Portland Eats - Sweedeedee

I love anytime I can get to Portland. It feels like an older cooler sister to Seattle. This weekend we were headed to Bend again to see my mom and I love this trip partly because we get to go through Portland both ways!

We needed a lunch spot on the way and ran through our list of regular spots undecided.

Mr. Ramon then commented that maybe we should try the place next to the record store on Albina. I felt this night just be a ploy to get into the record shop - Mr. Ramon is an avid collector.

I looked up this little spot called Sweedeedee and found out it had rave reviews. A small breakfast/lunch spot with amazing baked goods. I was in!

What a cute place. You order at the counter and then find a seat. I noticed all of their coffee mugs were mismatched finds from someplace like Goodwill. They have a tiny kitchen in the back where the magic happens. It all felt so homey in the nicest way. 

When faced with this type of baked goods arsenal I have a hard time choosing and then limiting myself. I want to taste everything! It was lunch time and quite busy. We were lucky enough to be able to find an outdoor seat in the shade so I could let the crazy dogs hang out with us.

We ordered some sandwiches and a piece of the most amazing bread I have ever had. Honey Bourbon Bread. Light and moist with the subtle honey and bourbon flavor throughout. Delightful! 

It was tough also to choose sandwiches - Mr. Ramon chose the brisket on brioche toast and I love a ham sandwich so that was the easiest choice for me. My sandwich had the most incredible ham on a pretzel roll. Both of our sandwiches came with delicious house made pickles. 

It was a really nice little lunch and left me wanting to come back for breakfast sometime. Mr. Ramon went next door to peruse the record selections and I picked up one of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had and a piece of zucchini marmalade bread for the road. If you have some time in Portland this is a spot I can highly recommend! 

Sweedeedee

5202 North Albina Avenue.
Hours :: Monday through Saturday 8am to 4pm
Sundays 8am to 2pm

phone :: 503.946.8087
email :: sweedeedeecafe@gmail.com

Visiting Bend Oregon

Summer in the Pacific Northwest is fleeting and I feel like I am chasing it down for these few months to fill up on memories, sun and restoration. Back when I was a kid, Bend was a smaller town and a simpler time. On summer days we took off on our bikes all day only returning when my mom rang the dinner bell hanging in front of our house. 

I moved to sunny southern California at 14. I was devastated to leave my friends and my life. But now with a lot of distance on that particular moment I am so glad it happened. I was able to gain so much from living in a bigger city but growing up in that small town gave me a perspective most of my city friends just don't have. I love being in a city now, but deep inside I dream of a rural life and a small heard of milk goats. 

When summer finally arrives I yearn to find this same summertime feeling I had as a kid. I stayed away from Bend for a long time. But ever since my mom moved back I have been trekking there for some summer weekends to really let go. 

Mr. Ramon and I packed up the pups and headed off. I love this road trip. My little car is built for empty stretches of road and windy mountain passes. Mr. Ramon manages the play list and keeps my brain sharp with crossword puzzles. We always make a stop in Portland and this time it was for a delicious breakfast at Gravy. The name says it all. Scrambles, biscuits and gravy and french toast you dream of. I made Mr. Ramon get up early this day - so he needed his coffee. 

Time at my moms is like being at the best bed and breakfast. She always has our room ready and food ready to go. We like to plan to do a few things and then take some time to play it by ear. One of the things I must do when I visit Bend is hit up Sparrow Bakery. I have mentioned them before - I can't say enough about how great they are. This local spot bakes croissants that changed my world. Flaky and perfect in every way. All made by hand. They are experts when it comes to bread and produce in a new larger space so they can meet the demand for their rustic delights. I love the lemon tart - so delicious and beautiful. This is a must go if you are ever in Bend. 

My mom was excited to show me her new stove - she just switched to gas and an amazing new range. Her oven had not had a lot of use, so of course I am happy to help out! I was in the mood for a good chocolate chip cookie - something we never have at home. I bake a lot but it is usually going to clients. And having cookies around the house on a regular basis is a bad idea for me - no self control over here. 

But vacation is the perfect time to bake cookies to actually eat. I really like the chips from Ghirardelli and think that the recipe on the back of the package makes a great cookie. Chewy in the middle and set around the edges. I choose the bittersweet chocolate chips - I feel like they offset the sweetness a bit. Her oven was magical. Perfect cookies. Makes a girl using a cheap rental oven a tad jealous. 

We love to get out in nature and took all four dogs to Wikiup Lake. It was a gorgeous day with clear blue skys. We packed a small lunch and headed up. The dogs had a blast in the lake fetching balls and rolling in stinky sand. It felt so nice to get out and away from it all. 

The weekend was filled with great food, gardening, sleeping in, watching deer and catching up with mom. It always ends too soon. We spent one last moment together eating a big breakfast before we hit the road. Mr. Ramon gave my mom some last minute gadget tips. 

The drive home could feel like forever but with Portland in the middle on the way back we have something to look forward to. This time it was Salt and Straw - one of the best ice cream places around. It was a weekday afternoon and so many people were in line it left us wondering if people actually work in Portland. We made it to the counter and indulged! 

Such a good little get away. Now back to real life :)

Note: If you were checking out Mr. Ramons fancy nail art - he had his nails done by our friend Breanne who is on a nail road trip art project. You can see more about this awesome endeavor here - Nails Across America

Spring love

Spring has sprung here in Seattle. The sun is out today as I sit in a small cafe on Capital Hill and catch up on bills, writing and emails. In fact it might hot 70 today. Beautiful. This is one of my favorite times of year in Seattle and after a long grey 6 months it is a welcome change. Everything feels fresh and new.

Later today I need to get out in the yard and weed the rose bed. The dogs will love hanging out with me sunbathing on the porch. This is a perfect day off. I hope you are having a wonderful spring!

White Christmas

I had a magical childhood. Growing up in Bend, Oregon was a dream come true for a kid - full of freedom, clean air, mud pies and many a white Christmas. When I was in elementary school it was still safe to walk alone to school, ride your bike all day without checking in and candy bars cost a quarter. 

I loved the winter, especially the snow. Sledding, smashing icicles off the eves of the house and making snow angels. So much fun. Snow was even more magical on Christmas morning. I am not sure why - but on those mornings my brother and I were up earlier than our parents and the world seemed so quite and big. Pristine snow untouched by anything except the little birds hopping on the big drifts. Leaving little tracks where they had landed. 

This year I had the opportunity to go back to Bend and enjoy a white Christmas with my family. Mr. Ramon had never experienced a white Christmas so it meant so much to me to share this with him. I found myself giddy and excited just like when I was a child. 

We had 6 days with my family. Lots of food, fun and wine. With the big storm that blew in we had a hard time getting around. My brother drives a beast of a Jeep and it was so fun getting out in the snow in it. 

My family had gone out and chopped down the Christmas tree the day before Mr. Ramon and I arrived. It was covered in lights and all of our family ornaments. Slightly wonky and full of character our very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Of course our little pups came with us. They love the snow and it is so fun to watch them running and playing in it. This was the most snow they have been in and the girls kept running into the drifts and getting stuck. Mr. Toby was a little plow in the snow and could make it through anything. 

What a great trip. A much needed break from real life. A very Merry Christmas for us all. 

Dog Feathers

I am a dog nerd. I spend a lot of time with my dogs and train and compete in sports with all three of them - kinda like a soccer mom. Owning a pet supply store only fuels my dog mania. 

This weekend Mischa and Toby had an agility trial and I wanted to spruce them up for the big day. I have seen a couple of companies with pet feather extensions. Crazy! Of course and I am in! I didn't want to pay the high price of these pre made feather extensions since I expected them to chew them out pretty quickly. So I decided to make my own from the stash of feathers I had from my wedding. 

I went to Sally Beauty Supply and picked up some extension beads and a hook to pull the hair through the bead. I also needed some needle nose pliers - they have special pliers for extension beads - but since I am only putting in one it didn't make sense to pay $35 for special pliers. I picked out some feathers and held them in the shape I wanted then tied the ends together tightly with thread and tied them to secure them. 

I found a spot behind Toby's ear and threaded the hair through the bead. I then put the feather ends into the bead and pinched the whole bead flat holding it all in place in his hair. 

Isn't he cute! I picked natural feathers for Toby - he is a boy after all. 

For Mischa I picked hot purple feathers and put them on her hip so they would stick out from under her tail. So pretty. 

We had a lot of compliments at the agility trial. The great thing is it does not bother the dog and are easily removed without cutting the hair.