Recently Tasty

I've been lucky to eat (and drink!) many tasty things lately. If you are lucky enough to live in Portland, then you can go eat (and drink!) these tasty things, too. Go on--they're really good!

• Orzat at either/or in Sellwood. Made from lime, orange blossom water, sugar and ground almonds, this drink is the absolute perfect blend of citrus & sweet to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.
• Dinner at Abby's Table. My friend Andrea and I went to the SE Indian dinner last night and it was delicious, especially the black-eyed pea stew and the frozen chai lassi for dessert. Everything is always gluten, dairy and soy-free and you can see the menus here. You do sit at a communal table so you may be wanting to feeling a little more social than A. and I were last night, that was the only downfall...
• My daily treat is an iced mint and green chai at Tea Chai Te in the red caboose. Get it "Sellwood Style": with honey, no sugar and a mix of hemp and rice milks. Spicy, minty & refreshing.
• The salted chocolate popsicle at Cultured Caveman. Sweetened with just a little local honey.

Go and eat (and drink!).

What a Good (children's) Books Can Do

We've been enjoying the book Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote lately. It was displayed in the window of our library and I checked it out based on the random reasons that: 1) I liked the cover illustration and 2) I like reading multicultural stories to my boys. It turns out that it was our lucky day when I decided to check this book out, as it's a great and exciting story and, as the subtitle notes ('a migrant story'), it's rooted in a way of life that is fascinating and important, and that my boys had no idea about. I highly recommend this book, as both a great story and a great launching point for conversation. Probably ages 4 through 9 would enjoy this book.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote uses Spanish words throughout and provides a glossary at the end. We enjoyed learning some new Spanish words, along with some new kinds of foods and crafts. In preparing for a fiesta, Pancho and his brothers and sisters make papel picado to decorate.

When it turned out that we were having soft tacos for dinner last night, and we needed an afternoon activity, we tried our hands at making papel picado ("like Pancho!").

It was a really fun craft and the banners look so festive in our kitchen. I think they would make great birthday party decorations in various color combinations.

Yum!

I'm in love with the salted chocolate popsicles from Cultured Caveman. I don't know how they make these honey-sweetened gems, but they're a whole lot better than the various dairy-free chocolate popsicles I've tried to make at home.

I am really excited about Harlow's opening and can't wait to try it.

What have you been eating 'round PDX these summer days?