Perfect blueberry scones!

This is what it's all about at our house on Sunday morning! The New York Times, a hot cup of strong coffee, and the perfect blueberry scone as made by my highly motivated wife. I blogged these same scones last year, but I know there's hordes....okay, tens....of new hungry readers of eat.drink.think. who need this in their culinary repertoire, so click here for the post with recipe. These are the best scones I've had.....period! The recipe is another winner from Cooks Illustrated, those persnickety recipe testers who print no recipe before they've done it a few dozen times. These bites of baked deliciousness are stellar. The texture is moist, cakey, and using fresh bluberries ensures that the stay whole and don't mush out like frozen berries do. Plus, with blueberries sure to be rolling out of your local farmers markets, the time is now!

Lasso me some tasso!

Just a quick note to all you PDX readers (and eaters!). My sister and I met for breakfast and coffee this morning at Genie's Café on SE 11th and Division. I hadn't been here for a couple of years due to a less than thrilling experience my first time. But since my hunger knows no bounds, and who knows what might have changed in the intervening years, there I was. Three words describe my ensuing happiness: Tasso Eggs Benedict. A couple of slices of smoky tasso ham from those mavens of meat at Viande Meats who supply Genie's, a perfectly piquant hollandaise, and two expertly cooked poached eggs. It was all there and all good. I have an innate fear of eggs benedict due to too many experiences with gloppy, sour, too mustardy hollandaises. This was really nice. My sister had the biscuits & gravy which weren't half bad either. If you find yourself in the inner SE 'hood needing sustenance, you might be wanting to check Genie's out!

Waffle Wonderland!

I have seen the future of breakfast, and it is emanating out a tiny take-out window at 3610 SE Hawthorne Boulevard here in PDX. Should you find yourself in Portland on a Saturday or Sunday feeling a bit peckish, might I suggest a stop at the "Waffle Window" on the side of Bread & Ink Café. There, every Saturday and Sunday from 9-5, you can try one of Mary Fishback's spot-on Belgian waffles, which w says are exactly like the ones she got at street stalls in Bruges (you know, the one in Belgium!), not too sweet with a perfectly crusty exterior. But you would also be well advised to sample one of her many daily special waffles. After a long walk with Chopper to get to this bit of noshing nirvana, I couldn't resist her pumpkin pie waffle...awesomely decadent and delicious! Mary bakes a crustless pumpkin pie, slides a slice on top of one of her Belgian waffles, surrounds it on the plate with perfectly sweet whipped cream, and a squiggle of homemade caramel sauce. Unbelievable! At $3.50 this was a well-deserved, or so I told myself, reward. And her regular Belgian waffles at two bucks are a walk-away steal. This is absolutely worth your attention, because we all know you deserve it, too!

Feeding my inner adolescent!

Remember when you were a kid, and you'd say to yourself, "Man, when I grow up I'm going to have candy bars for breakfast if I want!" Well, my new favorite way to indulge my inner adolescent is with this delicious piece of pastry from Portland's St. Honore Bakery. This local outpost of all things baked and French offers their cunningly named French Apple Toast, giving what is basically an addictively delicious bread pudding a veneer of breakfast legitimacy. Getting one to go, sitting outside with a steaming cup of coffee and the Sunday NY Times....simply one of those perfect morning indulgences. Hey, I went running this morning...I deserve this!!