Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Oh man, oh man!  The 2018 A-Z Blogging Challenge is just around the corner and it's time to reveal the theme of the month :) And, without further ado, I give you:  Noshing Your Way Through Oregon For the entire month of April I will be blogging about my favorite places to grab a bite, a pint, or a tasty treat in Oregon (specifically the western half of the state).  Why?  Because I like food.  It's universal and satisfying for the soul.  And it's my blog!  In return, feel free to share your favorite places to eat in your local area.  Or, if you've been to Oregon, feel free to share your favorite places to eat here.  It's a sharing and caring community! Don't know what the A-Z Blogging Challenge is?  Well, let me tell you!  Essentially, participants (hundreds!) spend the month of April (aside from Sundays...the much-coveted day of rest) blogging about their chosen topic in a corresponding day/letter format.  Day 1=A, Da...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a great way to share what you're loving in list form.  The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  Top Ten Books That Mention Yummy Food .  Now, I'll be honest in that I don't read a lot of books that feature food or are set around food; some come to mind, but nothing to build a favorites list around.  Instead, I'm going with my favorite cookbooks :) Super late to the game but...in no particular order:   365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners by Rachael Ray Say what you want about Ray, this book is fantastic! Betty Crocker's Cookbook by Betty Crocker This. Is. The. Ultimate. Cookbook! Culinaria: Germany by Christine Metzger Includes wonderful histories on the regions and WHY certain foods are prevalent. The Jewish Mama's Kitchen: Authentic Homestyle Recipes by Denise Philli...

  This week's topic is:  Favorite Foods and a Recipe to Share Mmmm...food!  Let's be honest, this list could (literally) go on forever.  You could easily subcategorize several different foods, whether by ethnic traits, sweets, savory, spicy, and so on.  So, to keep things simple, I'm breaking it down like this:  Things I Like to Snack On and Main Dishes! Things I Like to Snack On Jalapeno Cheddar Cheetos Blue Diamond Rice Crackers (in a variety of flavors) Chili Cheese Fritos Hummus Dark Chocolate String Cheese Kit Kats Main Dishes Zucchini Bake BBQ...pretty much anything Fish Tacos (my uncle makes the BEST!) Soups...I love a good soup And A Recipe! This has become my go-to dinner recipe when we have company.  It's so good, really easy to make, and a crowd-pleaser.  It may look like it takes awhile, but it really doesn't! Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (mmmm) 1 lb Chicken Breast (cubed or shredded) 2 Cups C...

The week is nearly finished, fellow A-Zers, and I'm looking forward to the weekend!  Today brings us to the letter V in our month-long alphabet challenge and I love what this letter represents in Oregon.  I'm actually going to go with two things today (cheater).  Without further ado... The Vortex In in the hills outside of the small town of Gold Hill, just north of Medford, there is a wonderfully mysterious site for the adventurous where brooms stand on their own, things that are smaller appear larger and vice versa, and where balls roll uphill.  The Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery is, essentially, a roadside attraction that is full of optical illusions which cause visitors to question the laws of physics.  The proprietors proclaim that the strange occurrences are due to paranormal properties, but I'll leave that up to the individual to decide.  The building on the property, a gold assaying office originally built in the early 1900s, slid o...