Cruising Southwest Portland

Samantha and I took a walk to Southwest Portland, it was cool out but was a pleasant walk.
Of course Emmy had to come too!

Sam and Emmy next to the HUGE real Xmas tree, in Pioneer Square downtown. 

Jazz club in the Pearl, which is not Southwest, but was on the way.

Macleay Park Hike

Samantha, Emmy and I decided to take a walk through Macleay Park today.  Part of Forest Park, this preserve offers a variety of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding.

 The Stone House was built during the Depression by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as a restroom alongside then Balch Creek Road. It was maintained until the Columbus Day storm in 1962 took out the plumbing system and heavy vandalism over the years forced park officials to abandon it rather than embark on costly repairs. It remains as a favorite spot to rest along the trail.

 Gratuitous self photo

Sign found on the way back home.

I wanted to take some photos too, but my phone died....I did get a few...

 

Brasserie Montmartre

There's this place not too far from here called the Brasserie Montmartre, I really like it for casual snacks and an occasional drink.  They have live jazz on some nights and the staff and service is excellent.

Inside, Samantha is enjoying a special drink called a French Goose:

Fry Frenzy

Any human living on this planet has to admit, sometimes you just have a craving for something salty and really bad for you.  Sam and I were in this predicament last weekend, the solution was McDonald's French Fries.  Apparently, someone else felt the same:

Fry Frenzy

Apple Dutch Baby

I was craving something pancakey but not too doughy for lunch, so I remembered a recipe I'd seen for something called a Dutch Baby.  It's a pancake made with crepe-like batter that is baked in a cast iron pan in the oven.  It turns out with a texture like Yorkshire Pudding, so of course I loved it.  This is the recipe I used, with the apples: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/apple-dutch-baby.  It was really tasty, especially the apple cider syrup.  This recipe says it makes 4 servings, but I think it's more like 2 :o).

The syrup and the apples cooking.

Preparing the batter.

I'm always so helpful in the kitchen.

The finished (delicious) goods.

Happy Holidays!

We walked around the Pearl District tonight after supper and took some photos of the lights and tree in Jamison Square.

Good Night!

Evening Stroll Down 23rd Street

This is one of our favourite streets in Portland, 23rd Street in the Northwest.  Lots of interesting shops and pretty displays.

Emmy and Shane in front of Kitchen Kaboodle, a great kitchen supply store that allows dogs.

One of Emmy's favourite shops, she always tries to go in when we walk by.