Portland, Oregon: It rained so hard today, our newly-cleaned gutters overflowed. They just could not handle the volume of water cascading off our roof. The noise of sheets of rain pummeling the house was deafening - and then the thunder started. It was a doozy of a storm. Portland received over an inch of rain in one afternoon. Fears for landslides and flash floods on the mountains, now stripped of foliage due to forest fires, cover the local news. We no longer need to fill the bird baths daily. How about a bowl of noodle soup to warm the belly?
Today's concoction was devised by My Driver. Broth with ginger and garlic, fresh spinach leaves, noodles, bean sprouts and kimchi garnish. Dave is particularly fond of kimchi. We found a brand of scallion pancakes we like at a new Asian grocer recently opened, 99 Ranch Market. This southern-California chain was founded by a Taiwanese-American and they offer many foods made in Taiwan... which makes us very happy indeed.
Another yummy bowl of noodles.Tonight begins the ten day Jewish new year holiday, Rosh Hashanah. Time for prayer and contemplation - and as with most holidays, a lot of food. I always make My Beef Brisket on Rosh Hashanah, but since we are observing Vegan Month, made Lisa's vegetarian/vegan version by replacing roasted Portobello mushrooms and mushroom stock for the beef and beef stock - and greatly reducing the cooking time. The mushrooms were served with mashed potatoes.
It really just isn't the same as beef, and mashed potatoes are not same as latkes, but the dish was vegan. And decent.Apparently we have a dining room and fancy china.
Something that was more than decent? The green beans, served with a sauce made with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Garnished with pistachios, the sauce was a little nod to the middle east. I am a garnisher.
Until my next update, I remain, your Happy New Year correspondent.