Homemade Mini Pizzas - a family tradition

My family has been making mini pizzas for Christmas Eve dinner for as long as I can remember. It is a tasty and interactive dinner that is great for any age. Normally pizza is a little underrated for Christmas Eve dinner, but not in my household! We love the tradition and it is even something you can do anytime of the year.

Over the years we have experimented with a variety of ingredients and explored all the different crust options. This year was the best by far - we added pesto and basil to the ingredients. If you have read any of my previous posts, you know how much I love basil.

It all started with the kid-friendly pizza - english muffin crust, marinara sauce, cheddar cheese, pepperoni and sausage. (There may have been veggies to choose from, but as a kid, I was not interested).

Now we have stepped up our game with the option of making our own crust with pre-made pizza dough or already baked eight inch pizza crust rounds. My mom even bought some pizza crust rounds layered with cheese. Yum!

Here are some toppings we used - try these or experiment with your own!

Our toppings

Fruit

Tomatoes

Pineapple

Meat

Ham

Sausage

Pepperoni

Cheese
Mozzarella
Cheddar
Parmesan

Veggies
Mushrooms
Olives
Basil
Green Peppers
Scallions

Take a look at the finished product!

Next year I think we want to try a BBQ chicken pizza or maybe a Thai chicken pizza? 

Let me know what sounds good to you!

Update 10/2/12: Where to get the crust? Check out Trader Joe's pizza dough. They have it in three different flavors - whole wheat, traditional and garden herb. Also, you can buy pre-made pizza crust rounds too. I have had luck buying them at Winco but I believe Trader Joe's sells them too. 

¿Por Que No? - why not Mexican?

Por Que No? Why not visit this mexican taqueria for some awesome food? This place is fantastic and I know the rest of Portland thinks so too because there is always a line to order food. I am addicted to their carnitas (braised pork) because of the sweet flavor and juicy taste. 

There are two locations - one in North Portland and one in SE Portland. We chose to visit the one in SE on Hawthorne Blvd. I have only been to the one on Hawthorne but I never been disappointed. You walk into the restaurant, order and pay, take your number and wait for them to deliver it to your table.

This mexican taqueria is so much more than just the "traditional" mexican menu with rice, beans and enchiladas/tacos/burrito. The ingredients are so fresh which makes the dishes so colorful - with red onions, cilantro, radishes, tomatoes, black beans and homemade golden crispy chips. My meals of choice are listed below:

Bryan's Bowl ✌ (sub fish for $2 / $3 for shrimp).................$6.75 Your choice of meat or veggies in a bowl with beans, rice, guacamole,salsas, queso fresco, crema, cilantro & a side of chips or 3 tortillas

Porque Plate ✌ (sub fish for $2 / $3 for shrimp)...............$11.00 Your choice of meat or veggies served on a plate with beans, rice, a small salad, salsa fresca, guacamole, crema & 4 tortillas

{via menu}

Bryan's Bowl with carnitas

Bryan's Bowl with chicken

The decor is eccentric and vibrant with colorful walls and a variety of different types of artwork. Chalkboards cover one wall listing all the food and drink specials. The table and chairs are all different shapes and sizes. It is an organized chaos on the walls with vases, mirrors, empty frames, Virgin Mary statues, Christmas lights and paintings - you name it. There is indoor and outdoor seating at the SE Portland location and it is especially fun in the summertime because they open the front garage door so the whole has an outdoor feel to it. 

Affordable, great ambience and delicious food.

open 7 days a week
lunch and dinner

3524 N Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR 97227
(503) 467 - 4149

4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97215
(503) 954 - 3138

Check them out at http://www.porquenotacos.com/. 

Holiday Ale Fest 2010

I was not the only one who enjoyed some great beer this holiday season Portland's Holiday Ale Fest. Hundreds of people gathered at Pioneer Square for the five day seasonal ale fest and sampled local brewer's latest creations. There were so many different holiday flavors and a ton of new beers featured at this year's festival.

beautiful city lights of Portland 

When you enter the festival, you are greeted with holiday scents like cinnamon, nutmeg and peppermint. It was so cozy and all the scents were captured under the big white tents covering Pioneer Square. It was definitely a great way to kick of December. Next time, I vow to try some of the food I was smelling, it all looked pretty incredible. It reminded me of an adult version of a Christmas bazaar...knocks the socks of the usual elementary school craft bazaar.

So a quick recap on the way beer fests work - usually you pay an admission and get a mug, beer tickets and a guide. Then when you get in, there are tables set up with volunteers pouring all the beers. You have the option of using your tickets for a 4oz taste or you can pay extra tickets for a full mug. This festival was just that - $25 for a mug and 10 beer tickets. 

Here were some of the favorites of the night:

Laht Neppur Brewing Co. - Waitsbur, Washington: Toe Tingler Stout  (I LOVED this one....it was so festive and had flavors of maple syrup....yum!)
Vertigo Brewery - Hillsboro, Oregon: La Nina Coffee Porter
Stoning Brewing Co. - Escondido, California: Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Beans


Ones we missed:

Block 15 Brewery - Corvallis, Oregon: Figgy Pudding, Olde Stock
Buckman Village Brewery - Portland, Oregon: Ginger Beer

signs indicating the beers

Overall, a huge success and we had a great time, as usual. Take a look at the full list of the beers featured at this year's festival here.

Brews at Bridgeport Pub in NW

Last week was the week for beer - a late night at Bridgeport Brewpub and then some Holiday Ale Fest fun.  I would recommend Bridgeport Brewery any day of the week for some good food and quality craft beer. They are open seven days a week until 10pm or later.

Bridgeport Beer Chart with IBUs and alcohol content

The brewpub is two stories with bars on each level and a gift shop on the main level. The walls are all red brick, candles light up the tables and leather couches are available for lounging. I love the atmosphere because it is always lively and everyone is in good spirits. Maybe that is just the beer talking? But still, a perfect place for large or small groups.

The Beers

Cases of Night Cap 

We started with the winter seasonal brew - The Ebenezer and then followed with their Haymaker Pale Ale. I know the Haymaker is more of a summer beer, but I love the rich, crisp flavors. It is always a nice beer to start with. The Ebenezer has more hops than the Haymaker but has a nice sweet malt finish with flavors of barley.


They also had two other seasonal beers this year - Nightcap Winter Ale and Old Knucklehead. I really liked the Nightcap because it was similar to the Ebenezer but sweeter with more caramel flavors.

Check out all their ales and ingredients here.

The Grub

chicken sandwich

For dinner, we ordered the Brewhouse Macaroni + Cheese, House Smoked Pulled Pork and the Spicy Haymaker Chicken Sandwich. I will sum up the meal with a plus about each dish.

Mac n' Cheese - topped with crushed up house-made kettle chips...yum.
Pulled Pork Sandwich - get it just for the potato salad (the sandwich is traditional but good)

Chicken Sandwich - the bread was awesome and the chipotle mayo has a nice kick to it.

Check out the brewpub on 13th and NW Marshall  OR visit the Ale House in SE on Hawthorne.

1313 NW Marshall Street                                       3632 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Portland, OR 97209                                                Portland, OR 97214

503.241.3612                                                          503.233.6540

50 bucks at 50 Plates

Another night in The Pearl District of beautiful Portland...but instead of a girl's night, it was a date night. I have, yet again, Groupon to thank for our dining destination - $50 to 50 Plates. I love my deals....plus it encourages us to try new restaurants.

My boyfriend and I decided to head to 50 Plates on a Wednesday at around 8pm and they were pretty busy! Always a good sign...but we were nervous because we did not have reservations. They sat us within five minutes, but I would certainly recommend reservations on a weekend. This was not my first time to 50 Plates, but it was my first time dining from their dinner menu. I have been there for happy hour before and really enjoyed it so that is another reason we returned.

We started with the ahi tuna poke and the castroville artichoke rolls. So fantastic! The tuna poke was our favorite with ginger, avocado and bagel chips. It was a great portion and so flavorful. The artichoke rolls were good too, but only three smalls rolls for a hefty price. Stick to the tuna.

Next, we ordered our entrees - I had the "mac & cheese" and Dylan of course had the "fifty burger" plus bacon. The burger was HUGE and came with tasty fries. The veggies were so fresh and the presentation was perfect (it had a cute little American Flag toothpick in it). He almost doubled the patties...so happy he didn't, there is NO way he could have finished it. My "mac & cheese" was just okay. It was not traditional mac and cheese. It was rigatoni filled with fennel and chicken covered in melted cheddar and parmesan. I discovered I don't love fennel, the flavor is too overpowering (at least in this dish).

Last, we decided we were way to full for dessert, but they still finish your meal off with something sweet....complimentary. They brought us two spoonfuls of homemade fudge. What a signature touch. And guess what? Somehow I ended up making room for the fudge. :)

Pros:

Happy Hour - available 4- 6pm in the bar

Location - right in the heart of the Pearl and easy access from the freeway

Decor - my favorite part! So fantastic...classy and contemporary with accents of browns and blues. I loved the white tables with browns linens and the brown tables with white linens.

Cons:

Parking is tough on the weekends and on First Thursdays

The iced tea...silly to some, but we love good iced tea.

Check them out at http://www.50plates.com/ or come right in to dine:

333 NW 13th Ave

(corner of NW 13th and Flanders)

Portland, Oregon

97209

Phone

503-228-5050

Happy Hour - 4 to 6pm

Open 7 days a week!

photo 1 & 2 via 50plates.com

Serious Pie Seattle

So I am over a month behind on posting about my food adventures in Seattle and San Fran. My New Year's resolution is now going to be "post on blog more than once a week." I am out trying this fantastic places and I am not sharing the details....shame on me.

Well, back to Seattle. If I have not already mentioned, my cousin lives in Seattle so she was the first person I asked about restaurants. She recommended any of the Tom Douglas restaurants in Downtown Seattle. We looked at the Web site and decided to go for some delicious pizza and try Serious Pie.

We got to the restaurant at about 9pm on Friday and the place was packed! It was not a very large restaurant but had fun bar table seating and an open kitchen. We had to wait for about twenty minutes, but while waiting, we enjoyed a

bottled beer.

When we were seated, we sat at a cozy seat in the back of the restaurant. The energy was upbeat, hip and fun...definitely a popular place just to hang out and socialize. They have welcoming staff members that are not overbearing, but still provide excellent service.

As for the pizza - it was on a flat bread crust, served right on the cutting board. We went with the fennel sausage, onion, red pepper and basil pizza. You can definitely share a pizza between two people, but if you are hungry, I would recommend ordering one of your own. I was very happy with our choice and my only complaint is that I was too full to try another kind!

Perks other than the food:

- the great candle chandeliers :)

- awesome service

- open kitchen

Food price: $8 - $18 (appetizers and pizza prices)

Beverage - $3 - $12 (beer and wine only)

Take a look at the menu for yourself!

Serious Pie

316 VIRGINIA SEATTLE, WA 98121 (206) 838-7388

Open 11am - 11pm EVERYDAY. No reservations.

Endless Eats meets Seattle!

It was time for a vacation, which meant it was time for some new restaurants! Our destination cities were Seattle and San Francisco with a side of Sausalito. As you read the next series of posts, just remember Endless Eats is on a little field trip to Washington and Northern California.

The first stop in Seattle was the famous Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Let me start by saying it was torture walking by all the fresh vegetables, seafood and beautiful floral arrangements because I could not buy any to take back with me. But, for anyone visiting Seattle for the first time, I highly recommend walking through the market - rain or shine (most of it is covered.). We did stop for some tasty fish and chips during a happy hour at one of the local pubs. The pub even had a Dunkel beer from Leavenworth, Washington. The best find of the trip!
Next, we decided to burn the calories off by walking about 100 feet to the market's local brewery to get some more beer at The Pike Brewery Company. I cannot believe this was my first time trying their beer. I must say I was pretty impressed. We ordered a sampler so we could try six of their beers.

Here were the beers included:

Pike Naughty Nellie - Golden Ale (One of Dylan's favorites - a light beer with nice flavor and little bitterness)

Pike Pale Ale - Heirloom Amber

Pike IPA - Indian Pale Ale

Pike Kilt Lifter - Scotch Ale

Pike Tandem - Double Ale (This one was my favorite with flavors of coriander and sugar cane. So good!)

Pike XXXXX - Double Ale (If you like hops and stout beers, you will love this one - a little too bitter for me, but many love it)

We had a great time and I was excited to find out there are plenty of places in Portland to buy these beers.

Next time you are in Seattle, check out the brewery for yourself (they also have a happy hour!)

The Pike Brewing Company

1415 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98105-2017

(206) 622-6044

Open from 11am to Midnight / Daily

Anyone recommend any other breweries in the Seattle area?

Stayed tuned for another post on Seattle eats...next is pizza!