First bite & hold onto that towel, son!

I came across this 2-ish minute video of toddlers experiencing their first taste of typically adult foods, in slo-mo:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PVVT9V2CM0&list=PLbpi6ZahtOH6U2pVNBLyULLgCYtU12yOo&index=1  Worth a looksy, a giggle, a grin.

In the running for funniest story/student commentary this school year:

A male student was recounting an incident to his group peers, in class, that was apparently entertaining enough for his peers to call me over with a, "Come'ere Miss, you gotta hear this!"  It went a little something like this:

The student was exiting the shower at home when he realized he needed something from the family car.  He dons a bath towel around his body, and he's a short fella even for his age, making his way outside.  Somewhere between the house front door and the car, he trips over the towel, loses said towel, and realizes that a car is traveling along the road, nearing close enough to see the student in his birthday suit.  The student problem solved by diving into the family car, sans towel, and waited for the car to pass along before he could make a naked - hopefully unseen - return trip to the front door.

I leave you with this ambiguously Asian proverb of unknown origin:

"May your bath towels always be proper length and your steps in public surefooted."

Grown Up Cooking

My dear pal Wende is a woman of varied talents and preparing flavorful, fancy, fantastic tasting food is just one of those skills.  She turned me onto the http://joythebaker.com/ blog and on a recent, fair Saturday we decided to tackle some of Joy's recipes.  First up, grocery store!

Surprisingly, the ingredients in Joy's gastro-splendid recipes are typically either items found in most kitchens, or are easily located in a normal grocery store.  Read:  a trip to three Whole Foods locations, a Persian market, nor a visit to an ostrich farm was required.  I was mildly concerned that I'd find dishes like Poached Oyster Vichyssoise w/ braised Corn Nut essence in the recipe list of experimentation.  Not to fear, basic chefs (read:  me)!  

Wende created feta & chive sour cream scones along with spinach soup with garlic thyme croutons.  

Croutons, people.  From SCRATCH.  

Seen below:  Wende, our canine and feline audience (translation:  sappy-eyed beggars), along with her 

divine tasting products. <why is Blogger now - mid post creation - forcing me to strike "enter" twice in 

order to avoid cutting off the words in the line above?  We don't know, folks, we 

just...don't...know>


Feta & chive sour cream scones:

Spinach soup with garlic thyme croutons:

Fifi, Tater Tot, Kitty and Chef Wende's legs clothed in Fall's latest flannel designs:

Chef Heather created (insert third person voice) an onion and ricotta frittata along with peach cobbler scones.  Sees below:  Heather, her creations and Heather having a jolly good time trying to flip her peach cobbler scone dough, as she didn't wait long enough for the dough to cool in the fridge.  Teachers are notorious for not following directions.  

Onion and ricotta frittata:

Chef Heather:

Enjoying the fruits of our labor:

Scone dough flipping hysterics AND Olympics:

Ma peaches!

Peach cobbler scones with powdered sugar:

Here is photographic harassment of a Kitty Girl who simply wants to camp out on warm hand towels:

The meal created a modest selection of leftovers, which both Wende and I shared with our men - thumbs up all around!  Judges summary:  success.  I've already made another frittata since this exercise and have learned that even if a cooking blog appears all grown up and sophisticated-like, the efforts aren't nearly as daunting as perceived.  Thanks, Joy the Baker!

Below is a link to the album of requisite food photos, taken with an omnipresent cell phone.  I didn't trust myself with the big girl camera amid loose flour, sticky fingers and bowls of liquidy materials.  

Link:  https://piangenti.shutterfly.com/pictures/1339

You might be from Portland if you:

Disclaimer:  the friends I have in Portland are not from Portland (everyone I know there is actually from east Tejas or they are married to someone from east Tejas - 3.5 degrees of separation from east TX, give or take...) but they do live there and will probably find humor in the items pasted below that I shamelessly snagged from a random page on the inter-webs.  The first item in the list nails me on the forehead tried and true, and though there are many quips about rain in Portland in that list, the region receives the same or even less, in some cases, rainfall than average rainfall about the nation.  But first, a recap of the latest Andrea-Heather adventure in Portlandia:

Day 1:  I arrived in time for din-din and joined David and Andrea Hampton at Paragon in The Pearl for a stomach hugging feast of grown up grilled cheese sammich, grown up mac-n-cheese, a Texas sized salad, along with a pot roast that looked like a protein paradise.  

Day 2:  Andrea took me to a boat launching.  A BOAT.  I mean, a rather large one, too.  A barge, actually.  One of Andrea's clients, Gunderson Marine, launched a barge for one of their clients and the event was open to the public.  This was a true first for me and I hope I get to experience another such site! We're talking massive height, massive weight, massive hulking movement into the river.  Complete with champagne smashing!  Here's a short read on the history of wasting a perfectly good bottle of bubbly on a metal breast (what I term the front of the boat):  http://mentalfloss.com/article/12612/why-are-bottles-champagne-smashed-new-ships  Here are some photos of the launching, though I must be honest and admit that I didn't capture a great shot of the barge sliding into the river, so I borrowed one from the inter-webs that displays an aerial view of the entry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

<it probably goes without saying, but coffee and good breakfast is interspersed routinely during most any of my adventures>

Later on day 2, Andrea and I traveled out to Ardiri Winery & Vineyards to conduct grape and soil acidity studies.  Ppppfffftttt.  Ardiri was a lovely destination and you can see from the photos that Portland's region offers plenty of scenic wow-ery:

Later that evening, the stars and moons aligned, Pluto was a planet once again, The Money Pit was playing repeatedly on cable and Charley's weekend work travel placed him in Portland that very night!  The Hamptons and the Greens met for a scrumptious meal chock full of gastric home-runs and fun company. Davis Street Tavern was a solid Urban Spoon selection by Andrea and I loved the warm ambiance in the restaurant.

Day 3:  Charley was back en route to Dallas even before the environmentally aware Portland roosters sounded.  Andrea, David and myself enjoyed coffee, breakfast and the company of Molly (seen in the photos below), the Portland Cafe Doggy at Ross Island Grocery:  

Later, <the font randomly changes as I compose posts and I've decided it's simply not a battle I shall fight any longer> Andrea treated me to a much needed and much appreciated pedicure --> a tradition during our adventures.  We intended to visit our friends (also Texans) the Robertson-Beans at their Pearl boutique http://www.mabelandzora.com/, the cutest dern collaboration of fashion, art, Doris Day, good causes, community and love.  Tiffany even has her OWN fashion line IN her store now!  But, the intent to pop into the store that same day was blown to smithereens and I have only myself and two shoe stores on which to place blame.  On the plus side, I have turned the corner and officially become a very particular shoe purchaser.  I've come a long way since my days of single digit price shoe purchases, the likes of which left their stamp, autograph and guts - literally, along the Gulf Coast of Texas and plains of north Texas.  Let's face it:  our human feet have always been sensitive and warranting of proper support, but it's not until we reach a certain age, ahem, that many of us gals realize:  long periods in shoes/on feet + cute shoes can STICK IT.  My - pun intended - Achilles Heel is the comfort of my feet and, as I recently read, "It's sometimes a good day in middle school if the teacher leaves the workday without having bitten a child."  Happy feet ensure that I will likely never succumb to workplace cannibalism.  

Day 4: Andrea and I took in a vigorous hike up Council Crest.  Here are a few photos of the gorgeous park:

Before Andrea dropped me at the airportico, we had a little fun at a costume store:

Upon my return to work from my absence, the megahorn was making an obscene screeching noise that seemingly cannot be repaired.  The kids reported that the substitute covering my classes on that date dropped my precious meghorn and when she put Humpty Dumpty back together, he was making that same obscene noise.

My emotional state upon learning of this development:

You might be from Portland if you:

• You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
• Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.
• You know a bride & groom that registered at REI.
• When you drive out of town, every other guy in a pickup truck looks like the governor.
• When you drive out of town, even the Hondas have gun racks.
• You can point in the direction of two or more volcanoes even though you can't see them due to clouds.
• Know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
• Everyday is casual Friday.
• Know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
• Feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
• Stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.
• Consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
• Can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.
• Know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.
• Know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon and Willamette.
• Consider swimming an indoor sport.
• Never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
• Are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's  forecast: rain followed by showers."
• You cannot wait for a day with "showers and sun breaks."
• Have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
• Know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
• You exclaim "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
• Put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and Gore-Tex coat.
• Switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
• Have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
• Think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
• Buy new sunglasses every year, because you can't find the old ones after such a long time.
• You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.
• You use a down comforter in the summer.
• You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
• You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (spring), Road Construction (summer) Deer & Elk season (Fall).
• You complain about Californians as you sell your house to one for twice as much as you originally paid.