HOLIDAY '13 RECAP - INSTAGRAM

FRAMED GIFT FROM HUBBY / 2013 ORNAMENT

     The framed gift was from a super cool new gift boutique in Newberg, Pulp & Circumstance. In full disclosure, Dan went there and picked out something entirely different and this is 1 item that we exchanged for. The actual gift he gave me was a necklace with a carved wooden bird. (Big points for putting a bird on it, and even bigger points for trying to buy me a present in a fancy stationary/gift shop with a toddler in tow, but it just wasn't something I would have actually worn. I will not suffer fashion to avoid hurting my husband's feelings. And really, he had no hurt feelings. He honestly said "I had to be quick! I had Raine!")

     The ornament was from a gift shop here in Carlton. I picked it because not only was it pretty...It lights up! That seemed fitting because Raine was so into THE LIGHTS! (MOMMY! THE LIGHTS!) this holiday season. ;)

RAINE & THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES / DONATION CARDS

     There is one business in particular in Carlton that is always fun for Raine to pass the shop windows on our way to the coffee shop every morning (GIANT HORSES! POODLE FIGURINES! FROGS ON THE SIDEWALK!) During the holidays Raine was extra enchanted by their festive items. GINGERBREAD HOUSES! GIANT SILVER PLASTIC SHEEP! NATIVITY SCENES! Not to mention a life-size retro SANTA outside the front door. Unfortunately, it is not a shop 'for minors.' There is wine tasting, just as there is wine tasting in practically every business in our town, so no toddlers. ;)

     I raised some funds and collected gift cards to send to five families in Washington that were affected by the tornado. These were the beautiful cards by Rifle Paper Co. that I bought and had the total pleasure of mailing the donations in.

CHRISTMAS MORNING / HOLIDAY BREWS

     It was absolutely hilarious to watch Raine open presents this year. He thought it was the most exciting thing, and yet was still a little bit unsure of it all, and what was happening exactly. He STILL doesn't know how to grab a present and just rip into it, despite three Christmases and two birthdays. But once you get the unwrapping started, he will certainly help finish! After his first few presents from Santa (including this clearly AWESOME Hungry Caterpillar puzzle --way to go, Santa!--) he started grabbing the presents from under the tree and proclaiming, "For me! For me!" After several more presents from family in Illinois, he started running around the room in utter excitement and stopping at the tree and screeching, "I am here! I am here!" And he would repeat grabbing presents and shouting "For me! For me!" Dude was jacked UP on Christmas! Ha!

     A favorite holiday brew of mine was Fireside Chat spiced ale by First Amendment. I also enjoyed one of Dan's gifts to me, the Experiment Ale (with Oregon marionberries) by Harvester, which was a welcome treat as I had changed by Christmas to a gluten-free diet. Additional seasonal brews we enjoyed this season were: Deschutes Jubelale winter ale

10 Barrel Pray For Snow winter ale

Fish Fish Tale Organic Ice Breaker winter ale

H.U.B. Abominale winter ale

Ninkasi Sleigh'r winter ale

Portland BlackWatch cream porter

 Widmer Brrr ale

Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean*

*Dan's favorite ;)

DINNER BY LORRI / RAINE'S FIRST SNOW

     The weekend after Christmas, we enjoyed celebrating with Lorri and Carmen in their new home. She pulled out all the stops to give me a beautiful, satisfying gluten-free dinner. :) We had slow-cooked pulled pork with barbecue glaze, smoky black eyed peas, and gluten-free ham biscuits with a homemade honey orange butter. Raine was a huge fan of those biscuits and butter and I have to say, after two weeks of no baked goods (going gluten free) it was the BEST Christmas present for me. :) They were delicious!

     Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Yamhill County saw a half inch of beautiful snow for one day. :) Roads were frozen and it was hard to drive anywhere (we don't salt in the Northwest) but the scenery was worth it. Raine woke up that morning and was excited by the sight of snow. It was certainly new to him. He is very good at telling me what we are dealing with each morning, weather wise... I enter his room, turn on the light, and open his curtains. He proclaims: "Fog!" (Sounds like "F*#!*") "Raine!" "Sun!" And that day, I taught him, "Snow!" We are looking forward to our trip this weekend to Illinois when he can actually play in real snow. ;)    

Warming the House

Raine is snoring softly in his crib and Dan is multi-tasking cooking dinner and writing thank you cards to our friends who came to our housewarming party two weeks ago. There is laundry to fold and projects to attend to, as well as so much dust accumulating in those little nooks in each room... But! I would really love to sit and write just now. (Bless Over the Rhine and the double album that arrived by post today, for it moves me to relax and reflect.)

We found a perfect wreath for our front door the morning of the party at the Yamhill Lavendar Festival.

I was a bit caught off guard by how little I felt I had accomplished at decorating or preparing our new home after having lived there two months. A few days before the party, I felt the urge to drastically decorate! But really. There is no time! Putting up fences, hanging art, hanging curtains and painting walls will come eventually. That is the joy I look forward to in living in our home...Making it ours slowly as the days go by. The overall fact is that we are in what I like to call the "two full-time-working partner domestic marathon" and there are diapers to change, work hours to log, a high maintenance dog and cat to attend to, peanut butter to wipe off what seems like every surface, and a million errands to run in between. ;-) I have to thank Char for all the cleaning she did while baby-sitting Raine. And I did my best to make things look presentable: hang some art that had been sitting on the floor, tidy up, and put out some fresh lavender for our guests.

We were thrilled to have quite a few guests despite the fact that we now live a little further west than the rest! Standard commute for folks was 45 minutes, and one couple drove all the way from Sandy, which is at least an hour and a half. One particular guest I will refer to as "the guest of honor" because it was Dan's mom, Char, all the way from Chicago. :) We asked guests to sign our guest book in the entry. While unpacking from the move, I found our wedding guest book from 2004 and the empty pages in the last half seemed to be asking for fresh signatures... We received some cards and gifts, two beautiful orchids, and more than a few beverages to fill our fridge and wine shelf. Everyone was so sweet and generous! I have to say the most clever gift was from Josh and Mary. They brought a crumble pie and the pie plate itself was for us to keep. Great idea! And speaking of a crumble pie...The food was the best part! Another friend, Melissa, also brought a dessert, fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips, and we savored those leftovers for a few nights after the party! :) The theme of our "spread" we provided for our guests was "Carlton." I really wanted to show off all of the fantastic artisan food and beverage businesses in our little town. We had bread from the bakery, handmade chocolates, specialty jams and sausages, and of course, local beer and wine! ;-) I supplemented some chips, veggies, cheese, and other items from Trader Joe's because I am not perfect and did not have the time to shop various farms or make my own crackers from scratch with local grains, thank you very much. We don't actually have a TJ's near Carlton, so I had to drive to the one in Lake O after work Friday afternoon. It made for an hour drive home, but it was worth it to know we were serving items that were GMO free and generally free of extra additives/preservatives etc.

*Chocolates and bark from Honest Chocolates*

*Pesto and heirloom tomato bruschetta made form baguettes from Carlton Bakery*

*Carlton Farms sausages with dipping mustards*

My favorite part was offering a little jam tasting. I bought some crackers and cookies from T Joe's and the lovely ladies at Republic of Jam gave Char proper pairings for everyone to taste. (My favorite was the tomato & fennel, and not only was it outstanding on its own accord with the pita crackers or pretzel sticks, it was fabulous with the spicy sausage!) See a complete list of jams with pairings and recipes below. Of course, Dan and Char did all of the actual prepping and cooking, while I made sure my overall concept was executed perfectly and presentation was *lovely* down to the last detail ~ cute little note cards to describe each offering. LOL.

*Dan's figs & goat cheese wrapped in Carlton Farms bacon. You wouldn't know it but we also had options for our vegan friends. ;-)*

The Spread (*Vegan):

Figs & goat cheese wrapped in bacon (Carlton Farms)
Assorted quinoa/bean and sweet potato/corn chips with guacamole*
Greek salad bites with feta, tomato, and olives
Assorted chocolates and bark (Honest Chocolates)
Grilled sausages ("Smoked Bratwurst" and "Louisiana Red Hot") and dipping mustards (Carlton Farms)
Pine nut pesto and tomato bruschetta - without cheese (Carlton Bakery)*
Fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips (Made by Melissa!)*
Assorted hummus and pretzel bites*
Sea salt pita crackers & smoked tomato fennel jam (ROJ)* (No link to that jam...Sold out! Next batch up in 1 week! ;-)
Rosemary raisin crackers & rhubarb rosemary jam (ROJ)*
Ginger cookies & apricot reisling jam (ROJ)* (Jam is currently sold out!)
Coconut cookies & pineapple vanilla clove jam (ROJ)*
Assorted brews from Fire Mountain Brew House*
Assorted wines from Cana's Feast Winery*

And you can see all photos from the party here.

Beach Day: Short and Sweet

1.) Two hours due west.

2.) Reach the beach and run straight for the ocean. Live it UP, people!

3.) Check out the sand. What is that all about!?

4.) Meet a super nice dude with a super cool kite.

***

5.) Play chase! 

(Caught!)

6.) Explore beach artifacts with little Mr. John Deere as my assistant.

7.) Family photo. Oops Rocco ran for it.

8.) Shop. Send postcards to the grandmas and grandpas. Eat crepes. Play at the playground.

9.) Back for one more look.

10.) Cry because we are so sad to leave.

11.) Strong coffee for mama and daddy.

12.) Hit the road, Jack.

Dinner Chez Barone!

We have a friend who loves to cook.

And we love to eat her food.

Lorri is amazing. (Carmen too.) But I'm talkin' bout the chef here.  Ha!

Saturday night we indulged in the following:

Thai Me Up Cocktail :: vodka, thai iced tea, cream.

Fresh Salad :: green mango, pickled vegetables, mint, peanuts.

Fritters with Two Sauces :: mung bean and rice fritter, sesame peanut sauce, and sweet hot chile sauce.

The Main Dish :: vietnamese short rib, sushi rice, five spice and green peppercorn asian broth.

Dessert! :: homemade sesame ice cream, homemade whip cream, sesame seeds and crackers.

 

And, most importantly, the pleasure of our dear friends' company.

Also, Raine really enjoyed those fritters and hanging out with his buddy, Ralphie. :)

How Do You Say 'Yummy' in Spanish?

Hibiscus-Flower Enchiladas! 

So much flavor!

I cherish finding vegetarian recipes like this.

I wish I had millions of them so I could easily go back to a vegetarian diet. 

I'm thinking about it. Vegan even. 

(I don't like cheese after all, so no worries about that.)

I'm not quite ready yet. I need more recipes like this! 

Anyway.

The recipe! *Note: Dan used 1 chile but would have happily used 2 per the recipe if he was only cooking for himself. And speaking of cooking, he loved creating this. He said he felt like Bobby Flay. Haha.

From Epicurious:

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita invented this unusual vegetarian entrée in part to support the indigenous people of Oaxaca, who grow and harvest hibiscus (known in Spanish as flor de Jamaica). "The recipe is very traditional," he says. "We just replace the meat with flowers." The flavor of hibiscus defines this surprising dish; meaty, tangy, and utterly irresistible.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup grated jicama
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chipotle sauce:

• 2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cored, halved
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 large dried bay leaves
• Kosher salt

Assembly:

• Vegetable oil
• 12 6" corn tortillas
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese or feta, crumbled

• Ingredient info: Dried hibiscus flowers, also called Jamaica flowers, are available at some natural foods stores and at Latin markets. Look for canned chipotle chiles and Cotija cheese at better supermarkets and at Latin markets.

Preparation

Filling
Bring hibiscus flowers and 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; let steep until flowers are just tender, 5–8 minutes. Strain; reserve flowers. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add onion and sauté until soft but not brown. Add reserved hibiscus flowers, carrots, and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring often, until carrots are soft and liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Chipotle Sauce
Combine the first 4 ingredients and 2 cups water in a pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to fall apart, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender; purée until smooth. Wipe out pot; add oil and heat over medium-high heat. When oil begins to smoke, carefully add purée and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Assembly
Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4"; heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, submerge tortillas and cook, turning once, until they soften, 30–45 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Put 1/4 cup of filling in center of each tortilla; roll to enclose. Place 2 enchiladas on each plate. Smother with chipotle sauce and garnish with sour cream, cabbage, and Cotija cheese.

 

 

 

It Took Me Three Weeks to Bake Banana Bread

I bought the ingredients.

Time passed.

Dan teased me.

The ingredients went bad and I had to buy new ingredients.

Time passed.

More teasing.

I finally baked it. And it wasn't very good...! Lol. Oh well.

Finding time and energy for things has been tough lately.

Today is August 1st and I don't know how we got here so fast. The days are flying.

I've started three posts in the last week and had to save them as drafts. Sometime soon I will catch up.

Until then, here are some Instagram photos from our week. :)

Happy almost Friday!


P.S. I am trying out posting with my iPhone blogger app. Did it work??

1. A preview of Raine's birthday party decor...The pennant banner :)

2. Raine and Nexus reunited!

3. Tour de Cure - Hillsboro, OR July 2012!

4. Miss Lorri & Raine 

5. August in my Charley Harper calendar...So cute!

6. Enjoying Carmen's 2009 Black Butte XXI  by Deschutes Brewery. Delish!

7. Hello Kitty find for Alexis' 2nd birthday gift! How much fun is it to shop for her!?

8. More birthday party decor...Flowers from NSM. Only the best for Raine! :)

9. Raine's new buddy, Ralphie. 

10. The best pizza in Portland: Lorri Barone's made from scratch!