True Mexican Cooking

Last night, my coworker Adam and his wife Dulce invited some of us over for a Mexican cooking night.  Adam worked in our Oaxaca office for 7 years and just recently returned to Portland with Dulce, who who born and raised in Mexico. So this was was legit Mexican food!

We started with homemade guacamole and salsa.  We used a pestle and mortar to grind the garlic, salt, serrano peppers, avacados and lime (strictly in that order) for the guacamole and we roasted fresh tomatoes and tomatillas for the red and green salsas.  So delicious!

Dulce taught Megan and I how to make fresh corn sopes (kind of like thick tortillas) which we topped with mashed potatoes and ground beef and fried to make garnaches.  They were somewhat like small tostadas, but not so crispy.  With all of the fresh toppings, they were quite tasty!

Thanks, Adam and Dulce for having us over and teaching us the true ways of Mexican cooking.  We'll have you over soon for some good ol' Southern cooking!

roasting the tomatoes

making guac with the pestle and mortar

West and Adam hard at work in the kitchen

fresh lime margarita

we ran out of glasses, so Megan got a margarita in a sippy cup

Dulce and Adam teaching us the Mexican cooking ways

garnaches - muy bueno!

Soy Chai Tea Latte

Speaking of delicious treats that my coworkers have taught me... Bill, our VP of International Programs, has gotten me hooked on his afternoon drink of choice.  Bill let me taste his soy chai tea latte a while back and I've been thinking about it ever since.  So a couple of weeks ago, I asked him for a personal tutorial.  And this guy has his latte down to a T (pun intended).  Let me share this delicious little recipe with you...

Steep one bag earl grey and one bag of any black tea in a large mug half full of hot water for 2 minutes.  Heat half a mug of soy milk in the microwave for 1 minute.  Combine the tea and milk (add a pump of vanilla syrup if you like a sweeter drink) and enjoy!  I seriously look forward to this every afternoon and it's a good way to cut back on coffee.

Rock with a Liturgical Beat

Saturday night, several of us went to our coworker/friend Mike's concert. This was not a normal concert, though. This show integrated great rock songs into a liturgical worship service - see this article in the Willamette Week. Saturday's alternative liturgy featured songs by the artist Radiohead. I knew a couple of Radiohead songs that were played on the radio in the late 90s/early 2000s (such as High and Dry), but Mike gave me a list of songs to study the week before the show so that I could be familiar with the tunes and lyrics.

I have to say, this show was incredible! The above article quotes the organizer of this show as saying, "God types see God everywhere." Which is so true. I often find myself listening to "alternative" main stream music and finding the lyrics to have spiritual connotations.

The show began with a choral version of the song Creep (see video below) followed by some of the following readings and songs:
Reading: scripture from Ezekiel 34; "a man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone" - Henry David Thoreau; "if you are neutral in situtations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppresor." - Desmond Tutu
Song: Fake Plastic Trees (see Mike's rendition here)
Reading: Luke 4:1-13 (The Temptation of Jesus)
Song: You and Whose Army
Reading: Matthew 25:31-46; stats about Oregon being the #1 hungriest state in the country (this show helped raise money for a local food bank)
Song: High and Dry
Reading: Mark 14:43-51 (The Betrayal of Jesus)
Song: Karma Police
Reading: Mark 15:21-37 (The Crucifixion of Jesus)
Song: How to Disappear Completely, Pyramid Song
Reading: they read the "song" Fitter Happier on Radiohead's album OK Computer - so interesting
Song: Videotape; Born Again

The service ended with a reading from the well-known Lorica of St. Patrick:

"Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right,

Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length,

Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me."

11 Things to Know at 25(ish)

So I realized that today, March 5th, marks my half birthday.  Your half birthday is very important when you're still in the single digits.  Don't you remember correcting your mom when she would say, "You're just 5 years old..." and you would roll your eyes, put your hand on your scrawny waist, pop your hip, flip your curly pigtails and say (with a lisp), "I'm 5 and a half, mother!"

Well, that extra half year isn't so important as we get older; in fact most people try to deny that they are in fact getting older every day.  We know more than we did when we were 5 (and a half), but we haven't quite figured it all out yet.  My friend Megan sent me this article writen by Shauna Niequist, author of Cold Tangerines which I've previously referenced.  Read up, 20-somethings (and everyone else looking to be a "real adult")... this is wise advice and a great perspective on life.

11 Things to Know at 25(ish)

Granddaddy and Barbara in Portland

Last night, my granddad and Barbara were in Portland for a quick visit and took me out to dinner. They were on their way back to Texas from a week-long trip in Anchorage, Alaska to enjoy the festival leading up to the Iditarod (add that to my bucket list!). I'm so glad they were able to stop in on their trip back since I only get to see them a few times a year now.

We ate dinner at the Screen Door, one of my favorite spots and a place that is consistently voted one of the best restaurants in Portland. I don't know how, but you can go to any Portland restaurant, any night of any week, and it will always be packed. Portlanders love the local cuisine. Screen Door definitely gave Granddaddy and Barbara a good snapshot of Portland; delicious local organic food, the young city nightlife, waiters with full-sleeve tattoos, all set to the dark backdrop of dreary Portland rain.

Thanks so much for coming to visit, Granddaddy and Barbara! Come back for a longer stay in the summer when it's actually nice out.

this picture was taken after we devoured

the famously delicious fried chicken

Easy Sushi Fix

Speaking of delicious food... when I was shopping at Trader Joe's last week, I came across the best snack/meal idea.  TJs sells packs of Seaweed Snacks (seaweed paper cut unto bite-size squares) which I love even on their own. But at their food demonstration table, they had seaweed squares with a little brown rice wrapped up in them for a yummy little sushi roll.  Brilliant!  So I made these seaweed and brown rice rolls one night this week for dinner when I was having a sushi craving. Add a little avacado, dip in soy sauce, heat up some TJs edamame to go with it and you have an easy sushi-style meal. (I just love Trader Joe's... another great Portland food offering.)

maybe someday I'll be adventurous and even add fish

Pacific City PDW12

Last weekend, a few of us girls headed to Pacific City for the long President's Day Weekend.  We rented a cabin right on the beach in this little ocean town.  It was so nice to get out of the city for a couple of days and just relax. An added bonus was that our phones didn't really have service and we didn't have our computers or internet.  No connection to the outside world... so freeing!

So what did we do all weekend?? We just relaxed - read, napped, walked on the beach, cooked, didn't set alarms, talked, wandered around the camp grounds, and soaked in the hot tub.

the amazing Oregon coast

Kirsten contemplating the oceon

taking it all in after hiking up the sand dunes and rocks

sadly, we found a dead bird on the sand

(and I guess it became our mascot)

the hike from the beach back to our cabin

there's nothing better than sitting in the hot tube on a cold night

me, Erin, Kirsten, and Melissa in front of our cabin

The World As God's Creation

"We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through it all the time... He is everywhere, He is in everything, and we cannot be without Him."

- Thomas Merton

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul."

- Psalm 23:1-3

Mom in Portland

This is long overdue... but a month ago my mom came to visit me in Portland. My parents have both come up several times to visit, but this time my mom came all by herself. In fact, this was her first time to fly by herself and she impressively made it from the Waco airport to the Portland airport without losing her luggage or her mind. Way to go, Mom!

She mainly came to help out with all of my eye surgery appointments and recovery, but I made sure that we simply enjoyed the Portland scene as well. My mom is so laid back and easy going. I loved that she was able to experience my everyday Portland life: teaching the 2-yr-old Sunday school class, going for a walk with me and Amber, volunteering with Megan and I to serve breakfast at the Blanchet house, going to the library, riding bikes, cooking dinner and watching a movie, volunteering at my office, and just hanging out.

I'm so grateful that my mom was able to come stay with me for a whole week. Thanks Mom, especially for being my nurse and chauffeur after my surgery. I seriously don't know what I would have done without you. Come back anytime!

 

I put my mom on a bike in the rain and we biked downtown to the farmer's market.

This experience made her a legit Portlander. Way to go, Mom!

 

the Portland Winter Farmers Market on the Park Blocks

 

We had lunch with the Schoberts and Mom was able to meet Baby Trey

Chiqui invited us over for dinner at her house - she made a delicious Philipino dish,

followed by cakeball lessons with her girls

Mom helped build the pinata for my Portland party,

along with West, Jason and Drew

3 Yr Portland Anniversary

This past Wednesday, February 1st marked my 3 year anniversary of moving to Portland. In these past few years, I have soaked in everything Portland and surely by now I can consider myself a "Portlander". So I decided to throw a party to celebrate this wonderful, wacky, super weird city that my friends and I are so lucky to live in.

So Wednesday night, my house became the heart of Portlandia. People joined in the festivities by wearing their favorite hoodie and skinny jeans, plaid shirt, thick-rimmed glasses or biking attire. We listened to some Modest Mouse and Blind Pilot (both local bands), played lots of ping pong, ate gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan/organic snacks (well, actually we ate Velveeta queso and cakeballs), and everyone brought their favorite local beer to share. The party wouldn't be complete without a homemade pinata of Mount Hood - a project that I put way too much time and evergy into only to see come crashing down with a swing of a stick from Megan Steele.

The party was a blast (I've decided to host more random weeknight parties) and was a great reminder of what amazing friends I have here in this wonderful city. Here's to a great 4th year in Portland!

clearly marked food - in case of any food allergies

everyone made sure to get their daily dose of Vitamin D

in order to avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder

Megan and I with our awesome tats

you can never have too many tats!

Jamie - our personal tattoo artist

Happy Birthday to Drew!

anniversary cakeball

Scott and I dominating in doubles ping pong

Megan busting the Hood pinata

a porch full of bikes... soooo Portland