Thursday, April 28, 2011

Make This!!



Oliver's - (my favorite restaurant) posted this recipe on their Facebook page today. I always order this for my appetizer. If you haven't eaten at Oliver's yet - DO!
Blue Cheese Soufflé

· 2 T butter
· 3 T flour
· 7 oz whole milk
· 5 oz Rogue Crater Lake Blue Cheese, lightly crumbled
· 3 eggs, separated
· 1 t Kosher salt
· 1/2 t pepper

Melt the butter then stir in the flour. Cook for five minutes over a very low heat stirring frequently. Gradually whisk in the cold milk to make a roux and cook for a further ten minutes over low heat.

While the roux is cooking, whip the egg whites to a soft peak. Carefully remove the whites to another bowl and wash the mixer bowl. Set the oven to 300° and generously butter and flour four 6 oz ramekins (or six 4 oz ramekins.)

Pour the roux into the mixing bowl and add the crumbled blue cheese. Whisk on low for around 30 seconds to lightly incorporate the cheese into the roux.

On low-medium speed, mix in one yolk at a time adding the salt and pepper after the final yolk has been incorporated. Fold the whites into the mixture in three or four batches as gently as possible using a slotted spoon.

Fill the molds to the top, keeping the mixture off the rims. Bake in a water bath for around 50 minutes for the 4oz size and 60 minutes for the 6oz size. They are done when the tops start to lightly brown.

These soufflés can be used immediately or chilled down in the fridge and used several days later, and they will soufflé a second time. To reheat, place on a sheet pan in a pre-heated 450° oven for 15 minutes until the top has risen right out of the mold.
**Note: I used the Rosenborg Danish blue cheese from Costco. While my souffles were tasty, the cheese was almost over-powering. Next time, I will look for the Rogue Crater Lake Blue Cheese.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Make This!!

Lin's Cheesy Potato Casserole
This is D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.!!!!! Lin brought it as a side dish for Easter dinner. Super nummy. You can make it as a main dish too. Just add bacon, ham or Lil' Smokies. I had it for breakfast today & it was STILL delicious!

1 bag shredded hash browns
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1/2 t salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c sliced green onions
1/4 t black pepper
2 cups Corn Flakes
1/4 c butter - melted

Preheat oven to 350*. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together soup, sour cream, salt & pepper. Stir in cheese, onion & hash brown. Spoon evenly into baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix cereal & buter. Sprinkle evenly on top of hash browns. Bake for 45 minutes or until hot & bubbly. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Garnish with additional sliced green onion if desired. Enjoy!
NOTE: Lin tweaked the recipe for the Easter crowd. She added 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 3 cups of sharp cheddar and 1/2 cup of melted butter instead of 1/4 cup. :)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Prom 2011

Naseem was lucky enough to be asked to two different proms this year. For the Camas prom she went with her friend Sam.

Fun Fact: Nas & Sam have known each other since elementary school.

 Alisha, Makylee, Sam & Naseem

Unfortunately, Nas' beautiful orchid corsage fell apart before I could even get a photo of it. Sam's boutinniere didn't last that much longer. :(
CHS Prom Group

This past Saturday, Naseem attended the Union HS prom.
Union HS Prom Group

 Matt, Naseem, Ankit & Shivani
Fun fact: Both Matt & Nas are half Persian.

 Nas' corsage. I love the pearl bracelit. So unique!

 Nas, Matt, Stephanie & Nhat

 The kids chartered a Hummer limo!


Off to Portland!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Try These!

What an absolutely beautiful Good Friday we had here in Camas! Cerulean blue skies without a cloud - my absolute favorite kind of day.

This afternoon, Omid and I went wine shopping for our Easter party on Sunday. We decided to serve our favorite reds. Update: We only opened one bottle on Easter and that was the Columbia Crest Two Vines. Guests opted for cocktails instead. The other reds will have to wait for the next party.
If you are looking to stock up on some delicous wine, here are six different reds to satisfy your needs. Warning: If you are used to Yellow Tail (which is not a bad fall back wine - it's been mine for years) - it will taste 'off' after drinking these wines. Best to serve Yellow Tail another day!
Here are our current favorites:

D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.
I tried this at Roots a few weeks ago. I was late meeting Omid for happy hour & asked him to order me a bold red. He thought this would be on the happy hour menu. It was not. It's a pricey wine (at Roots!) for $14 glass. You can get it on sale at QFC or Fred Meyer for around $22. It's worth every penny.

 This Columbia Crest is my new 'fall back' wine. It's inexpensive $7.99 & is frequently on sale. My sister Brenda told me about this wine. It's better than Yellow Tail and has a bold taste & a thrifty price.
 Wow! Oh wow! Oh wow! Nelm's Road is another Roots find. If you can find the Merlot or Cabernet, buy a bottle. I always grab one at the sale price of around $19 at Freddys. Fun fact: Roots has a GREAT wine list. Whatever is recommended, I try. They have always been 'right on' in the wine department and Nelm's Road is one of my absolute favorites.  Go Roots!

Sharecropper's is a gem! I just heard the winery was sold. I hope nothing changes. This is a great wine!


CMS stands for Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah. But being from Camas, Omid and I call this wine "Camas" wine. You can find it at Costco for $9.99 and it goes with EVERYTHING. That includes banana bread.

FFC's claret is superb with grilled lamb chops. Omid and I also like the FFC merlot. Trader Joe's sells this for $14.99.

If you try these wines, I sincerely hope you like them. If you have a favorite red - I'd love to hear about it!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Get Crafty!!

I found these adorable mini wooden clothespins at Walmart yesterday for $1.88. I thought they were so cute. I bought two packages and came straight home to make an Easter garland for over the fireplace mantel.

 I didn't have an Easter egg cookie cutter, so I made a template out of cardboard & traced shapes on scrapbook paper.


The other package of clothespins I got for Nas' room. I think it would be cute to make a garland with random photographs & some postcards. For a $1.88 - this was a deal I could not pass up.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Easter Crafts


**These sweet Easter images are from Vintage Holiday Crafts & are free!!

Easter seemed to sneak up on me this year. I wish Easter were a set holiday like Christmas. Am I the only one who finds it frustrating that it switches between March & April each year? That being said, I found some absolutely adorable Easter egg crafts this morning. I wish I had found these two links a few weeks ago. I would have loved to make them. Great ideas I will file away for (hopefully) next year! Both ideas are from Not Martha. If you haven't checked out her blog before, do. She always has interesting posts.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! He is risen!!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Try This!!

Mangosteen! Omid loves the fresh variety, but I was only able to find the canned fruit here. They were tasty. Try some!


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Mercy Corps & Voodoo Doughnuts

Today the kids & I ventured in to downtown Portland to deliver the Bake Sale for Japan donations. $1460 was pledged, but only $1435 was collected. One person keeps promising me her donation, but I think it's probably not coming. I hope she enjoyed her treats & will decide to donate after-all. Mercy Corps headquarters


After the bake sale money was delivered, we walked to nearby Voodoo Doughnuts. Killing time in line.... CUTE!
Almost our turn.....
Finally! Bacon maple goodness times two & a oreo-maple ('dirty old bastard').