I spent this past weekend with four food bloggers that I met online and thank God we all liked each other :)! Natasha from NatashasKitchen, Marina from Let the Baking Begin, Valentina from Valentina’s Corner and Natasha from MomsDish. We all met online but never in person. So early in the summer we starting planning a bloggers retreat for us to meet, cook, eat and most importantly learn from each other.
We found a gorgeous beach house through VRBO.com on the Oregon coast. I was super excited because I’ve never been to Oregon nor that part of the country. Plus four days with uninterrupted sleep while hubby played Mr. Mom at home was something I did not want to pass on!
The house was a food bloggers dream house! Completely stocked kitchen with everything and anything you possibly may need and WINDOWS! EVERYWHERE! With breathtaking panoramic views of the ocean and evergreen mountains in the back. You can hear the waves of the ocean and smell the crisp air with just a crack of the window.
We spent most of our time in the kitchen, where we cooked every single day, ate dessert (every day), spent time on the beach and of course talked everything and anything blog related.
Natasha treating us to her delicious Shrimp Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce.
{top left: Cake Roulade with Raspberries from Valentina, The Best Crepes! from Natasha (MomsDish), bottom left: Zuppa Toscana from Natasha (MomsDish) and Roasted Salmon Recipe from Marina}
We were also invited for lunch and a tour at Tillamook Dairy. We learned everything about cheese making and got to sample their cheese and ice cream. It was whole lotta fun!
One day, we even got to Skype with one of our fellow foodies that we love so much: Julia from Vikalinka, who is all the way in the UK and has the most posh British accent. Plus her photography and writing skills are amazing!
On Sunday me and Natasha from MomsDish headed further down the coast. I had a late flight and she got stuck with me 🙂 We had such a great afternoon stopping at Cannon Beach, where we had lunch at a super cutesy cafe off the main drag: Seasons Cafe & Deli. It’s known for freshly made clam chowder. They did not disappoint! Also open faced caprese sandwiches and grilled cod tacos.
And of course an afternoon would not be complete without a little caffeine. Insomnia Coffee has Starbucks vibes with a small town coffee shop feel.
Last but not least, when in Oregon a trip to Voodoo Doughnuts is a must. Super funky donut combinations with a little metal music on the side 🙂
Overall it was such a great trip! I personally walked away feeling super INSPIRED and learned so much from these amazing girls who are not only bloggers but also wifes and mothers. Can’t wait to do it all over again next year!
You can see more pictures from our trip at NatashasKitchen, MomsDish and ValentinasCorner
Marina | Let the Baking Begin! says
I laughed when I read the first sentence of your post lol. Somehow I was naive enough to not even think about it when I was going to our little retreat)) Also, I see that you and Natasha really took advantage of your late flight. I’m glad you enjoyed Oregon. It was a pleasure to meet and spend time with you Katya! Hope we can do this again in the future!
Katya says
We had a great time visiting Oregon! Glad I was able to visit for little bit. It was great to meet you too and hopefully we’ll hang out again 🙂
Valya of valyastasteofhome.com says
Beautiful photos. Looks like you guys had so much fun. I wish I could be there, but my baby is still too little. Maybe next time 😉
Katya says
Thanks 🙂 We had a really great time. It was awesome to meet everyone in person. Yes! Next time would be awesome.
Marina says
I saw this on Facebook and clicked right away 🙂 How awesome! I am glad you enjoyed the Oregon coast. I grew up in Northwest area and never, ever tried Voodoo Donuts (how embarrassing!). Great pictures.
Katya says
Thanks Marina! We had a great time with the girls and can’t wait to see them again. Voodoo Doughnuts is definitely a fun experience. You so need to get on it 🙂
Marina | Let the Baking Begin! says
I have been to Vodoo several times and they make good doughnuts, but in my opinion they’re a bit overrated)) by the way, Bacon & Maple doughnut was my favorite, which one did you like?
Katya says
I completely agree! I checked it off the list. We got raspberry filled, chocolate and peanut butter? Can’t remember. Some of their names are a little out there. Raspberry one was my favorite and Bacon & Maple sounds pretty amazing.
Marina | Let the Baking Begin! says
A little out there is a nice way of saying it)) Plus the shop decor and aura is just so completely offputting to me that I kind of decided not to give them the pleasure of my business haha
[email protected] says
I saw this on Instagram and had to come over and read the whole thing. Such beautiful photos and what an incredible time for you all! Thanks for taking the time and hanging with me for an hour over Skype. It was super lovely! I had no idea I’ve acquired British accent! hahaha It must be teaching English that did it to me. Next year I am coming over! 🙂
Katya says
I’m so glad we got to Skype with you! You definitely need to come next year and speak to us in British 🙂
Mom's Dish says
Did someone say Inspired? Hahaha 🙂 You made fun of my for saying that I wanted to be Inspired!! I love your post!
Katya says
Ha ha! I was thinking of you when I wrote it 🙂