Portland and the wonders of French food.

     Oh, it is good to be back. To those not in the know, we escaped - albeit briefly, to Portland for the concert of a little band called Interpol. It really was a trip for my sister, but I myself did enjoy the concert. Something about live music. 


     They performed quite a bit of their oldies, which was great for Melly, since she says their newest album was as well their worst. Although we weren't allowed to film the performances (for fear of unlawful distribution), a few people did, and for that I thank them! Give 'em a listen:

     We laid our heads down on a plushy bed at the downtown Marriott. We had a lovely two bed river-view room. Nice hotel, snobby people. The crowd was either froofy little trophy wives or has-been froofy little trophy wives. I have learned that I rather dislike rich people. 


     Shortly upon arrival, we went downstairs to a sports bar/restaurant (yeah, that's sooo us..) where Mom had a chicken parmesan above a bed of mashed potatoes (very good, she says.), which I managed to steal a couple capers from! Melly had a cheeseburger (absolutely dry and flavorless, she tells me.) with some fries. I had a miso-glazed salmon fillet served with rice, bok choy and a lemongrass broth (good, but nothing special.). I didn't get pictures, but they weren't really worth it anyway.


    We waddled with bellies full of food back to our hotel room, where I took a quick nap (after all, I'd been running on 4 hours of sleep), and the other girls watched some high definition tv. Gotta love fancy-ish hotels. 


    Upon waking and dressing, we stumbled and found our way slowly to the Roseland Theater. Long line, but worth the wait. We were relatively close to the stage, save a tall guy here or there. The only misgiving I did have was that we arrived waaay to early by my standards. I am not a fan of watching opening bands, let alone when we are RIGHT NEXT TO the speakers! Some people may enjoy the heart thumping beat, but I think that no stinky, sweaty hipster is worth doing irreparable damage to my heart. (no offense, hipsters.)


     Once the band came out, there was just this amazing energy that filled the room. Everyone were so excited, and it just revs you up. I can honestly say it was the best concert I've been to to date.


   But ugh, I wish I'd worn some heels. Dang tall people getting the best view at concerts!

    Ooh, I even snagged a cute little shirt!

lol, it says Interpol.. Don't mind it being backwards..

       The next day we drove a little outside of downtown to a French bakery. St. Honore Boulangerie is a cute little shop just off of 23rd Avenue in Portland. I do wish we'd have been there in time to get a table, but taking some to go was good enough! Oh myyy was it good enough!

  Melly got a Tarte au Citron, a flaky pastry crust filled with a creamy, luscious lemon custard filling. I had a taste, and it was similar to good 'ole lemon bars.

Oooh la la.

      Mama got a Tarte Pont Neuf Blueberry, fresh blueberries baked into a puff pastry shell and covered in a custard souffle! :O

Excuse me while I drive back to Portland.

        But the real delight was the dozen-bag we picked up of their famous Chouquettes, little puffs of pate a choux, baked and covered in rock sugar!

Kind of like a slightly healthier and much more delish doughnut!

       Once I was able to calm the shaking, crying and severe convulsions that I now have come to know as withdrawals from St. Honore, we arrived in Eugene. A bittersweet moment, really. We dropped Mama off at home along with our bags so she could take a quickie nap. 

    Melly and I had some lunch at Cafe Yumm, she had a Yumm wrap, and I had the tempeh Yumm bento - a teriyaki-glazed tempeh skewer served atop some brown rice and accented by some amazing Asian slaw. OoOoHhh! Please sir, may I have some more?

Meh..not a good picture but it was uber bright in there!

          This truly was a mini-vacation to remember! I now know:

1. Don't everrrr have Mama drive on a road trip (she will go nuts)

2. Did I mention I really hate rich people??

3. St. Honore Boulangerie might make me renounce any religious ties and bow to their god-like wonders.

New posts coming soon.

Love, 

Meg.

A personality discovery of epic proportions.

      Cannot wait for the Interpol concert this Friday! Not a bad band. Well, kinda being drug by my hair to it by Melly, but nonetheless I do love concerts and definitely adore Portland..It's just so.. so..... Oregon. However, the real tough one is deciding where to dine. Although the most likely decision will be room service in the hotel, watching re-runs of Law & Order (aka doink doink, to a certain few stinky Aunties who live in ND and grace us with their presence every 1-2 years :P ). And I actually don't mind that option, it's kinda nice to lay back in some sweats, hair in a bun, stained old shirt, not worrying if you have a smudge of ketchup on your clothes, and swearing like a sailor fresh onto shore leave. Although that does rule out any chance of wooing the cute room service guy who winked at you in the hallway.


    I've also made an interesting discovery today - the Truth Game on Facebook. I'm not sure if you've ever looked at what some people have answered about you before, but it can either be weirdly flattering or kinda rude. Although no matter what the answer, it does provide the sh*ts and giggles you may have been searching for. For example:


Do you think that M has junk in their trunk?                Yes
Do you think that M is a jerk?                                  Yes  (hmm, nice. thanks.)
Do you think that M is smarter than George W. Bush?  Yes 
Would M make a good spouse?                                No   (I lol'd)
Do you think that M has a bad haircut?                      Yes  (Wow?)
Do you think M has good taste?                               Yes  
Do you think that M has ever skinny dipped?              Yes   (Hmm..)
Would you trust M with your life?                              No    (Good idea, I'd run)
Do you think that M is religious?                                Yes  (Wow, they don't know me)
Does M have a nice smile?                                      Yes  (First nice one yet :P )
Do you think that M is cute?                                    Yes (Actually, quite a few said yes to that one)




     What I learned? People can be real ballsy on the internet, it seems. Did I mention this is all anonymous? So not only do your friends answer all these questions, but you don't really ever know who said it about you unless you pay the $$. Nice one, Facebook, nice one. But the real lesson learned here is that I am a cute religious jerk with a bad haircut but a nice smile. I could roll with that one. Been called worse in my day.


   Well, this is supposed to be a food blog, so I must go onto the topic everyone's been waiting for. Sometimes I sit back and wonder if the good folks at Market of Choice think I am a bit of a stalker. I do go there 1 to 3 times a week. I mean, at the rate I'm going I'd be willing to bet I am their most highly valued customer. 
      I think it's kind of like McDonalds. They know they shouldn't be serving that crap to you, but they know if they do stop, they're gonna lose some major revenue. Ah, quite a trainwreck really.


      Tonight we stopped at the Market off Franklin Blvd. Melly got a Chocolate Orange cake, and I got a Chocolate Raspberry cake, and some spicy tofu sushi for tomorrow...Mmm, sushi.

The orangey carbohydratey goodness.

Almost brownie-like, and filled with raspberry jam.

Don't mind my mouth watering.

      Oh yeah! How could I forget, I got a Sailor Jack for breakfast tomorrow! To those unaware of the magic that is a Sailor Jack, it's a spice cake muffin coated in a silky, sugary glaze and each bite comes with the occasional rum-soaked raisin. Kind of like a gingerbread cupcake!

      Starting next week, I want to start featuring a lot more of my own recipes. That's pretty much the reason I started this thing, so I better keep up with it! Lol. I do love going out to eat, but it's burning a hole in our pockets and stretching our pants. Plus, nothing quite compares to a home cooked meal. Well.. Going to retire for the night - gotta get a lot of things ready for the weekend tomorrow and I'm really a joy to be around when I don't get enough sleep! I will probably be on a four-day-weekend hiatus, but I plan on returning Sunday or Monday. I know it's difficult, but try and survive without my blog updates. It's becoming a problem. Back away slowly. . . .

Until then my loves, Goodnight.

M

Black Swan(again) and a lot of food.

  I like how they're so casual - adult evenin' 

  Went to see Black Swan again tonight with my sister Melly and my mom, and I must say - like Inception - it's much better the second time around. I almost cried..But then again, I cried at Showgirls. (Crap, I think that was one of those things I shoulda kept to myself :P) But before we went to the theatre, we indulged in a feast of kings at Jung's Mongolian Grill.


     If you're not familiar with Jung's, it's kinda like a buffet - you get a bowl to fill with an array of veggies and meats, then sauces, which they cook right before your eyes on a wok-like thingy (the real word escapes me). Yes, I said buffet, so it means all you can eat! Although the food is so rich and yummy, I really can't do more than one bowl. 

The end results, all of my veggies cooked in a peanut curry sauce, with my love Sriracha on top!

Ahh..joy.

        After finishing our meals, I (with my insatiable sweet tooth) decided it was time for dessert, and thus we headed to The Divine Cupcake and Sweet Life Patisserie to feed the craving.

     At Cupcake, we ran in to grab a Thin Mint - a chocolatey minty concoction. My sister Melly had an Irish Cream Cremosa, which she said was delish.

Vaguely reminiscent of the beloved Girl Scout cookies.

She may be camera-shy, but it's still a nice picture of her :P

Much better!

       Now, come on Megan, you must be full by now! Ahhh, did you forget who you're talking to?? I am a fattie in the true sense of the word! I did not get the  chocolatey, gooey bliss I was searching for. Which takes me to my next topic:

The Black Bottom Cupcake.

         You see, here in Eugene we have a little gem of a bakery called Sweet Life. And those who know of it surely know of a shining star in the display - The Black Bottom Cupcake! Oh baby, this beauty is so delicious and rich that you may in fact gain 20 lbs just by looking at its picture! Gooey golden cheesecake studded with velvety chocolate chips lies above a buttery dark chocolate cake! I know, cheesecake AND chocolate! A fattie's dream!

I wanted to get a picture of it half-eaten, however I couldn't bear to set it down for two seconds to take the picture :P

     My sister says it, and it's true - I am the only foodie who can eat like a hog and still lose weight.. I need to buy new jeans, these ones won't stay up!

       Now, must...sleep... but I do hope you will have sweet dreams, filled with cheesecakes and Sriracha sauce, and maybe even skinny ballerinas going absolutely bonkers to a damn Russian dude's composition. Well, maybe not so much the last one. Goodnight friends :)

Edit: I was browsing Youtube for Swan Lake videos, and had to post this! Watch their legs!!!

Market of Choice 1/26/11

Oh boy, do I love Market of Choice! They just have really, really good soup. And salad. And sandwiches. And brownies. And cakes. And.....Oh just go try it for yourself already! The groceries section offers a wide selection of healthy, organic options, and a nice spice aisle full of exotic flavorings. Close family and friends know very well how quickly I'd give my right arm for a lifetime supply of Market. Well... at least a really good discount!




I know this is a pretty lame first real post, but hey - don't judge my Market!! 


Last night, I ran into MoC to pick up some lunch/dinner for today :)
What ensued may only be truly savored through pictures!!!

                                            Ahh, the Spelt Scone. VERY good!

Looks healthy enough, right? Wholesome walnuts and raisins nestled between the buttery spelt base and hearty oats.

Whaaaat? And it's cheap??

Nom nom nom.

And nowww, the king of all kings. The Mandarin Green Beans. More addictive than potato chips. And yes, I do have to capitalize the whole thing! 

Dun..dun...dun dun!!! Oh baby.

Not a horrible list of ingredients. 

Not bad!

MmMmm :D

        Gonna go see Black Swan for a second viewing tonight! Really good movie - intense, but good. Highly recommended. It's so well directed, plus the soundtrack is gorgeous(gotta love Tchaikovsky, a classic). I admit, I was shaking when it was over...But who cares, you can pay for the therapy later! Or maybe I'm just a wimp...? Most likely the latter...

         

      Anyway, I do believe my tummy is happy with me today! Go on, try the Green Beans! And no, kneeling before them and praying to their holy majesty doesn't look stupid. We've all done it before.

To sir, with love - Meg. (always wanted to use that one!)

P.S. If Natalie Portman doesn't win the Oscar for Swan, I WILL go apesh*t on the Academy. Thank you, good day.

I leave you with She & Him. Oh, you love it! 

Pause and take just one little moment.

This song never fails to give me the warm fuzzies :)

Love the harmonies with Paul...God this band never fails to give my life more meaning.

xx, Meg.

Goodnight my loves.