1 Year Anniversary

our 1 year anniversary is tomorrow. as is my aunt sue's 50th bday. as is the start of yom kippur. we're spending the night @ timberline lodge at the top of mt. hood.

here's a pic of mt hood on a sunny day in portland:


click below for the amazing menu for dinner @ timberline dining room tonight:

Timberline cuisine is predicated on freshness in the preparation of the area's bountiful natural resources. Wild and rare Chanterelles and Morels thrive on our mountain sides.The finest Fruits and Vegetables are grown in the volcanic rich soil of Oregon’s green valleys. Special emphasis is placed on a great galaxy of fresh Seafood from our waters. The naturally healthy lifestyles encouraged by the beauty of our environment are reflected in our sauces and preparation techniques.Our award winning culinary brigade will offer you many unique Cascadian style classics and international dishes and the best of Oregon cuisine in this very special setting...Timberline Lodge

Leif Eric Benson A.A.C. C.E.C.
Executive Chef Timberline Lodge

I'm happy to report that it's still sunny in Portland. Holler at your boy.


p.

tired.

• i'm tired.
• my one year anniversary is coming up in a week and half. we're spending the night @ timberline lodge at mt. hood.
• my sister ate our anniversary cake (the top part of the wedding cake) on a drunk rampage one night many months ago.
• we have to go out and get some really fresh dope strawberry shortcake to make up for that.
• i'm tired.
• i just finished another haruki murakami book: norwegian wood and it was not as dope as the rest i've read, in my mind. more of a twisted love story. still pretty good and worth a read, but not as twisted and extraordinary, in the creative sense of the word, not the way most people use the word today.
• i made some good tea tonight, white peony and orange pu-ehr
• roobis tea (red tea) is def. my shit these days though, but i'm out.
• melenie got an A in her first grad school class!
• im going to start a book soon i've decided yet again...i have a dope start of a novel in my head, but it's really hard to get on the computer at night after sitting in front of the screen from 7 am - 5 pm these days.
• my mom makes me feel guiltier and guiltier every time i speak to her on the phone, for moving out west. i think she's being quite selfish. what do you think?
• fall is here. i love it.

good bye.

pauly

picture time.

another big shout to my man EMC who stopped by again on his way back from washington. here's us chilling for the day at one of the smaller falls.....


















my wife, looking as gorgeous as ever with some pinot noir grapes from the williamette valley, home to america's best pinot noir wines, i think she's at Maresh red barn here in this pic..check for it at your local wine store...

















here in this pic are our most recent visitors...monique and her bro, aka my main conspiracy theorist, christian..and on top, straight outta montreal, quebec, my man marc...another dope day at wakeena falls, one of my most favorite places on the planet... christian put me down with many new truths in the world, most especially those of larry silverstein, owner of the world trade centers and biggest asshole in the world, taking out the bigget insurance policy ever and then planting detonators to "pull" the building, in the same fashion that any old building is taken down. look at building 7 for further explanation. some examples:
example 1 : example 2 : example 3 : example 4 : example 5

oh wait, here's video PROOF on PBS of him saying "pull it"

















my tomatoes were amazing this summer. but fall is here. leaves are turning and beginning to fall. its getting slightly cloudy again. i miss my family. sales are up. food is good. im plotting a novel in my mind. melenie is doing great at grad school. life is good.

i miss yall,

paul

currently reading cookbooks

two books i'm currently studying:



The French Laundry Cookbook
by Thomas Keller

Supposedly The French Laundry is the best restaurant in the country, so I'm pretty damn curious what this guy can do in the kitchen and onto a plate...and i'm REALLY impressed with what I've only flipped through so far...the secrets about super green veggies and poached eggs and how important vinegar and salt are in cooking, and how if you can taste either of those two, well then you've used too much... check out his current menu





you've probably read my older posts about Anthony Bourdain and his tv show on the travel channel, No Reservations. I've been dying to see what kind of dishes he kicks out of his restaurant after seeing the guy critique food from all over the world and it's pretty decent french food, though nowhere near the innovation on Frnech Laundry. les halles is a typical decent french cafe, and bourdain even says so in the book... however, i've definitely scraped up some really nice recipes from this book, such as the pot au feu, coq au vin, onion soup, mushroom soup (for mel), beef bourgnion, and one or 2 duck dishes... oh and the real way to make stock and demi-glace.. some more on this book here...




happy labor day. life is cool. i worked work out for now...had a good sales month. melenie is doing good in grad school. stinke and meca are coming to visit us for thanksgiving. i have a new chef apron. my tomatoes and strawberries are blazing. fall is coming. i miss my friends. i want a dog. and a house with a big backyard. its saturday night and i had some beers with lunch. made a blazing breakfast. chopped up green bean and cherry tomatoes from the garden omlette w/ goat cheese, some tater tots and decent breakfast sausage cooked in chicken stock. happy hour/lunch around the corner, bloody mary, beer, spinach crab dip w/ chips, a pear and walnut and blue cheese salad, couple of oysters and a fish taco. helping mel w/ a powerpoint presentation tonight. reading more of my new cookbooks from the library. drink some wine, maybe.

bye for now.