Brian Polcyn... A Carousel Dinner!

A chef that has a sense of humor and a talent for trussing a chicken among many other things, Chef Brian Polcyn will delight your senses on Sunday, January 15th!  Hope you already got your tickets!  

 Call 541-928-8157 to reserve your seat at Sybaris!

If you'd like to learn more about Chef Polcyn, check out http://theforestgrill.com/_chefs.php

Chick Lit's... an Oregon Book Club!

Chick Lits 2012!

CHICK LIT'S

Our Chick Lits Book Club will be meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3rd at 6pm at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas!

I am planning on dinner for everyone and haven't quite decided what to make yet but a ton very tasty and healthy ideas are coming to mind!

PLEASE RSVP SO I WILL NOW HOW TO PLAN!

Looking forward to seeing you all and sharing my new book from another local author Teresa Neumann, "Bianca's Vineyard!"

Teresa will be joining us in February!

FRUITCAKE... from the Willamette Valley!

 All it took was a post on Facebook about how much I love Fruitcake and it has snowballed from there!  What I didn't know, is that there are quite a few fruitcake lovers out there but I think I have found someone that is way more obsessed with it than I am!  But, I have benefited from his obsession and have been blessed with three homemade and very delicious fruitcakes.  Thanks to Matt Bennett, I'm not the only "fruitcake" in town and thanks to his lovely wife Janel, we may have really begun a big FRUITCAKE REVIVAL! 

 We all remember the cakes we had when we were kids at grandmas at Christmastime.  Liquor soaked loaves inundated with nuts, raisins and fruits that we had never seen before in anything else.  A little bite or nibble and some of us were hooked!  Others... well, let's just say they aren't fruitcake lovers!

I ordered some fruitcake from the Trappest Monastery right here in the Willamette Valley.  My Facebook buddies said it was the best.  I googled "where to find the best fruit cake in the world" and the Monastery Fruitcake came up on top so I ordered three-one pound boxes!  

According to Matt Bennett, he has been on his fruitcake kick for a while and the three loaves he has given me along with the Trappests loaf proved to be a great beginning to a nice little afternoon tasting and comparing between these four fruitcakes.  

I have to say, I thought one would win out above all the others.  It didn't happen that way.  Each and every fruitcake had it's very own distinctive taste.  One was soaked in Apple Jack and was moist and full of flavor.  Another was more cakey and tasty as well.  The larger of the three had a lot of spice flavor that pretty much won me over.  Matt said it would be good to use as a Christmas stuffing bread.  Great idea!  The Monastery Fruitcake was pretty and full of fruit and nuts with very little actual "cake!"  Very dense but still moist and delicious as well.

What excited me most about tasting fruitcake with Matt, Janel, Ray and the Bennett daughters was not only that were we surrounded by pans of peanut brittle, candied almonds, a huge Gingerbread Boy and homemade root beer candy in the kitchen of Sybaris, but that this fruitcake obsession could quite possibly end up the latest Willamette Valley craze!  Matt's idea of dousing future fruitcakes in Oregon distilled goods and baking them with ingredients found here, could quite possibly bring fruitcake right back to where it should be... on every one's dessert table at Christmastime and this is an exciting possibility to this obsessed fruitcake lover!

The rest of the itinerary! Christmas in Oregon 2011

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!

Sahalie Falls with a Ninkasi Chaser!

Being the Travel Oregon "Ask Oregon" Willamette Valley Ambassador has it's perks for sure!  A good excuse for me anyways to get out and learn and explore more about Oregon and especially this week, explore the Eugene area!  Cari from Eugene, Cascades and Coast offered to be my guide and what a great day we had.  It started at The Pump Cafe in Springfield with Blueberry Pancakes and Stuffed French Toast.  

 Right off of HWY 126, the falls are on the left at the Koosah Falls turn out.  Hiking the trail to the falls is relatively easy although, we had a little snow and ice to walk over.  Later in the spring, summer and again the fall, this trail is very easily accessible and even has a trail that is stroller and wheelchair friendly.  

We had a bite to eat at Takoda's just off the HWY on the way back to Eugene.  We chose to dine inside of course but when the weather is warm, the patio is quite amazing!  Having lunch along the McKenzie River would be perfect.  We're already planning our next hiking trip and lunch this way for early summer 2012!

 Back in Eugene, we stopped at the Eugene, Cascades and Coast Adventure Center!  I think this place is the most interesting of all the visitor's centers I have been in.  Staffed with the nicest folks and full of information on what to see and experience in Lane County!  The center is also stocked with maps and brochures of what to do and see as well as shelves stocked full of local wines and beers.  And this brings me to Ninkasi!

 Only five years in the making and Ninkasi has already made a huge name for itself.  Expanding again, Ninkasi can be found at pretty much every brew pub in Oregon and bottled and sold at markets all over Oregon as well!  Tasting and touring Ninkasi Thursday afternoon was a great ending to an already great day with Cari.  So glad Meg and Emily could join us too.  And I have to say when Ninkasi was mentioned way before this day was planned, Ray and Steven kindly offered to come along as well.  There's something about really good beer that brings people together!

 Thanks Cari for a great day!  You know what I like... food, hiking and really good beer!  My idea of a perfect "fam tour!"  

I will be enjoying the falls again this summer and being able to share with travelers that are looking for that great Eugene area experience will come pretty easy.  The Willamette Valley has so much to offer to everyone.  Whatever it is you love to do, I hope you do it here this year to come!

A MERRY CHRISTMAS GIFT OF NOSHING!...Albany Nosh Tour

Christmas in only a few weeks away and it's crazy how that day sneaks up on me.  I think I'm pretty organized until someone reminds me just how close it is.  A second of panic hits then I do a quick mental recap of what's under my tree then I can take a deep breath and relax.  I only have a few gifts left to get and I know where to find them but it's just making the time to do it.  Recently it dawned on me that our Albany Nosh Tour would be the best gift for a few friends that live right here in town.  I know they love really good food and I know they'd love being able to "taste" at several of our local restaurants all in one afternoon.  Tickets to an Albany Nosh Tour sounds like the perfect gift!

Click HERE to be taken to that delicious page where you can purchase your gift of NOSHING!

The tours run on the last Saturday of each month.  From 4-7pm enjoy being taken to each sweet spot by bus or vintage style trolley.  Each month restaurants will entice you to return with delicious tastes such as Calapooia Brewing Co.'s "Class V Burger and Garlic Fries," Vault 244's cocktails and bites, Cappies brew choice and perhaps a "Chocolate Molten Lava Cake" for dessert or Novak's Hungarian delicacies and experience Italy right here in the Willamette Valley at Pizza King!  We never know what is going to be featured so it's a surprise for all of us each and every month!

I love these tours because I love seeing people discover Albany's restaurants even though they have been going to them for years.  Sampling items off their usual choices, tastes just a tad "out of the box" and special treats being featured and then shared by our very own award winning chef's.  I truly believe that everyone benefits from these tours.  

Whether you are the gift giver or a receiver of the gift of NOSHING this Christmas, we hope you enjoy it no matter what!

Please call if you'd like more info regarding the ALBANY NOSH TOURS!

541-928-0911 

Christmas shopping in Albany, Oregon this weekend December 9, 10 & 11

 This is mostly going to be a "pictures speak louder than words" kind of blog.

 The Albany Antique Mall is open 7 days a week and till 8pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings!

 Pumpkin Hollow is a cottage full of prims, candles and all that good stuff that makes you feel warm.  I am loving my candle our son picked out for the inn.  Hillbilly Brew has scents of spice, pumpkin and faintly smells of something else that I just can't put my finger on but I lite it every chance I get!

 Vintage Roost on N. Scenic in Albany ends this Saturday for the season.  Open Friday too, this cottage is filling with baked goods such as pies, cinnamon rolls, cookies and fudge.  I will go just for the cookies but I always find such darling things there and everyone knows that an inn needs to be filled with darling things.  Thank goodness for Vintage Roost!

 Mon Petit Château... well, someday for me but for now we will love our Craftsman Bungalow and love it even more when it's filled with our family and friends this season.  Warm and cozy beds piled high with blankets, pillows and sisters!  Family is the best kind of gift for the holidays!

Christmas in Oregon!

I love this first photograph.  Ray took it near Mt. Hood almost two years ago.  I wouldn't get out of the car because I was freezing.  I still wanted this picture taken so he got out and took for me.  It's probably one of the most beautiful pictures we have of that region.

 There is no doubt that this is going to be the most amazing weekend in Oregon let alone the Willamette Valley!  We have the frigid weather, the trees are lit, the homes are decorated and it just feels like Christmas here in Albany.  Our Christmas Parlour Tour is this Sunday.  You can go by horse drawn wagon or trolley to homes on the tour.  Call the Albany Visitor's Assn. for info:  541-928-0911

Let me tell you what else is happening this weekend!  Several boutiques are open Friday and Saturday.  Places such as Vintage Roost and Pumpkin Hollow will be open and filled to the brim with the sweetest handmade goodies.  Prims, pies, vintage Christmas things and some items you cannot find anywhere else!

We also have several places downtown where dining is a special event.  Sybaris in downtown Albany has a Dicken's lunch on Sunday that sounds like so much fun.  Be prepared to taste buttered mushrooms on toast or chestnut soup and the main course... roast goose breast with apple-sage stuffing and braised red cabbage.  Dessert is plum pudding with hard sauce.  I think they still have a few tables left so call for your reservation or click HERE to be taken to their website to see the full menu for yourself.

I took this photo in Portland last Christmas.  The courthouse is beautiful all lit up for the holidays.  The tree is huge at Pioneer Square and downtown is filled with visitors from all over the world.  I am quite sure than many cities and villages in Oregon look festive and decked out for the holidays!

Christmas in Oregon has to include baking.  Using Oregon made products like butter from Tillamook is important to us.  Supporting local not only makes sense but the quality is outstanding.  I am trying to remember what I was making when I took this photo.  It could have been my Cherry Muffins but maybe it was Christmas Blondies.  I love making those and I could actually eat a whole jar of Maraschino cherries but I refrain because they do taste really good in Blondies.

This photo was actually taken last Christmas in So Cal where we are from.  It's warmer there in December than it is in Oregon.  We miss our friends and our family that still live there but we love it here in Oregon so this is home now.  This Christmas we stay home at our inn and our family is coming to us.  We'll take tours, follow my crazy itinerary, make meals together, play on the hiking trails, shop downtown, admire the Christmas lights that make our historic district look even more amazing than they usually do and spend time just being together.  

No matter where in Oregon you are this season, enjoy... you will love it! 

A Christmas Itinerary... for my friend!

Friday you arrive about 8:30 am in to PDX.  While you are walking to baggage claim, look around!  You have just entered the top scoring airport in six overall areas surveyed in 2010...  "ease of connections, customs and baggage, food/shops/amenities, comfort/design and perceived safety and security!" 


I will be waiting for you as you exit the secure terminal area and accompany you to your luggage and on to where our ride will be waiting for us.  We will travel approximately 20 minutes toward downtown Portland where we will be taken to the Pearl District... "an area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. The area has been undergoing significant urban renewal since the late 1990s, including the removal of a viaduct and construction of the Portland Streetcar. It now mostly consists of high-rise condominiums and warehouse-to-loft conversions."  


From the Pearl, we will walk to Lovejoy Bakers where we will enjoy a bagel, muffin or breakfast sandwich and a latte.   Lovejoy Bakers make the best breakfast sandwiches. You many want to enjoy an egg, butter and fontina sandwich!


We will escort Ray back to the loft and you and I can head up to 23rd.  Taking Lovejoy, we will enjoy the sights and take in the feel of the city.  Shopping, chocolate tasting and enjoying the people watching is only the beginning of the fun and feel of excitement the Rose City exudes.  We will trek down to Powell's where you can spend as long as you want perusing the city block of books and enjoy yet another latte in the cafe. Another "people watching" opportunity!  From Powell's we will street car the entire route to take in the full vibe of the city and then finally get dropped at 10th and Johnson where we will say our "good-bye's" to Ray and make our way to Albany via Pioneer Square to see the Christmas Tree.  We should be back home in the Willamette Valley by evening but if we're ready for dinner before we make it all the way to Albany, might I suggest the Oswego Grill?!  Feel free to click on the link by hovering over the name of the restaurant to see their menu! Once we have checked in to the inn, we can settle in for the tour, the tea and time to catch up!  Bed time then more fun on Saturday!


Saturday... enjoy a healthy breakfast of oatmeal filled with banana, brown sugar and rice milk.  This is great with the coffee obtained from my favorite... "Market of Choice" in Corvallis.  Stumptown!

"The business practices and quality standards of Stumptown Coffee Roasters have led to them being recognized as having "revolutionized the coffee business" and helped "refine coffee drinkers' palates" in Portland. Founder Duane Sorenson and Stumptown Coffee Roasters have been credited as being part of the so-called "Third Wave" of the coffee movement."

Once we have enjoyed our slow morning, we can get ready for the day and head out to follow my list of my most fav places in and out of Albany!

Albany Antique Mall

Emma Downtown

Vintage Roost

Pumpkin Hollow

Garlands

Inkwell

Drive by tour of OSU

Old Growth Trail... a very short walk but only if it's dry and not freezing cold!

Burgers at First Burger for lunch

Sweet Reds for coffee or tea

Albany Carousel Museum

...and I'm sure I'll be adding a few places to the list along the way!

We will rest up shortly then be on our way again with dinner at Pizza Amore' for salad and garlic bread balls then it's time for CHRISTMAS BELLES at the Albany Civic Theater.  The play lasts about two hours then we'll ck out Vault 244 for cocktails and chatter!  Back to the inn late but thoroughly satisfied and ready for a good night's rest!

Sunday we will entertain guests here for the Albany Christmas Parlour Tour!  Breakfast of English Cheddar Omelette's, Brit Bacon, Blueberry Scones and fruit will get all of us going for another busy day!

Once our guests have checked out, we will ready for the tour ourselves!  We will begin again at Pumpkin Hollow in N. Albany where we can purchase our "home tour" tickets and begin there at a replica of a "Salt Box" home right here in Albany!  It's only a few years old but you will swear it's been here for 200 years!  The tour will take us to several homes where we can enjoy experiencing Christmas from times gone by. Historic, classic, famous and absolutely stunning... that's truly vintage Albany!  We may decided to ride our trolley or catch a ride on the horse pulled wagon.  Norman Rockwell would have been proud of the scenes we will be a part of creating!  FYI:  bring your scarf, heavy coat and gloves... it's gonna be cold but that too makes the season even more merry!

After the tour, we may decide on a quiet dinner somewhere or head over to Calapooia Brewing for some Chili Beer, burgers and tots... we'll see what we feel like!  It's then time to head back to the inn and relax!  

Monday morning we'll head back to PDX but we're taking the slow road! A quick stop in Aurora will warm your heart and soul with it's cuteness but not before we have warmed our bodies with coffee and a quick breakfast at Allan Bros., The Beanery, near I 5.  They have the best Mexican Mocha's!

We'll chat and reminisce all the way to Portland then say our good-bye's.  But remember... it's only for a short while! I'll see you January my friend!  

Merry Christmas and see you in five days!