MARQUAM TRAIL

I feel as though March happened when I wasn't looking. Everyone's yards are suddenly filled with bright green daffodil buds, a smattering of purple and white crocuses, and endless shy little snowdrops. The snow we got a few weeks ago seems but a distant memory. 

These pictures were taken in January along the Marquam Trail, which snakes down from Council Crest Park in Portland, OR. The park offers some of the best views of the city around, and Council Crest is a wonderful vantage point from which to watch the sun dip below the horizon--just see the last photo if you don't believe me!

SWEET AND SIMPLE STRAWBERRY JAM DROPS

These are my new go-to cookies. They're sweet, simple, and travel well if you need a portable snack for long hikes through the woods, or long hours spent pouring over books in the library at school. Be warned: they're so easy to make you might find yourself eating them for breakfast, lunch, and snacks (I have't yet gone as far as to eat them for dinner).

SIMPLE HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK

Growing up, my mother always had rich homemade chicken stock on hand. We would collect all the bones from our autumn roast chickens dinners, and come the start of winter she would make a massive pot of stock that would last until spring. This “waste not want not” attitude served our family well, and I’ve applied those lessons to my own life as I’ve gotten older.

One of the simplest (and cheapest!) things you can make in the kitchen is vegetable stock. It’s a wonderful thing to have on hand for homemade soups and hearty grain recipes, and in my opinion it’s a winter kitchen staple.