Page 2 - Culinary Vacation | Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

Cheese Week in Travel Oregon's Wanderfeast Celebration

Saturday, September 25, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

A month of so ago I introduced you to Wanderfeast, a celebration of food, foodies, and your chance for an authentic Oregon Culinary Vacation. From the wine crush in Applegate Valley to the chanterelles hiding in the Coast Range to the fish and game that frolic in every nook and cranny of Oregon, ten top chefs will chase after ten of Oregon’s finest epicurean products. It’s ten weeks of foodie bliss, from one end of Oregon to the other. And you’re invited to come along.

Week One - Throughout Oregon, you’ll find handcrafted cheese in places where you can sample it, watch it being created, and even learn to make it yourself. This week, James Beard-nominated chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana visits a small dairy in the Willamette Valley and gets her hands on the udder of a jersey cow, then turns the milk into artisan cheese

Design your own Wanderfeast and possibly win a Culinary Vacation of a lifetime. And even if you don't win we encourage you to create your own Oregon Culinary experience by visiting the member inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfat Guild. Our innkeepers take breakfast seriously, serving freshly ground coffee, more often than not roasted locally, along with sweet and savory delights created from the very best of what our Oregon producers have to offer. You might be treated to homemade scones or a frittata with fresh vegetables and herbs from our gardens or a local farmers market. Ginger poached pears, crab souffes. Oregon's Bounty is as endless as our imagination so you are sure to experience a culinary delight at our breakfast tables.

Oregon Bounty Wanderfeast - A Culinary Vacation through Oregon

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

Leave it to Travel Oregon to create a clever, catchy word or phrase. First it was Oregon Bounty. Then it was Cuisinternship. Now Wanderfeast. What in the world is Wanderfeast?

"It’s a thing we made up because there are just no words to describe what it’s like to spend the harvest season following your taste buds on a quest to procure the best of Oregon’s flavors at their peak. From the wine crush in Applegate Valley to the chanterelles hiding in the Coast Range to the fish and game that frolic in every nook and cranny of Oregon, ten top chefs will chase after ten of Oregon’s finest epicurean products. It’s ten weeks of foodie bliss, from one end of Oregon to the other."

And you’re invited to come along. Enter to win an Oregon Bounty Wanderfeast. First you must design your own Wanderfeast then choose a regional experience to complete your itinerary.

Enter Wanderfeast and possibly win a Culinary Vacation of a lifetime. And we encourage you to create your own Oregon Culinary experience by visiting the member inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfat Guild. Our innkeepers take breakfast seriously, serving freshly ground coffee, more often than not roasted locally, along with sweet and savory delights created from the very best of what our Oregon producers have to offer. You might be treated to homemade scones or a fresh frittata with fresh vegetables and herbs from our gardens or a local farmers market. Ginger poached pears, crab souffles. Oregon's Bounty is as endless as our imagination so you are sure to experience a culinary delight at our breakfast tables.

A Scones Throw Away...an Oregon Culinary Vacation!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Lately a lot of the guests at our inn have traveled short distances to stay with us. Sometimes

The breakfast table at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild Inn!

they are visiting family, sometimes they are here to catch up with old friends and even some of them just want to get out of the big city or just get in to a city of any size. More and more our travels are taking us to destinations that aren't too far from home. Sometimes we just wanna get away! Isn't that a song lyric? Anyways, when you need to get away or just want to treat yourself to a little over nighter and a B & B sounds like a romantic idea, remember...your romantic bed and breakfast is probably just a "scones throw away!"

Great segway in to my scone recipe don't you think? Well...it's simple, it's easy and anyone can do it. And as usual, I cannot just leave good enough alone and I am really good at improvising. You will notice that most scone recipes call for whipping cream. Well...my English friend says, it's much better to use fresh milk instead of whipping cream. He says it makes the scones lighter. That's good enough for me...fresh milk it is! Also, I really cheat bad! I use my food processor and once made 65 scones in about 30 minutes. So, if you have a lot of scones to make or just wanna make a few, follow this recipe. My version of a very easy scone recipe!

Debbie's Scones!

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, cut in to pieces
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup fresh milk
a little extra milk and sugar for coating

In a food processor, I pulse the the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt a few times just to mix.

Toss in the cut up butter pieces and pulse till mixture forms coarse crumbs.

Pour in eggs, milk and any kind of additions you like. I like dried cranberries and sliced almonds. However, good white chocolate chips and pecans are yummy too! Pulse again a few times till all blends and looks moist.

Turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough in to an 8 inch circle. Cut in to 8 wedges. If you want to make 16 smaller scones, just split dough in half before lightly rolling out.

Place wedges 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush wedges with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from baking sheet and serve warm.

I love serving my scones with lemon curd, butter and/or orange marmalade. And no...I don't make my own lemon curd. Joe makes it for me! He makes the best I have ever tasted, homemade or not.

Thanks for checking in and hope you get to try this recipe. It's pretty easy and if you don't feel like making them yourself, we are happy to make you a batch on your next culinary vacation at our inn!

Not your momma's inn...An Oregon Culinary Vacation!

Sunday, April 11, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn, Albany, Oregon

Over twenty years ago, I had my first experiece staying at an inn. The Bath Street Inn in Santa Barbara was lovely. Flowers, cakes, cookies, wine and yeah...the fact that it was set in Santa Barbara didn't hurt anything either. Well...that was a while ago and a few years back my dream of being an innkeeper came true. It will be two years on May 1st since we opened our inn and began our new lives as innkeepers. Wow...what a change from being the guest to being the innkeeper! Yes...it's romantic, yes...it's even a bit like living in a fantasy world and oh yeah...it's a heck of a lot of work but you know what...we wouldn't have it any other way!

Seeing the changes over the years take place in the B & B industry has been eye opening as well. And...seeing the changes in how our guests travel, what they want to do here when they get here and seeing how some guests are choosing their vacations based purly on what kind of Oregon Culinary experience they are going to get has changed a lot just in the past two years. Economy, family time and making the most out of a long planned trip has formed the ideas in our heads that we wanna get the most for our money. Well...I'm here to tell ya...you have clicked on the right link! Innkeepers in Oregon and especially our Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild innkeepers are pretty awesome! We love to cook, we love using our local products and most of all, we love to brag about how we are able to use what grows here in our regions to prepare the best food. That's probably why our guests keep coming back!

In Southern Oregon near Ashland, Jacksonville, and Cottage Grove, our innkeepers are so lucky to have so many choices when it comes to "good food!" The Rogue Creamery, several wineries, and great restaurants that use local food when preparing their recipes top the list in Southern Oregon. The Willamette Valley is also known for their local booty as well. Where else can you go to harvest hazelnuts, pick wine grapes, grab a box of organic veggies and go back to your inn and prepare a feast? Well...we know it's here! Then there's the Hood

River Valley...what can we say about that region? Yummmmm! Orchards full of things like pears, organic cherries and apples!

Come check in to one of our inns! We'll show you a culinary adventure, a little local taste and a Northwest Culinary Vacation you will wanna come back for! Oh yeah...bring mom along too!

Ashland Oregon and the Annual Meeting of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

Monday, March 29, 2010 by Heather Tyreman

Greetings from Ashland Oregon! Mary Pellegrini and I arrived yesterday evening for the start of the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild Annual Meeting week. Today's Monday, March 29, 2010, and we started of the day with a great breakfast at the Oak Hill Bed & Breakfast, one of the Ashland Oregon lodging sites supporting the meeting.

Baked Eggs with Matcha Finishing Salt at the Oak Hill Bed and Breakfast Ashland Oregon lodging

If we weren't here for business we could easily make this a northwest culinary vacation. Pat & Tom purchased this 5-room bed and breakfast in 1999 and haven't looked back one bit. This morning Pat thrilled us with fresh pineapple and berries, her specialty herbed baked eggs and some of her fantastic barley flour scones. Pat's developed her own custom finishing salts--the one today included green tea matcha!

This afternoon is meeting time for the Board of Directors of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild. We've got plenty on the agenda. More posts coming!

Oregon Farmer's Market...a lesson in culinary tourism!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Can you say sustainable travel?...can you utter culinary tourism?...or can you blurt..."wow...I've never seen veggies this green before!"

Well...it began on March 20th in Portland! It's Spring here and it's time for our Oregon Farmers Markets to sprout up all over the state and share their stuff! Flowers, veggies, art...you name it and you can find it. From now till deep in to autumn, you can drive in to just about any Oregon town, city or region and find a farmers market!

Throughout this season, you can enhance your Oregon culinary experience by tasting the fresh faire and enjoying our local goods as they are paired with wines and cheese's and yes...we grow them too! And we do a mighty fine job of it! The Willamette Valley as well as Southern Oregon grow the best grapes for the best wine in the entire state! The cheese's here in Oregon...wow, what can I say?...they are delightful and can also be seen at almost every farmers market in the state!

In the city of Albany, you not only find our lovely home and garden grown goods, you will find local honey, flowers, crepes and even local music to be had as well. It's all about what is here, what we can see, taste and touch and then take home.

If it's made here, grown here or even played here, you can experience it here! We hope when

you are planning your Oregon Culinary Vacation this season, you plan on checking out our Oregon Farmers Markets! See you in the crepe line!

Wooden Shoes, Tasty Brews, and Feller House Bed and Breakfast

Friday, March 19, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

Kick off the 25th Annual Tulip Festival, March 25 - April 25, with a weekend of Oregon-grown craft brews, clogging, tulips, and family fun! Wooden Shoes and Tasty Brews will run opening weekend: Saturday, March 27th and Sunday, March 28th from noon to 6pm.

The event will feature Willamette Valley craft brewers, Bavarian-style food, clog dancing, and live music. Wooden Shoes & Tasty Brews is family-friendly and as always, children are welcome.

Brewers featured: Seven Bridges Brewing of Silverton; Alameda Brewing Company of Portland; Pale Horse Brewing of Salem; and Fearless Brewing Co. of Estacada. Their signature brews will be available by the taste, by the pint, and to take home in growlers (64 oz. bottles poured on site), bottles, and by the case.

Feller House Bed and Breakfast in Aurora Oregon

Just up the road from is the Feller House Bed and Breakfast, an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member. Built in the late 1860s, the large home is located in the beautiful Willamette Valley on Oregon’s famous French Prairie where hops became a cash crop and still are today. Two delightful guest rooms are available for your enjoyment.

There are so many Oregon Geotourism Adventures waiting for you to explore. And with almost 90 unique bed and breakfasts scattered throughout Oregon, serving up Oregon Culinary Breakfasts, you are sure to find an inn to complete your vacation plans.

A Dinner Party, A Wedding or a Weekend Getaway...it's all about the food!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Some may argue, some may actually disagree and some may even deny it. But, we all know...it's all about the food!

It's that time of year when the daffodils are in full bloom, my "bleeding hearts" have blossomed and the cherry trees smell heavenly around this town. And, it's that time of year to book your Oregon vacation, plan your wedding or your party at one of our Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild membership inns!

Many of our inns are places for fun events, some are open for a party now and then but mostly we just love our casual guests wanting to get away for a weekend. No matter your reasons for staying, your innkeepers know that the dining experience is one of the main reasons our guests stay with us. It's the reason they come back and probably the reason they tell their friends about us too. Some of our innkeepers have professional experience in the kitchen. Chef's, Bakers, you name it and some of us have probably done it!

Specializing in local sustainable practices is the goal when planning our meals here at my inn

as well as most inn's around The Willamette Valley. Some of us have the pleasure of being posed in the middle of the most fertile land in the county. Sitting high among the hills in wine country, resting in our nests amid hazelnut orchards or placed perfectly downtown in a town where "food" is the "word!" Yes, it's all about the beauty of the feast. Where can we go to find that perfect meal? Innkeepers say...right here...in Oregon!

So, our guest checked out this morning and tonight we have booked our inn for a dinner party. Catered from the best of the best in Italian in this city, our table set with love, cupcakes baked for my guests tonight and all because "my" northwest culinary delights, delight me! And...I love to share!

A Northwest Culinary Tour!...my day as a foodie in Portland, Oregon.

Monday, March 1, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Sipping chocolate at Cacao's near The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland was only the beginning of our "Epicurean Tour" last Saturday! In the works for months, Portland Walking Tours teamed up with a few very interested Oregon innkeepers and we headed out to devour the city!

Led by Bob, tour guide with Portland Walking Tours, we covered about 2 mi. of ground. And thank goodness we did because it helped walk off all the extra bread I ate at Pearl Bakery!...well, I had help! After donning the hair nets and washing our hands we were led to the bakery's kitchen. Oh wow...not a good combination. A bunch of innkeepers in a bakery kitchen?...might have seemed like a good combination at the time. Thank goodness we have manners, don't mind sharing and the fact that at least two of us had camera's kept us on our good behavior.

On to Elephant's Delicatessen and through the back door, we tasted the best tomato soup.

Specializing in sandwich's, salads, soups, cookies, etc., this sweet deli has a little bit of everything for every visitor!

Some of us know what Portland has to offer to our visiting guests from out of town. Just ask Pam and Carl over at Heron Haus Bed and Breakfast in Portland or former restaurant owner Patrick over at Forest Springs Bed and Breakfast in Gresham and they will concur...Portland is among the leading cities offering that perfect itinerary for culinary travel and culinary experiences in the nation! Brew pubs of which we got tastes of, offer so many different tastes and types of beers that it's no wonder that Portland is known as the brew capitol of the world. Toss in a few wineries and a taste at a local gourmet shop and you have found another reason to come here. Where else in the world can you go and walk in to some place called The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge and have a cup of hot tea or a mixed drink?...a tea/cocktail.... What a great place and so very unexpected!

So, continuing our noshing fest, we sampled pear and Canadian bacon style pizza all made with local ingredients. We ate gelato, drank berry soda, ate raspberry tea cookies, tried curried dips with rice crackers, sprinkled finishing salts made of truffles on our palms and lapped them up with flavors so surprising we had to buy some to take home! A very tasty way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Portland!

So, when you come here to Oregon this year or when you are contemplating on where to vacation or holiday this year, begin with us...your innkeepers that know where all the good food is! We can tell you, show you, point you in the right direction and help you with your culinary travel plans and help show you how to have that culinary experience of a life time...right here...in Oregon!

Thanks to David and Bob at Portland Walking Tours for our very fun day! We had a great time!

Calling All Amateur Chamber Music Players (Strings, that is): 4th Annual Springs Strings in the Wallowas, April 23-26, 2010 in Northeastern Oregon!

Sunday, February 28, 2010 by Heather Tyreman

Wallowa Valley Music Alliance Spring Strings in the Wallowas at Oregon bed and breakfasts in Enterprise and Joseph Oregon

Are you a classical string musician? Play violin, viola or cello? We want you for the 4th Annual Springs Strings in the Wallowas!

This event, co-hosted by the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance and Wallowa County Oregon bed and breakfasts, is definitely an authentic Oregon experience. Chamber music was designed to be played in salons and homes. Every Friday to Monday of the last weekend in April, the bed and breakfast accommodations in Wallowa County welcome string musicians into their parlors and other public rooms for a weekend of musical cameraderie.

The event is an Oregon culinary vacation as well, featuring delicious catered meals prepared with local ingredients by local chefs.

Here's how it works:
1. Visit the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance website's page for Spring Strings in the Wallowas and register online or print down your registration form and mail it in.
2. Select the bed & breakfast of your choice and make your reservation. Each B&B in Wallowa County is a unique bed and breakfast experience, so you'll want to visit the websites to choose the one that's right for you.
3. Pack your instrument, stand, all that chamber music, and drive or carpool out to Northeastern Oregon for an interactive weekend of chamber music fun!

Professional violinists Lisa Robertson and Daniel Perry are returning as this year's player-coaches.

Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild member inns Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast and the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast are two of the many B&Bs available for this event. Make you plans and give a call--we're all waiting to hear from you and look forward to seeing you in our parlors!

The Craftsman B&B ~ A Green Vacation on the Oregon Coast

Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Mary Pellegrini

Located in Pacific City, The Craftsman Bed & Breakfast welcomes you to experience beautiful Oregon Coast Lodging in style, grace, and comfort.

The Craftsman B&B was awarded the Best Period Restoration Award

The Craftsman B&B has been awarded the Best Period Restoration Award in the LanierBB.com Guests’ Greatest Picks Award program out of 8,500 B&B’s world wide.

Built in 1921, The Craftsman B&B was renovated in 2004-2005 to return the character of the period and modernize the workings. Classic Arts and Crafts elements were incorporated - from the Greene & Greene inspired cloud lift detail of the railings and gate to the wainscoting typical of a Gustav Stickley house.

The craftsman style house features four guest rooms with period-inspired design and decor, queen beds and private baths. No lace or doilies here. Mike and Laura Rech are committed to providing eco friendly travel by obtaining Green Lodging Certification through the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild and implementing green business practices.

Whether you're planning your vacation around culinary or eco friendly travel or just looking for a perfect romantic Oregon Coast lodging experience The Craftsman B&B can and will provide it all. Another unique, quality inn of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

What to do for Valentine's Day in Portland, OR

Sunday, February 7, 2010 by Heather Tyreman

Now here's a real insider's view of what to do for Valentine's Day in Portland Oregon. "Travel Geek" works at the Oregon Welcome Center at the Portland International Airport. She's lived in Portland for 30 years, so she knows her way around!

Travel Geek offers a complete Portlander's guide for Valentine's Day with ideas for "Events that Inspire Romance" plus "Places that Fill You with Love" (a Northwest Culinary experience in itself) and "More Pragmatic, Less Romantic (and still fun). She's taken the time and effort to include extensive links and phone numbers for all her favorites. This is a must read blog post and you'll find it here.

Garden Suite at the Britannia at Terwilliger Vista in Portland Oregon. You don't need to travel far to find a romantic bed and breakfast!

If you'd like to round out your Valentine's Day experience, how about skipping on the hotels and trying out a Portland Oregon bed and breakfast? You'll get an authentic Oregon lodging experience--even if you live in Portland. You can have a vacation without leaving town! Most innkeepers live in their bed and breakfast and can give you as much (or as little) attention as you'd like.

In the Portland area you'll find 14 unique inns that are members of the Oregon B&B Guild. All of them--from the Sandes of Time Bed and Breakfast in Milwaukie or the Rose Cottage B&B in SW Portland, to the Blue Plum Inn or the Lion & the Rose Victorian B&B in the Irvington District of downtown--and 10 other wonderful Portland Oregon bed and breakfast inns--await your call.

Take Travel Geek's advice and find that Portland Valentine's Day event you want to share with your lovey. Then put a little icing on the cake with a stay at one of Portland Oregon's best bed and breakfasts!

Blue Cheese, Oregonzola... Just Say Cheese Please!

Saturday, February 6, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

A road trip to Ashland to prep for our Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild annual meeting, a few of us decided that we liked being the "visitor" to Southern Oregon. So, after twenty four hours of planning, meetings and setting up schedules, we decided to find the cheese!

Our friend Fred at The Historic Prospect Hotel in Prospect, Oregon told us that we had to go to Rogue Creamery near Medford in Central Point before we headed back home to Albany and Hood River respectively. So, of course we always listen to Fred but I think just hearing the word "cheese" was really all it took to head us in the right direction!

So, off we were heading home with a pit stop or in our case a "cheese stop" at Rogue Creamery. We were in cheese heaven! Enamored by anything so famously local, down home but good enough to be in almost every gourmet market and local shop in Oregon, Rogue Creamery is the epitome of the perfect Oregon culinary experience.

Perfect for pairing with wine or beer, check out Rogue Creamery's website where "pairing" is as

important as the cheese itself. A nice mild Oregonzola with an Oregon Pinot Noir perhaps? Chocolate Stout, (my fav) with such beer as a stout or porter? Artisan cheese from an artisan cheese company focused on sustainability, perfecting the art of making the world's best cheese and sharing it with the rest of us who just simply love cheese!

Follow my recipe below using two of my favorite Rogue Creamery cheese's. The perfect egg and cheese dish for one!

Shirred Eggs

Butter the inside of a 3 or 4 inch ramekin. Add one tablespoon of bread crumbs to cover bottom. Place two thin slices of Rogue Creamery cheddar cheese over the bread crumbs to make a cup. Add a slice to two of tomato on top of the cheese and break an egg over that. Crumble a tablespoon of cooked sausage or bacon on top of egg. Add one tablespoon cream over top then grate two tablespoons of Rogue Creamery Chocolate Stout Cheddar on top.

Bake 375 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes or till egg is set.

This is a fun recipe because it is so easy and you can change it up by adding fresh crimini mushrooms, small slices of fresh garden zucchini, fresh basil or thyme and change the type of cheese now and then with the same results. Your guests will be amazed at this sweet little cheese dish.

Is there a trip to Southern Oregon in your future perhaps? A little culinary vacation? A taste of Oregon maybe? Well, if you are visiting Oregon, stop in for some samples and load up your ice chests with some of the best cheeses Oregon has to offer. If you are an innkeeper heading to Ashland for our annual meeting in March, you can stop too! Taste the cheese, choose your favorite and load up for your trip home. The proof is in the cheese...a truly original Oregon Culinary Experience!

The Rose City...the perfect place to fall in love...all over again!

Sunday, January 31, 2010 by Debbie Lusk

Tell me if you know, but what can possibly be more romantic than hopping on a train with someone you love and getting away for a night or two?

There is just something romantic about the historic train station in the town where I live. My inn is just a short 10 minute walk to the Albany Train Station. So, when we want a little romantic get-a-way, we take the train!

The tracks from Albany to Portland are steady, the train ride is smooth and the countryside...well...let's just say, I have had a perpetual grin on my face several times on the trip. The rolling hills of farmland, passing Linn County, the Grass Seed Capitol of The World you know. Then on to Salem, our state capital. More farmland, the Willamette River, the locks, Oregon City, the sweetest historic homes and then...the Rose City...Portland!

Our next favorite city in Oregon, yes we are in love with Portland! Stepping out of the train and in to Union Station in Portland can give you the feeling of another time, a time long ago when taking the train was the way most people got around. Situated close to everything, Union Station is a short walk to the MAX line or a just a few blocks from downtown!

Now, when we go to Portland, the first thing we love to do is eat! Often it's claim to fame,

Portland is known for being thee destination for culinary travel, boasting the the best northwest culinary experience and the best place to go for that truly authentic Oregon culinary vacation! Well...yeah...you could say all that or you could just say..."point me toward downtown, show me the way to the Pearl, take me to 23rd avenue, the Hawthorne district or wherever, just feed me!" I have said it before, and I will say it again...there is no place that I know of that has more variety, more tastes or more delicious dining experiences than Portland!

Whether you drive to the Rose City, fly in to PDX or take the train, experiencing Portland just isn't the same if you haven't enjoyed the hospitality of an Oregon Bed and Breakfast! Talk about a "culinary vacation!" You haven't had breakfast in Portland if you aren't sitting around the breakfast table enjoying those Marion Berry scones served with Tillamook butter, the eggs from the farmer's market just down the street, the bacon or sausage from the farm on the way to the coast or that awesome hazel nut waffle with just a little something in it that you just can't pinpoint but you know it tastes like something you have never had before. Well, Clear Creek Distillery in Portland does make the best Pear Liqueur and the best pear liqueur tastes really good in hazelnut waffle batter!

So, Valentine's Day is coming up and if you want to really surprise that special someone, book a romantic train ride to Portland, indulge in the Oregon culinary delights about town and stay in one of our Portland, Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild Inns!

Fall in love all over again...in the Rose City!

Things to see and do in Northeastern Oregon in August

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 by Heather Tyreman

Thinking about a quick vacation? There are plenty of things to see and do in Northeastern Oregon in August--especially in Wallowa County. Here's a suggestion for the weekend of August 22 and 23:

Wallowa Resources First Annual Barn Dance Fundraiser

Saturday, August 22, 5:30 pm to 10 pm
5:30 pm social hour with wine tasting
6:30 pm dinner catered by Beth Gibans of Backyard Gardens featuring plenty of fresh, local ingredients (Oregon culinary tourism at the grass roots)
Dance to Country Band "Diverse" with Craig Nichols
Live auction featuring: 2 Scenic Flights over the Wallowa Mountains, Hikers Drop Camp in the Wallowa Mountains, a beautiful Palomino Filly, and a lot more.
Tickets only $20 per person, available from Wallowa Resources at (541) 426-8053 or through local ticket outlets (see web link above).

Not only is it going to be a lot of fun, you're supporting the good works Wallowa Resources does--

Since its formation in 1996, Wallowa Resources has worked to bring people together in a common goal: to blend the ecological needs of the land with the economic needs of the community. The Organization strives to balance Wallowa County's economic well-being with the stewardship and conservation of its resources, preserving the area's heritage of making a living from the land.

What could be better than that?

And you'll need somewhere to stay before and after the dance. There's some wonderful lodging in Oregon to be found in Wallowa County:

Keep your rural weekend theme going by staying at the Barking Mad Farm Bed & Breakfast. Diana & Hunter will be happy to host you in their much-less-than-rustic guestrooms on their farm overlooking Joseph and Enterprise Oregon. Just because they're Oregon lodging pet friendly doesn't mean that they've gone to the dogs!

Nearby Alder Slope Bed & Breakfast also gives you the opportunity to bring along your horse for the weekend. Give Jerry or Barrie a call when you're ready to pull that trailer to some of the most spectacular locations for Oregon trail riding in the Wallowa Mountains.

If city lodging is more your style, both Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast and the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast are located in the town of Joseph Oregon. Enjoy your barn dance, but stay in town for the shops, art galleries and restaurants of this art colony town.

Hittin' The Road In Oregon And Eatin' Pizza For Breakfast!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 by Debbie Lusk

Guests at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn, Albany, Oregon

It's that time of year! If you haven't already sat down with your family, your honey or your best friend and planned your summer vacation, do it now!

This motorcycle and side car husband and wife were our guests recently at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn. So much fun and what a cool bike! From San Luis Obispo to Ashland then here to Albany. These lovely guests were the first of many to bike or bicycle to this area of the Willamette Valley this season. From now until the leaves fall in late autumn, the weather is perfect for that long bike ride and we have a whole lotta bicyclists already booked here at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn.

On the road all day whether your pedaling, riding or sitting in a sidecar, makes for very hungry guests. Oregon Bed and Breakfasts are gearing up to feed our summer visitors and get them started with full tummies and that satisfied grin as they head out the door for more adventure.

This recipe is my most recent favorite. It is very simple, very tasty, full of protein but mostly a gorgeous presentation at the breakfast table. I got most of my ingredients from our local farmer's market so again using local, organic and fresh is what we do here supporting Oregon Culinary Tourism at it's tastiest!

Fried Egg and Sausage Ciabatta Breakfast Pizza

1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 1 pound)
1 cup chopped green onions
8 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces sliced hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese
1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
8 large eggs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees "F". Cut bread horizontally in half. Place bread halves, cut side up, on separate baking sheets. Mix onions and 6 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 tablespoons onion and oil and spread remaining onion oil over bread. Top with cheese.

Saute' Italian sausages in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking up with spoon. Divide sausage among bread halves. Bake pizzas until cheese melts and bread begins to crisp, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry 4 eggs in a little oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the eggs atop each pizza and spoon reserved onion olive oil over eggs. Cut each pizza between eggs into 4 pieces.

This breakfast pizza is a meal in its own but goes well with a big bowl of cantaloupe or broiled pink grapefruit.

So, if you are looking for that "perfect ride", check out an Oregon Bed & Breakfast. From Ashland to Portland and Hood River to the Oregon Coast choose from almost 100 very cool, very accommodating and very much ready to welcome you and your bike to Oregon.

See you soon!

Farm To Table...A Cook's Treasures In One Oregon Bed & Breakfast!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 by Debbie Lusk

Flowers at French Prairie Gardens in St. Paul, Oregon.

All throughout the Willamette Valley, farmer's markets are popping up their tents, propping up their tables and unloading their farm and garden treasures for anyone seeking a purely organic culinary experience. Culinary tourism here is fast becoming the reason why people are planning their entire vacations around food. It is also one of the top 10 reasons why someone chooses a destination to begin with.

Almost two years ago, Sunset Magazine wrote an article on the Willamette Valley and why it is such a treasure trove of really good, fresh, wholesome food. Because of that article, Matt Bennett, owner of Sybaris and Clemenza's in Albany still receives guests that have traveled just to taste the bounty he prepares and serves in his restaurants. With monthly menu changes, Matt uses his culinary skills to prepare his classical meals using only the freshest ingredients found in the region.

Jack and Heidi Czarnecki own The Joel Palmer House in Dayton and have also given visitors to Oregon a reason to eat really good food. On the Oregon and National Historic

Mushrooms growing wild near an Oregon Bed & Breakfast.

Registers, The Joel Palmer House is home to one of the finest restaurants in the Willamette Valley. Gathering mushrooms on the property along with other locally grown ingredients such as greens, herbs and vegetables, the dishes prepared and served here are spectacular. Using a method they refer to as "freestyle", Jack and Heidi also use ingredients found in Mexico, China, Thailand, Poland and India. For example, taste Joe's Wild Mushroom Soup or Heidi's 3 Mushroom Tart or the Rack of Lamb Palmer House with Hazelnut Pepper Sauce and Jalapeno Cornbread, oh my gosh! You can't stop there, so try the Cheesecake with Dayton Berry Sauce or the Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding.

French Prairie Gardens in St. Paul, Oregon is the epitome of the "farm to table" experience. So, if you decide to plan your Oregon vacation around "food", visit the gardens in St. Paul on your way home. Be sure to bring your farmer's market basket and fill it with fresh vegetables, breads, fruits, muffins, scones, cobblers and anything else your heart or belly desires. This 500 acre farm offers a little bit of all that is good and fertile in the Willamette Valley. The rural setting, the animals, the food so fresh from the soil, this farm is another reason why culinary tourism here in Oregon is the heart of sustainability and simply a really good reason to dine on really good food.

And, after you have dined, check out or into an Oregon Bed & Breakfast. In Albany, you have your choice of three Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild membership inns. The Train House Inn, Edelweiss Manor or The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn. In and around St. Paul and Dayton, The Lobenhaus Bed & Breakfast offers a full Oregon Bounty breakfast prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients from their own gardens or local farmer's market.

So many ways to taste all that is fertile and good here in the Willamette Valley. Culinary tourism at it's tastiest!

Culinary Tourism and Sustainable Practices in Eastern Oregon

Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Heather Tyreman

There's a new culinary tourism company here in Wallowa County (Northeastern Oregon) that just brought us information about tours and classes. Source Tours is a new effort of three women who want to bring the bounty of Northeastern Oregon to the public through farm and ranch tours, cooking experiences, bicycling and educational opportunities in our rural setting.

We're excited! They are currently offering four scheduled tours--June 6 & 7 and again August 22-23, 2009 for the "Classic Ranch and Farm Tour. The "Cooking from the Source Tour" will be offered on July 11-12 and August 1-2, 2009. In addition they have the flexibility to offer customs tours.

If you're looking for something different to do on your Eastern Oregon vacation, consider booking a ranch and farm tour--you'll learn directly from the farmers and ranchers of Wallowa County. From the Source Tours website:

This trip is for those with an appetite for an authentic experience. We'll travel through the picturesque Wallowa Valley to visit a grass fed beef ranch, an organic produce farm that supplies restaurants and farmers markets, a family-run dairy and chicken farm, a flock of sheep that inspired a rural economic development project, a brewery, wheat fields and more. Meet local farmers and ranchers and walk through their fields with them while they tell you the story of the land.

And we'll enjoy excellent meals that highlight as many local ingredients as possible. Scores of visitors are drawn to the beautiful scenery of Oregon’s rural landscapes, and with Source trips you can get an insider’s perspective and a rich understanding of the local agriculture, culture and economy.

Some of our hosts are the fourth generation of their family to steward the family ranch. Others made a mid-life career switch and started their business in the last few years. They all have a passion for what they do and how they do it. For the people who live here, and the people who visit here, the Wallowa Mountains are an amazing backdrop to it all.

You'll find four Oregon Bed and Breakfasts that are members of the Oregon B&B Guild here in Wallowa County. All four are dedicated to supporting local agriculture and sustainability of our local farms and ranches:

Pasture near Barking Mad Farm Country B&B on Alder Slope in Northeastern Oregon

Barking Mad Farm Country B&B and the Alder Slope Bed and Breakfast are both located between Joseph and Enterprise, Oregon, on the high ground (called Alder Slope) with commanding views of the countryside. Barking Mad Farm is also an Oregon lodging pet friendly B&B.

In the town of Joseph you'll find both Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast and the Bronze Antler B&B. These two B&B utilize farm-fresh eggs generously produced by 22 laying hens who live at Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast. We even encourage our guests to take home a dozen or two.

As much fun as a stay at the Oregon Coast hotels can be, a trip to Northeastern Oregon is something that can be fun, educational and tasty too. Ask your innkeeper about Source Tours when planning your Eastern Oregon vacation this year.

It's Always About The Food...Culinary Tourism in Oregon

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 by Debbie Lusk

Epicure: a person devoted to pleasure and refined sensuous enjoyment, especially for good food and drink! That is what you can get in Portland, Oregon. Yes, it's a "foodie" tour and it sounds heavenly. The Portland Epicurean Tour takes you on a wonderful journey through Portland letting you taste a bit of what makes this area of Oregon one of the most sought after "food lovers" heaven and the center for culinary tourism. Go through the back door of a distillery and sample the gin or rum and restaurants to check out the beer, coffees, chocolates, bagels, pizzas, gelatos, cheese's and salmon. Every tour is a little different with it's own offering of foods and drink and appeases even the most refined appetites.

As an innkeeper, I as many of my fellow innkeepers, believe it's almost always

Lodging in Oregon, Pfeiffer Cottage Inn Breakfast Table

"about the food!" In our local travels, we have discovered the joy in finding some new way to use the fresh, local and organic ingredients found in abundance at road side stands and farmer's markets in Oregon. In Oregon wine country, you not only find wine grapes, but there are berries growing on the sides of the road, greens growing in rows along winding streets and huge gorgeous pears hanging off trees in the orchards in the Mt. Hood region. So, how can it not be about the food.

The fact is, Oregon has always been in the forefront when it comes to "culinary tourism" and "sustainability". Long before good, local and fresh foods became the popular trend, Oregon led the way in culinary tourism because of all the agricultural treasures found here. Pair all that great food with some spectacular travel options and you have found the perfect draw for visitors seeking the perfect vacation.

The Apple Inn Bed and Breakfast and The River Walk Inn, both Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild inns, share some of their recipes on line along with other websites that offer many recipes that are typically used at bed and breakfasts. Some Oregon Bed and Breakfasts even offer cooking classes often included in the cost your room giving you and your innkeeper the opportunity to share recipes, a meal, and of course the fun. Finding the goods, and taking advantage of the local "booty", is the prime goal for the makings of the perfect meal.

Flowers in Lemon Curd Jar at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast.

If you are a "foodie", love to cook, and enjoy the whole bed and breakfast package, you might be an epicure! Go to www.obbg.org and click on the "Oregon Bounty" logo to see how Oregon Bed and Breakfasts are using local ingredients in their menu's and still leading the pack in "culinary tourism" in Oregon.

Cowboy Boots, A Wine Glass, And A Horse?

Thursday, April 23, 2009 by Debbie Lusk

Horseback Wine Tasting in The Willamette Valley

So, what does putting cowboy boots on, grabbing a wine glass and gettin' on a horse in the Willamette Valley have to do with each other? A wine tour by horseback! At Equestrian Wine Tours near Abbey Road Farm in the heart of wine country, you can actually go wine tasting at several wineries on the back of a Tennessee Walking Horse. I have heard of taking a limo and even assigning a dear friend as the "designated driver" while wine tasting but a wine tasting tour by horseback? A totally different kind of tasting experience. A good soak in a big hot tub of water in an Oregon Bed & Breakfast would end that kind of day perfectly.

Abbey Road Farm is an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild inn and is probably one of the most unique inns I have read about. Sitting on 82 acres in Carlton, Oregon, Abbey Road Farm Bed and Breakfast "Silo Suites" offers an Oregon Bed & Breakfast experience like no other with old grain silo's converted in to guest

Vineyards in The Willamette Valley Near An Oregon Lodging Facility

suites. I have the pleasure of visiting this Oregon lodging facility next week and am looking forward to seeing the suites, the farm, the animals and taking a long walk through the cherry orchard too.

Wine country here in the Willamette Valley has not only drawn those on horseback or limo but has become thee up and coming wine region in the U.S. Most of us that are lucky enough to live here know all of this and love knowing that we are in the heart of "the place for pinot." And, also according to Shermanstravel.com, the Willamette Valley is considered one of the 10 hot spots of 2009. About an hour from Portland and on the banks of the Willamette River sit well over 200 wineries in the heart of which is soon becoming the next Napa Valley.

Affordability, award winning wine, regional cuisine and culinary experiences, along with tours of working vineyards and local inns, have made for a perfect pairing and who wouldn't want to vacation or staycation here?

A few days at Abbey Road Farms, wine tasting by horseback and a taste of all that is fertile and good in the valley. Who could ask for a more perfect vacation!