Vineyard work can be dangerous. In fact it can be deadly. Every year around harvest time we hear about accidents either in the vineyard or winery. Some of them are freak accidents. Many of them are preventable. Some of them are health related. But what happens when the vineyard or winery employee has no healthcare?…
Oregon Travel
What’s new at Ken’s Artisan Pizza?
Ken — a name that has become synonymous with some of the best pizza (and bread!) in Portland – has some exciting new additions to his well-known restaurant, which is now in its tenth year. Ken’s Artisan Pizza Shortly after I moved to Portland Ken’s Artisan Pizza quickly became our favorite pizza joint. Fast forward ten…
Feast Portland 2016 in Pictures
Feast Portland has come and gone, and wow! What a ride. This was my first time experiencing Feast Portland — the 4-day celebration of all things food and drink, including events, classes, panels, dinners, hands-on learning experiences, tasting, eating, and so much more — and it certainly lived up to my expectations. The Friday Grand Tasting was…
Feast Portland is Coming Soon!!!
One of the annual culinary highlights of many a Portland foodie is coming next week. Feast Portland! Feast Portland: September 15-18, 2016 What is Feast Portland? Now, in case you’re not a Portland foodie, or have just been hiding under a rock (like I was the last few years), it is, from what I hear…
Five Oregon Wineries with Restaurants
Winemakers will often tell you that their wines are meant to be enjoyed with food. But how often does a winery have a chance to prove it to their guests? In my latest article for Palate Press I continue an exploration of epicurean experiences at wineries, this time focusing on five Oregon wineries that have gone beyond…
2015 Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon — the scoop!
I knew I wasn’t entirely ready for the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, even though it’s been on my calendar for nearly a year. Summer, work, travel, kids, they all got in the way of a perfect training schedule, or really any consistent training schedule for that matter. I hadn’t had a long run (and…
Friday Favorites — BBQ, breakfast, and stellar sunsets
A weekly roundup of my favorite things from the week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and occasionally lifestyle. Since we took last Friday off, this covers the last two weeks of July. LIFESTYLE Favorite Moment — Cooking for Counter Culture! I’m still pinching myself that we even got invited to cook at such…
IPNC 2015 — Photo Preview
IPNC, the International Pinot Noir Celebration, is one of the world’s most premiere wine events. Held held every year in July on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, this three-day event lived up to its hype. The event is described as a “mecca for lovers of Pinot Noir,” but I’d also add that…
Ecliptic Brewing – come for the beer, stay for the food
Ecliptic Brewing, located in NE Portland, is the kind of brewery where you come for the delicious beer, and stay for the incredible food. As a gal who’s all about my food and wine pairings I was intrigued to be invited to a beer and food pairing lunch at Ecliptic Brewing last week. Beer and Food…
Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon Recap
Last month, hubby and I decided spend a rare “date day” running a half marathon. Some couples choose to go to a movie and dinner when they get away from the kids; we chose to run 13.1 miles together. I guess you could call us weird. The race was the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon….
Knudsen Vineyards — from vineyard to bottle
A brief history of Knudsen Vineyards (Dundee Hills, Oregon) and a preview of the inaugural release of their 2012 Pinot Noir. “When you begin any occasion, you start with sparkling wine. You just know good things are about to happen.” This was Cal Knudsen’s philosophy, as explained to me by his daughter Page Knudsen Cowles,…
Friday Favorites – Travel edition (Neskowin, Oregon)
A roundup of my favorite things from the week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. TRAVEL About two weeks ago we decided we needed to get out of town for a weekend. We have not had a vacation in what feels like forever and I needed to get the heck out of…
The Carlton Inn Bed and Breakfast (Carlton, Oregon)
The Carlton Inn Bed and Breakfast, in Carlton, Oregon, is a fantastic place to stay when in Oregon’s wine country. Following our wedding, my husband and I spent a quiet week near Lake Placid in upstate NY, at a bed and breakfast called the Porcupine Inn. We immediately fell smitten by the B&B bug. Upon…
Friday Favorites – Touring Oregon Wine Country
A weekly roundup of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Since returning to Oregon I’ve tried to immerse myself in Pacific Northwest wines, specifically on understanding the intricacies of each wine-growing region. This week I had the opportunity to spend some time focusing on two different regions…
Salmon and Pinot Noir, a Great Wine Pairing
Find out why Salmon and Pinot Noir are such a great wine pairing, plus recipes for salmon cooked on the smoker. Living in the Pacific Northwest we’re very lucky to be surrounded by great options for the freshest fish. When in Seattle we like to take the kids to, Pike Place Market. If you go,…
Friday Favorites — Farmer’s Market Fun
A weekly roundup of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Since I took last week off this encompasses two weeks of favorites. LIFESTYLE Portland Farmer’s Market The Portland Farmer’s Market is open for the season! It has been open for two weeks now and we’ve hit it…
Friday Favorites — Touring Portland with Friends
A weekly roundup of my favorite things in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Two of my dearest friends, Allison and Lynn, were visiting last weekend from CA, one of whom I’ve been BFF’s since we were fifteen years old, singing and dancing our way through high school together. We had a lot…
Red Ridge Farms Annual Harvest Dinner, and why you should explore olive oils
A few years ago a good friend gave my hubby and I a gift pack that included several locally made olive oils and vinegars for Christmas. When we opened it she mentioned she gave several other friends and family members the same pack and joked that we would probably be the only ones to actually…
Friday Favorites – welcoming fall, and a stunning Pinot from California
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. The Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maize on Sauvie Island It was a perfect fall day yesterday and I’m trying to take in all the good weather I can before the you-know-what wet stuff starts and doesn’t…
Kramer Vineyards Oenocamp — a day in the life of harvesting sparkling wine
If you’ve ever stepped foot on a vineyard you’ve probably had at least one fantasy about how romantic it must be to own or work in one. Be honest. Working for several years at two different wineries I had my fair share of working both in the vineyard and winery. I’ve seen, first hand, both…
Friday Favorites — Oregon day tripping and weekend bubbles
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. It has been a very slow week here on the blog, but an incredibly busy one for me and Vindulge. I’m sorry I missed last week’s Friday post. To make it up I’ve extended this weeks…
New Gems … and branching out in Carlton, Oregon
Having lived in Oregon for five years I never spent much time in the town of Carlton, located less than an hour away. Upon a recent trip during the annual Wine Bloggers Conference, I had the opportunity to spend two days there courtesy of the Carlton Business Association. And boy, did I kick myself for…
The Road Trip – First Stop, Oregon and WBC
It has been over a week now since we hit the road with the twins for our month long journey across the country. Unsurprisingly, I have noticed a lot of questions coming my way. “Why did you guys decide to do this trip?” “You really flew across the country, and are doing a month long…
The Columbia Gorge Isn’t Just for Windsurfers… It’s for Wine Lovers Too!
After years of working in Hood River, OR, it was finally nice to get out and be a tourist this past weekend. Living in Portland, my commute to Hood River used to be 104 miles round trip. On top of long work hours I hardly spent any leisurely time in the Columbia Gorge. So at…