best desserts in pdx

the sweet-freak in me gets excited just looking at this list!

oscar faves

i didn't actually get to watch the oscars last night (frowny-face) but you better believe i have looked at every photo of every dress that walked the red carpet- that's my favorite part anyway!
here are my winners, in no particular order...

 roberto cavalli's sequins done right

oscar de la renta grey goddess gown

 valentino's perfectly plunging black dress

 monique lhuillier's colored lace perfection

more tasty

you might already know that i kinda have a crush on john gorham, so of course i had to go check out his newest eatery, tasty n alder.  we live really close to the first installment of the "tasty" restaurants, and go there often when we are sans kiddos, but i def wanted to try the downtown version, too.

this critic casual diner was very impressed with the space (oodles of natural light and eames eiffel chairs!), the coffee (they have their own special blend by water ave!), and of course, the food.  my main dude and i had a house-made marmalade muffin, baked egg bread pudding, and the bim bop bacon and eggs.  the winner of our meal was the sizzling bim bop, but everything was sooo good.

breakfast bonus:  while we were there, mr. gorham came in with his family to enjoy a tasty brunch, too.

puffy feet

my muk luks from last year finally gave up the fight, and i spent way too much time looking for the perfect slippers to replace them.  i finally narrowed it down to three pairs, and these "beauties" are the winners!  and i know you are probably thinking,  "wow.  those are really ugly not cute,"  but what these slippers lack in grace or good looks, they make up for in function.  wearing them is like having puffy coats on your feet!

bonus:  they couldn't have arrived on a better day.  it is rainy, windy, and 40ish degrees here, and damn, my feet are cold!

SCMB rules!

i am soooo proud of my friend emily, who quit her crazy tech-industry job, moved back to her home town and started santa cruz mountain brewing. 
my sister and i had the pleasure of spending the weekend visiting the brewery, hanging out at one of SF beer week's featured events, and catching up with emily at her home in santa cruz.

we tried every beer SCMB makes

my sister, the taster

leave it to a woman that owns a brewery to have a beautiful keg-erator in her kitchen!

my next visit to santa cruz won't be too far off-
i can't wait for emily to open her first restaurant this fall! 
ET, you are amazing!!

santa cruz

i just got back from the most wonderful weekend with my sister in santa cruz, california.  it was sunny and gorgeous, and our fabulous hostess put us up at an amazing hotel right on the beach.  we ate, we drank, we visited, we even worked a little bit.  it was absolutely heavenly!
here are a few of my phone snaps from the weekend...

under the pier, cowell's beach

 white oregon feet meet warm califonia beach

santa cruz boardwalk

 view of the pier from our room

 we had to stop for a burger, obvs

 boardwalk

mission style everywhere

 best coffee in santa cruz- this portland coffee bitch was impressed!

 sea lions! so awesome!

 downtown santa cruz 

early morning v-ballers

 my sister at work in her "office"

 our fab hotel- i can't wait to come back!

SF beer week

i have been drinking  brews and studying this chart in preparation for SF beer week!  i am here now, with my fabulous sister.  what a fun assignment vacation for us!
more photos to come...

baby love, by b. kingsolver

i am an avid reader of fiction, but somehow i made it 36 years without ever reading a barbara kingsolver novel.  in the past year though, i have read many of her stories, including her first book, and one of her most famous.  i also had the privilege of seeing her speak when she was here in portland a couple months ago; now i am quite convinced that the woman is a genius!
i just finished reading the poisonwood bible, and there are so many scenes and lines that are still haunting my thoughts.  this passage from the mother's point of view, about her youngest daughter just won't leave me- it's beautiful, sad and i find it to be so true...

"a mother's body remembers her babies- the folds of soft flesh, the softly furred scalp against her nose.  each child has its own entreaties to body and soul.  it's the last one, though, that overtakes you....the baby who trails her scent like a flag of surrender through your life when there will be no more coming after- oh, that's love by a different name.  she is the babe you hold in your arms for an hour after she's gone to sleep.  if you put her down in the crib, she might wake up changed and fly away.  so instead you rock by the window, drinking the light from her skin, breathing her exhaled dreams.  your heart bays to the double crescent moons of closed lashes on her cheeks.  she's the one you can't put down."

thanks, BS.  you are so, so good!

this is me

my 4.5 year old daughter drew this picture- can you tell it's me?
i'm way into the legs-for-miles, but i think having hands that big could be a little tricky...

hello, again!

this soup makes me happy, in sickness and in health

wow- it's been awhile, hasn't it?!  did you miss me?
all i can say is:  the flu sucks.  it seriously wiped me out.  like, all i wanted to do with any extra time in the day was take a hot bath.  or a nap.  pretty fun, right?
well anyway, i'm finally starting to feel normal again, and i'm ready to be back to my bloggity self.
see you soon!
xo,
hvk