Winter Favorites by Melenie

Yep. Rainy season is in FULL EFFECT. It's driving me nutso...stir crazy...Bleh. However, I have come to fully accept the very fact that I live in the Pacific Northwest and it rains here. Alot. Period. Especially in the winter. With that said, although I get nutty from the drub, I do know that this rain is responsible for creating the ginormous trees and ferns I've come to love since I relocated. And I love the green come spring!

So I've compiled a list of favorite things that I turn to when I feel drab from the long rainy season here in Portland. (For those of you that live here or in neighboring Seattle, you can relate so enjoy). For those of you that live afar, send me sun if you have it.

1. I love wine.

I joined a wine club over the summer (Maresh Red Barn). This wine ROCKS. Really. It does. I love the fact that this dude who works there always wears the same blue overalls (his name is Sam) and he remembers my name. Plus their vieww of the Dundee hills is SICK. (Think Sonoma/Napa County meets a wave of green and a few alpacas). Love this place.

Also love the Portland winery Hip Chicks Do Wine. (Google their website). Their located 15 mins from my house and they have yummy wines. The winery is also solely run and operated by two VERY COOL women that are driven and super smart. They inspire me. If you go late in the day, the nice lady working the retail store/tasting room will give you a short tour of the processing room. Very cool. Something very chill to do in the rain. And the wine is considerably less expensive than those in the Willamette Valley. (their harvests come from there though) :)

Finally, the BEST wine for the price that I've indulged in recently is Charles Shaw's (formally known as "2 buck chuck" for you west coasters) Nouveau Valdiguie. The bottle is a mere $2.99 and tastes so close to a Beaujolais from the rack of a pricier wine specialty store. It's yummy. I like it. A case only costs $35 bucks. When I first moved here from philly I went Charles Shaw crazy...It was February and my first "Rainy season"...

One of my resolutions was to indulge in good wines in 2008. Cheers to that! Holler.

2. Title Wave Bookstore rocks my world.

If you live in Portland you know about this place. If not, then you must discover. I go here atleast once a week. (Sorry Powells, I love you too...BUT...) This bookstore is owned by the Multnomah County Library and holds books that are overstocked or outdated from each branch (which are quite a few). I swear my book collection has TRIPLED in the past year due to this place. All books are priced at like $1 to $3 from ANY realm and they have magazines for 25-50 cents. I just bought seven praxis/math guides, two zines, a political journal, and book for 8 beans. They often have sales where they offer you a bin to fill with as much stuff as you can for 10 bucks.

Go there.

3. Ristretto Coffee Shop makes an OBSCENE latte.

Seriously. It's my new favorite latte spot. I have a list of fav latte joints. But since my move to the Concordia 'hood, it's been a while since I've been to a few of them. Costello's Travel cafe rocks. Tiny's Rocks. Gold Rush rocks. and Stumptown will always have my heart. (Although it competes with Aj Java and Portland Roasting Co.)

4. Dragonfly Chai is BLAZING.

Buy a bottle for 5 bucks. Cop a box of soy milk, measure half/half, warm it up over the stove, mix in the mug. Indulge. I have one every night after dinner...it's from a local company here in Ports. If you want a bottle, holler. If I love you I'll send one. :) They have many flavors. (Black Tea, Roobis Red, and Green). The Roobis is my fav.

5. Stews and Soups are a big part of my winter life.

(ok. it's been a minute since i've blogged. So forgive the length.)

I LOVE cooking. Really. I do. And in the winter time I love making my homemade Juk and wonton soups (yes, from scratch my friends). We often go out for udon/ramen or pho, but it's fun to make it at home too. P and I have also broken out our Fondue kit that we got as a wedding gift and never used. I must say that this thing ROCKS. We recently made a "hot pot" and did it up sukiyaki style at home. It was life altering. We also used it during NYE for cheese and chocolate...yums. **Note: everything in moderation people!

6. Buy the pork carnitas from Trader Joe's. Like now.

So yummy. Rip the pack open, dump it in a cast iron pot, add a cup of beer (light or dark), a can of corn, and your favorite salsa. (I typically chop up LOADS of garlic and onion too). Let it simmer. Add cilantro. Enjoy. When I'm too lazy to cook an entire meal this pack saves me. I never added tequila to it, but I bet it would be a nice substitute for beer...

7. Rogue Beers RULE against most others.

www.rogue.com Visit this site. The Chocolate Stout is by far my favorite.
ok...enough for now. I'll add more later.

Nonetheless...Happy New Year everyone. Sorry I haven't called. Been busy hibernating.
Cheers.


Currently reading : The United States of Wal-Mart
By John DickerRelease date: By 16 June, 2005