February 1, 2023, 6:03am Clark County Life
To celebrate Lunar New Year, our family went to Uwajimaya Asian Market in Beaverton, Ore. We bought tea, mochi, matcha pudding and warm char siu bao (steamed buns filled with barbecued pork). We also sampled chicken wontons in a spicy chili oil sauce. They were delicious, like little meat clouds.… Read story
January 25, 2023, 6:03am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive
I have a note tacked up next to my desk that says, “Go all in. The joy is the thing.” I suppose that’s a colloquial paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Of course, no one ever mentions the depressing second… Read story
January 18, 2023, 6:00am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive
At dinner with friends last weekend, the conversation veered toward New Year’s resolutions. The hostess revealed that “drink more tea” was on her list for 2023. It’s such a lovely aspiration, far better than “get a gym membership” or “eat more vegetables” or “do something about those awful toilet bowl… Read story
January 11, 2023, 6:02am Clark County Life
Gerda J. Mattson knew how to bake. Born in 1900 in Kronoby, Finland, she later emigrated to the United States in 1906, catching sight of the Statue of Liberty rising out of the mists on Ellis Island. She lived in Astoria, Ore., for a few years before moving with her… Read story
January 4, 2023, 6:01am Clark County Life
Around Christmas, we usually take a trip to the coast because I have an unreasonable love for stormy skies, thundering waves and misty Northwest beaches. We could go anywhere, but when Christmas bells are ringing it awakes in me a wild desire to stand at the edge of the continent… Read story
December 21, 2022, 6:00am Clark County Life
I don’t always love Christmas. There, I’ve said it. I might as well add that I don’t like Disneyland and I don’t instantly love every dog I meet. I think that’s the Grinchy Trifecta, right there, although even Grinch has his dog, Max. So I’m officially Grinchier than the Grinch. Read story
December 14, 2022, 6:04am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive
By golly, I do love a cheese board. The holidays offer ample opportunities to amp up your cheese-board game, so to speak, and do something beyond the usual cheese ball (though I will happily help to demolish a cheese ball, especially if it’s coated in almonds). Read story
December 7, 2022, 6:02am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went to Mt. Angel, Ore. We visited the breathtaking Mount Angel Abbey, perched high on a hill with a heart-stopping view of Oregon’s pastoral beauty spread out below like a green-and-yellow tablecloth. Later, we drove into town to see the famous four-story glockenspiel, a clock… Read story
November 30, 2022, 6:01am Clark County Life Subscriber Exclusive
Thanksgiving may have passed, but stuffing season is not over. This sweet-and-savory side dish has been around since the Roman Empire, used by a chef named Apicius to stuff roasted rabbits, pigs, chickens and, shockingly to our modern palate, mice. The first stuffing recipes are recognizably similar to contemporary versions,… Read story
November 23, 2022, 6:01am Clark County Life
They say you eat with your eyes first, although it would be hard to squeeze a turkey sandwich past my glasses. But seriously, it is true that appearance can affect taste and lovely surroundings can elevate even the humblest meal. Read story