As I mentioned before, we spent the summer frolicking in the sunshine and I didn’t do a very good job of keeping up with blog posts. However, I can say that I really appreciate that I kept taking pictures, because as the weather starts to get cold and rainy, looking at our summer fun certainly lifts my spirits.
We’ve had fun this summer trying to incorporate as much produce from our garden into every single meal! We’ve been using all sorts of green and red peppers in all sorts of dishes. However, my favorite to date is the breakfast scrambles. In typical Southern fashion all great meals start out with the holy trinity…bell peppers, onions, and garlic (minus the celery)!
Everything goes into the pan with a little olive oil and butter to sauté.
I am super excited to share a new restaurant we found in Carlton. On our adventure out to The Carlton Winemakers Studio we stopped in downtown Carlton to have a quick bite to eat and were super happy to find Farmers’ Plate & Pantry!
Saturday was a busy day in Dundee…we attended the “Taste Dundee Block Party” to kick-off Oregon Wine Month! Yay for the month of May! The celebration was a neighborhood type event held in the Chapter 24 parking lot right off of OR99W. The event featured wine from fifteen Dundee wineries along with small bites from six local restaurants. My kind of neighborhood block party!
Some of our “chosen family” was in town at the end of February, and yes I know it’s almost the end of March, but I had to share. They’re huge foodies from the East Coast, and so we decided it was time to finally try out The Painted Lady. The Renaissance Man and I have been hearing about The Painted Lady since we moved to Dundee and I can tell you that the rave reviews were well earned!
We had an eight o’clock dinner reservation and the whole upstairs room of the house to ourselves. What’s neat about the location is the charm of the old Victorian house. The house is part of the “painted lady movement” thus the restaurant’s name, The Painted Lady.
So you may or may not remember…but back in November, I was working on a little garden project. We had enjoyed fresh lettuce from our garden all summer and it took very little effort. I figured we’d plant a winter crop of lettuce and save ourselves some money at the grocery.
After looking at all sorts of complicated greenhouse projects on Pinterest, I decided to keep it simple and make a makeshift greenhouse out of some clear plastic tubs. I was so smitten with my fantastic idea, I could just envision our abundant supply of lettuce!
On a late Saturday night in mid-December we were coming home from a holiday party in Portland. As we drove down the street toward our home, I asked The Renaissance Man, “Did you check the mail today?” He shook his head no, and so I stopped at the mailbox before heading to our house. Not everyone checks the mail at 11:45pm, but when you’re waiting for a letter from the Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering & Land Survey (OSBEELS), you make a point to stop at the mailbox.
Hello friends and Happy New Year! Sorry I’ve been absent for nine. whole. days. 2015 came in like a lion! We’ve had all sorts of things going on, many of which I’m excited to share with you in the come days. But before I get too far down the road, I wanted to do a quick recap on our New Years celebration!
The New Year for us means spending time with family and friends while sharing traditions. Growing up in a very strong Croatian family means that I have some pretty unique recipes that not everyone knows about. Those recipes have become our traditions and a way to embrace our heritage.
Are you ready to learn all about Croatian Dungeness Crab? Roll up your sleeves, layout some newspaper on the table, and get your hammers!
Everyone knows to put out milk and cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, but if you want to leave him something extra special…I’ve got just the recipe for you!
You may remember that back in November I was invited to do an olive oil tasting out at the Oregon Olive Mill. As part of that event, we explored olive oil through food pairings. One of the pairings that I was most impressed with were the Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies sprinkled with Jacobsen Sea Salt. They were absolutely divine, sure to impressed dear ole’ Santa Claus!
Below you’ll find the recipe and pictures of the process, enjoy!
Have you every wondered how olive oil is made? And did you know that we have our very own olive mill right in the heart of Oregon Wine Country!?
I was lucky enough to spend last Tuesday morning exploring the Oregon Olive Mill. I felt like I was on a live version of the Food Network show Unwrapped, but instead of learning about how candy is made, I was watching beautiful olives turned into the most aromatic golden oil.
The Oregon Olive Mill is part of the Red Ridge Farm property and is tucked back on a hillside overlooking the lavender mounds and olive orchards.
