onward and upward ever

Whew. Traveling can take a lot out of a person. Mr. Beeton and I are close to recovered from our trip to the Pacific Northwest. The time difference really took a toll on me, though. I feel like today is the first day that I woke up at a normal hour and ate on schedule. No wonder I've never been one of those people who dream of far-away places. I can barely travel cross country without needing to hit a reset button.

Our trip started in Portland, Oregon (after a quick switch by Continental... "You wanted to fly to Oregon? Sorry, your flight was cancelled. Why don't you take a train from 30th Street Station to Newark instead?"). We visited with family, saw the cutest kitchen in the world, played with cats, stopped in at Powell's, did some sightseeing, walked around Portland State, and enjoyed some terrific Thai food before heading up north to Tacoma. There, we stayed in a big, old, rambling beauty of a house, hugged Grammy many, many times, drove through Point Defiance, ate at Anthony's, bought some Fiestaware (it's a family tradition), and headed up to Seattle.

I don't want to offend any of my new West Coast relatives, but I have to admit that Seattle held a few "blog-worthy" gems. Among them were some delicious Dungeness crab ravioli at Volterra and a trip to Pike Place.

The two places that I want to tell you about, though, are a bit off the beaten path. The first may be familiar to virtual "foodies," but my suspicion is that not many have had first hand experience with Delancey - the pizza shop opened by Molly Wizenberg (of Organette) and her husband, Brandon. We had met Molly in D.C. at a book signing she had at Borders earlier this year. While getting our book signed, Mr. Beeton boldly told Molly that we'd be in Seattle in August and would love to stop by and try the new place out. The only thing is that right before we left we realized the restaurant would not be open. Rather, when we were scheduled to be there, there would be a series of invited dinners. Mr. Beeton insisted I write, explaining my food memoir project, and see if we could score a seat. I was too embarrassed, so instead, we drove by, took some pictures, and Auntie K scored us a menu. Molly scanned her own in, so I'll just link to her site (for copyright reasons... I am an English teacher, after all). It doesn't look like much from outside, but the smell coming from inside was fantastic.

The second spot was a little plot of land that some guerillas have taken over. Mr. Beeton's cousin K and her boyfriend M are involved in a little activity called guerilla gardening. They found a plot of undeveloped land behind their apartment and planted away, using wine bottles to warm the cold Seattle soil. I thought it was a pretty sweet spot.

So, what's a good way to re-enter your "real" life after a vacation like this? With a recipe from your very own West Coast relative. Actually, I re-discovered this recipe from one of my very best roommates ever - E from Corvalis. She made it when I graduated from Delaware, and when my mother tasted it at the party, she said it was the same dish my Aunt J from California used to make. It's become one of my comfort foods since it reminds me of some of the best people in my life.

Chicken Curry With Artichokes

There are a lot of recipes out there on the web, but I like this one the best because it's my own.

• Cook chicken-flavored Rice-A-Roni, according to the instructions on the box.
• When it's done, put it in a big yellow bowl (or any other kind of happy serving bowl you have around).
• Add some artichokes and a little of the juice. I like artichokes in a glass jar.
• Add a good number of green olives.
• Add as much mayonnaise as you like.
• Add as much curry powder as you like.
• You can add boiled chicken, too, but I like it better without.

Traditionally, I believe this salad is served cold, but I can never wait. It's good warm, too.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished watching Mad Men: Season 2. Also watched Gigantic. Read The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn.