July 8th, 2011

A Love Letter to Seattle

Last night we had friends in town from San Francisco.   These would be the D.I.N.K.’s (below) that we used to be, you know, dual-income, no kids– lots of time to do fabulous things, travel, eat in amazing restaurants, etc., you could say the world is the oyster…

In other words, the pressure was on.  So imagine our relief in being able to show off a bit by suggesting Oyster Bar, Walrus & the Carpenter. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872 (check out the pen and ink drawing behind them)

And the beautiful, open atmosphere.  This spot has been on our radar since this “love letter” to Seattle was published by the New York Times a month ago.  If food is remotely your thing, you live in Seattle or are ever planning to visit, you really must read this amazing article HERE.

And the delicious fruits of the sea, we chose 3 different kinds of the dozen or so they offer, Blue Pool from Mid Hood Canal in WA, Effingham, from the Effingham Inlet, BC and Snow Creek, from Discovery Bay, WA

“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter,

You’ve had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?

But the answer came there none–

And this was scarcely odd, because

They’d eaten every one. “

-Lewis Carroll

And so we did.  Enjoy the weekend!

 

Categories: Food, Fun
July 5th, 2011

Fun Twist on Margaritas

Nothing says summer time more than an icy adult beverage like a margarita, or an affectionately termed, “Margie” usually does the trick.

But if sour mix leaves a pit in your stomach, like it does mine. And a certain “Skinny Girl” leaves another kind of pit in your stomach (actually I do really like her, and the product just a twinge envious of all the success and this one is a little more D.I.Y. and “homemade” to boot.), might I suggest a “Scratch Margarita” with Jalapeno infused tequila?

The jalapeno adds just the perfect amount of spike and “kick” and lifts the taste way beyond ordinary.

Simply:

  • One fresh jalapeno cut into slices to your favorite tequila (I would suggest infusing for 24+ hrs. in your fridge) 2 oz. per drink
  • Twist in fresh lime juice, 1 oz. per drink
  • Add Cointreau, 1 oz. per drink
  • Lots of ice
  • Shake
  • Serve in jar glasses, like above (our wonderful hostess who introduced us to the concept) for a kitschy summer touch

Happy Imbibing!

Categories: Food, Friends, Fun
July 3rd, 2011

Quickie & Delish Appy.

Ahh, it’s such a wonderful holiday weekend and the weather is actually cooperating. Yippee!  It truly makes all the difference…Anyhoo, too much going on for a detailed post, but I’m accumulating lots of material, trust me.

Just wanted to hit you with our new favorite, super easy summer appy., in case you need to bring something to an outdoor gathering tomorrow or anytime this summer for that matter.   Very simple to make, we actually created this (it’s an “Aaron Original”) with ingredients straight out of the fridge/pantry.  Bonus.

Crostinis with Ricotta, Sliced Peach and Balsamic Glaze


Simply procure your favorite baguette, slice into one inch or so segments

Line the pieces onto a baking sheet, rub with garlic, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper

Either broil until crisp, or grab some tongs and throw onto the grill (which is what we did)

Once you have a nice crisp on the crostinis, smear with a healthy amount of ricotta, do make sure it’s fresh ricotta though, can’t express how important it is to get a good quality one (none of that processed stuff, think cheese section in  Whole Foods,  Metropolitan Market or local gourmet market)

Top with a sliced peach (again fresh, but duh.)

Finish with a dollop of balsamic glaze. We like Blaze.  Which you can get at all aforementioned stores, even Costco has it.

There you have it.  Oh and you can probably tell by photo we made a couple other variations, grilled asparagus, roasted, marinated tomato and  sauteed shrooms, all good, but the peach/balsamic is a was “the most successful” as they would say on Top Chef. But you don’t have to “pack your knives and go.”  You can stay.

Hope you have a GLORIOUS 4th of July!

 

Categories: Food, Fun
July 1st, 2011

Floating Farmer’s Market

Naturally, right? Only in a city that is surrounded by water on 3 sides would this be an option.

Virginia V is the name of the Lake Union floating vessel that hosts a Farmer’s Market each Thursday of summer.

What a treat this experience is…it’s actually a National Landmark too, and what a beaut. she is!

So we busily stocked our basket.  Suddenly I have a new “Market Day” to add to the roster…

Which is basically Thursday through Sunday throughout the summer.

Grab a cup of Joe

Or some lunch

Or pain au chocolat!

Ahoy!

 

Categories: Food, Fun
June 30th, 2011

4th of July Hostess Gift

Are you counting down the minutes till the holiday weekend?

The to-do list is growing. Stock up on food and beverage for picnics and barbecues, procure decorations for bike parade, start pulling out all my favorite summertime entertaining serving pieces, buy host/hostess gifts etc.


Got one of the to do’s taken care of though. Notice how I do the most fun items on my list first? Check out this festive hostess 4th inspired basket/beach bucket. Full of cocktail napkins, local Tim’s Chips, licorice, nautical tumblers & kid’s straw cups and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.  Yikes, I hope my friend doesn’t read this before I have a chance to deliver it…

All sourced from my fav. red Bullseye store…God Bless Target, Oh, and America!

P.S. I had to buy a stack of those nautical tumblers for myself too, they were too good to pass up!

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