The time has come……

I love food blogging, but the time of year has come where I must devote most of my extra time to photography. I originally started this blog six months ago to fill my time when photography season slowed. I will still blog occasionally, but I’m afraid I will not be around too much. I will be very busy updating http://murrayphotography.wordpress.com/ so if you want to keep reading my writing, visit me there!

This week my blog has been viewed over 5,000 times! Thanks for the support.

Alison

Love the Stockpot

The Stockpot is one of my favorite restaurants, it is located on site at the Red Tail golf course in Beaverton, OR. Matt and I went last month for my 26th birthday, and as always the food was perfect. Matt started with the soup of the day and we both had the New York steak, his was a special peppercorn variety.  Matt had a flight of Syrah to accompany his meal, and as usual I had my favorite beer Widmer Hefeweizen on tap. They even brought out a sundae served in a martini glass accompanied with champagne for my birthday. I enjoy the scenic location and excellent food and service. It is a wonderful special occasion restaurant.

Alison

http://stockpot.ypguides.net/

A little eye candy brought to you by five-o-three

For my birthday we went to five-o-three in West Linn for dinner with my parents. I have written about this restaurant before, because I think it is unique and tasty. My folks both had the Trout, Matt had the Pork Cheeks & the soup du jour and I had the Steak Sandwich (which is not as good as my favorite Steak Frites that was taken off the menu). We started with the Pommes Frites, were served with an amuse bouche of raw salmon salad, had a bottle of Malbec, and creme brulee for dessert. We are planning on going back for the chef’s tasting next month.

Alison

Stuffed Mushrooms

My coworker gave me this recipe over two years ago. They can be served hot, but I prefer them chilled. I frequently make a double batch because they are so good.

Ingredients:

1 box cream cheese

1 pound of small to medium size mushrooms

1/2 bag of bacon bits (Fred Meyer brand located by salad dressings)

Pepper

Garlic Salt

1 4oz can chopped canned jalapenos

1/2 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:

Microwave cream cheese for 1 min to soften
Place softened cheese in bowl & add 2-4 dashes of pepper & apprx.1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
Mix well before adding the 1/2 can of bacon bits.
Mix in the bacon bits, cheese & peppers.

Use a soft bristle brush to remove any dirt then remove stems from mushrooms.

Use a small spoon (baby spoon, sugar spoon sundae spoon) to fill each mushroom. Also you can use a plastic ziplock, fill it with the mixture, and cut off a corner and squeeze it into the caps.

Place mushrooms on cookie sheet (no cooking spray or aluminum foil)

Bake @ 350 until uses of mushrooms run onto cookie sheet & then start to evaporate approx 45 minutes to 1 hr

Cool & enjoy!

Alison

Tiki’s on 51st

I know I have been blogging a lot about places in the Lincoln City area, it was a lot of fun to see the town with fresh eyes and pretend to be a tourist. Hopefully you are planning a trip there soon, because I have another cool spot to tell you about. Tiki’s on 51st is a great little restaurant/espresso bar. They have a full bar and a lot of of beer choices. Their seating is outdoor, and some of it is covered. They also have a really cute gift shot. I have had food there before, it is the basics, sandwiches, hot dogs, some Mexican inspired dishes etc. This time we went to enjoy their $5 for a Margarita deal, and took the pups with us to hang out. It is a great place to grab a quick bite, as Moe’s across the street can be really busy (don’t get me wrong I love Moes). Oh and it is worth mentioning they have a talking parrot .

Alison

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tikis-on-51st-lincoln-city

Silver Falls Vineyards

Last weekend we stopped by Silver Falls Vineyards in Sublimity. I found out about them while attending Sip at the Evergreen Aviation facility earlier this year. I bought a bottle of their Muskrat wine made from Muscat grapes, it is super light and crisp, a wonderful summer wine. I enjoyed the bottle so much that I called down to their tasting room recently and found out they only sell this variety of wine on site, and only 50 cases were made. So I bought a half of a case during our visit. The grounds are gorgeous and they have a full size event facility that would be perfect for a small to medium wedding.

Alison

www.silverfallsvineyards.com

Bike- Lincoln City OR

Last weekend while we were in Lincoln City we dropped by the grand opening of Bike, a new store right up the street from the family beach house. The have bikes & clothing for sale and a full service shop. They also rent bikes by the hour, 1/2 day or full day. The most popular bike that they were renting out was the tandem bicycle, next time we are in town we are going to rent it! Locks and helmets are included with the rental. Next time you are in Lincoln City you should drop by and check them out.

Alison

www.bikelincolncity.com

Twist Wine Company

While visiting Pacific City we wandered into a fabulous little wine bar. They are a husband and wife duo, we had the opportunity to visit with Sean at length. The tasting room is so cool, and has extended hours (open on weekends until 9pm) it has a retro lounge vibe, for sure a great place to spend the evening with a few cool friends. As many of you who read my blog know I am a big fan of the 3/50 project. The store is not exactly in my neighborhood, but the Oregon coast is my second home. They have a great Rosé and we also picked up a bottle of Merlot. Take a trip to the Portland Farmers Market to check out their wine locally.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Alison

http://www.twistwine.com/

http://www.the350project.net/home.html

http://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/

Viva la Pacific City

First thing long time no blog, I have been eating out and traveling a lot, so it has been awhile since I have cooked a great at home meal. Second I lost my battery adapter for my small camera so everything I have been doing I have been unable to upload…until now.

In a few short weeks Matt & I have family visiting from San Jose, so I wanted to scout out the coolest beach on the mid coast to take them to. The answer to my prayers was Pacific city. Surfers, sand, dogs, gorgeous scenery, what else could I ask for? And you can drive your car on the beach…so cool. Added bonus… Pacific City is only 20 minutes away from our beach house. There were a lot of fun shops to visit, I will blog about my favorite in the next few days. Anyway, if you have not visited Pacific City, you should because it rocks.

http://pacificcity.org/

Alison

Just so you know….

Moonstruck Chocolate is amazing….especially with a good bottle of red wine. The Mayan Truffle & the Hazelnut Tower are the best. We are going thru a 16 piece sampler box (and tons of other goodies) thanks to winning a raffle recently. Usually when I am in Moonstruck on 23rd I get the Mayan Hot Chocolate…. but stay away from the candy, it’s bad for my diet. But everything in moderation is the way to go, Right?

http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com/index.aspx

Cheers!

Alison