FidgetyBudgie

Gamera! (or I heart Portland, redux)

 
THIS!  This is what we did tonight!  Oh how i heart the Hollywood Theater as these are the people who brought us the Raiders of the Lost Ark remake a year or so back that the Budgie, Curt, and I attended.  Tonight the Budgie and I went there to see this awesome Japanese monster movie, but instead of the movie soundtrack, there was a live orchestra, live voice actors, and live sound effects creators, on stage, with the movie playing on the screen.  The voiceover was brilliant - even better than the english-over-japanese that we usually see in these films.  And the sound effects were fantastic - how about using a hand-cranked kitchen beater for a bicycle sound? Works great!   Plus, the superbonus was singing the Gamera theme song with the rest of the audience in follow-the-bounding-ball format. 

Sugar...ahhh Honey Honey

How cute is this flight of honey?!  I got this in the mail a week or so ago, from my friend Ann over at Mad Aster.  (she sends awesome foodie presents, lemme tell ya!).  This is three varieties of local-to-her honey that arrived as a nice surprise just as I opened the last bottle of Sage Honey she sent me last year.  Talk about perfect timing!  But, as I was making her awesome granola recipe that weekend, I couldn't wait and had to dip right into the chokecherry honey.  That's the dark one on the end.  You see, she told me all about them on the phone that day, and instead of taking her advice to taste them in order, after hearing her description, I just couldn't wait and went right for the intense stuff.  Lemme tell ya, it's super yummy!  Thanks for the sweet treat Ann!  I really enjoy using honey and agave and maple syrup in place of refined sugars, and in fact always use them to proof my yeast when I'm baking.  It's even better to get something of this quality from someone who's taste and views on food I have such deep respect for.  I think I know the perfect locally made item to send back to her...more on that later!  :)

Where the hell did October go?

Okay I know it shouldn't come as a surprise to me, but how the hell is it November already?  Is it me, or does time go faster the older we get?  I've been sort of busy with school but not insanely so.  Probably why I was spending all last week studying my ass off for midterms Thursday and Friday, and am not at all sure how well I did.  Don't get me wrong, I love school, but somehow this term I just haven't gotten into the rhythm of studying - and a lot of the other students have said the same thing.  I have been doing a lot of domestic things though, at least on the days I'm not at the hospital - those days I usually come home exhausted.  But lately I make sandwich buns most weekends, which I did today, and we've made pizza a few times on Fridays.  This weekend I cut out, sewed, and started quilting, a baby quilt for friends who are due in after January - at this rate they might actually get it before the baby arrives.  I also am almost done with my Bonnie sweater.  I would be done with her, except that I finished and blocked her, and then realized I had made a huge error, and started the shoulders waaaaaaay too soon.  This meant not only did I have to rip out...but I also didn't have enough yarn.  After a day of panic, I decided to turn to the kindness of knitters and the magic of Ravelry - and found a knitter with a bit of yarn in a matching dyelot who was willing to part with it.  So last weekend I unpicked the silly shoulders and got her back on the needles, and I've been knitting up the 5.5" I missed on the first try, and hope to have her ready to sew together next weekend.  I REALLY want to wear this sweater this winter. I think of it as my Portland Sweater, so I need to make it happen soon.  All of these things I was meaning to blog, and I have photos to post, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.  I also received an awesome gift from my friend Ann - photos of which I WILL post this week.  Right now I am going to have the discipline to shut off the computer and go to bed.  Tomorrow is another day in the E.R., and I am really hoping it goes better than last Wednesday.

Yet another reason to shop at Knit Picks!

The local company (Vancouver, WA) Knit Picks just showed me that there is another reason to shop there.  As if the great prices on really nice yarns in gorgeous colours wasn't enough.  From The Oregonian:

Knit Picks donates winter wear to folks out in the cold

By Peggy McMullen, The Oregonian

October 22, 2009, 3:57PM

  Knit Picks in Vancouver donated a huge haul of warm wear this week to the homeless population here.

Angela of Knit Picks sent us this note explaining the donation:

 "As the temperatures drop and the rain clouds move in, it's hard not to think of the winter ahead and the homeless population here in Portland facing the cold. Knit Picks decided to make their winter just a little warmer by donating $2,600 worth of hand knit scarves, mittens, hats, socks, and sweaters that have been knit for our catalogs.

"'I'd rather have those hats on someone's head keeping them warm, than sitting in our warehouse all winter!' explained Knit Picks Vice President Tina Birch.

"Knit Picks donated the hand knits to Operation Nightwatch, a local group that has been serving the street population of downtown Portland since 1981. According to Operation Nightwatch's Web site, homelessness in Portland is up 11 percent this year."

Angela estimated the donation included "50 scarves, hats, mittens and socks, and about a dozen men's sweaters." Awesome!

 If you're interested in helping out Nightwatch too, visit their Web site.

How cool is that!?  I am so happy they would do this - we have a large centralized and very visible homeless population here that has been through a lot the last year, between our worst winter in decades, and a city ordinance (now overturned) that allowed local rent-a-cops to harass any homeless person sleeping on a sidewalk - including in the middle of the night.  Just google sleep deprivation to find out how this exacerbates the problems facing those sleeping rough.  I'm really happy that Knit Picks has chosen to support these people and will definitely make more of my yarn purchases from there (when I have money again).

A Pizza Crust I can live with

On our trip, we finally got to go to The Pizza Garden in Nehalem/Manzanita, and I loved the pizza!  I had a gluten free pizza with smoked salmon on it, and it was super tasty.  When we got back, I decided to try the Bob's Red Mill pizza crust mix.  I let it rise a little before baking it, then topping and rebaking it, and I gotta say, I think I found my pizza crust.  I have been trying homemade recipes, but this mix, which we have found on sale for US$2.69, is really yummy.  It has good density and texture, without being gluey and tasteless.  I made a 14x17 pizza with one bag - and given that takeout gluten-free pizza around here is 16+ bucks for a small one, this was a screamin deal.  On one side we went traditional with Hormel GF Turkey Pepperoni, onion, and red pepper, with homemade red sauce, and on the other side I used pesto and olive oil, and some leftover roasted veggies.  It would be hard to say which one was yummier!  I have a feeling pizza is going to be a regular item in our house from now on.  

I found it was easy to spread the pizza on a silpat covered sheet with wet hands.  And letting it rise again really gave it good texture.  I encourage you to try this mix - it's easy and flavourful.  I made a ranch dressing to dip it in using this recipe
 from a fellow gluten free blogger.  it was awesome!

A really good week

As the title implies, I had a really good week. I started my pediatrics rotation Monday, and it's going really well.  Surprisingly, I really enjoy peds, and as the lead pediatric tech said to me Tuesday, apparently I have "an excellent demeanor for working with children".  Who knew!?  Really!?  But I must admit, I really like them.  First off, kids take directions way better than most adults.  And second, there is something infinitely gratifying in getting a frightened child to trust that I'm not going to hurt them, and work with me, and get good images from them.  I know that they won't  be scared the next time they come to xray.  And most of them really like seeing their images afterward.  So it's been a good week at the hospital.  And I've been cooking a lot on Fridays lately, and today was no exception.  I made granola for the first time ever.  I started with a recipe from Mad Aster's blog, and went from there.  My version included:  Bob's Red Mill GF Oats, Mesa Sunrise Flakes, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and some dried fruits including cranberries, cherries, and golden raisins.  I made it with butter, maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, vanilla and a little cinnamon.  I toasted it until it was nicely brown, and then added the fruits when it was cooling. Next time I will add more of the sweeteners, so it will stick together more, and add a dash of salt to bring out the flavours a bit more.  I will also use the bigger flakes of coconut, as mine was the small kind for baking and didn't stick together in clumps like I would like.  I'd also like to try it with puffed rice or something like that, and maybe some hemp or flax seeds.  But for a first time out, I'm pretty happy with it.

Tonight for dinner I made a really good healthy bowl.  It had rice made with fire roasted tomatoes on the bottom.  Topped with black beans seasoned with cumin, coriander, garlic, onion, and oregano.  I satueed some tofu in taco seasonings and put that on next.  On top of that I melted some cheddar on The Budgie's portion.  Then topped each one with fresh tomatoes, red peppers, cilantro, green onion, and tofu sour cream with some taco sauce.  It was super fresh and healthy -sort of a deconstructed burrito - and we both wondered why we'd never made it before. 

Coming soon: A pizza crust I can live with.

Long overdue road trip finale

We returned from our trip over two weeks ago, but I just haven't had the discipline to sit down and put up a post about it.  We did have a great time, and saw some amazing scenery.  We didn't have the time we thought we would to play tourist in some of the little towns along the way, and the folks were pretty into seeing all of the lighthouses, so it was a different trip than we had expected.  That said, it was gorgeous.
We saw the Oregon Coast:

Some unusual trees:

Some truly beautiful vistas

Almost every lighthouse on the Oregon Coast

Discovered there are sand dunes in Oregon

And more gorgeous vistas

Saw some reeeeeeeeally big trees (redwoods)

And the California Coast

And tried to will the fog into letting us see the San Francisco Bridge

We did have a good time.  And then the Budgie and I took the train back from oakland to portland.  I did not starve along the way, although there were the usual challenges when stopping at unvetted restaurants.  One night I did eat a plate of lettuce for dinner.  But really, if you've seen me in the last year you know i can support a small Inuit village for an entire winter on one thigh alone, so it's not like I'm going to waste away on one vacation.  I thought I was sick of tuna and chips for lunch, but I had that yesterday so it must not have been too much of a hardship.  And given that the Budgie's dad is diabetic, sometimes it just wasn't feasible to go the 20 more miles to a place we'd already talked to and cleared.  Most days we had little picnics for breakfast and lunch, although at the Newport Belle the proprietor made me a special breakfast souffle from the quiche filling, and even had a loaf of gf bread for me to have with breakfast.  At most hotels there was always juice and fruit, and I brought my own breads and such so I had lots of local jams to enjoy it with as well. 

One night we stayed in this sweet motel on the coast, and they had a fire going in the firepit for us when we returned from dinner.  So we made smores with the gf graham crackers I'd brought.  They were awesome, and the Budgie's folks had never had smores, so that was a pretty fun evening.  I had also brought along some gluten freeda instant oatmeal, which was pretty tasty for breakfast topped with fruit and jam.  The hamburger buns only made it a few days as they really need to be refrigerated or they mold - hence the chips and tuna instead of tuna sammiches for lunch.  The banana muffins went over well although better packaging would have helped them look nicer after a few days. 

I would really like to go to the coast again, and stay in a house for a week and travel to some of the little towns we didn't get to fully explore, like Port Orford, Bandon, Newport, and Coos Bay.  But we got a good overview of the Oregon Coast, and know even more now what a beautiful place we live in, and how very much more there is to see here.  We've only scratched the surface!

GF Baking for a Road Trip

During the last few days i have been baking a lot in preparation for our Oregon Coast trip with the Budgie's parents.  So far, with the help of a few generous food bloggers who tested these recipes, I have made:

Pepita Powered Sandwich Bread using Kate's recipe from Gluten-free Gobsmacked, with a few modifications based on what I had in the kitchen.  Hers looks more done than mine turned out so I baked the second loaf longer and tried hard not to overproof my yeast.   This stuff makes awesome sandwiches.  I used a blend of sunflower and pumpkin seeds in mine, along with some flax seed meal for extra nutrition.  For the second loaf, I baked a tiny loaf alongside so that it wouldn't over-rise, and it turned out great.

 

I will try baking two smaller loaves next time and see if i don't get even better results.  For now, I have a great loaf of bread for the trip.

I also made Banana Walnut muffins using Brian of Fire and Salt's recipe as a guide

and gluten-free graham crackers for making smores!  This recipe also came from Brian at Fire and Salt.  They taste really yummy, and the Budgie says he likes them better than regular graham crackers.  I won't say that, but the second batch got a bit of a dusting with some cinnamon sugar, and they are mighty fine.  I am looking forward to having these with some melty chocolate and marshmallow goodness.

One other recipe I used a lot this week, and have added to my regular rotation, is the hamburger bun recipe over at Four Chickens.  I can't believe I don't have a photo yet, as I've made these so many times now that I bought tiny cake pans from T*rg*t to bake them in, and have made bags of the dry ingredients in batches and keep them in the freezer so I can whip these up in no time.  They are truly perfect.  Even the Budgie likes them.  I made six for the trip, and am hoping I don't have to share.  I also made a batch of blueberry scones with the berries we picked on Sauvie Island last month.  They turned out very tasty, but (and I can't believe I'm about to say this) aren't as dense as I would like them to be.  They are more like a light blueberry cake.  Just as well since I can't seem to find the recipe I used.  But still, will be awesome for breakfast on the trip. 

So there you have it.  My gluten-free travel kit of bread and crackers.  I'm also bringing a tupperware of condiments in single serving packages I get from Minimus, some cereal (Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, if you must know) and almond milk; some instant oatmeal from Gluten-Freeda that is actually rather tasty and doesn't bother my tummy; a can of dolmas; packs of tuna; and lots of fresh fruit and veggies that we will buy along the way.  I've contacted restaurants on our path and have a list of places I can eat safely, and have talked to the chefs at the places we are spending the night so I know I can get a safe meal there.  We plan to mostly have continental breakfasts, and picnic lunches, and then dinners at restaurants in the evenings.   We're bringing the laptop, but might not have a chance to post along the way, but I will upload photos of the trip when we get back.  In the meantime, get baking!

Going back to Cali..

Well, as of today I am Officially a Second Year Student!!  I cannot believe that the first year is over, and that next weekend marks our one year portlandiversary.  We so love this city, and it's just flown by!

 Today was the end of the summer term, and the end of my time at the outpatient clinic where finished the term.  I had my meeting on Monday with The Administrator, and after demonstrating a satisfactory amount of contrition and desire to return, he agreed to let me come back in the fall.  I am hoping that it works out this time, as I wasn't offered an alternative hospital, so this was my only choice.  As such, I will take it.  But especially because this was always where I wanted to be.  Granted, the bloom is a bit off the rose at this point, but I do still think I can get the best and most experience there, for my own future, so I am going to go back, head high, and make the most of this opportunity.  If it all goes pear-shaped...well, I'll have to worry about that when the time comes. 

The last week at my outpatient site was really good.  They had a barbecue for August birthdays, and for my last week, and made yummy food that was safe for me to eat.  Really nice huh!!  They wrote great reviews for me, including lots of really well-thought out suggestions for improving my skills.  I have learned a TON out there this summer, so as one of my teachers told me recently this whole experience appears to be a blessing in disguise. 

So, I am heading into my long break with relief and determination.  The Budgie's parents are coming in a week and we will be taking our road trip down the Oregon coast. I am REALLY looking forward to this trip!  And I am glad this whole ordeal appears to be over before we go, so I can enjoy it and start getting my life back to normal. 

Clearing Up Misconceptions

Some comments and emails I've recently received make me aware that there are some misconceptions here that need to be cleared up.  First, I love Portland.  I may not have had time in the past year to make many real friends here yet, but we both love it here and don't regret coming here for one second.  Second, I know I am in the right field.  Things in my hospital have gotten complicated, yes, and that's a huge source of frustration for me because it's unjust and unfair.  But I still love radiography, and love what I will be doing for a living soon.  It's one of the best decisions I ever made.  Ever.  But yes, it's been a hard year, and in no small part because of the lack of a strong social support network.  School should be a bonding experience, yes, but in many ways it's not because we are all still competing against one another for the few jobs that may be available when we graduate.  That's just the unfortunate reality of the situation.  Many of the people I was once very close to have had changes in their lives that make it difficult to keep in touch.  Some have simply moved on.  And being so busy, a void gets left that I haven't really had a chance to fill.  I was hoping to get out this summer and meet more people, but with everything that happened I was really in no position to be social, and frankly, not very good company.  So yeah, it's been a rough year, and a lot of work, and at times like this I am pretty down on where I find myself socially, and with the hospital.  It's not an easy time.  But I have no regrets about doing this, or about moving here.  We love Portland.  It is everything I wanted it to be, and more.  There are tons of places even I can eat out, and there is always something going on - fantastic farmer's markets, the art scene is never ending, and the music scene is probably the best we've ever been near.  We were just talking yesterday how amazing it would be to live in a condo in the thick of it downtown or on the waterfront or in one of the quirky neighborhoods across the river.  We may stay here for good.  So far we have found no reason not to.  And in spite of everything that may be going on in this moment, I will finish, I will find my friends, and we will be happy here for as long as we choose to stay.  How can we not?  It's Portland!