Powered by Tofu

Ever since the Egypt uprising started, I’ve been checking The Economist for news articles on the political unrest in that region. The Economist is one of my favorite magazines, but I’m not a subscriber anymore because honestly, I didn’t make enough time read it! So I “like” them on Facebook, and then I see a manageable amount of articles come through. I just read A Civil War Beckons, and decided that this week, donating to Unicef for their humanitarian aid in Libya is kind of a no-brainer.

Forkover Friday Week
Who it helps: Libyan children
What non-profit: Unicef
Where: Libya
Why: political conflict

I spent about a month in New Zealand during my travels in 2008. And like most travelers, hearing that a disaster has hit somewhere that you’ve spent a bit of time, is naturally a little more disheartening than some far off place that I’ve only seen in pictures. So this week’s Forkover Friday is for Red Cross New Zealand for the Christchurch earthquake.

I flew in to Christchurch from Sydney on a rainy, and very Northwest-y autumn day back in April 2008. I had been experiencing a bit of homesick blues, and the similarities between Christchurch and Oregon were really fun.  I stayed in a hostel at Cathedral Square, spent time at the botanical gardens, meandered about town, and then stopped in Christchurch a second time after looping around the south island, so by the time I jumped back to Christchurch for a third time for one night between flights from Auckland and waiting to head to Thailand, it was nice knowing where everything was and a good end to my stay in New Zealand. So seeing pics & video of the destruction around Christchurch feels that much more real.

Forkover Friday Week 8
Who it helps: New Zealanders
What non-profit: Red Cross NZ
Where: New Zealand
Why: 6.3 earthquake that hit Christchurch on Tuesday.

This last week, I gave to a cause that I love and have previously volunteered with: SMART — Start Making A Reader Today.

What is SMART?

The SMART program helps elementary students become confident readers by pairing them with volunteers for one-on-one attention. They also provide books for the kids to take home (and keep) on a frequent basis, which is really helpful as a lot of the kids in this program come from families that aren’t supporting them in this area already, so having new and fun books to take home as their own creates an excitement around learning and reading which is really fun to see.

How we can help:

1. Donate online to SMART.
2. Volunteer to be a reader.

Forkover Friday Week 4
Who it helps: students
What non-profit: SMART
Where: Portland, Oregon
Why: I volunteered with SMART as a reader and it was a wonderful experience to watch the kids progress and learn to love reading. Photo: mikefats

Where should I give next week?

Taking a cooking class is one of those things that I’ve been claiming I’m going to do “soon” for about two years now. Success! After more than a year of staring at the cooking class schedule from Sur La Table, I chose the “Provencal Sunday Supper” class. I’d originally wanted to take a fish class, but since Provencal food is Mediterranean, fish at least made an appearance on the menu.

So last weekend, my bff and I headed over to Sur La Tabla, here in Portland, for our first official cooking class. There ended up being about a dozen people in our class — enough people so it didn’t feel like we had to do all the work, but still small enough that we got to pitch in whenever we wanted. I enjoyed the mix of hands-on projects and watching/listening. And I somehow got roped into braising half of the chicken for the stew, but it was much simpler than I imagined.

Our menu:

• Caramelized onion and chevre flatbread with herbs de Provence (aka pizza)
• Tuna Nicoise salad with winter greens, seared tuna, fingerling potatoes, green beans and soft-boiled eggs
• Lemon-scented chicken stew with fennel, olives, capers and tomatoes
• Chile-garlic rouille (mayonnaise)
• Lavender creme brulee

I loved the pace of the class, in that once we had started bits of all the dishes, we then made our pizza and promptly took a break to eat it and drink wine, before getting back to business and finishing the rest of the menu.

I originally thought the price of the class was a little spendy, but for three hours of cooking fun, a full dinner, wine, and a handful of fantastic recipes to recreate as a dinner party, I ended up pretty happy with my purchase. I was especially pleased with the idea of using this as a dinner/date option. When I was looking for New Year’s Eve dinner options last month, I came across too many spendy prix fixe dinner options, so one of these classes would be a great alternative.

There have been a few times since college that I’ve considered quitting my job and going to culinary school. I’m pleased to report that I made the correct choice in my quarterlife crisis and went traveling, instead of attending culinary school. I’ll definitely be taking more cooking classes. I also heard of a local Portland company that offers similar cooking classes, In Good Taste, and oddly enough they’re just a few blocks away from Sur La Table, so I’d like to check them out next time. Next up, recreating the Provencal Sunday Supper (minus the chicken) for #23 on my 30 Before 30 List — The Dinner Party!

Have you ever taken a cooking class?

Since I tossed around the idea of my Forkover Friday Project for a bit, it’s now past the 3rd week in January, so I have a few things to catch up on! As previously mentioned, this project was inspired by Kelsey Timmerman’s #ten4tues project. His blog is currently being “held hostage” by The Little Princes and Next Generation Nepal.

What is Next Generation Nepal?

The short story is that Conor Grennan went on an around the world trip, and started by volunteering for 3 months in Nepal at an orphanage. He ended up learning that many of the kids were trafficked — families in remote villages wanting to protect their children from the civil war were conned by child traffickers who then just abandon the children in Kathmandu. Conor returned to Nepal, setup Next Generation Nepal which helps reconnect trafficked children with their parents. Inspiring.

How we can help:

1. Buy Little Princes – a portion of sales goes to NGN.
2. Donate directly to Next Generation Nepal.
3. Request that your local library purchase Little Princes – you can usually do this online.
4. Like Next Generation Nepal on Facebook.

Forkover Friday Week 3
Who it helps: little ones!
What non-profit: Next Generation Nepal
Where: Nepal
Why: hello, Nepalese kiddos being reunited with their families. enough said.

Where should I give next week?

A new year, a new project. :) A couple of weeks ago, I saw a tweet by Kelsey Timmerman about his year of giving away $10 every Tuesday. I’m always intrigued by interesting projects that people undertake. And this one really appealed to me as giving is something I could do a bit more of. Kelsey mentions this NY Times article about Americans earning less than $25,000 give away 4.2% of their income on average and those earning $75,000+ give away only 2.7% of theirs. An interesting comparison of scale, empathy, and income.

So the plan is that every Friday I’ll donate $11 to something. Why $11? 1. I like odd numbers. 2. For 2011. 3. $10 has already been done. :P

I love the idea that after a year of giving I’ll have a pretty good idea of places I would like to donate more too. So this project is a work in progress. And I miraculously did donate $10 on New Year’s Eve, so I’m going to count that as week #1. So some weeks I might be donating to an NGO in Nepal and other weeks I might find a Kickstarter campaign that I really want to support or donate to a local nonprofit. Either way, it’s about creating a habit of giving and learning in the process. :)

Jan 7: PDX Pop Now
Jan 14: Mercy Corps
Jan 21: Next Generation Nepal

It would be awesome if you wanted to join me on my project, even for just one week. So if you end up giving to any of my weekly give picks, let me know! And here’s Kelsey’s follow up post about his Year of Giving.

What was the last cause/project/nonprofit that you gave to?

Iceland has been on my hypothetical “interesting/someday” travel wish list for a few years now. Although, my obsession with Icelandic culture started with Leif Erikson — original Viking bad ass — in the 3rd grade (Erikson was quickly followed by a brief obsession with Abraham Lincoln… where were we? Ah yes, Iceland…). After finding an Icelandair deal for $438 roundtrip in July, I didn’t do much planning other than grinning at pictures of Icelandic horsies, dreaming of the Blue Lagoon, and listening to Sigur Ros.

One of the perks of working for an independent budget travel company, is that after chatting about Iceland to a coworker who writes our Iceland travel guide, you might see your very own custom 5-day Iceland itinerary pop up in your RSS reader a week or two later. Thanks Katie! :) So without further ado here are…

10 things I loved about my trip to Iceland:

#1. Icelandic ponies horsies

Ever since I saw pictures of the uber-adorable Icelandic horses, I knew I would be riding horses while in Iceland. They’re like life-size My Little Pony dolls, and they tölt. If I was a horse, I would totally be one of these little hearty creatures. Yeah, I identify with Icelandic horses… le sigh…

#2. Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon exceeded my expectations. I’d heard more than a few times that the Blue Lagoon was a little over-rated and expensive, but was looking forward to it anyway. Visiting the Blue Lagoon was one of my favorite things in Iceland. With 6 hours of daylight and freezing temperatures, it was fun to bliss out in the lagoon for a few hours. Highly recommended.

#3. Meandering about Reykjavik

Reykjavik looks like a tiny toy town from the Hallgrímskirkja church tower. The downtown area is a walker’s paradise. After a day of wandering, I felt like I pretty much knew my way around, and I had a great time just meandering about town during the 5 days… poking into shops, visiting the Sun Voyager sculpture, getting lattes (my favorite cafe for lattes was a tiny little place called Grái Kötturinn — Grey Kitten? I’m assuming), window shopping at 66 North, popping into a design shop or two…

#4. Brewery tour & duty-free alcohol

I hadn’t really thought of doing a brewery tour in Iceland until I heard about it from my coworker. It ended up being a lot of fun to hear about the history of drinking in Iceland, quite a few drinks were included, and we got drink vouchers to use back in town for $5 beers instead of $9 (yes, $9!). And one of my favorite Iceland tips: if you’re going to have at least a few drinks while in Iceland, stop at duty free in the airport and snag your drink of choice. Alcohol and the tax on alcohol is very expensive in Iceland.

#5. Seeing the last 3 songs of a random Icelandic band

I love catching local (or not so local) music while I’m traveling. So after hearing a band playing while walking down the street, we wandered into a pub for the last few songs. I have no idea who it was or what the pub was called. A fun mystery. :)

#6. Golden Circle – Golfus & Geysir

After considering renting a car and driving the Golden Circle, we decided to take the easier and cheaper route and take a half-day tour. I think we picked the coldest day of our trip too, as apparent by the cold cringe in a few of my pictures. It was fun to get out of Reykjavik again and into the outdoors, and really made me want to return in summer.

#7. Frozen pond sliding

We stayed near the pond in Reykjavik, and noticed people ice skating and playing on the ice, so after a few days of walking past the pond, we stopped for some fun. I’m tempted to post a brilliant video of someone falling on the ice, perhaps another time…

#8. Bæjarins beztu pylsur (hot dog stand)

Hey remember that time I ate a tarantula in Cambodia? Yep, all bets are off when I travel (Lie. Sometimes true at home as well). Although I consider myself a pescatarian, I’m not dogmatic about it, and I’ll try almost anything once, because life is short — and really it’s more fun to eat strange things while traveling! Back to Iceland… and hotdogs — one of their most popular dishes, Bæjarins beztu pylsur is Reykjavik’s most famous hotdog stand. I got one “with everything” and loved the fried onions, mustard sauce, and remolaði. Tasty. So you probably won’t find me snagging a 99-cent hotdog at IKEA, but it was fun to check out Iceland’s most popular dish. Baaaah!

#9. $$$ dinner

Although I consider myself a budget traveler, I like to splurge every once in a while on a trip. We decided on Fiskmarkadurinn (Fish Market) and it didn’t disappoint.

#10. Skyr

Skyr is like Greek yoghurt on crack. It was the first and last thing I ate in Iceland. I’ll probably be hitting up Whole Foods way too often for my Skyr fix.

I’m sure I’m forgetting to mention something else epic that I love about Iceland, but for now this is my <3 list. And I can’t wait to go back in summer! Or maybe go to Iceland Airwaves!  2012, anyone?

Christmas time! :)  I can’t believe it’s already December. A few things I would like to do before January: visit the pop-up shops downtown with my bff, go snowshoeing, bake something amazing, make chocolate mint divinity again, undetermined crafty project, make homemade eggnog, take a cooking class at Sur la Table (or maybe in January?), go to the coast, make rummy apple cider, play board games…

In other news, I’m supposed to let mi familia know what I want for Christmas, so here are a few things I wouldn’t refuse. ;) and a few wishful thinking items. :)

#1. Marvelous Merino Legwarmers from Lululemon $34

The purpose of these lovely leg warmers? To be able to wear all your yoga capris/shorts to the gym without freezing your legs off. Yay for doing less laundry of my 1 pair of full-length yoga pants.

#2. D3 bicycle by PUBLIC $690

Yep, still lusting after this DELICIOUS orange bike. Le sigh…

#3. Leaf Tie by LufDesign $7

These are cool. Period.

#4. ASCII heart necklace by Sternlab $150

I found this necklace on Etsy last year, and still find it super adorable and wishlist-able.

#5. Kaldi Arctic hat from 66°North $84

Regret. Reeeegret. OK, I almost bought this hat in Iceland, and then was like “No, it’s too expensive, and I’ll only wear it when it’s really cold, and, and, and…” Still like it.

#6. Enchanted Woods iPhone Dock from Anthropologie $98

How cute is this? My kitteh might eat all $98 of it’s cuteness, but I still want it.

#7. Zigzag Rug – Iron/Ivory/Fez from West Elm $39

2×3 for my kitchen or front door. Chevrons!
To be continued…

What’s on your wishlist?

After completing #9 on my 30 Before 30 List of going to 52 new restaurants/coffee shops/bars in the first three months of my list, I’ve continued to keep track of places, so here’s round two of 52 new restaurants. Foursquare makes this so easy to keep track of. :)

New Restaurants Visited September – November:

1. Pok Pok – possibly over-hyped — awesome regardless
2. Olympic Provisions
3. Dragonfish Asian Cafe
4. Kennedy School (Counts! I had never eaten there!)
5. Ugarit (foodcart)
6. North 45 – awesome patio
7. Pyro Pizza (foodcart) – tasty, tasty pizza
8. Whiffies Fried Pies – I could maybe [not] eat 11 pies?
9. Madison’s Bar & Grill
10. Red Flag
11. Tabla Mediterranean Bistro – 3-course meal: delicious
12. Afrique
13. Muu Muu’s
14. Gold Dust Meridian
15. Chopsticks Hawthorne
16. Bridgeport Ale House
17. Pizzicato
18. Night Light Lounge – Dr Spaceman!
19. Cabezon – finally used my Groupon for this one. Tasty pescado!
20. Broder – squares = good.
21. Pix Patisserie (other location) – desert & wine
22. Pad Thai Kitchen
23. Pambiche – cafe con leche = bueno
24. Clarklewis – Gorgonzola pear sandwich = bliss
25. ?Por Que No? – horchata. indeed.
26. Habibi – good Lebanese, another Groupon, still like Ya Hala better. :)
27. Stumptown (diff location! Ace Hotel)
28. Clementine Bistro – No. Just NOOO.
29. The Standard
30. Holman’s
31. Bertie Lou’s
32. Public Domain Coffee – I need to use my Groupon to here.
33. Sweet Basil Thai – Really tasty.
34. Spints Alehouse – Exceeded my expectations.
35. City State Diner
36. Cafe Babalu – Reykjavik, Iceland – fun cafe
37. Icelandic Fish & Chips – Reykjavik, Iceland – good sauces!
38. Grai Kotturinn – Reykjavik, Iceland – loved their lattes. Tucked into an adorable little corner.
39. Eldsmidjan – Reykjavik, Iceland
40. Tapas Barrin – Reykjavik, Iceland – Tapas with an Icelandic spin. Fun.
41. The English Pub – Reykjavik, Iceland
42. Cafe Paris – Reykjavik, Iceland
43. Kaffitar – Reykjavik, Iceland – Iceland’s Starbucks!
44. Svarta Kaffio – Reykjavik, Iceland
45. Baejarins Beztu Pylsur – Reykjavik, Iceland (hotdog stand) – yep, I ate a hotdog. And it was tasty.
46. Fish Market [Fiskmarkadurinn] – Reykjavik, Iceland – Best. Meal. Ever. Also, most expensive meal, ever.
47. Cafe Oliver – Reykjavik, Iceland
48. Greasy greasy spoon brekkie – Reykjavik, Iceland
49. Tiga
50. Candy Ultra Lounge
51. Screen Door – fiiinally
52. Cacao Chocolate – you can get “shots” of drinking chocolate here. $2 = win!

Perhaps #9 should have been visit 200 new restaurants?

Yoga one month, drinking the next. :)  The only liquor I have at home is Pastis, and the occasional vodka or gin. So when I decided to do a bit of research for #25 on my 30 Before 30 list, I first of all discovered that I should call it a liquor collection, as alcohol collection is clearly the wrong name. So what belongs in a liquor collection?

According to my dear friend Martha (who likes to hide information in 20 page photo galleries and downloadable pdfs, of which I don’t have the patience for) the following items belong in your liquor collection. Also, after realizing that I know very little about alcohol, other than that gin tastes like juniper trees, I looked up each one on Wikipedia as I went, so it’s kind of like a 4th grade report, only more fun….

How to Stock a Home Bar

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Base Liquors:

• Bourbon: Bourbon is an American whiskey, a type of distilled spirit, made primarily from corn (maize) and named for Bourbon County, Kentucky. It has been produced since the 18th century. While it may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I purchased: Maker’s Mark. Drink of choice: Whiskey ginger.
• Gin Gin is a spirit whose predominant flavor is derived from juniper berries. Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, gin is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories: distilled gin and compound gin. Distilled gin is crafted in the traditional manner, by re-distilling neutral spirit of agricultural origin with juniper berries and other botanicals. There are several distinct styles of gin, with the most common style today being London dry gin, a type of distilled gin. I purchased: Beefeater London Dry Gin. Drink of choice: Pink Gin Fizz!
• Single malt Scotch or Irish whiskey Single Malt Scotch is a type of single malt whisky, distilled by a single distillery in a pot still, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient, in Scotland. Irish Whiskey is a whiskey made in Ireland. There are several types of whiskey common to Ireland: Single Malt, Single Grain, Pure Pot Still and Blended Whiskey. Most Irish whiskey is distilled three times while Scotch is distilled twice. I purchased: Bushmills Irish Whiskey.
• Tequila Tequila is a blue agave–based spirit made primarily in Tequila, Mexico. I purchased: Jose Cuervo Especial Gold. Drink of choice: Margarita.
• Vodka is a distilled beverage composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made from fermented substances like grain and potatoes. I purchased: Rain Organic Grain Vodka. Drink of choice: Vodka tonic.
• Rum Light rum is a dry, light-bodied rum, light in color and lightly sweet in flavor. It is produced from sugarcane juice and molasses, and normally has a short aging period. I purchased: Barcadi Light Rum Drink of choice: Mojito!

Other/Extras/Stuff I Wanted:

• Pastis Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and apéritif from France, typically containing 40–45% alcohol by volume.
• Kahlua Kahlúa is a well known Mexican coffee-flavored liqueur. It is dense and sweet, with a distinct taste of coffee, from which it is made. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean.
• Baileys Irish Cream Baileys Irish Cream (the registered trademark omits the apostrophe shock!) is an Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur, made by Gilbeys of Ireland.
• Brandy Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink.
• Triple sec Triple Sec is a variety of Curaçao, an orange-flavored liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter oranges from the Caribbean. Triple sec, which is French for Triple Dry, is one-third as sweet as regular Curaçao.

Base Mixers:

• Angostura bitters often simply referred to as angostura, is a concentrated bitters made of water, 44.7% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. They are typically used for flavoring beverages, or (less often) food.
• Cointreau
• Dry (white) vermouth
• Juices: orange, pomegranate, and grapefruit juices
• Seltzer (club soda)
• Tonic

Next up: declare a signature drink… other than Pastis mixed with water/ice. Also, I currently have an embarrassing amount of alcohol at my house, thanks to shopping on the Interwebz.