Family time at the Kiyokawa Family Orchards

Oh how lovely it was to be able to take my parents and my daughter up towards the base of Mt. Hood; a beautiful scenic drive up to the Kiyokawa Family Orchards; for a day of picking our own apples. As mentioned, the drive there was beautiful! It's an hour drive from where I live, and the drive was well worth it. We left around 3:30pm on a Sunday afternoon; it was more of a spur of the moment trip, but it has been something I've been excited to do with my daughter for awhile and just haven't had the time. Back home it was raining, but surprisingly it was so nice and sunny as we drove up further towards the base of Mt. Hood. It was a lovely drive and day spent with family =)

On our way to the Kiyokawa Family Orchard Farm!

Passing by Rooster Rock State Park

Started to get dark and sprinkle a little

About 30 minutes into the drive; my daughter asks the dreaded question on a road trip "Mooooooooom, are we there yet?!!" I said no, we just barely hit the road and we still have a little ways to go. She whines and says "But we have been on the road FOREVER! It's been like an hour already!" She eventually took a nap and by the time we got there, she was up and ready to go pick yummy apples!

She was nice and bundled up; keeping warm while running around picking apples. I loved how excited she was, she even said "This is so fun, Mom!"

Yummy Pears!

We walked further into the field and found these super sweet pears! They are the sweetest pears I have ever had. So naturally of course; we picked a bunch of these as well =)

So delicious!

Oh, and then we came across these super sweet and juicy Asian pears! My parents were like little kids in a candy store when we came across these =) They excitedly picked a bunch.

And finally the two apples I was most excited for; were these beauties! The delicious oh so juicy and sweet; Honey Crisp apple and this STUNNING golden on the outside and red flesh on the inside like a Watermelon called; Mountain Rose! 

One of my favorites; Honey Crisp!

Has now become one of my favorites; Mountain Rose!

Isn't that a beauty?! I have not seen anything like this before. I couldn't wait to get home and cut one up to show you all! Can you imagine this in a pie or a tart? Oh I'll have to try it out very soon!

 
 Over all, it was a day/weekend well spent with family. We had a great time at this super friendly family orchard, all the employees were super nice, the owners walk up and greet you with nice warm smiles and talk to you. A great abundance of variety apples/pears to choose from. I absolutely recommend this place if you live in the Oregon/Washington and are looking for something simple/fun to do with your family/kids. 

What's one fond memory you have as a child growing up with your family?

Have a wonderful week everyone!  

Roasted Lemon Thyme Chicken & A man who just doesn't understand!

Ah, another great comfort food for me is Roasted Chicken. Fall is all about comfort foods for me; I love the chilly evenings with something hot, filling, yummy and full of goodness simmering on the stove or baking in the oven. 

For dinner; I decided to roast a chicken, and jazz it up with lemon thyme butter!

Delicious Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken

This turned out spectacular! The aroma of the thyme, lemon and butter just filled the house, and my daughter was just excitingly anticipating dinner. When it was ready, I took my time to make it look presentable and pretty; the man said "It looks good already, Men don't care if it looks pretty on the dinner table, we just want to dig in and eat!" hmph... men; they will never understand! I of course proceeded to make it look pretty before digging in to eat =) Oh! and Mothers this was child approved; my daughter helped herself to seconds and proclaimed this was the best chicken she has EVER had in her whole (entire 9 1/2 years) life.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 lemon

1- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or dried)

1 stick of butter

salt/pepper

 Directions:

Rinse chicken/pat dry, sprinkle salt/pepper according to your taste, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place soften butter in a bowl, mince thyme and grate lemon zest (about 1- 1 1/2) place in the same bowl as butter. Mix the ingredients together until everything is incorporated. Carefully loosen the skin around the chicken so you can rub the butter mixture in between the skin and meat evenly. Take the rest of the mixture and rub it all over the outer side. Take your lemon, cut in wedges or halves and place inside the cavity; along with some sprigs of thyme. Pop it in the oven and let the roasting begin! It'll take 40-45 mins depending on how big your chicken is. Feel free to make it as pretty as you want; enjoy!

 

The makings of a wonderful dinner!

Name one quirk you have; that your man will never understand? =) 

It's mid-week ladies, hang in there! 

 

Pumpkin Spice Cookies & a time to relax

Saturday was just one of those Pumpkin kind of days; when you see bright orange Pumpkins everywhere you go, and the colorful Fall leaves scattered all around town reminding you that Autumn is here, making you just want to sink your teeth into a nice yummy pumpkin pie with lots of whip cream. Instead of making Pumpkin Pie, I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies! Oh let me tell you; they were perfectly soft and chewy on the inside, and tasted just like mini Pumpkin Pie bites. I topped it off with some Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, and that made it even more delish! A perfect Fall treat, and a big hit at the pot luck I brought these to on Sunday.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

Basic sugar cookie recipe

1 tsp of pumpkin spice

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1tsp of vanilla extract

1- 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin in a can

1 bag of pumpkin spice hershey kisses

Directions: 

Follow your basic sugar cookie recipe, or you can always just use premixed sugar cookie. Add pumpkin spice, cinnamon, vanilla extract and pumpkin in a can into the mixture and mix and fold until all ingredients incorporate and get to know each other very well. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, Then take your cookie sheet and line it up with parchment paper; scoop about a tablespoon of dough and drop it on cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown; take it out and let it cool for about a minute before pressing down the hershey kiss. 

Tips:

Pumpkin spice hershey kisses melt a lot faster than regular hershey kisses, so you will want to place them in the freezer while mixing and baking your cookies, once cookies has cooled for about a minute, then take out the hershey kisses, peel and gently press into the cookie. It will melt a bit onto the cookie, but it will harden back up once it's cooled. Place in the fridge to help harden.

On another note; I have been day dreaming of a weekend of alone time with just  only me and nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing. A time of solitude, a moment to relax with some peace and quite, be refreshed and rejuvenate. Do any of you ladies feel this way? I think women lead such busy hectic lives taking care of everyone and everything; that they tend to forget about themselves. I think once in awhile; it's okay to just step away for a moment to refresh ourselves so we can come back ready to take on everyday happenings. Below is a picture of one of these moments for me; one where I got to do just that. A weekend of just over looking the beach at the beach house; with nothing but just me and the sounds of the wave crashing. No time to worry about, no running around like a headless chicken trying to get things done. No rush hour traffic, no phones, no work emails. Stress-free and relaxing weekend so I can come back the best person I can be for everyone in my life =) 

Relaxing @ Seaside, OR

 

There's nothing like waking up on a cold Fall morning; after the rain fall at the beach. Sitting on the balcony of the beach house and sipping on a hot cup of tea; listening to the waves. I absolutely love our beaches; they are so peaceful and beautiful. There's a sense of peace every time I come here; I never want to leave! 

What are ways you take time for yourself?

Happy Monday everyone! Make this a wonderful week =)