#20: June Living the life in Portland

the tin shed

In June we drove down to Portland, a 3 hour drive on a pretty busy stretch of I-5, with perhaps one of the highest percentage of idiot drivers this side of the Mississippi...drive slow in the passing lane? check.  make sure to not make room for merging folks? check.  drive like a maniac and weave in and out of traffic at 90+ miles and hour? check.  They are all there, making it a pretty exciting trip for everyone.  We were in town for a kendo tournament, so that filled Saturday...and on Sunday I was ready for a nice hearty breakfast.  Perusing the Portland magazine conveniently left in our hotel room, we found the Tin Shed mentioned..and were impressed by the descriptions of hearty breakfasts at low prices.


Although Portland prides itself in a number of things, including the public transit system, we decided to use our own car to drive up to the restaurant.  The Tin Shed was easy to spot as it looks like a tin shed.  The cooks smoking cigs outside the back said 'hello' and we were welcomed and seated in minutes...the shed has two seating areas, one inside, one out under a wood-shed-like roof.  We got one of the outside tables, and the waitress quickly set up with waters and things to color.  Coffee was DIY, so I didn't have to wait for a cup of joe.   This particular trip no one in our party was interested in pancakes--Mai and Issei went for oatmeal, I took some sort of farmhouse scramble, and Paci had something sweet.  I recall that the kids menu had some healthy options and was relatively inexpensive...$3 or so....which made me wonder where I could find such a place in Seattle.  I was so impressed, it kept me thinking about it all the way home, even as a a series of geniuses drove their sedans at 55 mph in the lefthand lane, and their brothers whipped around at 102 mph in their SUVs...

I like getting something to color too.

farmhouse scramble.

breakfast brings smiles

simple, cheap, yum

this is how you make oatmeal awesome

this is how you make toast yummy

hot oatmeal

nothing but milk for me, ma'am.

cute gals

yum

#19: May: More Mix onVashon Island

Krusteaz on the griddle

Vashon Island is only a few minutes by ferry from Seattle, and has plenty of rural charm.  We camped on the grounds of the Vashon Youth Hostel, an old-West-themed operation with teepees, a saloon, and a giant barn for lounging about, playing foosball, and escaping inclement weather.  This was Yuken’s first time camping and he seemed to enjoy it…the bright colors of the tent, the texture of grass, and all the excitement of camping with 8 or 10 other families with small children.    Once again we had great weather, though even with sunshine the kids spent a considerable amount of time playing pool and foosball indoors. Oh well.

happy campers

The hostel provides a kitchen and cooking supplies, firewood, and other amenities, which made it easy to pack for.  Following traditions of other youth hostels, they also provide free pancakes for breakfast…make them yourself, of course.  The brand of choice on Vashon is Krusteaz, served out of a 5-gallon bag.  As expected, Krusteaz tasted like instant pancakes.  Unfortunately, this time around we did not have all of the delicious and unhealthy side dishes, but there was plenty of syrup, which sort of made up for it.

#18: April Mixing it up on San Juan Island

kids driving the ferry

In April Pacifica, Issei and I went on a camping trip to San Juan Island, which lies out in the Straights of Juan de Fuca, connecting Puget Sound to the Pacific   Unlike other parts of the west coast, the Spanish heritage is not linked to the mission trails El Camino Real…instead it was a named after a Greek explorer, Ιωάννης Φωκάς, who may or may not have sailed up to the region some 400 years ago from Aculpulco.  Unlike Aculpulco, San Juan Island is usually rainy and cold in April, but there is always a small chance of sunshine.  We rolled the dice, hopped the ferry, and it turned out gorgeous.

For our first night, we had the campsite all to ourselves…set up camp, and wandered around on the little beach beneath, and launced driftwood boats out into the water as the sun set.  The next day we explored the town of San Juan, which takes about 1 hour, or less if your kids are riding on razor scooters, more if you like to check out the Whale Museum.  That afternoon, friends arrived and joined us at the campsite, and we all stayed up late until the stars came out and a fox ransacked food we carelessly left out while we went stargazing.  

The next morning we served up pancakes.  And the one after that.  For this trip we tried out two sets of instant mix…Bisquix and  something from the discount supermarket.  As expected, they tasted exacltly the same, but our chefs tried two different recipes: add water, or add less water.   The pancakes took a backseat to some of the delicious sides we prepared…fresh eggs from a local farm, and an assortment of top-shelf bacon and sausages.  On morning 2, we even had savory leftovers…Dutch-oven-roasted pork. Yum.  With 8 kids and 5 parents, we all ate well, then tried to burn off the calories racing and chasing around in the sunshine.

dancing on the top deck

cleaning the kelp off of pirate beach

non pancake breakfast

friends arrive

helping out

kid yoga session

#17: March Crepey Times at the Ridgeback Café

In March we headed over to the lower slopes of Phinney Ridge to a new venue, the Ridgeback Café, famous for its crepes. Nestled near a set of hipster bars, vintage shops, a tattoo parlor, and a sock shop, I was pleasantly surprised to find it open at 8:30 in the morning and none too crowded.  We met up with friends Susannah and Dan, who were wrapping up a week of goodbyes before their departure for Switzerland.

The Ridgeback Café was clean and hip, and having an open kitchen format meant that we could watch the cooks and wait staff work while we waited.  And waited…and waited.  I never realized how long it took to cook crepes, but they sure showed us…at least 30 minutes for our order, and then regularly in 7 minute intervals after that.  To be fair, no one on staff was standing around or taking cigarette breaks. Maybe their crepe grills were just heating up?  Luckily for us they had some things for the kids to look at while we waited: vintage salt and pepper shakers.  The crepes were pretty tasty; I had something savory for about $8 and I would have ordered another one, but it really took much too long to get one…I figure I could have gone shopping,  bought the ingredients, and whipped up a crepe at home.  The kids went for sweet, and Yuken watched it all with interest.

#15: How original...back to the Original Pancake House

Celebrating Yuken's one-month birthday, we set off for the Original Pancake House.  We brought along Nana Carol, and met up with our regular Jack and Jill pals, Tama, Howard, Shoshana and Liora.  This was our largest PKJJ crowd, but we got to the 'cake house early enough that getting a table was no problem. Being a Monday helped, too.  The kids went straight for the chocolate chip pancakes and couldn't be bothered with the other ample choices...blueberry, apple, coconut, etc.  I went for a half stack of coconut, as did Nana.  Mai went for a a regular mixed breakfast, which proved to be a little overcooked...a bit too much grill time on the 'taters.  All in all it was a good time, tasty as usual, though with the 1/2 stack I didn't have leftovers. 

#14 Scandinavian Donut Heaven: Larson's Bakery

Growing up, one of my favorite places to grab a Saturday morning treat in downtown Bemidji was the Blackforest Bakery.  Long shuttered, I've longed for the taste of a nice, old-school cream-filled bismark of my childhood.  In this day and age, when the rage is $5 cupcakes and $3 organic donuts, I've often yearned for those simpler times.  Glad was I to find that an old-school bakery still exists, no pretension or designer prices, right in my own neighborhood.  Larson's Bakery sits at the top of the Ballard neighborhood north of downtown Seattle.  With a long glass case full of refined sugar, bleach flour, and butter-soaked treats, this has become an inexpensive break from our monthly quest for great pancakes.  Rarely does a full meal break $10, and everyone is so sugared up that it makes the walk home pass in a jiffy.  Issei's donut of choice is usually the sugar-coated rings, while Pacifica has been trying pretty much everything in the case.  My favorite is definitely the sticky caramel roll, but the danishes are quite good as well.  Coffee is better than church coffee, which is fine, and the milk case is always paced with fresh pink cartons of skim for the little ones. Yum.