Taco Picnic

We have a lot of fun bringing all the ingredients for making tacos to picnics. Yesterday I brought and set up a taco bar picnic at the waterfront. I made up taco meat, this time I used ground turkey. I buy my taco seasoning at Costco. I cooked the ground turkey until it wasn’t pink any more then added the taco seasoning and water according to the package directions. I put the hot meat in a plastic container with a screw on top lid. I put the hot ingredients in one cooler and the cold ingredients in another cooler. I use a gel pack warmed in the microwave to keep the food hot. The other ingredients that I brought were Tillamook Mexican grated cheese, olives, salsa, lettuce and taco shells. I put everything in its own container. At the picnic I handed out plates and taco shells and passed everything around. Everyone built their own tacos.

Dry Sautéed Green Beans

green beans
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen

When cooked the green beans will be blacken on the outside. Do not over cook. Dried up charred bits are hard to eat. It takes a little practice but is fairly fun and easy to learn how to cook dry sauté beans. Adding purple beans to the beans makes it easy to tell when the beans are cooked. Purple beans turn green when cooked.

1 pound green beans, washed trimmed and cut into two inch pieces.

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Alternative seasoning:

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil

OR use any combination that you like.

Currently I am using sesame oil, sesame seeds and garlic powder.

Heat oil in sauté pan to very hot. Add green beans. Stir. Listen to the beans sizzle. After the beans have started to cook add seasonings. Sprinkle sesame seeds on when adding seasoning. Watch sesame seeds dance in pan. Last ingredient to add before serving is sesame oil. Sesame oil doesn’t like heat. The beans take only a few minutes to cook. Serves four.

This is a fun quick recipe to make.

Portland Farmers Market Thursdays at Ecotrust Building

Last night I wandered through the farmers market at Ecotrust. It had an impressive number of berry sellers. There were many types of yummy berries to choose from. I tasted a nice cold white wine poured by Twist Wine Company. I drank a sample of Hot Lips soda pop. I would like to get a mixed case of Hot Lips Soda pop. It is a nice Farmers market with plenty of food items to make a summer picnic out of.

Ecotrust NW 10 and Irving 3:30 to 7:30 pm on the street car line.

www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

The Barn

The Barn
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen

The Barn
Farm Fresh Produce
I stopped in the Barn today to purchase my produce. I enjoy having berries on my cereal for breakfast. They have raspberries, blueberries and several kinds of blackberries. The local corn, beans and tomatoes are ripe and available. Call them if you want large quantities for canning. They have fresh herbs like dill and basil. I am going to go outside, heat up the gas BBQ and roast the corn and the red pepper that I got at the Barn. Bing Cherries from the Barn will round out our dinner.
Seasonal Fruit and vegetables, Canning supplies and they accept food stamps.
Trapold Farms Inc. 5211 NE 148th off Airport Way, Portland, OR 97230 503 253 5103 Open June to November Monday thru Saturday closed Sundays