Welcome! This is “Staying In,” a Sunday newsletter with recipe ideas for your week ahead. Every other Thursday I also publish a “Going Out” edition where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!
If you live in Portland, you may be asking yourself: where am I supposed to grocery shop? More than 4,500 Fred Meyer union members are currently on strike, asking Portlanders to do their weekly shopping at stores like Safeway and Albertsons instead as they continue negotiations with FM’s parent company, Kroger.
New Seasons workers are also on a one-day strike today at 10 of their locations.
Both labor unions are accusing their parent companies of “bad faith” practices meant to undermine union efforts. This is no surprise if you know anything about Kroger or New Season’s history of union busting accusations. Or anything about Kroger, really.
Kroger has repeatedly admitted to price gouging, as in knowingly raising prices beyond the rate of inflation (it’s why you’re paying $7.99 for eggs!). Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell’s wife, is on Kroger’s Board of Directors. Two-thirds of Kroger employees surveyed in 2022 were reportedly food insecure and 36% were worried about being evicted.
To top it all off, Kroger is in the middle of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission following the planned merger between Kroger and Albertsons, which could be disastrous for consumers. According to the FTC, “For millions of consumers, direct competition between Kroger and Albertsons has brought grocery prices down and the quality of grocery products and services up. The proposed acquisition would destroy this competition, leaving consumers to foot the bill.”
The strikes and lawsuit are putting labor rights front-and-center this Labor Day weekend, and I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge what’s going on. Or take the opportunity to dunk on Kroger.
Anyways, something to think about as you do your grocery shopping (not at FM or NS) this week!
P.S. The strikes are not funny, but I have to note one thing about the NSLW union demands: the list includes a $5 “Premium” hourly pay increase for overnight, weekend, and Wednesday shifts. Why Wednesday? The only reason I can think of is that Wednesday is Senior Day, when patrons over 65 get 10% off groceries. What are these seniors doing to New Seasons employees?!?
✨ Inspo ingredients for the week: peaches and basil ✨
DINNERS
Huli Huli Chicken | Arugula Salad with Peaches, Goat Cheese, and Basil
Tomato “Ceviche” Beans | Crusty Bread
Greek-Style Garlic-Lemon Potatoes with Spinach and Anchovies
Pork Larb
LUNCH
BLTs
DESSERT
Watergate Cake
DRINK
Peach Paper Plane
Notes:
You can always count on Kenji Lopez Alt to overthink every recipe. Yes, even a BLT. You know how to make one…but do you? Here are Kenji’s hot takes on how to make the perfect “tomato sandwich” as he calls them.
Both the arugula salad and pork larb call for basil. The peaches are also used in the salad and then again in the cocktail.
Huli Huli Chicken
Alana Kysar | New York Times (Gifted Link)
You’ll see a lot of Huli Huli chicken being spun on rotisserie spits at roadside stands throughout Hawaii. Its popularity is owed to its sticky teriyaki-type sauce and unique preparation (huli means “turn” in Hawaiian. A nod to the preparation that requires regularly turning and basting the meat). Although the original recipe is a secret, the New York Times has a solid lookalike you can make here. No rotisserie required.
I recommend getting a nice sear on each side of the chicken over direct heat and then moving to the cooler part of the grill to finish out the cooking. The internal temp should reach about 165 degrees.
Arugula Salad with Peaches, Goat Cheese, and Basil
Lidey Heuck | New York Times (Gifted Link)
Cheese and herbs immediately elevate salad. This salad recipe is no exception. When you take a bite and get an unexpected hint of basil, it’s like “mmm this is fun and different.” I have yet to make this for someone and have them not ask for the recipe. The vinaigrette is as simple as can be, and the salad is the perfect solution when you want to highlight late-summer peaches without just making a pie.
Tomatillo “Ceviche” Beans
Justine Snacks
I’ll say it once, I’ll say it again: white beans are the weeknight warrior. I typically infuse a can of white beans with an herb oil, make a strew, or put them on top of a salad, but I love the idea of making a “ceviche-style” white bean dish using tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, and other traditional ceviche and aguachile ingredients. As we’re still getting hot temperatures here in Oregon, this sounds like a refreshing weeknight dinner.
Greek-Style Garlic and Lemon Potatoes
America’s Test Kitchen
Mmm potato wedges. Sign me up. I love a crusty fried potato. The issue with making fried potatoes at home is that they tend to be heavy and greasy, but in this recipe lemon and spinach really brighten up and balance out the dish. I’ll probably serve this alongside any leftover Huli Huli chicken.
Pork Larb
Kenji Lopez Alt | Serious Eats
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to live across the street from my best friend, Brianna. She introduced me to the wonders of the world: Claire’s, Limited Too, Pop Tarts, Gossip Girl…and P.F. Chang’s. Her family loved P.F. Chang’s larb dish and would often recreate it at home. Eating larb—ground pork or chicken served in a salad leaf—was a foundational eating experience for me.
My mouth is just watering thinking about the combination of fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar that transforms ground pork into a meal you want to shovel into your mouth. Which I will!
To drive the point home: As I was writing this, I texted Brianna to fact-check my memory here. Not only did she confirm everything I wrote, she said she was actually planning on making larb tonight! It’s larb night in America, baby!
Watergate Cake
Julie Richardson | Vintage Cakes
This cake is a throwback to one of my favorite cake books, Vintage Cakes by Portland author Julie Richardson. Baking was my gateway to cooking, and there’s nothing that calms me down like making a three-tiered cake. If you’re looking to buy a cake recipe book to end all cake recipe books, this one is for you.
The one I’m choosing to make this week—the Watergate cake—is definitely of an era. Specifically the 70s, as you might have guessed. Traditionally, the recipe calls for pistachio pudding mix, 7Up, pecans, and canned pineapple. And the name, supposedly comes from the idea that beneath the cake’s “cover up” of icing, this dessert hides a bunch of nuts.
We love a cake with a political sense of humor!
Peach Paper Plane
Cooking with Rel
Out of all the Portland food “influencers,” Cooking with Rel (aka Ariel) is without a doubt my favorite. She a) has an actual background in food, b) puts out a lot of original content (recipes, dinner party ideas, etc). and c) is one of the only people I’ve seen who can pull off bangs.
Every month or so she hosts a supper club and then shares out the recipes for every dish she made. This month featured her twist on a Paper Plane cocktail. In Ariel’s version, she uses grilled peaches to add smokiness and texture. The result is a chilled puree that looks like liquid dessert. The recipe can be scaled up or down, and makes a great batch cocktail — not to compete with my mom’s favorite batch cocktail, which I shared a few weeks ago.
I love the "Impeachment Frosting" for the Watergate Cake too. This is an all time favorite in our house. And the cookbook Vintage Cakes is packed with several other great recipes. Thanks for introducing us to this layered cake that is both impressive to look at and reminiscent of the 70's!