I topped the truffle butter with a piece of wax paper and stuck this in the freezer.

To use, take a warm spoon and shave off curls of the fragrant butter.

And that great label? Bought from Etsy seller Remake. There are more colors available on the site!

frilly decorated chocolate hearts stamped with “mom” and covered in edible gold leaf.

It’s decadence, chocolate, beauty and supreme shininess all rolled into one!

Alma Chocolates

• Location: 140 NE 28th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97232
• Contact: 503-517-0262
• Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.
• Website: Alma Chocolate

what did cooks do to drain / blot their bacon after frying it?

Do you always use a paper product when you do this in your kitchen?

+ an edited version of the book’s recipe for Salsa Rosa for One.

+ from Jonathan Ames essay, Eggs Over Uneasy:

“I have two personalities. Two idiots. The one who sniffs the milk and doesn’t throw it away, and the one who sniffs the milk two weeks later.”

+ from Steve Almond’s essay, Que Sera Sarito: An (Almost) Foolproof Plan to Never Ever Eat Alone Again:

“I would love to tell you that cooking was part of my journey toward actualization. I would love to tell Oprah this. I would love to tell Oprah this while weeping. But I learned to cook for a much simpler reason: in the abject hope that people would spend time with me if I put good things in their mouths. it is, in other words (like practically everything else I do), a function of my desperation for emotional connection and acclaim.”

When was the last time you ate alone?

This is the weekend to meet the people who should be making what you eat off of.

Under one roof you will find more pottery than you can shake a stick at, all made by Oregon ceramicists.

Do you shop at Portland farmers’ markets? Are you interested in sustaining local economies? This is the event to complete your kitchen habits!

• What: Oregon Potters Association’s Ceramic Showcase
• When: April 25th, 26th, and 27th 2008
  – Free event admission —
  Doors open 10-9 Friday and Saturday, 10-5 on Sunday (Opening Events, Friday 5 - 9 PM)
• Where: Oregon Convention Center
• Directions: On MAX Light Rail line (Blue and Red), 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland, Oregon

I remind myself that I buy from farmers markets not out of elitism, but out of hopeful pragmatism.

I remind myself that a simple cookie can be just that- a simple cookie, not a slippery slope towards obesity and diabetes doom.

Times of good food have gotten dark lately.

The more I think on it, the more troubles and grim future lessons I see. I need help bolstering my good thoughts and hope towards global food reform.

Where can cookies fit into this? Not just any cookies, but purchased long distance cookies for others?

David Horvitz is working through his website For You, to offer virtual premeditated acts of good and intention in exchange for payment. With my $30 I am sending a wish of virtual happiness to be distilled into in-hand goodness to a stranger in Los Angeles. Horvitz just wrote to me declaring May 3rd as free cookie day. He is hoping to match my contribution with that of others to have a free cookie give away spree in Los Angeles.

Of course you can complete this act yourself and give away cookies in a town near you. I’m hoping to use this experience to bolster myself into giving away cookies on May 3rd also.

Whether people will readily accept free cookies is another topic for discussion…

Are you stuck with details in your home that you can’t easily change?

I admit, I’ve been trying to not obsess over the tiles in my kitchen over the last year. They’re a random mix of green and white. I don’t do random, and I don’t like it when lines don’t line up- these tiles don’t go all the way over to their natural termination point. They just kind of stop mid-way under the overhead cabinets.

Well this week I finally bit down and fulfilled a fantasy I’ve been chewing on forever. It involved one roll of aluminum duct tape and a couple hours of fun. This aluminum tape is real duct tape- it looks like shiny metal and is self adhesive. I’ve used it in art projects to great results.

How did I use it in my kitchen?

Well, first I yelled out to Sweets, “You can’t come in here! …and when you do, you can’t say anything!”

Because what would / did he say? “I love you, but you’re silly.”

He just doesn’t obsess over details like I do, nor does he indulge shiny enough.

I used the tape as a ribbon and made a simple weave of it to just cover up those tiles. I didn’t use the adhesive side of the aluminum tape- I just kept its backing on. That way I can take this down easier when the time comes.

It was a fun project- and way cheaper than the option of stainless steel tiles seen in apartment therapy recently.

Now I can stand back and get to work obsessing over new details,
… like that horrible stove hood,
and more of those tiles by the sink…
and my old old pot holders…

Often overshadowed by the similar looking walnut, and disguised in overly sweet Thanksgiving pies, pecans rarely have the opportunity to stand on their own flavor. Taking a moment to sample a raw pecan may surprise you with the nuances discovered within.

Lightly smoky in flavor with a hint of maple syrup essence this nut is anything but simple. With three times the sugar content of a walnut, pecans can offer themselves up as a wonderful return to subtle sweetness in our meals and snacks. Sprinkled on top of oatmeal, added to a salad, or stirred into homemade veggie burgers introduces the soft crunch of a raw pecan with its smoldering sweetness. To kick your pecan experience up a notch, make a decadent raw pecan milk to roll over your tongue and then make a roasted pecan milk to see how they compare. Added to smoothies, or poured over oatmeal, pecan milk will have you asking who needs another nut?

Fresh Pecan Milk

• 1 cup of raw organic pecans
• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• one pinch of salt

In a mason or glass jar, cover pecans and pitted medjool dates with hot water, and soak overnight.

Pour the saturated pecans, dates, and soaking water into a blender and add the pinch of salt with more water to bring the liquid level 3/4 of the way up the blender. Blend well, grinding the pecans as finely as possible to extract their flavor.

Continue blending, tasting the mixture for sweetness levels. Additionally, Agave Syrup or maple syrup can be added to further sweeten the pecan milk.

Strain the mixture through a medium sized sieve, pressing the liquid out of the nut pulp.

The nut pulp can be returned to the blender and ground again with more soaked dates for a second extraction. The resulting second extraction is good, though not quite as flavored as the first extraction.

Strain all the liquid through a clean damp cloth for a finer product, squeezing as much of the liquid out as possible.

Regarding the nut pulp: toss it in your garden or spread it out in a thin layer and dry in the oven. When dry, toss it into your next batch of bread or muffins.

Refrigerate and enjoy!

I just paid him $30 to go give away $30 worth of cookies to people on the street.

• “If you give me $30 I will buy $30 worth of cookies and give them away to people I find in the street. I will send you an email with the details of where I bought the cookies, and the exact minute and date I started giving them away and the exact minute I gave away the last one.”

now you know why I call him Sweets

Donut 03
by wetwater