attention all foodies

Portland

bike riding

Yes Please!

an enticing red door

our destination

Marc patiently waiting

I on the other hand am not so patient

drinks at Le Happy

crepes

Powell's ... books are all I need 

why yes!

walking in

toasting to 7

halibut with shallots, mussels and potatoes

the show stopper

Portland makes me

 ....

 Le Happy!!

 Today Marc and I woke up determined to eat our way through Portland

 ....

 don't worry we've been riding our bikes

 (well the hotel's bikes)

 everywhere!!

 Seven years ago today

 Marc and I had our first date and the rest is history

 ...

 thank goodness I talked the entire time through Pirates of the Caribbean 

because if I hadn't 

there may not have been a second date 

(sense the sarcasm)!! 

So,

 listen all foodies

.... 

VISIT PORTLAND!!

 I have never 

and

 I mean NEVER

 had

 more restaurants,

 food carts, 

pubs,

 markets,

 coffee shops,

 tea shops,

 (the list can go on and on)

 to choose from. 

Portland is a food lover's dream come true.

Today

 we took an afternoon stroll

 to a cute little french creperie called Le Happy 

which pretty much sums up our day.

 Marc ordered a whiskey sour

 and 

I ordered their special Long Island to pair with our crepes.

 Afterwards, 

we took our time walking back, 

stopped into Powell's Books 

... 

WOW!! 

And then enjoyed a dinner at Clyde Common. 

By far, 

the show stopper of the evening was the dessert we decided to split

 ...

 a chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich with honey marshmallows and peanut brittle

...

 oh boy!!

We toasted to 7 years

and

 our dinner lasted two and a half hours.

 We both agree

 that we could really get used to Portland

 ....

the pace,

 the people and food are perfect!!

 Where is your favorite city 

and why? 

BISOUS!!

Bisous

on the way up

where we stayed in Ashland

peaceful

tasty

my first coffee in two weeks

getting ready to soak

lunch

dinner

Marc's dinner

dessert

making a birthday wish

I spent my golden birthday 

RELAXING,

 RELAXING,

 and 

RELAXING!!

 A relaxing day was much needed

 seeing as how

 I could barely walk on Monday :)

 BUT

 I am feeling much better now

 and

I am almost back to feeling normal.

I suppose running a marathon will do that to you.

What is your favorite way to relax?

 BISOUS from Portland!!

a change of plans

So,

 there was a change of plans in my race yesterday ....

I ran the whole MARATHON!!!!

26.2 miles in 5 hours and 29 minutes.

At mile 13

 I felt GREAT

 so

 I kept going and going and going!!

I am a true believer that our minds are incredibly powerful.

I stayed hydrated,

 motivated and inspired by the other runners

and

 finished 

The SF Marathon!! 

Marc and I are off to Portland

 to celebrate my golden birthday ...

tomorrow I will turn 27.

 We plan on drinking tons of coffee, 

hitting up some markets,

 enjoying delicious meals and just taking it easy!! 

I am also looking forward to meeting this lady

 ... 

the super sweet Lauren.

 Stay tuned for a couple of posts from Portland.

 And,

 thank you for all of your inspiring comments on the last post

 because while running yesterday 

that is what kept me going. 

Bisous!

Go Time

So,

 it is go time 

and

 the only thing left for Amanda and I to do is:

Run Like the Wind!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!!

BISOUS!

the strawberry macaron

upon seeing The Strawberry Macaron

How did it get in my bag?

I suppose I will enjoy it!

Oh boy!

I have no idea how this delightful macaron

 followed me to the beach!!

 But,

 lets just say it did not last long.

 Strawberry on the outside,

 raspberries and cream on the inside

 ... 

oh boy!

 Some of you may remember that I've been training for the SF marathon

 ... 

well,

 after months of training and struggles with my knee I have made the ultimate decision to run the half marathon (the race is on Sunday)!!

 This I must say was a big blow to my ego

 ... 

yes, I keep my ego in check most of the time

 but after all this training

 I could not help but be a little disappointed.

 However,

 it is always great when things are put into perspective

 and

 I had to remind myself that

 in November I could barely run 2 miles

 and

 now I am going to run 13.2, 

my dear friend and I have raised almost $2,000 all to be donated to

 The American Cancer Society on Friday

 and 

that I feel GOOD!!

 Don't let me fool you with all of these food posts

 ... 

I work hard to enjoy GOOD FOOD!! 

Hopefully,

 I will have a strawberry macaron waiting for me at the finish line!!! 

Have you had to refocus your goals

 and if so,

 how did you keep things in perspective?

 Bisous!

dinner on the North Shore

grilled corn

chipotle corn

toro

the chipotle corn burger

fresh whipped cream

sweet Summer strawberries

dessert!

 Two weekends ago,

 Marc and I packed up our car

 and

 headed to the North Shore of Tahoe

 (by far one of my favorite places to go)!!

 Our close friends came up to join us

 and

 the weekend was filled with

 GOOD FOOD.

 But,

on one night in particular,

 ...

 are you ready for this??

 I had the BEST BURGER I have ever tasted

 ...

 and yes

 it was homemade. 

I brought up the June issue of Food Network Magazine

 and

 our friend Daniel dove right in.

 We all decided on the Chipotle Corn Burger

 for the grass fed beef he had brought up.

 And boy was it the right decision

 ... 

the burger was out of this world

 ... 

incredible!! 

We paired the burger with 

a red Sangre de Toro Wine

 and

 a light salad.

 For dessert,

 I made fresh strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. 

We all laughed with glee after we stuffed our tummies to the brim. 

And

afterwards,

 we sat on the deck until the stars came out

 ... 

ok not true

 but

 we stayed outside until the mosquitoes came out.

 You can also make the Chipotle Corn 

and

 drizzle it over one of your favorite vegetarian patties

 or skip out on meat all together

 and just make it with veggies.

 When you are with friends how do you spend your time??

 Happy Wednesday!!

 Bisous.

Chipotle Corn

original recipe found here

Toss corn kernels and sliced bell peppers with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Sprinkle your patties with ground cumin before cooking. Serve on a crusty bun with chipotle mayonnaise, the corn, salsa, onion, tomato and cilantro. We also added avocado and I would highly suggest doing so!!

Simply Summer

A Blue Moon with an Orange

Fresh Shrimp

A Tasty Marinade

LOVE

Butter Lettuce and an Avocado

Simply Summer

Last week,

 Marc and I picked up our first bag of goodies

 from our local CSA

 and to say we were excited

 would be an understatement!!

 ....

 Our bag was filled to the brim with goodness.

 We chose the extra berry option and had raspberries,

 3 pints of strawberries

 and

 more berries. 

They were so delicious

 that I ate one pint immediately. 

In our bag we had:

Butter Lettuce

Carrots

Corn

Potatoes

Berries

Plums

Oranges

Squash

all of which we will put to use.

 Last night,

 I was craving a fresh salad

 ...

 a salad that would leave me feeling light afterwards

 and

 luckily, 

I found the perfect recipe!!

 The recipe incorporated three of my favorites:

 Pink Grapefruit,

 Avocado

 and

 Shrimp.

 I marinated the shrimp for 15 minutes in

 lime juice,

 fresh crushed pepper,

 and

 a pinch of salt.

 Afterwards, 

I grilled the shrimp for about 3 minutes

 (they were already cooked).

 I must say the grapefruit is my favorite part to this recipe!

 Next,

I cubed my grapefruit pieces

 and

 saved about 5 tablespoons of grapefruit juice for the salad dressing.

 The dressing was light,

 fresh and simply SUMMER.

 So,

 the next time you are craving a light dinner try this salad

 ... 

you will love it.

  You can also leave the shrimp out

 and

 still have an AMAZING salad. 

What is a recipe that you love to make during Summer?

 Enjoy your week!!

 Bisous.

Grapefruit Dressing

(adapted)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

a pinch of salt (adjust to your liking)

2 teaspoons lime juice

5 tablespoons of grapefruit juice

1. In a small bowl whisk together the Dijon, salt, lime juice and grapefruit juice

2.Whisk in the olive oil and adjust to your liking

Enjoy!!

The original recipe can be found here!!

when friends visit

Crown and Crumpet

a cup of tea please!

love the details

very true

Kate

two scones

eggs on crumpets

a palace on our walk

walking to Chestnut

 Mt. Tam Pale Ale and an Oatmeal Stout

hehe

lovely blooms

look what we found

our minis

a perfect way to end the day

Bonjour mes amis!!!

 I apologize for the lack of posts

 but 

you will be happy to know

 it is for a GOOD reason. 

One of my dearest friends

 is visiting with her husband

 and

 boy have we been getting into trouble.

 Katelyn and Scott are both friends of Marc

from college at UC Davis.

 And of course

 when I started dating Marc, 

I in turn became friends with them. 

Luckily,

 Kate and Scott are self proclaimed foodies like Marc and I :)!!

 So far,

 we have spent the majority of their trip eating, 

walking to yummy food establishments,

 and

 cooking.

  On Wednesday,

 I took Kate to one of my favorite tea shops

 ... 

Crown and Crumpet 

and

 after 8 cups of tea,

 to say we were anything but feeling great would be an understatement. 

We then headed down to Crissy Field

 and

 found our way to Chestnut Street

 ...

 one of my favorite streets.

 We ate at this delightful Pizza joint

 where sparkling water was complimentary

 (they make their own),

 we ordered two beers both locally brewed,

 and 

enjoyed a Funghi Pizza

 ...

 mmmm

 all to ourselves because the boys were not around!!

 After lunch,

 we picked up some cupcakes

 ...

 minis because we are watching our figures, 

and

headed back to Crissy Field

 where we laid on a blanket under the warm California sun

 ... 

Yes,

 it was sunny and seeing as how Mark Twain has said 

that the coldest winter he ever spent was a Summer in San Francisco

 ... 

Kate and I felt very lucky. 

When a friend visits what are some things that you love to do?

 Sending all of you much love!!

 Bisous!!

*some photos taken by Katelyn*