Random Rainy Day

Saturday was a very random day and I have not had one of those in a while. First was the farmers market because we go there every Saturday. Midway through the market, it started to downpour so we sprinted out of there. To kill time after the market, we headed to Red Tail Golf Course. I have never been golfing before so this was something completely new to me. It's hilarious when my boyfriend takes me anywhere that tests my sports abilities because I end up catching on really fast. The first swing I did was about 150ft, but I did used to play softball and throw javelin. After the driving range and relaxing there, we felt like exploring Portland a little bit. Alberta was the spot that day and it was time for a snack. The grilled cheese bus was the one place that sounded the best to both of us. While eating in the bus, it started to downpour. So once we finished eating, we sprinted to the car to head back towards home. On the way home, we both were craving a Bloody Mary, and on Saturdays it is something that we always have. La Provence is always a great place to have a Bloody Mary at, but we also thought we would try some food we haven't had before. We had the mushroom crepes before so that was an automatic, but we also saw these thin bread crisps, with an avocado creme, tomatoes, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. It was such a light but filled snack to have. After our little snack, we headed back to my boyfriend's house to watch Corpse Bride. It is Halloween time and we both love Tim Burton movies. Plus it was a downpour outside so we just wanted to stay inside. While watching the movie, we tried some new fall beer. The first one was Laurelwood's pumpkin beer, which was heavier than I expected, but had lot of flavor to it. The second is one I really like a lot. Burnside did a pumpkin ale with chilies and spices. This beer had a lot of bold flavor and you could identify each one. First you would taste the pumpkin, then the warm spices, then the kick from the chilies. This is a beer is will definitely be having again.

For dinner I wanted some comfort food, and Mac and cheese is the best kind. I always make it homemade because it's easy and does not take long. I will list the recipe below. 

Butter

Flour

Whole wheat pasta 

Milk (I used soy)

Cheese (I used cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone)

Salt

Pepper

1. Boil pasta in its own pot

2. In a separate pan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, sprinkle in about 1 tablespoon of flour. You might need more, but you want it to start to clump up into a roux 

3. Add about 1/4 cup of milk. You might need more after the cheese is added. Play it by ear. 

4. Add all of the cheese into the mixture. My cheese ended up being about 2 cups. 

5. Once everything is melted and combined, it should look like a cheese sauce 

6. After draining the pasta, pour it back into the pot, and combine the cheese sauce with it. 

7. Add salt and pepper to taste

I add hot sauce to my Mac and cheese to add that extra kick. 

Fall Italian

As I scroll through Pinterest, I noticed I am constantly repinning different fall themed recipes. Pumpkin fettuccine Alfredo was one thing that I had pinned and was very curious to try. Last night was the night to try it because my boyfriend was coming over for dinner and likes pumpkin. 

First off, this recipe was relatively easy to make! The steps are very straight forward and it does not take long to cook. Second, it turned out to be delicious! This is definitely a recipe that I will be making again this fall. It is creamy from the goat cheese and pumpkin, but also fills you up without making you feel like you are eating a ton. It's a very satisfying dish for this time of year. Also the worst thing is regretting eating something right after you are done eating. But this sauce leaves you feeling warm inside and good about this wonderful season. 

Below I have the link for the recipe! 

http://cookieandkate.com/2012/pumpkin-fettuccine-alfredo/

Tis The Season For Sickness

It is officially cold season, and yes, I have caught my first cold for this year. I'm hoping it's my only cold for the year though. My boyfriend has me on the holistic remedies, while my mom has me on benedryl and Tylenol. So hopefully something helps me get rid of this cold and fever. 

Pre-sickness, I made sure to get a picture of my outfit so that I could have something to do in between nose blows. The weather has also been starting to get chilly, but has stayed sunny, which I absolutely love. This outfit was perfect to keep me warm on a chilly day. The cardigan (H&M) added that extra warmth to the cropped sweater (H&M) underneath it. If you guys couldn't tell, my dark wash skinnies (Paige from Anthropologie), are my go to jeans and bottoms in general. Since my boots (Steve Madden) are black, like most of my outfits, I decided to add a wine colored scarf (can't remember where it's from) for some color to the look. This definitely made me excited for the fall and winter outfits to continue. 

Is It Fall Yet?

Oregon really cannot decide if it is fall yet or still summer. The temperature has been fluctuating so much that I can't keep up with what season it is. That being said, this past Saturday was definitely a fall feeling day. And now that the fall decorations (pumpkins) are everywhere, it was the perfect day to go to the farmers market. 

About half the vendors there were filled with the most beautiful squashes and heirloom tomatoes. While I didn't get any this week, you better believe I will be stocking up next week. 

My outfit for the market was very season inspired. My sweater (H&M) was a rich Merlot color, and is the perfect weight for when you are in between seasons. It's not thick, but not a t-shirt. I paired it with my dark wash skinny jeans (Paige from Anthropologie) and a scarf (Nordstrom) to add a nice fall feel to the outfit. My light brown boots (Steve Madden) were perfect to tie the outfit together. For accessories I wore gold leaf earrings that my mom has since at least the early 90's and sunglasses (Urban Outfitters) since it actually was sunny outside. 

Later that day, I got a phone call that one of my favorite uncles is in town (he never tells anyone when he is coming) and to head downtown to meet up. We all met up at Wild Wasabe on Thurman St. I have heard so many good things about this sushi spot and was excited to finally be able to go there. The restaurant lived up to the reviews, all of the sushi is fresh, and the quality is excellent. They make sushi the traditional way and not just like those places where it's rotating on a conveyer belt. The sushi is all made once you order it. 

After our little sushi snack, we went across the river to meet up with my boyfriend's mom and stepdad who were in town for the night. We all agreed to go to Breakside Brewery, which was down the street from where his parents were staying. This was an even more exciting place to go to because there was a Timbers soccer game on so the energy was very lively. We got a Bavarian pretzel for out appetizer, and it came with this killer mustard dipping sauce and pickles (I had a slight freak out about the pickles). I ordered their spicy grilled cheese and sweet potato waffle fries. The grilled cheese is made on Grand Central Bakery bread which was toasted to perfection. On the sandwich there was Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar AND pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, cilantro and a chipotle Tabasco sauce. The cilantro added a nice fresh taste, while the creamy cheeses and Tabasco sauce had a kick. I could not rave enough about this sandwich and I want it again. It was so good that I wasn't able to get a picture of it before devouring it. The fries were just cooked perfect, with a crunch and soft center. Since the spiced cider is there seasonal drink and I can't pass up a seasonal drink, that was immediately what I ordered. It was refreshing but left you with a warm feeling because of those spices. I would get a case of it if I could. And we will definitely be going back here soon

Pass the Pickle Please

Yesterday was our weekly out and about day! We decided to go to the Pearl District and to NW 23rd. The Pearl District was our first stop and we were not there for very long because it's not really an area that we spend much time in. It's a great area to eat in, but we were not hungry when we went. So we headed to NW 23rd to explore. 

When we got there my boyfriend suggested going to Kornblatts. He had been talking about it for months, so I figured we might as well give it a shot. And I can never pass up pickles. It's a serious addiction for me and they girl you a jar of pickles before your meal comes out. 

Once I saw that they had a vegetarian Reuben sandwich that was a no brainier for what I should order. For my side I chose potato salad because I heard that they make an amazing one. Once I took a bite out of each thing, I was instantly transported to what I would envision heaven would be like. The pickles were fat and juicy, but had a great crunch to them. The sandwich was one of the best things I have ever eaten. There was a ton of sauerkraut, bell peppers, mushrooms and the most glorious sauce on it. The potato salad tastes exactly like my grandma's, which made it fantastic. I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life. My boyfriend was laughing so hard at my reaction to eating this food because I look so beyond content with life. I will definitely be going back there as much as I can. 

After lunch we walked around to almost all of the stores on the street to try and burn some calories and bask in the incredible home stores.

When we were walking we saw a sign saying that 23 Hoyt was offering $2 mimosas on Saturday and Sunday. So clearly we stopped and ordered ourselves one each because we just love ourselves. And I have never had a bad mimosa. This place did not disappoint. 

Once we needed a snack, a macaron was the one thing that sounded the best to us. Papa Haydn's is the go to place for them because they always make a killer macaron. My boyfriend chose the strawberry basil one and I picked the honey lavender of course. This was a little delight to eat because it was light but had huge bursts of flavor. In mine, there were pieces of actual lavender which enhanced the taste. 

It's finally feeling like fall here in Portland, so clearly I was dressing for the season. I wore my dark wash skinny jeans (Paige jeans from Anthropologie), a basic black tank that doesn't fit my dad and was from the 80's (Nike). I decided to go basic with these key pieces because I knew that I was going to accessorize with big prints. The scarf I wore (Forever21), cardigan (picked in a clothes swap with my neighbor) and the boots (Steve Madden) added that fall touch to the outfit. My purse (Forever21) is basic but has a gold chain strap to add that glam touch as well.  As for jewelry, I went with my rectangle matte gold earrings (Forever21), and rose gold watch (Anne Klein) to add that glam touch. This is actually an outfit I really love because it was appropriate for the season, which I love fall so much. I have also slightly hanged my hair color and had my AMAZING hair stylist add some caramel lowlights in it for the fall. It helps add some warmth to my blonde hair. This is my favorite color I have ever had by far. 

"Pasta" Night

I am absolutely loving the weather change here in Portland. This means some oft favorite things are in season now; pumpkins, squash and apples. That being said, since it's cold, I decided to do a very warm meal last night. 

There has been a spaghetti squash waiting to be used in my house. So last night dinner was going to include that no matter what. I have always loved spaghetti squash because it's still hardy when you eat it, but it is such a good alternative to regular pasta. There are so many different recipes that I have for spaghetti squash, but my boyfriend wanted Italian. A creamy Parmesan tomato sauce was the perfect pair for this. I also made sautéed bell peppers with spinach and garlic to be pair with the "spaghetti". My boyfriend picked up a Grand Central Bakery baguette from Whole Foods. I didn't want butter with the bread, so we had olive oil and balsamic vinegar with it. This dinner just made me so happy because I was full when I was done eating, but felt good about what I ate because it is so healthy. 

I was also feeling very domestic yesterday (when am I not though), so I made an apple pie. We have an apple tree in our backyard so there is just and over abundance of apples. To make the filling, it was just a basic apple pie spice mix and the apples. The pie crust was actually Bob's Red Mill! It's a gluten free crust which is interesting to me because I have never done a gluten free pie before. But boy oh boy, it was so good! My boyfriend's sister is now gluten free, so I have been trying out tons of recipes that are gluten free. Anyone who is gluten free, I highly recommend this pie crust mix. It tastes just like my regular homemade pie crust. And of course, apple pie should always be paired with vanilla bean ice cream. 

Era Confusion

A couple days ago was adventure day! Our go-to place was Hawthorne, which is somewhere we hadn't been in a while. 

First stop was Grand Central Bakery, which was a very exciting stop to make! My amazingly talented boyfriend just got a deal with them, where he would trade his artwork for pastries! I could not be happier about this because it's a big thing for him, and we were getting free food! I chose to have the leek and cheese quiche, while he chose the zucchini quiche. We also shared the peach tart as well. I could not rave more about these pastries, because I was amazed by them. The quiche was filled with fluffy eggs and perfectly cooked leeks. The cheese was cooked so that it had a smokey flavor and complimented the leeks. The peach tart had a peach compote in the middle, which was not too sweet. I appreciated this because I like things to keep their natural flavor. The pastry itself was crispy on the outside, but warm and flakey on the inside. 

After we had our breakfast, we walked around and wandered into the different shops. Once lunch time came around, Mcminamins is what sounded good to us. We know that there is always a ridiculously long wait for everything there, but we went anyways. Even though our food took forever to get to our table (about 30-40 minutes), once it was set down, we devoured it. I had a sandwich that consisted of mushrooms, tomatoes and melted cheese. Cajun tots are a must when coming here, with a beer or cider. I chose to have the seasonal cider which happened to be a blackberry one. The cider was crisp and tart. It was the perfect refreshing drink to have especially because it was 90 degrees out. 

Once we walked around for a couple more hours, we were thirsty. I am now hooked on cold brew since I tried it for the first time at Case Study. So it was a no brainier to go there to get some cold brew. I ordered the lavender infused ice brew and was so happy once I had my first sip. There was a very abundant taste of lavender which was perfect. It is the best hot summer day drink because it gives you energy, is cold, and is refreshing. We also bought a bag of the coffee beans so that we can make some cold brew at home! 

My outfit was very much themed to the musi we were listening to the night before. Basically we watched all of the artists that performed at Woodstock, which is what influenced my outfit choice. The black maxi dress (H&M) was nice tans easy to walk in all day. I wore a crocheted duster (Forever21) on top to add that bohemian feel. It was very Stevie Nicks of me to wear. My necklace (Forever21 years ago) is a dream catcher that has neutral colors to match with the earthy look. My sandals (Forever21)  were just basic black ones to tie it all together. 

My hair was done on a whim. I had no idea what to do with my hair that morning, so I just started braiding the sides. Once both sides reached the back, I tucked it into the middle until it created almost a messy bun. I was instantly hooked once I saw what it looked like from behind. And it was really easy to do, which is the best part.