After nearly 2 weeks of leisure (read: LOTS of eating and drinking). I’ve been thrown back right back into the swing of things and feel a little like one of those fat guys who would willingly take a cannon ball into the stomach.

Fall quarter started this week. It is going to be intense.

I am hoping I’ll make it through 3 lab classes (15 hours/week) on top of my full time job and still have some energy to cook at home, and maybe get out of the house once in a while.  The good news is we’re creating a portfolio for our Baking/Pastry class, so that will help me keep things posted here.   I’ll get to some tales and more pictures of our travels through the Pacific Northwest and California soon.

There is little I love in this world more than cheese. And yesterday on Alberta Street in NE Portland, we stumbled upon my version of heaven: The Grilled Cheese Grill.

It was perfect timing – I was just starting to reach the point of grumpiness from hunger. You know, when you don’t realize that you’re hungry, but you start just being irritable? I find this happens a lot when you’re on vacation with no discernible eating schedule. Anyways, we were walking east on Alberta, sort of away from the majority of the shops, thinking we would turn around and just go to a sit-down restaurant for lunch, when we noticed yet another street food cart.  The others on the street mostly hadn’t yet opened or were serving vegan fair that doesn’t fit my fancy.  This proved disappointing when we had primed ourselves for some BBQ at Dixon’s Rib Pit, only to find them closed.  But, this one had people sitting at tables! One point for being opened. Wait, what does that sign say? Something about cheese…the Grilled Cheese Grill!?! I jumped up and did a little jig. Grilled cheese is my ultimate comfort food. Lunch time.

Can't talk, chewing

Their menu featured everything from the Classic (regular old grilled cheese)  to the Cheesus Burger (a burger with 2 grilled cheeses as buns). I opted for the daily special called the “Pittsburgh, PA” (I think because they had G20 protests there that day) which was apple butter, ham,  Tillamook horseradish cheddar cheese and avocado. It was a taste bud trifecta of sweet, salty and cheesey.

Jason went with one called the BABS; the picture basically says it all.

The BABS: Bacon, Apple, Bleu Cheese, Swiss on Rye

My only complaint is that they don’t have one in Chicago. Bonus: Their twitter feed seems to basically just be links to old cartoon clips. Love it.

When I was a kid my neighbor had a raspberry bush. I remember going over into her yard and snacking on the sweet fruit.  I always  ate them a very specific way – cupping one berry on each of my fingertips and then popping them into my mouth one finger at a time. As soon as they were gone I would gather another ten berries and place them on my fingers starting the process over again.

Now whenever I buy raspberries I almost always eat the entire container immediately. Sometimes still using my fingertip method. There just never seem to be enough to justify putting away for later.

This past weekend we went on a mini Michigan tour.  Our first stop was St. Clair, just south of Port Huron where we stayed with Jason’s Grandpa Leo, and his wife Lorraine. They live along a river dividing the United States and Canada and often get the pleasure of viewing 1000 foot ships traveling along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

When we arrived Leo gave us a tour of their idyllic land including what I considered a massive raspberry patch.  It dwarfed the memory of my neighbors backyard bush.

Leo and Lorraine showing off their raspberry patch

They were everbearing raspberry plants, Leo told us.  Soon he would begin harvesting them for the second time this season. We could see flicks of red all through the bushes indicating they would be in for a terrific bounty as the berries ripened.  Unfortunately they weren’t ripe enough for us to enjoy any this trip, but I do plan on picking up some this weekend at the Green City Market.