Food
ZIP Chips – delightful healthy snack made in CAMAS, WA!
I’m always on the look out for healthy living snacks that are all natural, free of dairy, soy, gluten and peanuts and here’s the kicker – THEY MUST TASTE GREAT! I’m not looking to settle for that cardboard, sticks and twigs taste healthy alternative – I’m looking for the real deal amazing delicious snack with good […]
Delish – Spring Herbed Zucchini Goat Cheese Fritters
SPRING HERBED ZUCCHINI GOAT CHEESE FRITTERS Just last weekend, I made these tasty spring appetizers. My husband and I were invited to a potluck Easter dinner. I wanted to bring something for the sensitive foodie so we could all enjoy a healthy living snack before our meal. I opted to bake these in the oven […]
Returning to a NEW normal ‘love of food’
Returning to a NEW normal "love of food. Gluten Free Waffles with Cinnamon Ginger Pear Compote With the time conversion complete, today I slept in. My husband's gone on a "man […]
Seahawks Games at Markaritaville
For the last two weekends, I’ve been cheering with my favorite Seahawks fans at Markaritaville. You haven’t heard of Markaritaville? Well, it’s my favorite bar, comfortably located at my friends, Toni and Mark Bagnall’s home. Mark is a top-notch mixologist when he isn’t busy working as a contractor. And he can make an Italian Margarita […]
A New Lens and Breadcrumbs
“We must look at the lens through we see the world, as well as the world we see, and that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world.” ― Stephen R. Covey I’ve been savoring our foggy mornings out in the garden while playing with my new macro lens. It’s a Canon – EF 100mm […]
Making Shrimp and Crab Dumplings
Ever since, My Pirate and I lunched at the new Taste of Sichuan in East Vancouver, I’ve become completely smitten with Asian dumplings. To learn how to make my own, I turned to the public library and checked out Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More by Andrea Nguyen. And I’ve been making […]
Creamy Scrambled Eggs for Dinner
This fall, My Pirate’s work schedule shifted from traveling out-of-town four days a week to an in-town local route without a long commute. After years of us living opposite hours, now he gets up at 5:30 in the morning to go to work and he’s home every night for dinner. I’m thrilled to have him […]
Cranberry Chutney Infused Vodka
Several weeks before Thanksgiving, I looked into my garage fridge at a leftover bottle of vodka and a thawing container of homemade cranberry chutney and decided to mix the two together just to see what would happen. I imagined a cranberry chutney flavored liquor to serve as a Thanksgiving themed martini. It didn’t turn out […]
Parsnip and Barley Soup with Chicken
Barnaby and I are home sick with a cold this week. Yes, that’s right. The dog and I are sniffling and coughing together on the couch watching old sci-fi movies while My Pirate tends to us. Barnaby picked up a case of kennel cough from his dog park friends. My (poor) Pirate is home on […]
Reuben Panini Sandwich
I recently learned that my Artichoke Glow photograph was selected to compete in the Peoples Choice portion of the Oregonian’s garden photo contest. I was elated. I grew up reading the Oregonian and always looked forward to seeing the garden photo winners announced in late December. It brightened my spirit to see so much beauty […]
My Minestrone Soup
Last week, I finished planting all of my new plant acquisitions with Barnaby’s help and uncovered our front walkway. My Pirate was ecstatic. The very next day a windstorm blew in with 50+ mile-per-hour gusts and stuck around for over 24 hours. The roaring winds knocked over large fir trees and fences throughout our neighborhood. […]
Giving Thanks and Cranberry Chutney
Raise your hand if you grew up eating canned jellied cranberry sauce! I did. And I’m not embarrassed to admit that I loved my sliced Frisbee of cranberry goodness. But, then I grew up and craved something more sophisticated: sweet and sour with hints of orange and ginger. I searched for a cranberry chutney recipe […]
Spice Things Up
We ventured briefly out into the cold today. After struggling against the wind my kids became concerned that our chickens would blow away. I think the chickens will be fine (I hope), and I know something for sure: I don’t like the wind. I’m completely against it. But since it does me no good to […]
Custard-filled Cornbread
Have you ever tried the custard-filled cornbread recipe from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham? Whether you love or hate cornbread, you need to try this recipe! Custard-filled cornbread is one of those rare genius recipes that magically exceed the sum of its ingredients. I first stumbled upon this recipe on page 251 in Molly […]
Portland Iron Chef Competition 2014
It was an honor to attend Portland’s Original Iron Chef Competition on behalf of my employer, FamilyCare Health Plans. What a fantastic, first rate event. The food was delicious, the venue was perfect, the auction was lively, and the crowd was diverse – what’s better it was all for good cause. All proceeds support the […]
A part of the Family!
So proud to be a part of the family! I’ve been self-employed, out and about in the community; sharing my passion for food and health for the past six years. In August, I accepted a full-time position with an awesome, growing, local health plan. I knew if I ever returned to work for an organization […]
A Fall Day Crisp as a Washington Apple
Driving home from my exercise class this morning I noticed the row of trees which always signal the height of fall with their gorgeous colors, has begun to change. Fall is well and truly under way. Mornings are cooler. Dusk comes earlier. The air is crisper. And the many varieties of apples begin to make […]
Falling For Autumn
It’s here–that feeling in the air, the slant of light that announces my favorite time of year–fall. I love everything about the season–pumpkin pie, red and yellow leaves, crisp air, apple cider, my birthday. Oh, sorry. Did I actually write that? My bad. Forgive the diversion. Back to the subject. Truth told, it’s the change […]
Breakfast Can Be Romantic, Too
You have a whole weekend with nothing to do but spend time with someone special. You plan two wonderful dinners with entrees you know will be a hit. You find the time to make a decadent dessert (which, of course, is chocolate–just saying) and make sure there’s enough for two nights. You have fresh candles […]
Another Romantic Season Ahead
It’s a bit gray and cloudy this morning, the kind of day that hints at the season to come. The week’s harvest moon made its appearance spectacularly as a super moon–what could be more romantic than that? But now that it’s moving to fall, we’re about to move romance indoors. There’ll be fewer picnics by […]