Heaven in a glass

Somethings are meant to be together. Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Butter and popcorn. Garlic and mashed potatoes. Today, I found another paring that, frankly, rocked my world.

First, let me set the stage. I went hiking with MiPL on a hike that, while I have done several times, I haven't done in the past couple of years. It was not what I would consider a good hike. Yes, the view at the top was beautiful, but I struggled a bit too much with it. The bulk of this struggle was due to the fact that I haven't been hiking as much as I should of late and, well, hills are harder than they used to be. However, I can also place a significant dollup of blame on the fact that I had the world's crappiest pair of hiking shoes--no support and no traction (and, at the end of the day, I spent FAR too much money at REI!) That, however, is not the point of this post. Really, the only thing you need to know here is that, when I got back to the trail head, I was hot, tired and hungry!

As is the tradition of many Columbia River Gorge hikers, the apres-hike gathering was at McMenamin's Edgewater. Not known for it's stellar service or food, this bastion of mediocrity has been the one thing that kept me going through some more challenging hikes--today included!

And there it was...on the menu. The one combination that I would never have considered but that, as I said earlier, rocked my world. A chocolate milkshake with beer.

To be fair, it wasn't just any beer but McMenamin's Terminator stout. To continue with the fairness, I think any stout would work for those of you who want to try this at home. Of course, the milkshake was made with real ice cream (vanilla, with good old Hershey's syrup). I cannot begin to describe this bit of heaven! A milkshake with a kick...who can beat that? Fat, Sugar and alcohol--3 of the 4 major food groups in one (we had tater tots as appetizers so I was able to consume that 4th food group--salt).

And for those of you who can't stomach stout (or, for some demented reason, chocolate), they also had the Raspberry Ruby Milkshake--a raspberry milkshake with Ruby ale.

Who knew? Honestly, if someone had said, "Here try this milkshake and beer thing!" I probably would have tossed the drink in their face. But, when experiencing a slight dementia brought on by over exertion, you can sometimes find a treasure.

The Most Guarded Secret of Judaism

When I lived in Boston, I was introduced to Judaism. I mean, I knew the basics of the faith, the history, etc. What I had not yet experienced was the food! Cadbury Creme Eggs don't come close to some of the delicacies I sampled there. Chief among these culinary creations was chicken matzo ball soup. My friend Michelle made a killer soup--and never gave me the recipe.

I've only found 2 places in the Portland metro area that have chicken matzo ball soup and neither of them come close to what I found in Boston. So, I figured that I should be able to find a good recipe somewhere on the internet. After all, you can find anything on the internet, right?

WRONG!

I found some rather dull matzo ball soup recipes, but no specifically chicken soup recipes. Nothing! So, I have to wonder, is there some rule that Shiksas can't have the chicken matzo ball soup recipe? Is it the proverbial secret handshake of Jewish women and they'll do anything to keep the secret out of the hand of gentiles? This is America...aren't we passed all that religious warfare stuff (at least here in the USA)?

How about this...I'll trade you a hot cross buns AND a buche de Noel recipe for your chicken matzo ball soup? Sound good? Pleeeaaaasssee??????

If you are what you eat....

...then I'm a FRUIT! 'Cuz that's all I've been eating! Here are my tips for fruit eating:

1. Don't eat anything with mold
2. Bananas should be slightly crunchy--otherwise they belong in bread
3. If you have a bruise on your apple, put it in the fridge. The bruise will still be there, but it won't be as mushy
4. Plums are really good, but you really REALLY do not want to eat more than one or two of them at a time
5. Never judge a fruit by it's peel (unless it's a banana). Organic fruit is ugly, but it tastes sooo good
6. Nothing beats an Oregon peach!

Next stage of the cookie saga!

Woo-hoo! I'm a finalist for the Official Oregon State Cookie contest! Tasting is on Sunday and a winner will be declared. Wish me luck!