The Return of Fall

Darling 'Butters,

I've decided that's what I'll call anyone who reads the 'Butt. Appropriately endearing, no?

It's been way too long since I last blogged, but without ever really making a conscious decision, I took the summer off. Before this summer, I didn't know it was possible to be busier than I was in college or grad school, but I definitely learned how wrong I was over the past 3 months. That being said, even though September looks like it will be just as crazy, I felt a shift when I woke up this morning. My body could feel the first changes of autumn...the cold air (50 degrees!) outside, the darkness out the window even at 6:15, and the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. That last one is a particular favorite of mine! :)

As many of you know, in Oregon we have to make the absolute most of the few precious weeks of sunshine we are gifted. And let me tell you, we did. I don't think I could possibly recap all of the adventures I've experienced since the start of June, but I will do my best to fill you in.

June

June was still filled with plenty of rain and gray days, but it was also filled with excitement. One of my best friends, Dani, married our other good friend Jared. What an exciting month! Beginning with a bridal shower in Seaside, then a bachelorette party in Catalina, and finally a beautiful wedding in Portland...June was filled with celebrating.

I also had the chance to see my parents a couple of times, celebrate my mom's birthday with a Randy Travis concert, and play lots of softball. Playing is not to be confused with winning, unfortunately.

July

July kicked off with my darling Vassar friend Maya coming out for a visit. Read all about it here. We had an amazing time and I can't tell you how hard it is to believe we've been friends now for 6 years!

In July I also discovered the beauty of Forest Park, a Portland gem filled with miles and miles of trails. Buoy and I spent many hours exploring the trails. Dani and I also shared an adventure when we went to the Highland Games, find out all about that trip here. The adventuring continued with a trip to Bellingham, a weekend in Kennewick, Washington for the Columbia Cup Races, and the discovery of a new favorite blog cupcakesandcashmere.com.

August

Here's where things got crazy. The first weekend of August was spent at Salishan for my work's summer convention. Jeremy and Buoy joined me, and as a thank you/birthday present for Jeremy I put together a little surprise on the way home. We drove up to Netarts Bay, OR where I had reserved a boat so Jeremy and I could go crabbing. It was one of the most fun things we've ever done together.

As you can see Jeremy and I did fairly well for beginners! We came home with 20 Dungeness crabs...

...which we shared immediately with our friends Matt and Carrie. (P.S. They got engaged the day before so it was a great occasion for celebrating!)

The following week we celebrated Jeremy's birthday at the new Trader Vic's restaurant in town. I recommend going there for drinks, the cocktail menu is insane!

August continued with the highly anticipated arrival of my college roommate Katie. Darling Katie lives all the way in Buffalo, NY, the Northwest was a new experience for her and I couldn't wait to share with her all that the NW has to offer.

In true Allison/Katie style we jam-packed every second of her visit. From the minute she landed, when we headed to Secret Society Lounge for drinks, to the second she left when we had Podnah's Pit for dinner, we had a blast. There was a hike at Multnomah Falls, a brewery tour, a 3 day camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula, a visit to Seattle, and dinner high atop a skyscraper downtown at Portland City Grill.

Here are a few highlights:

We successful pitched our tent two nights in a row. This is Katie showing us who's boss at a campground in Lake Quinault, WA.

We hiked to beaches along the Washington coast.

Visited the Hoh Rainforest.

Stopped at Lake Crescent and hiked to Marymere Falls.

And climbed high above the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.

What a trip right? I think Katie definitely experienced so much of the Pacific Northwest.

August was an incredible month. It ended with a trip up to Bellingham last weekend. Bellingham is always a lot of fun, but this time Dani and Jared decided to join us. We had the best time.

We hiked, we swam, we kayaked.

We also drank a few too many margaritas! But hey, that's what life is all about.

The best part...our new family nickname...

meet the Schaabinots.

That is all. I hope you enjoyed the summer recap. Now that it's wrapping up I promise to be back in full blogging fashion. And you better be excited, because something tells me September will be just as adventurous!

Time to get back on track...

I don't know about you, but Memorial Day weekend always seems to mean hamburgers. Even with the weather being pretty lousy this past weekend, Jeremy and I managed to squeeze in some mini adventures and lots of yummy food.

Saturday we took a little trip out to Sauvie Island. Located just a few minutes outside of Portland, this little island is full of farm land. In the fall Portlanders head out there for corn mazes and hay rides...this time of year we enjoy lots of farm produce stands and the pretty little beaches. I definitely recommend taking the drive out there if you want a very close escape from the city.

I also had the chance to try out and play around with a new Challah recipe. I highly recommend it and with all the leftovers you can make amazing french toast for breakfast the next day!

Challah
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 C honey
1 TBL plus 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C olive oil or vegetable oil
5 eggs
1 TBL salt
7 1/2 - 8 C unbleached white flour (or all-purpose)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 TBL sugar in 1 and 3/4 C warm water.

2. Whisk oil and honey into yeast. Then beat in 4 eggs, 1 at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour and mix together. When the dough holds together you've added enough flour and it's ready to knead. I did all of this in my stand mixer which helps a lot, but I still kneaded the dough after it was mixed by hand to make sure it was nice and smooth.

3. Put in a greased bowl and cover with a damp dish towel. Place in the oven to let rise. I turn on the oven light to make the oven a bit warmer. You can also turn on the oven to 150 degrees and then turn it off. Let rise for 1 hour, then punch the dough down and let rise for 30 more minutes.

4. Take your dough and divide it in half. Braid each loaf. I did a traditional 3 part braid. For each loaf you will need to divide the dough into three balls and roll out into 12 inch strands. Pinch together the three pieces at one end and then proceed to braid. After braided put the dough in the fridge and let rise for another 3 hours. If you're in a rush you can put the dough in a warm spot (the oven) for another hour.

5. Whisk the remaining egg and paint onto the loaves. Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies. Challah is supposed to have that nice thick golden crust.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Make sure the loaves are a dark golden brown before removing from the oven. Let cool for 30 minutes, slice and serve!

 So that was Saturday in a nut shell! 

Sunday we embarked on another adventure. As a kid my family would always take our summer vacations in the Northwest. Driving, camping, and hiking our way through the state and national parks that spread throughout Oregon and Washington. One of my favorites was Mt. St. Helens.

 The mountain and surrounding forest is incredible to see, but what makes Mt. St. Helens so unique is its recent history. The volcano erupted in 1980...taking out almost 250 square miles of forest and spewing ash that covered cars all the way in Southern California.

Jeremy had never seen the volcano so we decided to head up there. In shorts and sandals we took off, but as we climbed the mountain we began to realize we had definitely miscalculated. Starting around 2,000 feet elevation the fog was so dense you couldn't see 50 feet in front of you. Not to mention the 3 feet of snow that still covered the ground.

Unfortunately we couldn't even see the mountain that was right in front of us. I guess that means we will have to go back if summer ever comes to Portland!

Monday, on our last precious day of the holiday weekend, we headed up to Angels' Rest with our neighbors Matt and Carrie. As soon as I get the pictures from Carrie I will add them to this entry. It turned out to be the most perfect day! Sunny and beautiful, when we reached the top of the hike we had a panoramic view of the entire Columbia River Gorge. I highly recommend this hike!

All in all it was an amazing weekend. Only problem...we stuffed ourselves so full of food that Jeremy and I have had to hit the reset button on our healthy eating this week. I have lots of veggie-packed meals planned for the coming days, starting with our meal last night inspired by my favorite blog The Little Red House.

Here's the recipe for these delicious Chili and Lime Bowls. You must try these...best part is you get to build them yourself! Makes you feel like you're 5 years old, but who doesn't like playing with their food?

Chili and Lime Bowls
Recipe from The Little Red House

Ingredients:

1 TBL soy sauce

1 TBL lime juice

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano (or fresh if you have it)

1 tsp olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 15 oz. can of black beans

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cup edamame

1 avocado, diced

1 head of cabbage, leaves washed and removed

1/4 cup sliced green onions

lime wedges

Directions:

1. Put together your Yogurt Lime Dressing. Mix 1/2 C plain low-fat yogurt, 2 TBS lime juice, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS chili powder, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 TBS chopped cilantro, 1 TBS chopped chives. Whisk in 1/4 C olive oil until combined.

Put in fridge until ready to use.

2. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, oregano and olive oil. Toss with sweet potatoes and then roast in oven at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.

3. Put all your veggies out and then build your own lettuce bowls! Place the green onions on top, add the fresh lime, and drizzle on some of the dressing!

This was a delicious meal and ended up being surprisingly filling! I recommend using The Little Red House if you ever are looking for some healthy recipes full of yummy fresh ingredients. Thank you Sheena for a great dinner idea!

Stay tuned...tomorrow I'll be back to fill you in on Taco night.

A Weekend in Bellingham

Good morning November! It's officially my favorite month of the year :) To start things off right, I will be sharing with you all the great weekend I had up in Bellingham, Washington. Hopefully it will inspire you to take a little drive up North!

As most of you know, my sister is a sophomore at Western Washington University, located in beautiful Bellingham. As you may also know, my parents recently retired and moved to the same town. Bellingham is about 90 minutes north of Seattle, an hour south of Vancouver, B.C. By the time you get up there, you see as many British Columbia license plates as you do Washington state. I've visited this gem of a town about 5 times and each time I find new things to do and explore. Bellingham is one of those places you can only experience in the Northwest. From downtown you can be hiking in the mountains, visiting the San Juan Islands, skiing on Mt. Baker, or shopping in the historic Fairhaven district all in less than 30 minutes.

On Saturday morning Jeremy and I packed up the car with an extra set of clothes, Jeremy's guitar, and Buoy. It was pouring rain all the way through Seattle, but by the time we got to Bellingham the sun was actually out! We stopped at Britt's apartment first and picked her up for lunch. The three of us (and Buoy) drove down the hill to Fairhaven. What an adorable spot! I've included a couple pictures so you can get the idea. All old brick buildings, bookstores, tea shops, cafes, and art galleries...Fairhaven seriously looks like it belongs in some little English or Irish town. We ate lunch at the Colophon Cafe, an adorable little spot where we were able to sit out on the patio. It is on the bottom floor of the bookstore and faces the Farmers Market. This is the spot for delicious soup, quiche, sandwiches, and hot apple cider!

After lunch Jeremy and I headed up the mountain to my parents' house, where we explored a bit and then headed down to Lake Whatcom for a hike. The lake is huge and surrounded by beautiful homes. With the autumn leaves covering the trail it was the perfect afternoon activity! Buoy loved it as well because he knows Lake Whatcom means lots of time to swim.

Saturday night ended with watching the USC v. Oregon football game (I don't want to talk about it), and beef stew my Mom always makes on Halloween.

Sunday morning before we left town, my family all got together for breakfast at Avenue Bakery. The bread here is delicious and they use incredibly fresh eggs and bacon. I definitely recommend this spot. Although, if you're only in Bellingham for the weekend Diamond Jim's is the spot for a classic diner breakfast.

I could make a number of great recommendations to anyone visiting Bellingham, but I'll spare you a million details. Just go! It's a great town with great food and unbeatable outdoor adventures. Not to mention, you always have a place to stay!