pecan chicken with bourbon maple cream sauce

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I didn’t even have to read this entire post to know I wanted this dish in me as soon as possible. It looks like it falls into the “labor of love” on the effort scale, but if The Dough Will Rise Again is raving about this recipe, I know it will be worth the work!

jcristg's avatarThe Dough Will Rise Again

I’m kind of particular about chicken. If you know me, you’d probably say I was pretty particular about a lot of specific things, but chicken is a biggie. I don’t like chicken on the bone, or with skin. I don’t like dark meat. I don’t like fried chicken… wait, I’m Southern through and through, and I don’t like fried chicken? Nope. I can almost pinpoint this dislike to having fried chicken at tailgates, and using paper napkins, and having little pieces of paper stick to my hands. I think it has ruined me for life. (I’m pretty sure my disdain for boned chicken involves the kid that sat across from me at the lunch table in the third grade and ATE chicken leg bones. I’ll never get over it.)

As such, I have never fried chicken. I’m actually not much of a fryer in general, but I’ve gone out on…

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Colorful Kale and Cauli Salad

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Colorful Kale and Cauli salad

Fast, visually pleasing and delicious, this salad brought me great joy as my dinner. I was lazy after pilates and didn’t want to cook, so I dug through the fridge and tossed together my findings, and thus became my tasty meal.

Salad bits

  • Kale
  • Blue cheese crumbles
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Died cranberries (or cherries)
  • Pumpkin seeds (great for building immunity)
  • Pine Nuts
  • Fig & Walnut Vinaigrette (found at New Seasons)
  • Cauliflower (first tossed with the Fig & Walnut Vinaigrette)

Exploring Muir Woods

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Many years ago, I used to write twitter content for the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and one of the sites I would often recommend to tourists was Muir Woods in Marin County (ironic considering I had not been myself). Since my parents moved to Marin last year, I have wanted to see the Woods – a national park created by conservationist, John Muir at the turn of the 20th Century. There are redwoods in Oregon, but none as famous as those in Northern California, so upon visiting at Easter, I declared my #1 tourist attraction would be the Park. It was well worth the wait. Continue reading

Cucumber-Wrapped Lox

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Picture this: it’s Crafty Night at my house, friends are coming over in T-no time, and I have no appetizers prepared. What’s a girl to do? I pulled inspiration from the previous evening’s sushi making class, and thought of a visually pleasing, relatively quick snack: lox and cream cheese stuffed cucumber rolls. I feel so grateful that there’s a New Seasons just down the road from me, granting access to local, fresh vegetables meats and anything else to save a procrastinator like me. I picked up the ingredients to craft my masterpieces, and got rolling. Continue reading

Project: Oneonta Gorge

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I had the privilege of working with Travel Oregon many years ago for their summer awareness campaign, and was delighted to see this year’s focus is on the “7 Wonders of Oregon“. The Coast, the Gorge, the Mountain, the Hills, the Rock, the Wallowas and the Lake all have stunning highlights in this series, but the feature on Oneonta Gorge was particularly moving for me. I’m looking forward to experiencing Oneonta first hand when the weather reaches its peak heat wave, and will make sure to tell you all about it.

P.S. If this video doesn’t motivate you to “get out there”, then I can’t help you.

 

Hiking to The Wall

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I love the Columbia River Gorge. It’s incredibly beautiful and only a short drive from Portland. On weekends like two weeks ago, I just want to get away from the city and breathe in the cool, clean air and vistas. Most of my hikes have been on the Oregon side of the river, like Angel’s Rest and Wahkeena Falls, but this edition takes place just east of White Salmon, Washington at Coyote Wall.

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Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Fritters

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Wow, bam, pow! That’s exactly how I felt while eating these delightful fritters at Easter brunch. First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice for sharing this wonderful recipe. I initially found this recipe on Pinterest, promptly added it to my Food Porn board, and kept waiting for the perfect time to bust out the plate. Continue reading

Salted Dark Chocolate Caramel Delights

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Chocolate and caramels are a complicated subject matter for me. I love them, but I’m not as crazy for them as other desserts (give me crème brûlée any day). However, I am starting to sing a different tune after having experienced some of the most amazing chocolate caramels ever. My friend, Sara is an incredibly talented blogger/photographer and, turns out, baker, and when she contributed traditional and chocolate caramels to our December Crafty Night, I knew my world would never be the same. Continue reading

On the docket: Oven Braised Mexican Beef

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My friend, Jessica recently underwent the Whole30 challenge, totally killed it, and posted multiple amazing Paleo recipes, including the Oven Braised Mexican Beef. It looks a-mah-zing, and I am very much looking forward to trying it myself. Hmm, perhaps another recipe to use the beef from my local, organic, totally woo-woo cow share. I’ll keep you posted on how successful I am!

Batty in Austin

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I only recently have come to know and love Austin, Texas. Many have told me the likening the city has to my hometown, Portland, namely it’s love of the B’s: beers, beards, bikes, bridges, and, well, tattoos. In addition to these B’s (and one T), there are bats! Similar to Portland’s tradition with the Vaux Swifts, Austin has 2.5-3 million bats that call the S. Congress Bridge home from March to late September. During my trip to SXSW, I had the opportunity to see these bats live and in action.

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