Fall is a time for festivals and food to fatten up for winter.  Or at least I taught the latter to my school children this week.  Kids just love hearing that they have to (metaphorically) eat sooooo much because they want to get really, really fat (all the while miming "eating" and "fat") to get through the winter season.  It's hilarious...

The "Raised Heart Rate" will slowly be reintroduced to the blog as I've started to ignore, rather than coddle my plantar fasciitis.  No half-marathons will be raced in the near future (probably because it's getting too cold for many more races) but I see a return to the gym and a terrifying "Sugar Control Diet" as what I hope to be the complete opposite of getting as fat as possible for the inevitable winter. 

But that isn't to say that I haven't been stuffing my face with some of the most delicious food Portland has to offer.  Starting with the best; pulled pork enchiladas at Sonny's.  Holy hell, all the senses are aroused when this dish is placed in front of you.  First, you see it in all it's colorful glory.  Then the aroma hits you and you take a big sniff.  And then force your dining companion to smell it too.  Ok, maybe you won't hear anything going on in this dish except the satisfying fork-scraping on the plate noise but there's no way you can eat it all in one siting.  I was in heaven as I ate the leftovers between teaching classes today.  The feeling sense comes in as the textures hit your tongue. The pork, tortilla, cheese, beans, rice, tomatoes, some sort of pickled cabbage-y goodness (crunchy and arguably the best part) and smoked poblano salsa verde.  Don't even get me started on the tastes.  You won't believe me.  Just go eat it and bring me some too.  My partner in food ordered the grilled hangar steak, medium rare.  This dish started with quality beef, was served with not one but two local potato samosas (fried to perfection) and served on top of tamarind and mint chutneys with a crazy piece of curly endive "salad" atop it all.  The meat was very tender and beautiful to look at but put anything fried on my plate and I swoon every time.  Luckily, I had my own taste explosion in front of me...(too cheesy?)

After my Sonny's trip last night, another drink was wanted.  MAPS was the next destination as it has a great vibe, minus the older, slightly drunk crowd who tried to get the jute box to play music.  Sorry kids.  If you haven't been here and you happen to like grilled cheese, you are doing something wrong.  Visit MAPS, look at the maps on the wall, listen to Huey Lewis and the News on record, drink some beer and, if you haven't just eaten the most perfect meal ever (see enchilada description above), get an English grilled cheese and a local beer.  Or a Blue or a Classic.  Whatever your poison. 

On a separate trip to Sonny's with a girlfriend, we happened to also order the fried avocado with pico de gallo and lime and the squash risotto.  The avocado was good but needed salt and the squash risotto, though very flavorful, didn't hold a candle to Blue Spoon's risotto dish.  The risotto contained beautiful smoked beets, wild mushrooms, house-made ricotta cheese and brown butter sage bread crumbs. It was made with barley instead of rice so the overall feeling was full and healthy, not creamy heaviness.  No Sonny's meal is complete without a signature cocktail.  I chose their spicy strawberry hot pepper margarita with its fresh fruity taste and spicy bite at the back of your throat.  It's just enough to make you believe that winter is really far off...

I am unable to recall the last time I visited a large grocery store like Hannaford's or Trader Joe's.  I've been visiting the smaller, locally-owned places.  The farmer's market has been the bulk of my food I've consumed at home, assisted by quinoa and Watcharee's Thai green curry sauce from the Portland Food Co-op and hot Italian sausage from Rosemont.  See below for recipe. 

And speaking of curry, I ventured down to Saco's Thai ME for the first time in years.  I might owe my current hometown status to Thai ME, as that's where I met the person who somewhat convinced me to move to Portland.  Their yellow curry was just as tasty as I remembered and worth the trip if you are already in the area.  Pom Thai's is pretty much the same so an extra trip might be too much.  But if you find yourself in Saco at night, swing by Run of the Mill Pub right on the historic Saco River for a Scrumpy's Organic Hard Cider, now served in a Tallboy-esque can. 

Which brings me to the nature portion of this piece.  See the Autumn photos below.  While on a walk, I came across a wonderfully colored Dogwood leaf.  It looks very much like someone painted these fallen food-makers with a fine paint brush.  The other multi-colored photo is behind the Architecture Salvage building on Preble Street.  Go see it on your way to Planet Fitness, to work off all the food that I've just told you to go eat...

The most glorious home-made Green Curry dish to get you through the snowy winter
One jar Watcharee's Green Curry sauce
Any vegetables you know and love, sauteed your favorite way
Any protein you want, whether it's Rosemont sausage, boiled chicken, seared tofu, etc
Quinoa, rice or rice noodles, cooked to completion. 

Once you have everything cooked, add whole jar of Watcharee's sauce to the sautee pan and cook a little longer (I can only make it about five minutes before I salivate heavily)

Eat it.  Specifically, put base (quinoa, rice or rice noodles) in a bowl and smother with green curry mixture. 

I have thus far been too cheap to acquire internet at my new apartment.  Since this is the case, I find myself at Local Sprouts often enough (now included).  Monday morning found me working on class materials for Reiche Elementary's garden class.  The subject was apples, bees and pollination.  I was fueled by a muffin, whos best ingredient (peaches!) were brought to me by my friends, the bees.  Spoiler alert, the kids had a fabulous time, running around pretending to be bees and pollinating flowers, then making honey (not ecologically accurate as different bee do different jobs but good enough for an introduction to the subject).  During my lunch break, I went to Aurora Provisions for lunch and and some pleasure reading.  I got their butternut squash soup (hearty/thick and delicious!) and a fresh salad with orange tomatoes, red bell peppers, almonds and goat cheese.  I would get that lunch every day if it were possible.  Simple but incredibly tasty. 

The previous week, I had driven to New Hampshire for a job interview.  It all went well but Portland and all its charms still hold my heart.  It was a beautiful drive with some interesting sites along the way.  One such stop included the longest covered bridge in NH.  At 449.5 feet long, it was built in 1866 and, back in the day, you had to walk your horses across or face a $2 fine (equivalent to $30 today.  Go nerd out on this for awhile: http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php)

The day after I returned to my beloved city, I went apple picking for the aforementioned apple-centric class and then to Outliers for a drink and surprise snack.  Apparently going with someone who knows EVERYONE in town will warrant random snacks.  The small plate served was Brussels sprouts fried up in the most perfect way and placed upon some slightly spicy goodness.  Don't look for it on the menu.  VIPs only apparently!  I tried an new beer as well which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was the Blueberry Berliner Weisse from White Birch Brewery from NH (go figure).  It was 5.5%, brewed with blueberry puree and absolutely light and refreshing. 

Another night in the very recent past, I found myself at Blue Spoon for the first time.  I now find this ridiculous as this restaurant is intimate, smells heavenly and makes food that tastes like passion is the number one ingredient.  My dining companion didn't laugh (too much) at my choice of drink: Bantam Wunderkind Cider and Urban Farm Fermentory Dry Cider mixed together.  Not too sweet, not too dry.  The small plates all looked great but given the choice, I will always choose Brussels sprouts, especially when served sliced up and sauteed with bacon and a creamy mustard sauce.  I almost stole this dish and ran, just so I could have it all to myself.  The farmers greens were also present, and a great counterpoint for the sprouts.  The greens were simply prepared (sauteed kale and chard or something of the like) with pickled peppers and fresh ricotta.  The colors alone were something to stare at.  For entrees, we chose the grilled ribeye (served simply with husk cherries, fingerling potatoes, a goat cheese topping of sorts and tarragon) and risotto.  My risotto dish was altered slightly to contain squash and mushrooms instead of smoked eggplant, plus the normal kale, duck prosciutto, marscapone and Parmesan cheese.  Oh my word, this was in the top two risotto dishes I've ever encountered.  Unfortunately, the first was in a restaurant outside of Montreal and, even though I can't remember a single ingredient it contained, I still dream about it from time to time.  The meal filled us up so thoroughly that dessert wasn't even a thought, though I did momentarily waiver when I caught a glimpse of their chocolate mousse-esque number.  That WILL be on my table the next time I visit. 

One night this week found me up in Brunswick for a lecture.  I love to nerd out to Gulf of Maine Research Institute lectures.  This particular talk was in collaboration with Frontier Restaurant and had a couple of appetizer bites for sample based on the talk.  One of the GMRI employees gave a great lecture on underutilized fish we could be catching and eating instead of over-fishing the most popular species.  I wish I didn't find fish so damn cute but I did hear a very encouraging fact: 80% of the salmon sold in the United States comes from a Maine/Canadian company called True North Salmon Company.  I do happen to enjoy salmon!  One of the appetizers to sample was dogfish fried in rice flour, placed upon their "Louie"(...siana) sauce and topped with cilantro.  I will eat most anything fried but this had an especially excellent flavor.  I may have also accidentally stopped at Gelato Fiasco for a surprisingly gigantic small dish of chocolate caramel sea salt and their signature Resurgam gelatos. 

Today was a rainy day full of babysitting, relaxing and animal fat.  Pizza was had for lunch from Portland Pie.  Their dining-in eating meals are much fresher and better tasting than delivery but it hit the spot either way.  Somehow, the Holy Donut also made an appearance in our tummies with no complaints from the peanut gallery.  I also got a Coffee By Design vanilla spice brew and doctored it up with milk and maple syrup.  Oh fall, how I love you.

Let's get deep for a minute.  Reproduction; isn't it interesting how many different methods there are? I'm obviously talking about plants here. There's winds dispersal, water dispersal, seeds that are ingested and excreted by an animal, hitchhikers and more.
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How did all this come about? Which way is the most efficient?  Why do some trees fruit in the Spring and some in the Fall?  Which ones are the most reproductively successful? 

I came upon these Dogwood fruits (see photo below) and they just got me thinking. Plants are amazing in so many ways. They grow without the help of man and would be here, no matter whether we were here beside them or not.  Most animals would be just fine as well, but plants would really hit it off.  This is one of the very reasons why I respect plants so much.  Another reason is that we basically trade breath with them.  We breath out what they breath in and vice versa. 

I may have a black thumb (succulents excluded) but I find botany fascinating.   I once read a book called The World Without Us (by Alan Weisman) that covered the human disappearing/plant thriving theory and it was absolutely fascinating. Just think about it: The sun would still rise and set.  The sunsets would be just as beautiful here in Maine, the flowers would be just as luscious and the birds would call just as sweetly.
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But what am I really getting at? Not a whole heck of a lot.  Simply musings as I take a long walk…try it sometime!