Julia Child would have turned 100 years old today. That milestone has inspired cooks everywhere to remember her and to cook something a little French this evening :). Sur La Table is hosting cooking classes this month to celebrate her birthday including 4 of Julia’s recipes. I recreated my favorite of the 4 at home […]
We have been thoroughly enjoying our little pool this summer :). Even when it’s too chilly to put my feet in, I like to sit beside the water with a magazine (or my blog!) since it makes me feel like I am on a little vacation at home. I am soaking up all of the […]
Over Seafair weekend, we had a fun idea to get out our little inflatable pool and set it up on our back deck. It was a really hot weekend by Seattle standards, so it was a nice way to cool down in the mid afternoon heat. It kind of made our little corner of the […]
It’s Seafair weekend in Seattle! Our neighborhood transforms into a big party filled with boats on Lake Washington, the Blue Angels flying overhead, hydroplane races and a wakeboard competition. After taking in some of the festivities during the day, we decided to celebrate Seafair Saturday night in our own back yard, our way :). I […]
We enjoyed a few delicious Dungeness crabs for dinner, as we do every year to celebrate this little anniversary. It marked 14 years since we moved into our current house together, and 17 years since I have lived in Seattle! After dinner, we needed something sweet to top off the night :). I decided to […]
Happy 4th! Tonight I decided to shake up the traditional Fourth of July hamburger with ground bison. It’s a very lean meat and a healthier option compared to most ground beef, and it is also feels like a patriotic choice for this holiday since bison have lived around this country longer than we have! I followed […]
I can’t put down the new book by Sarah Jio called The Bungalow. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for your next summery book to read at the beach (as long as you don’t have anything else on your calendar to do, since it is a page-turner! ;)) The story starts in […]
I’ve been working at two separate cooking schools this spring, which inspired me to pick up a book about a group of people who meet every week for a cooking class. It is entitled The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. The way she writes about cooking and food is so descriptive that it […]
One of the recipes that I go back to again and again for a quick, easy and inexpensive meal is this one for curried salmon cakes. It is a refreshing blend of curry and apples, which is a little unexpected and a little exotic for a weeknight meal :). The recipe originally came from Sunset […]
To celebrate Mother’s Day weekend this year, my mom came up for a visit filled with the things we love to do together! Things like shopping at some of our favorite stores, taking a cooking class, and enjoying this fresh ravioli for dinner. I have recently learned that fresh pasta is actually amazingly easy, and […]
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today I remodeled my favorite sparkling wine sidecar recipe to be a bit Mexican! 🙂 Swap out the cognac for tequila and swap out the lemon for lime. It has a similar flavor profile to a margarita, which is perfect for Cinco de Mayo. After our Irish Sidecars were such a […]
When I first began to get into cooking, I spent a lot of time watching shows like Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. They taught me the basics and inspired me to try many of the recipes on my own. I still make a few of the dishes on a semi-regular basis, […]
I brought home some delicious homemade bread from Sur La Table’s artisan bread class, so we decided to make a spring crostini dish with one of the baguettes. I think there is something extraordinary about peas and fresh mint together. Top that slightly sweet combination with salty Parmesan, and it’s a really special dish. Simple, […]
Happy March 17th! To celebrate this evening, I took my favorite cocktail recipe and switched it up to be a wee bit Irish. I’ll call it an Irish Sidecar. 🙂 I started with the recipe for the sparkling wine sidecar cocktail that I wrote about last March, but I replaced the cognac with Irish whiskey, […]
Since Saint Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, I was in the mood for something a little Irish. To celebrate, I made Guinness and Beef Stew tonight. It’s one of those dishes that simmers on the stove all afternoon and makes the whole house smell inviting until the beef falls apart with a spoon. My Irish […]
Happy Valentine’s Day! We had a special little heart shaped appetizer to celebrate Heart Day :). The original recipe was from one of Sur La Table’s cooking classes entitled Great Restaurant Recipes of Seattle, and this one was courtesy of Rover’s. I streamlined it to make it a little more weeknight friendly, and I also […]
Seattle woke up to quite a bit of snow today, which is a rare treat for us! It is so gorgeous and white outside of my window. The snow inspired me to bake some muffins to warm up our kitchen and make the house cozy :). After several batches, these banana buttermilk muffins were our […]
Tonight, we had a special dinner for no particular reason other than it is Monday. That’s a reason to celebrate, right? Why not? 🙂 There is a little snow on the ground, it’s a cozy day to stay inside, and I saw an eagle flying over Lake Washington from my window. There are always reasons […]
Amid several heavy Christmas dishes, I made a light and festive salad that was inspired by a recipe from Domaine Chandon. The different elements really came together to make a delicious combination. It was very easy to assemble, but it felt a little special. That’s my idea of the perfect Christmas dish :). I used […]
I have tried many pumpkin muffin recipes since pumpkin is one of my favorite fall flavors, but this is the one I keep coming back to. They are now an autumn/holiday treat that I make every year. (Sometimes I even make them in the spring or summer since they are so good, and canned pumpkin […]