I’ve been harvesting a lot of vegetables from our garden and it’s been inspiring many of our dinners.

So, let’s get to my monthly favourites including recipes and what to cook in September!

In about mid-August we started to harvest vegetables from our garden including beets, radishes and if you can believe it, potatoes!

Potatoes

Yes, I tried my hand at growing potatoes this year and grew a total of 12. I’m pretty sure I need a deeper container to plant them in next year but other than that they were really easy to grow. And, when we roasted them up they were very delicious! Speaking of potatoes, I have an amazing ‘3 side dishes on one sheet pan’ recipe coming to you this fall that includes potatoes and is perfect for Thanksgiving.

Radishes

We’ve gotten two rounds of breakfast radishes from our garden so we’re still using them in salads a lot. And, I’ve been enjoying them on toast with a bit of goat cheese or feta and some pea shoots.

Beets

And we pretty much have beets now for the entire fall season, haha. This year we grew chioggia beets (also known as candy-cane striped beets) and golden beets. Golden beets are my favourite because they’re a touch sweeter than the others I find.

One of my favourite ways to enjoy golden beets is to peel and cut them into cubes; roast at 400F with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper for about 25 minutes (or until done to your liking). Then, I’ll make a salad with greens like arugula or kale, add some walnuts, feta or goat cheese and balsamic dressing. So simple, so delicious! And another recipe that I love to make with golden beets are these Golden Beet Chips with Spicy Goat Cheese from How Sweet Eats; honestly amazzzzing.

We still have a couple jalapeños popping up too and then the only other vegetables I have left to harvest are onions and garlic. I’m trying to give them a bit more time so I’ll have to report back!

Other than harvesting and eating all the vegetables, we took an epic Canadian East Coast trip at the end of August. It was magical!

We travelled throughout Nova Scotia and PEI eating all of the seafood, enjoying local wines and relaxing on some pretty amazing Canadian beaches. Plus we enjoyed probably the most epic culinary experience we’ve ever had called the Fireworks Feast at the Inn at Bay Fortune – OMG. I have so much to share from this trip so I’m going to write a post on just that travel experience. So, stay tuned for my foodie travel adventures! For now, here’s a little sneak peak:

After all of that talk of food, let’s talk more food shall we!? Here’s What’s in Season for September:

Cauliflower: Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Corn: Roasted Vegetable Salad

Peaches: Stone Fruit Breakfast Crumble

Swiss Chard: Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese & Leek Frittata

Tomatoes: Pesto Baked Chicken with Tomatoes

Zucchini: Zucchini & Prosciutto Pizza

Enjoy all of the recipes this month friends and if you have any suggestions for Fall recipes please send them my way, just leave a comment below!

And, a couple of my favourite recipes that are making their way into our dinner rotation are these One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce from Ambitious Kitchen and this Autumn Glow Salad from Pinch of Yum.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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We had so much sunshine for the long weekend that it inspired cooking with many ingredients from our garden and the farmer’s market.

So, come along to see what recipes we’ve made lately along with our Ontario travel adventures and what’s in season for this month; I have A LOT to share with you!

In June we travelled to Prince Edward County in Ontario for my brother’s wedding. The sun was out every day of our trip where we enjoyed delicious food, wine tasting and of course the wedding festivities!

If you ever travel to Ontario I highly recommend the Prince Edward County region; not only for all of the amazing wine, beer, ciders and food but the scenery is gorgeous. Nearby you can find Sandbanks Provincial Park with some of the most beautiful, bright sand; take a paddle on some of the smaller lakes; check out one of the local golf courses or just cruise all of the local shops in Picton, Bloomfield or Wellington. Plus there are so many wonderful AirBnb’s to stay in too!

After our Ontario adventures the rest of the month we spent cooking at home and enjoying some time around Calgary. I’ve made some recipes from the Well & Good cookbook that have been very enjoyable like this Jalapeno Vegan Burrito recipe. We made this Cashew Crunch Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad from Ambitious Kitchen too and I also have this peach salad on my list for the summer.

Also on my list for the summer is using many more herbs to amp up salads, main dishes and cocktails!

I recently made a Peach Basil Wine Spritzer recipe in partnership with Moscow Muled over on Instagram! A very refreshing combination of flavours and extremely easy to make with just peaches, basil, white wine & sparkling water!

I think it will be my patio sip of the summer especially since my Moscow Muled mugs keep it super cool.

We had dinner with friends one weekend; they made this delicious Crispy Bacon Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs from How Sweet Eats and we brought the ribs and my Berry Rhubarb Kombucha Sangria which was a hit! Here’s to more of those ‘shared dinner’ evenings where you gather with everyone contributing to the meal; sort of like a potluck but a much smaller group and a bit more planned out. And, we finished the evening with bocce ball – LOVED it!

Now that we’ve hit July we are getting all of the wonderful summer fruit I’ve been waiting for in our YYC Growers box. This week we received cherries, blueberries and raspberries; and the raspberries were sooooo good they legit tasted like candy they were so sweet!

So given we’re into an amazing season for fresh produce, here’s What’s In Season for July.

Apricots: Easy Apricot Jam

Berries: Summer Fruit with Whipped Cream

Peaches: Peach Basil Wine Spritzer

Rhubarb: Rhubarb Cake

Strawberries: Berry Rhubarb Kombucha Sangria

Tomatoes: Heirloom Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Sourdough Bread Board

I hope you’re enjoying the sweet, sweet summertime!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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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

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I spent most of July on vacation, enjoying visits with family and friends and feasting on all of the amazing fruits and vegetables in season.

And, we’ve also been thoroughly enjoying sipping coffee on our back deck and reading on weekend mornings. So come on over for some travel adventures AND recipe ideas for what to cook in August!

We headed east to Toronto and area for visits with family and friends in mid-July and the weather was spectacular!

Scott and I went for a couple of lovely bike-rides along the Waterfront Trail along Lake Ontario.

We also spent a bunch of time around my parent’s backyard pool because you just can’t beat sunny, bluebird Ontario summer days. And, we always joke that it’s like being at an all-inclusive resort – there’s always snacks and drinks! (Thanks Mom & Dad for being the best hosts!)

Much of our vacation centred around enjoying the outdoors and food with family and friends. We even took a day-trip out to Prince Edward County for lunch at the Drake Devonshire which has the most lovely lake-view from their patio.

Then, we then toured around to a couple of wineries.  We stopped in at Rosehall Run which has one of my FAV sparkling wines, the Pixie, and checked out The Grange’s variety of wines plus their new cider and stunning views.

We stopped in at Hinterland which I had not been too before and absolutely LOVED their Les Etoiles Sparkling Wine.  The tasting room was beautiful and open-air concept which continued to a patio that looked out at the vineyard.

I find Prince Edward County so magical and serene; I love visiting when I’m back in Ontario when I can for the scenery, wine and the food. If you are ever in Ontario I highly recommend going!

Before we headed back to Calgary we spent a couple of days in Toronto. One morning we had croissants and these Italian ‘donuts’ called bomboloni which are one of the best bites of food I’ve ever had at Sud Forno. I will DEFINITELY be going back there again! And, we also made a lovely family dinner on the weekend featuring an epic rib-eye steak that was made for sharing.

It was truly a wonderful trip and when we got back to Calgary it was hard to get back into the swing of things! But one lovely surprise when we returned was our garden in full bloom, specifically the radishes! These French Breakfast Radishes are AMAZING.

I’ve been enjoying them on sourdough, making many lunches of my Toasts with Radishes, Pea Shoots & Feta recipe. They’re also delicious with just butter and a sprinkle of salt on toast too.

We’re definitely cooking seasonally lately, especially with all of the fresh produce we get weekly from our YYC Growers food share and from our garden. So, here are some of my favourite recipes that you can make in August:

Apricots: Easy Apricot Jam

Berries: Aloha Breakfast Bowl

Corn: Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad

Peaches: Peach & Prosciutto Summer Foccacia

Strawberries: Strawberry Lemonade Rosé Punch

Tomatoes: Heirloom Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Sourdough Bread Board

I can’t wait to make some of these recipes on repeat the next couple of weeks while all of the produce is in season! AND if you’re looking for a cool treat, I made three easy Fresh Fruit Popsicle recipes for the Italian Centre Shop here in Calgary including Strawberry-Basil and Peach & Mint flavours!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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Here in Calgary we pretty much skipped Spring and headed straight for Summer – I am not complaining! I’ve been enjoying the sunshine and blue-bird skies as well as the longer days, taking full advantage of getting outside.

In May I went on a few more travel adventures; read some really great books and enjoyed many new recipes! So let’s dig into some of my favourites from the past month.

At the beginning of May I met one of my best girlfriends in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona for a girls trip! I purposely didn’t take a ton of photos of our adventures and food, trying to enjoy the trip sans-technology, however, a couple of things I must mention if you’re planning a trip there.

First of all, the weather was GORGEOUS! Anytime I’ve been down to Scottsdale in later April or early May it’s been hot and sunny every day and we took full advantage by enjoying time by the pool.

We hiked the Camelback Mountain Cholla Trail earlier one morning (before it got too hot!) which has some pretty sweet views.

If you want a unique and lively brunch experience, try the ‘bottomless brunch’ at Sumomaya which serves up tapas-style share plates for brunch PLUS bottomless mimosas. With a lively crowd, live music and tasty food we had an absolute blast!

And these Churro Waffles did not disappoint either!

One of the dinner’s we absolutely LOVED was from Fax Ox who serves a ‘modern take on Italian classics.’  The Garganelli pasta with truffle butter, speck and parmesan was divine! It’s the most delicate and delicious pasta dish I’ve ever had and the Meyer Lemon Tart was the perfect combination of tart lemon with a bit of sweetness for dessert!

Then over the May Long Weekend, Scott and I travelled to the family cabin in BC. We went on the most epic paddleboard one morning; we headed out on Lake Windermere on a bright morning and the lake was like glass!

It was so calm and honestly we were one of the few people paddling around the lake so the views were absolutely breathtaking.

What did we cook this month? I’ve been going to the library more often to borrow cookbooks and making a ton of new recipes. My absolute favourite as of late is The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. So far we have made the Lentil Meatballs with Lemon Pesto, Walnut-Crusted Salmon and Zucchini Bread Bites. This book is chalked-full of a variety of recipes and there’s still so many I want to make that I just renewed the book for another 3 weeks!

And, what are we cooking in June? Here are a few favourites from the blog based on What’s In Season this month!

Asparagus: Spring Vegetable Bowl with Lemon & Dill Chicken

Basil: Easy Basil Pesto

Cherries: Cherry Bourbon Lemonade Smash

Kale: Kale, Apple & Cheddar Salad with Spicy Chickpeas

Lettuce: Summer Vegetable & Grains Salad

Radishes: Spring Toast with Radishes, Pea Shoots & Feta

Rhubarb: Strawberry-Rhubarb Hand Pies

Strawberries: Strawberry Rhubarb Toasted Oat Sundaes

Tomatoes: Heirloom Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Sourdough Bread Board

Want to bookmark this list of recipes? Pin the image below so you can easily find it later!

Making one of these recipes?? Use #cookinginmygenes on Instagram to show me your creations!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Monthly Favourites + 9 Recipes to Make in June appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

Scott and I have been to Maui together but never to Kauai so we were really excited to check out a new island.

Let me start by saying that in general Kauai is very magical. From beaches to rainforests, canyons and waterfalls, and a ton of delicious food, Kauai is full of gems to discover!

We stayed in the South part of the island in Poipu; it turned out to be the sunnier part of the island and we really took advantage of the sunnier days.

On any trip we go on one of my favourite things to do is find a great coffee spot and Little Fish Coffee was exactly that.

Not only did they have wonderful coffee, I became obsessed with their fresh breakfast bowls that were filled with fresh fruits, smoothies, yogurt and granola in a variety of different combinations. Our personal favs were the ‘Little Fish Bowl’ which had greek yogurt, fresh fruit, coconut flakes and coconut condensed milk and ‘Shippy’s Bowl’ which had a base of acai then topped with greek yogurt, bananas, pineapple, coconut flakes and granola. SO much yum!

Needless to say we stopped at Little Fish Coffee a couple of times, especially the mornings we headed out on various adventures.

Kayaking was first up and it was a cloudier day so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on beach time 😉 We kayaked the quiet Hule’ia River and then strolled through the jungle, enjoyed lunch by a beautiful waterfall and then made a stop at a rope swing which was a ton of fun! The river and secluded rope swing pool have been used in various movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Our next adventure took us high into the sky for a helicopter ride! There are parts of Kauai that you can only really see by air so we knew this was a must-do on our list.

The views of the island from the helicopter were STUNNING and honestly here I have to let the photos do the talking.

In between adventure days we took to the beach!

My favourite was Kiahuna Beach – it was perfect for relaxing, playing in the waves, walking the shores (and spotting some fish) and we even had some Monk Seal visitors one day!

Our next adventure was to Waimea Canyon where we hiked up to witness the most spectacular views.

Each way you turned you got a completely different perspective – from a rocky canyon, to waterfalls, to lush greenery.

On our drive back from the canyon we took a little detour to grab some cold drinks but ended up sitting down for a piece of Macadamia Chocolate Pie!

Filled with fresh coconut, chocolate and macadamia nuts, it was a serious bite of heaven.

Oh and because we hadn’t eaten quite a real lunch, we took our kayaking guide’s recommendation and pitstopped at what he called ‘the best food truck ever’ towards the end of our drive back from Waimea Canyon.

Located at Warehouse 3540, a community marketplace, we enjoyed Fried Brussels Sprouts from Roots in Culture and then the Waygu Steak Sandwich from Kickshaws.

You guys, both dishes were UNREAL.

The brussels sprouts were mixed with crunchy macadamia nuts and beets and the waygu steak sandwich is the most tender meat I have ever eaten, accompanied by arugula and aioli, goodness gracious!

We bookmarked this spot to come back to for their Saturday event where we tried even more food and did a little shopping too!

We sort of alternated between a mix of foodie adventures, outdoor adventures, beach time and delicious dinners and I probably would do things pretty similarly next time.

Another must-do if you’re a coffee-lover like me is check out Kauai Coffee!

They give free tours of the grounds AND tasters of MANY of their coffee blends, pretty much coffee heaven.

Two of our other favourite dinners were at Merriman’s Fish House and Tidepools; both places served ‘fresh-catches’ of the day which was perfect for trying out a variety of Hawaiian fish. And, we had the most simple but tasty dessert at Tidepools, a coconut sorbet with a squeeze of fresh lime. It’s hard to describe the flavour combination; the lime adds this wonderful citrus note to the coconut and I’m telling you I’ll be using this as a go-to dessert from here on out!

The North Shore is pretty spectacular too; we didn’t spend too much time there but we did hike where we captured some wonderful views.

The weather can be different as you go from different parts of the island and given Kauai is not that large, you can easily drive to find the sun if you’re missing it in the part of the island you stay.

I would totally stay in the Poipu area again as it was really easy to get around, there’s quite a few beaches to choose from and you can walk to various amenities too!

We capped off our trip with a dinner at the Beach House, the perfect spot to watch the gorgeous sunset and take in those Kauai views.

I hope you enjoyed coming along this foodie travel adventure with me; I’d love to know which places you love to travel to (for food!)

If you loved this food & travel post, you might also like my Portland Travel Diary or Foodie Adventures in Nashville.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Kauai Food & Travel Adventures 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.

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.

I travelled to Prince Edward County in Ontario for a Food Photography course organized by the lovely photographers at The Illuminated Table and the location is literally everything I could ever want – food, wine and beautiful scenery.  

On the first day we visited Closson Chase Vineyards where we tasted wine, enjoyed charcuterie and then photographed the food and wine outside.

Then we enjoyed a group dinner at the Agrarian Bistro in Bloomfield where I got to know a fellow food blogger more too! (Check out Gabrielle from eyecandypopper.com)

Day 2 was a full day of learning, styling and photographing and we were at a beautiful setting at From the Farm Cooking School.  The following are a couple of my favourite photos that I styled and took that day.

That night we had dinner at The Hubb, located where we stayed at Angeline’s Inn, and it was supremely delicious food.

As you may have noticed my food photos on Cooking in my Genes are light, bright and with a marble-white background, however, I’ve always wanted to learn how to shoot in a more ‘moody’ style which we did and I just LOVE how it turned out!

On Day 3, our last day, we visited the farmer’s market with a little assignment to ‘tell a story’ through our photos, photographing not only food but people. It was fun to actually go around and talk to the vendors to learn about what they were selling and then take some photos.

To end off the trip we enjoyed a lovely brunch and took in some of the scenery at the Drake Devonshire – a must-visit if you’re in the area.

And on my way home I stopped to pick up some wine to enjoy as I finished the rest of my visit to Ontario at my parents. The two vineyards I stopped at are tops on my list, I love the ‘Pixie Sparkling Rosé’ from Rosehall Run Vineyard and ‘County Chardonnay’ from Norman Hardie. I also need to note that Norman Hardie’s Vineyard has the most amazing wood fired thin crust pizza which you can enjoy on the patio with a glass of wine in hand.

In between all of my travels I devoured a new book called ‘The Woman in Cabin 10‘ – if you love a good mystery with a twist you’ll love this book and it would be the perfect summer read.

I have some really exciting collaborations coming up that I can’t wait to share with you over the summer months – they involve food (of course), new recipes and gatherings with friends!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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I have to say a massive THANK YOU for all of the blog-love this past month in celebrating my 2-year Blogaversary! It’s been really neat to look back on what I’ve created over the last 2 years and it’s made me so pumped to share with you a ton of new recipes and stories in the coming months!

A lot happened this month including cooking and sharing THREE new recipes – my favourite breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes! It was really fun to create my favourite recipes for you and I hope you’re having fun making them for your family and friends.

The Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche is actually quite perfect for an Easter Brunch so if you’re looking for a recipe to feed a crowd this would do the trick! And, even though it’s technically Spring, I’ve been enjoying my ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich a couple of times on the cooler Spring days.  Last but not least I made my favourite dinner, Delicious Shrimp Pasta, for my husband and I the other night – it’s a comforting pasta dish with big flavour but includes light ingredients perfect for this time of year!

I’ve also added a couple of awesome new meals to our weekly meal rotation including these 20-Minute Sticky Basil Thai Noodles and Asian Quinoa Turkey Meatballs.

So as you can see I spent a lot of time in the kitchen but I also managed to get away for a couple of days back home to see my family. Just before I went away though I attended this really cool event called ‘Feeding 9 Billion People’ where a mix of University of Calgary students, alumni and local influencers sat down for a delicious dinner and thoughtful conversation around food security. I wrote about my experience here on the blog.

So back to my trip…when I go home I LOVE to take walks by Lake Ontario so I went on a couple of strolls and I really took some time to relax! I visited with my parents, cooked, relaxed and watched movies..it was wonderful.

I also enjoyed some delicious meals out at The Drake 150 in Toronto and at Shrimp Cocktail in Oshawa, and found these beautiful macarons at Nadege.

And I caught up with my best girlfriends over brunch! We made my Easy-Baked Croissant French Toast and pretty much devoured the entire thing over mimosa’s and great conversation.

So my month was pretty full of food – family – food – friends – food and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Spring is definitely ‘in the air’ I can’t wait to share with you what I’ve been cooking up lately – Spring flavours coming at you! I’ve also been inspired by the bright colours I’ve been seeing everywhere including these salad servers with bright pops of turquoise and I’m obsessed with the serving bowl AND cheese board too (hello bring on the summer cheeseboards!)

These colours also made their way into TWO new recipes that I collaborated on with Sam from the Sugar and Sam blog so watch for those later in April!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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