After the big birthday karaoke night, we took the whole next day to putz around the farms in Hood River, located in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. The area is well known for the exceptional fruits that come from these local orchards, and we were just in time for the fall color on the leaves and apple/pear season. We like eating at this place called the
Archives for September 2008
Birthday Karaoke
There were so many fun parts of my birthday this year, so this is my attempt to recap them in little bite-sized morsels. Let us begin with the karaoke… During my trip to South Korea I discovered the fabulous “noraebang“, which are private karaoke rooms you rent out by the hour. There are typically about 10-20 rooms in a noraebang, generally found in the basement
Happy Birthday to ME!
Twenty-nine years ago today, at about a quarter to midnight, I decided to get this show called life on the road. Today I will be out celebrating with good food, wonderful friends, trips to farms and the most amazing karaoke experience outside South Korea. The recap of this spectacular celebration will follow sometime soon. I am pretty proud of where I have come over the
Pear Chutney = Sweet Piece of Heaven
The only chutney I have ever really used has been store bought. I thought it was okay, but nothing to write home about. Well, my friends, that is true no more for I have discovered the sweet piece of heaven that is homemade chutney. This basic pear chutney recipe came from the Ball cookbook, but I made some variations along the way. It probably took
Asian Pear Butter Success
There has been successful canning at my house! About a week ago I mentioned the pear butter I had attempted to make with the asian pears from my mom’s house. Sadly, I had made pear sauce (like apple sauce) because the cookbook I was using didn’t specify times. And who knew you need to simmer the pear sauce for multiple hours to get pear butter?
Buying 1/4 of a Cow
Typically we are selective about where we purchase our beef. This isn’t meant to come across as a lecture to people who are not concerned with how their meat was raised, but we choose to be more involved in this area. Things like being grass-fed on pasture, no antibiotics, no hormones, etc. are all important factors for us. Because of how expensive this grade of
Building Garden Paths
My garden is very much a work in progress. One of the elements lacking in the landscape are clearly defined pathways. They just seem like so much work to build though, especially for something I won’t actually receive any direct benefit from. Afterall, I know where everything is, where to walk and not walk, etc. But my lovely friends, and sometimes even Jay, are not
Overrun with Asian Pears
When my mother was looking for a new house several years ago, one of the many things she wanted was a low-maintenance backyard with no fruit trees. I was with her when she saw her house for the first time. I could tell immediately that she had decided this was ” the one”. And I watched her move from room to room, checking things off
September Orchard Tour
Last year I went on the Orchard Tour at One Green World in October. This year I won’t be around for the October 11th tour, so I went on the September tour yesterday instead. I ended up going solo – just my travel mug and some motown music. It was a lovely drive to Molalla, Oregon, and I am glad no one could hear me