The Golden Pen

Notes From Today's Meeting:

May Day! May Day! It's time to cast your ballots for Pink Slip Jam in Portland's own Starlight Parade, with the Maker Overlord Float from Eye Hand Supply! The polls close tomorrow, May 2, so DO NOT DELAY!!

Now that that Public Service Announcement has been delivered, Pink Slip Jam is back with Mad Men~inspired kitchen high jinx with a saucy little number inspired by the iconic jewelry worn with such flair each episode (at least when she's in the office...) by our beloved Joan Holloway. This week's cocktail syrup feature will be The Golden Pen, a double whammy of ginger & a hint of black pepper. It's spicy, it has some heat, and it has a lovely golden glow about it. While this syrup lends itself to pears, apples, crepes, and all manner of breakfast treats, in keeping with the flavor of our evenings at The Hollywood Theater, Fleur de Lethal Cinematique & Pink Slip Jam prefer to serve this beauty in a glass of Champagne.

To review:

1. Please cast your ballot in the Eye Hand Supply Maker Float voting TODAY!
2. Please write (legibly!) on your schedule to visit us at The Hollywood Theater this Sunday, May 6th.
3. Please order a delicious Champagne cocktail ~ you'll have several choices this week!
4. Enjoy the show!

Thank you so much. Meeting adjourned.

Joan Would Approve

That Joanie! No one could deny she is a force to be reckoned with! As Pink Slip Jam's on-going love of all things Mad Men, please keep in mind that this Sunday, here in beautiful Portland, OR, Fleur de Lethal will be the Mistress of Ceremonies as she presents Episode 4 from Season 5 of Mad Men at The Hollywood Theater. Meanwhile Pink Slip Jam will be assisting by providing the Clementine Syrup for some delightful cocktails. They will be bubbly, effervescent, and decidedly delicious. In case you may be wondering what else you might do with some Clementine Syrup, may I suggest the following recipe for Rye Waffles with this syrup...and, no, the 'rye' alludes to the flour, not the bottle of Old Overholt. Not this time, anyway.

Rye Waffles with Clementine Syrup
(makes about 6 waffles)

waffle batter 
3/4 cup soft white winter wheat flour
3/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


for topping
plain yogurt
slivered almonds, toasted
clementines (about 1 per person)
maple syrup (about 2 Tbsp per person)


1. Combine the dry ingredients (flours, cornstarch, leaveners, and salt). Whisk together the buttermilk, egg yokes, vegetable oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, but do not over mix. At this point you should let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the cornstarch to cross link gluten in the flour, which will give the crispiness to the waffles.


2. Prepare the clementine syrup. Peal the clementines, slice them to bifurcate the sections, and separate them. In a small saucepan, combine the clementine pieces and the maple syrup and heat just until small bubbles start to form on the edge of the pan. Turn off and reserve for serving. Toast the almond slivers and reserve.


3. To finish the waffle batter, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold these into the batter. 


4. Heat a waffle iron and cook the waffles. Store them in a 200 degree oven or eat them immediately as the come off the waffle iron, topped with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of toasted almond slivers, and the clementine syrup.

Long After the Egg Hunt's Over

It is no secret that Pink Slip Jam is a huge fan of Mad Men...the 1960's were an era when women happily left the kitchen for another scene entirely, and American culture has never been the same since. My Grandmother made everything from scratch & was a farm wife. My Mother, on the other hand, skittered off to a job in the city & rarely looked back! I wanted the domestic scene where I'd come home from school with a Mom taking a fresh pie out of the oven, or canning pickles. No and no! Things come full circle and, despite more than a couple of careers, I am in the kitchen all the time and really like being here! With all this lead-in, here's the connection: This Sunday night, Easter, Pink Slip Jam will be joining local Mistress of Ceremonies, Fleur de Lethal, as we hold court at The Hollywood Theater on SE Sandy Blvd. here in Portland, OR. Pink Slip Jam has donated some jams as prizes for the trivia contest & will also be providing Clementine Syrup for a very special cocktail. I hear Champagne will be involved! Joan would approve.