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OUR LATEST POSTS

When you look beyond the basic Portland travel guides, you’ll discover that there is so much more to explore in Oregon. It’s a place to get spontaneous, get loose and be wild.

While I’m working my way through Oregon’s 7 Wonders, I’m also learning all about Oregon’s vast history and taking in views of the ocean, the mountains, the valleys, the high desert, the cities, small towns, and everything in between.

Travel Oregon invited me to take a tour with them through Central and Eastern Oregon and I had a blast getting to know this stunningly beautiful, lesser travelled side of the Beaver State.

I have been living in Oregon for a few years now, yet I have never been further than Mt. Hood. I knew this trip out East was bound to be an adventure. Our journey would take me and a few other foodies, writers, editors and chefs about 3.5 hours East of Portland proper.

Our first adventure was with the Imperial Rafting Co. the little town of Maupin, Oregon. Population 418. The city is a whopping 1.45 square miles, but what it lacks in size it makes up in outdoor adventures.

Here’s what our day looked like.

12:10 PM We arrived to our lodge at the Imperial River Company and checked-in.

12:30 PM We suited up for our first adventure, a white water rafting excursion down the Deschutes River.

12:45 PM We get off the little yellow bus and our awesome guide, Brian teaches us the basics of rafting and some important tips so we don’t get into trouble once on the water. He was everything you’d expect (and want) in a guide; He was funny, safe, knowledgeable and full of hilarious stories. He also had that oh-so-perfect Oregonian beard situation going on.

The rules according to Brian…

  • #1 — Always look ahead
  • #2 — Keep your hand on your oar so it doesn’t become a weapon (insert gif of me knocking someone out – oops!)
  • #3 — If you fall in the water — don’t freak out!

There were a lot more rules like that last one and we all looked at each other nervously. I think I was calmer than most in our group because I had done some rafting before. I knew what to expect, but I had never been on the Deschutes before so I had no idea just how cold that water was going to be! Regardless, I was spending too much time fumbling with my GoPro helmet cam to be worried about the water. I was actually more concerned with whether or not I had pressed the record button.

1:15 PM It wasn’t long before we were approaching our first rapid. Brian suggested since I had a camera on my head, it might be fun for me to “ride the bull” I had no idea what this meant, but I eagerly jumped at the chance for a thrill. “Oh, wait, you want me to do what??” He explained that I was to sit on the edge of the raft with my legs dangling over. I was to “ride” the raft like it was a bull, and try not to fall off the front and get run over. “Gulp.” What exactly did I sign up for!? Oh well, Here goes nothing…

1:18 PM We ride our first 3.0 rapid and I FALL (into the raft) and almost die… laughing. It was a truly team bonding experience and my fellow rafters were eager to try “riding the bull” too, right after I had been the guinea pig.

2:30 PM We take a break to jump off a mini rock cliff. Temps today were in the upper 90’s so it was refreshing to take a dip in the water.

3:00 PM The first time one of our raft-mates falls in the water!! Oh no! Suddenly our gingerly stroll down the water became a rescue mission… for his shoes!! and our water bottles!! and hats!!

4:17 PM  I jump in the water to swim a 2.5 rapid! (props to Nike’s swim classes for giving me the confidence to do something like this!) Brian said afterwards “You’re going to sleep really well tonight!” #spoileralert — I DID.

5:00 PM The first time I notice that our little yellow bus has been following us down on the road adjacent to the river. Are we getting out here? Not just yet — he’s been secretly taking our photos. We all wave!! We don’t want it to end just yet!

5:15 PM The wind is starting to blow much harder, and since our backs are to the sun, it’s getting colder too. We all depart our raft and survey the items we lost (a hat, a flip flop, my GoPro clip) and we gift these items to the river. (tip: When rafting, don’t bring anything you wouldn’t shower in and don’t bring anything you wouldn’t want to part with) 

5:30 PM Riding the little yellow bus back to the lodge for a nice hot shower. I’d say we’ve worked up an appetite.

6:30 PM Fabulous dinner at the Imperial River Co. restaurant. The chef is also the daughter of the owners, and also the teacher at the local school. Oh, and guess who else made a reappearance? The bartender in the Imperial Bar was none-other-than our trusted raft guide… Brian! (like I said, this is a small town.)

Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed. This lamb from a local purveyor was probably one of the tastiest cuts I’ve had in a long time.

(Pics of dinner)

7:22 PM As if we weren’t spoiled enough. One of our travel companions was also a wine maker. He brought some of his amazing Pinots for us to have with dinner.

And, as if on cue, the neighborhood dogs played chase with each other up and down the river just as the sun started to set behind us. Such a memorable sight.

9:20 PM Sipping wine and gazing at the fireplace. I didn’t want to say goodnight just yet, so I sat by the fire, and reminisced about our awesome day rafting down the Deschutes.

What a perfect way to end a perfect day.

Imperial River Company is the only resort located on the banks of the Deschutes River in Maupin, OR. Offering guided bird hunting and whitewater raft trips, 25 Oregon-themed rooms and an exceptional riverfront dining experience.

If you’re looking to craft a unique journey through Oregon, I recommend just going to the Travel Oregon website. It’s really easy to customize your trip based on the things you like — rafting, camping, SUPing, ranching, snowboarding, climbing whatever. They have trips all planned out too… you can rough it or go as easy as you like. Anyone who considers themselves an outdoorsy person should plan a trip and spend sometime getting to know this beautiful state. There’s so much to do. What are you waiting for?

{Note: I was a guest of the Imperial River Company and Travel Oregon. Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this awesome adventure which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun and easy Oregon Adventure!}

Why do Hawaiians Eat So Much Spam???

In this episode of Quest for the Fest, I link up with Bitsy Kelley, the co-founder of the Waikiki Spam Jam, to learn more about the festival and Spam’s history. I also hit up the popular grocery chain, Foodland to learn how to make Spam musubi and try some other creative Spam concoctions.

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Learning all the different ways to make Spam Musubi at Foodland!

Held every April on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, the Waikiki Spam Jam is a super dope, beach-side, street party celebrating everyone’s favorite salty meat in a can… SPAM!

It’s true, Hawaiians DO love their Spam and this event showed me why.

With paradise as a backdrop, the event closes down Kalakaua Avenue to make room for the more than 25,000 people who come from all over the world. For the entire day, Spam is eaten about a gazillion different ways. It’s celebrated on bags, t-shirts, towels and even in song.

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Me with “Spam-my” at the Spam Jam

Introduced by Hormel Foods in 1937 during WWII, Spam became a popular food source for GIs during the war because it had a long shelf life and didn’t require any refrigeration.

Since then, Spam has become a luncheon tradition. Hawaii eats over 7 million cans of Spam every year (more than any other state) and at this festival, visitors are invited to try it as a ‘spam’-wich, in soups, fried up, stewed, sautéed and even in a flán. Yes, really.

It’s salty, it’s versatile, it’s weird, but also pretty tasty too. I personally never grew up eating it, but have really grown to like it, thanks to my recent Hawaiian adventures.

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Strollin’ down Waikiki Beach

Sponsored by Outrigger Resorts and others, the festival is a pretty fun event to catch if you happen to be on Island visiting that weekend. In addition, this special event benefits the Hawaii Foodbank, the largest non-profit in Hawaii.

WATCH the episode HERE.

 

 

Knock, Knock. Who’s There? It’s Your Coffee.

Imagine if your local record shop mailed you hand-selected records each month. The box comes to your door, you jump up and down with excitement, and you can’t wait to put it on the record player to hear it.  For a coffee lover, that’s what Boxo is like.

Portland Winter Survival Kit: Truck, shovel, scarf, coffee – check.

Luckily, I live in the Pacific Northwest, so that means I have no shortage of great coffee places to choose from. Seattle and Portland are leaders in the charge of great premium third wave, craft coffee. We are #coffeeblessed.

During the winter months, especially this winter, I am learning that when it snows up here, the entire city shuts down. IT SHUTS DOWN. They don’t have snow plows that move the snow away, and they don’t use salt on the pavement. I learned the hard way that if you don’t have a 4 wheel drive truck and a shovel (I have neither), then you’re SOL. Fingers crossed you have some food in your fridge, otherwise it’s #sardinesfordays.

I never thought I’d be a person to have my groceries delivered. But I did, and it helped! Luckily, I also had a delivery of coffee scheduled right on time. My shipment of coffee beans arrived right before the post office halted our mail service for that week. See? I was coffee blessed.

Ok, so back to the matter at hand…

In addition to getting a snowed-in rescue delivery, I also love seeing (and tasting) what’s brewing everywhere else in the world. There are great independent coffee shops and roasters popping up all over the country, and each one brings with it new flavors and influences from different regions. It’s great to be able to try them.

What's good in your hood?

Starting from the beginning.

When Derek Kean started Boxo Coffee, a subscription based coffee delivery service, he had figured out what being an entrepreneur was all about. By the time of their launch in the Fall of 2016, he had already been involved with start-ups for over 7 years. He had co-founded Truckily, an app designed to help his Kansas City community seek out nearby food trucks. Diving into the entrepreneurial world, learning how to raise funding, secure grants and expand his network, he started asking himself, what was the impact he wanted to have? He decided that he wanted to create something meaningful, something that would help a lot of people out, specifically small businesses.

And idea that came from a need. 

His day job took him and his wife to Hong Kong, and after some time, he noticed there weren’t a lot of good local coffee roasters. This is indeed a problem for a coffee lover.

He missed the specialty roasts from his hometown in Kansas City, MO. Through a little bit of trial and error (and care package requests from his mom), he started getting coffee delivered to Hong Kong on the regular. One thing led to another, word spread about these coffee deliveries and a business called 88 Beans was formed. This bean-to-door concept enabled Derek to import top-selling coffee and introduce his coffee-loving friends in China to new roasters.

He returned to the US, bringing this business model back with him, and Boxo was born. Derek decided that he wanted to introduce American coffee drinkers to quality, craft roasters not just in their own hometowns, but from different cities around the country. An important component was supporting these small businesses (the roasters) and helping to promote them too. “If you’re a small operation, it’s not easy to manage small orders. You don’t have dedicated account managers like a bigger company does. If we can use our technology to automate that, we can turn this into a massive company and provide that service for them.”

What's good in your hood?

Delivered.

Focusing on quality roasters with a high “Beard and Beanie index”, he created partnerships in various cities. Kansas City, DC, Atlanta, Bozeman, MT, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Portland and they are just getting started.

Each month, Boxo ships subscribers TWO 8-12 oz bags from two different cities maintaining the roaster’s original packaging. This way, you get a real feel for their brand. He includes a little backstory about each roaster, a description about the type of coffee you’re about to enjoy, and brew recommendations.

My most recent package included beans from Los Angeles and Santa Cruz, CA; Cafecito Organico  and Verve. So far, I’m really loving on the Verve roast which comes from Guatemala. I vary my brewing method based on my mood, but Boxo makes helpful suggestions on the insert so you can make the best brew for your cup.

Boxo is also a partner with Caffeine Crawl; a crawl of the best coffee-tea-chocolate places in major cities. Derek thought the collaboration was a perfect fit from the get go. “I met Jason, who runs Caffeine Crawl, through another start up on Instagram. By random chance, the universe was aligned and we found out we were both located in Kansas City! We both explore different coffee places in the city… I wanted people to find out about the Caffeine Crawl, discover new places and to then continue their exploration with Boxo. It’s a very lucky partnership for us — it adds value in both directions.”

Caffeine Crawl had a crawl this past fall in Portland, Oregon and I was happy to see some of my local faves (Coava, Heart, Nossa Familia) on their tour stop list.

What's good in your hood?

Derek has an intimate four person team (including his parents!), and chances are, if you are a subscriber, your package was likely hand stamped and packed by Derek himself.

Soon Boxo will launch a Market Place option on their website, which will allow subscribers to pick their own monthly roaster. You can choose your own adventure!

Use the promo code BACKYARDBITE to get 25% off your first order.

If you do, comment below and let me know which was your favorite! Do you know a great local roaster Boxo should partner with? Let me know and I’ll pass it along!

**Boxo was kind enough to send me a few sample boxes try out their service first hand. Every time a new package arrived to my doorstep it was like getting a Christmas present! Thank you Boxo. Backyard Bite is always happy to support small businesses.

New Orleans really knows how to party.

One of my all-time favorite festivals ever attended was the French Quarter Festival, just one of the MANY events held in the French Quarter every year. This 4-day fest celebrates the city’s wonderful culture, upbeat music and drool-inducing, AH-mazingly delicious foods with origins stemming from all over the world.

Gumbo, Étouffée, Jambalaya, Muffulettas, Po’boy, Crawfish, Red Beans and Rice… and that was just my breakfast…

Learning how to swing dance with Chance Bushman of the NOLA Jitterbugs and about 200 other festival goers.

Learning how to swing dance with Chance Bushman of the NOLA Jitterbugs and about 200 other festival goers.

Even putting the food aside for a sec, the music alone is worth the plane ticket. The fest represents every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to R&B, New Orleans funk, brass bands, folk, gospel, Latin, Zydeco, classical, cabaret and international.

Bonus: Let’s also not forget, the French Quarter has the honor of hosting, “The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch” in Jackson Square. Last year, they estimated more than 760,000 people in attendance.

I also stopped by the famous Loretta’s Authentic Pralines (pronounced PRA-leen, not PRAY-leen) to learn how these special beignets are made. I also learn about the namesake’s story of her business which has been a part of the festival for over 37 years. Watch a clip HERE

Tastemade’s Quest for the Fest series has me getting an education on the differences between Cajun and Creole food, learning to swing dance, making beignets from scratch and eating SO. MANY. Po’Boys.

If you’re ever planning a trip to New Orleans, I highly recommend checking out this festival. It is the largest FREE outdoor festival in the entire continental United States.

Oh, and it’s loads of fun.

Hungry for more? Check out more episodes of Quest for the Fest on Amazon 

Meet the California Avocado.

Avocado. AKA the Alligator Pear (because of her pear shape and green skin), but you probably know her better as…

Guacamole.

Avo-toast.

Or, that green buttery fruit that thickens your smoothie.

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Avocados, are so dang versatile, not only are they delicious to eat, but did you know that they can also be used as a butter substitute or a skin and hair moisturizer? Once a luxury food reserved for only royalty, avocados are now celebrated and devoured on the daily by everyone, including your momma.

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When I lived on the East coast, I grew up eating those giant, 2-pound, big-as-your-face avocados with the smooth, bright green skin. They were HUGE. One avocado alone would feed the whole family, and there would still be some leftover. I believe they were called Choquette’s, and they tended to be less buttery, and more mild in flavor than your typical Hass Avocado variety. Think, big, smooth, mild taste — like “avocado rainwater”.

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When I later moved to California, I met the Hass avocado for the first time. You know these ones, they are smaller, dark green and have wart-like bumpy skin. I loved that they were the perfect size for eating in one sitting. I didn’t have to save anything for later. All for me, none for you.

Speaking of later, like waaay later, eleven years living in California later, I find out that there is an avocado festival that celebrates this little green wonder. The city of Fallbook in California is home to the family-friendly, annual Fallbrook, Avocado Festival. There you can see a sampling of all the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of varieties of avocados produced in the world. You can sample various avocado dishes like fried tempura avocado and avocado ice cream (so yum!) and also partake in avocado-themed contests and family friendly activities.

Watch the video and the rest of the series on Tastemade here.

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For the California avocado, It’s all about the location. The soil is rich, the sun shines year round, the climate is temperate. The avocado species arrived in California in 1856, and today, orchards near San Diego, LA and Santa Barbara produce almost 90% of avocados in the U.S.

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Here are some other Avocado Facts I bet you didn’t know:

  • San Diego County is the Avocado Capital of the U.S.,producing 40 percent of all the avocados grown in California
  • There are nearly 4,000 avocado growers in California
  • A single California Avocado tree can produce about 500 avocados (or 200 pounds of fruit) a year
  • There are hundreds of avocado varieties. Seven of them are grown commercially in California
  • Hass is the most popular in the California region, accounting for approximately 95 percent of the total crop volume
  • Avocado’s are not picked off the tree. Since they ripen after harvest, the growers must cut them off the branch gently
  • The popular Hass is high-fat flesh, a nutty taste, and have an almond butter texture
  • The avocado is also a Super Food which serves as a “nutrient booster,” helping to increase the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, K and E
  • Avocados are virtually the only fruit that contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fat – good fat!
  • There is more potassium in an avocado than in a banana

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For more Avocado facts visit the California Avocado Commission Website  and nutrition fact guide

Watch the entire Quest for the Fest series on Tastemade

Episode 1 Crab Festival in Crystal Beach, Texas

When you think of food from Texas, what typically comes to mind? Grilled BBQ, steaks, ribs and tender juicy brisket, tex mex, queso… Mmmm….

But what about crabs? Yep. Texas is also known for those tasty bottom feeders too!

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I caught these little blue guys on the boat with Delano Comeaux a 4th generation commercial crabber.

The shores of the Bolivar Peninsula have access to so much blue crab, that every year they celebrate with a big party. Last year, I travelled with the Tastemade crew to Crystal Beach, Texas to learn all about these delicious crustaceans and learn a few recipes I could take back with me to practice in my home kitchen.

This episode kicks off my new series on Tastemade which takes me to various cities in search of the weird, the fun and the culturally awesome festivals around the globe.

Watch the video (above) to see how much fun we had at the festival. And click HERE to watch some fun outtakes from the shoot.

Historically held over Mother’s Day weekend, The Crystal Beach Crab Festival is made up of over 60 vendor booths featuring various crab-inspired dishes, arts and crafts, carnival rides and live music. There’s also a hilarious wiener dog race for the residents of this beachy town to show off and strut their pups. For some odd reason, there are a LOT of wiener dogs down there!

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Here comes Red!

The fest creates awareness of what the Gulf Coast community has to offer in terms of tourism, food and entertainment. It also encourages peninsula involvement, supports youth development, scholarships, and unites the community of Bolivar Peninsula in a spirit of pride. The fest is not just a fun event but it is also an opportunity to give back to this very special and unique community.

Notable Note: The Texas Crab Festival is operated by Texas Crab Festival Charities, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to increase educational and career opportunities for Bolivar Peninsula residents of all ages, and to support local organizations that further the goal of improving the lives of the residents of Bolivar Peninsula.

 

Hungry for more? Check out more episodes of Quest for the Fest on Tastemade.