Great Oregon Wines at Bargain Prices

Morning sun dancing on wildflowers at Timberline Lodge

Coffee made the sunrise on Mt. Hood

This photograph of sunrise on Mt. Hood was taken seated at Timberline, cup of restoring elixir firmly in hand



This is where you can see all of Oregon, and its famed Pinot Noir. Pair it with the goat cheese, chevre, and fresh berries at Grocery Outlet!

Cherry Pie with Cold Brewed Coffee

Rainier Cherries backlit by the Sun

Shade in the afternoon is a summer treat

This is the easiest and best way to make a pie crust. Put a cup of water in the freezer to chill. Blend two cups room temperature butter with three cups flour, folding, not over working the dough. Slowly add the very cold water, and roll your dough in a circle on a floured bread board. Use a lovely rolling pin, a cotton cover over it helps.
Stem, and pit 4 cups cherries, mix with two cups sugar. You can go less on the sugar. Add a bit of kirschwasser if you want, to you or the mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for forty minutes.
Lay the crust in a deep pie pan, and crimp the top crust on, or sprinkle the dough like a cobbler.
Serve with cold press coffee. Put coffee grounds in French Press, let sit for ten hours, et voila, less acidic coffee, perfect for summer. This really has a smoother taste.
Now, the sun beckons.....breeze, ahhhh

Fresh Tomato Sauce Angel Hair Pasta with Blush Wine



Hanging Around Near Vantage, Washington in late June



Of course summer is the time to drink a rose, also called a blush wine, and Grocery Outlet has a great selection.
Have friends over, always preferable to dining out. To set the mood to cook, it is essential to watch this video from Vogue Paris, marking Emmanuelle Alt's ascension to Editor. It is supermodels covering Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.  It will give you all the energy you need to cook for loved ones, and you will know exactly what to wear. Watch the film here.
If you still feel like cooking, it must be something light and chic. And seasonal, as seasonal as white Levi's. Locavare is common sense, and common sense is comme il faut. Washington State can be full of surprises if you know where to look.
Wham! Here we go go!
Tomato Angel Hair Pasta
A classic favorite, it is simple and better without cheese. A great pasta sauce can be a light toss of fresh flavors from your garden or local market.
Seafood in a separate dish sauteed in garlic, oil, parlsey, and red pepper flakes goes well with this supper.
1 tbsp olive oil
4 plum tomatoes, finely diced
2 sliced garlic cloves
2 cups white wine
8 ounces angel hair pasta broken in half
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup fresh chopped oregano
In saute pan, heat oil on medium/high heat.
Add tomatoes and saute, stirring oftem, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.
Add wine, pasta and oregano and stir to coat. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to meium. Simmer until pasta is done and liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with a bit of the fresh oregano. And white sneakers, no laces

Beer, Wine, and Grilled Chicken Salad

This is where Wine Begins!

We are on the brink of summer and outdoor living, so use your grill. GroceryOutlet has grilling supplies and tools, and I bet you can find one of those funny aprons in a drawer somewhere!
Grocery Outlet has a huge variety of beers  - imports, microbrews, IPAs....and of course the wine. For this menu I bought a nice Oregon Chardonnay for me to sip and enjoy while cooking. I love to sip while cooking with the radio on, it is a nice time to focus. When your brain is calm and focused it is happier. For the men in attendance this weekend I bought Snoqulamie Brewing Company beer for my pals.
Taking time to cut and dice, instead of buying prepared sauces and mixes can be an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.
Grocery Outlet had a great meat selection - I like chicken, steaks, or the turkey sausage on sale this week!
GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD
Here, smokey charred chicken combines with bright peas and herbs in a salad that's fresh and hearty. Grilling the chicken ahead of time makes it even easier to put together.
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 clovees garlic, minced
one chicken, grilled outdoors, creating grill envy on your street
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1 minced shallot or small onion
3 tablesppons dijon mustard
1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 or 2 head of butter or bibb lettuce. Grocery Outlet has had this lettuce with the roots still on, a very fresh treat.
Whisk together oil, half the lemon juice and half the garlic, pour over chicken.
Boil pot of water, and when roiling boil toss in peas for two minutes, you don't want to overcook peas. Drain and put in cool water to stop the cookiung process, it is called s'arrette in French. This also helps retain the color.
Grill the chicken for 25 minutes or so.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Arrange the lettuce minute and peas on a large serving platter. Dice the chicken and toss in the dressing mixture, and pour remaining mixture over salad. Et voila, a perfect outdoor meal!

Chenin Blanc and Seviche Tostadas

The weather is perfect this weekend so of course the best course of action is to spend as much time outside.  This morning taking my coffee in the backyard, I heard  neighbor Gabriella singing "It's Raining on Prom" from Grease - no worries, I happen to know all is well with her dress and her date, and her mom said she was a hit at assembly.
I heard three lawn mowers from various houses singing in perfect harmony, and at dawn the sprinklers in the front and back performed a pastoral ballet worthy of Gershwin or Copeland, complete with rainbows across the water sprays.
Grocery Outlet has a wide selection of amazing values in wines. At the beginning of the 1970s, Americans began to discover that California's better-quality wines labeled their bottles with the name of the predominate grape variety, rather than standard practice of the day which was to label with  generic names. Made in a style popular at that time, fragrant and lightly sweet, and also easy to pronounce, Chenin Blanc quickly became the best-selling wine of the era
The first course of action is to open a Chenin Blanc, and think of a leisurely supper that welcomes the sunny season. This fruity wine is lightly sweet, much like a song from Grease on the piano. This supper is spicy, a delicious contrast.
Ceviche Tostadas
1 glass Chenin Blanc - for you, a tiens!
1 lb. cooked large shrimp
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 jalapeno, halved seeded and sliced
1/2  English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 cup chopped cilantro - such a wonderful scent!
juice of 2 limes
8 tostada shells
1/2 cup crumbled queso or feta
Mix together everything except the tostado shells and cheese, let mixture marinate for ten minutes.
Spoon the mixture onto the shells, sprinkle with cheese.
For dessert, destem strawberries at the time you serve them in parfait glasses, sprinkled with sugar and creme fraiche. Easter chocolates may be stretching it, so any small dark chocolates are always good.

Homemade Corn Dogs

Spring Tulips from Grcocery Outlet Bulbs!

Homemade Corn Dogs
Spring is in full swing, and there are certainly more opportunities for festive food and parties.  These corn digs are a bit daintier and fluffier versions of the fair and rodeo behemoths, and they still go great with mustard and ketchup.
So, put on some cut offs and sunscreeen and let us begin:
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
pinch kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
3 tbl sugar
Combine the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon.  Mix 1 1/4 cups buttermilk with 4 tbsp water, add to the dry mixture and set aside.
Heat 4 cups vegetable oil to 375, check this with a candy thermometer, in a high sided 8 quart pot.
Insert a toothpick into the end of mini sausages, or larger sausages chopped into 3 inch sections.
Dip each sausage into the batter, holding the toothpick end, then carefully drop into the oil, frying only 3 at a time.
Turn with a slotted spoon until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Now invite the entire team over to enjoy!