The Return of the Weekend

Since I've finally figured out where I will be laying my head this next year, my weekends have come back to me!

This past weekend I went with the parents to the Oregon Lavender Festival that highlights lavender farms throughout the Willamette Valley. The day started out really overcast, but turned absolutely gorgeous come early afternoon. This only made the fields of lavender pop even more.

Walking down the rows of lavender with the humming of honey bees all around (and live folk music in the background!) was so relaxing.

Did I mention there were free food samples at almost all of the farms we went to? Sa-weet! Lavender honey, lavender jam, lavender beer, lavender snickerdoodles... a girl couldn't ask for more. Sadly for you, I didn't take pictures of the food. I saw it. I ate it. End of Story.

Until Next Time,

powerkat

"Weekend" Update

My second to last weekend in Portland, OR. It is crazy how quickly the time has flown by, and I have less than 2 weeks before the big caravan push to Fullerton.


Instead of giving you a typical weekend update, I thought I'd give a photographic condensed montage of my life during the past month while away from the blog world.

Went to Multnomah Falls with visiting Texas and Georgia relatives. Saw beautiful wild flowers...

... and horsetail falls.

Went strawberry picking with good friends on Sauvies Island...

... and there were great pickins'! Made strawberry lemonade, short cake, and yummy waffle toppings from these Oregon berries. If anyone says they've had the best strawberry and it isn't from Oregon, you've just encountered a liar. Nothing beats Oregon berries! 

 

Finally visited the historic Astoria, OR where The Goonies was filmed... didn't take a picture of the house, but we found it! Stopped at the Fort Stevens shipwreck site.... isn't Meaghan cute?! She tried climbing everything. Can't take that kid anywhere.

 

Of course we had to check out the Astoria Column. From below...

 .... and 164 steps later.

 Pretty nice view from the top!

Went on the lovely Eagle Creek Trail for old times' sake. Got to spend quality time with my best red head, Ruth, and even got to go on the hike with an adorable German Shepard!

Good times even in the midst of a housing crisis. When you're picking up the pieces of a messed up rental agreement, the little escapes are that much more appreciated. Thankfully, this powerkat has resolved everything and does have a place to move in to at the end of month without going over budget!

Until Next Time,

powerkat

Weekend Update

Apologies for my lack of frequent/daily postings. Sometimes you just have to live life and stop being plugged into the system.

When I unplug myself I am instantly transported back to being a kid. Anyone from Generation Y can probably relate. Growing up we actually played outside and only the lucky kids had Nintendo Game Boys or Mario Brothers. We drank in the sun and made mudpies, built forts, rolled in the grass until we itched like crazy (or maybe that was just me - hay fever allergies anyone?). We actually had to call our friends' house phones to see if they were available to play and wrote letters we mailed to Grandma. 

So, to follow the post subject, Weekend Update, what did I do? I unplugged from the technology, sat inside, watched the rain pour, read a book, worked out, finished the taxes, found recipes for homemade granola (keep an eye out for a future post on that adventure), and... bought a car!!

Subaru Impreza

I am moving to Car City (southern California) in only a few months and as I currently survive by biking, walking, or the generosity of my parent's lending the car, this was a must-buy. After careful 3 months of research and frustrating searches, I finally found the car I wanted at a great price. 

No name yet, but this bundle of joy will make me very happy. Especially since it gets 37 mpg on the highway. So, in a weird twist, thank you technology!

Until Next Time, 

powerkat

Weekend Update

How was your weekend? Not long enough? I agree.

The days were filled with adult responsible activities that made my days off from work seem lack luster. Definitely did not put a hop in my step. The upside? I made yummy bruschetta pizza to lighten my dreary mood.

no after shot because I was too hungry...

Paired with a glass of wine, warm fire, and my latest leisure book, Fast Food Nation, my Sunday night was the weekend cap I was desperately searching for. 

I love how cooking delicious food and enjoying a nice read can instantly improve my mood. Now, if only the sunshine could come back so I could take this on a hike! Soon, aka 4 months from now, the rain will stop and I'll get my wish. 

Until Next Time, 

powerkat

Bruschetta Pizza (courtesy of Taste of Home)

Ingredients 

1/2 pound reduced-fat Italian sausage

1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust 

1 package (6 ounces) sliced turkey pepperoni 

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 

1-1/2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes 

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme 

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Additional fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions:

1. In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Place crust on an ungreased baking sheet. Top with pepperoni, sausage and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, sliced basil, oil, garlic, thyme, vinegar, salt and pepper. Spoon over pizza. Garnish with additional basil if desired.

Homemade Biscotti

This past weekend I was craving tea and biscotti to accompany me while I was sifting through my old piles of artwork from years ago.

Ok, you got me. I really just wanted biscotti and an excuse from cleaning out the clutter of memories before moving down to southern California.

I am of the mindset that if you are going to eat sweets, you must make them or the whole wonderful-ness is loss. You never crave store-bought sweets. When you leave a dinner party you never think, "wow, I really need another helping of the overly sugary, fake tasting pie". No, you crave and think about the homemade sweets. They have been made with sweat, love, and possibly blood in order to satisfy a sweet tooth. Hence, my Saturday search for homemade biscotti.

I fell upon this recipe on allrecipes.com (my go-to site) and it was so easy! All of the ingredients were common staples in the kitchen, minus the sliced almonds, and the process was easy as 1, 2, 3. The only alteration I made was using less chocolate. 'She said what?!' I did a quick taste test before adding the chocolate and these are so good because of the hint of orange zest that you can get away with less chocolate.

Enjoy!

PS: There are no pictures from my escapade because I was so focused on making these and then eating them. My stomach apologizes. 

Biscotti Toscani

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg  this could be replaced with cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips  I would recommend half of this amount
• 1/2 cup toasted almond pieces

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and zest. Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in almonds. Divide dough into two pieces. Form into long flat loaves about 1/2 inch tall and 12 inches long. Place the loaves 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
4. With a serrated knife, cut diagonally into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, turning over once. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. Place chocolate chips into a small, microwave-safe bowl. Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 20 to 30 seconds until smooth. Use a spatula to spread chocolate onto one side of each cookie. Let stand at room temperature until set. Store biscotti at room temperature in an airtight container.