This past week was pretty quiet but I'm starting to see signs of a busy Hood River spring and summer. We found time for coffee with friends and a quick family lunch at pFriem Family Brewers. Besides that we've been getting our backyard prepped and ready for garden beds, and preparing for the arrival of baby #2. So, not too much to report today. Hope you all have a great weekend! We are spending as much of ours outside as possible!

The delicious donuts from Blue Star Donuts in Portland... you should definitely stop in and try the Blueberry Bourbon Basil next time you find yourself in the big city.

It's hard to believe another week has flown by. We spent last weekend on a little cabin retreat with all the other Double Mountain brewers and their families... and this week recovering from the busy weekend so that we could rally for the Double Mountain 6th Anniversary Party tomorrow! Are you all going? I will definitely be making an appearance but considering I'm in the third trimester of this pregnancy, I don't think I'll be out partying for too long. I'll most likely spend the majority of the weekend painting closet doors, planning our garden, and cooking (of course). Have a great weekend!

A little olive oil. Don't you love this time of year for the simplicity of the cooking?

What a gorgeous morning! I bet you are all getting out of your homes today and enjoying the sun. We have been under the weather all week with yucky colds, but we are busting out today to run some errands and visit the Rebuild-It Center. I'm in search of cool knobs for the closet doors in our master bedroom. I love this time of year for finishing starting new projects and finishing old projects. We are also going to stop by Grow Organic and talk to them about getting chicks! I'm probably going to need a big ol' decaf latte from 10 Speed Coffee Bar too! Have a wonderful weekend... hooray for spring!

Oat bread made by Kyle at home. He bakes bread just about every weekend.

I've decided to bring back my Foodie Friday feature. Basically I will share a food photo with you and update you on what's been going on around here! Things have been pretty busy around our house. We spent a nice, long weekend in Seattle to celebrate my birthday and we ate at so many great places while we were there: Revel, Cupcake Royale, Beecher's, Serious Pie, Victor's Coffee Co., Honoré, Paseo... phew. What can I say, we love to eat. So while we've been eating our hearts out it's been a bit quiet here on the blog. But I've been working on lots behind the scenes (website stuff), cooking a lot, drinking a lot of decaf coffee and growing a baby. Next week I have a couple of fun posts coming your way including a new recipe.

What have you been up to, and most importantly, what have you been eating?

My favorite salad: Gwyneth Paltrow's Vietnamese Salad from her website GOOP.

Happy Friday! How's life in the Gorge? We are still abroad (you can read all about our adventures here) for another ten days. We're in Edinburgh, Scotland right now. Kyle is studying to get his Brewing and Distilling Masters through the University of Edinburgh so we're here for a two week intensive. We had such a wonderful time in Sweden. We're having the best adventures. Hope you have a wonderful weekend back home.

Vegetables from the garden in Sweden. Zucchini and flowers. Salad from the garden.

p.s. Have you all heard about Ruins in the Raw? We won't be back in time to attend but I wish we were! So many of my favorite gorge businesses are participating. It looks like it's going to be a great event.

Today we are off to Europe! We've been planning for this trip for years, I can't believe it's finally here. We have spent the whole week getting the house prepped for our friends and family who'll be staying and taking care of our kitty. First we are spending some time in Sweden, then Scotland. Kyle is getting his Masters Brewers degree from the University of Edinburgh so we are going so that he can attend the all important distillation module. I have lots of great posts for you here on the blog throughout our trip. If you want to stay updated on our adventures you can subscribe to my lifestyle blog: A Collection of Passions. I'll have photos and stories from our trip there.

Rosé wine from Phelps Creek Vineyards. A simple breakfast burrito. Matchstick jicama, carrots and cucmber.

It's hard to believe it's the end of July already! I'm so excited for the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games. All I want to do today is watch NBC and geek out about all things British/gymnastics/team USA. Speaking of Great Britain, we are thick into the pre-trip madness over here! We leave in a couple of weeks for Sweden and Scotland. Do you all have any recommendations for places to visit or eat in Stockholm or Edinburgh? I'm so excited for this European adventure with my family. It does mean the next couple of weeks will be packed to the brim with errands but we're so ready for a big ol' vacation. This weekend we're getting things tidied up and I'm shooting my next cooking video! What are you doing this weekend?

Mexican Mocha. Carrot bread. Latte. All from Dog River Coffee Co.

Happy Friday 13th! I tend to have very lucky Friday the 13ths and today is no different. I'm off today to do that "really, really, really exciting" thing I mentioned a couple days ago. I'm still not at liberty to share any information about it so that announcement will have to wait. This week has been busy but not too busy. I finished painting all of the rooms in our house so I basically spent the week putting the rooms back together. We have good friends coming to visit tonight, and staying for the weekend. Then we have company next week, and possibly the following weekend too! I love having friends and family in town. Have a great weekend.

Green onions. Steak fajitas. Peach pie and tea.

This week I had the flu. We laid pretty low around here. Watched Spain... on the Road Again (again) while I rested. If you've never seen it, I highly reccommend renting it. I've been painting our house, cuddling with Gwyneth, and catching up on work. It's hard to believe how quickly this month has flown by! I'm shocked that it's July. What are you doing this weekend?

Garlic Bread. Grilled Veggie Salad with local organic strawberries. Garden lettuce.

I skipped Foodie Friday last week because it was quite a lot of work posting my cooking video and recipes! Plus, in the last two weeks I went camping, attended the Brewers' Games, finished my Bachelor's Degree, broke my iPhone, had an audition in Portland, photographed Henni's Pig Roast, attended the birth of my nephew! This week was so much fun in our little neighborhood. Now that all the kiddos are out of school, our street is a bustle with bikes and laughter. I have so much to share with you over the next few weeks... adventures dining out in Hood River, great market finds, and, of course, more up close and personal photography with food. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Olive oil with fresh herbs and garlic. Crimini mushroom and bell peppers on the grill. Sliced onion on the grill.
Making Grilled Veggie Salad.

I'm in Seattle with family for the rest of this weekend. It's been a good week. I finished my BA Degree and am excited to celebrate. Keeping it short as I have so many wonderful family members to spend time with today. I have a lot of great things to share next week! Have a great weekend.

Hard boiled eggs. Sliced Yellowfin tuna. Salad Niçoise fixings.

I've been a bit absent on the blog this week as I spent most of the week planning and filming my first cooking video to coincide with the release of The Gorge Magazine's Summer Issue (which I'm thrilled to be a contributor on). I am also working on a new series for the blog! All in all it's been a pretty great week. How was your week? Do you have fun weekend plans?

On another quick note: I'm so happy to have some great new Sponsors on the blog this month: Gorge Owned Business Network, Double Mountain, Henni's, Everybody's Brewing and Dog River! I'll introduce you to them properly next week but their advertisements are up, so check them out!

Salt, heavy cream, butter. Caramel foaming. Finished caramel.

This has been another busy week... how about for all of you? Kyle took off for Seattle on behalf of Double Mountain, so I've been on my own with the babe for a couple of days. I'm getting the site all lined up with some wonderful advertisers for the month of June... I can't wait to share them with you. This site has been in action now for a few months and I'm so thrilled with the response, and the support. I hope you all have a really great weekend. Kyle's folks are coming to visit so I'm sure we'll be eating out!

Fried Sole with lemon and garlic, side of sautéed spinach. Cherry tomatoes, an avocado. Butterhead lettuce.

This week was filled to the brim with projects, homework, and preparing for more projects, photoshoots, and work. Kyle had surgery on his shoulder yesterday afternoon so we are laying low today. I'm going to make something wonderful to eat, and we will cuddle up as best you can with one arm in a sling, and watch Downton Abbey (we're obsessed). Do you all have fun plans for the day and the weekend?

Lemon slices. Golden and Red Beets. Sautéing baby spinach.

Wow, is it Friday already? This week has been absolutely crazy. I'm in Seattle, cooking up a storm in order to help my sister prepare for the birth of her baby boy. We made two lasagnas, two meatloafs, two Tuna Noodle Casseroles, two key lime pies, a double batch or pot stickers, and a double batch of Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie dough! Gwyneth has been teething and has been pretty miserable but, we're hanging in there. This weekend we're attending a send off party for my brother who's moving to Sweden, and Kyle's Nana is turning 85, so there's a party for her as well. Do you all have fun plans for the weekend?

Vegetarian French Onion Soup. Orange wheels. Roasting red bell pepper.

This week has been so rainy! I don't know about you all but I'm ready for some Gorge sunshine. We've been spending the rainy days studying for midterms, and cooking. We've been making soup, garlic bread, pasta dishes, and sipping red wine. We went to the library, and to the first Gorge Grown Farmers' Market yesterday. Now I'm off to Seattle for a week to help my sister prepare for her baby by stocking her freezer full of yummy, easy, comfort food. I hope you all had a great week, and have a wonderful weekend... fingers crossed for sunshine!

Red Beets. Butter melting. Dredge waiting for filets of Sole.

I love cooking. Part of what I love about it is all the little details. The simplicity. The way you can completely forget about everything else you have to do, or everything that might be worrying you, and totally focus on creating something delicious, nourishing, and comforting.

At the end of a busy day, I love nothing more than to pour myself a glass of wine, and make dinner for my family. I've started photographing the details, the finished dishes, and the ingredients because I find them to be really beautiful. I thought I'd start sharing them with you on Fridays with a few thoughts. I hope you enjoy this new feature.

Crimini mushroom stems. Farm eggs. Kale Chips.