can't wait

{can't wait to see}

beginners. doesn't it look wonderful? it gave me that feeling inside that i get when i know i'm going to really adore something.

{can't wait to buy}

this retro swimsuit from j.crew. i've been looking for a similar (read: cheaper) one everywhere, but i just can't seem to find one that is as lovely as this. i want to splurge on it even though i'll only get to wear it a handful of times this summer.

{can't wait to read}

the paris wife. since i can't cure my wanderlust + cravings to go back to paris, i'm going to keep torturing myself with this book. it's written from the perspective of hemingway's first wife, hadley.

{can't wait to waste hours of my life on}

pinterest. according to the site, pinterest is "a virtual pinboard". you simply "pin" things that you find interesting, beautiful, inspiring, etc. then you can share them with others! i've already spent way too much time on this site drooling over photographs...

alberta street fair

last night, my neighbor julia + i ventured to the alberta street fair. every third thursday of the month, a section of alberta street is closed down + turned into an eclectic street fair. it was a complete sensory overload. so many different types of people, art, jewelry, music, performers. though there were plenty of food options, we chose tacos (i have difficulty leaving my comfort zone). koi fusion, to be exact - i love their spicy tofu tacos. to cool off my burning mouth, i had an almond roca + salted ganache ice cream scoop from salt + straw. followed shortly by a mimosa with two of julia's lovely friends. not sure all of those things necessarily combine well in one's stomach, but they were each so delicious i couldn't resist.

a beautiful thing

today's summer to-do list (especially when compared to my school year to-do list) is a beautiful thing.

 

ps - i only write in purple pen. i carry about three of them in my purse at all times, just in case.

vegetarian southwestern scramble

in case you haven't caught on yet, i'm a big fan of mexican food. when it's done right, (fresh ingredients minimally messed around with) there's really no other cuisine i can think of enjoying more. it would be quite easy to walk down our bustling street every day and indulge in some tacos, margaritas + chips, but i doubt that my wallet or waistline would be very keen on that. so what do i do when my mexican cravings rear their ugly heads? make an easy southwestern scramble. i didn't have any corn tortillas on hand, but they would have been the perfect vessel for scooping up this deliciousness. 

the real stars of this scramble were the pickled red onions. they were incredibly easy to make + added the most gorgeous pop of color to the dish. fact: pickles make everything better.

vegetarian southwestern scramble

2 eggs 
1 black bean burger 
a few cherry tomatoes, chopped 
1 small avocado, chopped 
pickled red onions 
2 tbsp diced green chiles 
cilantro salsa verde

i started out by defrosting a frozen black bean + corn burger that drew and i made a few weeks ago. i crumbled the burger and browned it (like you would ground beef) in a frying pan on medium-high heat. then i removed the "ground meat" + scrambled the eggs with the green chiles. i then mixed the scrambled eggs with the black bean crumbles + added the tomatoes, avocado, pickled onions + cilantro + salsa to finish. 

in case you haven't caught on yet, i'm also a big fan of southwestern decor. must have inherited it from my dad!

scenes from the weekend (part 2)

here are a few more scenes from our weekend with drew's mom. complete with a skateboarding bulldog, macarons from pix + the farmer's market (what can i say? i'm addicted) and interesting art viewed during our delicious farm-to-table dinner at clarklewis. oh, and the feast. the feast that barbarellen made for us from our farmer's market treasures. grilled coho salmon, chinook salmon, halibut, maitake mushrooms, and corn on the cob. steamed purple artichoke with a lemon garlic aoili. swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and fresh garlic. as always, it was impeccable!

 

 

scenes from the weekend (part 1)

i'm borderline obsessed with por que no?, our favorite taco place. we took drew's mom there on her first night in portland, and when we asked her where she wanted to go for lunch on friday, guess where she chose? everything is so delicious + extremely fresh. and the chips! allow me to wax poetic about these chips for a moment. i normally skip the chips or the bread basket at a restaurant. i see them as boring speed bumps on the road to a meal. but these chips are cut from their homemade corn tortillas, then fried until they are warm + crispy yet still slightly chewy. they sprinkle them with a little salt and it's sheer perfection.

though her trip revolved mostly around food, we did manage to squeeze some other experiences into the mix. we visited the international rose test garden on thursday, and walked up to mt. tabor on friday, where we found an unbelievable view of mt. hood. today, we visited the portland state farmer's market + drew's mom is going to put together a meal for us based off what we bought (halibut, salmon, crab meat, purple artichokes, swiss chard, maitake mushrooms, corn on the cob).