vegetarian southwestern scramble

in case you haven't caught on yet, i'm a big fan of mexican food. when it's done right, (fresh ingredients minimally messed around with) there's really no other cuisine i can think of enjoying more. it would be quite easy to walk down our bustling street every day and indulge in some tacos, margaritas + chips, but i doubt that my wallet or waistline would be very keen on that. so what do i do when my mexican cravings rear their ugly heads? make an easy southwestern scramble. i didn't have any corn tortillas on hand, but they would have been the perfect vessel for scooping up this deliciousness. 

the real stars of this scramble were the pickled red onions. they were incredibly easy to make + added the most gorgeous pop of color to the dish. fact: pickles make everything better.

vegetarian southwestern scramble

2 eggs 
1 black bean burger 
a few cherry tomatoes, chopped 
1 small avocado, chopped 
pickled red onions 
2 tbsp diced green chiles 
cilantro salsa verde

i started out by defrosting a frozen black bean + corn burger that drew and i made a few weeks ago. i crumbled the burger and browned it (like you would ground beef) in a frying pan on medium-high heat. then i removed the "ground meat" + scrambled the eggs with the green chiles. i then mixed the scrambled eggs with the black bean crumbles + added the tomatoes, avocado, pickled onions + cilantro + salsa to finish. 

in case you haven't caught on yet, i'm also a big fan of southwestern decor. must have inherited it from my dad!

scenes from the weekend (part 2)

here are a few more scenes from our weekend with drew's mom. complete with a skateboarding bulldog, macarons from pix + the farmer's market (what can i say? i'm addicted) and interesting art viewed during our delicious farm-to-table dinner at clarklewis. oh, and the feast. the feast that barbarellen made for us from our farmer's market treasures. grilled coho salmon, chinook salmon, halibut, maitake mushrooms, and corn on the cob. steamed purple artichoke with a lemon garlic aoili. swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and fresh garlic. as always, it was impeccable!

 

 

scenes from the weekend (part 1)

i'm borderline obsessed with por que no?, our favorite taco place. we took drew's mom there on her first night in portland, and when we asked her where she wanted to go for lunch on friday, guess where she chose? everything is so delicious + extremely fresh. and the chips! allow me to wax poetic about these chips for a moment. i normally skip the chips or the bread basket at a restaurant. i see them as boring speed bumps on the road to a meal. but these chips are cut from their homemade corn tortillas, then fried until they are warm + crispy yet still slightly chewy. they sprinkle them with a little salt and it's sheer perfection.

though her trip revolved mostly around food, we did manage to squeeze some other experiences into the mix. we visited the international rose test garden on thursday, and walked up to mt. tabor on friday, where we found an unbelievable view of mt. hood. today, we visited the portland state farmer's market + drew's mom is going to put together a meal for us based off what we bought (halibut, salmon, crab meat, purple artichokes, swiss chard, maitake mushrooms, corn on the cob).

 

salted chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches

there is no better smell to fill your home than freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. 

last night, i baked some large chocolate chip cookies to bring to jill's bbq tonight. i also bought vanilla ice cream to sandwich between the cookies. i've been craving ice cream sandwiches like crazy lately. 

but these are not just any chocolate chip cookies. right before baking, i gave them a generous sprinkle of pink himalayan sea salt. i followed a recipe, but as usual, subbed whole wheat pastry flour for the white flour. unfortunately, this altered the consistency of the dough + it was a bit dry. but not to worry, drew's mom (a chef!), helped me by suggesting we add a second egg + about a 1/4 cup of milk. crisis averted. 

after impatiently waiting for the cookies to cool, i made a test sandwich for quality control purposes. these are incredible! the salty, sweet, chewy, gooey, creamy. everything just goes together perfectly. i can't wait to eat another one at the bbq tonight.

 

salted chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches adapted from real simple 

2 sticks unsalted butter 

1 cup turbinado sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 eggs 

2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 

1/4 cup almond milk 

pink himalayan sea salt (for sprinkling) 

1 qt vanilla ice cream

preheat oven to 375 degrees f. mix butter, sugars, milk and vanilla until smooth. add eggs + mix. in a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and the baking soda. slowly add the dry mixture into the wet + combine. gently fold chocolate chips into the batter. flatten balls of cookie dough into discs about two inches in diameter + place on a lined baking sheet. sprinkle with pink himalayan sea salt + bake for 11-12 minutes. let cool (torturous) and place a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream in between two cookies. enjoy.

handkerchiefs

yesterday's walk home from work was perfect. what had started out as a drizzly + chilly morning turned into a warm + sunny late afternoon. i tucked my raincoat into my bag, rolled up my pant legs + walked with a big smile across my face. every day, i've been in the habit of listening to the beirut station on pandora. all of the songs make me feel like i'm walking to some incredible destination. like i'm on an exciting adventure. when really, i'm walking somewhere quite boring like my apartment. or in yesterday's case, the local hardware store.

i picked up some supplies for a little project that i had in mind. i also stopped by the farm stand near my apartment to purchase some veggies for dinner. it's sad that i forget that this place exists until i literally walk right by it. every time i do go in and see the beautiful produce, i kick myself for not visiting more often. 

but, back to my project. remember these lovely handkerchiefs? i had a vision of what i wanted to do with them since my grandmother gave them to me, and i finally got around to it last night. as always, it sounded like an easy idea in my head, but i struggled a little with the execution of it. after a few frustrating attempts to measure the string (difficult with a playful cat around) + accidentally hammering my thumb instead of the nail, i got this:

it's hanging over our kitchen table. i'm not sure my two male roommates dig the girly floral patterns as much as i do, but it certainly brightens up the room a bit.

in just a few minutes, drew's mom will be here! visitors are fun because we get to act like tourists all over again, rediscovering things we love + discovering new things to love.

highs and lows

since returning to portland, i've experienced some highs and lows. mostly highs. but, let's get the lows out of the way first:

• apparently, i have terrible allergies here at this particular time of the year. i have my very own pharmacy in my room right now complete with an inhaler.

• apparently, the month of july does not actually mean summer here. it's still cloudy, chilly + pouring rain.
• apparently, i get really grumpy when i can't go to the gym. i miss having the space to go and burn off energy + relish in my "lauren time". i'm definitely caving and buying the monthly pass in august.

now for the highs:

• not having a gym membership has forced me to appreciate other kinds of movement. mainly, yoga + walking. with my two legs being my main mode of transportation this summer, i had to invest in a new pair of shoes. i'm not talking about the frye boots i've been coveting, or these beautiful pale blue jack rogers from anthropologie. i had to put fashion aside when buying these and focus on functionality. i hate to admit it, but i actually love them. they are so comfortable! drew bought a new pair too, so we've been cruising around together in our ugly matching shoes.

• i scheduled my work weeks to end on thursdays, so i have fridays off!
• i discovered that my old high school friend, mary, is living in oregon too. we met on thursday for drinks + it was wonderful to catch up with her. she also has a lovely blog.
• since it was my first official weekend back, i completely blacked out the fact that i need to watch my spending + let myself fully enjoy it (tacos at porque no?, macarons at pix patisserie, live music at the doug fir, shopping, and a girls' night bar crawl). 
• i'm back in my own kitchen where i know where all of the utensils + ingredients are. there's no better way to end a week than with a delicious, comforting home-cooked meal. 

spaghetti with scallops, blistered tomatoes + saffron "cream" sauce 

cook up pasta of your choice (whole wheat spaghetti for me) + set aside. for the tomatoes: toss cherry tomatoes with a little saffron, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper + rosemary. roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. for the scallops: sear scallops in a little olive oil in a pan on high heat. after about 3 or 4 minutes (or when you see the scallop is a caramel color), flip + let sear on other side. plate spaghetti, add the tomatoes + a bit of soft goat cheese to create a creamy sauce + top with the scallops and some fresh basil.

true love means...

never having to share a box of macaroni + cheese for dinner. true love means not judging your partner for wanting to eat an entire box all by himself (of herself for that matter).

his + hers.