Manzanita, Beach, Pizza & a Bald Eagle #family #Sunday #fun {#oregon #travel #NehalemStatePark}

Is it really already the second week of March? All is great here I just have been feeling under the weather a bit…but you know there is nothing like spending time outdoors to lift my spirit.   On Sunday we ventured out to the Oregon coast which is one of our favorite places it always rejuvenates with its majestic beauty.  There are so many great places to go from Portland for a quick day trip - often times we go to Cannon Beach closest to Portland but there are so many, many other fantastic spots…

This time it was Manzanita - the town is south of Cannon Beach and this is the view of the town and beach from 101…

Amazing, right?!  It is a cute little beach town this is the view down main street….

What do you think?

Since we did not pack a picnic {yes, shame on me} besides a couple of snacks we decided to order a couple of pizza's from Marzano's Pizza - easy enough, right?!  Yes, especially when the dough is "safe" for the girls (i.e. no milk sugar) and that makes this mothership very happy…Anyway it was a pepperoni pizza without dairy for the girls, and a number eight for the parental units.  While the pizza was in the making we walked down to the beach and relaxed for the twenty minutes until the pizza was ready.

The beach in Manzanita is by far not as crowded as in Cannon Beach, but looking for an even more quiet spot plus some dunes we packed the pizza's and drove down the five minutes to Nehalem State Park.  It is the perfect spot…dunes, beach, quiet…

We ate our pizzas on the beach - the girls ran down the dunes and the absolute cherry on top {as MiaRose says} was this sight…

Yes,  a Bald Eagle devouring his catch right on the beach;  good thing we brought the binoculars and Ron took the pictures.

Walking back to the car after a fun day on the beach

It's #giveRARE #day - please support #newbornscreening {@screenbabies} today

NOTE: March 3rd, 2015 was the first "Give Rare" fundraiser event - I support newborn screening and the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation; the link in this post has been updated to the SBTS donation page.  Thank you!

Today is the first ever Rare disease giving day and this is an event near to my heart; both of our children have a rare disorder called Classic Galactosemia.  Statistically it effects about 1:60,000 newborns in the United States.  Galactosemia is detected through newborn screening and without early detection it can be fatal to the infant or lead to severe complications.  Alena most likely would not have survived E.Coli Mengengitis if her newborn screen would not have come back in time.

Our happy and healthy girls

Newborn screening saved her life and MiaRosie's life -> read our story here;  Jake and Owen's story tells about what happens without early detection.

As a newborn screening advocate I support the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation; an organization whose mission is to save babies by working to prevent disabilities and death resulting from disorders detectable through newbornscreening.  Would you please join me in supporting this great organization?

Tasting The Seasons by Kerry Dunnington {#cookbook #review}

Disclaimer: I have received a copy of this book for review all opinions are my own; this post contains affiliate links.
                 

Tasting The Seasons Inspired, In-Season Cuisine That's Easy, Healthy, Fresh and Fun by Kerry Dunnington is a 288 page cookbook that includes recipes from breakfast items to appetizers - main dishes and desserts.  The first brief section of the book is dedicated to tips on entertaining and hosting the perfect dinner party; tips include hiring party staff, menu cards, serving sizes etc.  This section is followed by Ms. Dunnington's invitation for the reader to join in The 365 Challenge; challenging one to make more environmentally friendly choices by eliminating plastic ware, eat in, eat local foods, etc.

Each recipe section starts out with a nice, easy to read introduction followed by a recipe overview.  The appetizer section includes favorites such as Guacamole with an interesting twist. Enhancers include salad dressings, sauces, as well as beverages including a recipe for seasonal Sangria.  The breakfast and brunch section includes everything from a Cherry Almond Coffeecake to Oven-Roasted Tomato Quiche to Chestnut Pancakes.  Ms. Dunnington includes a great soup section with recipes ranging from Hearty Soups {21 recipes} to sixteen Lighter Than Hearty Soups recipes which include Shrimp and Cucumber Bisque, Sunburst Squash Soup as well as Home-Harvest Gazpacho.  The soup section is followed by a Pesecatrian, and next a meat section with recipes using chicken as well as pork.  A large recipe collection for side dishes is next.  This section is divided into Cold Garden Greenery and Warm Garden Greenery.  The Cold Garden Greenery part includes thirteen recipes including dishes such as Kohlrabi Coleslaw and Marinated Yellow Beets with Horseradish.  The Warm Garden Greenery includes twenty recipes for sides such as Caramelized Parsnips with Roasted Pecans and a Berry Nutty Couscous. Next up is the Bread, Biscuit, Roll section and is - like all other parts of the book - started with introduction.  The introduction includes a useful guide for successful bread making, and the twelve recipes include Popovers as well as Radish Bread with Caraway Seeds. The final piece of the collection are Sweet Endings and include twenty-two recipes.  Sweets Endings everything from Baked Alaska to Pudding and Shortbread.

The back of the book includes an A-Z Product Resource List with information on what, where, and when to buy. This informational part is followed with an explanation on Eco-Terms, Tips, and Techniques.

This cookbook encourages the reader to understand the importance of knowing where food comes from and to make sustainable food choices. I very much like that the book includes plenty of space for taking notes but would have liked to see a little bit more pictures besides the few black and white sketches. My favorite parts include the 365 challenge, the fantastic guide to bread baking as well as all of the explanation on the environmental terms and tips.

Recipes that are certain to make an appearance at our table include Kohlrabi Coleslaw,  Cream of Kohlrabi Soup,  Popovers, Apple Celery Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette, and Peach Cake

Tasting The Seasons
Inspired, In-Season Cuisine That's Easy, Healthy, Fresh and Fun
Author Kerry Dunnington

Paperback: 288 pages

Difficulty of Recipes:       Easy - Medium
Cuisine:                            American cuisine
Galactosemia friendly:     Yes, many of the the recipes can be easily adapted to suit a dairy free
(dairyfree)                        diet
Pro:                                  Contains good information and tips throughout
                                         250 recipes
Good to know:                 Black and white with very few illustrations

Suggested Retail Price: 19.95