Portland

New Portland Favorites

/ jennced15 / 6 Comments

I have a lot of people visiting me or the last couple of months and all of them have been to Portland before with me so naturally they have all experienced my tried & true favorites. Now I have 5 more food and places to add to the ever-growing list.

Food

  1. La Provence: Small plates and small desserts. A great place to have a conversation with friends.
  2. Koi Fusion: Can we say Korean tacos?!
  3. Toadstool Cupcakes: The little cupcakes are soooo cute and pretty tasty as well.
  4. HK Café: The place to go for a plethora of Asian food options including the ones that you only get when in those countries.
  5. The Fireside: A great cozy place that you can chat with friends at and watch all the foot traffic on 23rd Avenue.

Places

  1. Collage: This is the greatest little store of craft and art supplies I have ever seen!
  2. Roloff Pumpkin Patch: I think this is a great place to look for a pumpkin and entertain little children
  3. Monticello Antique Marketplace: This place is huge and what I love the most about them; they have a ton of furniture and other big items to pick through.
  4. The Iron Gate Cottage: A great little place to just peruse on a rainy afternoon.
  5. Lee Farms: This is right by my house and is a great place for a last-minute gift, produce, pumpkins, activities and of course, apple cider donuts!

Make it Cold and Creamy

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

Just in case anyone is wondering . . . I love ice cream. I love that it can be extremely simple or complex. Take for instance the difference between country vanilla and Tahitian vanilla. Then you can add anything to it. You can purchase rocky road or top your chocolate ice cream. You can put it on a cone or in a dish. You can mix it up and have a shake or malt. Sky is the limit! So here are a few fun thoughts I had about ice cream while I was eating my favorite: Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter. Yum! 

  1. Okay, first thing first. Where did it come from and who do I have to thank? Ice Cream History from Wikipedia.
  2. What are the top 50 ice cream flavors? Thanks Ranker for your ever-changing list and to ActiveBeat for you list!
  3. Where can I eat ice cream in Portland? Thanks RedTri for your list that I will be exploring as the summer continues on!
  4. What kind should I make at home next? This Sea Salt & Honey No-Churn Ice Cream looks fantastic from Kitchen Treaty! 
  5. What should I serve it in?Thanks for the bowls Williams-Sonoma!  

Miracle Fridays

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I like every Friday (except maybe the ones when I am sick) but I do have some Fridays that are what I am going to start calling my miracle Fridays. Those are the ones that you never thought you would get to. The ones where it was so dark that you were only praying you were getting closer to the light of day. Then you finally break through . . . . BRILLIANT SUNSHINE!!! We have made it and it feels so wonderful!!

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!

Now on to my favorite things. I actually really like talking about my favorite things for two big reasons: 1. I love sparking people’s interest to see and do things. 2. I love reminiscing on the things that make me smile from my own life.

So in light of that and the crap-tastic week I had at the office all I could think about was food—comfort food, and for me, that comes in the form of Mexican food. I grew up in Southern California and was heavily influenced by the wonderful Mexican culture so I think every wound can be bandaged with killer tacos or chips dipped in a homemade mixture of beans and cheese. This post is just making me hungry. J

Lately I have been working long hours so I haven’t been able to make anything at home. So here are 5 of my favorite Mexican restaurants just in case you or I need a quick fix.

1.       Vida Mia Cuisine in San Antonio, TX (I literally made this a carry-on item. It was about 40 tacos—which I shared with my family and then froze the rest so we could continue to enjoy them for a couple of weeks)

2.       Los Barrios Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio, TX (If you don’t know what a puffy taco is—you should find out)

3.       Chelino’s Mexican Restaurant in Edmond, OK (Fresh pinto beans, homemade queso and an unlimited supply of tortillas—yes please!)

4.       Pepino’s Fresh Mexican Grill in Portland, OR (Do they have anything on their menu other than nachos? J)

5.       Red Iguana Killer Mexican Food in Salt Lake City, UT (MOLE, MOLE, MOLE—OLE!!)

Honorable Mention: Papi’s Tacos Al Carbon in Riverside, CA (I had to leave it on the list because it was a childhood favorite but I just found out that it has closed) RIP

The Commute

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So I am still looking for that perfect place to put down roots. I am planning on renting right now and in the future buying after I have had plenty of time to stake out ideal areas and the best price. In the meantime, I haven’t stumbled upon what I really want even for renting. It is okay except for the HORRIFIC COMMUTE.

On a good commute I can make it to my office in 1 hour. On a typical commute, 1 1/2 hours. On a bad commute 2 1/2 hours ++

SHOOT ME NOW!!!

I have to be up by 4:15 every morning and on a night like last night–I got home at 8. I actually quit my last job in the hopes of having some more “me” time only to now find that I am developing a very deep and personal relationship with my car. Don’t get me wrong, I love my car but I didn’t want to be married to it.

So I have decided to share my top 5 views along my commute. If you have a commute what beautiful thing do you get to look at?

  1. Mt. Hood 
  2. Columbia River 
  3. Willamette River 
  4. Downtown Portland 
  5. Fort Vancouver