Jamie Oliver's MEALS IN MINUTES

I bought the new Jamie Oliver cookbook yesterday: MEALS IN MINUTES.  I could lie and tell you that I got it at my local indie...but...yeah.  I paid full price at Barnes & Noble, guilty as charged.

I can't wait to try the recipes - you'll see some of them here soon (note the tabs I've already inserted for the recipes I want to take on).  I'm particularly excited about this one:

It's Quick Lemon and Raspberry Cheesecake.  You pound gingersnaps and hazelnuts with a rolling pin then, after mixing them with melted butter, you press them into the bottom of individual dishes.  Add store-bought lemon curd.  Sprinkle raspberries over the curd.  Top with creme fraiche (or mascarpone or cream cheese) that has been stirred together with some sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.  Last but not least, grate chocolate on top.

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is my kind of "baking".  Future dinner party guests can expect to see this one soon.

Eat, drink, and move to the 'burbs to make room for your cookbook collection.*





* Note to self: count how many cookbooks, reference books, and food memoirs I own.  I'll share the number with y'all when I do.

Oregon Food and Wine: EZ Orchards

Oh, Oregon.  Why are you only 70 degrees and raining in July?  On the day that we're supposed to be barbecuing ribs and celebrating all the July birthdays in our family*?  Why????

But it's also given me a chance to hole up in MC's (my mother-in-law) house and write about the tremendous couple of days I've already had.  With a glass of wine next to me, of course.  The days have been full of food and wine, and I'm happy as a clam (...or a crab, seeing as I'm a Cancer...).

One of the first places we go when we arrive in Oregon is EZ Orchards, which I mentioned here (you can also "like" them on Facebook).  It's truly a community spot with mostly local produce, as well as local cheeses, homemade baked goods, and supplies for the home.  Every year we visit and I stock up on both EZ Orchards' Marionberry Jam and AJ's Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard:

 And every year I pine for one of their gorgeous tablecloths and never buy one:

Their berries are particularly beautiful:

It has also become an unofficial tradition that I make caramelized onions every time I visit MC:

The Walla Walla sweet onions are just so unbelievably sweet and rich - I love pairing them with salty salami (as I did last year) or on a burger with blue cheese (which I did this year).

Oregon - and Salem, in particular - is such a well-hidden secret.  We know that it's one of the best states in the U.S. for beer, but it's also an incredible food mecca.  It's a secret that Oregonians, for the most part, would rather not be revealed for fear that the state would be overrun (by Californians, in particular...).  EZ Orchards is a perfect example of Salem's hidden charm.

Eat, drink, and support local business.

* Bug, my grandmother-in-law, and me, in this case.  It's also my sister-in-law's birthday today - happy birthday, Kellee!!!