From the p:ear kitchen

Hungry yet?

p:ear cook Carol Jones makes some amazing breakfasts. This recipe is perfect for a Valentine's Day sweet treat!

Ricotta Pancakes with cherry sauce and greek yogurt

To make the sauce:

1/2 cup of water, divided

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

2 cups of pitted cherries (Bing or other sweet, dark cherries work best)

2 tablespoons of brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Whisk 1/4 cup of water with cornstarch. Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add cherries, the rest of the water, brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase heat to medium high and add cornstarch. Stir until mixture boils and thickens (add some water if sauce is too thick) for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

To make the pancakes:

3/4 cup of flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking power

bit of salt

1 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese

4 large egg yolks

1/2 whole milk

3 large egg whites

Whisk flour, sugar, baking power and salt in small bowl. With a mixer, beat ricotta cheese and egg yolks until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Reduce mixer speed to low and flour slowly with milk, beating until blended.

With clean beaters, mix egg whites in bowl until stiff. Fold 1/4 of ricotta into mixture to lighten, then add in remaining whites in three additions. Heat griddle to medium heat and brush with oil. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Cook until bubbles on top (about 3 minutes) until golden brown. Voila! Breakfast time!

On the side: Greek yogurt, honey (and the p:ear kids always ask for maple syrup).

It's Almost Dinner Time at Genoa!

Three courses paired with wine and champagne benefiting p:ear. What are you waiting for? Get tickets here for the 5:30 pm or 8:30 pm seatings!

And get more information on the fine dining at Genoa here.

Tickets now available for Genoa dinner, 11/16

Genoa is once again opening their doors for p:ear supporters with a three course dinner with wine pairings on November 16th. Tickets are available for seatings at 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm and can be purchased here. Proceeds from the dinner support p:ear.

p:ear supporter Lake Perriguey honored by Mother's Bistro

p:ear hearts Portland lawyer Lake Perriguey, who has just been honored as Mother's Bistro and Bar's "Mother of the Month." Check out Mother's menu this month which is inspired by Lake's New Mexican heritage, his mother and his work with p:ear. p:ear ama Lake!

Lake reveres and appreciates the women and men who shared their special mother-wisdom and mentored him. He honors this mother spirit in his own way through his community-based legal work, support of P:ear, and by inspiring this month’s menu.

preserve p:ear

From Sarah Dougher's PSU Capstone class:

Hey p:ear supporters and fans!

A group of Portland State students, in collaboration with p:ear, are looking for pint-sized canning jar donations. We are working on a project to raise money for the p:ear Kitchen and Food program by making and selling cranberry sauce for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. We are seeking donations of 500 jars and screwlids. We know that together we can source these.

If you have jars to spare, or would like to contribute new jars to this project, please drop your jars by p:ear, or email:preservepear@gmail.com, and we can come pick them up. We need your donations by Nov. 8th.

Please stay tuned for information about how to order your cranberry sauce!

Thanks!

The p:ear Cranberry Project

p:ear needs a new freezer

Keep p:ear's food program going with a $35 donation today

A call for help from Joy, p:ear's programs director:

You may be aware that our freezer failed at p:ear costing us the loss of a whole pig, a summer's worth of vegetables and our meal plans for the entire winter.

A number of people have stepped up to help us replenish our stocks but we don't have a reliable way to store food. WE NEED A NEW FREEZER and a new freezer costs $2,000.

To that end, during the p:ear seeds drive, The Collins Foundation is willing to match every new donation 3 to 1! With the Collins Match if only 20 people donated $35. we could buy a freezer at the end of the month. This is the time to maximize your donation allowing us to get a freezer asap! Go the the p:ear website at www.pearmentor.org, select "donate" and in the notes section type "freezer". Ask your friends to support p:ear at this very essential and critical level. Do it now.

Habibi p:earamour dinner, October 9th

Tickets are going fast for "Habibi p:earamour," a fabulous Morrocan-themed dinner for p:ear featuring upcoming chef Aran Will. Click on the flyer above for more details. To purchase tickets, please send either a check to p:ear (338 NW 6th Portland, OR 97209) or pay online through p:ear's donation site and note "habibi" in the notes field.

Indulge @ the Jupiter for p:ear, just 2 days away!

Get your tickets here!

Big Bottom Whiskey

Blakeslee Vineyard

Burnside Brewery

Carabella Vineyard

Charles Smith Wines

Deco Distilling

Double Mountain Brewery

Dry Soda

Dumas Station

Durant Vineyard

House Spirits

K Vintners

Lion Heart Kombucha

New Deal Distillery

Ninkasi

Oregon Spirit Distillers

Stone Barn Brandyworks

Vinn Distillery

Water Avenue Coffee

Menu and Ticket Info for Indulge at the Jupiter, 9/22

p:ear is the recipient of proceeds from Indulge @ the Jupiter, Portland's premier dining event which is this Thursday, Sept. 22nd. If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, the menu should get your mouth watering (and then you can get your tickets here!)

Accanto/Genoa

Bakery Bar

Beaker and Flask

Broder

Cheese Bar

Confectionery

Doug Fir

Hot Pink Taco

Lardo

Laurelhurst Market

Olympic Provisions

Saint Cupcake

Shut Up and Eat

Screen Door

Sizzle Pie

Spints Alehouse

Tabla Bistro

Tamale Boy

Whiffies

Tails and Trotters brings the bacon

The p:ear freezer recently announced it was not long for this world, and our kitchen lost many of the delicious and frozen meals. Thankfully, Tail and Trotters stepped into replace some of the food we've lost. This local business produces some of the highest quality meats and we're grateful for the donation to the p:ear kitchen! Learn more about their pigs and practices on their website or visit Tail and Trotters at the PSU and Buckman Farmer's Markets.

Pulled pork and support

We are constantly getting compliments on the quality of the food our fabulous volunteer cooks prepare and serve at p:ear. In the p:ear kitchen, kids, volunteers and staff come together to talk about healthy ways to eat and take care of the body. It costs $100 a day to feed a room full of hungry teenagers, and this year Sarah Dougher's PSU Capstone Class has taken on p:ear's food program as their project. This Saturday, August 6th they are putting on a fundraiser "Lu'au in p:earadise" to help raise money to keep the fresh and local fruits, veggies and other staples on the table for our youth this fall. Purchase tickets here.

Tickets are only $15! Get yours soon!

Gathering around the kitchen table

The 2010 Cenus results are starting to come out and providing insight Portland's neighborhoods, people and its future. Of particular interest to us at p:ear is the information on the city's "food deserts," areas that lack access to grocery stores with in a mile radius. The Oregonian has broken down that definition to .5 and .75 miles, showing more residents farther and farther away from stores, shops, farmers markets and other places to buy fresh food.

How do food deserts effect us? How does this effect the kids we serve? Just adding megamarts to these areas isn't enough to address all issues that come along with food deserts. And that's where the work at p:ear becomes crucial. One of our cornerstones is our kitchen and nutrition program which recreates that "kitchen table" atmosphere and conversations about healthy eating and food preparation. Fresh delicious food becomes the conversation piece between p:ear's volunteer cooks and youth. We firmly believe that what you put in your body is a sign of the respect you have for your body. Think back to when you were a kid and your mom told you to eat your beets because they were good for you. And maybe at first you thought they tasted like dirt, but after a while (and a few different recipes) you started to think, "hey, beets aren't so bad." For many of our youth who lack these role models, our meals are examples of a way to care for and nurture the self.

While many people may associate "community" with their Facebook page, a physical strong community is crucial to helping these young people be successful. Having access to fresh food and being able to use the knowledge they've picked up around the p:ear kitchen table can only be truly effective when they are surrounded by the proper resources.

Interested in being part of the kitchen table conversation at p:ear? Contact joy@pearmentor.org

Besaw's donates April dinner proceeds to p:ear

p:ear is excited to be Besaw's non-profit partner for April. Besaw's is donating a percentage from all April dinners to p:ear. So eat, drink, be merry and support p:ear at Besaw's this month!

No Joke; it's almost April

The month hasn't even started but p:ear's dance card is getting pretty full! We've got a lot of awesome partnerships and events happening in April, so be sure to mark your calendar.

• April 7th: Arts and Draughts, a beer/music/food event from Widmer Brothers is donating a portion of ticket sales to p:ear. Celebrate the end of Prohibition amongst other 4/7 oddities. Get tickets here.
• April 16th: Get your photo taken with Samdriod (Portland's action-hero Mayor) at Stumptown Comic Fest. The real Sam Adams will be there from 3-4 pm on the 16th to help raise money for p:ear.
• April 27th, Moule mural unveiling and shopping night. Celebrate p:ear youth artists' window work at Moule (1225 NW Everett Street), and do some p:earblossoms outfit shopping at Moule which is donating 10% of the evening's sales to p:ear. The perfect "Alchemy" dress awaits...!
• All April, Besaw's (NW 23rd and Savier) is donating a portion from their sales to p:ear. I'll have the prosciutto scramble, please!

Thank you to all our community partners for your support of p:ear!

In the kitchen at p:ear

From one of our outstanding cooks, Sabra Grace, who spends Saturdays getting delicious food ready for p:ear youth. We couldn't do what we do at p:ear without the support of volunteers like Sabra!

Hi Joy, I'm happy and grateful to do it :) Honestly, I get as much, if not more out of this than the youth and volunteers who eat the meal that I make. I really enjoy cooking, and having carte blanche in P:ear's kitchen to make healthy, inexpensive, delicious meals while pretending that I'm a contestant on Iron Chef is so much fun for me! I wouldn't want to spend a Saturday any other way. I've wanted to volunteer and give back to P:ear since my first day as a student. Thank you for all that all of you do. The P:ear Ladies inspire me everyday, and I can never find adequate words to articulate how much I appreciate you and all that you do. With Warm Sincerity and Admiration, Sabra

Welcome new p:ear partners, Caprial and John's Kitchen

p:ear's food and nutrition program is pleased to be partnering with Caprial and John's Kitchen, who will be cooking monthly for p:ear youth. We can't wait to see what gets cooked up in the p:ear kitchen!

p:ear's food program needs your help

p:ear's innovative food program is one of the cornerstone's of our philosophy about working with homeless and transitional youth. Through healthy cooking, p:ear's meals help youth learn how to take care of their bodies with balance and nutritious meals. The kitchen at p:ear is a place of conversation where young people can have the time to learn about food and nutrition in contrast to being in survival mode out on the streets. We rely on many volunteer cooks and local restaurants, farms and food producers to help provide daily hot meals for p:ear's youth. And to keep p:ear's food program running, p:ear needs your help! If you are interested in cooking or have a restaurant connection, please contact joy@pearmentor.org.

If you're interested in cooking at p:ear, volunteer training is this Saturday, March 5th! Email joy@pearmentor.org to sign-up.

Last Thursday at Gilt Club

It's that time again; time to grab some friends and head down to Gilt Club this Thursday. Enjoy dinner and support p:ear. I'm thinking of trying the Wild boar poppers (which kind of sound like a disco move), or the "Quail in a Jar" (curious as to how they get the quail in the jar).

Gilt Club donates Last Thursday dinner proceeds to p:ear

Escape back to a time when men dressed up in suit jackets for dinner and women re-applied lipstick each time they went to the restroom. Old Town neighbor GiltClub "is a quietly glamorous lounge that happens also to serve amazing food," according to the Willamette Week's 2009 Restaurant Guide. Enjoy cocktails from one of the best bars in town and sample their delicious dinner menu. Even better than fine dining is dining with a cause. Gilt Club will also be donating 30% of their dinner proceeds from Last Thursday (upcoming January 27th).

Thanks to Gilt Club owner Jamie Dunn for supporting p:ear!

Thanks to Pacific Natural Foods!

There's no better way to start the day than seeing support like this: Pacific Natural Foods, an Oregon-based company that makes all-natural and organic foods, recently made a generous donation to p:ear's food program. The food from Pacific Natural will help us to continue in providing delicious and healthy meals for p:ear students while also teaching kids about cooking and nutrition. Thanks to Carolyn Rayback, Nate Armbrust and Paul Finlay to making this possible!