tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214613952012-01-04T14:07:07.653-08:00a nerd and her cookin'.Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.comBlogger1191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-71802537915647446492011-11-13T13:09:00.000-08:002011-11-13T19:18:53.001-08:00

I've gained ten pounds. Not being on my feet 12 hours a day + eating two or three rounded meals a day will do that. I've joined a gym to try and counterbalance this effect.I've stopped having bad cooking dreams with unending ticket machines and order-fire everything.The hair on my left arm has grown back.I've worn heels more than once in two months.I spent an amazing month with family and friends

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-1449313335613394352011-07-22T01:10:00.000-07:002011-09-12T17:00:43.453-07:00

Truth be told, I never seriously considered becoming a line cook when I entered culinary school. I thought that I might be a caterer, or an event planner, or maybe a food writer. Then fate stepped in and off I went down the rabbit hole. Three years later, here I am, having landed my first lead line cook position under an esteemed Thomas-Keller-trained chef, for the re-opening of a classic

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-13881378040844675922011-03-23T01:19:00.000-07:002011-03-23T01:38:38.315-07:00

It's well into 2011, and I can't help but notice that I let the yearly summary for 2010 fall by the wayside. It seems cheap to try now (o hai late March! Nice to see you!), so instead please let me take a minute here to give thanks.This goes out to you, fellow line cooks, for keeping my spirits up day after day. We're in it together, and when one of us goes down, we all go down. We're a silly

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-89674917751860332472010-12-07T02:27:00.000-08:002010-12-07T02:44:53.255-08:00

Hell of quenelles: Caramelized onion and crimini mushroom duxelle, to go on cream cheese tart puffs. These, plus tomato-bacon jam on black pepper cheddar crackers, were the apps for Thanksgiving Overkill 2010, to be written about at a later date. Instead I'm writing about something that all line cooks know well...The restaurant I work in is fortunate enough to be busy basically every night.

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-52521287817600117152010-10-15T02:18:00.001-07:002010-10-15T04:23:10.953-07:00

The new dorade set: eggplant caponata and coriander tomato sauce. The fish in this photo was only the second one that I did with this set, which is why the saucing looks kinda wack. Still love this plate though.One of the big goals I've had since I started at my current restaurant is to work all the line stations. When I was hired last summer, I started on pantry and soon after moved over to the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-5595967932893576892010-09-02T15:09:00.000-07:002010-09-02T18:39:51.067-07:00

Summer in a hotel panEngraved Gray Kunz spoons and Togiharu slicer--gifts from my rad boyfriend for my recent 30th birthdayMy mise en placeHerbs ready to go in the spring lamb setSquid soakingBaby octo stewingThat's a big-ass steakMy cross-hatch is pretty good these daysKitchen short-hand labelingThe ubiquitous wedding gallette a la Jay-barWork snacksMore work snacksBalls after 11A busy Sunday

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-78489496575701282232010-07-16T15:42:00.000-07:002010-07-16T17:40:13.790-07:00

One week later (and five pounds lighter), including three days of missed work, I can happily report that the gastroenteritis is almost entirely curbed. I'd say I'm at about 97% right now, the 3% being my body getting used to eating real meals again, and feeling a little tired still from rapid weight loss and lack of fuel. I inherited my mom's quick metabolism, and I didn't exactly have five

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-66793638413622022782010-07-11T10:49:00.000-07:002010-07-11T12:39:02.155-07:00

I woke up yesterday morning feeling more exhausted than normal and with a dull stomachache that I automatically attributed to the previous night of gluttony with friends (sweetbreads, veal pate, chicken liver mousse and endless desserts, i.e. probably about five sticks of butter in total, not to mention a couple of cocktails). I was surprised, as I certainly didn't have enough drinks to be

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-66557666460057403412010-06-01T03:07:00.000-07:002010-06-01T03:25:25.309-07:00

My hopes of blogging more frequently seem to not be coming through as much as I'd like. Suffice it to say that in addition to my jam-packed work week (two and a half jobs and the resulting exhaustion), there have been some pretty dramatic changes in my life as of late, all for the positive. I've been thinking a lot about the future, and these changes have really affected my outlook on a lot of

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-37985681109899737232010-04-29T13:10:00.000-07:002010-04-29T22:04:28.193-07:00

This year's annual (IACP) conference, held in our lovely city of Portland, came to a close last weekend. I was pretty stoked to hear that some of the biggest names in food were experiencing some of what we have to offer, as I'm proud to be living in a city and working in a restaurant that does good work. But as the days went on, as photos of (and wild gossip about) the foodie glitterati got

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-70113215807228819212010-04-22T00:47:00.000-07:002010-04-22T05:08:26.807-07:00

Why do we, as culinary professionals, as line cooks especially, do this to ourselves?I think about this a lot, especially on those days when I'm nursing my shift drink at 1:30AM, sticky with dried sweat, grill smoke and fryer grease and thinking about how hard we got rocked, how much my back hurts, and how poorly I'm gonna sleep before I have to peel myself out of bed and do it all over again.

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-87470039613819316152010-04-08T14:34:00.000-07:002010-04-08T15:00:09.581-07:00

Today I feel grateful for the balance in the universe. Lest you think I'm going down a Burning Man path, allow me to explain. Tuesday night was one of those nights where I looked at the clock at about 5:30, right before the happy hour burger pile-up began, and before I knew it my rail was full. Suddenly the place is packed, there's a giant pool of people at the door waiting for dinner tables, the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-81538229239757827662010-03-29T01:52:00.000-07:002010-03-29T02:37:41.811-07:00

Has it really been a month and a half since I last wrote? I feel pretty sad about that. Dear neglected blog and whoever is out there reading this, you deserve better. I notice that besides the times I feel inspired to write positively, I always turn to writing in times of frustration or unhappiness. So it's no coincidence I'm here since today could qualify as the worst day I've had in a long time

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-11519003089219926102010-02-10T01:36:00.000-08:002010-02-10T03:30:53.705-08:00

My relationship with burger cookery got off to a rocky start.One day last spring at my old job, right before happy hour started, my sous chef decided on a whim to move the very popular burger pickup to my station. Though I was cooking steak, lamb, pork and poultry at that point, I'd never temped a burger in my life and, frankly, I had no desire to. Burgers were cooked to order in saute pans, so

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-49549604311643858652010-01-23T13:07:00.000-08:002010-01-24T04:16:40.579-08:00

I got a call from my mom this morning voicing some concern over my mention of her 60th birthday in my previous post. She was worried I was stating it in more of a "Wow, my mom is old!" manner than what I really meant: I think it's simply amazing and awesome that she's lived 60 years of life and she's still so young at heart. My mom is one of the wisest, strongest and most humble people I know,

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-51571112003633255392010-01-03T01:11:00.000-08:002010-01-03T04:02:36.077-08:00

Oh, my poor neglected blog. Thanks to a nudge from my coworkers, here I am at last. For whatever reason in the last few months I've suffered from a self-imposed, increased pressure to write quality material that people can relate to. Mix that with general blog laziness, being sick four times in five weeks, and a lovely Christmas trip to North Carolina where I did nothing but watch movies and eat

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-158180998064473572009-11-10T01:04:00.000-08:002009-11-10T04:39:11.746-08:00

I had a thought the other day while getting ready for work, ruminating about the stage who trailed my station the night before and the new back-line guy who didn't know what mise en place was and who I've kind of taken under my wing: I think I might have gotten to the point where I might actually know something about being a cook.Which is also to say I don't know that much at all.Lemme explain.At

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-56981705209409156572009-10-15T02:09:00.000-07:002009-10-15T12:31:55.498-07:00

I'm about two months into my new job and things are really good. I've even trained someone else on the station already, as my previous station partner moved onward and upward. I've been having a bit of difficulty shaping my work experience of late into words, so instead I thought I'd resurrect the Five Things I Learned This Week theme. To be fair, some of these have been culled from longer than a

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-32301617155376339182009-09-12T11:43:00.000-07:002009-09-13T02:39:45.426-07:00

My current workplace was amazing enough to give me time off right after I started working there to sit my ass on a beach in North Carolina for a week with my lovely family. Besides doing a lot of lounging, napping and catching up, we cooked every meal and ate and drank like spoiled kings thanks in part to the fact that my aunt owns two restaurants and my cousins are the front of house managers

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-10919674667576912852009-08-24T18:47:00.001-07:002009-09-03T10:16:04.072-07:00

Go here to read Part One of my San Francisco adventures.I finally got around to tackling the organization of all the photos I took in San Francisco and LA, thanks to my first day to myself alone in my house in what seems like forever. I had an immense blast on my trip, but I think it says something about how happy I am in Portland that I was surprised with a bit of homesickness by day six or

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-72309782797702829852009-08-20T00:29:00.000-07:002009-08-20T01:07:58.400-07:00

I know I've been awfully slow about writing up the rest of my SF trip, but I have some things for a new blog post in the works that hopefully will come to fruition in the next few days. In the meantime, I've been relaxing with wonderful friends in LA and eating just as much as (if not more than) I was in SF. Can I just say it's a funny feeling to be sitting down for rounded meals on a daily basis

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-33290079598829392462009-08-14T00:37:00.000-07:002009-08-16T11:54:48.873-07:00

Dear San Francisco,I'm totally in like with you. Bashful tourist too cool to take photos, be damned!It started with a picnic at Mission Dolores Park:strawberries from Bi-Rite and quiche and zucchini bread from Tartineand, later that evening, dinner at Fish and Farm, helmed by the awesome and infinitely talented Chad Newton:the best gnocchi of my life thus far? Very possiblyThe next day I met my

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-81400874745807390582009-08-12T12:32:00.000-07:002009-08-12T16:54:58.298-07:00

Firstly, why aren't all airports as good as PDX? Besides the free wi-fi and public transit that drops you off in the terminal, the people are so damn nice. While I was in the line for security, a TSA employee who looked like he could seriously beat someone up said, in the calmest grandpa tone possible, "Don't worry guys, you're almost there. Just hang in there, everybody." I could have hugged him

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-39127779240522821922009-08-01T12:38:00.000-07:002009-08-01T13:31:16.061-07:00

One of many passions that is shared among my family and friends is an undying love for pork buns. I'm Taiwanese, what do you expect? We take this shit seriously, ya'll. My dear friend Patty is currently blowing shit up with her ode to buns as BaO, a play on Korean pop star BoA. For those unaware, the word "bao" is Chinese for "bun", and Patty's almost shot-for-shot spoof of BoA's music video for

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-75803886225358849432009-07-12T01:38:00.000-07:002009-07-12T01:58:22.690-07:00

I'm not saying this to shake you upI'm just saying this to wake you upIts all good when we making loveAll I ask is dont take our lovefor granted, its grantedMy love for you is realBaby if you don't love me somebody else will So baby girl don't you ever get too comfortableSo sayeth the all-too-wise Lil' Wayne in his track, "Comfortable". (Yes, I just quoted Lil' Wayne. Stay with me here.)Anyone

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-48910175666344944252009-07-05T21:37:00.000-07:002009-07-05T22:19:13.817-07:00

Before The Hungry Cupboard, there was my Myspace blog. I haven't peeked at that blog in quite some time, so I decided to take a trip down memory lane today. I found one blog entry in particular quite interesting, if not highly embarrassing and extremely naive. Oh the things I thought I knew... engage tongue-clucking. A small part of Now Me wants to punch Then Me. Truly shameful, kids.I'm

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-53043981203016982162009-06-30T01:07:00.000-07:002009-07-03T03:16:36.594-07:00

What happens when you get a few cooks together for a gorgeous Portland Sunday grill-fest-slash-cocktail party:Nomnomnom. Yes please.I'm fairly convinced that on the scale of badass-result to ease-of-method ratio, grilled whole fish rates quite high.Method: Stuff fish with good shit. Grill.Doesn't get much easier, kids, and it makes for a nicely dramatic presentation. Not to mention it tastes

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-2855836453727928022009-06-17T00:49:00.000-07:002009-06-19T13:03:18.547-07:00

Ladies (and gentlemen?), don't wear four-inch heels when you're catering a party. I only rocked the heels for about 20 minutes before changing into more sensible shoes, but two days later, my calves are killing me!Click to embiggen. Awfully blurry, I know. My camera batteries were dead and my little cell phone was the best I could do.(Good dress though.)This past Sunday, I was fortunate enough to

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-61408886022829240332009-06-11T23:34:00.000-07:002009-06-13T12:02:23.659-07:00

Addendum #2: I've received some concerning feedback about the original blog post, so I truncated it. Like I said earlier, I'm beyond grateful for our customers, as they're the ones keeping us going through this tough economic time. Consider this a small rant against the rare badly-behaved.Dear Maserati Douchebag,We should have known better than to seat you and your three equally demanding friends

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-55147608830371373922009-05-29T00:34:00.000-07:002009-06-01T00:37:01.066-07:00

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that I forgot about my culinary school graduation ceremony until a week before it occurred, except I think I've been so immersed in work that my time at Oregon Culinary Institute seems so far behind me. Yet it wasn't that long ago that I was going to class every day and being pushed by my dear chef instructors to work faster, work cleaner, do better.For a

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-44951118925912555682009-05-14T20:28:00.000-07:002009-05-14T21:55:02.447-07:00

Portlanders love their brunch. I've never heard of another city that is as maniacally into late breakfast as Portland. While I hate the idea of spending $20 on a meal I can make at home for $3 and without the 40-minute wait, count me guilty--I love breakfast any time of the day and I'm a big fan of bacon and sausage, not to mention quality time with friends around giant plates of

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-46183601922301300082009-04-27T12:29:00.000-07:002009-04-27T13:12:06.390-07:00

So it's been a while since I've written and I felt the need to remedy that. I have legitimate excuses for being neglectful of ye here blog--besides working six days a week, which I've been doing for more than two months now, I bought what I believe to be the sweetest condo in Portland and have been attempting during my limited time off to get it painted and settled in. Though I've made some

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-41082315278186147472009-04-12T14:50:00.001-07:002009-04-16T00:07:35.812-07:00

...as told from the point of view of a kitchen monkey.- Manners will get you everywhere. Saying "Please" and "Thank you" are incredibly underrated in this industry, and those simple words leave a greater impact than you might imagine, from the managers to the cooks. Being nice WILL get your food and drinks to you faster, and special requests will be much more willingly met. From my side of the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-5631725150581940602009-03-29T23:45:00.000-07:002009-03-30T01:52:53.880-07:00

"Can we get some more grilled bread?"Six thin slices of French baguette, drizzled in olive oil, grilled on both sides and stacked up neatly on a plate.Such a simple request, right?We've all been there--sitting at a table in a nice restaurant, chatting with your companions and trying your best to be patient while you wait for a simple request to be met. I admit I've had my moments where I've

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-60173577625641936582009-03-20T01:34:00.000-07:002009-03-20T01:53:52.482-07:00

Being on grill and saute station means I get the pleasure of cooking a shit-ton of steaks. I had a thought the other day: 'Have I cooked a thousand steaks yet?' It certainly feels like I have. If I'm not at a thousand yet, I think I'll be there soon.It's tricky business, cooking meat to temperature order, and even trickier when your instrument for measuring doneness is your finger. Line cooks

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-75653586816677532312009-03-04T23:57:00.000-08:002009-03-05T02:39:23.665-08:00

My sous chef came up to me this afternoon with instructions: "There are a couple of heads of Napa cabbage in the walk-in. Make family meal. You know, something Asian-y." He cracked a smile, and I smiled back and started thinking.Family meal, for the uninitiated, is a communal meal that's shared with the entire restaurant staff. We don't do it as often as some places, but every now and then it's

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-12492385271249651352009-02-25T00:44:00.000-08:002009-03-15T01:06:39.833-07:00

I realized it's been a while since I posted photos of my current burns. As of today:As you can see, I've definitely welcomed some good ones to the family. I get a lot of "Oh, Ingrid... poor girl!" kind of reactions when my friends see my burns, but they really only hurt for the first few hours. The only one in which I actually feel any pain currently (and only when I touch it) is the pinkish one

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-59695108665668043192009-02-15T13:04:00.000-08:002009-02-15T21:29:36.651-08:00

What did you do for Valentine's Day?I worked a sold out Saturday night with a lovely prix fixe menu designed especially for V-Day. My usual Saturday night role is back kitchen expediter, which, in my kitchen, really means helping out with anything on pantry, restocking plates and mise for the line, firing desserts (sneaking mint chocolate chip ice cream when I can), and organizing the walk-in

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-83050339346809557622009-02-07T03:09:00.001-08:002009-02-13T03:04:28.239-08:00

A little late posting this week's Things I've Learned, but it's been an incredibly busy week. I have some exciting changes coming up that I'm dying to share, but I'll discuss them once things are finalized. Until then, enjoy this week's installment:1. When storing fresh truffles, store them in a closed container with one or two raw eggs. The porousness of the shells will absorb any moisture and

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-37368513021509895742009-02-01T01:59:00.000-08:002009-02-01T04:46:03.760-08:00

Beef Wellingtons before going in the oven at my sister's house for Christmas dinner. Thanks, Mister Ramsay!How do you quantify what you've learned? Recently I've been asking myself this question in regard to my work, in an effort to get better and figure out how best to improve my skills, technique, work habits and efficiency. I can be a bit of an overthinker sometimes, and consequently I'll find

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-20512295785842814072009-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:002009-01-14T13:26:56.977-08:00

You may have noticed the photo in my title header at the top of my blog. Blame laze for not having a header image until now; it's something I've been meaning to do for several years. Yesterday one of my best friends in the world, Patty, showed me her new blog about her life as an actor in LA, and I was inspired by the photo in her header to take the time to look in my photo library for an

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-80743230668669695442009-01-01T22:44:00.000-08:002009-01-20T01:53:17.650-08:00

I titled this post as such because although it was an awesome year, one of the best by far, it wasn't an easy year by any means. It seems especially fitting since I closed out 2008 going down in flames at work. Rough night of service, New Year's Eve. Though all of our guests were happy as clams and the menu was fantastic, I was behind on prep the minute I walked in the door, still prepping well

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-91700941151134152982008-12-22T02:45:00.000-08:002008-12-28T13:31:57.519-08:00

Update: Read an in-depth recounting of the below-mentioned maintenance "issues" over at Jeff McCarthy's blog.This past week has been certified b-a-n-a-n-a-s for most everyone in the Pacific Northwest, myself definitely included. The view from my apartment as of 5 minutes ago. Note the freeway--no pavement visible under the snow.Portland hasn't seen this kind of snow in decades. Temperatures hit

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-90209759769537680782008-12-16T22:21:00.000-08:002008-12-19T00:07:05.694-08:00

... it's easy to do, just follow these steps.I kid.Being officially chest-deep in the holiday season, I thought I would share some of the things that make my life as a cook easier. The idea started many months ago as a self-help guide for uninitiated cooks, but it's so close to Christmas that it seems appropriate as a gift guide for friends and family of aspiring chefs. It's both, really. Call it

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-34591767617561981872008-12-14T04:09:00.000-08:002008-12-14T04:50:19.613-08:00

Seriously, this is 28 different kinds of awesome and ridiculous.The yawning creature above is Totoro, who, for those not in the know, is the title character from the Japanese anime film My Neighbor Totoro, one of my favorite films of all time. Oh, Hayao Miyazaki. How I adore thee. And thy weird beard.Anyway, I found these amazing bentos via the always fascinating kotte.org. He latched onto the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-7432938777964030372008-12-02T23:53:00.000-08:002008-12-02T23:58:19.696-08:00

The ridiculous, slightly delirious feasting continued on Friday evening after driving to Portland: Nine of us enjoyed a dinner at my restaurant. My chef created an incredible seven-course tasting menu and the sommelier paired a bottle of wine per course. This worked out great for our group, as each person ended up enjoying the equivalent of 2-3 glasses of wine. Before the tasting menu even began,

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-50081975106088768122008-11-30T21:05:00.000-08:002008-12-02T03:50:21.261-08:00

It's been a blur of a Thanksgiving week. Coordinating 12 members of family and close family friends from 5 different cities was like herding cats, and my apartment is now officially a wreck, but it was well worth it. Many, many awesome food related things happened during this time: special burgers, major feasting, home-cooked Southern goodness, and eating our way through Portland. Somehow I

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-73836158392158166552008-11-06T14:26:00.000-08:002008-11-07T03:59:09.429-08:00

Restaurant cooking is really, really hard. To work a full shift on your feet in full bodily motion under high-stress conditions, come home late every night with new burns or cuts, not be able to sleep even though your body is dead tired because you're still mentally wound up from service, wake up aching from head to toe and get stoked about doing it all over again is not an easy accomplishment.

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-21981746468526635762008-10-19T02:48:00.000-07:002008-10-21T13:52:53.412-07:00

This is what a month or so of being on grill and saute side at work has done to my hands and arms:As you can see, my left arm has obtained the majority of burns and cuts, mostly because nearly all of my pan and saute work is done left-handed. Even though I'm naturally right-handed, I move and toss pans with my left hand almost exclusively, which is something I learned from my chef and sous. Good

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-43274757929610674792008-10-05T16:09:00.000-07:002008-10-05T23:54:29.936-07:00

So I've spent the last hour or so looking for restaurant options to take my friends out to dinner tonight. Oftentimes these searches lead to common review sites like Citysearch, Yelp and Trip Advisor. I usually devour the reader reviews, but I've been running into some reviews that I have to admit irritate the crap out of me.Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge proponent of open-to-the-public online

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-24383562633873880882008-10-01T13:42:00.000-07:002008-10-01T14:22:03.723-07:00

I completed my last day at Oregon Culinary Institute yesterday. Technically speaking I don't graduate until I've completed 360 hours at my externship site, which I'm doing at my current workplace over the next two months. However, the days of donning the school uniform and being under the daily guidance of my chef instructors are over.I have to admit that when I woke up late this morning, I was

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-62541492451756860422008-09-11T02:02:00.001-07:002008-09-11T02:34:22.435-07:00

It's been far too long since I've written, and it's not for lack of interesting goings-on in my life. In fact, things are going even faster at work and at school now that I'm having difficulty finding the time to just sit down and write for longer than two minutes. Now that we're in the restaurant full time at school (with no class lecture), I'm currently doing between 65 and 75 hours a week on

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-64955414819253800962008-08-27T00:37:00.000-07:002008-08-27T03:03:36.785-07:00

I first saw this list on the beloved food blog (and one of my favorites) Chocolate and Zucchini. Andrew Wheeler, co-author of the blog Very Good Taste, came up with what he calls The Omnivore's Hundred, or a list of foods that, in his own words, "every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life." With this list, he suggested the following rules:1) Copy this list into your blog or

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-37304182064500072192008-08-07T21:49:00.000-07:002008-08-14T14:52:54.975-07:00

Being a kitchen cook is really hard work, probably the hardest I've ever worked in my life, and I've only been at it for a couple of months. With full time work on top of full time school, it's a struggle to stay on top of my game 100 percent of the time. I miss seeing my friends, I miss weekend trips, and having a normal social life is nearly impossible--I can hardly make time for laundry, much

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-7090007917041057942008-08-05T01:09:00.000-07:002008-08-05T01:27:25.291-07:00

I guess every day can't be as spectacular and mellow as cooking under blue skies in vineyards.I'll just get to it: I kind of sucked at work today. We had a party with 20 guests, which I can usually handle alright on a typical Monday. Today, however, was not a typical Monday. The number of covers we did tonight was more typical of a Thursday or Friday, so on top of having my station and the pastry

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-19193491388388133802008-08-04T00:32:00.001-07:002008-08-04T01:44:55.035-07:00

One of the things I'm realizing about Portland as a food town is that the world of chefs here is quite intermingled; some would say it can be slightly incestuous, as you run into a lot of people who know people you know, because they've worked with them elsewhere. Just last night I was at a bar where two people who worked there knew two of my current coworkers from previous restaurants at which

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-67769667025602776712008-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:002008-08-19T01:28:39.867-07:00

scallops at Le Pigeon*I'll be honest: If you asked me in March if I thought I'd be working in a restaurant kitchen in a few months time, I'd have told you, "You so crazy." In fact, four months ago, the thought of working in any professional kitchen, not to mention that of a high-end restaurant, frankly scared the shit out of me. Even starting culinary school and being surrounded by the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-68591630422656214222008-07-21T23:49:00.000-07:002008-07-21T23:53:43.142-07:00

This New Yorker list of 14 passive aggressive appetizers for your next dinner party is just too funny to not share. Check out number 4:"Blend fresh crabmeat with diced avocado, scallions, and a dollop of mayonnaise for a canapé topping so delicious that it will take your guests a full minute to realize that they’re eating it off dog biscuits. Once they catch on, act mortified and stammer that you

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-42546344604534314732008-07-15T18:38:00.000-07:002008-07-15T18:56:52.478-07:00

I know I haven't written a school-descriptive post recently, which I'll remedy soon, I promise. This little anecdote, however, might help explain my current state of mind: I wandered into school this morning and sat down at a computer to type out our live fire project menu. Chef Wilke, my school's co-founder, who is always high energy and genuinely enthusiastic (I don't know how he does it--

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-49729854230975294152008-07-13T22:12:00.000-07:002008-07-13T22:21:42.537-07:00

I'm stealing this idea from Internets uber-geek Sean Bonner, but I'm doing this foodie style. And instead of shooting for 100 things, I'll spare you all and cap the number at 28, which happens to be the number of years old I will be in a little over a month.1. My favorite junk food (arguably of all time) is Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips.2. I don't cook at home as much as I'd like to

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-568191648927863482008-07-03T00:25:00.000-07:002008-07-03T11:03:44.021-07:00

I'm sitting on my couch in the dark, and just got off the phone with a friend with whom I haven't talked in a long time, too long. He's been my friend for several years, went through some major rough patches with me, and has always been a good friend. He was out of the country for the past few weeks, and I just now caught him up on the massive changes in my life that he missed. Telling him the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-42772785074833052112008-06-28T13:24:00.000-07:002008-07-02T02:08:18.768-07:00

This is what happens to your hands when you cook 12 hours a day, use knives, manipulate wet, staining ingredients and wash your hands 80 times a day, and then ride your bike home from work:(This method of nail and skin care is not recommended to the general public.)It's been a week since I started my glamorous new job as a pantry/prep cook, and as I suspected, it wasn't an easy week by any means.

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-13000820371987023562008-06-25T01:00:00.000-07:002008-06-25T01:47:14.749-07:00

Not that kind of quickie, kids. This is a family-friendly blog.(Mostly.)Anyway, thought I should let everyone know that the first two days of work went really well, tonight especially. We had over 70 reservations and did close to 100 covers for the night, which is usually typical of a Saturday night. I walked in and I was told by my chef that I was running my entire station by myself (on my

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-14116436557137591452008-06-22T11:17:00.000-07:002008-07-02T02:07:32.769-07:00

It's a relaxing Sunday, lounging in bed with the Macbook on my lap, yet the butterflies in my stomach have me thinking about exactly how hectic my life is about to become. Sunday morning disheveled attire with my monkey, MochaThis week may be one of the most challenging weeks of my life yet, no exaggeration; probably on par with the last week of my senior year of college before my comprehensive

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-5279825707648173272008-06-20T00:13:00.000-07:002008-07-02T02:06:31.763-07:00

I got the job.It's nearly midnight, and sleep is calling, but as of tonight, I am officially a pantry/prep cook at a restaurant that many would put in Portland's top 10. I managed to impress the executive chef who is tough but fair, and trained under (and eventually became Chef de Cuisine for) Wolfgang Puck. He even said to me that he's not easily impressed, and he admitted he wasn't expecting

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-90452514503447484312008-06-18T20:05:00.000-07:002008-06-18T20:37:19.714-07:00

... that the right one finds you.I went to happy hour tonight with the intention of catching up with a friend and eating some delicious goodies at one of Portland's best restaurants, and I walked out of that restaurant with a stage (tryout period)! I had no intention of asking, but a series of fortuitous circumstances landed me in the kitchen talking with the executive chef about my past

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-39325218617443449842008-06-15T22:30:00.000-07:002010-04-08T23:30:59.896-07:00

In honor of my dad, who passed away five years ago, I'm posting his most notable contribution to my family's culinary library: Corn Soup. Not chowder, ya'll, it's simply soup. My dad was a funny one when it came to cooking; he wasn't afraid to try something new, or to be "wrong", and he never allowed other people's opinions to affect his own. I was embarrassed by this as a kid, but now I only

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-42775713312452616262008-06-10T22:56:00.000-07:002008-06-10T23:16:43.254-07:00

Why am I putting off homework at this late hour? What did I have to share with the world so badly?Why, this, of course:My family's cat, Garbanzo, enjoying a fabulous tiramisu cake from Ganache in Greensboro, NCOkay, so she didn't really eat any of the cake. This photo was taken last year, and it was my mom's birthday cake. My mom dislikes almost all dairy, but she's always made an exception for

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-20916040721885704412008-06-06T17:12:00.000-07:002008-06-06T17:35:58.683-07:00

The following are some choice phrases and terms my chef instructor used in the kitchen and classroom today:-"Herbalicious"-"Cilantroness"-"Just say no to day-glo" (as in French's mustard)-"Technicolor yawn" (an interesting term for puking)...and my favorite:-"Full yogurt dangle" (this was in reference to a true story involving a chef who cut a very hot Manzana pepper with bare hands and then

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-50287055154439596732008-06-02T22:05:00.001-07:002008-06-03T07:30:59.717-07:00

I'm deep in homework mode right now, but I wanted to share that the first day of Term 2 was a success. When I got to school this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to realize how excited I was to be back at school, and to see everyone again. We received a mountain of course work, packets and our homework schedule, and I gotta say, upon initial evaluation, the workload looks fairly brutal.My

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-47875110516245670982008-06-01T16:09:00.000-07:002008-06-01T17:03:54.561-07:00

I've been away for a bit, as I've been thoroughly enjoying a 10-day break between the end of Term 1 and the start of Term 2, which, incidentally, begins tomorrow. I can't deny I have a few butterflies in my tummy about beginning a new term with a new class, new instructors and double-to-triple the workload, but fortunately it's not a nauseating feeling. More like elated anticipation.Looking back

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-16942504926546865832008-05-20T21:30:00.000-07:002008-05-20T21:50:11.878-07:00

Sometimes we need little reminders in life for why we're doing what we're doing. My reminder tonight came in the form of a call from my friend Tonya, insisting that after my 11-hour, slightly hellish day at school, she was treating me to a dinner of my choice: Le Pigeon, Sel Gris, Ten-01 or Carlyle. Though I know we would have been happy at any of them, I've been dying to try Le Pigeon for months

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-86802861207325884332008-05-18T12:54:00.001-07:002008-05-18T13:37:00.607-07:00

Large dice (3/4-in square) for knife skills proficiency:(It took me two whole large Russet potatoes and a whole lot of agony to get eight perfectly square large dice pieces. The larger ones are always harder than you think.)So Friday was the fourth to last day of my first term of school. It's a vitally important four days, as it's definitely the most daunting of the projects to date: Four days of

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-18492864769723154642008-05-09T15:16:00.000-07:002008-05-09T15:17:12.897-07:00

It's Friday! Bread pudding for everyone!Sinful and disgustingly delectable bread pudding at WildwoodHow is it Friday already? Seriously, kids. This week has flown by the fastest of any week at school so far, and one of the most productive and efficient yet. If someone told me on the first day of school that we'd be doing fully plated, sellable meat-veg-starch plates in six weeks time, I'd have

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-26145069980181781682008-05-05T13:35:00.000-07:002008-05-06T23:21:44.385-07:00

I haven't been keeping up with the writing as much as I'd like, but I have to say, last week was the roughest yet. Taste of the Nation totally wiped me out for the rest of the week, and this switch from 9am to 8am hasn't been the smoothest of transitions. Not only are we starting an hour earlier; we go straight into the kitchen, whereas before we had two hours to gather our thoughts in lecture

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-17126109456691444872008-04-29T23:03:00.000-07:002008-04-29T23:19:07.017-07:00

Doing the lazy blogger thing and reposting a message I wrote on a Portland Food thread regarding my experience at Taste of the Nation. I hope I don't come off as too gripe-y, as I did manage to have a good time, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, that's for sure. It's also informing and shaping my ideas about catering in Portland (TBD in the future). Let's just say I'm starting to dream

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-25241882304160487122008-04-25T14:52:00.000-07:002008-04-27T14:30:56.341-07:00

Last Friday marked the end of one of the most hectic weeks yet of school. We had midterm exams this week, which consisted of a written exam and "black box" kitchen practical on Tuesday, and knife skills and ingredient identification on Wednesday. We also had a mountain of homework due on Wednesday, including an essay on corn, study guides, math worksheets, recipe analysis sheets, vocabulary lists

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-84735387366333066552008-04-21T15:13:00.000-07:002008-04-21T17:43:07.824-07:00

Pictured above: minestrone soup and New England clam chowder, two of the three soups my partner and I made in class today, the one not pictured being Wisconsin beer cheddar soup (tastes better than it sounds, I promise). I must say, today was a fantastic contrast to how terribly I felt last Monday in the kitchen. Though we weren't doing anything we hadn't done before, as our first project ever

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-67722421844977144482008-04-17T16:32:00.000-07:002008-04-17T17:30:37.048-07:00

Our culinary class is divided into four groups, each of which is assigned a set of recipes to complete by a given time each day (usually we get about two hours from start to plate, sometimes less, which can get hairy but somehow we manage). The recipes get rotated through the groups so every group gets to make all the recipes at some point. Yesterday was the first day of our third project, the

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-52223375454974334072008-04-14T21:29:00.000-07:002008-04-15T01:43:41.412-07:00

This is what I felt like today after school: A bag of sweating, deflated Duchesse potatoes.I made these in class today, and though I think they turned out alright, I'll admit that the lab part of class was my first truly frustrating day in the kitchen. I don't know if it was the fact that I had just bade farewell to my mom, who was in town for a total of 20 hours between yesterday and today, or

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-21769942233373646512008-04-10T14:21:00.000-07:002008-04-14T19:39:13.233-07:00

It's officially been two weeks since school started, and though my intention was to write every day, clearly it's been a bit of a hectic adjustment. But it's started to feel like a pattern, finally; every day, we have two hours of lecture starting at 9AM followed by three hours of "lab" work in the kitchen. Most days just fly by, especially once we get into the kitchen, and oftentimes we're under

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-76552115259592779262008-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:002008-04-07T22:43:41.417-07:00

My school-issued Mercer knife kit (blades aren't normally nekked in the case like this... they have hard plastic protective sheaths which I took off for the photo)I received a comment from a reader named Norm (who has a lovely wine blog) regarding the Mercer brand knife kit we've been using in the kitchen. He was wondering if I would recommend them, and while I am certainly no expert, I figured

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-51373152220279560462008-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:35:59.358-07:00

The craziness continues. This past weekend was spent in Seattle, playing yet another show with The Lisps and spending some more quality time with my siblings. My brother had some terrible wiener schnitzel in Ballard on Friday and was beyond determined to make up for the awful experience by making his own on Saturday. This resulted in a truly delicious pork which he brined, flattened and breaded

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-75699002536877285412008-03-30T01:38:00.007-07:002008-03-30T18:04:02.913-07:00

I can safely say I've never seen this on a wine menu before I went to see Jose Gonzalez tonight at The Triple Door (adjacent to Wild Ginger) in Seattle:Kudos to Seth for instructive finger pointing Please draw your attention to the line above Seth's finger: it reads "Chateau Latour, Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, 1955".Thanks to a super high-tech system of wine storage they just installed this

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-35000782150494445492008-03-29T02:04:00.005-07:002008-03-29T10:19:46.094-07:00

Somehow I've found myself back in Seattle, but now that I'm in school proper, it's just for the weekend this time. It's been a super long and crazy week, which included, aside from starting school: happily hosting my friends from Brooklyn while they played a show in Portland; playing a song in their show on my violin which I literally haven't touched in ages; having a blast and deciding to play

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-28918492979299524752008-03-27T15:51:00.005-07:002008-04-07T22:53:05.906-07:00

Today was my first official day of school at OCI. I woke up with a start half an hour before either of the two alarms I set went off, got a refreshing shower, re-read the chapter on kitchen safety that we were asked at orientation yesterday to read for today, donned the whites and stripes and headed off to school, which, incidentally, is mere blocks from my apartment. I have a feeling that this

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-36230815882480219432008-03-26T11:50:00.007-07:002008-04-01T22:19:30.230-07:00

I just returned from orientation for my new school, Oregon Culinary Institute. I start actual classes tomorrow morning, and I am so incredibly excited, I can hardly contain myself. I feel like I just want to jump out of my skin or cry or dance or maybe all of the above. More than anything, I'm feeling like this is really, truly the right thing for me.A few things of note:1. There are two morning

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-36658463854316895742008-03-21T17:45:00.006-07:002008-03-21T18:05:11.607-07:00

I've been in Seattle for nearly a week now to visit my brother and sister. It's been enough time to hit up Nordstrom Rack, watch movies, catch up with family and friends, attend the final Stereo Future show before Seth moves to NYC (effectively putting the band on hiatus... see pics of their show with Japanese bands Pillows and The Noodles here), and of course eat lots and lots and lots. Between

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-56484288863408540652008-02-20T19:41:00.006-08:002008-02-20T20:24:34.775-08:00

Indulging in a spoonful of comfortI've managed to avoid getting sick this whole winter, which is truly miraculous given my tendency to catch whatever bug goes around at least twice a season. Be it my diligence at washing my hands before meals or the plain fact that I live alone, somehow I've managed to escape illness up until now.This morning, however, I woke up this morning with a frog in my

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-71055417222697309902008-02-19T01:19:00.002-08:002008-02-19T01:45:09.180-08:00

I went back to Kenny & Zuke's last Wednesday for the buttermilk fried chicken daily special, and holy schmoly was it something...Perfectly crispy skin, juicy-as-all meat, served with fresh green beans and mashed potatoes and gravy. That's what I call a meal.While waiting for the chicken to fry, I had a nice chat with Nick Zukin, aka "Zuke" of Kenny & Zuke's, a long time Portland foodie and fellow

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-54065559769757854092008-02-11T14:56:00.000-08:002008-02-11T18:49:15.860-08:00

Last night I decided to treat myself to a solo dinner. I grabbed the book I'm currently reading (Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me With Apples), stuffed it into my bag and walked the 20 minutes it takes to get to the Ace Hotel. My plans to sit at the bar at Clyde Common were sidetracked, however, when I got to Kenny and Zuke's. Located at SW 11th and Stark, on the opposite side of the Ace from Clyde

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-41105667470112047222008-02-10T02:49:00.000-08:002008-02-11T19:05:31.927-08:00

I've just spent way too many hours reading the archives of my new favorite blog, Waiter Rant. The author is a perfectly snarky veteran New York City waiter, in the process of finishing his first book based entirely on his waiting experiences. I have to say his writing hits really close to home for me, and for the past few hours I've been swimming in uncomfortable memories from my table-waiting

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-89681890137482283362007-12-14T12:12:00.002-08:002008-02-14T18:39:53.249-08:00

Last week I hauled three large bags and shipped eight boxes via UPS to my new pad in Portland, Oregon. Here I am, in a lovely apartment downtown, feeling "metropolitan" for the first time in what feels like years. It's briskly cold and gray outside, but I'm kind of in love with the city again.This is my third (!!) beginning in Portland, the last two being in early 2002 and summer 2003

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-76354971521142444362007-11-05T09:51:00.000-08:002007-11-13T13:23:23.076-08:00

I've always been one to follow instructions. I was a teacher's pet in grade school, and the one time I got caught in the 5th grade for bathroom graffiti, I felt absolutely awful and cried for hours. Naturally, this tendency to stick to the rules extended to a lot of my daily practices, cooking included.I'm a HUGE fan of cookbooks, and read them the way that pruny beach ladies devour romance

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-74798122393365537032007-10-31T11:50:00.000-07:002007-11-05T20:14:39.765-08:00

This was my mom's very first pumpkin carving experience. It was pretty adorable.The happy one is mom's.Every October between the 5th and 10th grades, my friend Maile and I would carve pumpkins. Her mom would take us to a patch on a Saturday, pick out a pumpkin, go back to her apartment and set up shop. Newspaper on the kitchen table and a couple of blunt knives... We got to be pretty good at

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-71020457820429419072007-09-04T14:36:00.000-07:002007-09-05T23:47:48.604-07:00

With a little encouragement from loved ones, I feel I'm due for something new on the Ingrid food front. I've spent the last week and a half in the sunny Pacific Northwest: Portland for an amazing wedding and a migration to Seattle last night to spend QT with the siblings. In the year and a half since I was last in Portland and the two years since my last Seattle jaunt, the Northwest seems to have

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-17081552717297551062007-06-28T10:05:00.000-07:002007-06-28T10:47:32.531-07:00

This is my current favorite breakfast.Oatmeal with Maple Yogurt and Fresh Peaches-1 serving oatmeal (NOT instant!)-1 t. brown sugar-1 cup of Brown Cow maple yogurt-1 small peach, cut into bite-sized piecesCook oatmeal according to package directions. Stir in brown sugar. Serve in a shallow bowl, drizzled with yogurt and topped with peaches. Say "mmm" after every bite.If you've never had steel-cut

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-10634970591570603902007-06-03T14:44:00.001-07:002007-06-05T00:09:11.048-07:00

Bear with me, Greensboro diners, you may just find this read worth your while. Alternately, it may offend. Your choice.So I'm not going to lie. My frustration with the dining situation in Greensboro is getting steadily worse by the day. Said frustration, however, does not lie in the variety of restaurants in the area, although I will admit Greensboro could do better. What riles me up more than

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-6782387030195936522007-05-01T21:21:00.000-07:002007-05-06T21:31:30.497-07:00

I'll admit it: Oftentimes when I wander into a fully-stocked kitchen, I'm at a complete loss. It's like kid-in-a-candy-store syndrome; everywhere I look, there is something perfectly fresh and yummy, and my gears go into overload trying to figure out how to put together the math. Subsequently, I short-circuit and end up feeling completely uninspired and defeated.Other times, however, I get handed

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21461395.post-27439591067665954462007-04-16T01:41:00.000-07:002007-05-02T01:21:15.339-07:00

There's this sourdough bread at the Sandy Ridge Farmer's Market that is like crack. I take that back; it's not like crack, it IS crack. It is dangerous, dangerous crack bread. I can literally eat a whole football-sized loaf in one sitting. Don't ever put yourself in a position where you're sitting with the whole loaf in front of you. I prefer to stand while eating so I can will myself to run away

Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06193267754021315308noreply@blogger.com1