It was my first try at salted caramel frosting, and while it was tasty, there wasn’t enough full bodied, caramel flavor. I used this recipe, and even doubled the amount of caramel as some readers suggested, still a little too bland. I also swapped out the kosher salt for grey sea salt–that choice I was happy with.

Time to find a new frosting recipe.

I also had to retry boiling the sugar several times as it crystalized the first two times–when I used a non-stick pan. It was fine once I switched to a stainless steel pot. Has anyone else had the same problem?

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I have a new candy addiction – salted caramels – and I blame our trip to Portland. It was there I tasted the salted caramels from the little chocolate shop, Sahagun. The candy is an adorable cup of dark, creamy chocolate filled with flowing caramel that is at the same time sweet and savory. And the addition of my favorite nut, the hazelnut, on top of the confection makes this treat my idea of perfection.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the hazelnut filled chocolates topped with a creamy, cupcake-ish chocolate hazelnut frosting.

A special thanks to fellow blogger Jessica of ItalyLogue for giving me the head’s up about the liquidity of the caramel so as not to have caramel drip down my chin after taking a bite

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Our weekend in Portland was filled with so much delicious food, but the doughnuts were my favorite. We visited Voodoo Doughnuts–the hipster hole in the wall doughnut shop with flavors including grape ape, bacon maple bar and captain crunch. I had the old dirty bastard (above) which was a freshly baked yeast doughnut topped with chocolate glaze, crushed Oreos and peanut butter. It was the peanut butter that truly made me want to eat a second.

Clearly the west coast is serious about high-quality doughnuts. East coast, how will you redeem yourself?

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Hey folks–I’ll be in Portland this weekend and plan to stop by the farmer’s market on Saturday, but am looking for suggestions for restaurants. I’ve done a little research and there seem to be so many that I need your help. I love greasy spoons and diners and would also like to try one of the many restaurants that focus on local foods.

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