Blue Box Mac n Cheese: Kraft Monsters University version

August 7, 2013 by 4 Comments

In case you think that my life is always full of gourmet food, I captured this meal I made. Thanks, Kraft for making this Monsters University version of Mac and Cheese.

I was so proud of myself as I added some green peas. I thought the peas were very good stand-ins for Mike and would be a fun trick to add veggies to it for kids. In this case, I was only tricking myself. I’m not sure how much of an accomplishment that is.

I am not sure there is anything that is the same color as Sulley.

Did you know I didn’t have Mac and Cheese until my freshman year in college? My family doesn’t really eat anything with cheese- cheeseburgers, pizza, and tacos fast food shortcuts were the only times, but nothing was ever cooked with cheese. They served it at the cafeteria in middle and high school, but it was a white creamy mess that looked unappealing so I never tried it. We never ordered it as a side from wherever we got our fried or roast chickens.

It was only because during my freshman year, for one of the the dorm floor “study break” once a week, one of the other students made a buffet of Kraft mac and cheese, and that’s all there was, and to be polite I tried it. I think I had 3 bowls full. I am very polite.

I also remember getting sick, but it was wonderful going down and I stuck with it to discover how affordable mac and cheese and later, Rice a Roni and Pasta Roni, are on a college girl’s budget. It remains a fond memory.

Not saying I don’t love the ones with 3 types of cheese and panko breadcrumbs that are slightly burnt and crunchy on the sides with chorizo and green onions and other fanciness… but I still want the tang of his orange powder cheese sometimes. Also, Monster shapes! Kraft Mac and Cheese Monsters University for the win for this meal.

What nostalgic comfort food do you crave from your younger years? Are there any foods that blew your mind when you discovered them once outside the roof of your family home?

Don’t worry, I am sure I have totally made up for the cheese deficiency of my childhood and then some in my adulthood…

Kraft Mac and Cheese, Monsters University Kraft Mac and Cheese, Monsters University Kraft Mac and Cheese, Monsters University Kraft Mac and Cheese, Monsters University

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Counting down to Feast Portland 2013: Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting

August 5, 2013 by 12 Comments

As I announced on my Twitter @Pechluck, Facebook page Pechluck’s Food Adventures, and Google+ Pechluck Food Adventures pages, I recently applied and was granted a Blogger Pass for Feast Portland 2013, September 19th-22nd!

Feast Portland 2013 logo

The Blogger Pass gives me access to the Urbanspoon Media room for probably much needed charging of my phone, and also entrances to a couple of the many incredible events for Feast, such as the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting presented by by Alaska Airlines and the various speaking events from the Whole Foods Speaker Series.

I have also purchased tickets out of my own pocket, full price, for two events that I also plan to cover, the Widmer Brothers Brewing Sandwich Invitational presented by Lincoln Motor Company and High Comfort at The Nines presented by Portland Monthly Magazine. I did not attend Feast last year, but just like last year, many events take place very close to where I live/I may pass by them on my commute home at locations such as Pioneer Courthouse Square, Director’s Park, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Multnomah Athletic Club. No more wistful wishing as I pass by this year! Well maybe some- I am not attending many other events that I wish I could!

Last year, it was reported that nearly 9,000 attended the September food festival on September 20-23 2012, and $23,000 was donated to each of the Feast Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.

This year, Feast Portland Food and Drink Festival returns to benefit these charity partners with the return of certain anchor food festival evenings offering tastes from famous chefs paired with many breweries and wineries, several speakers, a chef collaboration dinner series that pairs two chefs and a delicious drink partner, and hands on classes. This year they also have added a chef collaboration brunch series and a cookbook social!

The first event I wanted to give a preview of was the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting presented by by Alaska Airlines.  Tickets are $60 and the event takes place as part of Feast Portland on two days, Friday, September 20th and Saturday, Sept 21st 12:00pm – 5:00pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Please note that each day is a different all inclusive ticket… yes, look at the wonderful morsels in store!

Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Description from the Feast website: Portland’s “living room,” Pioneer Courthouse Square, transforms into the city’s dining room for two days as dozens of the region’s most celebrated wineries, breweries, vendors, and artisans take over Downtown Portland’s most prime real estate for the festival’s premiere daytime event. Experience the scene, meet the chefs you’ve read about, discover the best Oregon wines and craft beers, and enjoy cooking demonstrations from celebrated chefs like Michael Voltaggio, Chris Cosentino, Jenn Louis, and Gabriel Rucker at the KitchenAid Main Demo Stage.

The Lineup

Friday-

Saturday-
Chris Cosentino at Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast 2012, Copyright All rights reserved by Feast Portland
Photo Credit: Feast Portland CopyrightAll rights reserved by Feast Portland

Both days-

Check out some highlights on video from the 2012 event below. You can also view the Photo Essay of the event from the Oregonian here that has photos from this event and others from Feast Portland 2012.

Update – After attending the event, you can see my recap here

Disclosure: This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013. The goal of Feast Portland is to raise money for two Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not. 

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Urbanhour at The Bent Brick

August 2, 2013 by 1 Comment

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but they did not require that I write this review nor did they request it.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

I was excited to be invited to Urban Hour event courtesy of Urbanspoon at the Bent Brick, which has been on my wishlist since it opened last year, but I have never visited. Now I had a fabulous excuse! I’m a big fan of Urbanspoon because of how they aggregate professional reviews as well as blogger posts along with user reviews, so I feel like I can get the full story of experiences before I go to a place. And, just yesterday Urbanspoon announced they are going to partner with another favorite dining out resource of mine, OpenTable, to provide online reservations.

As I approached the Bent Brick (tBB), the red bricks of this neighborhood tavern in the NW area of NW Marshall and 16th/17th welcomed me in a familiar cozy way, though I was pleasantly surprised by the charming outdoor patio area and that one of the walls was a garage door that they rolled up for us to enjoy the summer breeze.
the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland

The inside is a mix of lots of brick wall that is echoed in red chairs, though the front lounge area has a cool “jenga” in its center.
jenga lounge at the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland the bent brick, neighborhood tavern, northwest portland

I started with the cocktail “damson in distress” with averall plumb gin, rhubarb, lemon, egg white, tea bitters.
the bent brick, place setting the bent brick, the cocktail damson in distress with averall plumb gin, rhubarb, lemon, egg white, tea bitters

We shared lots of starters, including popped beans, smoked salmon chips (accurately bringing to memory Thai shrimp chips), ken’s bread with whipped lardo topped with salt, and the country ham plate, including Johnston County, Fincheville, and Wigwam. All four of these are part of their happy hour menu (happy hour everyday 4-6pm and 9-10pm).
the bent brick, starter of popped beans, appetizer, tavern, drinking snacks the bent brick, starter of smoked salmon chips, appetizer, tavern, drinking snacks the bent brick, starter of ken's bread with whipped lardo topped with salt, appetizer, tavern, drinking snacks the bent brick, starters, appetizer, tavern, drinking snacks the bent brick, starter of the country ham plate, including johnston county, fincheville, wigwam, appetizer, tavern, drinking snacks the bent brick, starter of the country ham plate, including johnston county, fincheville, wigwam, appetizer, tavern, drinking snacks

Then, we were so lucky to be able to see cocktail magic as bartendress Michelle schooled us in making a cocktail called “on the veranda” with mint, strawberry, simple syrup, rhubarb cordial, sage liquor, white verjus, and gin. They were even kind enough to share their rhubarb cordial, as you can see below. Also, how freaking adorable is she?

On The Veranda Cocktail from the Bent Brick, Portland OR
On The Veranda Cocktail from the Bent Brick, Portland OR with mint, strawberry, simple syrup, rhubarb cordial, sage liquor, white verjus, and gin

  • 2 springs mint
  • 1 strawberry
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 1 ounce rhubarb cordial
    • 2 pounds of rhubarb cleaned and cut into one inch pieces
    • 1 cup of sugar
    • 1 liter of vodka
  • 1/2 ounce sage liquor
  • 1/2 ounce white verjus
  • 2 ounces gin
  • 1 dash angostura bitters

First, for the rhubarb cordial: combine the ingredients for the rhubarb cocktail and shake it all up good, then keep chilled for up to one month but shake daily. Are you kidding, this would not last a month.

For the On the Veranda cocktail itself, muddle the mint, strawberry and simple syrup together. Then pour in that 4 ounces of other ingredients (wow! 2 ounces gin!) and shake it all up! Double strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a mint sprig.

Then we returned to the table and after sipping a taste of that amazing On the Veranda Cocktail, we were treated to more delicious food. Someone at the Bent Brick clearly knows drinking food: duck fat jojos with ranch, TBB Hot Dog with house ketchup and mustard, were were easting two more winning options available on their happy hour menu. I was soooo happy that I got to try the duck fat jojos because I had been eyeing that ever since I first saw the menu when I got the invitation. I maybe had 3 of those jojos too. They were just so crispy but not oily on the outside, but soft potato wedge goodness on the inside. I didn’t even need the ranch dressing they came with.

In addition, whaaa! There was a Hamburger Dog (because Scott Dolich of Park Kitchen, after explaining how the hot dog migrated from Park Kitchen to here at the Bent Brick, admitted that he just didn’t want to ever do burgers. And thus… a burger dog!) with cheese, bent sauce, and relish. Scott told us how his grilled squid salad with Mendocino seaweed and potatoes come s from his East Coach beach memories merging with the irresistible umami of seaweed. Also unexpectedly adorable: tea sandwiches with tomato, cucumber, gin, and goat cheese.
duck fat jojos from the bent brick, portland, neighborhood tavern, drinking food TBB Hot Dog with house ketchup and mustard, portland, neighborhood tavern, drinking food the bent brick, Scott Dolich Hamburger Dog with cheese, bent sauce, and relish from the bent brick, portland, neighborhood tavern, drinking food grilled squid salad with Mendocino seaweed and potatoes from the bent brick, portland, neighborhood tavern, drinking food tea sandwiches with tomato, cucumber, gin, and goat cheeses from the bent brick, portland, neighborhood tavern, drinking food

My favorite dish though was the side of smashed chickpeas that had an earthy creaminess from the chickpeas but a light coolness yet something that brightened it from what turns out to be sour cream and Frank’s hot sauce. Meanwhile, the cocktail of the bearded lady with bourbon, strawberry shrub, hum, salt and pepper was loved by everyone at the table, and was the perfect finish to the meal for me.
side of smashed chickpeas from the bent brick, portland, neighborhood tavern, drinking food cocktail of the bearded lady with bourbon, strawberry shrub, hum, salt and pepper was loved by everyone at the table, the bent brick

Clearly, the Bent Brick is specializing in comfort bar food that does try to push tavern snacks beyond the regular American fare of burgers and nachos and salted nuts. This is a change from its original concept which seemed more a exploratory deconstruction viewpoint that tried to push it farther than Scott’s other restaurant Park Kitchen, but then meant customers weren’t always sure what they would be getting. It looks like they have retreated from that to items that are more comfortable and recognizably home-y but definitely have a slight edge on them to provide a little mystery and surprise to the familiar. The duck fat jojos, hamburger dog and the smashed chickpeas, and all their cocktail concoctions (other ones I lusted after included their housemade beet shrub soda or pomegranate soda with choice of vodka, gin, or whisky, or the “g and tea” cocktail with smalls gin, lavender syrup, white verjus and black tea, or the “barrel and branch” cocktail with spruce tip ice cube, gin, heather cordial, and white pepper) being examples of this where it just had a little more something something.

Thank you to Urbanspoon, the Bent Brick, and Little Green Pickle. And, check out other fellow bloggers (soooo cool to all be taking photos together and gushing about deliciousness past, present, future!!) from the event:

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but they did not require that I write this review nor did they request it.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Pasta at Rick Gencarelli’s Grassa

July 31, 2013 by 11 Comments

Grassa offers another option in the now super delicious West End area of Southwest 12th and Washington, right next to Lardo (both by Rick Gencarelli, and who I’ve been visiting monthly for their chefwich collaboration for charity) and Racion, and also just across the street from Ruby Jewel and Cheryl’s on 12th, also a block from Jake’s Famous Crawfish, Tasty n Alder and Gruner and if you just walk a block more, Petunia’s Pies & Pastries and Saint Cupcake Galore. You can go to Ringler’s Annex for a whiskey, rum, or bourbon flight besides the usual McMenamins beers, but I’m keeping my eye out also on the in progress Multnomah Whiskey Library. This 3 block radius is kicking!

When I heard Rick was opening up a place devoted to pasta, it was at the top of my must try list, and I was happy I was finally able to go this past weekend. As soon as you walk in the glass door etched with their signature eagle, you are at an ordering counter.

A chalkboard that extends up to the high modern workshop loft ceilings with the menu. We decided to go with food only this time, since I had dragged F over here (well, I did give him 3 multiple choice options I had filtered down, so he did get to pick at the end) after an Oakshire Barrel Aged Beer seminar at the Upper Lip (you can read great coverage of that event from a post by fellow blogger Kris at Beer Musings from Portland).

Rick Gencarelli's Grassa menu, Portland PDX Rick Gencarelli's Grassa menu, Portland PDX

After ordering, you are given a number and seat yourself in the airy space that makes it seem like you are sitting in an extension of their kitchen prep area, or in a cooking class, a combination of industrial modernity and functionality. Look at those extension cords from the ceiling over those prime seats looking into the kitchen and right in front of the pasta machines!

I don’t know how I could resist the temptation of not picking a bite out of those trays of pasta to the right either. Recipes were jotted on a chalkboard – I will try to ignore the amount of butter in the garlic bread I am about to eat.

Rick Gencarelli's Grassa interior Rick Gencarelli's Grassa interior Rick Gencarelli's Grassa interior Recipes jotted on a board- I will try to ignore the amount of butter in the garlic bread I am about to eat- at Rick Gencarelli's Grassa interior

I started out with the garlic bread.

Grassa, garlic bread, from Rick Gencarelli

I went with the pasta dish of Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil. I loved the play on textures with the shapes of the radiatore and savory braised chicken and saved my last bite to be one of those bits of crisp skin.

Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli

Vegetarian F had the Bucatini wtih hazelnut pesto, zucchini, mozzarella crema and I was jealous. I love pesto. The pasta was toothy and the hazelnuts gave it some crunch while the mozzarella was the embrace of liquid love on top.
Bucatini wtih hazelnut pesto, zucchini, mozzarella crema, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli Bucatini wtih hazelnut pesto, zucchini, mozzarella crema, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli

And yes, in case you were wondering, Grassa translated means “fat” in Italian, so he’s still celebrating it, and I’m right there with him!

Bucatini wtih hazelnut pesto, zucchini, mozzarella crema and Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli

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Summer Picnic Recipes that Travel Well for Two and a Group

July 29, 2013 by 10 Comments

Picnics- a meal outside, in the sunshine/shade and open breezes. Shoes off, legs stretched out, the feel of the beach of the sand or blades of grass underneath you. The images that come to mind are wicker baskets and slightly rumpled gingham blanket and a glass of wine and certainly for me, a cheese plate (of course).

It might be a special occasion like the concerts on the lawns I used to attend multiple times during my summers in Chicago- the orchestra filling the air with a symphony while you lie back on the blanket staring at the clouds. Or, it was on the 4th of July, with fireworks, and the buzz of people around you sharing that experience and joining in group “oooos” while you still have your own space.

It doesn’t have to be a special occasion though. It might be a matter of logistics on a long day hike. It might be a romantic getaway where you can focus on just the two of you. Or maybe, it’s just a celebration of a normal day and beautiful weather.

The last time I had a picnic, it was at Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR after walking with a cheetah, and it was a breakfast picnic that included soft doughy marionberry scones, fresh fruit, and fixings for mimosas on a safari printed tablecloth. Overall, it was a picnic recipe for fun!

Wildlife Safari, Winston OR, breakfast picnic with marionberry scones, fresh fruit, and mimosas Wildlife Safari, Winston OR, breakfast picnic with marionberry scones, fresh fruit, and mimosas

For a July picnic with the Portland Bloggers group, I decided to go more out than the typical “gathering” of cheese plate and various deli items from stores with a few items I would put together at home. Here are my picnic recipes, geared towards being picnic recipes that are easy to prep, require little effort, travel and keep well, and can be healthy. They can easily be made for two, or a group.

First, I started out for myself with a Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Salad sandwich, and a Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Tomato and Greens Sandwich for F. I only made enough for one sandwich for F, but I made a larger yielding batch of the buffalo chicken so that I could eat more of the sandwiches all this week (or in some cases, just eat the buffalo chicken out of Tupperware).

For the group, I wasn’t sure how many people would be there and decided to lean on the generous side. Worst case scenario, I would have some to bring to work the next day. I like these because you can put these together while watching TV, they are relatively healthy and fresh, and they are easy to eat on the skewers/toothpicks and can be refreshing if it happens to be a hot day. Mine are all red, but if you got a mix of colors from heirloom tomatoes this would be so much prettier!

Picnic Recipe 1: Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Tomato and Greens Sandwich

Ingredients (yields 1 sandwich):
Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Greens Sandwich ingredients Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Greens Sandwich

  • 2 slices of your favorite bread
  • 1/4 cup of hummus of your choice
  • 1/2 large avocado
  • 1 teaspoon of lime juice
  • 1/2 cup microgreens (or you may choose 1/2 cup spinach, arugula, or whatever greens you would like)
  • Tomatoes- I used grape tomatoes, but you can also use regular slices of tomatoes, or roasted tomatoes, or sun dried tomatoes. You want enough to be happy with your sandwich 🙂

Directions

  1. Spread the hummus on one side of the bread, and top with the microgreens
  2. In a bowl, mash up the avocado (for 1 sandwich you only need 1/2, but I mashed a whole one and used the other half for my sandwich below) and add 1 teaspoon for half the avocado, or in my case 2 teaspoons, of the lime juice. Mash and mix well, and then spread on the other slice of bread

Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Greens Sandwich Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Greens Sandwich

Picnic Recipe 2: Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Salad with Avocado and Greens Sandwich

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich

Ingredients (yields 4 cups of chicken salad, I overload my sandwich with almost 1 cup each but you also just use 1/2 a cup and be sensible about it):

  • 1 pound of skinless chicken breast (2 chicken breasts) for poaching
  • 5 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled blue cheese
  • 4 slices of your favorite bread
  • 1/2 cup microgreens (or you 1/2 cup chopped celery or whatever greens you would like)

Directions

  1. I started by poaching the chicken. Alternatively, you can also buy cooked chicken or reuse other leftover chicken of course to get you started a little faster. I like poaching in that it still keeps the chicken tender, and it lets me multitask as I’m cooking it low and slow with other kitchen prep. You can choose to poach it in just water, but that doesn’t add any flavor. So you can use the stock of your choice in the pot (I started with 2 cups, and then poured in a smidge more to cover the chicken by another inch) that I also added a tablespoon of chopped basil, a tablespoon of rosemary, and some ground pepper. But you can choose to also/instead add a little sherry, or wine, or fresh vegetables, whatever you want to add. After bringing the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to a bare simmer, partly cover the pot. Cook longer for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat, leaving the chicken to finish cooking in your liquid of choice for 15 more minutes. Remove chicken, then shred it for the chicken salad.
    poaching chicken breasts in broth and herbs
  2. In bowl, whisk together the other ingredients: the yogurt, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir in chicken, celery (if you are using it), and blue cheese.
  3. For my sandwich for the picnic, I decided to use some of the leftover avocado lime juice spread I still had for the other half of my sandwich (so half an avocado with 1 teaspoon of lime juice mashed together). I also added the radish microgreens, though again any of greens you enjoy would work here. And let’s say I forgot to add the blue cheese earlier so just decided to put it on top of my avocado (you can omit the blue cheese altogether if you are not a fan or want to make it optional for those eating the sandwich). Overall, of the buffalo chicken salad there was enough left for probably 4-5 more sandwiches for me to put away for the rest of the week. Refrigerate until serving or up to 5 days in the fridge.
    Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich

Picnic Recipe 3: Caprese Skewers

Ingredients (yields 136 skewers):
Caprese Skewers, appetizer, picnic food Caprese Skewers, appetizer, picnic food

  • 4 pints (~40 oz) of cherry tomatoes
  • 12 ounces of fresh mozzarella
  • 2 ounces of fresh basil, which was about 6 stems for me, depending on how full each stem is of leaves
  • olive oil (approximately 1/3 cup)
  • balsamic vinegar  (approximately 1/4 cup)

Directions

  1. Cutting: Cut all the cherry tomatoes in half. Also cut the mozzarella into small pieces about 1/3 inch squares. Also, remove the basil leaves from the steam, for the larger basil leaves you may want to cut them in half as well.
  2. Assembly: On each toothpick, in between the cherry halves add one piece of the mozzarella and one medium or 1/2 of a large basil leaf.
  3. After filling your first row (in case you decide to do a pile like I did), use a spoon or a pastry brush to carefully add a little drizzle line or light touch of olive oil, and then the balsamic.
    Caprese Skewers, appetizer, picnic food Caprese Skewers, appetizer, picnic food

F helped a friend moved, so the sandwich disappeared before any photo could be shot of the sandwich cut in half.The best I can show you from our afternoon picnic with the Portland Food Bloggers was our additional tray to accompany our sandwiches. I like to always bring cheeses, and this time went with two cheeses (Fiscalini Hopscotch Cheddar a cheddar soaked in Devil’s Canyon Scotch Ale and Mariposa’s Chubut a mild Argentiean cheese).

I also like a little protein, and I picked a Chop Butchery & Charcuterie farmhouse pate (not shown, on another board to separate from the vegetarian options, and I think the best pate in Portland). I rounded out this picnic with hummus, and organic seedless green grapes (anything you eat the skin on be it fruits, vegetables, potatoes I believe are worth buying organic), cut up some artisan seedy bread and Mary’s Gone Crackers. This part of the picnic recipe is easy- just a matter of gathering some good individual ingredients together.

Thank you Portland Bloggers group for making me put together a Family Picnic, and setting up this event! It was very laid back with no agenda other then just a little chatting to see the people we read online in person, and the new Portland Bloggers logo was also unveiled. Check out the twitter hashtag #portlandbloggers for more photos from this event. I’m sure there will be posts coming soon too, and I’m excited to read all about all the other perspectives!

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