So Long Spring Break

Road Trip Attire

Spring break is officially over, and school begins again bright and early tomorrow morning. I find myself a creature of habit, living in routine with the kid's schedules - and although I need routine because without it I find it hard to accomplish anything, I still crave for the freedom to wander and explore. I can see myself someday just taking off and traveling around the country, with no time constraints, no deadlines. I don't know how long I could manage the adventure before I longed for structure, but someday I'd like to find out.

We left last Tuesday and headed down to Southern Oregon (where I'm originally from) to Canyonville, where my Dad now lives. We stayed with him and visited my two best friends growing up who are practically family to me. We only see each other a handful of times every year, but it always feels like we just pick up where we left off the last time. This time we got our families together too, and it's such a novelty to watch our children play together, like we once did. I only wished we didn't live so far apart, so that they could have a closer relationship as well.

Grants Pass

We also drove down to Grants Pass once day (my hometown) to spend the day with my Mom. We sat and talked and ate Abby's Pizza while sipping on St. Chapelle Riesling. It seems as if our trips are never long enough. Sometimes I miss the towns where I grew up, but I can't see myself going back permanently. Not at this point in my life. In the Willamette Valley there are so many more opportunities. I live 20 miles from Salem, 35 miles from Portland, an hour from the Beach, and yet I live in a small farming town next to rolling Vineyard hills. It's a good spot to raise our family.

I used to live right behind this exit

We stayed and visited my friends and family until Friday night, then Wayne and I took off to drive to Seattle for the night. My Dad kept the kids for us a couple extra days. 

I don't know when the next time I'll drive back down there again, but I know I will at least once again before the end of summer. 

Do you still live in your hometown or far away? Do you miss it? 

~Melissa

16 Sunday Dinner Ideas to Serve

I love having little get together's and family dinners. Unfortunately most of my family lives far apart and we can't routinely have meals together, but in my ideal world, family and friends would gather once a week and feast upon different meals and catch up on what happened in everyone's lives over the past seven days.

Sunday dinners are a dream that I hope will someday come true for me, and I am really going to strive to create and instill this tradition with my children, so that when they are grown we can still have close family relationships with each other. 

I am always on the lookout for new food recipes or just a twist on traditional meals that I already cook. Foodie.com has tons of great photographs and drool-worthy food to inspire me; so much that I've already got one collection of my dream Sunday family dinners! There's not really anything that necessarily ties them together into a theme, other than the fact that they are all something that I would serve a group of guests in my home, and I'm pretty sure most people would find them delicious too!

Do you have family dinners once a week? Once a month? Is this a fading tradition? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, plus what your favorite meals to serve are! Comment below and share! :)

~Melissa
Compensation was provided by Foodie via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Foodie”

Create.Simplify.Inspire. #61

Welcome back again! We are down in Southern Oregon hanging out with my family. Last night we had dinner with my childhood friends and was able to catch up and let our kids play together. We only see each other a couple of times a year, but they will always be family to me because I've known them my whole life. 

Today we are heading over and visiting my mom, and then tomorrow evening Wayne and I will be heading back up towards Seattle for the weekend and my dad will keep the kids a couple extra days for us. 

What have you been up to this week? I'd love to see!

This link up to to share anything and everything that inspires you, or that you've created. 

           ~Melissa

 

Create.Simplify.Inspire. #61

  

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Spring Soccer + The Week Ahead

 It's hard to believe that spring soccer is well under way and only goes for four more weeks. It always seems like the season is so short... or maybe time just flies by too fast.

My little Emma is still having anxiety problems on the field. She will go out and practice with her team now, but every time we have a game she will either refuse to go out onto the field or will just stand like a statue in one spot on the field and not move. I don't know how to help and encourage her anymore. I don't believe in just giving up, and I do feel that she has fun with her friends and would feel better about herself if she can just overcome this, but perhaps soccer just isn't her thing. I told her if she didn't want to continue after this season she didn't have too.

She wants to try T-Ball so we will see if that is perhaps something that appeals to her more. Anika has never played softball and will be joining the FFA this summer and raising a lamb for the fair, so I feel pretty good with each girl doing her own thing. Little Noah is just itching to get out there and be more active... one more year...one more year. :)

We are heading down to southern Oregon this evening to visit friends and family, and then Wayne and I are driving up to Seattle next weekend to go to Taste! Washington, as well as a Macy's Flower Event. We are staying at the Renaissance hotel downtown which is also close to Pike's Place Market. I've actually never been to the market before, so I'm very excited to have a busy 24 hours exploring the city! I can't wait to share all of the photos with you.

What are you doing for spring break this year? Are you staying close to home, or venturing out on a road trip?

~Melissa

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

 If you know me at all, you know that I love to celebrate. Whether it be for birthdays, holidays, or my own created excuses for get-together's, I'm all about having family and friends over...and that means making lots of food. Sometimes the things I make are a big hit, sometimes it takes my not-so-adventurous guests a little more warming up to try something new, but in either case the creation and though process behind the menu is something that I really enjoy.

A couple of Christmas's ago I had bought a big bag of mini sweet peppers and knew that I wanted to use them in something because they were so colorful. Well, low and behold I ended up stuffing them with a variety of flavors and baked them until everything melted and browned. They were delicious.

Every once in a while I'll buy a bag and make some for a little family appetizer. The best thing about this 'recipe' is that you can pretty much mix up anything in cream cheese and create your own version!
Here is my recipe:

What you need:

A bag of mini sweet peppers (can be found at many grocery stores)
1 package of cream cheese
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/2 cup diced prosciutto, bacon, or ham
1/4 cup Boursin Garlic and Herbs (spreadable cheese)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp freshly chopped chives

Instructions:

1. slice peppers in half lengthwise, and then using a spoon scoop out the seeds. Place face up on a cookie sheet.
2. Mix cream cheese, Boursin cheese , Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, and peas together.
3. Spoon cheese mixture into peppers, and then top with chives.
4. Place pan into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Occasionally I will place the peppers under the broiler for the last minute to brown them more.

You can use any variety of cheeses with the cream cheese, as well as other ingredients, I like mixing the Boursin flavored spreadable cheese with it because it just adds more flavor.

And that's just one of the simple appetizers I make from time to time. Next time I'll have to show you the pickle roll ups that are always a huge hit.

~Melissa

iD Tech Camps For Your Children

If you live in the Portland area and are looking for different summer camp options for your kids, iD Tech Camps offer some unique options!

iD Tech Camps are the leader in summer technology education and they help students ages 7-17 build STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills, while gaining a competitive edge in a fun, summer camp environment.

They offer over 40 tech courses where students learn to mod and build 3D games with Minecraft, design video games, program with Scratch, code in C++/Java, and more!

iD Tech Camps are held at Lewis & Clark, UW, Stanford, and more than 80 prestigious university locations nationwide.

Many courses are selling out and last year more than 3,000 people were left on the waitlist. For help selecting the right course, please contact a Program Advisor at 1-888-709-TECH (8324) or 1-408-871-2227. You can also visit iDTech.com or email info@iDtech.com

. 
Plus, you can save $50 with the promo code OREGONTECH2014 when you pay in full during registration by March 31st! 

~ Melissa

Create.Simplify.Inspire. #60

Welcome back again! One more day until we are officially on Spring Break here! Do you have any plans? Last year we had a "Stay-Cation", but this year we are heading down to southern Oregon to visit friends and family, and then Wayne and I are heading up to Seattle for the weekend to attend Taste Washington as well as visit Macy's Flower Show!

This link up to to share anything and everything that inspires you, or that you've created. I love to see what everyone has been up to!

           ~Melissa

 

Create.Simplify.Inspire. #60

  

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Spring Scenes

We are almost there.

The kids have been enjoying the sunshine the past two days. I took my camera out and snuck some pictures through the window of them singing and dancing by our plum trees. 

Spring is near!

~Melissa

The RCA Annual Conference and Culinology Expo Part 2

Read Part 1 From the Conference Here.

Thursday I was up bright and early for my commute to the RCA Conference and Culinology Expo in Portland. Traffic was horrible but I made it in time to hear the last few minutes of their keynote address from Jon Luther who is the Chairman at Dunkin Brands.

Afterwards there was a networking break with coffee and an array of French pastries, including a selection of the best French Macaroons I have ever eaten.

The first class I attended was one I thought would be interesting because of some of the products/brands I work with. It was entitled; "Stunts, Fads, and Trends" and it was great hearing thoughts and ideas from individuals who had very distinct perspectives, plus the Widmere Brothers supplied everyone with beer (at 9:30 am!) with pretzel bites of course.

Afterwards was a general session held by David Landers (AOS, CCC, Seniors Chef Innovation or Campbells Soup Co.) I learned a lot about the product development process involved with creating things that you and I will purchase and consume. He then went over the top projected food trends of 2014 and (surprise!) there were samples for all of us.

Thursday afternoon the Culinology Expo was held, filled with suppliers in the culinary industry. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the majority of vendors were food related (instead of product related) and that meant tons of food samples to try and people to meet.

After a couple of hours networking and consuming, I left to home to catch Emma's first soccer game of the season.

Friday morning I was up and going again. Traffic was lighter so I was able to join everyone for breakfast before heading in to my last few educational classes. The first session was all about the Food Truck industry. It interested me because Portland is so prevalent for their variety of food trucks throughout the city. Laura Pohopien, (MBA, Ed. D, Lecturer) Dane Danhi (Chef and founder of  The Grilled Cheese Truck), and local Brett Burmeister (Managing Editor and Co-Owner of Food Carts Portland) and shared different views and aspects of their knowledge of food carts. The best part after learning more about the food trucks was knowing that Brett had 5 Portland Food Trucks brought in to feed everyone that afternoon.

First though, was one more general session, and this one was held by Chefs Jimmy Bannos and Jim Bannos Jr., Owners of the restaurants Heaven on Seven and the infamous Purple Pig. They shared tips on some of their fabulous Cajun and Mediterranean cuisines, and we were all given a sample of The Purple Pig's house almonds - and they were the best. Ever.

Then, what we were all waiting for - just outside with food trucks ready to feed hundreds of people! I waited patiently to taste a Pork Belly Cubano from Bunk Sandwiches. Then I ate way too many mini cupcakes from Hungry Heart Cupcakes! If you are in the area you have to taste their Dark and Dusty - it is so good.

After our leisurely lunch I attended my very last class - and it was all about spices - where I had the opportunity to smell more varieties than I even knew existed, and I learned about classifications and origins from Tim Ziegler, The Spice Master at Italco Food Products.

I left Friday afternoon feeling grateful for the unique opportunity I was given to see a tiny glimpse into a different industry. The R.C.A. conference was filed with multiple options for educational seminars, cooking competitions, and many networking events. The next Research Chefs Association Annual Conference and Culinology Expo will be held March 24th-27th 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana!

~Melissa

Thanks to the R.C.A. for giving me a media pass - all opinions are of my own.

The RCA Annual Conference and Culinology Expo Part 1

As many of you already know, I was invited to attend the Research Chefs Association's Annual Conference and Culinology Expo this past week. The conference is held in a different city each year, and luckily they decided to pay Portland a visit this year.

I was honored to be one of the first few bloggers to be invited to attend the conference and was encouraged to participate in any portion of the events which were spread over the course of four days. I, having no food background other than my experimental baking as a child and simply family meals that I now prepare as an adult, didn't know what to expect. In fact, I had to Google the word Culinology to understand the meaning behind the word!

I was slightly intimidated, but my desire to learn more about this industry was stronger. I signed up for classes that I felt I could walk away from with knowledge that I could share with you.

And that I did.

My first class of the day was entitled; "For the Love of Cheese" and pretty much covered the entire history of cheese in just over an hour, along with tips on creating your own cheeses. We then sampled 18 different varieties. I was in cheese heaven!

After the first breakout session we were greeted with blueberry muffins, croissants, and coffee in the foyer to network, and then continued to our next session.

Before I knew it, it was lunch time, and it was nothing less than amazing. I mean, you have to have exceptional food when you are feeding chefs, research chefs, students, Culinologists, product developers, and a small handful of much-appreciative bloggers, right? :)

After lunch there was a great session held by: Marshall Scarborough (Manager of Global Product Development at Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen), Bethany Hall (Senior Culinologist at Ingedion), and Jacquy Pfeiffer, who is the infamous Founder, Chef, and Dean of Student Affairs at the French Pastry School.

I learned about the process to make sourdough bread, and many tips that I never would have thought about on my own, and of course there was fresh sourdough with homemade jam for us all to sample.
Then Jacquy Pfeiffer demoed how he created jaw dropping works of art - with sugar. His candy making abilities and surprising sense of humor kept me thoroughly entertained even though some of the terminology went way over my head. :)

I then met up with other local bloggers Sarah from Killer Pickles and Fabiola from Not Just Baked and decided to all drive over to the Hilton where the New Member & First Time Attendee Reception was held. It was a beautiful networking session held on the 23rd floor overlooking our beautiful city, and the room was filled with delicious foods and drinks to match.

Following the reception was another reception! This was the Opening Reception and was held a few blocks over at the Portland Art Museum, which was a larger networking event with local restaurants providing bites of their best cuisines for us to try.

I drove home that evening (it's about an hour commute one way) refreshed, rejuvenated, excited. Although I'll never be in the food industry other than blogging my little creations, I admire and am inspired from all of these individuals in the industry!

Click here to read part 2!

~Melissa