Croissant Breakfast Casserole

January 8, 2018 by 10 Comments

For this year’s New Year’s Eve prep for New Year’s Day brunch with champagne and the Rose Parade, I made Breakfast Croissant Casserole. Using toasted croissants are the base which then have savory browned sausage, sage and melted cheese with egg. As I did, you can prepare this the night before a special breakfast or brunch, then pop it in the oven an hour before you plan to serve it for your party of 8-10 people.
Recipe for Croissant Breakfast Casserole with egg, sausage, cheese, toasted croissant, easy to prep the night before and satisfies 8-10 people Recipe for Croissant Breakfast Casserole with egg, sausage, cheese, toasted croissant, easy to prep the night before and satisfies 8-10 people

Instead of sausage, you can substitute  sautéed mushrooms, and other vegetables like chopped red peppers for color. Or further dress this up with ham, crab, shrimp, etc. For cheeses Gruyère gives a great nutty flavor but you could substitute Manchego or a mix of Parmesan, or classic sharp cheddar or a mix with mozzarella, whatever you want.
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Recommendations at Bar Casa Vale

January 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Have you heard of Bar Casa Vale? They opened last year, and Willamette Weekly declared them Bar of the Year 2017. I’ve mostly been for drinks, particularly their goblets of gin and tonics although they have lots of other amazing cocktails, but recently I also got a chance to try more of their menu and wanted to share my recommendations with you.

Bar Casa Vale Bar Casa Vale Clam Conserva with Lardo Toast, Fried olives with sobrasada and piri piri mayo

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Holdfast Dining New Year’s Dinner

January 3, 2018 by 5 Comments

I’ve been to several Holdfast Dining events and been a fan since 2014, and realized I’ve never shared the experience on the blog before! My most recent dinner was #609 for Holdfast Dining. This particular dinner was a special luxury ingredient themed dinners especially for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. For $175 I enjoyed an incredibly filling 10 course dinner with 6 wine pairings. So here’s a recap of my Holdfast Dining New Year’s Dinner.
Holdfast Dining New Year's Dinner 2018, 10 course dinner with 6 wine pairings Holdfast Dining New Year's Dinner 2018, 10 course dinner with 6 wine pairings
Holdfast Dining is reservations only via their website, doing one 7 PM dinner seating each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Normally their dinner is a 10 course prix fixe chefs tasting menu with 5 wine pairings for $105. On Monday they hold Deadshot, a more casual a la carte version of their food that does not require reservations.

If you are attending on a reservations dinner, you check in with the wine director when you enter past the curtained entrance and are greeted with a glass of bubbly. He will then direct you to your seat based on the size of your party – at a countertop bar or at a table. I was seated at the bar which I always enjoy watching the plating and chatting with others.
Holdfast Dining New Year's Dinner 2018, 10 course dinner with 6 wine pairings

Before each course, after watching them plate it in the open kitchen, Chefs Will Preisch and Joel Stocks talk about the dish in terms of inspiration or what they did to create the dish.
Chefs Joel Stocks of Holdfast Dining during Holdfast Dining New Year's Dinner 2018, 10 course dinner with 6 wine pairings Chefs Will Preisch of Holdfast Dining during Holdfast Dining New Year's Dinner 2018, 10 course dinner with 6 wine pairings
Chefs Joel Stocks and Will Preisch of Holdfast Dining

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Chefs Who Inspire Dinner with Justin Woodward

December 28, 2017 by 3 Comments

You may have heard that in September, Earl Ninsom of Langbaan (and also PaaDee and Hat Yai) announced a new special monthly dinner series, the Chefs Who Inspire dinner series. I recently attended the Chefs Who Inspire Dinner with Justin Woodward of Castagna. Here’s a look at my dinner experience.
Chefs Who Inspire Dinner with Justin Woodward Chefs Who Inspire Dinner with Justin Woodward

Each dinner of the Chefs Who Inspire series will offer six tasting menu courses with wine pairings for $180 (gratuity not included) with a guest chef that Chef Earl admires and believes is inspiring to him and others and wants to highlight as the culinary talents that they are. Chef Earl introduced at the beginning of this dinner that he ate at one of the best restaurants in Bangkok with other chef friends – and thought to himself – Justin can do this. And he can do it better.

I have to agree that Chef Justin and Castagna is one of the huge underrated gems of Portland – the restaurant would have a waiting list and he’d be a rock star in a lot of other cities. Part of it is Portland is less into fine dining then other metropolis cities (which face it, often have more business expense accounts also) and the Portland dining scene doesn’t have enough that embrace modernist high end and Michelin star quality menu prices that are normal in San Francisco and New York. Chef Justin is also a more introverted personality who works quietly, thoughtfully, to the beat of own drum. He seems to shy away from attention, and just wants the food to speak for itself.

Langbaan PDX Chefs Who Inspire Dinner with Justin Woodward, First course of Dungeness crab, mussel jus, leeks, blank trumpet mushroom Langbaan PDX Chefs Who Inspire Dinner with Justin Woodward, Third course of Duck, apple, broccolini
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Merry Christmas! Santas and Cookies and Casseroles!

December 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment

I want to wish a Portland Merry Christmas 2017 to everyone! If you’re in Portland, you know we got a surprise on Christmas Eve during the day in which we got snow! That snow stuck (along with icy rain layers) to make for a white Christmas, yay! I had purchased some Christmas flowers for myself and left it out for 5 minutes or so to get the contrast of the snowflakes.
Christmas flowers in the snow Christmas flowers in the snow

For fun, I just wanted to write a quick post on our plans this year. 2 years ago, F and I spent Christmas in Japan, and last year we spent it apart while I was in LA with my new 3 month old niece and family. This year both of us are staying in PDX, though it isn’t as fun as I hoped because he currently is sick and is congested and gross. Thankfully, I have Santa displays from town to keep me in a cheerful mood.

Here’s one from North Mississippi – Snowman vs Santa – which asks whether you are #TeamSnowman or #TeamSanta #illuminatedpdxmas2017 at the All American Holiday Window Display
Snowman vs Santa - are you #TeamSnowman or #TeamSanta #illuminatedpdxmas2017 at the All American Holiday Window Display Snowman vs Santa - are you #TeamSnowman or #TeamSanta #illuminatedpdxmas2017 at the All American Holiday Window Display Snowman vs Santa - are you #TeamSnowman or #TeamSanta #illuminatedpdxmas2017 at the All American Holiday Window Display

Another Santa display this year was by Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Santa Clones. The Santa Clones have been around Portland for several years, where everyone doesn’t exactly disclose the address but you get hints at where they are, so it is a mini quest to find them.
The Santa Clones - a collection of Santa figure lights that appear with only hints to the location that you then have to find. #thesantaclones2017
The Santa Clones - a collection of Santa figure lights that appear with only hints to the location that you then have to find. #thesantaclones2017 The Santa Clones - a collection of Santa figure lights that appear with only hints to the location that you then have to find. #thesantaclones2017 The Santa Clones - a collection of Santa figure lights that appear with only hints to the location that you then have to find. #thesantaclones2017 The Santa Clones - a collection of Santa figure lights that appear with only hints to the location that you then have to find. #thesantaclones2017

Last year for the holidays I made a Biscuit and Sausage Gravy Egg and Cheese Casserole. You can find the recipe here, but here’s a picture just to get you in the mood – super easy to prep the night before if you want so you pop it in the oven and enjoy in your PJs all day. This year for New Year’s Day brunch I’m planning on making a Savory Shrimp and Oatmeal, lots of crispy bacon, and a Croissant Breakfast Casserole.
Biscuit and Sausage Gravy Egg and Cheese Casserole Biscuit and Sausage Gravy Egg and Cheese Casserole

For Christmas Day I’m all about Dorie Greenspan’s 3-Ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies which were super fast to make and only 3 ingredients – though I ran out of almonds so I also mixed in some chopped pecans so technically I guess my cookies were 4 ingredients. They are not the most beautiful cookies because of the dough being thin so they tend to be free-form shaped, and they are thin and crispy. I won’t reprint the recipe here, but I did link to it.
Easy Christmas Cookies - from Food 52 I followed the Dorie Greenspan's 3-Ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies recipe Easy Christmas Cookies - from Food 52 I followed the Dorie Greenspan's 3-Ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies recipe

My mother in law also sent us these amazing Juustoleipa (yoo-stoh-lay-paa), which means “Bread Cheese”, a buttery flavored baked cheese that has been produced in Finland and Sweden for over 200 years. And this adorable plate is from West Elm.
Juustoleipa (yoo-stoh-lay-paa) means Bread Cheese, a buttery flavored baked cheese that has been produced in Finland and Sweden for over 200 years. And this adorable plate is from West Elm Juustoleipa (yoo-stoh-lay-paa) means Bread Cheese, a buttery flavored baked cheese that has been produced in Finland and Sweden for over 200 years. And this adorable plate is from West Elm

What are you doing for Christmas and/or New Year’s?
Christmas Tree at Pioneer Square

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