedy and overly excited voice)

Me: Dude, you're like a rock star. My husband and I love your show. I have to ask....How in the hell did you eat LIVE octopus, I mean, was it swirling around in your mouth? My husband and I just watched your show (taped) in Korea, and I have to say...you've got balls. Pardon me.

Bourdain: well, the tentacles do stick to your throat as you swallow.

Me: Is it cool if I take a pic of us with my corny cell phone? I mean, do you, like, have time, I'm sorry am I keeping you?

Bourdain: (looking at me like he's thinking of when he should make a run for it) No, it's cool, I'm just smokin a cigarette. No problem.

Me: Well, thanks dude. Safe travels. Have you been to Thailand yet? I have family there. (I kept rambling about stupid shit for like a full minute, embarassing myself)

Bourdain: Yeah, we were there last season. Thanks.

Me: OK...so...goodluck. We shook hands and he walked towards the door....I was walking to the door as well and he stopped and shot me that look that said, ( I think she's a stalker, god I hope this crazy woman doesn't follow me)

Rich walked out of the door and I attacked him with my excitedness. He now is convinced that I'm insane. It was fun. Pauly was so pissed that he didn't get the chance to meet him. I'm such a nerd. Anyways, for those of you who never saw the Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations show on the Travel Channel, peep it on Monday nights at 10 pm. It's decent.

Anyhow, I got the job offer the following day so it was a good week for me...FINALLY. We had such a great time with Richie. P and I will be posting new pics soon.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

chillin......

went to jeannie and chris's last weekend to help jeannie out with her garden..she is growing some MONSTROUS veggies rightnow...also, my buddy rich is currently visiting from philly...i'm jettin to chicago for work monday and tuesday... been making some decent sales, melenie just got a dope job offer, things are cool:




Wednesday, June 07, 2006

organics to you

i want to sign up for this dope organic produce delivery service next time i get paid: organicstoyou.org

here's one on the east coast for my philly fam: doortodoororganics.com

Sunday, June 04, 2006

quick thoughts for 6-4-06

while i wait for mel to get ready so we can go to washington park / the oregon zoo...

1) da vinci code was banging, i highly recommend the movie and book. then read angels and demons, which was the better of the two.

2) there is this amazing home 11 blocks from here where this really nice retired guy named dave lives with his wife, 5 chickens, beehive and pig named Mooshi. he lets the chickens just roam around the neighborhood...talk about free-range! he was really nice though and chatted with us for awhile and even gave us 2 fresh eggs - just laid that morning! we made bullseyes out of them.
































3) speaking of bullseyes, it has come to my attention that many people don't know what these are! also known as the egg in a basket or bird's nest (tim t called it that, but my pops always called them bullseyes), the bullseye is a dish of an over easy egg inside a piece of bread. to make a super banging bullseye, take a piece of bread, any kind will do, and cut a whole in the middle of the bread. now, butter up a pan and turn on medium high heat. put the piece of bread in it, now crack an egg in the hole of the bread. let cook for a couple of minute, just like an over easy/medium egg. now flip the whole thing. cook for a few more minutes. put on plate. eat with fork and knife. amazing. here's a god explanation with a pic

4) the lilys outside our place are blooming nicely these days. its nice to come home to a super springy/green area

5) rich is coming out to visit soon..he's stopping out at stink & meca's first in san fran from the 8-13th then dropping by portland from the 13th to the 18th..

6) the bathroom at work. all guys like reading something while they do their business. with that said, the girls at my work will probably think i'm dirty/have a problem with me taking the newspaper out of the office to the bathroom with me. so, i have to resort to going to doing a #2 later in the day because then the guys in the office next door will have already done their duty and they always leave the newspaper in the stall when they're done. NOW, in the case that I have to go before lunch, i'm bored while doing my business, so i've been bringing my new cellphone and playing solitaire. or looking at my pics. or, lately, taking pics. here's one for you:

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Cowboy Dinner Tree















I forget if I ever posted this or discussed it before...it's an AMAZING cowboy restauarant in the middle of the desert that Chris and Jeannie took us to when we were in Bend. There's nothing around for miles except for sagebrush, and and pine trees? Oh, and deer at night. Then, there's this amazing cowboy steakhouse.















Cowboy
Dinner Tree Restaurant Silver Lake, Oregon
Comments: Years and years ago when, long before there was an old shack under what is now the Cowboy Dinner Tree, the ranchers from Paisley, Summer Lake and Siver Lake pushed their cattle through Syean trail enroute to the lush meadows of the Syean Marsh. By the time the cowboys had moved the cattle from Silver Lake lake bed to the Dinner Tree, it was considered the half-way point. Their the chuck wagon was waiting to serve-up some buckeroo beans and biscuits. Today after all these many years, the Cowboy Dinner Tree still serves-up the beans and bread, along with a slab of beef that most cowboys would only dream of on the trail! JOIN US FOR A TASTE OF THE REAL OLD WEST!

North of Paisley is the tiny community of Silver Lake with maybe a dozen structures, if you count out-buildings and state highway maintenance facilities. Here, we had a super experience - dinner at the Cowboy Dinner Tree Cafe. Located about five miles south of town, the Cafe‚ is where the grassland is dotted with juniper trees and before the Ponderosa pine forest begins. The story goes, during 19th century cattle drives, chuck wagons would prepare meals for the cowboys under the giant juniper tree out back of the Cafe. As time went by, chuck wagons were replaced by the Cafe and a most delightful dining experience for us non-cowboy folks. The Cafe's exterior looks primitive and the inside only slightly more substantial. The tables are slabs of Lodgepole pines balanced on a pipe set on top of welded circles of horseshoes. Two bare bulbs, powered by batteries, provide some illumination. (The rule is: the first person to complain about deficient lighting is required to use their car's battery to supplement the Cafe's fading supply.) The menu (you make your selection when placing a reservation) has two choices: steak or chicken. Both are prepared on huge grills outside and served with a softball size baked potato and a pie pan of fresh baked pull-a-part rolls - after communal bowls of salad and soup have been consumed. By the way, it's a whole chicken or 26 to 30 ounce steak! The meal is washed down with either ice tea, lemonade, or honest and true campfire coffee, complete with a layer of sludge-like grounds on the bottom. The owner/greeter/butcher is a "tall-drink-of-water" cowboy, complete with bowed legs and missing teeth, while his wife is the cook, and what a cook she is! It was one of the best meals we had this season and was overall a great time. (And we got four more meals from our "doggie bags"!)