Jen Jackson
Originally from Ohio, Jen Jackson moved to Portland with her college roommates to attend Portland’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in 2003. While there, Jen met her husband Alex, and the couple spent several years cooking at notable Portland restaurants before moving to San Francisco. Both Jen and Alex worked in and ran Michelin-starred restaurants before returning to Portland to be near friends and family. Though still a professional chef, Jen currently stays at home with their preschooler and 9-month old who may be her toughest food critics, yet. She looks forward to writing again, her first love before cooking, as well as reacquainting her family to Portland and the Pacific Northwest.
Spring Clean Your Weekly Meal Plan
Just before the green peas and snappy asparagus line produce stands, I like to “spring clean” my meal plan by organizing my cupboards and giving ingredients a fresh look. After becoming a mom, I...
5 Ways to Enjoy a More Sustainable Summer
Sun. Heat. Swimming. Camping. Ice Cream. All words woven into our summer vocabulary.
How about adding a few more like "sustainable," "eco-friendly," "carbon-conscious?" Many summer family activities can be modified with the environment in mind.
Here are...
Celebrating Juneteenth in Oregon and at Home
Though Juneteenth precedes the other mid-June holidays of Fathers' Day and the Summer Solstice (and school ending for some), explaining the meaning of Juneteenth can be more complex than these other celebrations. Juneteenth observes...
The Clock Is Ticking: Teaching Our Children About the Climate Emergency
According to the ever-ticking Climate Clock, we currently live in a state of climate emergency. The clock reads less than 12 years until the Earth will warm 1.5-2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrialization temperatures.
Basically, we...
Happy Birthday to Me and Our VBAC-Rainbow-Pandemic-April Baby!
April marks my daughter’s first birthday, making a year since our vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Birthdays feel like the real beginning of the year for me. Especially this year, as we slowly emerge...
Facing the Plastic Giant Head On
In the last 100 years since the invention of plastic, less than 10% of the world’s plastic has been recycled. Yikes. I read this and looked around my house. Every piece of plastic glowed...