Portage Restaurant

There is nothing better than taking a chance on a new restaurant and having it be amazing. Wait, there is something just a little more enjoyable... have a Bloomspot for that place too! I saw a Bloomspot deal for this quaint little French Bistro called Portage on Queen Anne hill. It looked inviting, low-key and had an impressive menu. These are all traits that Will and I look for. We walked in and were greeted by the host/server. That's right, small enough that it could be a one woman show. There we 7-8 tables, two of which were situated in cozy front window nooks. We each had a glass of wine, I had a delicious Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The food was divine. Seared diver scallops with potato risotto, peas and a savory cream sauce. The scallops were perfectly cooked and incredibly sweet. Will had their Painted Hills steak with a red wine, mushroom reduction. To start we shared a spring salad of asparagus topped with an over-easy duck egg. It was an amazing meal, and I am so happy to recommend this place. Bon Apetit!

Korean Beef

I really do think that cooking has become therapeutic for me after a long work day. It's  a creative outlet and is instantly rewarding. Something I made last week that was so easy and sooo tasty was 'Cheap' Korean Beef. Normally Korean Beef uses flank steak, but by using ground sirloin you reduce the cost and is easier if you already have ground beef on hand. I loved it! Will loved it! (Which is sometimes the harder sell). The only addition that I made was adding mushrooms. Yum. I don't think I'd  make it again without them.
Bon Apetit!

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

Saturday was a chilly day filled with laundry and paying bills. I bought a Cooking Light Cookbook at Goodwill a few weeks ago and decided to make this Crab Corn Chowder recipe for some comfort. While at the closest grocery store, I realised they did not have any crab so once again, time to improvise. I bought a 1/2lb of shrimp and used that instead. This was so marvelous! We were sitting at the dinner table eating and I could not stop raving about it! Although Will enjoyed it, he was not as quite as enthusiastic. As chef, getting to use some creativity in the recipe is super exciting! Steps towards really being a great cook... knowing how to cook without a recipe. Anyway, here were my adjustments:
I actually used canned corn since that is what was on hand
I used regular potatoes instead of red
I used regular mushrooms on hand, while the soup was simmering I sauteed them with garlic and oo
I also sauteed the shrimp with butter, oo, chopped onion, garlic and a little Cheyenne. I chopped them into pieces and put them along with the mushrooms in right before serving.

Bon Apetit!