Amazing food in Oregon

In the not so distant past our family took a 2 week long road trip to the Northwest, my husband's 30  year high school reunion was coming up that we wanted to attend in Portland, Oregon.   So we decided to make a vacay out of it.   Made many stops along the way like Hell's Canyon, Mt. St. Helen's and more.   But, the memory I have of the vacay will always be the trip we took to Lincoln City, Oregon (yes this was a trip within a trip) We stayed at a fabulous place called the Candlelight Inn, they even allow pets (which is very important since we were traveling with our little Yorkie)  Cute little place right by the beach.

Our first night there we went out for dinner, the place we wanted to go to was full and had a 1 1/2 hr. wait (yes, forget that)  Happy accident this was because we ended up at the most amazing place I had been too in a long time, the Side Door Cafe.   Not only did the place have character, but the staff was fun, friendly and personable and of course the service was excellent.   The food was unforgetable, there is not one thing we ordered that we didn't like.   But, what stands out for me was the menu item I ordered.   Ciapinno, what an amazingly talented chef they had ( I hate to admit, but his recipe was even better than mine) This dish was made with of course the freshest seafood in town, but also with great care.   This was very obvious, since you could taste every flavor in that dish, nothing overpowered the other it had perfect balance.   I can't even discribe how melt in your mouth delicious it was.   All I can say is, if you are ever in the Lincoln City, Or. area.   YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST GO TO THE SIDE DOOR CAFE. http://www.edenhall.com/

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen

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FOOD REALLY IS YOUR FRIEND!

Yes, it sounds silly but it is true.   Food is not your enemy!   You need to eat to survive and you need to eat to burn calories.   If you don't eat enough to support your bodies daily needs it will store everything you do eat instead of burning it for energy.   This will leave you feeling tired and run down.

So, here are some very simple ways to keep your metabolism going:

1:   Eat breakfast, you haven't eaten since last night!   If you skip this meal your metabolism will slow down.

2:   Eat healthy, lean proteins, fruits and veggies and avoid sugar and alcohol.

3:   Snack,  every 4-6 hours is good.   Have fruits and veggies or low fat cheese.

4:   Exercise, even if your mind resists.

5:   Lift weights, muscle burn up to 5 times more calories than fat.

6:   Keep a food diary, this will help you see what you are eating.

7:   Drink lots of water, staying hydrated will keep your energy up and your metabolism going.

8:   Drink green tea, before meals is best it will speed up your digestion.

9:   Get enough sleep, I won't tell you 8 hours because everyone is different.   Listen to your body.

10:  Eat according to your schedule, if you have a busy day eat well for breakfast and lunch and go light for dinner.    If you have a busy evening than switch that around.

I hope this helps anyone trying to maintain or lose weight or just wants to feel better.

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen

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5 WAYS TO FOOD SAFETY

Foodbourne illnesses are on the rise and most can be life threatening, but there are ways to protect yourself at home.


1:   Clean all produce when you bring it home from the store and don't store it in the original packaging. They have a product called "fit" to sanitize fruits and veggies or there are other brands.

2:   Have designated cutting boards for fruits and veggies and meats.   Be sure you sanitize all utensils and cutting boards after each use.

3:    When cutting raw meat be sure and sanitize your work area as soon as you are done.   I actually keep old tatered bath towels to cover my work surface and any appliances in the work area for extra protection, once finished the towels can simply be washed and then I sanitize my work area and anything else I may have touched. A simple solution of 1 gallon of water and 1 tbsp. of bleach works great or you can use spray cleaners like clorox clean up and others, just be sure they contain bleach.

4:   Wash you hands often when handling food and dry with paper towels. (yes paper towels, kitchen hand towels are a breeding ground for germs)

5:   Sanitize all work surface prior to preparing uncooked foods like fruits and veggies.  Water/bleach solution or spray cleaners will do the trick and don't forget the sink!

Well that is a great start to a safe and happy kitchen.

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen

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5 ESSENTIALS FOR THE KITCHEN

In my experience I have found that there are only 5 essential items for a kitchen to run smoothly so, here they are:

5:   Mandolin: this is a manual device that always you to change blades to julienne,slice,cross cut or wave cut any veggie or fruit.   This comes in handy for alot of small jobs that are too large to use a knife and too small to pull out the heavy artillary.   Which leads us to.....

4:   Stand mixer: I prefer the Kitchen aid (but you can pick what works for you)   You can shred,slice,grind,mix,juice and fill casings with the attachments and it is great for large jobs.

3:   A digital timer/temperature thermometer unit that is oven proof.   I love these, not only is it a timer but you can preset a temp. and insert the probe in the item you are cooking, place it in the oven and it beeps when the food has reached the temperature you set.   THAT IS AWESOMENESS!!!!!!

2:   Pans:   There really are only a few neccessary ones that you need.   A sautee pan (small and large very important)  sauce pan ( 1 quart and a 1 gallon)   dutch oven,   9x13 baking pan, cupcake pan, cake pan and a crock pot/slow cooker (for obvious reason).

1:   Knives:   When I was in culinary school I spent $375 on a tool set and these are the items I actually use. a 10 inch chefs knife, a serated knife,  paring knife, multi use utility knife, kitchen shears, peeler, boning/filet knife.


Hope this helps you out if you are new to cooking or a long time foodie,   avoid multi tasking equipment they only take up valuable space.

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen

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HOW I FOUND MY LOVE OF COOKING!

When I was a young girl I used to watch in amazement as my great grandmother cooked on her wood burning stove. Everything that went in that oven or on the stove, came out a culinary masterpiece that simply blew me away. She knew exactly the right amount of wood and what size the pieces needed to be for the correct temperature (and she even chopped the wood herself). I wanted to be just like her, She even let me help sometimes and that was awesome. I was hooked.

As I got older I started cooking every chance I got, I even started making up my own recipes ( which didn't always turn out so well) Cooking just became a part of my life. I cooked for friends and their dates on special occasions like birthdays and proms. I even taught some of my friends to cook.

When I got older, guess where I started working? Yep, in a restaurant. I even went to culinary school.

I love food and everything about it: cooking, experimenting and teaching others about it. let's face it, we have to have food to fuel our body's so why not enjoy it? So have fun with it the sky's the limit, even if it doesn't always turn out at least you tried and it's not about the destination, it's about the journey!

enjoy!

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