Fruit Spritzer

ingredients.

1 cup ripe, seed, cubed honeydew melon (or fruit of choice – keep in mind you may need to add or take away depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1 unpeeled nectarine or peach (or whatever you enjoy ), cubed
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cracked ice

procedure.

In a blender, puree all ingredients.

Fill a couple of glasses (10-16 oz) about 3/4 full with fruit puree and top itoff with a splash of seltzer water or ginger ale.  Drink.

Herb Infused Lemonade

ingredients.

5 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
6-12 stems of fresh lavender (or herb of choice.  be aware of the strength of your herb.  the more aromatic, the stronger it will be and the less you will want to use)
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, 10-12 lemons (generally you can get about 1/4 cup out of one lemon)

procedure.

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sugar, stirring until dissolved, to create a simple syrup. Add the herb and remove the pan from the heat.Cover the pan and allow the mixture to cool; roughly 10 minutes or so. This step allows the herb to infuse into the syrup. Remove the herb from the syrup and strain to remove any small pieces.

Combine the remaining 2 1/2 cups of water, lemon juice and lavender syrup and stir well. Serve over ice and garnish with lemons and/or lavender sprigs.

Berry Aqua Fresca

ingredients.

4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
6 cups strawberries, hulled(whatever berry you want to use)
1/4 cup lime juice

procedure.

Combine the water and sugar, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves(no real need for heat here because you are not infusing an herb like in the previous recipe).  Put the strawberries in a blender and process until their smooth.

Finally, tie up the hammock, grab a book, combine the sugar mixture, puree, and lime juice, stir and serve with ice.  Read, relax, repeat.

Kiwi and Ginger Sparkle

ingredients. 

1 ripe kiwifruit, peeled and cubed
1 ripe peach, peeled, pitted and cubed
1/4 crushed ice
1 bottle Cock n’ Bull Ginger Beer or preferred ginger ale

procedure.

Blend kiwifruit, peach, and ice until liquified and drinkable. Fill two 10 oz glasses half of the fruit puree and the other half with the ginger beer.  Garnish with a kiwi slice.  Enjoy.

Coffee and Cream

ingredients.

2 cups brewed coffee, chilled(reserving a small amount of the hot coffee)
4 tsp malt powder
6 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbs chocolate ice cream
Milk

procedure.

Put the malt and cocoa powders in the bottom of two tall glasses.  Add a little the reserved hot coffee, just enough to turn the powders into a thick paste. Fill the rest of the glass with milk and coffee(to your strength of preference), then mix in the ice cream. Drink and chill.

Odds are, if you live in Portland you’ve heard of Ken’s Pizza. And if you’ve heard of Ken’s Pizza and haven’t taken the time to visit, you’re missing out. This place is all about pizza.

I couldn’t find much about Ken’s Pizza that was gimmicky. They really seemed to have captured the simplicity of everything from the menu, which was roughly 8 pizzas and a handful of salads and appetizers, to the setting. In addition, the pizza itself was also very simple. Fresh crust and ingredients that married well together without cluttering the pie; all fresh from their blazing wood fire oven, leaving beautifully crusted and some charred edges.

The wine list was pretty extensive, however the beer list was quite limited. With almost two full pages of wines to choose from and four beers, with Pabst Blue Ribbon being one, I was left slightly disappointed.

Overall, I enjoyed our time at Ken’s Pizza. We waited five minutes for our table on a Saturday night and received our order 15 to 20 minutes after being seated. I’ll definitely be visiting again.

Goods: Fast and polite service. Deliciously simple pizza. Great for smaller groups.

Bads: Crowded and loud dining area. Few beer options.  Didn’t really seem to fit in the SE neighborhood.