According to the Oregon Hazelnut Board, filbert is the original name from the French, who most likely introduced the tree to the northwest. The mighty English brought their imperialism and their “hazelnut” to the colonies. It wasn’t until 1981 that the Oregon Filbert Commission became the Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board. Some other places tell me that the hazelnut and filberts are cousins. I don’t know who to believe. But it’s a fact that the majority of US hazelnuts are grown outside Portland, Oregon in the Willamette valley.
We stopped for lunch with a friend whose backyard is this hazelnut orchard. We ate Bolivian quinoa cakes for lunch and left with a ziploc bag of roasted hazelnuts, which sustained us on our long drive back through the midwest. I would’ve made this homemade nutella if I had any left. Let me know if you try it.
Some people head up the Oregon coast for the rocky beaches, tide pools, and breathtaking Ocean views. I wanted to go to Tillamook cheese factory.
Oh, what a tasty and educational stop it was. I learned that their medium cheddar ages for 2 months, sharp for 9 months and extra sharp for 15 months. The “Vingage White Extra Sharp Cheddar” (ah, the je ne se quoi) ages 2 years. Also, it takes 10 lbs of milk to make 1 lb of cheese and they make 167,000 lbs of cheese a day! Of course I tried as many cheeses as I could. But I also had to try their very northwesty ice creams: huckleberry, marionberry, black cherry, and peach. A scrumptious stop along the Oregon Coast.
Filed under: Places to Eat | Tags: breakfast, oregon, pancakes, portland, restaurant
Remember those Japanese hibachi restaurants where they samurai your vegetables and cook them on your table? Well, this place (Slappy Cakes) in Portland uses a similar griddle/table and lets you MAKE YOUR OWN PANCAKES. Ok, yeah, I know it’s kinda gimmicky, but I was able to put aside my pancake snobiness and totally enjoy this place with the eyes of a sugar syrup-loving 5-year-old. Our pancake creations were inspired and totally awesome. We ordered zucchini pancake batter and made goat cheese, scallion, and mushroom pancakes first, followed by buttermilk pancakes with hazelnut, blueberry, and applesauce. I would HATE to work here (syrup and batter everywhere), but it was a bonafide breakfast experience.
I was called for a few days’ work on the Warm Springs reservation two hours southeast of Portland, OR. Just east of the Cascades, it is arid and hot. When I visited, it was 100 degrees, and it was just after 4th of July, which I was told meant wildfire season. I haven’t had much experience with wildfires, and in my limited knowledge of them, they’re best avoided. So, when I watched a line of fire descend the ridge, cover the welcoming Warm Springs sign, and approach me and the Airstream, I didn’t really feel like sticking around. People in town were going about their business at the store and the post office, only stopping to watch with amusement as the fire came closer. Pleading ignorance to the ways of eastern Oregon, I asked a firefighter for advice. He subtly and casually suggested leaving town. When he said the highway out of town might close down, I made the final decision to stop everything and leave quickly While all worked out well in the end, evacuating from a wildfire certainly enhanced the adventure during my time in Warm Springs. The equivalent culinary adventure was definitely the $6 Indian Taco made of frybread, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream, sold at a roadside stand by the woman who won awards for best and biggest frybread. If the picture doesn’t do it justice, it is bigger than your face.
