This past month flew by and I’ve been enjoying cooking comfy and cozy meals. With Canadian Thanksgiving upon us, I’m so excited for turkey AND all of the amazing side dishes that come with it.

So grab a coffee and come on over for Autumn food inspiration and all of the #foodlove from our Oregon trip!

In mid-September we headed to one of our favourite places, the Oregon Coast. We spent a few days on the coast, walking the beach, taking in the ocean and eating all of the seafood we could.

We stayed in Cannon Beach and to be honest I think it’s one of the most magical places. The scenery is spectacular and if you love the ocean like I do, it’s complete ocean heaven. In the morning’s we’d grab a coffee and then walk the beach for hours. Then we enjoyed a variety of seafood throughout the days.

We made a quick pit stop on our way from Cannon Beach to Portland at Tillamook Cheese where I was in grilled cheese heaven.

Then we drove to Portland for a couple of days where we prepared ourselves to eat all of the delicious things at Feast Portland! This was our third trip to Portland for the Feast Portland event; every year we go we have such an awesome time and enjoy the unbelievable food that we decide to go again. And this year it didn’t disappoint (again!)

We enjoyed our first night’s dinner at Beast, a restaurant I’ve wanted to go to for ages. Each night is a set 6 course menu based on seasonal ingredients and wow did we ever luck out on the beautiful late-summer ingredients. Everyone sits at communal tables which I really enjoyed because it was like being at a dinner party; the people we sat with were fantastic to chat with too AND of course the food was absolutely divine!

Our weekend was a combination of eating and walking the city! On Saturday we had brunch at Tasty n’ Alder. Then, our evening was spent at Smoked, a Feast Portland event where chefs do their take on barbecue. Let’s just say we ate all the meats and enjoyed a number of fabulous cocktails.

The next day we went to my favourite event, Brunch Village! Imagine just cruising around from booth to booth, mimosa in hand, trying creative brunch dishes from local chefs. Hello heavenly!

Two of the highlights for me were the Breakfast Taco from Smokehouse Tavern and the ‘Yolko Ono’ egg sandwich from the food truck, Fried Egg I’m In Love.

And to top off our weekend of indulgence we attended the ‘Feast Like an Italian’ dinner which was hosted in a beautiful garden nursery.

We started off the evening with a delightful cocktail. Then we thoroughly enjoyed the family-style Italian dinner with all of the other attendees at our table.

Needless to say, it was another amazing trip out to the Oregon Coast and Portland. We’ll absolutely continue to go back!

And with Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, many of the recipes in my ‘What’s In Season – October Recipe Ideas’ include ingredients that are the perfect accompaniment to your turkey dinner:

Apples: Apple Cinnamon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Brussels Sprouts: Prosciutto Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Carrots: Roasted Harvest Vegetable Bowl

Pears: Cranberry Pear Chia Seed Jam

Sweet Potatoes: Bacon & Sage Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes: Roasted Tomato Soup

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s in Season – Monthly Favourites appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

I recently returned from a road trip with my husband where our last stop was the lovely city of Portland for their signature food event, Feast Portland!

Feast Portland is ‘a food and drink festival that celebrates everything that makes Portland and Oregon awesome.’ What I also LOVE about this festival is that there is a charitable component to it, raising funds for Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon.

We had been to Feast Portland a couple years ago but only attended one event so this time we went back with much bigger appetites!This year Feast Portland featured 134 chefs, 31 wineries, 15 breweries, 11 artisans, and 12 distilleries and we started off our experience with the Sandwich Invitational!

With 19 Chefs presenting their spin on a sandwich, we tried a delicious array of creations!

My personal favourite (and eventual winner of the night) was Lardo’s ‘Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Sandwich;’ with bacon, honey butter, sweet pickles and mayo, it hit all the spicy-sweet notes that I love!

My husband Scott loved both the Nashville Chicken AND the ‘Rib Biscuit’ from Chef Kate McMillen of the Portland restaurant Lauretta Jean’s.

The Sandwich Invitational was a great way to kick-off our Feast Portland experience on Thursday evening.

On Friday I had the pleasure of attending the media breakfast at Hotel deLuxe where I got to connect with other local and visiting media and bloggers, meeting Erica from the blog Bacon and Braids and a Canadian transplant to Portland, Lisa from the blog This Beautiful Day.

Then, I joined other media and bloggers for Health-Ade‘s Kombucha workshop which I was super pumped about since I love drinking kombucha and now I have my very own kit to make it! (thanks Health-Ade!)

Friday was a beautiful day so I went over to the Grand Tasting, where I was able to taste the afternoon away and chat with ‘chefs, vintners, brewers, bakers, cheesemakers and food artisans from the Northwest and across the country.’

Oregon Berries was one of my favourite stops of the afternoon, with a sweet and savoury dish to taste plus a ‘foodie photo booth,’ I was in food blogger heaven!

First I tried their savoury dish, Hand-pulled mozzarella, black raspberry pureé, pickled peppers with prosciutto cracklings, which was a perfect balance of salty and a bit of sweet.

Then I savoured their Boysenberry Crisp Concrete, a frozen treat with a ton of boysenberry flavour and topped with a wonderfully sweet crisp!

What was really neat about the Grand Tasting is they had Chefs cooking live throughout the day as well as Chef interviews; I was able to catch Christina Tosi, the founding Chef from the famous Milk Bar.

The day continued with a stop at the Drink Tank, where there was a much smaller gathering of attendees and an expert panel.

I attended ‘Pilsners: So Fresh and So Clean,’ and given I actually don’t know much about the beer world, I really enjoyed learning from the expert panel. And of course, tasting local beers! Now when I go back to Portland I know of some great beers to try.

Friday night we headed to the Night Market for a taste of Latin America and Spain.

Situated by the Willamette River, we had a glorious time under the stars, with upbeat music by a live DJ, tasting a ton of delicious food.

My favourite bites of the night were:

Albacore Tuna Tostadas from Chef Enrique Sanchez-Rodriguez at Local Ocean Seafoods restaurant

Prawns and Mango Ceviche from Chef Dustin Koerner at Andina

We closed out Friday with a pretty gorgeous Portland view.

Needless to say by Saturday I was getting pretty full, ha! But nothing could stop us now. We headed to a Hand’s On Class from Bon Appétit magazine, ‘Inside the Test Kitchen.’ First of all, I absolutely LOVED the venue! Upon walking in there were so many neat elements up on the walls and given I plan events for a living, all I could think about is I wish I could plan an event here!

This Hands-On class was really neat because our hosts took us through their process of how dishes are created in the Bon Appétit test kitchen. We tasted two dishes, Whole Grain Pancakes and Olive Oil Cake, that they started off with in the Test Kitchen; then they took us through the steps and stories along the way to get to what they decided was the final recipe to be published.

As an avid reader of Bon Appétit magazine, I really enjoyed hearing all of the behind-the-scene stories from our two hosts, the Test Kitchen Manager and Food Editor. Plus those Whole Grain Pancakes are definitely a recipe I’ll make again! I loved the use of actual grains like barley and quinoa, they gave the pancakes the perfect hearty punch.

Saturday was beautifully sunny so we spent some time walking around Portland before heading to Smoked! Saturday night. When walking into Smoked! we were so delighted to see it was setup like a big barbecue cookout and the smells of barbecue were intoxicating.

22 Chefs were serving up their take on barbeque along with vendors offering cocktails, wine and beers for the occasion.

It would be hard for me to say which dish was my very favourite of the night, so here’s a rundown of some of the best bites:

Smoked Brisket Sandwich from Storrs Smokehouse

Char Siu St. Louis Rib with Puffed Rice, Scallion, Jalapeno & Cilantro from Fat Rice

Matt’s BBQ Brisket, tomatoes and peaches jungle curry, garlic rice from Langbaan

Ricotta Fritter, Apple Butter, Rosemary, Pork Fat Powder from Launderette

Plus, if you don’t know already, I am a bourbon fan and Bulleit Bourbon was at the event serving up two cocktails!

My favourite cocktail was the ‘Smoke Signals’ which included Bourbon, tea concentrate, lemon juice, corazon bitters and a splash of champagne.

I always have room for brunch so Sunday morning before leaving Portland to head back to Calgary we toasted to an amazing Feast Portland weekend at Brunch Village!

I was thrilled to start off brunch with Chef Maya Lovelace’s dish as I had interviewed her before the festival all about Why We Love Brunch.

Her dish of Coffee-Rubbed Blackberry BBQ Lamb Biscuit with Okra and Smoked Black Pepper Cheddar was heavenly! The flavours were the best savoury bite you could ask for in a brunch dish.

Chef Christina Tosi was also in attendance serving up a variety of brunch treats and we also really enjoyed the ‘Fried Chicken & Donut.’

Another memorable bite was from the Broder Café, an ‘Aebleskiver,’ which is a Danish dessert and was served with a Ligonberry Jam. They were cooking these delightful bites to order so when we tried the dessert it was still warm from the oven!

I really enjoyed Brunch Village as it was a bit smaller scale than the other main events we went to. As we walked around tasting dishes and toasting with rosé we met tons of great people so it really felt like you were having brunch with a group of friends! It was truly the best sendoff to an amazing, food & drink filled Feast Portland weekend!

I know Scott and I will DEFINITELY go back again for Feast Portland and we hope to see you there!

Have questions about Feast Portland OR want to share your fav foodie travel memories, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Feast Portland – A Bloggers’ Travel Diary appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

Is it the combination of sweet and savoury items?

Is it the bubbly in the form of the classic mimosa?

Is it the coming together with a group of people and enjoying food together?

I think it’s a combination of all of these things and that’s why I cannot wait for Brunch Village at Feast Portland!

I thought I’d ask one of the Feast Portland Chef participants for Brunch Village, Maya Lovelace of Mae in Portland, a little bit about why everyone loves to #brunchsohard

First, a little bit about Maya Lovelace:

‘Maya Lovelace spent her early years in rural North Carolina, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia for a taste of city life. After abandoning a surely lucrative career hinging on a triple major in psychology, philosophy and French to pursue her love of cooking, she ended up spending time in some serious kitchens. Atlanta, Charleston, Portland… she ate and drank and worked her way through them all, and under the tutelage of many chefs along the way, she learned not only technique, but also how to appreciate and get back in touch with her country roots.

She served time on the opening line of Husk under Sean Brock, dedicating time to learning both old southern preservation techniques and dirty kitchen talk alike. She moved to Portland to work under Naomi Pomeroy at Beast, relishing the bounty of produce and natural beauty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Now, she is focused on cooking updated southern Appalachian fare at Mae, which is named in honor of her late grandmother.’ (Source: FeastPortland.com)

Why do you think brunch has become so popular over the years?
‘I think that brunch carries a sense of celebration.  It’s not just a meal, it’s kind of a feeling.  Weekend mornings can be a special time to relax, see friends, and catch up on the events of the week.  Brunch is the perfect time to get a crew together and enjoy a meal and some great conversation, maybe even gossip.  Brunch is also the only time drinking is encouraged in the morning!  Mimosas and gossip make one hell of a combination.’

Do you prefer sweet or savoury brunch items?
‘I personally prefer savory brunch items, but I also like having a little something sweet to round out the meal.  I’m a big fan of having a plate that involves eggs and some sort of greens, maybe some kind of delicious bread, maybe something spicy, along with a big cup of coffee and a fun cocktail.  Then, splitting something on the sweeter side with friends as dessert.’

Why are you looking forward to participating in Brunch Village?
‘I’m excited about brunch village because I love cooking brunch!  It warms my heart to share biscuits and grits with people.  I’m also excited to get to taste all the awesome things my fellow chefs are creating.’

I love to cook family recipes, sharing with my family and friends, which of your grandma’s recipes is your favourite to make?
‘Goodness, it’s so hard to pick one.  I think I have to pick her brown mountain cake.  My grandma was an amazing baker, and she specialized in cakes.  Her brown mountain cake is a light chocolate layer cake with a boiled caramel frosting between the layers.  I like to really pump up the salt and vanilla for a sort of Werthers Original effect.  This cake also happens to be one of my dad’s favorites, so I’ve had plenty of excuses to make it.’

Do you have a favourite brunch memory, perhaps a time you shared with family or friends or a meal you’ll never forget?
‘When I was a kid, we didn’t eat breakfast together very much.  Both of my parents worked, and they had to drive my sister and me to separate schools, so mornings were always kind of a push.  It was very much a cold cereal or instant breakfast kind of affair.  On the weekends, though, my parents loved to cook brunch for us.  They’d make blueberry waffles with berries we’d picked ourselves in the summer and frozen to last around the year.  They’d make omelets stuffed with whatever ingredients we had leftover from a week of dinners at home.  They’d make pancakes topped with my grandma’s jellies and jams.  While the food they made was delicious, the warmth in these memories comes from us sitting around our dining room table, together, talking through the finer points of the week.  It was just nice to be together, and brunch gave us an excuse to sit and chat a while.’

Can you give us a hint of what has inspired your upcoming Brunch Village creation?
‘I’m so excited about our Brunch Village dish!  My big hint is – BISCUITS.  We’re obviously pulling our inspiration from my memories of southern brunch, but we’re also working in a big hit of bold Kentucky flavors that some folks might not be familiar with.  I always love showing people another side of southern food, and this should definitely do that.’

I really loved hearing about Maya’s brunch memories and fav dishes. My memories  are similar to hers of sharing weekend brunches with family.  Like Maya said, ‘…brunch carries a sense of celebration.  It’s not just a meal, it’s kind of a feeling,’ and that is why I think I love brunch so much too.

Feast Portland’s Brunch Village will be all of the amazing things we love about brunch, just on a MUCH LARGER scale. I’m so excited to feel those brunchy vibes with a large group of people and taste all of the creative dishes! It will be the perfect way toast to our Feast Portland experience so stay tuned for my updates on Instagram & post-Feast Portland blog posts. Plus I’ll be recapping Maya’s dish from Brunch Village too!

What is your favourite brunch item? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! One of my favourites is my Mom’s Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Why We Love Brunch – An Interview with Maya Lovelace appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

When I travel I love to explore each location’s culinary offerings – I think it’s one of the best ways to experience the place you’re visiting!

A couple of years ago my husband Scott and I drove up the Oregon Coast, finishing our trip in Portland where we ate some of the best food we’ve ever had.  We checked out the famous Voodoo Donuts along with a couple wonderful local restaurants but my favourite food experience when we were there was attending the ‘Sandwich Invitational’ at the food festival, Feast Portland.

Now you’re probably thinking, Sandwich Invitational, what on earth!? Picture this – almost 20 chefs setup at different stations in an outdoor venue, putting their spin on the classic sandwich and you get to sample ALL OF THEM along with craft beer, cocktails and wine, then you get to vote on your favourite! You literally get to eat all the things and enjoy an array of creative sandwiches.

What I love is a lot of the chefs are from Portland so you get to discover all that Portland has to offer along with which restaurants each chef is from, adding it to an ever-growing list of places to check-out afterwards! My personal favourite from the event was an ice-cream sandwich which had cinnamon-sugar toasted brioche bread, layered with raspberry jam and peanut butter ice cream, then topped with crunchy peanut butter nuggets and whipped cream – it is still to this day one of my favourite bites of food!

I have so many fun memories from the Sandwich Invitational, like this photo Scott and I took in their kitchen-themed photobooth.

And since we only got a taste of the festival in 2014, we are going back this year and going back big! We are going to start our Feast Portland weekend off with this year’s Sandwich Invitational and follow that with a couple of other events including:

Night Market

A Latin-themed outdoor event, ‘lit by festive stringed lights’ and with food from over 20 chefs – ‘it’s a taste of Latin America, Spain and more.’

Bon Appétit’s ‘Inside the Test Kitchen’ Hands-On Class

‘Bon Appétit’s food editors offer guests a glimpse into the recipe process (lots of cooking—and tasting!) as they explore some of the dishes developed for their October 2017 Issue.’

Smoked!

This is ‘Feast’s over-the-top take on the backyard cookout of your wildest imagination…It’s every carnivore’s smoky dream sequence—but you’ll be fully awake, wandering from grill station to grill station in a meat-fueled blissful state.’

Brunch Village

There’s always room for brunch. ‘An eye-opening international food and beverage dreamland, led by master brunch makers from New York, New Orleans, Austin and, of course, many of Portland’s brunch mainstays.’ 

Scott and I cannot wait for our trip to Portland AND all of the events we’ll be attending! Follow along on our trip, starting in Seattle and making our way along the coast and inland to Portland on my Instagram stories and Facebook page.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Will Travel For Food – Feast Portland appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

We took a quick little trip back to Ontario to visit family and friends at the end of July; it was the perfect little vacation before we went back to Calgary to finish packing for our move!

We basically spent our time packing and moving since we got back to Calgary which has also been a bit of a whirlwind but I’m happy to say we’re finally settling into our new place.

One room I am in LOVE with in our new house is the kitchen! It is light and bright and has the most insane countertop (I’m not kidding when I say we need 6-8 barstools for it!) Once I’ve got the kitchen setup I will be sharing a full tour with you to show you where the magic will happen for all upcoming Cooking in my Genes recipes.

Because of the move our schedules and meals have been all over the place so I’ve been sticking to some of my go-to recipes that are easy for the summertime:

My Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad is super simple & easy to make – you can make it the day before and take it for lunch too

This Cucumber Quinoa Salad from Gimme Some Oven is simple and refreshing, we made this recipe alongside some roasted salmon filets

Also these Ancho Chicken Street Tacos are full of flavour and perfect for Taco Tuesday!

And my Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps, a quick recipe that you can add in whichever vegetables suit your fancy

Easy snacks have also been essential like my Lemon Coconut Power Balls or these Cashew, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Power Balls from Eyecandypopper

Of course we needed dessert too and since the rhubarb is still going strong my Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies did just the trick

And a cocktail like my Cherry Bourbon Lemonade Smash is super refreshing and the perfect use for all of those tasty cherries

Enjoy these last couple weeks of summer fun, I know I’ll be cooking up a storm in my new kitchen to bring you some wonderful autumn recipes along with some fabulous food stories! Plus, stay tuned for my upcoming coverage of Feast Portland, a food festival I’m attending in September!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Summer Favourites appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.