The Case of the Balsamic Bandit

BEND, Ore. - A sign hangs amid the bottles of vinegar at Newport Avenue Market. It's simple, to the point: "Thanks to the Balsamic Vinegar Thief this area is now under surveillance. We will get you." The last sentence, it should be noted, is underlined. For about a year, a thief pinched bottle after bottle of balsamic vinegar from the store — and not the low-end stuff.

No, this thief was after bottles that go for $30 or $40 a pop. "Thieves with good taste." That's how owner Rudy Dory explains them.

The store figured out what was going on when the order writer noticed he was buying a lot more balsamic vinegar than what the store was actually selling. The market has quite a large balsamic collection, but the thefts were noticeable.

So the sign went up.

A couple months ago, workers caught someone who they think may have been the balsamic bandit. The market didn't press charges, just banned the alleged thief from the store. Dory wouldn't say much about the suspect, just that it was a she.

So we are left to speculate. Maybe she needed that that last little ingredient for her many dinner parties. Maybe she was selling it on some sort of gourmet black market.

Whatever it is, Dory said, "it really irritates you."

"We don't know if we got the person or not," he added. The store has seen a slowdown in balsamic loss, but it hasn't stopped.

For now, the sign stays.

A Home Cooked Meal

On Saturday night, Megan and I cooked a meal for her hubby Barret and my boyfriend Chris. It was delicious! Here was the menu:

appetizer: warm brie, fresh bread, raw honey
appetizer: garlic cheese and fresh bread
main course: pot roast cooked with red wine and red onion
side dish: sauteed green beans and garlic
side dish: corn bread with homemade honey butter
side dish: baked carrots with a brown sugar glaze
dessert: apple cake

and lots and lots of wine. :)

Megan leaves this week for the Arctic Circle, where she is going to study climate change for the next two weeks. Bon Voyage, Megan! Can't wait till you come home so we can cook up another yummy meal!

Green City Market

My girlfriend, Megan, and I explored the Green City Market this morning. This is the first time that she or I had ever been to this particular farmers' market and this is the first year that the market has been held year round. During the winter months the nature museum, by the lake, is hosting the market on Saturday mornings.
I was so surprised by how many farmers there were! I bought a jar of raw honey from Southern Illinois farmer. We bought a baguette from a local, organic bakery. I bought a red onion and a basket of apples from some Michigan farmers. I got a dozen eggs from another farmer and a pot roast from yet another farmer.

It was such a great way to spend the blah, February morning...poking through fresh foods and chatting with farmers about the animals and harvests. Oh yeah, we also bought some cheese from a dairy farm in Wisconsin. It was delicious!!

Tonight Megan and I are cooking a nice meal for her husband, Barrett, and my man, Chris. The four of us are going to dine on the following: pot roast, glazed carrots, sauteed green beans and garlic, cornbread with homemade honey butter, baguette and cheese as an appetizer and a homemade apple cake for dessert. I'll try to snap some photos of the meal to post to the blog.

I'm so happy I found a winter market. :)

Hard Boiled Eggs

Just in case someone wasn't sure how to do this....

Place eggs into saucepan and then fill with water until the water is over the height of the eggs.

Place saucepan on stove, high heat until water boils.

Reduce heat for a soft boil.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Turn heat off and let the eggs sit in the water until the water is cooled (about 20 minutes). Drain the water and store eggs in the refrigerator.

This method will get you hard boiled eggs with the least amount of shell cracking. If you set the eggs in the already boiling water, often times the shell with expand and crack...or they will crack when they hit the bottom of the pan. It's easiest to add the eggs at the beginning.

The Incredible Edible Egg

Eggs are low in calories, a great source of protein and if you buy free range/organic eggs, they're usually fairly low in cholesterol. I started cooking more with eggs this past summer, as I would get 2 dozen a month from my meat farmer. During the winter months, I've opted to buy organic, free range eggs at the grocery store. (Thank you Wild Harvest!)
FYI: Beware egg cartons that read "Made from Vegetarian Chickens". Chickens aren't supposed to be vegetarian. A chicken can be 'cage free' but not be 'free range'. The word 'vegetarian' usually alludes to the fact that the chicken isn't in a cage but it probably isn't outdoors either. If chickens are running outside, they're gonna peck and eat at worms, grubs, bugs, etc. There's nothing vegetarian about that. :)

Here are two easy recipes for yummy egg salad sandwiches.

#1 - for those who like a bit of spice
2 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 tbs of light mayo (or more, depending on your preference)
1 dollop of dijon mustard (i use Grey Poupon)
some fresh cracked pepper
mix all together in a bowl and serve with bread

#2 - for those with a sweet tooth
2 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 tbs of light mayo (depending on preference)
some fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp of white sugar
mix it all together and serve with bread

In the past 6 months I've tried to lower the amount of white, refined flour in my diet so instead of using two pieces of bread for a sandwich, I put all of this egg salad on one slice of bread. I think I'll have one of these open faced sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!

Bon Appetite!

Poultry Seasoning

Last night for Chris' and my dinner, I roasted a whole chicken I got from our meat farmer. It's so incredibly easy to roast a chicken but the key is to have good, easy seasoning.

The best seasoning I've found is Olde Thompson's Poultry Seasoning. I got a free sample 2 years ago, while working for Crate and Barrel, and it's delicious! And it lasts a really long time! I'm going on 2 years with the same bottle of seasoning and it's not even half way gone.


How to roast a chicken: wash the bird and pat it dry with a paper towel. Brush olive oil on the outside of the bird to help seal in the juices. Then grind this poultry seasoning all over the outside of the bird. I also sprinkle on some freshly ground pepper.

You can stick an onion or some garlic into the cavity of the bird but I've found that Olde Thomspon's seasoning is fine on it's own.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees and put the bird in there (with the legs on top and pointing to the back of the oven) for 20 minutes. This will sear the skin and help trap the juices, which makes for very moist chicken. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 50-60 minutes (depending on the size of your bird).

Bon Appetite!

Cool Congregations video

Click here to watch the hilarious video made by Vince and his wife Rachelle, for my church's Cool Congregations launch. This video aired this past Sunday at both morning services. I love that the Green Team (which I am the leader of for my church) has such great support from the other congregants.

Vince's Video

LUSH

Last night I needed to pick up a bottle of red wine for dinner at Chris' sister's place. Instead of going to Jewel, the chain grocery store in my neighborhood, I decided to stop into a wine boutique called LUSH. Right away I noticed the displays of $10 wines they had. That's right up my alley!

So I think instead of shopping at Jewel for wine, from now on I will support this local business. The wine costs the same either place but with LUSH I get great service and I feel good helping out my local establishment. :)

Spamalot

Chris and I saw Spamalot on Saturday night. It was hilarious!! So here's a recipe for SPAM

Enchilada Breakfast Casserole (back to index)

12 oz can SPAM - cubed 1/2" 4 eggs
1 small onion chopped 2 cups whipping cream
1 small green pepper, chopped 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 small tomato, chopped 4-oz can diced green chiles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 7" flour tortillas Picante sauce

Place about 1/4 cup SPAM, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon green pepper, 1 tablespoon tomato and 1 tablespoon cheese on one side of tortilla. Set remaining cheese aside. Roll up jelly-roll fashion; place seam side down in greased 13x9" baking dish. In small bowl combine remainin ingredients; blend together with wire whisk. Pour over ehchiladas. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven; bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with picante sauce. Yield: 8 enchiladas.