Honey-wine, Injera, and Lentils

Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike can enjoy a fine meal together at the best Ethiopian restaurant in town. The Blue Nile in the Irvington District offers a cozy atmosphere with pictures of the Nile River and beautiful craft work lining the walls.

Owner Gebi Yemane said that every family has their own special way of preparing Ethiopian food, and she learned from her mother to cook simply, with high-quality ingredients. She makes everything from scratch, including Injera, a large pancake-shaped flat bread made from freshly ground Teff mixed with water and allowed like sourdough to ferment for two or three days before it's cooked. The increasing number of people who find themselves stuck with a wheat allergy will be happy to learn that Teff is an ancient grain with tons of nutrition and very-little gluten.

The beef and chicken tibs are flavored to perfection. If you like to try a bit of everything, the beautiful combination plate for two is only $18. It includes, greens, and lentils spiced with garlic, onions, turmeric, cayenne, and olive oil and an incredibly tasty potato and spinach dish. Instead of using a fork you break off a piece of Injera, dip it in the lentils, and enjoy bite after bite of heavenly flavors blissing out your taste buds.

Vegetarians will also enjoy the atikilt alitcha (sautéed green beans, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes).

Gebi Yemane, 42, is studying at OHSU to become a nurse. She hopes to finish up in about two or three years. Her sister, brother and other family members help out when they can, but Gebi says she insists on doing the cooking herself. Her husband, who works for Oregon's DSHS, spends time working in the Blue Nile on his days off.

Blue Nile Cafe
2225 NE Broadway St
Portland, OR 97232

Getting There: Is easy. It's on the #9 TriMet line, or take MAX to Lloyd Center and bike or walk North on 15th to Broadway and up Broadway to 22nd. (15 minute walk)

Etsy.com : Handmade Creations You'll Adore

If you're looking for a green-friendly place to shop for clothes or gifts or purses and jewelry check out etsy.com It's the coolest place! Crafty, talented folks from all over the world now have a way to sell their handmade goods at a reasonable price and still make money because they don't have to go through a retailer. Many artisans make skirts and bags and dresses from second hand goods, reusing the material to sew up a modern design. By using the geographic map you can find etsy groups close to where you live to reduce carbon footprint shipping. And what makes this site really wonderful is that the owners don't take advantage of their sellers. A person can actually do what they love and make some money. www.etsy.com You will love this.

My site is here: www.portlandia.etsy.com

Podcast Review

You might have heard how much rain we get in our beloved Portland, and most of us kind of like it. When the rain pours, we get to stay inside and work on our DIY projects, write novels, practice yoga, and eat lots of chocolate. That means we need to find podcasts to listen to, so we don't have to turn on "As The World Turns" or "Racheal Ray."

In this blog, I will write a podcast review whenever I find one I absolutely have to tell you about. NPR.org has more than six hundred free podcasts. The most recent program from "WBGH Forum Network Book Tour" helps you combat Palin fatigue with brilliant evolutionist Lynn Margulis. In this talk, Margulis tells stories from her latest book Luminous Fish: Tales of Science and Love.

You need to have a fascination with science and bacteria and vivid descriptions like "spirocetes munching on Nietzche's braincells" to enjoy Margulis weave the story of Nietzsche's struggle with syphilis to the facts about the disease your doctor won't tell you. She describes our modern day delusions about the syphilitic cells doctors claim to be killing with antibiotics, while in reality the spirocetes lie dormant in cysts waiting to reawaken. And Nietzche's genius may have been partly caused by the illness. He did some of his most brilliant work the year before he was taken over by thrid stage madness. Take that story of evolution Miss Palin

Margulis has a strong enthusiastic voice that leads you through a "red shoe" dilemma she found herself in while pursuing her passion for science while trying to keep her family happy. . . and her hatred of the word, "role model."

You've got to hear this podcast. It's really interesting!

The First Frost

Last night, I heard a flock of geese at 10 pm, and then again at midnight, and I went outside to see the huge silvery wings in the moonlight, drifting through city lights reflecting off low clouds. It was a global-warming, fall-too-hot, frost-too-early feeling. I felt concerned about the geese because their calls sounded troubled and frantic until I felt the strength of their wings, and the rhythmic pulse of their calls. A train clattered onto the bridge across the Willamette River, and in the quiet, the vibrating tracks and tons of steel, turned the geese calls into misty whispers. I watched the geese angle toward downtown Portland and wondered if they fly between skyscrapers or find their way around them and how many night owls were quietly witnessing their courage.