Jossy Farms

I don’t know about you but in the summer nothing beats the flavor of a ripe, freshly picked peach!  And all the better if you picked it yourself. Jossy Farmsin Hillsboro is located at the North Plains/Glencoe Rd. exit off of HWY 26 and currently has veteran peaches at 80 cents/lb.  A family tradition est in 1955, Jossy Farms in the perfect late summer activity for you and your family.  While known for their peaches, perfect for canning or just to eat right off the tree, don’t miss out on pears, blueberries, hazelnuts, and apples.  Jossy Farms grows Portland’s favorite gravenstein apple, available seasonally.

Jossy Farms
31965 NW Beach Rd. Hillsboro, OR 97124
Sales Information (503) 647-5234

Local Park Series } Commonwealth Lake Park

The Park:  Commonwealth Park is great for a nature walk and loaded with lots of animals to learn about!  The park features a fishing lake surrounded by a paved trail totaling a distance of .8 miles. There are benches along the way, grassy areas, lookouts, picnic benches, and a play structure.

How to get there: Heading West on HWY 26 go south on Murray, turn left on Butner, then right on Huntington.  Park on neighborhood streets.

What to Picnic:

–         Animal crackers

–         Animal fruit snacks

–         Make animal sandwiches with your favorite cookie cutter shapes

–         Favorite animal luncheon, find out what your favorite animal eats and try it!

–         Bird Food, sunflower seeds!

What to Play:

–         Any game that has to do with animals, like duck duck goose.

–         Construct a fishing rod from a stick and string and see what you can catch. 

–         If you want to feed the ducks bring wheat and throw it in on the shore, so you don’t disturb the ducks environment.

–         Take a peek underwater with an old milk carton.  Clean it, dry it, and then cut off both ends.  Cover one end with saran wrap and secure it with a rubber band.  Place the saran wrapped end in the water and take a peek!

The Waffle Window

Several weeks ago while doing some blog surfing I came across a blog featuring The Waffle Window. The pictures of the food were amazing.

The Waffle Window is located in the Hawthorne District of Southeast Portland, just around the corner from the Bread & Ink Cafe at SE 36th and Hawthorne. 

It is open 7 days a week.  Check out their website for specific daily hours.

It was a perfect stop on the way home from picking up my son at the Portland Airport!

The Waffle Window is just that – a window!

And they only serve waffles so the name  The Waffle Window is perfect! Their selection of waffles is amazing and we had a hard time deciding which ones to try so we tried four of them!  There is seating available inside the Bread & Ink Cafe or you can sit outside too – we chose outside.

Our four selections were:

The Berry Bliss which comes with seasonal berries.  This week it was blueberries, marionberries, strawberries and raspberries.

And then there was the Nutella and Fresh Bananas….

And the Huckleberry and Lemon Panna Cotta which was my favorite!

And we had to try at least one savory waffle so we chose the Three B’s…bacon, basil and brie which came with housemade peach jam- yum!!  This was an amazing combination.

We couldn’t wait to dig in…..

and so we did!

We are already scheming our next trip to the Waffle Window.  We have to go to the airport again on Friday so I think that may be the day!

When you visit the Waffle Window tell them you heard about them from Homebased Portland!

Portland Farmer’s Market

The Portland Farmer’s Market is currently ranked as the number one Farmer’s Markets in the US by the Huffington Post.  This is a market not to be missed!

The market is located at Portland State University in the South Park Blocks between SW Harrison & SW Montgomery.  It is open from late April to mid December on Saturdays.  It is also open on Wednesdays in the South Park Blocks at Shemanski Park between SW Salmon & SW Main from 10 to 2 p.m. from mid April to late October.  Be sure and check out their website for more specific information

With over 250 vendors there is a lot to see at the Portland Farmer’s Market so allow yourself some time!  One of our personal favorites is the Tart Lady.  With so many amazing pastries to choose from you will have a hard time making up your mind!

Of course there is lots of fresh locally grown produce to choose from too!

A trip to the Portland Farmer’s Market is a perfect Saturday morning activity or a nice mid-week break!

While you are down in the Park Blocks why not have fun with Meg’s I Spy game.

Local Park Series } Beaverton City Park

The Park: Beaverton City Park features a shooting fountain, perfect for a hot day!  Dress accordingly!  There are lots of places to sit and relax!

Located at: 5^th and Watson by the Beaverton Library.

A Fun Picnic Theme: The water cycle

What to Picnic:

–         Dehydrated fruit=water cycle elements

–         Water, duh!

–         Popsicles, frozen state

What to Play:

–         Have your child watch drops of water fall on the ground then wait for them to dry up, explain evaporation.

–         Learn about the water cycle here.

–         Earlier in the week have your child make ice cubes to take in a water bottle to the park.  Teach them about the different states of water. solid-liquid-gas

–         Anything you picnic requires water to get to your plate, explain in each instance how water was involved.

–         Take your child to the library and do a little research!

–         Water-balloon toss, squirt guns, or other water games.

–         Bring water toys, children love filling buckets, measuring cups, sponges, or whatever you can find!

–         Don’t forget to bring towels, or to explain why evaporation can make you shiver!  Brrrrrr!

Escape from New York Pizza

Today’s post is the first in a series.  We are going to highlight some of our favorite pizza spots in the Portland area.

Today we want to introduce you to Escape from New York Pizza – Leigh Anne’s personal favorite. 

Escape from New York Pizza is located at 622 NW 23rd.  It is a perfect place to stop for lunch during your shopping adventures on NW 23rd.  It opens at 11:30 a.m. and closes at 11:00 p.m.

Not only will the pizza taste like you are eating in NYC but the atmosphere will make you feel like you are in NYC as well!  Sitting is rather limited – there are a few tables both inside and out but I prefer a stool at the counter.

This place has good pizza.  There are usually 3-4 choices each day. 

You can check out the days offerings on the board.  Fridays are  our favorite because they always have black olive pizza!  Cheese and pepperoni are always part of the selection.

This place has character – from the wall decor to the people behind the counter to the old cash register.

In the true NY style the pizza has a thin crust and plenty of good pizza grease to go with it – yum! So next time you have a craving for good old NY style pizza take a trip down to NW 23rd.

You can sit and watch them prepare the pizza and if you are lucky you will even get to see them throw it in the air!

 So next time you are craving a yummy, greasy, cheesy piece of pizza  – Escape from New York Pizza is your place!

Tell them Homebased Portland sent you!

We’d also love to hear where your favorite place to get pizza is in the Portland metro area – please leave us a comment and let us know!

Beaverton Farmer’s Market

Portland is fortunate to have a multitude of amazing Farmer’s Markets.  We are excited to share some of our favorite ones with you. 

The first market we recommend visiting is the Beaverton Farmer’s Market.  This market has been voted one of the best Farmer’s Markets in the US by both Sunset and Country Garden magazines and we have to agree.

The Market is located on SW Hall between 3rd and 5th Streets in Beaverton.  The market runs from May through October on Saturdays and is open from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  It is also open on Wednesdays for part of the summer -check out the Beaverton Farmer’s Market website for more specific dates and details.

Our favorite thing to do is to get up early and head over to the market for breakfast.  The Beaverton Farmer’s Market has several choices for yummy food.  Of course there is Zest Crepes which we love.

Another favorite is the Canby Breakfast Omelet.  This amazing omelet is enough to feed the whole family!!

It is cooked to order right before your eyes! 

Just make sure your eyes aren’t bigger than your stomach!

There is plenty of other wonderful things to see at the market.

Of course there is lot of beautiful fresh produce from local farmers.

You will also find some wonderful locally made products too.

And don’t miss the Bavarian Nut Company -just follow your nose and the yummy cinnamon scent.

And if you are still hungry be sure and try the gelato from Alotto Gelato.

The Market also has some amazing flower/plant vendors too so pick up something new for the table or the garden!

There is usually some form of entertainment/music to enjoy as you wander the market.  Be sure and try the free food samples and just enjoy being there!  Let us know what your favorite thing at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market is!

St. Cupcake

If you are looking for a fun and yummy activity around Portland why not check out all the fun cupcake bakeries! 

For our first cupcake stop we headed down to NW Portland to Saint Cupcake, Portland’s first official Cupcake Bakery!  St. Cupcake opened in 2005 and is located at 407 NW 17th Ave at Flanders.  If you are down on NW 23rd doing a little shopping it’s the perfect place to stop for a sweet treat.  They also have a location at 3300 SE Belmont in Portland.

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!

They have two different sizes of cupcakes available – dots (2-3 bites) and regular. Their dots cupcakes are $1.25 each, and regular cupcakes are $2.50 each.

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.

St. Cupcake uses all natural ingredients (except for those yummy little “jimmies” we love!) They also have a selection of vegan cupcakes.

You can read all about the story of St. Cupcake on the wall of the bakery.

St. Cupcake has a delivery service for their cupcakes and they can even be delivered accompanied by a singing telegram – really!!  They ship their yummy goods right to your door too!  Check out their website for more information!

Stay tuned for even more cupcake capers!

Beaverton Farmer’s Market – Zest Crepes

One of our favorite summertime activites is visiting all the wonderful Farmer’s Markets around the Portland area.  One of our personal favorites is the  Beaverton Farmer’s Market.  Not only because it is the closest to home but it also has a great selection of produce, fresh flowers, locally made food products and food booths. 

The Beaverton Farmer’s Market is located in downtown Beaverton on SW Hall Blvd between 3rd and 5th streets.  The Market is open  Saturdays from May 9 through October 31st from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  It is also open Wednesdays, June 17 through August 26th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

New this year to the Beaverton Farmer’s Market is 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!

My daughter and 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 bought two!

 

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 is prepared and served by Tina herself!  Be sure and check out what Tina’s special crepe of the week is.

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 we highly recommend you pay a visit to the Beaverton Farmer’s Market and enjoy a treat at Zest Crepes - tell Tina that Homebased Portland sent you!

Cupcake Jones

Another great Portland cupcake bakery is Cupcake Jones in the Pearl District of Portland.  They are located at 307 NW 10th  and open Monday through Saturday 1o a.m. – 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m.

Cupcake Jones is the namesake of the owners father, Robert Jones Watson. It is also a play on the popular slang term “jonesin” or “having a jones”, meaning something you really CRAVE.  And after you try a Cupcake Jones you very well may be craving another!

Their selection is a little more unique and upscale than some of the other cupcake bakeries, 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 the bakery but they offered full size cupcakes as well. At Cupcakes Jones their full size cupcakes are filled with various ganaches and fillings – yum!

Being Oregon natives themselves, owners Lisa and Peter are committed to buying local whenever possible. Local flowers, fruit, and ingredients are the cornerstone of their products.