Tag: foodie

The Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon – A Foodie Haven

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I just got back from visiting my sister in Portland, Oregon and felt the urge to share some of the lovely meals and desserts we experienced over the course of five days. So here is my list of odd and spectacular foodie places to experience in PDX!

Screen Door – The Mother of All Brunches

Brunching is a huge deal in Portland. There are multiple episodes on Portlandia centered around brunching and the show features some of the best brunch restaurants around, including Screen Door. My sister and I are both avid brunchers always seeking both sweet and savory foods. I feel like it’s way too common that popular places are overrated, and I was nervous that Screen Door would not live up to my expectations. But indeed I was proven wrong and indulged in the most delicious brunch a girl could dream of. There were five of us dining and we all ordered different things which resulted in our table becoming a smorgasbord of an insane amount of food. We ordered basically everything: Eggs Benedict, Chicken and Waffles, Cathead Chicken and Biscuit Sandwich, Praline Bacon, Cheddar Grits, and Bananas Foster French Toast. Also keep in mind that each dish could easily feed three people until they are full. The Chicken and Waffles alone features three steak-sized fried chicken slabs on top of a ginormous waffle. It was glorious. And made us delightfully miserable for the rest of the day.

There was quite a long wait for Screen Door, but it just so happens that right next door is the perfect coffee shop to wander into while trying to waste time and which happens to be our next recommendation.

Kopi Coffee House – Best Coffee House

This is the coffee house every cafe should aspire to be. Its decor and ambiance is asian-inspired and tranquil, it has signature lattes as well as the classics, and features delicious breakfast sandwiches.  I got the Crème Brûlée Latte that the barista caramelized with a torch in front of me. Perfection, right? So go and check it out!

Pip’s Original Donuts – The Best Bite-Sized Donuts in the Universe

If you wanna skip the VooDoo Donuts line, and stand in another line, albeit, a much shorter one, check out Pip’s Original. Grab yourself a dozen of Honey, Sea Salt and Nutella doughnuts and a yummy Chai drink before spending your day exploring the city!

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Cascade Brewing – The Best Brewery in Portlandia

You have to go to at least one brewery when in Portland, and Cascade Brewing has a diverse beer menu as well as upscale bar food. It also has a great open patio where you can sip on as many beers as you like and just hang out in Portland and eat yummy pretzels.

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Yataimura Maru – The Best Asian Cuisine

I don’t think I had ever truly had authentic Japanese food before coming to Maru on Division St. in Portland. The restaurant seems to transport you to Japan and allows you to soak up the culture. It has the most incredible Ramen dishes I have ever tasted and their Teriyaki Chicken is definitely worth a try as well. Definitely make sure to save room for dessert. We ordered the Red Bean Ice Cream and Mochi as well as the Tempura Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream— we may have gone a little bit overboard!

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House – Best Dessert House with a Thrill and a Really Creepy Bathroom

This is one of the most “Portland” places you could possibly go, it’s located on a dark street, in a creepy, creaky old house and serves dessert and coffee late until midnight. My sister hadn’t originally planned to take us here, but we decided to go after spending a long day hiking at Mount Hood and exploring the Timberline Lodge. We were just getting back to the city and the house seems like the set of a scary movie.

It has dark lighting and is decorated with candles and creepy puppets and wallpaper. My sister warned us of the enchanted trickery that the house is famous for, so we kept out eyes and ears open. Our waiter was extremely nice and had an intensely dry sense of humor that matched the spooky vibe of the house perfectly. We ordered a variety of the desserts they offer (the Banana Split was to die for!) and sat back and observed the eclectic frills and mischief.

The most alarming thing I have to admit is the bathroom. It is by far the creepiest room  due to the most terrifying man-doll I have ever seen in my life. Even after we covered his face with a napkin, I made my mom wait for me right outside the bathroom door. I was more than certain he was going to start turning his head to stare at me or start whispering in my ear. He didn’t though, thank goodness!

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Even More Amazing Places:

Salt & Straw – The Best Ice Cream in the World

Nothing I say about Salt & Straw will actually do this place justice. It is simply magic. And simply the best Ice Cream ever. Make sure to get a waffle cone, sample as many flavors as you desire, buy some merchandise, and enjoy uninterrupted happiness. Seriously, the line is worth the wait and you will not regret coming here!

See See Motorcycles Coffee – Best Merchandise and Portland Vibe

Its a dream coffee shop for motorcycle enthusiasts and has super cute clothes and decadent hot chocolate, I wish I could bring it back to the East Coast with me.

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So now I recommend that everyone go to Portland and try these awesome places for yourselves! ❤

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (AKA the best cupcakes you will ever eat)

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Guys. I made the most delicious cupcakes in the entire world and want everyone to make them and eat them and love them as much as I did.

Last winter, Sprinkles in Washington, DC offered different cereal-based cupcakes and I tried the Cinnamon Toast Crunch one and fell head over heels in love with it. Sadly, these were only weekly specials and were discontinued. So I looked up recipes online for an attempt to recreate the magic of these cupcakes and came upon a recipe that tasted even better. I made these for my boyfriend’s birthday in August and even though he always claims he “isn’t a dessert person” – a phrase that I will simply never understand – he ended up loving them too!

The recipe I used was adapted from here and I followed the recipe very closely. I don’t even mind that they aren’t entirely made from scratch (it requires boxed cake mix), but I’m sure you could improvise if you know a recipe for a standard cake you like to make!

One thing I was surprised about and had never considered was dipping the top of the cupcake (before frosted) into butter then cinnamon sugar. This was seriously a game changer and gives these cupcakes a churro-like taste as well. It can’t be beat!

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Ingredients for 24 Cupcakes

  • 1 box, French Vanilla Cake Mix
  • 1 small box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
  • 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, for garnish

Baking Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 24 muffin tins.
  2. In the bowl of your mixer, combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to high. Beat for 2 minutes.
  3. Stir a few times with a big wooden spoon, then fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 of the way full.
  4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center. Remove from oven and let cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
  5. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. In another bowl, add the 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
  6. Dip the top of a baked cupcake in the melted butter, then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Set aside remaining cinnamon sugar for topping.
  7. For the icing, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and heavy cream, beating on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully add powdered sugar until just barely combined. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for two minutes.
  8. Generously frost cupcakes. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and stick cereal into frosting as you wish.
  9. Keep these cupcakes refrigerated if they are not served immediately.
  10. Enjoy these amazing cereal cupcake creations!

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Tuscan Frittata with Mozzarella & Squash

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I am more than eager for fall and cannot wait to go to a pumpkin patch. So while I wait, I figured I would make an “end of the summer, can’t wait for fall” frittata that feels both summer-y and fall-ready. I used three different recipes for inspiration while also trying to use up ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

This recipe incorporates some of my favorite things and while I made a smaller serving that feeds two to three people, it could easily be adapted to accommodate more servings if you had a group of friends over for brunch or made it for your family.

Ingredients:

  1. 6 eggs
  2. 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese
  3. 1/4 Cup of Parmesan cheese or Italian cheese blend
  4. 1 medium-sized yellow squash or zucchini diced
  5. 2 cloves of chopped garlic
  6. 1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk (or half & half)
  7. 1 Tablespoon of Pesto or more if you like! (I used 365 Basil Pesto)
  8. 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  9. 2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning (including but not limited to: basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano)
  10. Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 and butter a 10×10 Casserole Dish.
  2. On a skillet over medium heat, sauté the squash and garlic tossed in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until tender and sizzling – about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. Whisk together all six eggs and coconut milk until fully mixed. Add in the cheeses, pesto, and seasoning with a dash of salt and pepper.
  4. Next, combine the squash and garlic into the egg mixture. Then pour everything into the casserole dish.
  5. Cover with lid and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
  6. Remove, let sit for a few minutes, then enjoy!
  7. Pro-Tip- I broiled slices of baguette with olive oil and pesto as an accompaniment.

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Strawberry French Cake

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Baking always seems to be a little bit more challenging than cooking for me, because I feel like it’s harder to improvise and I never enjoy following recipes and measurements step-by step. But this Strawberry French Cake recipe was perfect and is at the top of my list for favorite things I’ve ever baked. I followed the recipe exactly, but couldn’t resist adding a thin layer of Belgian Speculoos Cookie crumbs at the base of the pan and a light sprinkle on top. It is designed to be moist, almost custard-like in the center so be sure not to over-bake!

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

  3. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.

  5. Fold in strawberries. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan.

  6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.

  7. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

  8. Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.

 

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Please bake this, you will definitely not regret it! ❤

Berry Breakfast Muffins

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I’m never too hungry right when I wake up in the morning, but when I know I have homemade muffins waiting for me, that’s a different story. These muffins are perfect because you can add whatever fruits or nuts or oats you desire and they will be always be tasty. I took this recipe from Clean Eating Recipes and jazzed it up a bit with the fruit around my kitchen.

Ingredients:

Baking Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with baking wrappers or grease the tins well with coconut oil.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut milk and lemon juice. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Place the honey, eggs, and coconut oil in a mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add in half of the coconut milk mixture and whisk until just combined. Whisk in the remaining dry ingredients and finish by adding in the remaining coconut milk mixture, mixing just until combined – do not over-mix.
  5. Fold the blueberries, raspberries, and banana into the batter.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin tins (tins will be completely full of batter).
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until tops are set.
  8. Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan. Store in an airtight container.

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I hope you enjoy and let me know what you ended up adding to them! 🙂