Well, hello 2016! What did you do to ring in the new year? We had a great time celebrating with some friends, watching the Ducks play in the Alamo Bowl (yikes…what a mess that was…) and generally just enjoying a nice long weekend.
December was a really wet month here in Portland setting record rainfall but on the plus side, there was a lot of good eats. What were your favorite meals, recipes or activities for the last month of 2015?
All dressed up for our Crossfit Holiday Party in front of our very first Christmas tree!
Happy new year, friends!
Top Eats + Drinks:
Heathman Holiday Tea – This always make the holidays for me. The festive atmosphere and fun chats with the girls while enjoying mugs of tea and munching on currant scones and mini tea sandwiches. (Don’t worry, even if you missed holiday tea, you can partake in Afternoon Tea the rest of the year!)
My obsession with Seastar Bakery continues…
Top-notch lunch at Milk Glass Mrkt – All my favorite places these days seem to be brunch/lunch places in North Portland… Their focaccia gets me every time, as does this incredible winter salad and “Snack Egg” that was like a deconstructed deviled egg with romesco sauce, Marcona almonds and pickled carrots.
Top Recipes:
Eggnog Bourbon Bread Pudding – I made this for our Christmas Eve dinner with my in-laws and let me tell you, this is one delicious, warm and comforting dessert. I adapted this Cooking Light recipe, subbing half the milk for eggnog and using King’s Hawaiian Bread, and then of course topping with homemade whipped cream! I love doing these in single-serve ramekins.
Minimalist Baker’s Peanut Butter Overnight Oats – these have become a staple breakfast. They seriously take 5 minutes to prep at night, then bam! Your breakfast is ready! It is especially great for those lazy mornings when I have to head into the office and want to relish every moment in my cozy bed instead of making that initial meal. Healthy, tasty, easy.
Top Activities:
Reading over tea at Ovation, my favorite local cafe in the Pearl. I love the beautiful tea sets, the Moroccan beverages and the friendly service. It’s a great place to work, catch up with friends or read. My books this month have been Harry Potter (yes, I’m re-reading them all!), The Nightingale and The Opposite of Loneliness. What have you been reading?!
Cookbook Overload – I have serious problems and buy way too many cookbooks. I have so many already but can’t help myself picking up new ones and being excited and inspired by the creative recipes and gorgeous photos. I left the Annual PCA Cookbook Social featuring 20+ local chef authors with several books, some as gifts and some for myself. I am especially excited about Pasta by Hand by Jenn Louis, Brassicas by Laura Russell and Classic Cookies with Modern Twists by Ellen Jackson.
Cider Tour! Brice and I are big fans of hard cider and now that it’s becoming more of a thing, there are so many places to get pints of the crisp apple adult beverage. So we decided to take ourselves on a tour of cider. We had a great time going all over town from Reverend Nat’s in NE to Bushwhacker’s off SE Powell and a few places in between. A full blog post coming your way soon!
Ugh, don’t get me started on the Ducks. But great recap post! My favorite meals were definitely Christmas and Christmas Eve dinners, which we hosted. We had tons of guests and somehow pulled off feeding everyone!
Nice work! Two big meals, that’s impressive!
What a delicious December! I almost went to Milk Glass Market with friends but our plans changed to elsewhere. I’ll have to check it out soon! Happy 2016, Erin!
2016 will be your year for Milk Glass, Marlynn!
Boo on the Ducks game – Yay on the cider tour! Can’t wait to hear more about it! Happy 2016!
Yes what a downer… but onto bigger and better things this new year! 😉
Ovation is a must every month of the year!
Or every week?!