Bakery in the middle of nowhere

As I mentioned in my last update, while visiting the Beran winery we happen to sample some interesting bread from a local artisan german bread maker. The wine pourer told us to head down to the bakery and purchase some of the various offerings.
We actually thought we were in the wrong location when we pulled into the driveway. There was a house in front and what appeared to be a barn in the back. We found the small sign pointing to the entrance on the side of the building (see above for pictures). Once inside we realized this was a serious venture; large ovens, huge flour containers and the smell of artisan bread. My sister purchased several different varieties for the low price of $7.00 and the cow and I sampled many.

Sun and wine

A day in the sun enjoying the product of the vine. The Portland Metro area has accumulated over 11" of rain for the month of November. So, you can understand when I say how WoNdErFuL it was to have sunshine the day of wine tasting. My sister and her husband, joined the cow and I exploring new wineries that are generally not open to the public. We started at Cooper Mountain which is a biodynamic producer. Ponzi was second, they had a really good red table wine - Tavola. We ventured down the road a bit and found Beran Vineyard. This is a very small producer, but I thought they had created the BEST Pinot Noir we had all day. This winery was also featuring a local bakeries products-Fressen Artisan Bakery (I am dedicating an entire blog to this so stay tuned). Many of the breads were very good but a couple just plain strange tasting. We then found Freja Cellars. Very nice Pinot Noir - both estate and limited bottling. We purchased a couple of bottles here. I don't have much to say about Oak Knoll winery other than they had a singer with a very powerful bose speaker. Our last stop was David Hill- the cats are the hill cats. This is my all-time favorite winery. We have been here multiple times and the wine keeps getting better and better.

What are you doing with those bricks?

One evening last week I was looking for the cow. He was outside with the garage door up staring at a pile of bricks. I asked, "what the hell are you doing?" He replied, "looking for bricks." I stood and stared and decided not to ask why. A couple of days later he had created a brick vase with what I thought were twigs, turned out to be wire, neatly deposited inside. Creative!

Thanksgiving dinner

The cow can cook a mean Paella! The cow and I drank a dark rose while preparing for guests. He made fresh bread while I prepped (washed) asparagus, green beans, mache and many other items. We nibbled on smoked mozzerlla, fromage fort, cashews and olives while the Paella simmered on the stove. My sister and her husband drove all the way from Sacramento for a taste of the seafood medley. We also had a couple of friends join the party. We all shared what we were thankful for during the past year. I, of course, am sincerely thankful to have such a fun, supportive person beside me on this journey called life. Thanks cow for another great memory.

While other were driving...

the cow and I met and shot a few rounds of pool. The weather and the traffic were frightful in and around PDX last night. We met at Touche and enjoyed a very empty bar, free pool and happy hour. We then wandered over to Olea to have a glass of wine and listen to a band (the band director from the school in which I work plays with said band). While chatting a server showed up with a plate of nibbles. We informed her that we had not ordered anything to eat. She wondered off confused. Our original server came back with the tasty morsels and said they were compliments of the chef from the band. Life is sweet!
The above picture are from our last stop. Masu! A well regarded sushi joint in an upstairs converted factory building. It was super quiet as we sat at the sushi bar chatting with the chefs. We enjoyed the SOUTHSIDE: yellowtail, jalapenos, asparagus and cucumbers rolled with tempura crisps and topped with avocado and black tobiko; The ST. HELEN'S VOLCANO: whitefish, crab, scallops, shrimp and avocado baked with our volcano cream sauce; AND SEARED SCALLOPS. The chefs were very active getting ready for their busy - post thanksgiving rush on Friday. They were hackin the hell out of some really large fish.

Glorious smell of bread

The cow made this glorious loaf! The house was filled with that glorious smell of bread. It tasted even better than it looks. I LOVE BREAD.

Bakery Bar

Out doing a bit of shopping and stopped by the Bakery Bar for a snack and a pick me up. I ordered the Brandy-carmel latte and it had a homemade marshmellow on top (i don't really care for marshmellows but it was very tasty - not too sweet). We also enjoyed a savory scone.

bettie ford anyone?

The cow sat me down and gave me a "lecture" about how I needed to clean up my act. He suggested I check into the local bettie ford clinic. I would invite anyone who believes they have an issue to join me at the PDX bettie ford center and we can get some real therapy for our drinking issues.

Pictures at an exposition

Sunday afternoon at the symphony. The cow and I attended Oregon symphony series called "Inside the Score" at the Schnitzer concert hall . The composition performed was, Pictures at an Exposition originally created in 1874 by Modest Mussorgsky for piano. Mussorgsky created the suite for piano after his artist friend Viktor Harman died suddenly at age 39. Mussorgsky had gone to an exposition of Harmans work and created the music as a homage to his friends paintings. The most famous part of the music is the promenade piece that is played as a transition to each of the pieces of art - like you are promenading through a gallery. Moving on to the next piece of art.

The conductor actually talked the audience through the history of Pictures at an exposition. Not about the Paintings but the "SCORE" that was created based on the original Piano suite. It was fabulous to have the conductor talk about the variations of the piece from Ravel's famous interpretation in 1922 to Leopold Stokowski in 1938 to Carl Simpson in 1997. The orchestra played an example from each conductor so the audience could hear the difference of creative interpretation. After the discussion was over, they played Ravel's piece in it entirety.

My favorite night

Pizza and movie nights are my favorite. The cow mentioned during the week that he thought we should have a P&M night. I had actually been looking forward to it all week. I sat with my wine glass in hand and watched and smelled the production of the pizza assembly line. The cow created two masterpieces last night. The first, at my request, a pesto, tomato and fresh mozzerlla. The second, carmelized onions and mushrooms - mouth watering. I sat in the kitchen as he kneaded the dough, sliced onions and made pesto. Once the pies were out of the oven we watched, The Fastest Indian - a movie KP would like due to the fact it is about an old man with a passion for motorcycles and speed.
I think at some point- els and the cow should get together for a pizza contest because I think the cow's pies are the best in the world! Challenge on?