I've made my family an itinerary for their first few days in Oregon beginning this Wednesday. But now, I have to finish it! So, I decided to blog this part of it so I can share the rest of the things on my itinerary list with everyone! We are planning to spend most of the time they are here in Albany and the Willamette Valley but we have a whole day planned for Portland before they all depart on the 28th. So, here goes the fun!
Like I said, the first few days are taken care of and just a heads up, we are dining in a different country each night right here at the inn. When my family arrives, they will enjoy Ireland and a nice dose of Guinness Irish Stew with a delicious loaf of Cheddar Beer Bread! Day two will take us to beautiful Italy and my dad has asked for spaghetti so he gets spaghetti! I will make my pasta sauce with Sweet Italian and Spicy Italian sausage and a hefty dose of Oregon Pinot Noir. I just finished making Double Chocolate Biscotti to go with that Salted Caramel Gelato in the freezer!
In between all the eating, I'd like to try and fit in:
Karaoke at Pizza King
Shop for Christmas gifts downtown
Find an old barn off Peoria Rd. and take some photos of my family
Lead a cemetery tour in the rain
Lead a midnight tour of the inn with all the lights off and tell stories of ghost sightings
Take a walking Christmas light walking tour through our historic districts
Plan our trip to Germany
Discuss the history and ingredients of a fruitcake while dissecting one (not yours Matt!)
Teach my family how to make a "really good" margarita
Burn a sugar cube or two after it's been doused in Absinthe
Take a hike through the OSU College Forests
Take a "Coffee & Dessert" nosh tour
Visit the Carousel Museum
We will visit France on Friday, day three! We will enjoy Tapas French style with two types of baked brie, some hard French cheese's, fruit, local sausages and Galettes au Roquefort otherwise known as Roquefort Cheese Biscuits. I haven't figured out dessert yet but I am sure Christmas cookies made here at the inn would be fine.
My goal was to keep Christmas Eve dinner lite and tasty so a few Spanish dishes came to mind. On the list for our visit to Spain... Vegetarian Paella, Gambas a la plancha or pan-grilled shrimp, Ensalada Mixta and a nice finish of Magdalenas or Spanish Cakes for dessert along with Valor 'Chocolate a la Taza' or Thick Hot Chocolate!
Christmas Day... Sunday will be pretty typical. Matt Bennett from Sybaris has taken our pork loin and cured it. Ray smoked it for several hours today and it's sitting wrapped in the fridge waiting for it's side dishes all to be served on the 25th. Let's just hope it's still there when we want to serve it!
I'm pretty sure leftovers are on the menu for the day after Christmas. And... I'm sure we'll be relaxing and enjoying doing nothing but watching movies and perhaps taking a walk down by the river. We'll see what we feel like doing.
December 27th will take us to Multnomah Falls early in the day. Some of us will hike up to the top while others enjoy the view from below. It will be an amazing sight to see if the falls are partially frozen over! From the falls, we will find a sweet cafe along the Old Columbia River HWY to have a bite for lunch and then head to Portland. Once we have checked our family in to the Ace Hotel, we will check out the food carts, Pioneer Square, Powell's, Voodoo Donuts and see what else we can find. Dinner is planned at Bridgeport Brewery where I am already planning to order my beer and pizza that I love.
Most of our guests leave on the 28th but not before we meet once more for one last "taste of Portland!" My favorite place to get a bagel... Kenny and Zukes! Next to the Ace, the walk will be short and the food delicious!
I think I will need a vacation of my own when this is all said and done! So, we'll head to SoCal in January to spend time enjoying seeing friends and spending more time with a few family members.
Hope you love "the rest of the itinerary!" See you all Wednesday or Saturday! Fly safe!
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