Ugly lipsticks, cute shoes and inspired recipes

For the past 6 months I’ve been on a mission to use up the 10 lipsticks I’ve purchased throughout (many) years.  Two things I’ve noticed… 1 – the 80′s and early 90′s were bad decades for lipsticks 2 – the uglier the color, the longer the lipstick seems to last. Ugh…..I blame my high school [...]

Fresh Rhubarb Chutney & Pork Loin

  May means the opening of our local farmer’s market and the beginning of fabulous meals planned the French way–built around whatever local ingredients look freshest and best.  Today’s inspiration came from juicy ripe rhubarb which makes me crave either a galette or a sweet/savory sauce with pork.  With several pounds of gorgeous rhubarb in my [...]

Curry, Chickpeas and Carrots

A few weeks ago we went to Ken’s Artisan Pizza, one of Portland’s best pizzarias made famous by reviews the New York Times and the defunct Gourmet magazine.  My overall take – it was pretty expensive and the pizza was a little overcooked for my taste, but I can definitely see why there is a [...]

Happy Valentine/Presidents’ Day Cherry-Port Brownies

Mama Shoe Chef has no special Valentine, so that means a trip to the kitchen–in heels, of course.  Last month I saw  a recipe in an old magazine for brownies with port-soaked cherries  I made it for a meeting and threw the recipe away.  Later I was asked for the recipe, so today seemed a [...]

Who Knew? Chayote to the Rescue!

I saw a Texan lady “throw down” with Bobby Flay, and she tossed some sliced chayote on the grill.  I realized I’d never  tasted one, so I picked one up at the market for 70 cents.  It’s new to me, but this unusual veggie pear saved my pork chop dinner.  We hadn’t had good old [...]

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