Exploring Willamette Valley, Oregon- The OXO Farm Tour

From a local farm cooperative to a true farm-to-table restaurant experience, explore the Willamette Valley and immerse yourself in the local foods scene of Portland and Oregon...

I had the pleasure of attending the first ever Indulge Conference in Portland, Oregon at the end of last month. If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you may have caught some of my photos and experiences from that trip. I promise to share all the details of the conference and my thoughts on exploring Portland's local food scene (can we say all the foodie fun?) with you all soon, but today I am going to give a little recap of Day #2 of the conference- the OXO Farm Tour. 

OXO happened to be one of the major sponsors of this year's Indulge Conference, and in partnership with Travel Oregon generously arranged for the food bloggers in attendance to experience one of two farm-to-table outings on the last day of the conference- Hood River or Willamette Valley. I opted for the Willamette Valley tour myself. If you happen to be into the whole farm to table experience, then you are definitely going to want grab a cup of coffee and sit back and read through today's post... And then start planning a trip to Oregon. ;)

Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Cheese Ball

This Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Cheese Ball is the perfect combination of sweet & spicy with its roasted, crunchy sriracha almonds, sweet dried apricots, and an added extra kick of heat from a little sriracha sauce...

My husband and I love to entertain all year round, but we really kick up our party and get-together hosting once the warmer weather arrives. Our side deck and fire pit become an extension of our kitchen and dining area making it easy for us to invite over and entertain even more family and friends. 

Most of our summer get-togethers are laid back with very little fuss. While I love cooking and creating in the kitchen, I would rather be spending more time chatting with our guests and enjoying the company so I try to make self-serve dishes and appetizers that I can easily prep while guests are arriving or that can be completely made ahead of time.

When Blue Diamond sent me some of their brand new Bold Sriracha Almonds to try, I instantly was inspired to create an easy-to-make cheese ball that would be perfect for summertime entertaining. These Bold Sriracha Almonds are addictive, my friends. 

After enjoying a few small handfuls of these crunchy and spicy almonds, I knew I wanted to pair them with a little sweetness for this cheese ball.  This Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Cheese Ball is the perfect combination of sweet & spicy with its roasted, crunchy sriracha almonds, sweet dried apricots, cooling cream cheese, and an added extra kick of heat from a little sriracha sauce... 

Peach-Mint Green Smoothie

As a Blue Diamond Tastemakers blogger, I am sharing with you all this recipe for a refreshing & healthy Peach-Mint Green Smoothie. This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

In late spring of each year, I get down into the dirt and start planting seedlings and seeds in a spot in our backyard with dreams of having a garden brimming with homegrown veggies come July and August. And almost every summer, I am met with a little disappointment. A few tomato plants seem to do well early on, and then for what seems like no reason at all they just dry up and never produce another tomato. Pumpkin vines start sprawling through half my garden making me excited for all the fun (and free) pumpkins we would have in October only to have them bloom and produce cantaloupe sized pumpkins... in mid August. This year I decided that I needed a break, so we didn't plant a garden. Then a very strange thing started to happen late last month... plants just started appearing on their own.

First, it was the parsley plant I had dumped over the side of my deck railing at the end of last fall. It came back to life. Then it was a single pumpkin plant in what was my garden last year. And after a few good rains here the past couple of weeks, I now have an abundance of fresh, beautiful garden mint at my disposal. I have come to the conclusion that maybe I am better at accidental gardening than purposeful gardening. ;)

Now when I say I have an abundance of fresh mint, I am not exaggerating. I have a TON, folks. Since peaches are so affordable right now due to it being peach season, I knew I wanted to create a healthy and summer perfect recipe combining those sweet peaches with the refreshing crispness of the mint. And that is just what I did with this Peach-Mint Green Smoothie... 

5 Tips for Curbing Road Trip Motion Sickness

Kick nausea to the curb on that next road trip with these 5 Tips for Curbing Road Trip Motion Sickness...

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I think that it goes without saying that I love to travel. Whether taking road trips with my family or flying solo across the country for a foodie adventure, I love the thrill of exploring a new place. :) But what many people probably don't know about me is that I have suffered from some serious motion sickness ever since I was a kid. 

In fact, I still vividly remember the summer that my grandparents embarked with my sister and I on a mission to visit a different area of West Virginia each week while we were off from school. Though I love the fun memories we made that summer, I mostly still remember those day trips because of how many times I had to ask my grandpa to pull the van over because I felt absolutely nauseous. 

You see, we do not have very many straight roads on the back hills of West Virginia. In fact, there are a lot of hairpin turns on our roads through the hills and mountains. We have another name for those types of turns, but I will spare you that term since I like to keep things PG-ish around here. ;)

Motion sickness has followed me into my adult travels as well. Mountain highways still make my stomach turn. Rough waters while in a small boat leave me darting for the side railing. And I once even had to grab that little white bag as the plane was landing on the runway in Denver. Talk about a walk of shame as I exited that plane!

Over the years, I have learned some methods and tips for helping to curb that motion sickness making for much more pleasant travels for all involved. The tips below are more specific to road trips, but you could employ almost all of these in any instance where you are experiencing nausea due to motion sickness...

Caramel Peanut Butter Cup Skillet Cookie

This delicious Caramel Peanut Butter Cup Skillet Cookie -stuffed with peanut butter cups and gooey caramel- may be big enough to share, but that doesn't mean that you have to...

I have to admit it, you all- I was late to the game as far as embracing my cast iron skillet goes. Way back in the day, I was given one as a wedding day gift and promptly turned up my nose to it. What was I supposed to do with that awkwardly heavy thing anyways?? I pretty much had no cooking or baking skills to speak of at the young age of 19 (Yikes! That is how young I was when I married my first husband.), and I was definitely completely unaware of all the absolutely fabulous dishes you could make in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Maybe if had known about the perfectly fried chicken and the buttery, flaky biscuits and the mother of them all- a huge skillet cookie- I would have felt differently back then. ;) 

Fast forward about 16 years later, and I was finding myself researching and asking for cast iron skillet recommendations from friends and fellow food bloggers. And why the change of heart? Well, I think it may have had a little more to do with my stomach than my heart, but I started seeing all these amazing dishes made in cast iron skillets popping up all over some of my favorite food blogs. The more cast iron recipes I saw, the more I started to come around to the idea of owning one myself. But the kicker for me was all these huge, gooey, amazing skillet cookie recipes I kept coming across! I wanted to make them all. 

So, of course one of the first things that I made in my brand new cast iron skillet was a bigger than my face skillet cookie! This Caramel Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie is packed with chopped peanut butter cups, gooey caramel, and chocolate chips. It is certainly big enough to share, but I promise to just look the other way if you decide to keep this big delicious cookie all to yourself... ;)

Grilled Beer Cheese Fondue

This ooey, gooey Grilled Beer Cheese Fondue is a perfectly tasty way to start off your next cook-out or campfire dinner...

So it just occurred to me over the weekend that Father's Day is next Sunday. I swear, all of these holidays always seem to sneak up on me! Or maybe I am just trying to block out knowing that it is coming... 

Have I ever mentioned that my dad happens to be the hardest person ever to shop for?? I am sure I am not the only daughter who has this same issue, but when my dad sees something that he wants he just buys it. 

So every single year, Father's Day, Christmas, and his birthday are always a gift-giving struggle for me. I had been buying him gift cards to his favorite stores and online shops to solve this on-going dilemma, but my mother confessed to me recently that my dad often forgets that he has them and they are all stacked together in a far corner of a shelf. 

So this coming Father's Day, I have a new plan- to make him a dinner fit for a dad! ;)

When I think of my dad and food, grilling automatically comes to mind. My dad rarely cooked when I was at home, but he always manned the grill. 

When I started planning my Father's Day feast, I knew that the grill would definitely have to be involved. Yep, the grill and cheese. And meat and beer. All the makings of a perfect Father's Day cook-out. 

Cookie Dough S'mores Bar

Change up those usual s'mores and offer your guests a fun and fuss-free Cookie Dough S'mores Bar instead- 3 edible, egg-free cookie dough spreads & a fun cookie baking inspired display... 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

As soon as the warmer weather settles in and summer makes it's presence known, our side deck and fire pit become the go-to spot for planned and impromptu summer get-togethers with family and friends on the weekends. Those fun summer evenings usually begin with a little barbecuing and multiple games of corn hole, and they almost always end with all of us gathered around the fire pit roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. :) 

While we are all happy with some good ole fashioned s'mores, every once in a while I like to change things up and fancy up our s'mores parties a little bit. For our most recent weekend get-together, I had an idea for a cookie dough s'mores bar that I had just had to put into action.

But before we host any summer party, I always have to swing by our local Walmart to stock up on our favorite s'mores making supplies...

Deep Dish Pierogi Pizza

Inspired by a favorite family dinner, this Deep Dish Pierogi Pizza is smothered in creamy homemade mashed potatoes, sweet caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and gooey cheese...

To say that my family and I love all things pierogies would be an understatement. We first became obsessed with them while living near Pittsburgh over 3 years ago. That city has some mad love for their pierogies.  

Though I have never made homemade pierogies myself (yet), the frozen variety usually make an appearance on our weekly meal plan at least twice a month. I usually give them a quick boil, and then immediately fry them in a little olive oil and butter in a hot skillet. Sometimes I will saute some fresh cabbage to serve with them, but our favorite way to eat them is with caramelized onions, a little crisp bacon, and a smattering of melted cheese. And a little sour cream on the side for good measure. ;)

I have had the idea of creating a homemade pierogi-inspired pizza mulling around in my head for over a year now. Why I hadn't made this little delicious daydream into a reality sooner is a mystery to me! I finally got the little push that I needed to make this recipe idea happen when I saw the 2015 Idaho Potato Commission Recipe Contest for this year's Food & Wine Conference. What better way to showcase Idaho potatoes than with this delicious deep dish pizza recipe? 

A thick, deep dish homemade crust is smothered in creamy homemade mashed potatoes, sweet caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and gooey cheese in this Deep Dish Pierogi Pizza...

Almond Joy Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

With its chunks of dark chocolate, coconut, & toasted almonds, this Almond Joy Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal only tastes like a decadent breakfast treat...

I have a confession to make, you all- About 90% of the time my house is a cluttered mess. I know most people on the outside of the blogging world probably think that all bloggers have immaculate, perfectly decorated homes with fresh baked cookies sitting on the kitchen counter, and Pinterest perfect laundry rooms... But guess what? Most of us don't! ;) Because so many of us work at home while chasing little ones or do our blogging in addition to a job outside the home, our houses usually are the first to suffer. While I am glad to be doing something that I love while still being able to stay at home, blogging is not as easy as most think that it is. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes. But for more on that, you should check out my post on The Truth About Starting A Blog...

Back to the messy house issue- Yesterday morning I had a complete and total meltdown over the state of chaos our home has been in the past month or so. Why? Because there are four people living in this home! Yes, four people does mean more mess, but it also means more hands available to help clean up said mess. After having this realization and thus blowing up at my husband (it happens), I headed to the gym to work off a little of that steam and the tons of delicious food and good wine and beer I had consumed while visiting Harrisonburg, Virginia for the weekend with my family. 

5 Ways to Save Money on Day Trips

Get out and about and explore without breaking your travel budget with these 5 Ways to Save Money on Day Trips...

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Brita, but all my opinions are my own.

Though we tend to travel and take little road trips all year round, summer seems to be when we really get out there and hit the road for a little family vacation time. My oldest is out from school for a couple of months, and we are pretty much free to pick and go when an opportunity or urge arises. 

But one thing that I have learned about summer travel is that the expenses of taking a trip- even what seems like a little weekend getaway- can add up fast. I can snag a great deal on a hotel or B&B. We can find the best price on gas and fuel up before heading out. But what I was finding is that those little day trips we took to get out and about and explore once we arrived at our destination were just eating up our travel budget. 

Walk around a little town or explore an area of a city, and you will find that there all kinds of ways to spend money around every corner. I soon discovered that those little day trips were eating up our travel budget for that trip quick, so I implemented a few changes over the past year or so. These changes have saved us hundreds of dollars. And money saved means more stays in our travel fund for the year which equals more trips and family time! :) 

So, what haveI done to save my family money as we explore and discover the areas that we love traveling to? I gathered up my five top tips for you all below...

Slow Cooker Coq au Vin

Fall off the bone chicken thighs, carrots, and mushrooms are slow-cooked all day in a very simple red wine sauce until tender and flavorful in this Slow Cooker Coq au Vin...

Am I the only one who looks ahead to when their kiddos have left home and are in college and think about which things they will miss from home the most? (And I know that many of you have been or currently are in that place with your children.) 

I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my son will be a high school graduate just 2 years from now. 

I mean, how do these things happen anyways?? One day I am taking him to Cub Scouts meetings and the next I am helping him register for classes for his freshman year of college. 

Those of you with little ones- it does happen that fast. Trust me. 

Consider Yourself Invited- The Food & Wine Conference July 2015 #FWCon

Love food, wine, good company, and learning more about growing your food blog? Then join me at this year's Food & Wine Conference July 17-19th in Orlando, Florida...

A blogger conference that brings together talented food & wine bloggers, small businesses, winemakers, amazing chefs, and professionals in public relations and media? Yes, folks! It does exist. ;)  Come learn, network, form friendships, have fun, and enjoy the best in food and wine at this year's Food & Wine Conference in beautiful Orlando, Florida...