Muselet Restaurant & Wine Bar - October Wine Dinners

It is time to get fancy! South Waterfront will be the home of a new restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Muselet Restaurant & Wine Bar will open their doors in December but until then, you can attend one of their champagne wine dinners at Jacobson Salt Co. in just a couple weeks. Guess who has EXCLUSIVE details? This girl!

Muselet will feature French-influenced cooking from Chef William Harper, a veteran of several of Portland's finest restaurants, with a food-pairing focus on Champagne and regional sparkling wines. This new restaurant and wine bar is a perfect match for me because I love bubbles and I don't need a special occasion to drink them.

Once this 80 seat restaurant (+ seasonal patio seating!) is open, then I will share my experience but for now, check out one of these three opportunities for a sneak preview!

October 24th - Celebrate International Champagne Day!

• Hors d’oeuvres and six courses, each paired with Champagne.
• Four producers of Récemment Dégorgé (prestige) ‘grower’ Champagnes from France will be in attendance and seated among guests:
• Rodolphe Péters, Champagne Pierre Peters
• Arnaud Margaine, Champagne A. Margaine
• Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy, Champagne Rene Geoffroy
• Laetitia Billiot, Champagne H. Billiot Fils. 

Location: Jacobsen Salt Co. 602 SE Salmon St, Portland
$150 per person, including wine pairings, excluding gratuity. Limited seating.

October 25th - Hommage to the Greatest Champagne Houses in the World

• Hors d’oeuvres and six courses, each paired with Champagnes from the prestige cuvée of Moët Hennessy, including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, 
• House of Ruinart, House of Krug and Dom Pérignon. Representatives from Moët Hennessy will be present

Location: Jacobsen Salt Co. 602 SE Salmon St, Portland
$150 per person, including wine pairings, excluding gratuity. Limited seating.

October 31st, 4-6:30pm - Bubbles & Treats Halloween Sparkling Wine Hour

• Start your Halloween celebration with us! Guests will taste a selection of the Veuve Cliquot and sparkling wines from around the world. Enjoy generous hors d’oeuvre ‘treats’.
• Special selection of bubbles will be available for purchase.
• Most creative costume will receive dinner for two to Muselet.

Location: Umpqua Bank, South Waterfront, 3606 SW Bond Ave, Portland
$35 per person. Limited tickets available.

Reservations: ron@museletpdx.com or 503-706-4671

Banana Almond Muffins - healthy and vegan!

Looking for a fast breakfast idea? These muffins are it! I have made this recipe three times now and don't plan to stop anytime soon. They are easy to make and a quick "grab n' go" item in the morning. I think way too many people skip breakfast because they don't have time and when they do grab something, it may not be the healthiest option. I mean, I definitely indulge in a good brunch with some sweet and savory dishes but I try to keep my M-F breakfasts healthy and packed with all the good stuff. 

Enjoy! 

{Vegan} Banana Almond Oatmeal Muffins

adopted from Coffee & Quinoa

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1/2 cup almond butter

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4-5 bananas) 

3 cups old-fashioned oats (I used gluten-free oats)

1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup raw sliced almonds + extra for topping

- Grease a muffin tin with baking spray. These muffin tins will be filled to the top!

- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer for this). 

- Spoon into muffin cups. Top with a few sliced almonds.

- Place on rack in the center of the oven and bake until oatmeal cups are firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes.

- Wait several minutes for oatmeal cups to cool before running a knife around the edges and removing them from the tin. Voila! 

I refrigerate and take one with me each morning for a breakfast on the go! These also freeze well, so if you make a large batch, you have the option of freezing and pulling them out as you need to.