viva la mexico

I have embarked on yet another journey. I am spending the Christmas and New Year Holiday in Mexico City with my great-aunt. I have been here only once before- at the beginning of my adolescence the age of- braces- back brace- the epitome of awkwardness and middle-schoolness! I am now getting to take things in with not only eyes that have had experience to focus them- but also eyes that are fresh to the world. This undoubtedly will be a fabulous trip with lots of parties, delicious food, and wonderful spirits, exquisite company and the allure of meeting new people and places.

Yesterday I was greeted with tacos with homemade tortillas, tequila and fresh papaya....thank God I didn't have to die to go to this heaven!

Perspective of Portland Pretension

What the hell is wrong with Portland and its constant debauchery of fashion…I love to roll out of bed and head directly out the door without brushing my hair with the best of em…but shit I am not about to campaign to make it a regular part of my fashion regimine….come on you guys are really attracted to those dirty hair unwashed- crumbled laundry kind of chick- come on really? Portland surely does have this thing- where the people in it think that they are better than the rest….wash my hair- "who the hell do you think you are?" Iron my clothes- "hello?" Wear boots that don’t have holes in them- "again who the hell are you?" "Man this is a state of mind-My dirty messed up hair – Im better than washing my hair…washing your hair is for those corporate types..we don’t do that here..we need to become one with the earth in like a recycled green type way, man..actually we want to become so close to our food and what makes our food that we actually rub chicken manure in our hair- yeah…we are that cool…and we’re smarter than you too…can’t you tell? My black rimmed glasses should all ready exude my smartness- duh. I make coffee better than you, I make kombucha better than you, and I wear flannel better than you. "

Uncovering a secret........

I have started a new component to chicgastronome. I am bringing the public WBPDX- Blueberry Hill Productions and Feel the Love Studios in a virtual format- sharing my passion for food and food finds through my voice and style.

My most recent broadcast-

Jim and Pattys:

4951 NE Fremont Street- Portland, OR 97213

Serves: Stumptown Coffee

Hours: M-F 6AM-5PM

Saturday: 8AM-5PM

Sunday: Closed

il recipe y lei (recipe for y'all)

I have decided that every now and again I will post relevant recipes. In light of the past Thanksgiving Holiday and the Christmas Season now upon us- I will impart two recipes direct from Feel the Love Studios, which adorn my family's table every year for both Holidays. Hope you adore them both.

POTATO ROLLS

**THIS IS A RODMAN FAMILY RECIPE!

375 degrees

-2 1/2 tsp. of active dry yeast dissolved in 1 1/2 c. of lukewarm water

-2/3 c. of unsalted butter

-2/3 c. sugar

-2 eggs

-1 c. of warm and mashed potatoes

-1 tsp. of salt

-6-7 c. of flour

1. Mix the wet ingredients first

2. Add in flour and mix- my preferred method is diving in with my hands

3. Continue to knead dough and add flour until you have a nice smooth round ball of dough

4. Place dough in a buttered bowl and cover- let rise for a couple of hours or until noticeably different in size

5. Roll the dough into lovely little round balls and place on a buttered sheet pan

6. Let rise again until double in size- or nice and puffy

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes (golden brown on top)

**OPTIONAL STEP/TIP: After Step 4- You can refrigerate the dough over night. Then when you are ready to bake just continue with Step-5

CRANBERRY SAUCE

- fresh or frozen cranberries

- sugar

- orange juice

**This recipe does not have measurements but I will throw out a few hints as how to gauge

1. In a pot place as many cranberries as you would like sauce

2. Turn on heat to a medium- medium/high heat

3. Pour in orange juice- just enough to barely cover the cranberries

4. Add sugar- you have to go by taste- but to give you an idea for about 6 cups of cranberries I add 1/2 cup or maybe a little more of sugar

5. Cook until the cranberries begin to pop, and the orange juice cooks off

6. You can remove the cranberries from the heat when the sauce has thickened

7. Let cool for a little while- then place in a dish or bowl of your liking. You can serve this warm or cold. It lasts at least a week in your refrigerator.

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...giving Thanks

Let it be known-Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday- because the focus of this day revolves around two of my most favorite things 1) Family and 2) Food! I happen to be particularly lucky because I not only love my family but I like them, too. and the majority of them happen to be pretty dang good cooks- so its a win- win by my account!

I guess this is my proclamation-making it known that I am damn blessed. I have siblings that give me hell and love all at the same time, friends that offer support equal to the air I breathe, incredible parents that gave all of us 5-Rods the best gift ever (in addition to life)- love, work ethic and self-confidence, delightful grandparents that make/made us feel special always, and a huge network of aunts, uncles and cousins- and step-siblings, and significant-others- that make things sparkle.

A couple of years ago I heard a very interesting report on NPR, stating that after your immediate needs are met; ie: food, shelter, clothing- the amount of wealth above meeting these basic needs is of no relevance to ones happiness. I mention this to make no moral or political statement- because I love things and fine things nonetheless probably more than anyone- its more or less interesting to me- because I have thought about this from time to time- and mirrored it to my own life situations and have found it to be so true. A little nugget for you to ponder perhaps.

It's the salt

I was quite perturbed as I exited the local Hi-School Pharmacy, my lovely champagne in clutch..I did not even get carded by the little high school kid attending to my purchases! I surmised it must have been the two boxes of Kosher Salt also part of my purchase that concluded that I was above the drinking age-..not my looming celebration of 28 years on this blessed planet! It’s the salt!

grazie y amore

grazie y amore (thank you and love)

This is a dedication to all of you that have extended your heart to me and show me daily what it is and how it is to love.

You all are enrichment- the wheat to the flour;the kosher to the salt; the extra to the virgin;the heirloom to the tomato; the bubbles to the prosecco- you are molto fantastico not tipico- a class and grade all of its own.

Your love is so good it had me craving more- it rose to the top just like good and rich cream- it rose above groves of olive trees, outstanding leather, high-end fashion, glorious sun, gold and cobblestone streets- you all are the "good stuff" - the filling to my canoli

Grazie! brava mi amore