Yep. A dog. I’m dealing with The Terminator of allergy attacks, but hope I’ll soon say: I’ll be back.
blogging
Off to the Press
The HoustonPress, that is. Wondering why there isn’t much to read on this post? That’s because I wrote a post for the HoustonPress’ food blog, Eating Our Words.
I’ll be writing for them on occasion, getting the background story on some of Houston’s old-timers. Restaurants, not peeps. I’ll be checking out restaurants that have been around for at least 20 years and still rocking.
Go on! Go to Eating Our Words and look me up! Then stay there, but don’t forget to come back. jiji
Cookingly yours (even if elsewhere),
Anamaris
Here’s a taste.
Out and about: Portland
No stories, just pictures. Go!
View from the tram.
Mounted Police Superstar.
Bridge.
Cherry Blossoms.
Vista House.
Rainy day @ the Columbia Gorge.
Little fall.
Big fall.
There’s more, you didn’t think I would only take 6 pictures, did ya? Go to the Flickr stream, here.
See ya!
Anamaris
Eating out: Portland, Oregon
About a month ago, I had the pleasure of heading out to Portland for about a week. Unfortunately, it was on business, but believe me when I say, I made it my business to get some fun in. I managed to see bit of the outlying beauty of this city, but mostly, I managed to get a LOT of awesome food in. Lots. Loads. Really, a lot! Oh and some awesome beer and wines and coffee, and…, well, you get the picture.
I’ve told you about my FoodTV obsession, so it should be no surprise that I’m an avid fan of Unique Eats and Guy’s DD&Ds. Why do I mention those shows, you ask? Because, Portland is ALWAYS all up in there! Man! That’s a really ‘good food’ food-town. Let me share some highlights, if you don’t mind.
By pure accident, we bumped into VooDoo Doughnuts.
We were trying to drive out to the coast and the NaggiGator kept getting confused and making us drive around in circles when all we were looking for was a drive-thru. But, maybe the navigation system knew better and tried to make sure we didn’t miss out on this little gem.
If you like doughnuts, probably even if you don’t, you’ll find something here to tickle your fancy. I did, and I’m not a huge fan of doughnuts, if they’re not piping hot off the fryer and simply plain-glazed, I’m not interested.
Enter… The Maple Bacon Doughnut. O.M.G!!!
This thing was good, like crazy good! So good, we went back right before leaving to bring some home for our loved ones. We’re nice that way.
Another memorable moment happened at Public Domain, a nearby coffee shop. I had a cup of a Panamanian brew, but it was the way it was prepared that had me entranced.
They call it a Pour Over and the barista takes about 10 minutes to hand pour the water over the grounds.
He mentioned that they pour at different speeds and on different spots to vary the flavor of the final cup. It was mesmerizing.
From there, a proper breakfast at the Byways Cafe in the Pearl District. I had the most awesome Corned Beef Hash, next time I’ll skip the bell peppers, though.
The other thing I loved about Portland, was the street food scene. Oh my! The little carts were EVERYWHERE!
I stopped by the Frying Scotsman and had some fish & chips. Cute chef, great accent, awesome halibut and fries!
The other FoodNetwork find was Pine State Biscuits. These guys are rocking the biscuit! Anything you can dream of, they put on a biscuit and do so with gusto!
I had the most popular one, The Reggie.
Yep, that’s fried chicken breast. No, that’s GOOD fried chicken breast. Topped with bacon, gravy and insane amounts of cheddar. I want one NOW.
Did mention Portland is a beer town? My! I had some awesome beer at too many places to mention.
But…, I found the home of Rogue Ales… I scored megapoints with The Hubbz on that one.
I ate and drank and walked and had fun and repeated. Oh. I also got some work done (wink, wink). To see more of the food porn, just click here. Go on, you know you wanna.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
If by sea.
My seafood obsession is well documented. If you were to do a search on this here blog, you will probably find that fish and/or seafood appear more often than anything else. The Hubbz says I have the ocean(s) running through my veins and I suppose he’s partly right. After all, I grew up with quick and easy access to the Atlantic and the Pacific and to all the goodness harnessed within their waters.
Yesterday I made my required stop by the Asian market, the one place in Houston where I know I will find seafood-a-plenty, all on display, glistening and fresh. I had to stop myself from buying everything I saw and craved, reminding myself of my limited freezer. I can almost imagine that is how those midnight shoppers feel when they go into the stores on Black Friday. Frantically going through the options and picking up marked down items to fill their carts.
This time, I’m going back to one of my all-time-standbys: Al Ajillo (garlic sauce), with yet, another twist. The addition of cream to end up with a silky, creamy sauce. I also used cod fillets, instead of my usual snapper or red fish or shrimp. It was so good and super easy and it came together in a snap. This will work with almost any fish, I even think it would be great to sub the fish with chicken or pork cutlets.
Cod in Creamy Garlic Sauce
1 lb cod fillets, seasoned with a sprinkling of salt and pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cp onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cp parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cp sherry or white wine
1/4 cp heavy cream
You will need to use a saute pan with a lid. On medium-high, heat the olive oil and butter until melted, then add the onions. Cook onions until translucent before adding the garlic, bay leaf and parsley, cook for 2 or 3 more minutes.
Bring the temperature to high and add the sherry, stirring constantly and allowing the alcohol to cook down. Add the fillets, giving them a turn to make sure both sides enjoy the sauciness.
Allow them to cook for about 2 minutes per side (this may vary depending on thickness). Add the cream and swirl the pan around to distribute the cream evenly. Turn off the heat and cover with the lid, allow the steam and heat contained in the pan to continue cooking the fish.
Serve it over white rice or with steamed veggies.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
Chef It Yourself 