Day 151: Macaroon

I've never had a macaroon before today. I've had a macaron. I've avoided it mainly because of the coconut, and the fact that no one ever serves macaroons.

It has the taste of a Mound candy bar with the slight texture of a really soft cookie. I will not finish this tub. Maybe I can shill some off on my softball teammates.

Day 150: Mint Julep

Day 149: Coq Au Vin

I have no idea how to pronounce this either. I've been told about 90 times by Liz since I started this project, but It doesn't stick in my brain. Quack O'Viin? CocoVaughn? The second one sounds right.

I was not looking forward to it at all. It simply looked disgusting in pictures. When I got home, Liz had left it stewing in the crock pot, so the place smelled damn good. Well maybe this would be too bad.

I started with a scared demeanor and ready to let it fall from my mouth to the sink. I gave it a chew. Hhhhmmm?! It wasn't to bad. It started to grow on me. It has a "dark" or "burnt" flavor to it. I'd definitely do this again.

Day 148: Brisket

Mmmm...Cow chest. Russell St. Bar-B-Que is often lauded for their brisket, so we stopped by after work. Alex was super pleased that he could 1) choose two sides with his brisket (mac and cheese and barbecued baked beans) and 2) choose the killer hot sauce as his topping.

It was tender and super spicy. Alex ate it up as I gnawed at my pork ribs.

Russell St. Bar-B-Que is definitely the place to go for smoked meats. Aside from the great food, it has a charming country vibe and fabulous beer. Try the Seven Brides Frankenlou IPA if you're into that sort of thing.

Day 147: Grape Popsicle

So this day seems awfully specific, but whatever. I got some Dreyer's Outshine popsicles for Alex, and he was pleased.

The only problem was that it took me so long to get home today (damned Cesar Chavez traffic!) that the popsicle was quite melty at this point. He caught a chunk in his hand a millisecond after this photo was snapped. He's got reflexes like a cat, that one. Especially when it involves something sweet.

Day 146: Blueberry Cheesecake

Out of all the cheesecake combinations we've had so far (and I feel like there are several), blueberry cheesecake comes out on top.

We took a semi-easy route today which meant purchasing a cheesecake from Trader Joe's and topping it with fresh blueberries. Delicious.

Alex loved the combination. He said it tasted like blueberry pancakes, but in cheesecake form. Much creamier, obviously. Anything that tastes like creamy blueberry pancakes is all right in my book.

Day 145: Wine

A bottle of red, a bottle of white. Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight.

Day 144: Escargots

Yescargots. It is snails. Despite my affinity for all things French, I have never tried this dish. I was wary but came with an open mind. Alex, on the other hand, was terrified. We went to Chez Machin on Hawthorne, which is super cute. The service is outstanding but very slow. We got the escargots as an appetizer.

Well, as much as people try to say that anything drenched in butter is delicious, it does not hold entirely true for snails. They were much more benign than I expected, almost tasteless. Definitely not disgusting, but not something I'd ever order again. Alex, with a pounding heart, gamely downed one entire escargot. I was super proud of him.

Escarno!

Day 143: Taffy

I was planning on just picking up some Laffy Taffy, but I didn't see any at the Plaid Pantry. I can save you from the "jokes" I guess.

I went with an Abba-Zabba. I've had one before, but not a strawberry one. For those that haven't had one, it's a taffy with a thin layer of peanut butter in the middle. It's okay, but tastes nothing like the PB&J it advertised.

Very chewy!

Day 142: Vanilla Pudding

Yesterday, Liz reminded me to get the instant Jell-O pudding and not the kind you cook. I've made the error before, so she wasn't out of place. Although, when I when to go get pudding today, I decided to make it even easier and more instant by getting a vanilla pudding Snack Pack.

When I got it home I threw it in the freezer to make sure it got cold fast while I did my workout. I also made sure I didn't leave it too long and have pudding pops.

It probably would have tasted better with Jell-O, but laziness sure tastes sweet too.

Day 141: Strawberries And Cream

Finally, finally, a day where the fruit in question is ACTUALLY IN SEASON. But just barely. Here in Oregon, we wait all year for the crop of strawberries to ripen. They are simply the best strawberries ever. So this was the first day that I was able to purchase organic Oregon strawberries for our strawberries and cream. I had thought the dish was simply strawberries with whipped cream, but the recipes I found promised something much better.

ThePioneerWoman.com is quickly becoming my go-to for recipes. This recipe has you mix heavy cream with plain yogurt and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Then you refrigerate the mixture for a couple of hours, and the whole thing becomes a silky smooth, sugary (but not too) concoction of delight. Add the first crop of Oregon strawberries and you have perfection.

Alex was pleased, and so was I. Often I find that the desserts we have are waaaayyyy too sugary for me. This was perfectly balanced. A real treat. Everyone who still eats dairy and sugar should try this out. Screw the elimination diet. This is worth it.

Day 140: Quiche Lorraine

I'm never had quiche before. It is one of those breakfast-like eggy foods that I've always kind of avoided. I kind of think of it as a breakfast tart.

How dare you look like a tasty custard pie!

We picked ours up yesterday at St. Honoré. I just popped it in the oven today after work.

I took a bite, which really turned into me gumming it for a while, then me just holding it in my mouth. I spit it out into the sink shortly after that. The crust was great. I just have trouble eating eggs unless they have been fried to death. Having chucks of meat in the fluff didn't help either. I don't care if it is bacon.

Day 139: Devil's Food Cake

Today we opted for cupcakes as opposed to a whole cake for Devil's Food Cake Day. We went to Cupcake Jones in Northwest Portland, which turned out to be a great choice.

We got the Downtown Cupcake Brown, a delicious devil's food cake filled with sour cream chocolate ganache topped with fresh grated dark chocolate. Nom Nom Nom!

Needless to say, Alex was pleased. I wonder how the Prince of Darkness feels today?

Day 138: Cheese Soufflé

I was disappointed that I didn't get to try Alex's Chocolate Soufflé, so I welcomed the opportunity to try the cheese. I had to make it because we could not find a spot to get it. I only had to purchase whole milk, more eggs and Soufflé dishes, thanks to our well-stocked pantry. A Soufflé is a complicated, delicate thing, which worried me greatly. The recipe was quite involved: a roux had to be made, eggs had to be separated, etc. You get the idea. Then the base had to cool to room temperature for two hours. We waited that out by playing Agricola (I lost). After that, I had Alex beat the egg whites until they were 'stiff but not dry.' This confused him greatly but he did a fantastic job. Then the egg whites and cheese were folded into the base and I poured the whole thing into our newly purchased ramekins.

Before. Oh, mercy me. Let this work.

We popped them in the oven and waited 20 minutes. I had heard about Soufflés falling before because of loud noises so I told Alex to be quiet. He responded by tiptoeing around and whispering. I didn't mean that quiet, babe. Just no loud crashes. Anyway, they came out (very, very carefully) of the oven and were tres belle!

Nailed it!

I like the Cheese Soufflé. It tastes like scrambled eggs with delicious spices. The Gruyere cheese gives it a great nuttiness (or is that the nutmeg?). Alex took a couple bites and said that the flavor was lovely but the texture was gross (for him).

The only thing I wish I had done was sprinkle some fresh herbs on top at the end. Oh, and also I wish I had worn my beret while I made the Soufflé. Je suis une poete, n'est-ce pas?

Day 137: Cherry Cobbler

I always imagine a crisp when I think of cobbler. Then when it shows up in front of my face I get disappointed. It's okay I guess, but I'm not sure fruit should ever be cooked with cake like things. It's cool if they are toppings, but when it's with it, it just makes the cake like parts all mushy.

This is another recipe from allrecipes.com. The last step was to pour in a mixture of water and suger over the dough in the pan. I'm not sure I enjoy drowning a batter in water before I put it in the oven. It just seems weird.

It just looks wrong, doesn't it. It was okay, but I'll probably throw the rest out. The really unfortunate thing is, they didn't make the apartment smell any less like scallops.

Day 136: Coquilles St. Jacques

Huuughff!!! Damn these days. This seems so disgusting even the name is ugly. Cwakels Saint Jackes? If I could have found a different day for this I would have.

Since I didn't have time to wait for a dinner menu today, I had to make this myself. Liz picked up the ingredients for me at New Seasons and I got to work with a recipe from allrecipes.com. Scallops, mushrooms, and onions? Why? Now my hands are all smelly, as well as the apartment. I had to skillet the meat then the other stuff then broil it all. Waaaay to much work. And another visit from mister smoke alarm.

Uuuuuaaahh! Huu. Aaauuwu. Yeah. That about sums it up. Now to burn my tongue off.

Day 135: Chocolate Chips

This is a great snack. Yes! A SNACK! I got some Nestle Toll House chips at Safeway and ate some soon after. They are much better after they have been frozen, but I am an impatient man when it comes to chocolate.

Let's hope I can leave them alone long enough to enjoy them then.

Day 134: Buttermilk Biscuit

When ever I hear about buttermilk biscuits my mind always wanders to the song Buttermilk Biscuits by Sir Mix-A-Lot. The thing is, I've never heard the song. I had a neighbor friend that would sing lines of it when I was 8. Guess it stuck.

I love some buttermilk biscuits. They are crumbly and buttery. It's about the only thing I eat at Red Lobster. Liz picked these up at New Seasons and I heated them up in the oven.

These kick the ass out of any English muffin.

Day 133: Fruit Cocktail

I remember this looking better as a kid. Maybe I'm just more worldly now than I use to be and I know so many other foods that look better. Maybe this is just low on cherries.

It's tastes exactly the same though. Which is to say it tastes fine. It's the creme de la creme of a school lunch plate.

Nummy-nummy!

Day 132: Nutty Fudge

It is unfathomable to me why people like nuts in baked goods. Especially fudge. Why ruin a creamy, smooth chunk of chocolate with icky, crunchy walnuts? Nobody knows. But See's Candy seems to be on the nutty fudge train. We got six (6!) squares of nutty fudge for Alex and some peanut butter patties for me.

I'd like to say it was delicious, but I couldn't even make it through the sample piece. Ew. Alex seems to enjoy it.

Maybe there's a smooth fudge day coming up soon. One can hope.

Day 131: Eat What You Want

Super easy day made hard. Since today is also Mother's Day, I decided to eat something that reminded me of my mom. A number of things came to mind like chili or meatloaf, even rice with soy sauce, but those are mostly things she made me. I couldn't think of many meals that my mom went crazy for, plus I didn't really want a full meal. I decided to go for just one type of food. The first thing that came to mind was Vidalia onions, but that would probably be impossible to find. The next thing I thought of was kohlrabi. I've never really heard any one mention kohlrabi other than my mom. She would occasionally have some raw kohlrabi slices with a bit of salt. So I went with that and started my search.

New seasons was without as well as Fred Meyer. We called Uwajimaya to see what they had and it appeared that they had run out. Well, we were getting closer. We called Fubonn, but they didn't know how phones worked so we just drove there. Thanks to Liz's help we got what we needed.

I just sliced up what we needed and got to eating. Liz probably ate most of it. It does make a lovely snack. Oh, and Happy Mother's Day as well. Love You!

Day 130: Shrimp

I hate shrimp. As a kid, I use to love popcorn shrimp though. Mainly because you can hardly tell there is shrimp anywhere in the breading. Of course, one day I got an order of it at a restaurant and it was more shrimp than breading and my taste for it had been sullied ever since. Today, my friend, is a new day.

I got Gorton's popcorn shrimp at Safeway as well as some cocktail sauce.  The instructions tell you to flip the shrimp half way in. That seems kind of stupid. There are way too many little bits to bother. It still came out fine.

Annnnnnnd... I still like it. Which is to say, I still enjoy that there is a crap load of breading to overcome that small morsel of shrimp somewhere in there. If I really concentrate hard, I can tell just how disgusting it is.

Day 129: Butterscotch Brownies

Why do people keep removing chocolate from things that are meant to be chocolate? I got the recipe from Very Best Baking. It was a bit of a work out since the batter got pretty thick.

It was also some more work to cut these damn things out of the pan. They didn't get any less thick.

They taste exactly like they sound too. Good, but not chocolate. The top has a nice crisp to it though.

Day 128: Coconut Cream Pie

I could have easily gone to Safeway or Albertson's for this, but I really wanted to find a place to just get a slice. My dream is to find a place that serves slices of pie, burgers, and shakes late at night. Basically, I want a 1950's roadside diner. I found Lauretta Jean's. I went to the downtown location during lunch. Unfortunately, it's a very small location and they didn't have any coconut cream pie. I didn't realize until I got back to work that the have a main location on Division. I resolved to go there after work.

It's actually a cute place and I wish I would have known about this place sooner. I've been past the place a number of times, but the trees cover up the sign. DAMN YOU TREEEES! Next time Liz and I want a place for coffee, pie, and a good game, I've got a place.

Now, I'm not a fan of pretty much anything coconut as I'm sure I've stated on this blog before. I was not, then, looking forward to this. But surprise surprise, it was pretty nice. A mellow taste and great flaky crust.  The coconut shavings were only a mild annoyance and easily compensated by the flavor or masked in the crust. Thumbs up!

Day 127: Roast Leg of Lamb

This was a difficult one to find and I got as close as I could. Since there weren't any renaissance fares going on we opted for Levant. It's a trendy place, much like Toro Bravo, but a lot less crowded.  We ordered the Hearth Roasted Lamb.

Now it's possible that leg meat was in the sausage. I'm not going to be supper picky with this one.

Other than there being a lot of bone and gristle (the two things I hate most about meat) it was really good. I mostly stuck with the falafel, asparagus, and potatoes.

Day 126: Crêpes Suzette

I'm good with crêpes. I had one when we did that cafe au lait junk. (Oddly enough, I'm even wearing the same shirt as then too. Maybe this is my crêpe shirt.) I have never had a crêpe suzette though, nor did I really know what made it so special from all the other crêpes. When we were looking ahead, Liz was a little worried about where I would find one. I wasn't worried at all. This is Portland, land of the hipster. If you can't make money selling crêpes in this place you should seriously consider an occupation change. I googled for places with crêpe suzette and found a place literally called Suzette. I was assured to get what I needed there. I headed there directly after work.

It's a nice place and it's near a number of places I've stopped already, including the Pied Cow. I was just there for my crêpe so it went pretty fast. He did have to ask if I was 21 since it has a wee bit of alcohol in it.

A very quick snap. Because I don't want to look like the ultimate hipster obsessing over the best pic for his twitter page to tell everyone that he just found this awesome crêpe place to bike to and that he's bummed he lost his Hello Kitty iron-on patch.

I liked it. I probably won't get it again, but only because I prefer the chocolatier crêpes.

Day 125: Hoagie

For our hoagie day, we went to the shop just down the block, Shut Up And Eat. We've been there many a time, and their sandwiches rarely disappoint. Alex got the Italian Hoagie, which included a staggering array of meats and fixins: Mortadella,  copocollo, sopressatta, prosciutto,  provolone, olive caper relish, roasted bell peppers, house marinated mild peppers, cabbage and rapini. Alex told them to ixnay the epperspay, and we were off!

It is indeed a beautiful sandwich. I don't often order the sandwiches because I find them extremely difficult to eat. They are massive! Alex unhinged his jaw and got to work.

His review: "Good but I probably wouldn't order it again." And yes, we are watching The Amazing Race in the background. So entertaining!

Day 124: Orange Juice

You would think I'd have this for breakfast, but that would have meant planning ahead or going out to get it in the morning. Hell, we didn't even make breakfast until after noon.

I think the only time I ever drink this is when I'm sick or out for brunch. Maybe if I'm staying at a hotel, but I can't remember the last time I stayed in a hotel.

I do like the tiny bottle.