In retrospect: Portland, Oregon

Right now I'm with my sister, probably on a beach on the Caribbean sea, but until I return home and share that adventure with you all, you can take a little peak at an adventure Hunter and I had last summer!

While on our road-trip in August, 2013 we stayed in Portland, OR for a couple nights. All you have to do to enjoy yourself in Portland is walk down the street with an open mind and jump on the first adventure that presents itself!

We spent our days walking, eating, drinking delicious coffee, and napping in the gorgeous weather.

 Canteen, a DELICIOUS vegan restaurant

 The best veggie bowl I have ever had (we got the Bangkok Bowl). I'm getting hungry just thinking about it

 Writing love notes

 Stumptown coffee (big hype for a reason), and Rilke from Powell's Books

 Awkward nap selfie in the park

Have you ever visited Portland? What is your favourite U.S. city on the West Coast? Where should we go on our next trip? I love exploring the West Coast! It's so accessible and so beautifully wild.

February through my phone

I promise I'll have a more substantial post up soon. Hunter decided he wanted to get more involved in the blog (yay) and so he'll edit the photos he and i have taken before i post them here. However, his schedule is crazy right now because of his job and that means no photo editing has happened yet. Soon though, i'll tell you all about what i've been making/doing with the many gifts i've received, I'll tell you all about our weekend in America where i celebrated my 21st (a little too much celebrating), what i'm doing academically this month, Hunter's new job, and other tidbits about our lives.

 

 

Pictured
1.  Lunch at Whole Foods before heading back to Squamish while we were moving all our stuff at the beginning of February- crazy more than a month has gone by of us living in our little Vancouver place!
2. The remnants of flour-less brownies. Make 'em with black beans and no one will know!
3. Planning dinners for the week.
4 & 5. Hunter and i at Bestie for my birthday dinner.
6. The Tuna Tataki lunch set at Basho cafe. The most adorable little family run cafe and it is so close to our house! We've already been there a few times and they just opened mid-February.


Not pictured
1. The bounty of gifts I received for my 21st.
2. Hunter getting a job!
3. Our trip to Bellingham.
4. Getting an internship!
5. Giving our landlords a cheque for our second month. Our lease here is month-to-month so every month they still want us to live here and we still want to live here is exciting.
6. Snow in Vancouver! The first day of our three day snow "storm." I miss real winter snow that is dry and sticks to the ground for months and makes the cold temperatures warranted. Also, snow makes winter brighter which makes me happier. Without snow winter is grey and flat.

In retrospect: B.C., Oregon & California

During the summer of 2013, Hunter and I lived on Quest's campus and worked for different university departments. We loved our roommates, the Squamish sun (when it appeared), and our leisure time but we still itched to get away and explore someplace new. Preferably some place that had a beach + the ocean. We booked our vacation days and went on a road trip to Nelson, B.C. then down the Oregon and California coasts.

Along the coasts we camped in our little tent in beautiful state parks and, if we were really desperate, we would sleep in the back of the subaru. One night we couldn't get a spot at a park and decided to splurge on a beach-side hotel room in Manzanita, Oregon. Definitely worth it, it was adorable and the town had a great beach and a charming vibe. Our trip flew by, but we will definitely be camping on the West Coast again.
 
The trip tested us as functional road-tripping partners. I was still hobbling around on my fractured foot and Hunter's back gave him serious grief if we drove for too long. We didn't make solid plans before we left which sometimes led to spontaneous discoveries (like the best coffee, pie, breakfast, pottery, and fries along the coast) but it also made us anxious and irritable when we suddenly had to change plans. It made me appreciate the patience Hunter has, and it made me try and be more accepting and present. What frustrated me wasn't worth the energy and time, something i am slowly learning.

 A fancy dinner with my family in Nelson

Nelson B.C., my hometown

Packing up the car

A delicious dinner of leftovers at our campsite in the Red Woods

 Awe inspiring trees, Avenue of the Giants, CA

A Cafe in Mendocino County, CA

 

The Green Salmon Cafe, OR

It was so cold and I didn't pack warm socks (I don't know what I was thinking!) 

so we had to stop at a Target and buy something to keep my poor legs warm.

 My handsome love, on the beach in Manzanita, OR

 Trying to look presentable while battling gale force winds

 I thought I packed smart for this trip: one small duffel, a few dresses and sweaters, sandals and vans. But I was wrong, I wore about three outfits the whole trip, and what I really needed was a pair of pants (dresses get cold and awkward when it's windy, which it always is), some good layering tops for the temperature change between day and evening/night, and lots of wool socks. Hunter packed pants, t-shirts, a hoodie, and most importantly socks! Next time I'll follow his example.

Have you ever traveled along the Northwest coast? What were your favourite spots to stay/eat/explore? Do you have packing tricks you've learned the hard way?

January through my phone

Pictured
1. Getting groceries from the local "country market" in Squamish, On the Farm.

2. Double grilled cheese date night at Lucy's Diner. We went for the mini burgers with goat cheese, but they were out of mini buns so we got grilled cheese, it was ok. This grilled cheese foodtruck is so much better.

3. Having a delicious lunch of sausage (!) at Bestie with my siiister. Super adorable decor and such tasty German-inspired food. We didn't realize until afterwards when we checked out their website that we were served by the two owners! When we went to pay we pulled out our debit cards from our small town credit union and our server asked us if we were from Nelson! We were so surprised, turns out he is from Castlegar and recognized our cards. We later found out it was Dane, one of the owners. I'm definitely going back and chatting them both up.

4. I was talked into the icrecream sandwich at Bestie. Creamy vanilla icecream between two house-made ginger cookies. I was in heaven.

5. Hilarious sign in a bathroom. Suffice it to say, Beyonce's latest album has made me into a full blown fan.

6. Date night at Stepho's. Huge portions of yummy Greek food for a super reasonable price point, the cheapest drinks in Canada (also maybe the worst. I don't recommend the cocktails), and a bustling vibe on Davie St.

7. So excited to open this care package from Georgia on my last day of class.


Not pictured
1. New Years Eve in Nelson. We all went out to dinner and then Hunter and I fell asleep/succumbed to our food comas before we could head out and party with our friends. So embarrassing.

2. What felt like never ending house hunting, and then finally finding our little gem of an apartment.

3. My little brother turning 14. Fourteen! Having a life crisis because i can clearly remember me at fourteen and that was 7 years ago.

4. Packing up all my things to move to Vancouver on February 1st.

I hope you enjoyed my horrible cellphone pictures!

In retrospect: Autumn 2013

Here are some pictures I took around the apartment I shared with my sister, A. and B. at Quest University during the fall of 2013.
 
I love autumn, the warm days and crisp nights. The excuse to make a couple more crumbles before the farmers market turns to the winter market. The quality of light as it slants into a room in the afternoon. The gratitude of the season, looking forward to Thanksgiving, richer foods and deeper colours. I could live in autumn forever.

 My bedroom, 

looking out on the construction of a new residence building across the road.

 Good morning sunshine, a love-note Hunter left me.

 Living room drenched in afternoon sun.

 The view from our kitchen sink.

 I love avocados.

 Typical morning.

I was obsessed with house plants when i first moved in. I bought so many, was gifted some (thanks Mamma!) and transplanted them all to new pots- gotta keep my aesthetic consistent.

 I love the difference in the leaves during autumn.

  

What is your favourite season?

In retrospect: pear + raspberry crumble

This past fall i made one of the best crumbles, and i happened to document it!
 
I had a bag of pears, quick-oats, and butter (which is pretty much all you need for crumble, one of the many reasons i love it). I always like to use two fruits and i didn't know what else i could use, until i found a bag of frozen raspberries in my freezer. Bingo!

It smelled so good and was gone so fast i didn't have time for a picture.

Here is the recipe I used. I only had brown sugar and i estimated how many pears and raspberries i needed based on their volume in the baking dish. The recipe called for poaching the pears before baking, but i was hungry so i skipped that part and they were soft enough in the crumble for my taste.

Ingredients:
~  4-8 large pears, sliced
~ 1 orange, zested
~ 1.25 cups granualted sugar
~ 1 cup brown sugar
~ 1.5 cups spelt flour
~ 1 pound frozen raspberries
~ dash of salt
~ 1 cup quick-oats
~ 1 cup butter, cold + unsalted, diced

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a baking dish (i think the one i used was around 6-cup capacity).

2. Place the pears into a large bowl. Add the orange zest, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar. Toss well. Gently mix in the raspberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Pour into the baking dish and gently smooth the top.

3. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal, and the cold, diced butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. I did all this in a metal bowl and with my hands because I don't have a mixer, it worked out fine.

4. Sprinkle evenly on top of the pears and raspberries. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator.

To reheat place in preheated 350F oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until warm.

Do you like crumble? Do you have a favourite crumble combination? What is your favourite topping? I'm always on the lookout for new/tasty toppings that contain less flour.

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!