Red Wine Velvet and a Great Friend

I love my friend Stephanie and yesterday was her birthday!

I met Stephanie just about two years ago. It's hard to meet people when you are older. No longer able to rely on school or school activities to find similar interests. Left to our own devices I feel like we might have a nice conversation with a new person or know of someone we wish we could hang out with more but how do you take the step to actually make new friends as an adult?!

I used to work with Stephanie's boyfriend at a local brewery pub. One night lots of us were hanging around after work, drinking our shift drinks and talking about going out to another spot down the street. Somehow I began talking with Stephanie who had shown up to go out with the group. We chatted at the pub, we chatted down the street, and we chatted in the bar whilst everyone played Big Buck Hunter and Golden Tee. We clicked as women - she seemed like a long time friend to me already. So just like a young child I believe I said something like "I really like you, we should be friends." And there it is.

The other night while Stephanie and I were chatting away she mentioned that she enjoys wine from the Cupcake Vineyards. While it is a bottle that is very affordable and available, I tucked that note away. As her birthday drew nearer I had decided to make her some kind of birthday treat. Of course while perusing through Pinterest I saw a pin for a Red Wine Velvet Cake and I just knew that they had to be made. 

I clicked on the pin and nothing was attached. I searched google and found a couple of recipes. Google being google though made an amazing link for me. When I typed in Red Velvet Wine Cake it popped up the website for Cupcake Vineyards whom happen to have a bottled red called Red Velvet. Now these must be made and they must be made for Stephanie. The recipe was very delicious - I ate several cupcakes (before frosting). For Steph, I frosted them with a simple cream cheese frosting.

For Stephanie's birthday I took her to get a mani/pedi. She works hard and needs more pampering! I intended on having wine leftover for us to drink at the nail shop but the recipe took almost the whole bottle.

Red Wine Velvet Cake

Makes 1 cake, to serve 16 to 20

• 18 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
• 2 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 1/4 cups red wine
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

To make cake: Preheat oven to 325°. Line the bottom of three 9 round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease parchment and sides of pan. Place butter in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Add brown and granulated sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk and beat until incorporated, then add red wine and vanilla. (Don't worry if the batter looks a little uneven and grainy.)

In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Sift dry mixture over wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold in remaining dry mixture with a rubber spatula.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean. The top of each cake should be shiny and smooth. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on a rack.

I Love to Eat!

The theater, the theater. What's happened to the theater?

I recently heard about a play happening here in Portland called I Love To Eat! I didn't even know what the play was about but I wanted tickets. As the play season went on I finally decided to look into and found that it was a play that was about James Beard. I realized that I hardly know anything about this man whose name I use when discussing awards, chefs, restaurants, and the food scene here in Portland. I decided to not look up any information before attending the show to leave it all to surprise.

I Love To Eat! is a one man play. Actor Rob Nagel who is also an Oregon native plays Beard. An entire 90 minute soliloquy wearing silk pajamas. The play takes place as if Beard was getting ready for bed when he is overwhelmed with memories from his life. The phone constantly rings as he reminds the audience that If you have an unlisted number then no one would be able to call you. Sometimes its his friend Julie Child on the phone, sometimes its a tv viewer upset about a kitchen disaster. During certain cues he runs and slips on his unique kitchen apron and acts as if he is back on his TV show aptly named I Love To Eat!

He recalls a dish he enjoyed to make where he whipped up some mayonnasie specifically on a dinner plate. Cut rounds of onion, which the actor ate raw just as Beard would. Cut rounds from bread. Layer the bread and onion sandwich style, roll it in the homemade mayonnaise and then in finely diced parsley. Voila. These little onion sandwiches were then passed around to the front row of the audience.

As the show comes to an end, Beard recalls his ailments and the fact that he never came out to the public as gay but it was for his friends it was obvious. Then he slowly walks up the staircase as if he is going to bed for the final time.

This show was good I wont say great but I think it is because today's foodie is in their 30's. Beard died in 1985 - I was three. We barely know this man only his name. I could tell by the older people in the audience laughing at certain phrases and moments that this show is using lines Beard was known for on his show. I did however make me want to research him a little more and attempt to understand this man.



James Beard was born in 1903 in Portland Oregon. His family vacationed on the Oregon Coast. Being bedridden with disease as a child gave him the opportunity to eat. He was trained as a singer and dance but his size left him little roles. After hosting small dinner parties he began a catering business which ended with WWII. Then his TV show came on, he met Julia Child, he wrote 24 cookbooks in his lifetime. In 1981 he began the organization City Meals-on-wheels with Gael Greene. When he passed away in 1985 his ashes were spread at the beach in Oregon.

Golden Hues

I recently acquired a very beautiful Butternut Squash. My first thought was to make a pasta with roasted Butternut, gorgonzola, and penne pasta. But I love soup more than pasta. I searched the web for inspiration and saw a recipe titled Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. So I thought, sure I can do that.

1 medium Butternut, peeled well and cubed
3 Shallots, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 inch piece of Ginger, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Salt
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/4-1/2 cup Milk
cracked pepper to taste
3 slices Apple Wood Bacon, diced small

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
On a rimmed baking sheet place butternut, shallots and ginger. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast in oven for 1 hour.
Let cool for 10 minutes.
In a small fry pan place bacon and render on medium low. Once crispy drain on paper towel.
Put roasted goodness into a blender with chicken stock. Blend well. Add milk and puree until smooth.
Strain mixture through strainer pushing mixture though with spatula into a medium pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and add pepper as needed. Garnish with bacon bits.

 Around Christmas time I asked the general Facebook population what their favorite holiday cookie is. I was actually very surprised to see that so many people said it was Snickerdoodles. For me I always thought of this light tasty cookies as a summer treat. This reminded me of a cookies in my repitoire called a Honeydoodle. And here goes.

1/3 cup Butter
2/3 cup Honey
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1 1/2 cup Flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and honey together. Add baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Add egg. Add flour.

In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons Sugar and 3 teaspoons Cinnamon.

I scoop my cookies with a teeny ice cream scoop and drop the sticky dough into the sugar mixture. Then place on a baking sheet. Do not place cookies too close together but they should rise up more than out. Bake only 8-10 minutes.

Resolutions

According to Wikipedia - 40% of Americans set New Year's Resolutions in an attempt to better themselves. The site also says that 88% of people fail. 

I don't really know when Holidays started getting me down. I suppose it began while I was in college. The winter break would happen and I would arrive home just as Christmas was approaching. There was no more build up. There was usually an argument with the parents about when the tree was going to finally get put up. It seemed like it went up because of a deadline not because of the spirit. One day I hope to have a home of my own that I can deck out with the upcoming holiday and perhaps throw a cocktail party for my friends. 

This might sound like a debbie-downer way to start a blog for the new year but my point is only that if you don't like something - you've got to do something about it, right? I have made a few New Years Resolutions of my own. 

1. Create at least 70 blog posts in 2013.
I started Marmalade a while back. And then made a verbal commitment to post about cooking and food and whatnot but I failed. My camera broke and I felt too inept to fully utilize my iphone camera. So with 70 posts that is at least one a week plus a few extras.

2. Work harder on my body and for my body. 
I don't want to set a goal of losing a certain amount - that seems like its asking for failure. Instead I just want to eat better than I am now and work harder at the gym than I do now.

3. Cook more. 
Its my passion. There are 52 weeks in a year. Say I vacation 2 weeks. With my current schedule that means I only have 100 days available to cook dinner for myself. But I also love to eat out, try new restaurants and visit favs. So now lets say I have 60 opportunities to cook. Lets say 10 of those are already prepared meals. I now have 50 opportunities to cook dinner. I better hop to it!

4. Remember the good times. 
I saw on Pinterest the idea of writing down good times, warm fuzzies, and happy thoughts and sticking them in a jar so that in one year they can be pulled out and reviewed. I love this idea because it seems we often remember negative more than positive. I purchased a vintage Whisky decanter from an antique shop and as of yesterday it was collecting dust. Today it has two notes in it. 

5. Keep up with friends better. 
This one sounds easy but it is not. I am sure its a resolution that most people make. I need this though. Everyone I meet leaves some kind of footprint on my heart and I am always sad when I realize that too much time has past since I have spoken, talked to, or seen. I intend to send cards, write emails, make phone calls, and schedule plans. Hope the friends are ready. 

What were you up to New Years Eve? I had just come home from spending Christmas in Alaska with my family. I had to rush back into work. I forgot to make plans, see what might be going on! For a moment I wondered if it would be lonely to sit home and snuggle with my pup while watching Seacrest count down to midnight. Or would it be more sad to sit in a favorite bar where I don't know anyone just to be out and around people. I chose the latter. 

For New Years I headed over to Interurban on N. Mississippi. A usual haunt, its comfortable, non cliche, and the bartenders are always entertaining. I took a seat at the only vacant bar stool. As I sat I realized I was next to the resident bar stool warmer - you know - 60s, drunk, telling the same story over and over. Luckily he left soon after I arrived, he had two other bars to visit before it struck New Years. At that time I found myself surrounded by empty seats. I thought about scooting down towards people but then I thought "Lets let fate fill these seats and see what kind of conversation I will end up in. An intensely drunk group of 23 year olds walked in which was mildly amusing for the first 10 minutes. Next came a couple. I am not even sure when they sat down. We started chatting and had a lot in common from school, local favorite spots, and life. As a group we chatted and chatted until someone on the customer side of the bar saw the time ticket atop the bartenders computer. It was 11:44 pm. The bartenders rounded up whatever servers were available and started handing out the toast. At a hip bar such as Interurban surely it wouldn't be an ordinary toast. They handed out Champagne Jello Shots. Served in a wide shot glass with a demitasse spoon for slurping. Delicious and complete with bubbles it was a truly fun way to ring in the new year!