My Screenprinted Scarf and outfit post

I finally have photos of me wearing the scarf that I screenprinted two weekends ago! Check out the posts where I documented the screen-printing class I took at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts here and here. 

presenting the scarf I screen-printed with blue bird feathers and emerald green peacock feather pattern

{deep blue jeans} H&M {stretchy white v-neck} Nordstrom from foreverago {grey suede flats} Cole Haan by Maria Sharipova {silk scarf} screenprinted by me!

Foodie Game!

I was tagged over at Epicurean Enthusiast in a foodie game! I am clearly a food blogger and I would love to participate. However, I think I'm going to change up the rules a little....I'm going to answer the questions below and if you want to link up and play along please do so~ I'd love to read your answers!

Some food-fun questions!

1. What food did you once hate (as a child or even more recently) that you have found an appreciate for and now enjoy?

Pretty much all vegetabes! I LOVE veggies and when I was little you couldn't pay me to eat them.

2. What do you normally order when going out to breakfast/brunch?

Egg's Benedict!

3. What is your favorite late-night snack?

Popcorn. I put coconut oil in a pan, cover the bottom with popcorn and cover it with a lid on medium until its done popping. Then I drizzle it with olive oil and salt---delicious!

4. What is the one dish you wish you could cook, but haven't yet mastered?

Egg's Benedict...the hollandaise sauce sounds difficult! Plus, I usually order that when we go out to brunch so I'm not motivated to make it.

5. What is your favorite restaurant? Where is it located and what is your favorite dish on their menu?

Casa Del Matador, which has two locations. One on NW 23rd & Quimby and one on E Burnside & 20-something...not sure the exact block. I love pretty much everything but the steak and shrimp fajitas are to die for. I also love the verde enchiladas!

6. Who taught you how to cook?

My mom, over the phone, when I moved to San Francisco in 2006 which was the first time I moved into my own apartment. Before that I lived in the dorms and my sorority where we had cooks. I think I called her everyday to have her tell me how to make dinner! There were dishes she had made me growing up that I knew I wanted to make but didn't know how. I think I also called her from the grocery store to ask what to buy!

7. What is the worst cooking disaster you've ever caused?

My sister and I were probably around 10 & 12 years old and my parents were at parent teacher conferences. We were making taco's and using the toaster oven to heat the shells. Somehow the toaster oven caught on fire and there were huge flames. We had a huge pitcher of water set out that we were going to use to change our fish bowl later that night, and we dumped it on the grease fire, obviously making it worse. I ran out into the garage to get the fire extinguisher and used it on the fire. My mom had to clean the dust that emerged from the extinguisher for weeks! At least the house didn't burn down.

8. What did you have for dinner last night?

Since I teach Pilates after work on Mondays, I always use the crockpot so there is something yummy for Shane when he comes home and then ready for me to scarf a late dinner when I finally get home. Yesterday I made a simple pot roast with carrots, potatoes and onions. So easy and so good!

9. What restaurant do you want to eat at and haven't?

I have been wanting to try Paley's Place in NW Portland. I've heard great things! It's a little pricy so we may wait for a special occasion. Has anyone been there?

10. What is your guilty-pleasure food item?

Ice cream. I love it so much. I also love fro-yo with toppings! It can make a bad night good.

11. What food item/dish do you just love that your family/friends can't/won't try?

Beet salad. Shane will not eat beets! But I love a cold beet salad as an appetizer at a restaurant, maybe with some goat cheese and walnuts. I've never made it at home though!

12. Cake or Pie? What kind?

Pie for sure. My mom makes the best homemade pies and pie crust. I love blackberry pie the most. I don't even really like cake at all. It's just usually not rich enough for me! I'd rather not waste the calories.

13. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would be your last meal?

Shrimp and steak fajitas from Casa Del Matador!

That's it! I'd love if you linked up and played along! It's fun to get to know fellow foodie bloggers, and even all you other bloggers out there too! I don't just read food blogs, I read all different kinds!

Hair of the Dog Brewery

My dad knows a lot about beer and breweries in Portland. He has been to probably every brewery, and this one is his favorite! I think that is saying a lot. Hair of the Dog is owned by a man named Allen, and you will see him in there frequently. His sister is one of the bartenders, and recently when I went with my dad, she saw us pulling up and greeted us at the door! I felt like a VIP as she knew his name and what he would be ordering. Not only is the beer made in small batches and is really tasty, the food is better than any other brewery I have been to.

pasta with white sauce, mushrooms and celery

salami sandwich on delicious bread with a side of pearl couscous

they prepare their Brussel spouts so well! I love them.

chilli with pork and beef

If you are in the mood to try some breweries, don't miss this one!

Screenprinting Course at OCAC Part 2

On day 2 of my screen-printing class at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, I finalized my design, created my screen and got to work screen-printing my silk scarf. Check out day 1 here.

We burned the screens in a dark room. The 1st day we put the emulsifier on the screen and let it dry overnight. Then we made transparencies out of our designs, taped them to the screen and exposed it over the lightbox in the darkroom for five minutes. After washing it out, the screen was ready.

hard at work! Hand screen printing is tedius

my practice round

and then the real thing. This was the first layer

then I added a second layer of another ink that I mixed up and did peacock feathers over the other feathers

hanging to dry.

Some of the other designs from other students

The last step is to steam the scarf to set the dye and release the stiffness. My awesome instructor Chelsea offered to do it for me because you need some supplies I just don't have....like a huge pot and a strainer that you only use for art projects. I'm sorry, I use mine for making pasta and chili....so she offered to steam mine and I am picking it up tomorrow! I will post pictures of me wearing it soon:)

The class was so much fun and I learned so much about the screen-printing process. I hope I can take another course at The Oregon College of Arts and Crafts soon! It's my goal to start releaseing my inner creativity that struggles to come out. Between my job, these classes and Pinterest, I am on track!

Screenprinting Course at OCAC Part 1

This weekend I took a screen-printing course at the Oregon College of Arts & Crafts. It was a creative two days for my detail driven mind! I am more of a Right sided brain---I enjoy writing, words and concrete evidence. I am not inclined to be super creative. However, this class gave me plenty of uninterrupted time to focus specifically on being creative. I chose to take this class because I am a Graphic Apparel Developer with little background in graphics and my company does a lot of screen-printing at the production level. This course was definitely very rudimentary screen-printing and helped me to understand the process from a very basic and old school method. Although my work reflects projects that are done on automatic presses for the most part, I think it will be really valuable to know how this is done and to have done it myself.

my drawings--trying to decide what images I will use on my sceen

the screens

the room where we mixed paint

screen-printing the old school way! Completely by hand

one of my practice screens

Tiffany pressing

Tiffany's awesome watercolor practice round

Briana's practice flowers

Next up I will post the finished product! We got to make our own screen with our own designs (Tiff made the images for my screen) and create a scarf. Can't wait to share it with you!

Rainy day? Comfort lunch in SE Portland

Where is this from you ask? The Grilled Cheese Grill of course! I went to the location on Alberta St. last year and you can read about it here. This weekend I visited the SE Portland location. Same menu, same delicious comforting sandwiches and soup!

Weekend breakfast--breakfast burritos

Shane woke up on Saturday and wanted to make breakfast. It was nice to sleep in and have him cook for me! He made delicious breakfast burritos. He even used my high fiber tortillas from Trader Joe's that I love! And greek yogurt in place of sour cream! He is really learning from me...

Scrambled eggs, bacon, shredded garlic cheese, avocado, salsa and greek yogurt!

HUGE! I was so full afterwards!

Valentine's Day 2012

Since V-day was on a Tuesday this year, I was expecting we'd just go to a nice dinner somewhere and have a low-key celebration. In the past when the holiday has fallen on a weekend, we've gone on getaways. However, this year Shane surprised me with a cruise on The Portland Spirit. The Portland Spirit offers short cruises along the river, about 2-3 hours in length. This one served a delicious dinner and champagne. It was quite cold on the outside deck but cozy and romantic inside with a private table and a jazz band. Here are some photos of our lovely evening!

appetizer--artichoke brushetta

starter salad

shrimp stuffed salmon

outside on the deck---brrr!

salted caramel cake

Meyer Lemon Tart

Cheers to Valentine's Day 2012!

Runner's recovery meal

I found this recipe on the web site of a Pilates studio in Portland where I sometimes take classes. Studio Blue is an awesome little studio in NW Portland, and they have recently began offering classes specifically for runners. I found this recipe that involves sweet potatoes, and here is what the studio had to say about this root vegetable:

But the root vegetables’ benefits are more than skin deep: Sweet potatoes are full of potassium, which can help repair and replenish sore muscles after a workout. They’re also a powerful source of resistant starch, a unique fiber that “resists” digestion in the body and helps increase calorie burn. One study found that replacing just 5.4% of total carbohydrate intake with resistant starch created a 20-30% increase in fat burning after a meal.

Who knew? I knew sweet potatoes were a power food but didn't realize how great they were! Here is what I made:

Sweet Potato and Chicken-Sausage Bake

Start with slicing sweet potatoes into 1 inch pieces

cut up fully cooked chicken sausage into one inch pieces

cut up cauliflower

mix sweet potatoes and sausage, sprinkle with oil, add oregano, salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes

After baking the sausage/sweet potatoe mixture for 30 minutes, add cauliflower and bake for 20 more minutes

I really liked the combination of these 'super foods'. I didn't realize the full benefits of sweet potatoes either! I would eat this if I was a runner or not!

Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce

I tried this recipe from Gina over at Skinnytaste. I am always looking for ways to use my crockpot and was also looking forward to trying a homemade meat sauce. It was pretty easy to make and it's a healthy version as well! I made it even more health friendly by omitting the half and half and using very lean, organic meat that produced virtually no grease when I cooked it. I get it from the Portland Farmer's Market, from a farmer that has a pasture in Bend, Oregon. 

mince 2 carrots, 2-3 stalks of celery, one onion and some garlic in coconut oil (Gina did not call for coconut oil, but I use that in place of other oils when heating them)

add one pound of lean ground beef (Gina called for 2). Brown, and add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer. Add 5 strips cooked bacon.

add meat mixture to crock pot and add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes. I added salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaves. Cook on low for 6 hours

serve over whole wheat pasta with broccoli and whole wheat french bread! Gina's recipe called for 1/2 cup half and half added at the end, but I left it out and it was still delicious!

I love love love using the crockpot! I'd like to find even more recipes that don't require as much prep work. This one was fairly easy but I think it could get easier!

Thanks Gina! I love your recipes.

Noble Rot Wine Bar

I love this spot for happy hour with its awesome view of Portland, great food and wine.

city lights

onion rings

wine flight

butternut squash panini. The best I've ever had!

Noble Rot is such a cute spot! I feel like it's underrated as far as Portland happy hours or dinner spots. It has an amazing view--my photo did not do it justice at all.