Monday, June 15, 2009, by Leigh Anne
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Note: I am headed to Girl’s Camp with Tessa and the girls from church. I will be gone roughing it all week! I will be totally disconnected from my computer and the internet - please pray for me! I will respond to emails, comments and questions when I return. I do have a couple of fun posts for you though while I’m gone
Last week Logan was home for a visit. He is my “foodie” child - he loves food! In fact while he was home he was so sweet, he said to me, “Mom, you will go to heaven for your cooking alone!” I love that boy!
While he was home we went on a field trip together. We had a cupcake caper! We decided to check out and taste test cupcakes from three of Portland’s cupcake bakeries.
We headed down to NW Portland to Saint Cupcake.
We bought 5 different types of cupcakes at Saint Cupcake. I thought the Big Top cupcakes were darling - it is a vanilla cupcake with chocolate chips on top - like a cookie and a cupcake! The color of the vanilla cream cheese frosting changes daily to match the mood of the baker. He must have been happy the day we were there because they were orange!
We stuck to the basics there with the Vanilla with Cream Cheese Frosting, Vanilla with Buttercream Frosting, Hot Fudge on Vanilla, Hot Fudge on Chocolate and a Big Top. Their selection varies daily and you can check out what’s available each day here.
The next stop was Cupcake Jones in the Pearl District of Portland.
Their selection is a little more unique and upscale, many of them inspired by their favorite desserts. They have samples of each of the days offerings in jars for you to try.
You can check out their flavors for the day here on their board…
or you can check out the display in the front window and watch them work all at the same time.
Not only were their cupcake offerings unique they are also beautiful.
We sampled the S’mores complete with a homemade marshmallow and graham cracker on top.
As well as the Blueberries & Cream, Creme Brulee, Velvet Painting and the Pearl. Be sure and check out their daily specials.
We only purchased mini cupcakes at all the bakeries but they all offered full size cupcakes as well. At Cupcakes Jones their full size cupcakes are filled with various ganaches and fillings - yum!
Our third stop was close to home - only two blocks from home. Danger! A cupcake bakery only two blocks from our house!
Bliss Cupcake Shop - the newest of the three bakeries is located at Bethany Village. We have made several visits there already. This trip we tried 3 flavors - Lavender Lime Bliss, Red Velvet Bliss and Rainbow Bliss - are you seeing a blissful theme here?
Unfortunately it wasn’t Wednesday when they serve their SunnyDay Bliss cupcakes - my favorite - a vanilla bean cake with lemon curd filling
and lemon buttercream.
During our taste test Bliss Cupcake Shop had both the favorite and the least favorite. The kids all voted the Rainbow Bliss - covered in M & M’s as their favorite and the Lavender Lime Bliss as their least favorite.
Can we choose our favorite cupcake bakery? No - we loved them all.
This is what was left at the end of our taste testing.
But with Bliss Cupcake Shop only two blocks from our house - we will be visiting that one the most. Especially on Wednesdays when they have Sunny Day Bliss! For their other daily specials check out their menu.
Now that we are in the cupcake mood I am anxious to try some of own flavor creations here at home - have any favorite cupcake recipes to share?
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Categories: Nourish
Thursday, June 11, 2009, by Leigh Anne
As promised I am sharing my baked bean recipe that we served with our early Father’s Day dinner last week.
This recipe came from my husband’s Aunt Dawn and has been a family favorite.
One of the tricks of wonderful baked beans is baking them for a long time. These beans bake for 3 hours so be sure and plan ahead.
Baked beans are a frequent menu item at our house during the summer - a great side dish for all those fun barbecues you have during the summer.
The recipe calls for baking it with the lid off . I like to bake it with the lid on. The beans don’t get quite as thick with the lid on and I prefer them a little runnier.
This is what it looks like before it goes into the oven.
And here it is when it comes out - 3 hours later.
Baked Beans
2 large can pork and beans/baked beans (28 oz. cans)
1/2 lb. chopped bacon (uncooked)
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 bottle ketchup (24 oz.)
1/2 C brown sugar
1 green pepper, cut into rings
Stir and combine first six ingredients and then place green pepper rings on top. Bake 350 degrees for 3 hours uncovered (I cover)
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Categories: Nourish, Recipes
Tuesday, June 9, 2009, by Leigh Anne
Note: Be sure and check out the two different great giveaways this week at iLashGirls! The Fun, Fun & More Fun Giveaway has two great summer items. I think I want the sidewalk chalk for myself and the beach bag is so cute!!
And if you have ever thought about starting a blog Sherra and I are offering a giveaway for some Fun and Free Blog Startup Help. We have had so much fun learning to blog we want to help others and share what we have learned!
This past weekend was Rose Festival weekend here in Portland, Oregon. Portland has the second largest floral parade in the country.
There is a reason why the Rose Festival is held the first part of June - our roses are crazy beautiful right now!
I thought I would show you the Rose Festival that is going on in my own backyard. Enjoy!
This is what I see from my office window.
With the few weeks of sun we had the roses are going crazy!
And look what’s happening along my fence.
Eden is one of my favorite roses - it blooms just like this all summer!
And then on the pergola.
It’s hard to get any work done with this amazing distraction outside my office window!
We have a total of 37 rose bushes in our backyard according to my husband who gets to prune them every President’s Day!
What’s blooming in your garden right now?
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Categories: Nest
Monday, June 8, 2009, by Leigh Anne
We celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday, two weeks early. We wanted to celebrate while all the kids were home.
Jim didn’t seem to mind since he got to have all of his kids with him!
And besides having all four of his children with him we fixed him a feast fit for a King. In fact all three boys agreed that on the Man - O - Meter (which goes 1-5) this meal was off the charts!
On Memorial Day we had stopped by some friends, Rod and Carmen’s, to deliver something. They were in the middle of a big family barbecue. Being the lovely, gracious people they are they invited us to join them. I am so glad we did.
Rod and his son Greg had fixed barbecued ribs for dinner and they were amazing. We were licking our lips and our fingers - yum!!
I couldn’t wait to recreate them and I knew Father’s Day would be the perfect opportunity. Thanks to Greg’s wife, Tracy I now know how!
The amazing part is they are so simple! Our friends recommend using the Pork Loin Back Ribs from Costco and your favorite barbecue sauce. I used the Sweet Baby Rays from Costco also.
Step One:
Boil the ribs for one hour in a large stock pot full of water and a 1/4 cup of vinegar. I used apple cider but you could use white vinegar also.
Step Two:
Remove ribs from water and cover with barbeque sauce
Step Three:
Logan was the grillmaster at our house. Grill until glazed, gooey and yummy! Turn several times and coat with more sauce. Grill about 15-20 minutes. Tracy told me that her kids have even eaten them without putting them on the grill - they are so tender when they come out of the water you can just add sauce and eat!
Step Four:
Serve and enjoy! Clark sure enjoyed them! In fact there were 10 ribs on his plate when he was done!!
So if you are looking for some menu ideas for Father’s Day that are sure to please the men in your family here is our off the charts Man - O - Meter meal!
Barbequed Ribs
Baked Beans (recipe coming this week)
Broccoli Salad - email me through the contact form if you need a good broccoli salad recipe
Roasted Asparagus (we did it on the grill)
Garlic Knots
For dessert Jim requested something with strawberries so while we were at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday we bought some fresh picked Hood Strawberries and made this….
It was divine - Strawberry Pie. The same thing I made him for Father’s Day last year. I guess it’s a tradition now! We ate every last crumb and were tempted to lick the pie plate! I think I must have complimented myself on how good it was two or three times - or maybe it was more….
Stay tuned later this week for my yummy baked bean recipe - a perfect compliment to the ribs! Let me know if you try any of the recipes for your Father’s Day celebration!
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Categories: Uncategorized
Sunday, June 7, 2009, by Leigh Anne
Our favorite Saturday morning activity during the spring/summer is to have breakfast at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market. We usually enjoy an omelet from the Canby Asparagus Farms but a few weeks ago I noticed a new food booth - Zest Crepes.
We couldn’t wait to try it. I knew I would love the crepes before I even tasted them because the Zest Crepe booth was so cute with a black and white pendant banner and their cute black and white polka dot caps and great logo t-shirts!
Cali and I had a hard time deciding which crepe we wanted. We had our choice of sweet or savory. Since we couldn’t decide on just one we got two! After several minutes of deliberation we decided on the Nutella Bliss and Sweet Italy
Owner and Crepe Chef Tina Abrams was hard at work! Each crepe is prepared fresh to order.
Everyone needs a crepe maker at home like this one!
Tina used this fun little wand to spread the crepe batter perfectly even.
She was a master at flipping the crepe too!
The Sweet Italy had berries, marscarpone cheese and a squeeze of orange with zest.
Cali couldn’t even wait for a fork - she dove right in!
My favorite was the Nutella Bliss!
The Nutella Bliss had nutella, strawberries, whip cream and a dusting of cinnamon
Each crepe prepared and served by Tina herself!
I have never been to France but after eating a Zest Crepes I feel like I have had a little taste of Paris!
If you are in the Portland area I highly recommend you pay a visit to the Beaverton Farmer’s Market and enjoy a treat at Zest Crepes - tell Tina that Leigh Anne at Your Homebased Mom sent you! Maybe I’ll see you there!
See you next Saturday Tina!
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Categories: Connect
Wednesday, June 3, 2009, by Leigh Anne
As Jack Johnson says, “It’s always better when we’re together.”
With all the kids home for 10 days we are having lots of FUN at our house this week!
We’ve been enjoying every minute of it and trying to squeeze as much fun in as we can.
Before I share a little of our family fun be sure and check out all the fun we are having over at iLashGirls this month - it’s our Word of the Month - Fun!
We’re talking about how much fun we have blogging! If you have ever thought about starting a blog and would like some tips and ideas for getting started be sure and check out our Blogging Fun post and contact us through the contact form for more info!
One of our favorite fun things to do at our house is play cards. Our families favorite card came is Samba, a variation of Canasta. It was the first card game I learned when I became part of the Wilkes family. We then taught my side of the family how to play and now it is our favorite game to play with both sides of the family.
Last Sunday my parents came over for dinner so of course a family game of Samba was a must!
We played boys against girls. It got pretty intense at times!
First the girls took the lead, which didn’t make the boys too happy.
But then the boys took the lead and it didn’t make the girls too happy!
It was close at the end but the boys won - time for a rematch!!
If you’d like to know how to play Samba check here for directions. You’ll need three decks of cards!
What’s your favorite family game to play?
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009, by Leigh Anne
We eat a lot of Mexican food at our house.
We love:
Fabulous Fajitas
Cafe Rio Pork
Costa Vida Chicken
Bajio Chicken Chile Salad
We also eat a lot of rice at our house, especially with Mexican food. One of my favorite rice recipes is for Lime Cilantro Rice.
I also love the red rice you get in most Mexican restaurants. The only problem is I haven’t been able to find a recipe for that type of rice that I really like. I usually end up going to our local neighborhood Mexican restaurant and buying rice to go with what I am fixing for dinner.
Recently, my friend Sherra’s twin girls graduated from high school. They had a taco bar for their graduation party and Sherra told me about her friend Ann’s Mexican rice recipe she was making. Of course I asked for the recipe!
We had fabulous fajitas for dinner last night so I tried out the rice recipe.
I commented at the dinner table that I thought it tasted just as good as the rice we get from our favorite Mexican restaurant - one of the kids said “It’s better!!”
So I think I finally have found a Mexican rice recipe! Enjoy!
Mexican Rice
Ann Bowman
2 Tbsp Olive oil or vegetable oil
1 C long grain white rice
2 C chicken broth
1 small can tomato juice
salt and pepper
Heat oil in a skillet. Add the rice. Stir frequently and slightly brown the rice (more like, make it tan) over a medium high heat. Add the chicken broth. Add the tomato juice. Add some salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly. Reduce heat to simmer and cover tightly with a lid. (I ’stir’ the mixture several times while it’s cooking by just shaking/moving the skillet back and forth so that I don’t take the lid off.) Simmer/cook for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Once the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat and leave mixture alone with the lid on it for another 10-15 minutes or so.
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Categories: Nourish, Recipes
Monday, June 1, 2009, by Leigh Anne
Great giveaway opportunity over at iLashgirls. Check it out and enter!!
Two chances to win. I love them all but especially the necklace!
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Categories: Giveaways
Sunday, May 31, 2009, by Leigh Anne
Do you remember that scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy is running through a beautiful field of poppies with the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow?
I always loved that scene, mainly because of the flowers. Even though the poppies have had a spell put on them by the Wicked Witch so that Dorothy falls asleep, they are still beautiful! Glenda saves the day with a little snowfall!
I love this time of the year in my garden because I have my own field of poppies!
My favorite spring blooming flower! Princess Victoria Louise (Papaver orientale)
Fortunately my field of poppies is not poisonous! Mine are just beautiful!
Mine even have a few purple Japanese Iris mixed in.
Elsewhere in the garden the peonies and roses are beginning to pop!
And the snowball bush is just finishing up.
Ohhhh, this is just the beginning of so many beautiful things to come!
What’s blooming in your garden right now?
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Categories: Nest
Friday, May 29, 2009, by Leigh Anne
One of the things on my summer “To Do” list to to teach my girls to make whole wheat yeast bread. But today when the Cali and two of her friends wanted to do some cooking we needed something a little easier and quicker.
A few weeks ago I had made some yummy cheese bread I found over at My Kitchen Cafe.
I thought it would be the perfect recipe for them to try.
Yes, I know, I already shared a cheese bread recipe this week - Black Angus Garlic Cheese Bread. But as far as I’m concerned you can never have too much cheese bread!
We loved the Quick Cheese Bread that Melanie shared, a recipe she had found over at Cook’s Illustrated. This bread is super yummy and super cheesy. There is not only a layer of cheese on top and on bottom but chunks of cheese throughout the loaf! Cheesy!!
It was fun to watch the girls in the kitchen as they made their cheese bread. They made two loaves - one to give away and one to enjoy themselves.
The first step was to chunk up the cheese…
Then they got to use the kitchen scale to make sure they had enough.
Measuring and mixing.
And of course the cell phone was never far away.
Sprinkling the bottom of the pan with a layer of cheese - yum! Cheese on top, cheese in the middle and cheese on the bottom!
Happy girls waiting for their bread to bake!
It turned out great!
Look at the nice layer of cheese on the top and the bottom. 
And did I mention there was cheese in the middle?!?!?
Another successful recipe to add to Cali’s college cooking repertoire!
Quick Cheese Bread
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
3 C (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4-5 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/4 C whole milk (2% milk may be substituted but don’t use skim milk)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg lightly beaten
3/4 C sour cream
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese evenly in bottom of pan.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in cheddar cheese cubes, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (the batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over surface.
Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
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Categories: Nourish, Recipes
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