tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59557310759359059162024-02-20T20:51:26.489-08:00A Bucket Of Spice In GreenwoodThe ongoing adventures of a Optimistic Pedicurist and Cynical Engineer who got married and are now living in Seattle. More specifically Greenwood.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-77730029127619163912010-03-21T20:41:00.001-07:002010-03-21T21:03:47.512-07:00Cooking up a stormI'm a very lucky lady.....life just gets better and better these days. Winter in Seattle has been unusually warm this year, so I got an early start on the garden. Now, let's just see if it grows (which seems to be my challenge). We are traveling nearly every weekend in April--to Disneyland with the family, a wine weekend in Walla Walla, a girls scrapbooking trip to Leavenworth and recently I got back from both Denver and Calgary. I've been working more than usual and I signed up for a 10 week boot camp to get in shape before summer. Or whatever 'shape' means to me. I took an amazing veggie gardening class from Tilth and I am convinced I can color my own hair after attempting a new coat of blue today. Of course, Lee has to help me with this, but he's actually getting good at it. Scary. That sums some of it up. And here are some of the tasty treats I've been concocting.<div><br /></div><div>Shrimp and Tofu Panang Curry, 5 Star, with broccoli. SO much better when you make thai food yourself.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3bCDnWJvDrHsdLXvEvIIpNIPIvr09UsNxLzjiKzB4xG6uX2Pbh096UjTgG5JDMoBXvc7Jh7cOZpVAOcsVkrXFKMZjm0xi4tD-g2DmuNo24pQG6Y6yCXvKwpnqmuDqKWnMeJ2NWzqLbOt/s1600-h/IMG_2657.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3bCDnWJvDrHsdLXvEvIIpNIPIvr09UsNxLzjiKzB4xG6uX2Pbh096UjTgG5JDMoBXvc7Jh7cOZpVAOcsVkrXFKMZjm0xi4tD-g2DmuNo24pQG6Y6yCXvKwpnqmuDqKWnMeJ2NWzqLbOt/s320/IMG_2657.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299426752835474" /></a>Happy St. Pat's Day to us! Best Guinness Irish Beef Stew and Soda Bread I've ever had, and I made it all from scratch. Kind of impressed myself on this one. I'm trying to live up to my Irish name!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJtLNqZgJhQQvAhAKglN6Qh9DswsEL5IjOGZxA8gI3JRV-5lEjDFKkuh2HMNrZryWeogGDECM6ez8p2dDzT42bMLpapYYnD5B2X98jjvOIVJxuaq4LUSpjBWQo70u1qD1JyXeauZ37z-L/s1600-h/IMG_2654.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJtLNqZgJhQQvAhAKglN6Qh9DswsEL5IjOGZxA8gI3JRV-5lEjDFKkuh2HMNrZryWeogGDECM6ez8p2dDzT42bMLpapYYnD5B2X98jjvOIVJxuaq4LUSpjBWQo70u1qD1JyXeauZ37z-L/s320/IMG_2654.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299417970398226" /></a>We bought a semi-professional ice cream maker and had a winter ice cream social. I have to say, my salted caramel was a hit. We also had strawberry, vanilla bean, chocolate, pear and rocky road.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMV47f0EIbGfWp15Pr1DjAxOHygZSM1J504nER6-6zzIpJfXkXso5KmzjWhi-JbflD4sYB0C_3fb7iADJKE_SoCUBIaHLbiUQ446G9PNKGB2VxO1UEtmYHaJItHSJpchRSRw3XA4Jy1jPT/s1600-h/IMG_2646.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMV47f0EIbGfWp15Pr1DjAxOHygZSM1J504nER6-6zzIpJfXkXso5KmzjWhi-JbflD4sYB0C_3fb7iADJKE_SoCUBIaHLbiUQ446G9PNKGB2VxO1UEtmYHaJItHSJpchRSRw3XA4Jy1jPT/s320/IMG_2646.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299413393136418" /></a>Lettuce this year has been awful, but one week this year (one sad little week) the lettuce looked good enough to buy and make a salad. You'll be happy to know the farmer's market started having salad greens this week and I got myself a bag this morning. Thank God!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6qbG52Nvd05P0c1WIL0hrm8zWRML2JqaUYfS1iDF19HWR7sUXd-zHCTkLdCzIJ0hDPuyEKumM42cSGkollEIdNmcvgVP3HfjJThG2UmUcsaydNnmkBJ4DvK4TElR-WNBL6b0veas1Hbp/s1600-h/IMG_2638.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6qbG52Nvd05P0c1WIL0hrm8zWRML2JqaUYfS1iDF19HWR7sUXd-zHCTkLdCzIJ0hDPuyEKumM42cSGkollEIdNmcvgVP3HfjJThG2UmUcsaydNnmkBJ4DvK4TElR-WNBL6b0veas1Hbp/s320/IMG_2638.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299056981367106" /></a>Baked Chicken with lot of roasted garlic, baby red potatoes and mushrooms.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7U2NZYwkhPSw-CrDWj3gGtE4efqeVuc_afmDD-3DRJbEfi_oK45MMMVBZMVI5PxkCuMroytMO0IQwlSKusrKfEItMHOqPA2jzU7CnmX3TnoayD5G2jqOEIlh03gr_TzJ8030PO5ZFSkG/s1600-h/IMG_2637.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7U2NZYwkhPSw-CrDWj3gGtE4efqeVuc_afmDD-3DRJbEfi_oK45MMMVBZMVI5PxkCuMroytMO0IQwlSKusrKfEItMHOqPA2jzU7CnmX3TnoayD5G2jqOEIlh03gr_TzJ8030PO5ZFSkG/s320/IMG_2637.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299053087439602" /></a>Chicken enchiladas with homemade guacamole and broccoli.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQsSvsm6CRr2Vui7G8Z4c81Y_RCFquya-YORMRd6-XWv7dxF8bx4RaS0NOM8_qrAll7xeh2LL16E2OtbmRgi1Gyg4e6Eisda7dy69KRIoVJWgHpn4nDAYZYE5GWf9SkvZMIEiqfYXJ1DV/s1600-h/IMG_2634.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQsSvsm6CRr2Vui7G8Z4c81Y_RCFquya-YORMRd6-XWv7dxF8bx4RaS0NOM8_qrAll7xeh2LL16E2OtbmRgi1Gyg4e6Eisda7dy69KRIoVJWgHpn4nDAYZYE5GWf9SkvZMIEiqfYXJ1DV/s320/IMG_2634.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299044940014146" /></a>Always wanted to make Celeriac Salad after having it nearly every day in Provence, France and it was just as good as I remember it. We had it with fried chicken, and it was a nice, crispy and light side.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmsoOdE9pDHwlozACmQUx_LtLAyfJ9IqyOe0aNQJ7vVgQIC3wKnK8LYwUxy95dZy-dzgXwdDUHwUC160tYUvVdqhhvXdIzAvykRQaxcGsfVpGvH2CUuXR2cxpknHLakL42KToVC0vKdGZ/s1600-h/IMG_2626.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmsoOdE9pDHwlozACmQUx_LtLAyfJ9IqyOe0aNQJ7vVgQIC3wKnK8LYwUxy95dZy-dzgXwdDUHwUC160tYUvVdqhhvXdIzAvykRQaxcGsfVpGvH2CUuXR2cxpknHLakL42KToVC0vKdGZ/s320/IMG_2626.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299038795763250" /></a>And finally, spaghetti and Meatballs! These were fabulous, simmered for hours too. The best I've ever done when it comes to adding meatballs. I froze some, as I typically do with my tomato sauces for future quick dinners, and I think I'll make spinach manicotti this week with the leftovers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlQdNkxAMFKg9-Rj1uX4kvAk7mY7iebgepVYaZ0piIaJqTHi7nvNel-psCNGkCGAHvg-CT0Ff8WBwP1aafjTHoWwq7ThY2J8CxVTHT6qHyla_rIxLX3b2AdU-clNi2L675CIsd8LA1Iqa/s1600-h/IMG_2623.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlQdNkxAMFKg9-Rj1uX4kvAk7mY7iebgepVYaZ0piIaJqTHi7nvNel-psCNGkCGAHvg-CT0Ff8WBwP1aafjTHoWwq7ThY2J8CxVTHT6qHyla_rIxLX3b2AdU-clNi2L675CIsd8LA1Iqa/s320/IMG_2623.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451299026639279234" /></a><br /></div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-48854399643788866432010-02-25T23:15:00.000-08:002010-02-25T23:15:20.351-08:00Getting Lost QuicklyThe final season of Lost will end on May 23rd after six seasons on the air. If you've been a fan of the show since the beginning, this final season is leaving you with anxious anticipation, teasing you with revelations that may once and for all reveal the mysteries of the island. If you're instead like me, you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about. I decided that I didn't want to miss out on what could potentially be definitive scifi cultural moment, so I decided to watch the entire series and catch up in time to watch the final episode with my friends.<br />
Because Lost is known for having a very intricate, detailed, and at time convoluted plot I kept notes to make sure I wouldn't forget details, plot points, and my own questions as the story unfolded. Very stream of conciousness. Because it think it's interesting I've posted my notes for season 1 after the jump. Obligatory spoiler warnings here.<br />
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~Start of Season 1 here~<br />
<start 1="" season=""><br />
16 years - the others are dead -french woman? - Danielle Rousseau<br />
Miracle? Why can Locke walk on the island?<br />
Kate's Favor? - Get the money for the old farmer.<br />
LATE on charlies fingers?<br />
Rose?<br />
Helen? Locke's phone lover<br />
Man in black suit?<br />
Joanna woman in riptide? Does she ever come back?<br />
Claire - pregnant lady<br />
Jack's Dad? WTF? On the island? What's up tween jack and his dad, what he do?<br />
Dolls?<br />
Who knocked out the Sayid? Locke?<br />
Stones on dead body in cave adam and eve?<br />
What's up with Jin?<br />
What happened to Charlies Brother Liam?<br />
Why is sawyer such a dick?<br />
Who's the guy who loaned his money to Sawyer?<br />
Cable into the ocean?<br />
What happened to nadia? Living in Irvine Cali. Sayid on the way<br />
What must claire raise her child? WTF MATE?<br />
WTF Ethan? why is he super strong?<br />
Charlie die and brought back by island to die later?<br />
What is the toy plane in kates enevelope? From Tom, the dead doctor guy.<br />
How does Locke know how to do all this shit?<br />
Sawyer got arrested in Australia?<br />
Why is the compass off so bad?<br />
WTF? Shannon and Boone?<br />
What's goin on with the hatch? Light? Someone inside?<br />
Who drove car that knocked michael out? Important?<br />
Why is Susan a giant bitch?<br />
Polar bear attack WTF?<br />
Why is Walt special?<br />
Whispers? Real or imagined?<br />
Black Rock? Is actually a boat?<br />
Why did Sawyer not tell Jack about meeting his dad? Eventually did, before leaving on Raft.<br />
Who is the real sawyer?<br />
Hurley and the cursed numbers? What's going on?<br />
What did hurley put his family through?<br />
Same Lady was with Sawyer as drew the Lotto numbers? Significant?<br />
Hurley owns a chunk of Lockes box company?<br />
Why was Hurley in an insane institution?<br />
1988, numbers transmited by the island. lured in rosseau, eventually got to hurley<br />
Locke's Brother?<br />
Dead Body from plane in tree? Nigerian Priest? Heroin Smugglers<br />
Why do Locke's legs stop working suddenly?<br />
Boone dies as Baby aaron is born? Coincidence?<br />
What did the other person on the radio say?<br />
When did Jack save Sarah's life?<br />
Why does the baby respond to sawyer?<br />
Who is Kate's TOM? He's a doctor? Doctor died. Is this who Kate killed? Airplane.<br />
Who is Kate's Diane? Her Mom, why is she so upset with Kate, What did kate put her through?<br />
How did Walt know to say "Don't open it?" Why did he say "Yes we do" when asked to leave?"<br />
What did Kate do that she's so crazy to get away?<br />
The Others? Whispers people or people from tail of plane?<br />
Black smoke heralds the coming of the others? <br />
What is it with babys being kidnapped on this island?<br />
What's causing the black smoke column? Large torches on beach. Unrelated to Monster?<br />
What's with Ana Lucia? She's in the back of the plane. Seat 42F. Near the tail.<br />
Sawyer in Australia. He headbutted a minister. Real name James Ford. Banned from 'stralia.<br />
Shannon got Sayid f'd over in the airport. <br />
Did walt jedi mind trick Vincent back to shore?<br />
Wow, sucks to be Arzt.<br />
Mr. Paik hunting down Jin. Whose the guy?<br />
NO seriously wtf is it with kidnapping children on this island?<br />
Michael Mom? Did walt hear micheal offer to give him to her?<br />
Smoke Monster. Locke saw it before why didn't it kill him then? It's knocking down trees.<br />
Smoke monster. Mechanical? Organic? Both? Nanosmoke from the future?<br />
Why is the watch so imporant that it had to be hand couriered to America?<br />
Hurley worst luck. The numbers on the shirt and the gate? Giant sweat hug. hehe.<br />
Why do the others want Walt?<br />
Why are the number in the hatch<br />
What's in the hatch?<br />
~End of Season 1~<br />
<end 1="" of="" season=""><br />
<br />
So next up is Season 2. By my calculations there are 95 episodes before the series finale. And there are 86 days before May 23rd. So I have to average about 1.2 episodes a day, every day to catch up. Once I'm done with Season 2, I'll make another post similar to this one. But next, ice cream!Lee Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05134038682176062576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-52454599622229666072010-02-09T00:29:00.000-08:002010-02-09T00:31:43.057-08:00Lee making borscht<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sIPZ75YO680&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sIPZ75YO680&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-27873903346062078782010-02-04T17:59:00.000-08:002010-02-04T18:24:10.768-08:00Much better than crabby patties.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF4CiCoNGnwMPx4hhvsAByn5m64GYFS_Dj6FOk6evHzSQRysUqRnCKIaJZcRAgp0td10kCyGpusslbnzH0S1EQjzCKYdmiwPTSSEdxiR4A5j9DXrO8j46L-jgzRygRtjAssyENYm5sRku/s1600-h/IMG_2622.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpMc8VkNQTjx_w1HIZEGSWim1cP-hMcnMVwe8GZb6CjGhCt5cZdjh1Gr5fJg6vRMsLL7TnibFCOD2E7TMUN9Zktv4H7zOHYAGVElEbo-_rBJL2Q8cyInQQQosrbTnOnpKS9APG8tQLD2p/s1600-h/IMG_2618.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQtbCdRr22w512U2uEjPusHgwAxqcLcbw6mrXH9cbSlRpLuh3WhDjBpbi4HRNuGsvJ2mpRr6OJeC9WPaChTYvESE4RndsD5M9KXPJI1nyXmTupeorLOVR11mcvIJoE9JaAG-FG39-DIwi/s1600-h/IMG_2613.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQtbCdRr22w512U2uEjPusHgwAxqcLcbw6mrXH9cbSlRpLuh3WhDjBpbi4HRNuGsvJ2mpRr6OJeC9WPaChTYvESE4RndsD5M9KXPJI1nyXmTupeorLOVR11mcvIJoE9JaAG-FG39-DIwi/s400/IMG_2613.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434578101042268114" /></a><br />I'm not sure if dungeness crab is always this inexpensive, but for some reason I don't remember it being $6 a pound last year or the year before or the year before. I've asked a few butchers why it's so cheap and no one can explain, so we are in crab heaven. It ends up being about $10 per crab, which isn't particularly inexpensive, but it beats going out to a restaurant for crab any day. And it's cooked and cleaned and ready to be taken home and cracked. Typically I make homemade thousand island dressing and lemon butter for it and we just eat it like a crab cocktail, but we had got so much meat out of these two crabs that I decided to make crab melts. This was the best idea ever, they were amazing. We had crab melts and crab salad with avacado. I was in so much crab heaven that Lee got annoyed with the sounds I was making while eating it, but really, it was soooo good.<div><br /></div><div>There is a new food writer in town, he's replaced Jonathan Kauffman at Seattle Weekly. His name is Jason Sheehan and I've been following the Voracious food blog (aka Seattle Weekly's food blog) since he started his job a little over a week ago. I wasn't sure I liked him at first since he's a meat and potatoes guy from Denver that didn't seem to know much about the Pacific Northwest food scene, but he's really grown on me and now I comment all the time on his posts. I really like that he writes every single day (yay!) and that he has a no nonsense attitude about food. He has sort of an edge and he doesn't say he likes something just because it's local and organic. He also seems to be obsessed with Grant Achatz of Alinea, which Lee and I are too (we went there on our honeymoon.) I put his Voracious blog on the sidebar of this blog if you want to check him out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a yummy breakfast sandwich I made with farm fresh eggs. I'm on a quest to find the best bacon in Seattle, so this one is made with Hemplers. I say no to that one.<br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpMc8VkNQTjx_w1HIZEGSWim1cP-hMcnMVwe8GZb6CjGhCt5cZdjh1Gr5fJg6vRMsLL7TnibFCOD2E7TMUN9Zktv4H7zOHYAGVElEbo-_rBJL2Q8cyInQQQosrbTnOnpKS9APG8tQLD2p/s320/IMG_2618.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434578240846071314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>This is a risotto I made with wild mushrooms, asparagus and chicken. I used the mushroom glace that Lee and I bought at a specialty spice store when we were in Chicago for our honeymoon. It was excellent, but too filling, so I had to bring it to work.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF4CiCoNGnwMPx4hhvsAByn5m64GYFS_Dj6FOk6evHzSQRysUqRnCKIaJZcRAgp0td10kCyGpusslbnzH0S1EQjzCKYdmiwPTSSEdxiR4A5j9DXrO8j46L-jgzRygRtjAssyENYm5sRku/s400/IMG_2622.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434578387081706210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div></div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-89417270040006179662010-01-25T20:10:00.001-08:002010-01-25T20:43:02.698-08:00When all else fails, I cook.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm sure you know me enough by now to know that my biggest hobby is cooking. This is something creative that Lee and I share, and although we like being in our kitchen together, I definitely end up there more often. Especially if I'm stressed out or need some down time. Want to know what makes me feel better? Or, I guess you could say, want to know what I'm doing when I'm not feeling so great? I'm cooking. That always cheers me up. Not baking, by the way, although this week I did break down late one evening and make cupcakes. From a box, because that's the only way I bake. And there were fake confetti sprinkles in the frosting, with ingredients I co</div><div style="text-align: center;">uldn't pronounce. That's not my style, but frosting something sounded like a great thing to look forward to the next morning, and then I brought them to work and left a couple at home for Lee. I prefer the salty over the sweet, but I do like a good buttercream frosting once in a while.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ45WYxxnJm7qdXpLsVBGq-NmODqflc8xr2Hq9AOjaYKApWZmrQYXpyVKMD7ZH58QG7HP9vBvOcaCksHVnCECtsJEgbrMVrxkNWp93KsD9HOAnPDzPrU3stHPe2RssF6RwWWC4maKJxkWS/s400/IMG_2587.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430903752166560994" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, I'm working on a couple of cookbooks. One of them is 'The Complete Book of Greek Orthodox Cooking: The Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Gre</div><div>ek Orthodox Cathedral'. Long name, I know. Last night I made Eggplant Tomato Sauce, or Saltsa me Melitzana. It was a recipe that reminded me of a dish I ate nearly every day when I lived in Montana and my friend worked at a Turkish restaurant. I also worked there and learned every recipe, so this one is really more turkish to me, but I absolutely love it in any case. And it turned out just as I remembered it. It's so richly tomato-ey and the eggplant has the silkiest texture. I put it over polenta, but I remember eating it with garlic yogurt in Montana. It real</div><div>ly was good. I'm impressed I could remember how I made it, but I did need this recipe for a base.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEOnQ6JAGCsYNcu7LQe7egfV4otfw92graY0EsBMQllxIkYfL1y_Uw_qG3UggE9f0H1czUVlgwIdV5STYwnL_Pnj3nZowxmTMbNC5oLg7hgs9gTtlkHWVKIRxTNcfkCQ2C6l01OT71Vgb/s400/IMG_2607.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430903126870018690" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tonight I made a recipe from 'Lidia's Italy' by Lidia Bastianich. I chose her version of polenta that uses evoo and chicken stock, which is different from my norm and I liked it better. Typically I use milk, but this was nice. I made Beans and Sausages with Polenta, or Polenta E Fasoi. Fabulous! It's sauce is rich with tomatoes, bacon, onions and cannellini beans, then the sweet italian sausages are braised in it for quite a while. I served it over the polenta with a side of broccoli rabe sauteed in shallots and lemon. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these books, they are very authentic and simple, plus I love Greek and Italian foods.</div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-7144423543972851832010-01-20T22:10:00.001-08:002010-01-20T22:26:52.431-08:00Winter Photo Update<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Qs1SrmUM6f7GcZVkU6Marsier3VP_fT807vCmmlUR7M5UFDQrq4s-mS1BF9ZuFhBboSa_fBth4sK76M3k_eEeSREUVE2jL77WjLSXcm9l8nC-g7vpqk9PbQvyRKHAOkLCDNholKL5EvF/s1600-h/IMG_2569.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJvxmUS1v5IOWMlell22HVguwIcx78kGn0ZP9x0XoHXgBNALu5XgVXL3oh7DAAePs9X8qn-cp6Oi0zUETy-JR3b9dburHsUB6hxMnG7pxF6YdBfIAWl_V3uOPPvw6Ph0pO6Lh-v55IS79/s1600-h/IMG_2579.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUUJp3m0-jDV4nIg-OFRLB3VvmlSyYJE34yiZLjVQJWLxo5DICjRAGq-AlCdppAoQJ8vI-Y0lOFs05Op1p6bfUyEhGhIszgor9awB_P6XZDAu7CeycotN77U4d4ZkCTraJrhcucBMB1rZ/s1600-h/IMG_2568.JPG"><br /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUUJp3m0-jDV4nIg-OFRLB3VvmlSyYJE34yiZLjVQJWLxo5DICjRAGq-AlCdppAoQJ8vI-Y0lOFs05Op1p6bfUyEhGhIszgor9awB_P6XZDAu7CeycotN77U4d4ZkCTraJrhcucBMB1rZ/s1600-h/IMG_2568.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLIuuTP8NeL9qny5aaTQwESmupONEPDonb6lasnG_vMjQp9RknFzb8HkjXsDCJd6KnSRDM1jKOkcb5SAJyDD6n9qE4kEly8VNnEzIyJZ9fpxrI7HaziEM5i_e2Vk46iwd8gQQlnVstPLJ/s1600-h/IMG_2556.JPG"></a>Here are a few of the things we did this winter, since spring seems to be well on it's way.<div><br /></div><div>We got married! November 14th, 2009. And we love each other more and more every day, really.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPiLoXcRTZSgWiM88e4-jW2wraKGc-2biY2gmgIfp6E4b8xPJJ-uG0SmyDpCfYQd_HmUHIsuq0bn9SnB1a9-kXv0YcN6lerAUM513MzPNJ3WcLo7zsCrw1fCKBrHrg6TJ3poH-WSk7F7_/s1600-h/0005.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPiLoXcRTZSgWiM88e4-jW2wraKGc-2biY2gmgIfp6E4b8xPJJ-uG0SmyDpCfYQd_HmUHIsuq0bn9SnB1a9-kXv0YcN6lerAUM513MzPNJ3WcLo7zsCrw1fCKBrHrg6TJ3poH-WSk7F7_/s320/0005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429071887111272114" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Lee played video games while Celia wore my snuggie and played her Gameboy and Cypress sucked her thumb, I just like this picture I guess. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLIuuTP8NeL9qny5aaTQwESmupONEPDonb6lasnG_vMjQp9RknFzb8HkjXsDCJd6KnSRDM1jKOkcb5SAJyDD6n9qE4kEly8VNnEzIyJZ9fpxrI7HaziEM5i_e2Vk46iwd8gQQlnVstPLJ/s1600-h/IMG_2556.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLIuuTP8NeL9qny5aaTQwESmupONEPDonb6lasnG_vMjQp9RknFzb8HkjXsDCJd6KnSRDM1jKOkcb5SAJyDD6n9qE4kEly8VNnEzIyJZ9fpxrI7HaziEM5i_e2Vk46iwd8gQQlnVstPLJ/s320/IMG_2556.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429071890364995314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Our friends and family volunteered at Christmastime to stuff stockings for children all over the Seattle area. It was started by Coast Guard wives and has become a huge help to families in need and a tradition for us.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUUJp3m0-jDV4nIg-OFRLB3VvmlSyYJE34yiZLjVQJWLxo5DICjRAGq-AlCdppAoQJ8vI-Y0lOFs05Op1p6bfUyEhGhIszgor9awB_P6XZDAu7CeycotN77U4d4ZkCTraJrhcucBMB1rZ/s320/IMG_2568.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429071907989487922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cypress and I made a leaning gingerbread house.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dNfqy8_L07zputxxpLIc9qxpP__0rFED2iZSWdAFquA4MZSx3Wc_CAQ4OsQAn_wPa3p-itr9kfl-9G7uY3v6aZRtdSV3uzXWARUinkH3PnbKd4c-7YYpfF2FKjboJcTNkhroLQLFawOA/s320/IMG_2564.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429071898558459922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">New Year's Eve was Chinese Food and yet another game night with friends.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJvxmUS1v5IOWMlell22HVguwIcx78kGn0ZP9x0XoHXgBNALu5XgVXL3oh7DAAePs9X8qn-cp6Oi0zUETy-JR3b9dburHsUB6hxMnG7pxF6YdBfIAWl_V3uOPPvw6Ph0pO6Lh-v55IS79/s320/IMG_2579.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429071909885605186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Had to have one food picture! This is an app plate we made up just one evening. Apples, cheese, almonds, prosciutto, gruyere pinwheels and spanish flatbread.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Qs1SrmUM6f7GcZVkU6Marsier3VP_fT807vCmmlUR7M5UFDQrq4s-mS1BF9ZuFhBboSa_fBth4sK76M3k_eEeSREUVE2jL77WjLSXcm9l8nC-g7vpqk9PbQvyRKHAOkLCDNholKL5EvF/s320/IMG_2569.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429072011363386130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div></div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-30927168460548809412010-01-17T22:58:00.000-08:002010-01-17T23:52:24.753-08:00Allow Myself to Introduce Myself....So here's the new-ish blog. Now that Kelley and I are married, we no longer have to spend every waking moment planning the wedding and we find ourselves with a ton of free time, so we decided to start blogging together so that people would only have to go to one place to find out what we're up to. It'll be nice to write more frequently, it's something I fell out of the habit of doing and I've missed it. Seeing as how I'm the nerdy side of the equation expect all kinds of geeky musings in the months to come. Until then Belated Happy New Year everyone!Lee Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05134038682176062576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-32161249361574642622010-01-17T21:34:00.000-08:002010-01-17T22:14:47.831-08:00Happy New Decade Everyone!Just writing 'new decade' makes me feel old. I can be somewhat nostalgic about the '80's, since it's long enough gone to love the music and hate the fashion trends. And I can let go of the '90's, all full of the fear of having sex because of AIDS and douchebags and the Backstreet Boys-- we seem fairly far away from that decade. But to get past the fact that we are now past the 2000's (if that's what you call it), is very weird to me. I'm sure in another 10 years I'll figure out what that decade was about, but right now, I just feel old. Maybe because the 00's (I'm going to use my own word for this decade and call it the 'oh oh's'), were a full decade of me being an adult. There was no teenager or even young adult in the oh oh's for me, which means I've been getting old almost as long as I've been young and soon the tables will fully turn and I'll be just older all together. By the way, I don't REALLY feel old, I just don't like the idea of a new decade yet, so I'm adjusting. And the fact that my grandkids will think I'm ancient because I was born in the 1900's freaks me out a little. Or maybe they will think I'm wise. I'd like that better.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a video of Lee and I. Not just dating, but married!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wVC2s4tZ7EY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wVC2s4tZ7EY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-85500110252927688482009-09-05T22:56:00.000-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.623-08:00We are still here!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWCv_Xp3foJWTtU7RjFsg0Y_Hw2YKaKJDAZ0ieNWBITg8raqGZztb8cAQUGwreQN19-sXUxRriS-nUONfDOgqWzA_sr-NN8Hl_VwVhnST9Se7Ky-KM2_4RG1f8jlW27kpy0ZhJdz2-ZuA/s1600-h/IMG_2028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWCv_Xp3foJWTtU7RjFsg0Y_Hw2YKaKJDAZ0ieNWBITg8raqGZztb8cAQUGwreQN19-sXUxRriS-nUONfDOgqWzA_sr-NN8Hl_VwVhnST9Se7Ky-KM2_4RG1f8jlW27kpy0ZhJdz2-ZuA/s320/IMG_2028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378236719691272930" /></a><br /><div><br />I disappeared for a while. This blogging is even more difficult to find time for when you are planning a wedding. I've been working 5-6 days a week, plus we are usually working on wedding stuff in the off time. This week I have my first dress fitting and a meeting with our florist. We also are sending off the invitations, finding a reading for Susan and hopefully finalizing the list for the DJ. Honestly, I don't think this will all get done this week, but we will try. If I didn't work until 8:30pm, more would get done--still, I really like my work schedule right now and I absolutely love my new job at Spa Scotta. I am starting my new, fewer hours this week, it's a good thing I am.<div><br /></div><div>I like work, I love life, I adore my soon to be hubby and I've got this amazing family and group of friends to spend time with. There's so much to do in so little time and I want to do it all. I'm so blessed and so lucky! Still I am realizing I need to take more time to be still and just relax and I'm starting to see the effects of being busy ALL THE TIME. So even when I'm over the top busy, I'm approaching it a bit calmer. And I really will try hard to let go of some things, especially after our wedding. We just hired a gardener and that helps, what a relief! Can't wait to get back to walking as well, that always gives me peace of mind. It will be good to have our free time back to do what we used to do, even though this wedding planning has it's own sweet moments.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's some of the things we've been up to:</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>All my girls jumping on Lee at our End of Summer BBQ.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_lJ7hIch_tT48UV6Oa4b62DX-cOWlrJkeOGY03xFAWeJkLIYANErtCm1lrEMBmXbU71KoePkCPPgj5q4rzkHceceAQfHrhkcm3J2ITzKoAG5kul-EY6pW6XID-SgOxZMkekX2slQBBu9/s1600-h/IMG_2033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_lJ7hIch_tT48UV6Oa4b62DX-cOWlrJkeOGY03xFAWeJkLIYANErtCm1lrEMBmXbU71KoePkCPPgj5q4rzkHceceAQfHrhkcm3J2ITzKoAG5kul-EY6pW6XID-SgOxZMkekX2slQBBu9/s320/IMG_2033.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378234442558292386" /></a>Fresh grilled corn, tomato and avacado salad.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvX8iklK-GbrIWjzMbCdc-3S7GFP0dYyXUSEd19iqJ_iNyVoZkytwlcU5hKj83o17BtRzHXAxFrY1UD1w_W7-6bP_YW_4BlsjCrrP-jpyYIsria10ThcXeKz8nm22xfkXDXDOJTd4Z-aD/s1600-h/IMG_2018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvX8iklK-GbrIWjzMbCdc-3S7GFP0dYyXUSEd19iqJ_iNyVoZkytwlcU5hKj83o17BtRzHXAxFrY1UD1w_W7-6bP_YW_4BlsjCrrP-jpyYIsria10ThcXeKz8nm22xfkXDXDOJTd4Z-aD/s320/IMG_2018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378234431704363826" /></a>Our wedding invite address party--we watched 'Bride Wars' and 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'. Hehe.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHHbgxaTHl2Oe41NzJVSKRrrb0pT_Hnn1yOylFtJHgffYirY29Wsp9ORXE3ftDM6iaeLu9E5Ls2AVeAHmJ0LxBzJONvnjMmaOQpmAUb758mjGYewQuRCqnbC9-5f5mdIgKwkjDNbGmtwY/s1600-h/IMG_2037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHHbgxaTHl2Oe41NzJVSKRrrb0pT_Hnn1yOylFtJHgffYirY29Wsp9ORXE3ftDM6iaeLu9E5Ls2AVeAHmJ0LxBzJONvnjMmaOQpmAUb758mjGYewQuRCqnbC9-5f5mdIgKwkjDNbGmtwY/s320/IMG_2037.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378234428743827282" /></a>I picked at least 5 pounds of italian plums from our tree. Blanched them, peeled them, pitted them and made the best plum crumble ever!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWDUqgJ-qhcKggzW3G5EfSYL7U9sleDPBuIFBdQpmks1XMIpal79GZkbi65pLgicq4nhTDQbbnGTrFZY1-MWg8zFjWEeUHdpLw5CG05fOZEKk8aQInxw4gHXsfhxSGGEfYkbba6paAKlo/s1600-h/IMG_2015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWDUqgJ-qhcKggzW3G5EfSYL7U9sleDPBuIFBdQpmks1XMIpal79GZkbi65pLgicq4nhTDQbbnGTrFZY1-MWg8zFjWEeUHdpLw5CG05fOZEKk8aQInxw4gHXsfhxSGGEfYkbba6paAKlo/s320/IMG_2015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378234418334953346" /></a>Little apps we brought to April's house with dill chicken salad, tomatoes and gruyere.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfu2EkdRpOArR_D-C5Ih-lL-0dk5CPRzGaVD47BiZKFQzJYaLVzjoF3PwygUhqR4AM-lDII9kdjpYQXpG2Rw1k8zCF4FMY8IWhAp_vmvSZhzUpjFy4Tbh2AuLpJ36W39h8bb_9YrQt78R/s1600-h/IMG_2012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfu2EkdRpOArR_D-C5Ih-lL-0dk5CPRzGaVD47BiZKFQzJYaLVzjoF3PwygUhqR4AM-lDII9kdjpYQXpG2Rw1k8zCF4FMY8IWhAp_vmvSZhzUpjFy4Tbh2AuLpJ36W39h8bb_9YrQt78R/s320/IMG_2012.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378234412877258850" /></a>The only thing we got from our garden this year--these two tomatoes. I'll still try again next year, it can only go up from here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJ-O5U6I8xV_fxtve19or0pqj7glMwt5H3RdD-z6kgaWS4Km9TYkuovGtvp5pCTY6u2n7SXLKYkBe28xpjor1rQwopKLH8qsHZZEwbn7XMHB_gmWnPba5VqRum01f_yEGIUZlN6NUyTp7/s1600-h/IMG_2011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJ-O5U6I8xV_fxtve19or0pqj7glMwt5H3RdD-z6kgaWS4Km9TYkuovGtvp5pCTY6u2n7SXLKYkBe28xpjor1rQwopKLH8qsHZZEwbn7XMHB_gmWnPba5VqRum01f_yEGIUZlN6NUyTp7/s320/IMG_2011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378233857506333266" /></a>Me and a couple of co-workers at Tamara's wedding.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknvvU-9jazmpSbSbGAjwt6bOVSv3X1u7d8Y70fVc_v4GQkxpqxCnp8Luu8nL4suDoKpo96JHcMurAbt2q2ussmWRl1XHL5pyLy5ap9N-hssFWbPtW0XRGR3mukQtrlBas7pxu_wR9gyHI/s1600-h/IMG_1961.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknvvU-9jazmpSbSbGAjwt6bOVSv3X1u7d8Y70fVc_v4GQkxpqxCnp8Luu8nL4suDoKpo96JHcMurAbt2q2ussmWRl1XHL5pyLy5ap9N-hssFWbPtW0XRGR3mukQtrlBas7pxu_wR9gyHI/s320/IMG_1961.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378233848427361266" /></a>Caprese salad with local cheese curds and arugula.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQ8_Yo24o5-4fGjqFCSZS7xUYqw5O_uF6HVhJjnvGFrM-9bEdBxA_3V1u-D10IqGVVG1ojMrJ-hE53t1ZUtLO1QIYVChqJKyjOW-KBZA8ZS0krABN5wMkdG6B0QRHDGZ8iQ8FOFWIB1cU/s1600-h/IMG_1947.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQ8_Yo24o5-4fGjqFCSZS7xUYqw5O_uF6HVhJjnvGFrM-9bEdBxA_3V1u-D10IqGVVG1ojMrJ-hE53t1ZUtLO1QIYVChqJKyjOW-KBZA8ZS0krABN5wMkdG6B0QRHDGZ8iQ8FOFWIB1cU/s320/IMG_1947.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378233838793404098" /></a>Lee's homemade gazpacho with sour cream and avacado beads. Along with a sourdough panini filled with honey mustard, sharp white cheddar and granny smith apples. I loved dinner this evening.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkI5W649suEV1MWwDUUWmIsK6txy_k8JXTFFJw7_32iNWCRgN4Sz837UndXfowEWEa44HO4bzFNmfCZrI5rUgHU7IlKNXAxmSPyH-uTnp-6I9sUyGS1oQD90rPgEvqR1_IVsTV_Ay4YkAU/s1600-h/IMG_1957.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkI5W649suEV1MWwDUUWmIsK6txy_k8JXTFFJw7_32iNWCRgN4Sz837UndXfowEWEa44HO4bzFNmfCZrI5rUgHU7IlKNXAxmSPyH-uTnp-6I9sUyGS1oQD90rPgEvqR1_IVsTV_Ay4YkAU/s320/IMG_1957.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378233833665491906" /></a>Spa Scotta annual float trip in Leavenworth.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2pUSe04RuukKyd4Jx-GmvqabriubtwzEoHhDO3PgDRvD24Ds6BwLucGZv4VVL5KS692TiGomA77PIXd2VYxNYRAM7pZHTALt7GM2AkbfiM6YGcx4X6YoerHwQlY_k9yVs2Vx14gruyV7/s1600-h/5491_120888806961_625996961_2883704_5335036_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2pUSe04RuukKyd4Jx-GmvqabriubtwzEoHhDO3PgDRvD24Ds6BwLucGZv4VVL5KS692TiGomA77PIXd2VYxNYRAM7pZHTALt7GM2AkbfiM6YGcx4X6YoerHwQlY_k9yVs2Vx14gruyV7/s320/5491_120888806961_625996961_2883704_5335036_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378233826435122850" /></a>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-24916350482911321892009-07-16T22:38:00.000-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.660-08:00Seattle has got some of that global warmingIt's been warm here, for way too long. I'm not really complaining, but I also don't live here because I am a sun worshiper. I live here because I am a rain worshiper and currently we are way over the normal limit of sun that Seattle can handle in one summer. My veggie and herb garden started out the year with vigor, drinking in the sun and heat and growing by leaps and bounds. Now it's stunted, dried out (despite the fact that I water it every day) and seems to have stopped all forming life. I got out of it what I could when I could do it, now I just wait and watch it, hoping the tomatoes will turn red someday. Due to all this weather, we've been out nearly every night for a few months now so there are lot's of pictures to show you. My goal is to stay in as much as I can the next few months, or until our wedding. I need a rest. Still, I cherish all the great memories we've been making with eachother and with friends and family. Here's just a few......<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwtV09oLFq9YA-giqXRYdYmwq6dgXtwb5Fisna80mVtxiMCKPTix7UVWt7UAEYV9GVm960OWXSYYJrb2sh3_m3y0DOiWRUrDQdfWe9wxoU7mjJwNBRBWIjcznph-rcB4KvfQFdEW8L1OU/s1600-h/IMG_1812.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwtV09oLFq9YA-giqXRYdYmwq6dgXtwb5Fisna80mVtxiMCKPTix7UVWt7UAEYV9GVm960OWXSYYJrb2sh3_m3y0DOiWRUrDQdfWe9wxoU7mjJwNBRBWIjcznph-rcB4KvfQFdEW8L1OU/s320/IMG_1812.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359306434124661490" /></a>Lee staking our place at the Fremont Solstice Parade.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0fdnDhLHY4lMZiKzywO9G7CUfz2t-B6Hjhn23ZAc8iq48ZjUrFzbkHwIyTVV4IEvX5IvUf6LgrXcsXo97RSYvq9U0O7-E31g2Zp2Mcu71AZCLU9gA9oKW7J7UVyYNc8ltGIAGcw7BHyj/s1600-h/IMG_1819.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0fdnDhLHY4lMZiKzywO9G7CUfz2t-B6Hjhn23ZAc8iq48ZjUrFzbkHwIyTVV4IEvX5IvUf6LgrXcsXo97RSYvq9U0O7-E31g2Zp2Mcu71AZCLU9gA9oKW7J7UVyYNc8ltGIAGcw7BHyj/s320/IMG_1819.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359306431387412866" /></a>Cypress at her first dance recital.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIXnd1TyJze0Ssu9xNoUIFnoxfg4KxlZEyEp29Kz6JMm3C7lT_TfcNSPcz5BkFvkJ8cLGPPbIBscEZiuGILvcNVc-aW6XIUlqVUEQaY5XaQ1riWmmcFRE8Zt3NvhdEWakNvwoM2DwVTYI/s1600-h/IMG_1853.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIXnd1TyJze0Ssu9xNoUIFnoxfg4KxlZEyEp29Kz6JMm3C7lT_TfcNSPcz5BkFvkJ8cLGPPbIBscEZiuGILvcNVc-aW6XIUlqVUEQaY5XaQ1riWmmcFRE8Zt3NvhdEWakNvwoM2DwVTYI/s320/IMG_1853.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359306420062782946" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Gabe showing me his porcine palace on the 4th of July.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWhWqb1SgZRALLmelHUy6-iRvjG0U1VeZCm2wG6E5bPr-D_SKTdM1kuT3PjHDKcvyyXUqCtkPZ0RrI5kMXCIxT5ffDLiWs193PmK291M_0tqEanpkgN282EyOJD3yu6sh6NJyGdYSdyI4/s1600-h/IMG_1893.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></a></span><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWhWqb1SgZRALLmelHUy6-iRvjG0U1VeZCm2wG6E5bPr-D_SKTdM1kuT3PjHDKcvyyXUqCtkPZ0RrI5kMXCIxT5ffDLiWs193PmK291M_0tqEanpkgN282EyOJD3yu6sh6NJyGdYSdyI4/s320/IMG_1893.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359304230346835026" />The extremely large quantity of trail mix I've concocted for my road trip to Wyoming with Kimberly and the girls. I'm gonna need some help eating this.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoPMAK03zEqtHowrpOhcXjG-pSu0BZF3mTIm1BduAjTEJo_F39C-kaFP0_m4F4-PKzg_w9SzNupggQErQJuc20hHpA9zbsl7dYqRLXut5-cIPwc0Julsev-8qFqkB9mb76EMU_V9WvSD3/s1600-h/IMG_1879.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoPMAK03zEqtHowrpOhcXjG-pSu0BZF3mTIm1BduAjTEJo_F39C-kaFP0_m4F4-PKzg_w9SzNupggQErQJuc20hHpA9zbsl7dYqRLXut5-cIPwc0Julsev-8qFqkB9mb76EMU_V9WvSD3/s320/IMG_1879.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359304225182936274" /></a>West Seattle Street Fair.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SG_MTgMHPQQNpv38pH456sHAmzfmNbiMKKgPkyvfBUo6eB7oTbK_ku_nWTwdIaRc_LFhCou4-Yl1fWaptzNIorzNXICt4AjFUFv9w0WQYROEvwQvRHHFaSIaZ0XxoBjefovxOnY93F-d/s1600-h/IMG_1826.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SG_MTgMHPQQNpv38pH456sHAmzfmNbiMKKgPkyvfBUo6eB7oTbK_ku_nWTwdIaRc_LFhCou4-Yl1fWaptzNIorzNXICt4AjFUFv9w0WQYROEvwQvRHHFaSIaZ0XxoBjefovxOnY93F-d/s320/IMG_1826.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359304221957933010" /></a>Gabe and Katie getting ready to sell Swinery T-Shirts at the Gay Pride Parade.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiNwjuQOKh5X2OzQV3YjLFxphhyphenhyphenNElXDu1ahxMkyJuTxvSUNDCmcBGPC3SM5DhbKWOivLM5tatMUOwoN3yp1gSTYZ5ff6XlthoLuFYmeTEO70r9c17XhADqpSY5AK2uq3xjSv1bqC0Oiu/s1600-h/IMG_1811.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiNwjuQOKh5X2OzQV3YjLFxphhyphenhyphenNElXDu1ahxMkyJuTxvSUNDCmcBGPC3SM5DhbKWOivLM5tatMUOwoN3yp1gSTYZ5ff6XlthoLuFYmeTEO70r9c17XhADqpSY5AK2uq3xjSv1bqC0Oiu/s320/IMG_1811.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359304216201920434" /></a>Sarah came over for dinner and some wine, of course.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69xAZdl9KmkcHDfSwhGtMMcgyfjwqbm3B_z7oxXxIO5F8WRBVrvRB74Uc57G5goTxM3jW7vSR4RDONu6HEBMt_i8ffZ-YqQvd1_nlzPMqybwQWOrt45TyGb80nzfyRgzuQNFqNq8Oodjy/s1600-h/IMG_0109.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69xAZdl9KmkcHDfSwhGtMMcgyfjwqbm3B_z7oxXxIO5F8WRBVrvRB74Uc57G5goTxM3jW7vSR4RDONu6HEBMt_i8ffZ-YqQvd1_nlzPMqybwQWOrt45TyGb80nzfyRgzuQNFqNq8Oodjy/s320/IMG_0109.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359304218904822322" /></a>Lee and I at the Burning Beast in Arlington, WA.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpRQOYnkQT35vAxW4BbNSLnbm6S8xa1iWOBb3379b45AOAIVEWY5V_ACdRnn0tA3onwbfqil9Yts4MfLjRlnX-YdMkzVm1vJj8403UFCmivmh4SbPcy-ym6V7Gk1IjLRO79kK5J4Dkowe/s1600-h/IMG_0092.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpRQOYnkQT35vAxW4BbNSLnbm6S8xa1iWOBb3379b45AOAIVEWY5V_ACdRnn0tA3onwbfqil9Yts4MfLjRlnX-YdMkzVm1vJj8403UFCmivmh4SbPcy-ym6V7Gk1IjLRO79kK5J4Dkowe/s320/IMG_0092.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359303622990404498" /></a>Nice little after dinner romantic walk one warm summer evening at Golden Gardens.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP3m3YwYljyjtx1AIc7QF8jd1VvdUcwHDWDh0fBlKFtTb1te7lrs-dPgYn9wNleNlIokCwEGZt_vlwS3jj3FQQv8eWftQz1X5s3n9BZUS51p53g9Ib6ZRS0-2uxCEx8hercmAMKS0xrkF/s1600-h/IMG_0095.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP3m3YwYljyjtx1AIc7QF8jd1VvdUcwHDWDh0fBlKFtTb1te7lrs-dPgYn9wNleNlIokCwEGZt_vlwS3jj3FQQv8eWftQz1X5s3n9BZUS51p53g9Ib6ZRS0-2uxCEx8hercmAMKS0xrkF/s320/IMG_0095.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359303626012113042" /></a>Breakfast at Senor Moose with Lee's parents--always a good time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3zvxCI2Ux3HnAms6tBXCyvila0PRPq3MGt3GJM79Bxxw3hqTPPlk2bSiy-GuWzGhCL_qD0uqC0VRTYgp8MHnT60Fa95gpNR1gxLgzQ2KACWUpA7o_nNRnkO1WMyPxApMBciE1qWs6Th7/s1600-h/IMG_0088.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3zvxCI2Ux3HnAms6tBXCyvila0PRPq3MGt3GJM79Bxxw3hqTPPlk2bSiy-GuWzGhCL_qD0uqC0VRTYgp8MHnT60Fa95gpNR1gxLgzQ2KACWUpA7o_nNRnkO1WMyPxApMBciE1qWs6Th7/s320/IMG_0088.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359303618299634930" /></a>Lot's of raw food at Anchovies and Olives.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gna6ik0RBBZ7vr5m_7HJuhQFm6DnD69500L3nng0SSt49XUaXCXjd3i3woMbooL8YeLjsAvdtXbvboo4azxlIyKoZsJLQEXtTZ0n0sQd_JPFMwQVYTPMjXuuT9IZBQOkHDXNBvunCAmX/s1600-h/IMG_0064.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gna6ik0RBBZ7vr5m_7HJuhQFm6DnD69500L3nng0SSt49XUaXCXjd3i3woMbooL8YeLjsAvdtXbvboo4azxlIyKoZsJLQEXtTZ0n0sQd_JPFMwQVYTPMjXuuT9IZBQOkHDXNBvunCAmX/s320/IMG_0064.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359303612712899538" /></a>Sarah's birthday at Harvest Vine, a favorite restaurant of Lee and I.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC5sN8iCIs-23vaOhqa_YlqNHDBd8C_kVUEhCokLlWPrbj7id_ukdqoPLG0qLpalRTPDw9JYiR5tAGefRa2kB_0hyjDzWxJu-ByVeSf175GyYnT6vpXfptC6sow6UaUk4FZKToG0NhJst/s1600-h/IMG_0063.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC5sN8iCIs-23vaOhqa_YlqNHDBd8C_kVUEhCokLlWPrbj7id_ukdqoPLG0qLpalRTPDw9JYiR5tAGefRa2kB_0hyjDzWxJu-ByVeSf175GyYnT6vpXfptC6sow6UaUk4FZKToG0NhJst/s320/IMG_0063.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359302774798190610" /></a>Katie and I eating vegetarian for the evening at Carmelita, near our house.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-14576709664704305302009-06-17T21:49:00.001-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.675-08:00Weekend in San Francisco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtv1Fut-0pkTV6sNfMKsLSVe17Uba8jnvXqU2Q8IKqLXmnTJ5AyWtAgxFlh57rGhTNtKoJ2jKWA7RVeUEs1V_kntxlSiMiDmxOTKp2CrsCfhTqF3f1iPZAT44nm-2aBjm1I1B_iz251amB/s1600-h/4683_1165629144652_1345614411_435857_5068857_s.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtv1Fut-0pkTV6sNfMKsLSVe17Uba8jnvXqU2Q8IKqLXmnTJ5AyWtAgxFlh57rGhTNtKoJ2jKWA7RVeUEs1V_kntxlSiMiDmxOTKp2CrsCfhTqF3f1iPZAT44nm-2aBjm1I1B_iz251amB/s320/4683_1165629144652_1345614411_435857_5068857_s.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537878317006802" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>There hasn't been much cooking going on around here. I've just started a new job and Lee has his testing period at Boeing where he works crazy hours, plus May was one of the busiest months we've had in quite a while.<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFMMIWt6VJatSu9Zv_vZA1tI6Va0BXX6RYQZ2cfOqzmsAL3bIzzvIyffgJxg0Q_cB9RrLHuDE20QuKxTa_7CKpVyldOs1h_2syLYeWR0tTi8F-hGKqELa5EG4q8nFQpBAIDdVr1D0RJmV/s320/4683_1159438018491_1003988391_494703_5972513_s.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537873585018866" /> Tonight we had KFC and Cozy Shack Rice Pudding for dinner--it's not always healthy, but it sounded kind of good. I'm excited our garden is growing by leaps and bounds, which means I'll be eating lots of vegetables this summer and from our own garden. It looks better this year than last and I've got lots of ideas for next years garden to make it better, such as an irrigation system and different varieties of veggies. Maybe I'll grow that green thumb yet.<div>Lee and I haven't been away from Seattle since la</div><div>st October and I don't remember the last time I haven't gone anywhere for that long. So what is close, a big city and some place I've never been before? San Francisco! We took a quick trip down there last weekend and it was just what I needed. To get away, relax, be alone with my honey, eat lots of seafood, see some new things and feel very excited to come back home. We really liked it for the most part, not sure we'd go back since there are so many places we love and more we'd like to see. I think we saw</div><div> the majority of that huge city in 2 days, but we are a good team and seem to like doing similar things, so it makes traveling easy.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFZF-zjpVhtTOTQkpgETj9wGCjfP9Qi1zv_NUxvKsfcxjahZxdN25B7VqmgA_h5bD26728CYdcipo6T4Icem7T236gYxDyECX7su_NumUaL3UoRBs4ZlvXoCuUchDQ-NWXPJGi-Sa3Xsk/s320/4563_1159028448252_1003988391_493455_2049984_s.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537212107475090" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I don't know if Lee and I have this amazing good luck angel hanging above us when it comes to food, but we had another great experience. We dined at the 2 star Michael Mina restaurant and had an incredible meal, probably the second best meal next to Joel Robuchon. Lee asked for a copy of the menu when we were done eating, which he usually does at fine restaurants where we have a memorable meal--it's like a little picture of our evening that we will ne</div><div>ver forget. Very romantic I think. Well, this evening in San Francisco Michael Mina himself happened to be cooking in the kitchen. This is very rare for such a well known chef who has several other restaurants and is somewhat of a celebrity in the chef-y world to be cooking in their own kitchen. Our waiter asked us if we'd like our menu signe</div><div>d and of course we said yes, then asked if we'd like to meet him! So we went back to the kitchen, yes we did, and met Michael Mina and made small talk-found out he is from Ellensburg and found he's a really nice guy. Most people look up to athletes or actors or whatnot, but my guilty pleasur</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBR4yeTLH2EXndhgygvFqin0G9pHJ0_ZCbB-H-3CLudnfO3pdkgHHr4qS0_Q17brdtN2X-XQFz5mAdLY2Oc_ZpSqflPv8qBiOH58CLOLrpH4jGX5pPbcRvPPEWd1rbxrNfVgcNFcTRjeN/s320/IMG_1748.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537210703542930" /><div>e is following well known chefs. I do watch Top Chef, and way too much of the Food Network, so this was a fun experience for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>My new job at Spa Scotta is so great! It's so great that it d</div><div>oesn't feel like I'm working. I can actually talk to my friends and have lunch with them on breaks, we can go for coffee (!!), I have input in all the decisions that are made and no one watches over my shoulder, I get to listen to and dance to every fabulous 80's song, plus I still touch tootsies and love on people all day. I realize these things are normal for most people, but I've been working for a large corporation for many years now and laughing and </div><div>hanging out and having large amounts of input in the company weren't possible. It's incredibly refreshing and I am happier than ever at work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the places we went to eat in San Fran were John's Grill, Boudin, R@G Lounge, Michael Mina, Quince, Buena Vista, Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop and the crab vendors at Fisherman's Wharf.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsrPXovVZMGreDqYBQrJAP6-SLYS_e3d5Oilfpi61U1TE8yS2BkMYqfB_ffCGbNitya8nT12NnnsFDhI_xhMCnMKzRL2IWUGvBePrr9OMtl3p_o8qgYMbIpMv-49_PwLnJB8sCIJTlJ1e/s320/IMG_1732.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348535193104023810" />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-9962111372543883302009-05-26T14:58:00.001-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.777-08:00Best Memorial Day Weekend EverHere's a great one of Katie modeling my Mom's Roberto Cavalli jeans with Swarovski Crystals that she bought in Europe. I think they are very Eurotrash so I had a lot of fun making people try them on--now I'm selling them on Ebay!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhso03-YkswhWnnO9fy9JDFBd6lVE4Y_dl6s48IfwY-trYqLQ75w4DYsCvE-ZMZnS0L_ILabH08A8qa5makchA8KeajiWlf1FKe82UXLtIY3k5wyawi-8Hbty4SRDdqeSg5PlEH1rr16L/s1600-h/IMG_1682.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhso03-YkswhWnnO9fy9JDFBd6lVE4Y_dl6s48IfwY-trYqLQ75w4DYsCvE-ZMZnS0L_ILabH08A8qa5makchA8KeajiWlf1FKe82UXLtIY3k5wyawi-8Hbty4SRDdqeSg5PlEH1rr16L/s400/IMG_1682.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340262690057134594" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lee and David BBQing.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhHAAZmldgqC1i8v_2FkEbVAd_fag-5ljqOecIAsYiPDs9oSF0VgdTaU2UxBFcI2p-1-uDmvCC6HEFS5NqNN344TzuvNzF3YZaWz4rle9JCW3z4Tw8-Oe8A9iOO0-1xQRZwjKqtstnXD6/s400/IMG_1683.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340261971339075666" /> This is the kitchen storage unit Lee built so we can make room for cooking. It has rollers so we can move our cooking station around the kitchen.<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_f1CpzEmDtMxpm5TS1mmDfOt9uWC-zJiIWX-oDSs9p5LO6iD4p1tFp-OJJngCfBFsr0t7twRiCB2NXxO-EmQTk38tDdwOtX8LEmKv3TkzSZY3e0wVgEDKpJRi3KLZ4vfpQjzZTagACjC/s400/IMG_1673.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340261019216302530" />This is Lee and I at the University District Street Fair-the official weekend start to every summer.<div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmPCg-M1oMw58x7f-uNGOwBfCoqriTXVL7rZB-szHZ7qDdFgyhB13ekVKvqMZY8PlVuu92hLEywmTSolkP2O3WIVMH2nR__IEQZnsqSc2BHnveFM7j8Qcxh_g8sUlLIeY_QF8pdsgsFGE/s400/IMG_1670.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340260720176484706" />This past weekend was awesome. The weather was so amazing and I think Lee and I got more done in one weekend than we ever thought was possible. We went to the Abney Park concert on Friday night--a steampunk band that we love. Lee was being an assistant DJ at 89.5 last Sunday since he made a donation to them last year and Abney Park ended up showing up at the studio for an interview, which made the concert even more cool. On Saturday we went to a BBQ at our friends house on Capitol Hill, we really like that neighborhood. Sunday was our day to landscape our front parking space, and 33 bags of beauty bark later, we were finally done. On Monday we had a huge BBQ ourselves, complete with both beef and dork (duck and pork) sliders, handmade lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) and Mexican Coca-Cola (no high fructose corn syrup). We also did a little retail therapy this weekend for a few things we've been wanting for quite a while since we have now sold the condo. We bought a new TV for the bedroom, a BBQ and a Playstation 3. In addition, we got a wine fridge from my Dad-it's our first wedding gift.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've also found my second favorite restaurant in Seattle--Quinn's. It's up on Cap Hill as well. Harvest Vine is my number one restaurant so far. There are so many to choose from and many that I really like, but for some reason I really like the food at Quinn's. It's unique, but it's pub food (well, high end pub food) and I crave it all the time. This last time we went we had the foie gras terrine (while the foie gras protesters were right outside the window!), the pork belly cobb salad, the oyster po boy, the poutine with veal demi glace, fonduata and 3 oz of foie gras on top, the meatballs with polenta and the asparagus with poached duck egg. Yum!</div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-39772274180258787452009-05-06T21:57:00.001-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.795-08:00Pictures from our big auction dinner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAKclngHVrxq2a6jW1ftZXAI10FL2m3KwbQNlzwjela2sGjlQgYYT7N1XrAo2l6HbC3ykGydsVxAeJoLODrT6PkCI351Feb4he_hZBrSrPOwUnFG0wKpUqkzjQ-oz659q_QCc7vuM14AL/s1600-h/IMG_1635.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAKclngHVrxq2a6jW1ftZXAI10FL2m3KwbQNlzwjela2sGjlQgYYT7N1XrAo2l6HbC3ykGydsVxAeJoLODrT6PkCI351Feb4he_hZBrSrPOwUnFG0wKpUqkzjQ-oz659q_QCc7vuM14AL/s400/IMG_1635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942930737181586" border="0" /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Goat Cheese Quenelle with a Black Pepper Strawberry Sauce and an Almond Tuile</span></span></span></span></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqlyMUthq342HVzAgO5O7BKEMM-smPyJpyPoaqFT0T8vkmiRwrsFpa_3ZnseF6K4aaQ9jqrLACmcxRv846GNUVKD9oDRaKxhe2uTw5neeAi_fx26_Y7OlIv2a-E3u3g-y4AqWTAx_YQpJ/s1600-h/IMG_1633.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqlyMUthq342HVzAgO5O7BKEMM-smPyJpyPoaqFT0T8vkmiRwrsFpa_3ZnseF6K4aaQ9jqrLACmcxRv846GNUVKD9oDRaKxhe2uTw5neeAi_fx26_Y7OlIv2a-E3u3g-y4AqWTAx_YQpJ/s400/IMG_1633.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942828779453634" border="0" /></a>Short Ribs Braised in Coffee and Wine served over Polenta with Frizzled Leeks. A Salad of Fennel, Pecorino and Grapefruit on the side.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLu3ZHBTCEuI8ub28cYvLsMr9mt9lmkWkFL8VmxUjIZKdeKyLK3bJsRbPdYAjUlrFDuk04i8FoyvdiHlbYFIAv_Cjff9Z-RFx3jkRC2jiXjSVaJ4AyLE4kMeo44-GGexJqWk3pt8h4MJvx/s1600-h/IMG_1631.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLu3ZHBTCEuI8ub28cYvLsMr9mt9lmkWkFL8VmxUjIZKdeKyLK3bJsRbPdYAjUlrFDuk04i8FoyvdiHlbYFIAv_Cjff9Z-RFx3jkRC2jiXjSVaJ4AyLE4kMeo44-GGexJqWk3pt8h4MJvx/s400/IMG_1631.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942696830675106" border="0" /></a>Cube of Watermelon with Aged Balsamic and Kosher Salt.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_STQzK6nSg3rLoNJYZH7yMUNb7C5EOh5QJWtLZgEpwLSXHmiW5tOv4oUobIjgWe3rFLJzsGtLZHnGWxobSowUZBqwkqRf_ZyxqwwmG30uQveKhi9j6M0zAVkuTXXZNhd3AzUR3TS1dbsW/s1600-h/IMG_1628.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_STQzK6nSg3rLoNJYZH7yMUNb7C5EOh5QJWtLZgEpwLSXHmiW5tOv4oUobIjgWe3rFLJzsGtLZHnGWxobSowUZBqwkqRf_ZyxqwwmG30uQveKhi9j6M0zAVkuTXXZNhd3AzUR3TS1dbsW/s400/IMG_1628.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942553520371826" border="0" /></a>Tomato Tartar with a Gruyere Chip, Basil Oil and Shallot Dressing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKgwl4XDpxEqgo925uBI0hTshQnML9ujyrzeqiCMrO8_yT9UE_iS6zg0z-UqcJLNId4t-nelTmSELtiRDZgBTf0jq0cgOdFtbgB9QUy9cNWMhLyU7NYe0nHlPu9jwWKZuPAtZP1BXl_Rc/s1600-h/Easter+09+053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKgwl4XDpxEqgo925uBI0hTshQnML9ujyrzeqiCMrO8_yT9UE_iS6zg0z-UqcJLNId4t-nelTmSELtiRDZgBTf0jq0cgOdFtbgB9QUy9cNWMhLyU7NYe0nHlPu9jwWKZuPAtZP1BXl_Rc/s400/Easter+09+053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942448953836514" border="0" /></a>Our Send Home Mignardise of a Caramel Salt, Chocolate and Sea Salt Covered Pretzel.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4XvK6DccURizWHKT0C0dpyBnZrtK0Zn61n9SHVx7vUo9LEOlSXQMcNZJOC4kOmbIKaKjP1MJ6NjCUzbt4q7BkF6aPI6id03iSK3-vXoLH_rw0jinW3DQE7WgO9ox6YKOZUchDyxTmVGc/s1600-h/IMG_1627.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4XvK6DccURizWHKT0C0dpyBnZrtK0Zn61n9SHVx7vUo9LEOlSXQMcNZJOC4kOmbIKaKjP1MJ6NjCUzbt4q7BkF6aPI6id03iSK3-vXoLH_rw0jinW3DQE7WgO9ox6YKOZUchDyxTmVGc/s400/IMG_1627.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942297788637442" border="0" /></a>Tempura Fried Shiso Leaf with Tuna Tartar.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-o5buBN5S0tOZYjXHDJrQBDc4-rHpzfOKvxxbp7whoqIYq7YevNweArYsTQTAvZL45rDihOm7TcM9WotRwBLumXGoa3PBG0jDVUTLdlUNqHubSCQUOUUfPJJrqtKxz9KpkDwdUXYkYtwe/s1600-h/IMG_1625.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-o5buBN5S0tOZYjXHDJrQBDc4-rHpzfOKvxxbp7whoqIYq7YevNweArYsTQTAvZL45rDihOm7TcM9WotRwBLumXGoa3PBG0jDVUTLdlUNqHubSCQUOUUfPJJrqtKxz9KpkDwdUXYkYtwe/s400/IMG_1625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332942149150655106" border="0" /></a>Fried Pork Belly with a Garlic Herb Coulis.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxaqwKKDJKhVO7TvtP0KvloCuH1SKBTQxSA7muQ5q0ZIibZubPhPsaagtQW8_QAyeiAwd9_vlv6sGj3V26Z3ofH1_aHSFdUK23oJUYTZFbAU65LIh7mRfxMH3EjkXmqOdsqS6TnGho7x_/s1600-h/IMG_1623.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxaqwKKDJKhVO7TvtP0KvloCuH1SKBTQxSA7muQ5q0ZIibZubPhPsaagtQW8_QAyeiAwd9_vlv6sGj3V26Z3ofH1_aHSFdUK23oJUYTZFbAU65LIh7mRfxMH3EjkXmqOdsqS6TnGho7x_/s400/IMG_1623.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332941982759447634" border="0" /></a>Gougeres Stuffed with Crab, Avacado and Chives.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNE1JErpNVEbRfa7-sUZEvKloaA3C7vqaFRQh0eUCY7ntmA9FQKmy7ue6JWPIVo-VcgakD-0qSLCOppCOW5fX57q0xfr1yQNic4xn21MRQRuDX3yzxkxxgKkHASNuPnN0zSHvM56iGMAy/s1600-h/IMG_1619.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNE1JErpNVEbRfa7-sUZEvKloaA3C7vqaFRQh0eUCY7ntmA9FQKmy7ue6JWPIVo-VcgakD-0qSLCOppCOW5fX57q0xfr1yQNic4xn21MRQRuDX3yzxkxxgKkHASNuPnN0zSHvM56iGMAy/s400/IMG_1619.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332941845651082706" border="0" /></a>Our Menu Printed By Kimberly.<br /><br />The dinner was great! We had so much fun planning and are excited to do it again next year. I'm thinking miniature comfort foods, hmmm.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-90294851431007619692009-04-20T14:35:00.001-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.808-08:00Practice Makes Perfect<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocTqyaAskunDp1NqjP9kABxII5EDPuwg_gUcUn54I_taJG4N_FB2m9K_Al7egyjlgnns_VgSj_aqGG9Nr4aU5oUDLeqYsyz-JDLSfk8ZEhYkSV3CFdKQm1nFYTlceA9s18WPGCKRGgoKj/s1600-h/Easter+09+056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocTqyaAskunDp1NqjP9kABxII5EDPuwg_gUcUn54I_taJG4N_FB2m9K_Al7egyjlgnns_VgSj_aqGG9Nr4aU5oUDLeqYsyz-JDLSfk8ZEhYkSV3CFdKQm1nFYTlceA9s18WPGCKRGgoKj/s400/Easter+09+056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326891510442868434" border="0" /></a>A gougere, stuffed with crab, avacado and a mixture of heavenly things.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmE2JoiH7rvHAus-NavfXka8ZRwEky_J0tkrN_cf-BR7_lU2FloNBUy0vLJRnx89bQiyzhtSwyK98wyxSkcj8gGNp1z-i3JHAT2nDDykpnBKXn-E_yVyhTqAnecvSn6J6C-UvVzMDI44_m/s1600-h/Easter+09+052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmE2JoiH7rvHAus-NavfXka8ZRwEky_J0tkrN_cf-BR7_lU2FloNBUy0vLJRnx89bQiyzhtSwyK98wyxSkcj8gGNp1z-i3JHAT2nDDykpnBKXn-E_yVyhTqAnecvSn6J6C-UvVzMDI44_m/s320/Easter+09+052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326891779239321922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Roasting tomatoes for the Tomato Tartar from 'Happy In The Kitchen'. A beautiful book by Michel Richard.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Lee and I did a test run for the charity dinner we will be cooking for in a couple of weeks. I don't like to go into things blindly, at least when I'm serving a bunch of people that paid good money for a fabulous dinner. Thankfully, Lee feels the same way, plus it's really fun for us to plan these dinners out and cook together. I'll post more pictures and the official menu after the actual dinner on May 2nd, but for now, here are a few of them to let you know how it all went the 'first time around'. We did a good job, but it took a lot of prep and hard work. And love of course.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbVfmf1qGIlQj4719ulJRrS0_8YXzGEFYADD4s1Hcg7yOtxkH4D75le22zjh0Dy212LiaBM_uI_lIq-kaBXct8xE_xyVl8ss96EANJo2xdkWwIOPX2vQA3ipenLB455hmUu9uDQDCuUM-/s1600-h/Easter+09+055.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbVfmf1qGIlQj4719ulJRrS0_8YXzGEFYADD4s1Hcg7yOtxkH4D75le22zjh0Dy212LiaBM_uI_lIq-kaBXct8xE_xyVl8ss96EANJo2xdkWwIOPX2vQA3ipenLB455hmUu9uDQDCuUM-/s400/Easter+09+055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326892077554932034" border="0" /></a><br />The colorful Le Creuset pots on our stove. We made a special trip up to the Marysville outlet mall to get another of the shallow yellow pans that April let us borrow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg2Clg6DY5O-6VYUOXdm99zQYCt0dqQ0B5KZizF97cPqr7LQIyKgsTwWzwHh-qP32AlnlW9SZXI8h3jkUtLuc-T0VXT-eSCjT3r6QBmVc5IS0ktRIVAa5ekH3nW3u3dFrlhlJPN4GeigO/s1600-h/Easter+09+054.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg2Clg6DY5O-6VYUOXdm99zQYCt0dqQ0B5KZizF97cPqr7LQIyKgsTwWzwHh-qP32AlnlW9SZXI8h3jkUtLuc-T0VXT-eSCjT3r6QBmVc5IS0ktRIVAa5ekH3nW3u3dFrlhlJPN4GeigO/s400/Easter+09+054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326892173270356226" border="0" /></a><br />I picked fresh flowers from our garden and put them above our new wine cabinet. On the wall is our personalized menu from Joel Robuchon, the first and only 3 star restaurant we've been to. I plan on going to another on our honeymoon!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HcXKUH9WkEWqXdnIvQhfPZnLWYGGEjTX6dQETFYa6zV7T7m4defQaiz9L55SAC9ccmVvY7M8QhVW_eEfKfu-vn6T2iZjGPO62QDGdTYVXseGPFlPEidtqgivvfcnbj6yUku4YY-1SzPb/s1600-h/Easter+09+053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HcXKUH9WkEWqXdnIvQhfPZnLWYGGEjTX6dQETFYa6zV7T7m4defQaiz9L55SAC9ccmVvY7M8QhVW_eEfKfu-vn6T2iZjGPO62QDGdTYVXseGPFlPEidtqgivvfcnbj6yUku4YY-1SzPb/s320/Easter+09+053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326891891522473346" border="0" /></a><br />This is the mignardise I made, hoping I'll get to make these for our wedding favors if I can perfec them. It's a salt caramel chocolate covered pretzel, a bit savory since I don't like super sweet things.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihIYvHssA9Udp6pZGFsn4maHMSOrSbb2kNfapgNnihmR2zzBYtAUESYJuPNJ5i8alq04S8_NaFWYToweQbS_PvwmDDI2qjoXc59F0PEiylTU2H1ZxuGFKGXNNrKOkVvyDdeUC7chuHLFz/s1600-h/Easter+09+049.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihIYvHssA9Udp6pZGFsn4maHMSOrSbb2kNfapgNnihmR2zzBYtAUESYJuPNJ5i8alq04S8_NaFWYToweQbS_PvwmDDI2qjoXc59F0PEiylTU2H1ZxuGFKGXNNrKOkVvyDdeUC7chuHLFz/s400/Easter+09+049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327999928477730242" border="0" /></a><br />In the food processor, a mixture of herbs to be added to some olive oil. This will be served alongside the deep fried pork belly amuse bouche.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-68235677939613039492009-04-16T16:50:00.001-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.822-08:00I'm a slacker<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwOotoUAoF3anHRDBQMIX7AADClbUYA2AmP9ccCtwkb2E997GJrj8mMQt7cLYxY9HQGrFxR96VWKk1x2kV7Zy-GzMlwVwanRRaiD2coRiaqWffY949Q1EuJG83-uFW0l20Yg8G46vMuz2/s1600-h/Easter+09+014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwOotoUAoF3anHRDBQMIX7AADClbUYA2AmP9ccCtwkb2E997GJrj8mMQt7cLYxY9HQGrFxR96VWKk1x2kV7Zy-GzMlwVwanRRaiD2coRiaqWffY949Q1EuJG83-uFW0l20Yg8G46vMuz2/s400/Easter+09+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325448561355807170" border="0" /></a><br />My posts are getting fewer and far between, but I'm still here, still busy and still doing VERY well. Consider busy as being good for me, because it really is. I might be looking forward to writing my novel when I'm 70 and therefore not writing so much at 34, or that's how I like to think of it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTxE0XL1EDFk7lxvQxSL5bpHKb2lasQEdq50HVUCx-9XRXZjaQyQPbH2TU36u5mVl5CIh4LOMWjQhP_zYxpFRE1Q8wdBYu59hETTo0qmpgdhMNT5WftD152oWnh6PQCkXZQPTdQ0rUXlp/s1600-h/Easter+09+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTxE0XL1EDFk7lxvQxSL5bpHKb2lasQEdq50HVUCx-9XRXZjaQyQPbH2TU36u5mVl5CIh4LOMWjQhP_zYxpFRE1Q8wdBYu59hETTo0qmpgdhMNT5WftD152oWnh6PQCkXZQPTdQ0rUXlp/s320/Easter+09+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325441999919220562" border="0" /></a><br />The place that Lee and I met through, Culinary Communion, closed a few weeks ago. It was really sad to see them end, but they had a great run and my culinary skills have flourished. I've made friends upon friends and traveled through France. And of course, I was introduced to Lee by these friends, so they will forever have a special place in my heart. They ended up having a sale in order to move on with a lighter load of cooking supplies and I scored a fabulous omelet pan that I've been using nearly every day with fresh eggs from April's chickens. I had the most incredible breakfast this morning! A still warm croissant from Cafe Besalu, in my opinion they have the best croissants I've ever sunk my teeth into. Some Oikos Greek Yogurt with honey on the bottom. And to top it off, a fried egg from April's chickens. I think it was the perfect breakfast, I love eggs for breakfast!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2wXjTd_AQioV7_u7WgkZ9fziamen-SrjJF4V5viZq4FT-XJ0B-jK54iPfHfH7OyoOoyemFGyrB1vOZmQMYC1_Ks7gGiuF3YmsoHePNI-gm69RWgFbZxuti85eU5uuod4qMscdKvri9zi/s1600-h/Easter+09+047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2wXjTd_AQioV7_u7WgkZ9fziamen-SrjJF4V5viZq4FT-XJ0B-jK54iPfHfH7OyoOoyemFGyrB1vOZmQMYC1_Ks7gGiuF3YmsoHePNI-gm69RWgFbZxuti85eU5uuod4qMscdKvri9zi/s320/Easter+09+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325444147793092178" border="0" /></a>We celebrated Easter with Dad and Step-mom who came to visit from Michigan. I made up a scalloped potato dish with goat cheese, sauteed criminis, herbs and roasted garlic. Turned out really well (very rich though). We also went on a wine tour of Oregon, and since I've never been on a wine tour before, it was a learning experience. The food and restaurants in the Willamette Valley were so good, very fresh and local. The wine?? Well, I'm not so sure I like Oregon, or for that much, any New World wines. At all. I'm sticking with my French and Italian reds until I find<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVP8KM2eEDA2A2EWtRcRVoHeJDvmj5bohok3NghKydMFJFBwMKx-UxKkKLeB7cUZ15d1l6PXrPP6zlBnFLxa5dBzHZNUoK2djoS1m-pWKC0BnrW_Sg-SkcNjPRjlMJwcqwBHCOdKaWYkO/s1600-h/Easter+09+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVP8KM2eEDA2A2EWtRcRVoHeJDvmj5bohok3NghKydMFJFBwMKx-UxKkKLeB7cUZ15d1l6PXrPP6zlBnFLxa5dBzHZNUoK2djoS1m-pWKC0BnrW_Sg-SkcNjPRjlMJwcqwBHCOdKaWYkO/s320/Easter+09+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325447933021671346" border="0" /></a> something just as good. I also have a suggestion for the wineries offering tastings--serve some water and snacks. That might help with the headaches and drunkedness. It's good we did this trip--I did feel a little weird about being a food lover from Seattle that had never been on a wine tasting trip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenk4qWBcgf4LcI1lEmxRAx7-2pax5RS6h7sX-NIvA-C2x3I5ROzeJt1XVPpMZzScxzgLz9xsUYUL2czE0d9SdC1AOiFY9F8Wj2EnLqFw2PTpFKPk4vrKnWP-0aMfUumyG-W3_N0z7ChmW/s1600-h/Easter+09+041.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenk4qWBcgf4LcI1lEmxRAx7-2pax5RS6h7sX-NIvA-C2x3I5ROzeJt1XVPpMZzScxzgLz9xsUYUL2czE0d9SdC1AOiFY9F8Wj2EnLqFw2PTpFKPk4vrKnWP-0aMfUumyG-W3_N0z7ChmW/s400/Easter+09+041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325446580589818530" border="0" /></a>We are hoping to sell the condo, so keep your fingers crossed. We've got a wedding to pay for! :) I'll post some pictures of the big charity dinner Lee and I are doing for Schmitz Park Elementary. Should be really fun.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCT2BrsvsvV9lbWFxk1BK3l2H95jO8uaqrNZ77joWmvLZ9TMF0sKwfbaU6S3tXsSW4GbyRio9xA4pBsKGiwirjyk9Zm1LMKV9zrK7Zb9XQ2g1zRcgkqDKzUTiOoM-ejAP73wZUok-34I3/s1600-h/Easter+09+032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCT2BrsvsvV9lbWFxk1BK3l2H95jO8uaqrNZ77joWmvLZ9TMF0sKwfbaU6S3tXsSW4GbyRio9xA4pBsKGiwirjyk9Zm1LMKV9zrK7Zb9XQ2g1zRcgkqDKzUTiOoM-ejAP73wZUok-34I3/s320/Easter+09+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325446898612699058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVK5mV4_X87PhHIred3ltnK1F83ENJf4Wbm0inFxG0vXKBS8TpWNWfGqx3s4xLkq2TYLwOnvxIU6O677qLKhrUFZLIEPO6YlmTnmP9de-fzNODOMKv8Jf0G0C0oOfOsBVvHUFb0aUDbWH/s1600-h/Easter+09+031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVK5mV4_X87PhHIred3ltnK1F83ENJf4Wbm0inFxG0vXKBS8TpWNWfGqx3s4xLkq2TYLwOnvxIU6O677qLKhrUFZLIEPO6YlmTnmP9de-fzNODOMKv8Jf0G0C0oOfOsBVvHUFb0aUDbWH/s320/Easter+09+031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325447260972217954" border="0" /></a>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-38478839019120458372009-03-12T17:30:00.001-07:002010-01-17T00:01:15.839-08:00Spring Cleaning<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYTa_ieN3uloxQSo1pRJf1kAuifuCj0db35GevgaU9hyVvALUZTYxI7dhq_YasHUfEhqbt7_kn1h-Tz9lRejkE4bcrNbc137JLFZnGMGnIjmV0wILl6JMFT0E2G-2notLqnUaHn31-FZb/s1600-h/March+09+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312466652092813890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYTa_ieN3uloxQSo1pRJf1kAuifuCj0db35GevgaU9hyVvALUZTYxI7dhq_YasHUfEhqbt7_kn1h-Tz9lRejkE4bcrNbc137JLFZnGMGnIjmV0wILl6JMFT0E2G-2notLqnUaHn31-FZb/s400/March+09+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>Hi guys. I know I don't blog much anymore and I'm sorry about that, but I really just haven't felt like sitting down at the computer lately. That's what happens when the weather gets better and your computer decides to die, making every move extremely slow--and I have to admit I don't have much patience for slow technology. If I have to wait 5 minutes for my computer to get online, I'm already off and doing something else around the house and when it does finally function, I'm just not feeling it anymore. Someday I will get myself a pretty Mac laptop, but that will take some saving on my part. So until then, I'll spend time reading, watching movies and enjoying life.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312466862434667538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialyFpGuX4Td48aKLXFgsTjIOIBX2JiKdUi7HXkGe3HBQsl5nTOOsqL6yLszSPYbLYwKwzVNg8yHitwd6f7gj1dZh01hP5H3DH52FMCCbMmsO1p1PIcBonHcabl7Pn24Np9uwVxbUCJWwg/s320/March+09+018.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vhIqxNboVMh6abtG8M5JngXjD-Qsm6WKqzovcvEX2MXqE_m6MWmvMTcr5oKZfK4ojTVHJVZ0nVrlHgNyqh3skOaGNbRrumOZSbA4y-QiwepMZCP3T9HD9f018g789bDEIWLmEZG3dDlg/s1600-h/March+09+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312466780341214722" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vhIqxNboVMh6abtG8M5JngXjD-Qsm6WKqzovcvEX2MXqE_m6MWmvMTcr5oKZfK4ojTVHJVZ0nVrlHgNyqh3skOaGNbRrumOZSbA4y-QiwepMZCP3T9HD9f018g789bDEIWLmEZG3dDlg/s320/March+09+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This past month I've accomplished quite a bit--got a beautiful wedding dress for myself, fitted all my bridesmaids in cute 50's style black dresses, spring cleaned the whole house, worked in the yard, started training for my job tending suites for the Sounders games at Qwest (yes, I'll have two jobs now), spent lots of time cooking and planning for our big auction dinner in May and did lot's of pedicures outside of work. I'd also like to add that although I'm kind of exhausted from the time change, I haven't been sick since October of '08. This is big for me because I get sick every time someone around me is sick, and I've been around sick kids and sick co-workers, and yet, I've been super healthy. I have this wacko idea that someone told me once to put vaseline in your nose to prevent colds since we get many colds through the cracked veins in our nostrils. I've been doing this and it seems to have worked. I know Lee is laughing at me right now. It's cooky.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC3PjYU7ORO3gU8j2x4EBjUSHhHw8HCtH52NUgGi33IRhJGTPztPpXI1I7PmDd6mXG4ZSvSzJG86jpwCHNa2hifU0InpVvB-Tjs_cuLQQgpjtJmdJMHq9kuZ0jFWIbc8yz5SlBpene_7z/s1600-h/March+09+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312466567041055330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC3PjYU7ORO3gU8j2x4EBjUSHhHw8HCtH52NUgGi33IRhJGTPztPpXI1I7PmDd6mXG4ZSvSzJG86jpwCHNa2hifU0InpVvB-Tjs_cuLQQgpjtJmdJMHq9kuZ0jFWIbc8yz5SlBpene_7z/s320/March+09+002.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div>I had my first attempt at homemade pasta this month and it was.....chewy. It was really good and I could eat it every day, but it wasn't delicate or light as some pasta is. I did roll it out thin, but I don't think I know how to get it lighter, so I'll have to keep trying. I made a mexican coleslaw with cabbage, onion, cilantro, avacado, mango, jalepeno and a yogurt dressing. Very tasty, but after eating it for leftovers 4 days in a row, I don't think I'll be eating that again any time soon. I tend to make too much, but I try not to, and I simply can't throw food away until I can't stand to look at it anymore. And even then, I might make something else out of it. I made a whole wheat crust pizza with kale, mushrooms and goat cheese. I like the Trader Joe's whole wheat crust best. And I made paninis with turkey, sundried tomatoes, arugula and swiss. I could eat like 10 of those.</div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Yesterday I finally made it to Pies and Pints--I've always wanted to go so I was super excited. The ads in the Stranger, my favorite local paper, show ladies all tattooed and pierced presenting you with lovely pies in their hands. It's an Irish that serves beer and pies, but pies as in chicken pot pie, and lamb potato pie and beef curry pie. With optional beer cheese smothered on top. And it comes with homemade soup, which was corn jalepeno. They also serve mini reubens in puff pastry with a side of Russian dressing and mustard. And for dessert?? Yes, it's Guinness cake. I was in heaven. You've got to go if you come up our way--I'm drooling now.</div></div></div>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-37697997546918116652009-02-19T22:28:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.856-08:00What's in Our BellysYes, it's another installment of Kelley's Food Photography because it seems that we've had a lot of parties to go to lately at other peoples houses, or we are just cooking at home. I've been doing some spring cleaning since the weather has been so beautiful and I even saw some flowers out today and new bulbs coming up. Yay for spring!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqouzWhyMqbC6Zsf8TdVzKwbX3OnoBlF8hdDmq9fdZUIZXp-MwUXGBQgxglqIkRvFE_1R2YcsoODSoadiRZg-xvMB-w6oytZ2W54csO_L2-6JF5e2YAb25r4R9Dr8YqomRhV70lIL3f3wJ/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqouzWhyMqbC6Zsf8TdVzKwbX3OnoBlF8hdDmq9fdZUIZXp-MwUXGBQgxglqIkRvFE_1R2YcsoODSoadiRZg-xvMB-w6oytZ2W54csO_L2-6JF5e2YAb25r4R9Dr8YqomRhV70lIL3f3wJ/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305017869427498354" border="0" /></a>Avgolemono soup I made from Food and Wine Magazine. It's very easy and one of Lee's favorite soups. Also, there is no cream, milk or oil in here, yet it's a creamy looking soup because I pureed the brown rice I put into it. Interesting way to thicken soups or not use milk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23XuKWmTWnaA0ga_SARw-McAIUpPttrGwdznoFzEX9QR95ehukfCphFaxin1hw28AyUNAjtnpLxbhBkXqRMQqva-X3ikOKMVn5pkJBNG6sDVmUz9OcGC-KQzIBcPUrRZ0OBtp32s59iR7/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23XuKWmTWnaA0ga_SARw-McAIUpPttrGwdznoFzEX9QR95ehukfCphFaxin1hw28AyUNAjtnpLxbhBkXqRMQqva-X3ikOKMVn5pkJBNG6sDVmUz9OcGC-KQzIBcPUrRZ0OBtp32s59iR7/s320/Foodstuff+2-091+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305019564868312642" border="0" /></a><br />This is a pasta I made based on one we had at Sitka and Spruce. It's one of my favorite I've ever made or had out--it's got red cabbage, shitake mushrooms and goat cheese. This isn't the best picture, but the combo is really excellent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4V9zkVG-YHAKhzZJRcRuWOBe92sou5TVFSCrFeXwN29tlmebb1_Spksqe0b-LSA2Z8IpPbSeOd2L3KSB-1kwEGGMigfhwn1FJXsvyfYusWiPGoPpGj07BSDy1Z6C-I5rnFFfrR15bdX6/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4V9zkVG-YHAKhzZJRcRuWOBe92sou5TVFSCrFeXwN29tlmebb1_Spksqe0b-LSA2Z8IpPbSeOd2L3KSB-1kwEGGMigfhwn1FJXsvyfYusWiPGoPpGj07BSDy1Z6C-I5rnFFfrR15bdX6/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305020322930059778" border="0" /></a>This is the box of chocolates Lee got me for Valentine's, along with a very sweet love letter in the Stranger. I think it's the prettiest box of chocolates I've ever seen!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeAP99yShe88jwdjQEnYT_MYBa0e5XMXtYdvaMygP0z3b4LflQcg3vaWYU3915cuBr6KKArq4DTTJ9b8ANAjOWy-_RPN1XoetwPMlM6M8BPdNoTjJouoy4J_M7_B5vPevzJoByC177yXJ/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeAP99yShe88jwdjQEnYT_MYBa0e5XMXtYdvaMygP0z3b4LflQcg3vaWYU3915cuBr6KKArq4DTTJ9b8ANAjOWy-_RPN1XoetwPMlM6M8BPdNoTjJouoy4J_M7_B5vPevzJoByC177yXJ/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305020754339814098" border="0" /></a>Nutella tart I made for April's Valentine's Day party. It was an organ meat party with lots of pate and foie gras. So good!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1oq1d12meYHa2dTap_ha53lG62ehNx682zCzDDidF4ggBh8Dcva1BGZilesWCSdCIKsmWdP3K18IV8v7fvsdrJLci_68CjAnSIqyPwttahW636SqCXYUpsMv6NaCoulMh7u35pwU3Cwi/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1oq1d12meYHa2dTap_ha53lG62ehNx682zCzDDidF4ggBh8Dcva1BGZilesWCSdCIKsmWdP3K18IV8v7fvsdrJLci_68CjAnSIqyPwttahW636SqCXYUpsMv6NaCoulMh7u35pwU3Cwi/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305021128472573986" border="0" /></a>A huge platter of chocolate covered strawberries--I think eating these says Valentine's Day to me. Even if strawberries aren't in season.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaY8cKw0wnRjLXn-KoFxSPkS0VRvb6J0b0zm5clPy0b8PsGGCmqSky2OIuTwaGdd0yNTq0vodnfeDvQMaWCFsfk8g0btNRAAmP5GU0nPYJ87tgQjVyTKe_SD4ShyTu8l29H-8MEH-Q-sb/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaY8cKw0wnRjLXn-KoFxSPkS0VRvb6J0b0zm5clPy0b8PsGGCmqSky2OIuTwaGdd0yNTq0vodnfeDvQMaWCFsfk8g0btNRAAmP5GU0nPYJ87tgQjVyTKe_SD4ShyTu8l29H-8MEH-Q-sb/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305021529528520338" border="0" /></a>Jello shots that Lee made in strawberry, rasberry and mixed berry--made with Vampire Vodka.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PbvGtdHwwFJjMZS4FWi-KWaRza6OCyCzvqdJVl96uG6gtvXzUGxs7IllPjV_z5vLpKBwmLB4Z3lHeOQO96gD6TXD2nfBf52k-o6c7vM0egawEQiiCXwlmwb-k8R2ldtJqbHWYi0kbRB_/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PbvGtdHwwFJjMZS4FWi-KWaRza6OCyCzvqdJVl96uG6gtvXzUGxs7IllPjV_z5vLpKBwmLB4Z3lHeOQO96gD6TXD2nfBf52k-o6c7vM0egawEQiiCXwlmwb-k8R2ldtJqbHWYi0kbRB_/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305021931483164274" border="0" /></a>This perfectly crusty, chewy and soft bread is not from France or from a local bakery--it's from April's oven. I was shocked, but I gues if you bake the bread in a dutch oven and do it correctly, it really can turn out like this.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacqbckrepv9BtuBFpGZRjhdmKmbSpcfUmdHK6vydgB8oIpSrKxLhNdo-XHRx7c_AnnMPCcbXcaaMcL86mTmFX7MJubCP5tFD7Ufalv_q7QUPaEkQAhmPHHzyvgyvo-7iuJEpxHuYBQ34T/s1600-h/Foodstuff+2-091+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacqbckrepv9BtuBFpGZRjhdmKmbSpcfUmdHK6vydgB8oIpSrKxLhNdo-XHRx7c_AnnMPCcbXcaaMcL86mTmFX7MJubCP5tFD7Ufalv_q7QUPaEkQAhmPHHzyvgyvo-7iuJEpxHuYBQ34T/s400/Foodstuff+2-091+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305032907843587330" border="0" /></a>Foie Gras on a rosemary waffle with Calvados ice cream. Yum.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-62108578951961685792009-02-05T13:44:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.872-08:00Super Bowl Munchies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWcinkwh2Uq4W432j47EtQww90W0XVv-naMwvtfsLSlmVriMLzRKFTr4viVCrUGh1-ECVmVJQMoX69PZ7TcQX9ddBnfri7vvQfxWq5wz9deGLW3uiwO20HCRQSLIpEGExI6ZFUtCJ-_C5/s1600-h/Jan+09+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWcinkwh2Uq4W432j47EtQww90W0XVv-naMwvtfsLSlmVriMLzRKFTr4viVCrUGh1-ECVmVJQMoX69PZ7TcQX9ddBnfri7vvQfxWq5wz9deGLW3uiwO20HCRQSLIpEGExI6ZFUtCJ-_C5/s400/Jan+09+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299437786458616370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I had the glorious goal of making a fabulous goat cheese cheesecake with a cherry balsamic glaze for our Super Bowl party, but the best part of that ended up being the lovely picture. Yes, it looks good, but don't be decieved--it tasted like cardboard. Very<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wWf9ZFsF5ktxnoYrY3stViGryYbQScKwESEG7tw-QUAhy1x0WuHc6QLdh4UalFD0O4YafmpvLQtysFwtIFoGiIyNxhNrJLXUXVxMjFo_uegv2a40OQWNba5UhWds4kayXSXukUxZGLx5/s1600-h/Jan+09+028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wWf9ZFsF5ktxnoYrY3stViGryYbQScKwESEG7tw-QUAhy1x0WuHc6QLdh4UalFD0O4YafmpvLQtysFwtIFoGiIyNxhNrJLXUXVxMjFo_uegv2a40OQWNba5UhWds4kayXSXukUxZGLx5/s200/Jan+09+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299438173885957906" border="0" /></a> dry, overcooked and pretty awful. The cherry balsamic glaze was very good, but without the cheesecake to go with it, I got frustrated and ended up throwing it out this morning. I WILL try again!! I also never received the cheese curds from Wisconsin. I failed to read the shi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHc4TePZd4cWNAiJ1tDoeY4RKaYV0BZ5vbmf0Tp4ykMlOTgy_PjCOkBHDkmneW0PiQ3K0RpFGzhKgPxk8WSgEJGL_kX24oyDcFQFv9ZCRceawT5Geeu-q0sJXMSnAhRb9o7S4xhPGeFDE/s1600-h/Jan+09+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHc4TePZd4cWNAiJ1tDoeY4RKaYV0BZ5vbmf0Tp4ykMlOTgy_PjCOkBHDkmneW0PiQ3K0RpFGzhKgPxk8WSgEJGL_kX24oyDcFQFv9ZCRceawT5Geeu-q0sJXMSnAhRb9o7S4xhPGeFDE/s320/Jan+09+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299437620045009154" border="0" /></a>pping rules and apparently it only takes 2 days to get them if you live in Wisconsin. So we are still waiting on them and I've prepped for poutine, possibly the worst thing you can ingest, but definitely one of the tastiest. And you can only get the good stuff in Canada, unless you are willing to make it yourself, so that's what I do. Sounds illegal, but it's not.<br /><br />We had other excellent hits, like pigs in a blanket, Lee's guacamole, old family recipe of artichoke dip and April's famous pulled<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJZSWowe7H2DFmQOGR1qtq5ty2oFn4q4ox7iZZrfYXcZg8Fxs3RNSJe-16NxUwlSeVQW4TXsI3AixA-Hz5-lfOKd_UIRGOEjSi_40Hx876rFcOMQKbn0CjHqtyHQ0zSSqm1uUwS_idbYm/s1600-h/Jan+09+017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJZSWowe7H2DFmQOGR1qtq5ty2oFn4q4ox7iZZrfYXcZg8Fxs3RNSJe-16NxUwlSeVQW4TXsI3AixA-Hz5-lfOKd_UIRGOEjSi_40Hx876rFcOMQKbn0CjHqtyHQ0zSSqm1uUwS_idbYm/s320/Jan+09+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299439291047586882" border="0" /></a> pork mini sliders. I had a good time watching the commercials and I'm fairly sure that was the highlight for most people, although it was a good game. We also had a great salad the other night with roasted chili chicken, granny smith apples, some really stinky blue cheese, lemon and arugula. I really love warm chicken fresh out of the oven on a cold salad.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZQgfXLAjpNeWt16kwOXs7W3_B-2M6AV255_JL50MxVo_nhLbLcbF3MUZMEkmrO99oaP589G_jObjkeD6ghV-08ea9hjszLngF5j9ghjAsnD4InA05ln5In9a8Sm-RuMicOxocYFwcZui/s1600-h/Jan+09+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZQgfXLAjpNeWt16kwOXs7W3_B-2M6AV255_JL50MxVo_nhLbLcbF3MUZMEkmrO99oaP589G_jObjkeD6ghV-08ea9hjszLngF5j9ghjAsnD4InA05ln5In9a8Sm-RuMicOxocYFwcZui/s320/Jan+09+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299437918938436098" border="0" /></a><br />Tonight I'm going to work and then a party at Culinary Communion that showcases their trips to France, Italy and Germany, plus they will be serving local foods from those regions. I'm going as 'one that has already been on the France trip' with CC, so I guess I'll tell people how much I loved it. Should I leave out the fact that you can meet the love of your life through these sorts of adventures?? That would be quite the pitch and I'm not sure Gabe and Katie want to travel with ten single women looking for love. Could make an interesting reality TV show though.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3dAXbFD4YE12Skv68gWTcPmzr9mctLrIICvSnTsvP0AQiKzNjNaaG1kW2T-PmqHEk4p8C134pa1E87-z9iRtOVISlcNup4DDb6I8VjcTSNsY4V19DkMxq4Yo_pm3d9cEbwjM-24EXPCo/s1600-h/Jan+09+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3dAXbFD4YE12Skv68gWTcPmzr9mctLrIICvSnTsvP0AQiKzNjNaaG1kW2T-PmqHEk4p8C134pa1E87-z9iRtOVISlcNup4DDb6I8VjcTSNsY4V19DkMxq4Yo_pm3d9cEbwjM-24EXPCo/s320/Jan+09+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299438043728985538" border="0" /></a>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-55744644673178254862009-01-28T17:24:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.888-08:00Issues with Eggplant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0FxECbdleIbqfCUJ63TaCXuak2_WDQeg3byCxgP8Y9O62jqwKiHbYiK_9kDZaGbnHzRRioiN1qqd7gRUxVDjsOBu3juaSL1zkoCjZ6l8A8PYdvZ29rYbsRbSYxN1HNSkJkVknuegJLNq/s1600-h/Jan+09+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0FxECbdleIbqfCUJ63TaCXuak2_WDQeg3byCxgP8Y9O62jqwKiHbYiK_9kDZaGbnHzRRioiN1qqd7gRUxVDjsOBu3juaSL1zkoCjZ6l8A8PYdvZ29rYbsRbSYxN1HNSkJkVknuegJLNq/s400/Jan+09+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296526009164098866" border="0" /></a><br />I just have to tell you that right now I'm roasting vegetables. This is supposed to be a level one, easy culinary task and yet I can't seem to get it right. One of my favorite veggies is eggplant and the reason why I only eat it when I'm at a restaurant is because I can't seem to cook it correctly. Right now the majority of my veggies are roasting well, but the eggplant has turned to mush and not only that, but it's sticking so badly to the pan that there is no way to salvage it anyway. And yes, I coated it in oil before baking. So frustrating! So once again, I'll have to order eggplant at all Chinese and Indian restaurants until I get it correct.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iSQQikYzGnmBnh8XyJwZ9TuRu3uuY0KpaAGgpzNW8pJuVlbnc2MNShRYAtruzBs8hjTDtiNbYrNULDB8jJwyzixQfsYAUJIFUiRc_-SXqxkH1dG1hwvuhk3RibtaFX12BiIuqq_xX2Zw/s1600-h/Jan+09+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iSQQikYzGnmBnh8XyJwZ9TuRu3uuY0KpaAGgpzNW8pJuVlbnc2MNShRYAtruzBs8hjTDtiNbYrNULDB8jJwyzixQfsYAUJIFUiRc_-SXqxkH1dG1hwvuhk3RibtaFX12BiIuqq_xX2Zw/s320/Jan+09+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296527294599057458" border="0" /></a><br />Lee's Dad, Terry, had his birthday this week so we invited the family over for a really simple, but tasty dinner. I had just gotten off work so the dinner had to be quick, and I found a great way to throw dinner together quickly while still having a homemade meal with a few courses. Now I couldn't do it without Lee prepping everything before and helping out, but together we can whip out dinner in a minute. This should come in handy in the future. We had traditional swiss fondue with apples and bread, green beans with shallots and pinenuts, endive 'bowls' with beet and blue cheese salad inside and Lee's famous bananas foster for dessert. I tried to get a picture of him lighting it on fire, but I must have been caught up in the moment, so I just got a picture of him after the fact. It was very French and I always love being with Lee's family, my soon to be in-laws. I'm very lucky.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtPvCe9p7f5qES65B9L1uvA_m2IiyIgL2XM8-_bPDftK6v4CZkGH2L78Y17hfgaKR3fd8RP2ALivr4wKFSYOIjWor2w1a0m-Uh9cFji6K5gXjQFpCle5mN-bY8f_ssx8tbibosHIlIiCR/s1600-h/Jan+09+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtPvCe9p7f5qES65B9L1uvA_m2IiyIgL2XM8-_bPDftK6v4CZkGH2L78Y17hfgaKR3fd8RP2ALivr4wKFSYOIjWor2w1a0m-Uh9cFji6K5gXjQFpCle5mN-bY8f_ssx8tbibosHIlIiCR/s320/Jan+09+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296526578991708626" border="0" /></a><br />We had an excellent cheese plate this week, you all know this is my favorite food. I also went to the How How shopping center on 12th and Jackson--it's the less expensive version of Uwajimaya. I got a ton of things I haven't tried before (like fresh water chesnuts) and came out with two full bags of food for $18, which is pretty good these days.....but, it took me an hour to get through the line and there were so many people pushing me and staring at me that I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. It was sort a big ordeal, but it was definitely a good way to save a buck-and I made some amazing chow mein and stir frys out of it. That's one thing I've always wanted to do checked off my list.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79FGMx6fp4l9QZcRiCXUGYWx1LUuTegRBZC_mvoSRibkY-3IdTEJL6vS4t2y6fcqbu2v65kvjRJKbtTpQUanQ_rXvr-S8QANY29KHP7kqtB_FTg2pg1qGNBJU4eoNNZTIEi-LDMxNfypa/s1600-h/Jan+09+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79FGMx6fp4l9QZcRiCXUGYWx1LUuTegRBZC_mvoSRibkY-3IdTEJL6vS4t2y6fcqbu2v65kvjRJKbtTpQUanQ_rXvr-S8QANY29KHP7kqtB_FTg2pg1qGNBJU4eoNNZTIEi-LDMxNfypa/s320/Jan+09+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296526511850567234" border="0" /></a><br />This weekend we are having a Super Bowl party and I wasn't planning on making anything at all, but instead have a potluck, and well, I'm sure you all know how that is turning out. I can't help myself--I really do love cooking. My friend, Kyleen, and I got on this goat cheese kick and now I'm attempting to make a goat cheese cheesecake with a cherry balsamic sauce. I'm making up the recipe, so we shall see how this goes. Then I started thinking about other things and now I've got this whole menu of stuff I want to make--I even lost my mind temporarily and am having some fresh Wisconsin cheese curds sent to me by mail. They better get here before the super bowl!<br /><br />I am now guest blogging for a Greenwood blog and my first entry was a review of Gainsbourg, one of our favorite new places. Check it out here: <a href="http://www.greenwoodblog.com/archives/213">http://www.greenwoodblog.com/archives/213</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKMlZzMxbRSdwKZAMJGHPJkJb9WAZxkvsbyATeOLTiQ9XMCurvPue4b6WjTCJAzZ-of4IVfhtxc1BABCdK5XdVIT3sBARNDpzofL1Fkziz4CVeUIm5EgOcar0M2yZdcBbw6RjDs6yloH7/s1600-h/Jan+09+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKMlZzMxbRSdwKZAMJGHPJkJb9WAZxkvsbyATeOLTiQ9XMCurvPue4b6WjTCJAzZ-of4IVfhtxc1BABCdK5XdVIT3sBARNDpzofL1Fkziz4CVeUIm5EgOcar0M2yZdcBbw6RjDs6yloH7/s400/Jan+09+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296526684245642098" border="0" /></a>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-60430501466245681732009-01-15T14:43:00.002-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.907-08:00A Walk Around Greenwood<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzwsHEq7Q8lrtoeL_Tef3zcA-YQ8VpUNvm7WFNmeaikMABPcM2Y0aBA0yuP2JuPWZFpOjFv_6qZu8kSbVlu7akpv0ZtD4r0vDlehZoQfbTWIr0X1KstyjzWnMAxXClvratT40qywTpZyd/s1600-h/jan+08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzwsHEq7Q8lrtoeL_Tef3zcA-YQ8VpUNvm7WFNmeaikMABPcM2Y0aBA0yuP2JuPWZFpOjFv_6qZu8kSbVlu7akpv0ZtD4r0vDlehZoQfbTWIr0X1KstyjzWnMAxXClvratT40qywTpZyd/s400/jan+08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291672326416430322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One of my favorite things to do on my day off is to take a walk around my neighborhood. Lately I've been working nights and the weather has been nice, so I've gotten to do my walks more often. I walked out the door this morning with a light hoodie and a knit hat, and after a couple blocks of slow jogging I was so warm that the rest of my walk was nearly balmy. Winter in Seattle is the absolute best time to walk!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNUHRsb2bP4aFEx7JwocUfTLfM4x4Qt_X7n0a2_WrTpY7cQZMSk3LKlDsJb4fPzI5VUk7r5eWE0R0V6tsQIupNA_-ECWcIaoQkFnl3g_BmgzBsSsG5pcRq1j_Rw_Jb11VprUQdVyXes0U/s1600-h/jan+08+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNUHRsb2bP4aFEx7JwocUfTLfM4x4Qt_X7n0a2_WrTpY7cQZMSk3LKlDsJb4fPzI5VUk7r5eWE0R0V6tsQIupNA_-ECWcIaoQkFnl3g_BmgzBsSsG5pcRq1j_Rw_Jb11VprUQdVyXes0U/s320/jan+08+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291669715139057730" border="0" /></a><br />There were a lot of things I wanted in a neighborhood when we were looking for homes and one of the most important was to be within walking distance to parks, grocery stores, the library, restaurants and anything I might need to visit doing everyday errands. And when I say walking distance, I mean within a couple of blocks. I like knowing that if I need a cup of coffee or a late night drink and happy hour, that I can walk there and back within 10 minutes. In a weird way this has always made me feel safe, which is probably why I never felt at home or why I thought that I was the crazy lady in town when I lived in more rural areas.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagGiI8-sTPT9zejN6r36kuPp6oJhT07hSg4TwkJLqfyTjrj4XmcmBIqfjBFdigM-fQ3_vYq-m5D5oJqmgdRVpt8Zl-guat4fmyjMZHulOlX_Iof9lmUc8BVWht2EV01zrAHJZSBAPwPoO/s1600-h/jan+08+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagGiI8-sTPT9zejN6r36kuPp6oJhT07hSg4TwkJLqfyTjrj4XmcmBIqfjBFdigM-fQ3_vYq-m5D5oJqmgdRVpt8Zl-guat4fmyjMZHulOlX_Iof9lmUc8BVWht2EV01zrAHJZSBAPwPoO/s200/jan+08+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291672077803126930" border="0" /></a> My Mom always felt safer living in the boonies and having a car to get away, or perhaps a gas mask or two (love ya, Mom). I feel safe knowing that if something really awful happens and our world is going down quickly, I can head down the street to buy some groceries and die surrounded by others. Maybe we'll sing songs and and reminisce about when the earth had humans on it, but at least we won't be alone. So it may be sort of morbid, but I'm not one to be afraid of death, and living in the urban core of a city makes me feel safest. I know, I know, you are all wondering how I lasted so long in Montana and Wyoming. Honestly, humans can adapt to anything, but I'm just really happy I found where I belong in my 30's. Could be worse.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIfILgK49VoAlPBhVW5jFfa9RRKyYcdd4SA58hlhTa_PgqW3FS6Pc2Ot3H-tnS-AsYBJJBkW1qfwa9j8bPmKRgQzv24tgcKS9m-GtgAf_WuXfIvREiGJr9TtAgiA04wTDw3BPieAeUEzC/s1600-h/jan+08+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIfILgK49VoAlPBhVW5jFfa9RRKyYcdd4SA58hlhTa_PgqW3FS6Pc2Ot3H-tnS-AsYBJJBkW1qfwa9j8bPmKRgQzv24tgcKS9m-GtgAf_WuXfIvREiGJr9TtAgiA04wTDw3BPieAeUEzC/s200/jan+08+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291671907795898482" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I took pictures of some of the cutest homes I walked by and Sandel Park, which is a great local park with lots of swings. Then I headed to the store to pick up some tortillas and onions for making enchiladas this afternoon. Headed over to the library to get a book they had on hold for me. I took my time to notice how pretty it is here in the winter--almost like spring is in the air. Then I came home to see that there was a plane that went down in the Hudson River, and it truly is a miracle that everyone survived. Now I'm done with those enchiladas, which happen to be low carb and low fat--we shall see how that goes. You all know I'm not into that kind of stuff, but I've got our wedding coming up and I'm not paying the photographer that kind of money to take pictures of me busting out of my dress. Wait a minute, even if I do lose a few pounds, I'll still be busting out of my dress. Anyway, I'm just trying to eat a little healthier, no big changes and if Lee takes me out to a wonderful restaurant, I'm still eating something fabulous. And if I go on vacation, then I'm going to enjoy myself to the fullest. But I'm trying, a bit. I even made a no sugar, whole wheat pumpkin cake yesterday and everyone at work said it was amazing and ate it up quickly. I think I have a talent for cooking healthy, but I also know how good things can taste, so I'm always comparing it to the best of the best. Just don't make me eat light yogurt with that fake sugar--soooo gross.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-43403199752339565412009-01-11T11:18:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.931-08:00The Planning Has Begun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwl1SLh1MgDqsNiR0QHqFLnzcBK69FXU9ak3EabvdtL3Zhx0Nvfn1-SsMEkK-DxAMC0m17DFq6X_EgGQL9Bk3mUFt22sfKBVfUNyuQs5N3ynYFAvjvekOG4vrbS6uzf8SThSdC0iI-ew5O/s1600-h/Babysitting+Ryan+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwl1SLh1MgDqsNiR0QHqFLnzcBK69FXU9ak3EabvdtL3Zhx0Nvfn1-SsMEkK-DxAMC0m17DFq6X_EgGQL9Bk3mUFt22sfKBVfUNyuQs5N3ynYFAvjvekOG4vrbS6uzf8SThSdC0iI-ew5O/s400/Babysitting+Ryan+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290189631589046386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgX5TiSm60jaFaLBMwHGAP5ml9d9-7SaFYENiJzLmvHDhlkZW4DWuBykNrtV-HdKWb8yuX2lcxWRAOeqqq9Fw8446Je-N_-hpi51ABbogxjMxy85q_Sz3vkDFBlH8rGLqG4TOTsWsPsXJ/s1600-h/Babysitting+Ryan+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgX5TiSm60jaFaLBMwHGAP5ml9d9-7SaFYENiJzLmvHDhlkZW4DWuBykNrtV-HdKWb8yuX2lcxWRAOeqqq9Fw8446Je-N_-hpi51ABbogxjMxy85q_Sz3vkDFBlH8rGLqG4TOTsWsPsXJ/s320/Babysitting+Ryan+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290196487567429522" border="0" /></a><br />I thought you might like this picture of Lee. Last night he babysat my godchild, Ryan, and I met him when I got off work just in case he needed me to help out (aka diaper changing). As usual, he found a way to entertain himself by writing no less than 25 phrases on Ryan's Magna-doodle. I am so thankful she's not able to read yet, to say the least. I chose the tamest of the words he wrote---but he did crack me up all night.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFW8j2113jnGtMzpIRw-gmlvTpjuNUCr6u-NfD0oEkN_iwCtvriOA3NxVZ_EXhLcclY5H0Bh0x7NPoX9zjGYWf9KX41OfbgglYj9zvpD2plsOs-4M7xExqnM6-JfjwdTatBW0aOS6hbga_/s1600-h/Babysitting+Ryan+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFW8j2113jnGtMzpIRw-gmlvTpjuNUCr6u-NfD0oEkN_iwCtvriOA3NxVZ_EXhLcclY5H0Bh0x7NPoX9zjGYWf9KX41OfbgglYj9zvpD2plsOs-4M7xExqnM6-JfjwdTatBW0aOS6hbga_/s200/Babysitting+Ryan+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290283398907149778" border="0" /></a><br />We went to the University District Farmers Market on Saturday and found quite a bit more than I had thought was growing in the winter, this is typically the 'chef's' weekly market because of the abundance of local fruits and veggies. There are even two mus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKASWbHxuEuwCWtPlmIJqi562tPxIyCqvjxLwB9c5tVv95M8cqJJ4iQxwHj061Lh5uvw7uNBMI9A_cewTQ4TEzWWt3jAokN1Jh8oa4FitIgboQ-WxQ5gkztsFT9vQy67y1E2NyaVYd5ju/s1600-h/Babysitting+Ryan+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKASWbHxuEuwCWtPlmIJqi562tPxIyCqvjxLwB9c5tVv95M8cqJJ4iQxwHj061Lh5uvw7uNBMI9A_cewTQ4TEzWWt3jAokN1Jh8oa4FitIgboQ-WxQ5gkztsFT9vQy67y1E2NyaVYd5ju/s320/Babysitting+Ryan+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290283031851029346" border="0" /></a>hroom stands with beautiful black trumpets out this week. And today we went to the Ballard Sunday Market, which is typically the one we go to, and checked out the colorful potatoes and kale (one of my favorite veggies, by far). And the newest and best arrival to the markets?? There is this lady who makes fried egg sandwiches with local eggs, cheese and fresh bread--this is possibly the perfect breakfast, so I'm happy she set up shop.<br /><br />I edited and added a few links to the right of here as well. The Slog is the Capital Hill and alternative news source that I've been getting plenty of my news lately. Nancy Matthews Blog is a personal blog of a high school friend of mine who recently had a double lung transplant due to cystic fibrosis--it's just amazing to se<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFS_o06ivTE-NgnaH4CQMrZ_7DkFE8Es13DzptH9kPh-eWQS-FYfwMC6XTWMrKoOWpOR2QPsaDchSBTIsGtiV_bEoBGdnKvR8lXoMx4rK6N-yLbxY9x0UmLB-2lifw-XkO3M-0epgZmqQ-/s1600-h/Babysitting+Ryan+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFS_o06ivTE-NgnaH4CQMrZ_7DkFE8Es13DzptH9kPh-eWQS-FYfwMC6XTWMrKoOWpOR2QPsaDchSBTIsGtiV_bEoBGdnKvR8lXoMx4rK6N-yLbxY9x0UmLB-2lifw-XkO3M-0epgZmqQ-/s320/Babysitting+Ryan+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290283171210346738" border="0" /></a>e the progress she is making. The New York Times, All Recipes and Epicurious are some of my favorite websites.<br /><br />And wedding planning well underway, thanks to all the help I've got from sisters and mom's and Lee and friends and so on. We've got the reception and ceremony site, the photographer, the florist and the honeymoon place. Oh, and I've got the groom. That's the most important part.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-66212180811957876612009-01-05T11:48:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.949-08:00Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and everything else that has happened in the last month.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1EtTmaShFa6YUV5wtCfOkyVbyQE2LfP9Zm09ow40ukbgA6YKCdni3v3jcdlTPPPOUCTiv3KImYGYy5Or1xk5149Nox94iSHr2JFL9UNlUAyjCklrsK7kjLCqqHef-o-H18YPq363HtYu/s1600-h/New+years+08+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1EtTmaShFa6YUV5wtCfOkyVbyQE2LfP9Zm09ow40ukbgA6YKCdni3v3jcdlTPPPOUCTiv3KImYGYy5Or1xk5149Nox94iSHr2JFL9UNlUAyjCklrsK7kjLCqqHef-o-H18YPq363HtYu/s400/New+years+08+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287904402651634914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I had the perfect opportunity and plenty of time to blog for a good week during the Seattle winter storm of '08, but some horrible alien invaded my computer and I got my first virus. I found out quickly that I can live without TV and movies and music, but living without a computer is much harder than I had imagined. So instead of blogging or just looking up every question I ever wanted answered, I hung out at home with Lee and watched movies, played games, talked a whole lot. I don't like the snow at all, but I must say that being snowed in with Lee made it much better and aside from simply getting cabin fever, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Being stuck with your best friend isn't so bad, and we laughed a lot. I heart Lee.<br /><br />So Christmas was very laid back, even with home made gifts since we couldn't get out to go shopping. And New Year's was at El Gaucho with friends and then off to a party at Culinary Communion. Now we are off to a new year--which always puts me in a good mood-and I'll be celebrating my 34th birthday in a few days. I think we are going out for sushi at Maschiko, which I haven't had in soooo long.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQUY6vnrTesek57j8QiySGeg_RLDRolHHpKAnmzB-1-7fOPl-hdWgH9pyNmG3hguQzkA2ADeL9RpYL5yXTOOK0SSyZPpTp_FQ2AATdGxbNmr_uaF9Btsvv9kkAGOYOgiah2eoaS-kc27S/s1600-h/New+years+08+025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQUY6vnrTesek57j8QiySGeg_RLDRolHHpKAnmzB-1-7fOPl-hdWgH9pyNmG3hguQzkA2ADeL9RpYL5yXTOOK0SSyZPpTp_FQ2AATdGxbNmr_uaF9Btsvv9kkAGOYOgiah2eoaS-kc27S/s200/New+years+08+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287904745903179714" border="0" /></a><br />We've been doing quite a bit of cooking and also Lee surprised me after work one evening and took me to Poppy. I've been wanting to go there for quite a while. Jerry Traunfeld is the chef and he used to be the chef at the Herb Farm, probably the best place to eat in this area during the 90's and early 2000's. Anyway, I always wanted to try his food or at least meet him. To my surprise, since chefs of his caliber do<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LoisW2lsXkfBrjNpEYs_su4N8iIpbytUhIbm75IrAdrPFjSYo-5RalustbBpBeH-szqH-XDUFHTZN9eju1uEJospHccRUj3HieJfzNyDOUH7uf87U_hplE7tW3ZKtIWMTbYcMuwWAIdh/s1600-h/New+years+08+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LoisW2lsXkfBrjNpEYs_su4N8iIpbytUhIbm75IrAdrPFjSYo-5RalustbBpBeH-szqH-XDUFHTZN9eju1uEJospHccRUj3HieJfzNyDOUH7uf87U_hplE7tW3ZKtIWMTbYcMuwWAIdh/s320/New+years+08+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287903644688411874" border="0" /></a>n't actually cook at their own restaurants, he was cooking the night we went to Poppy. I compare this to going to the French Laundry and having Thomas Keller actually behind the line that evening (this kind of thing never happens). Although Jerry is not Thomas Keller, but anyway. I got a shot of him in the kitchen on the sly then he came out to talk to us and signed our menu for me. He's a very small guy, tiny, and I asked all the questions--Lee and Kyleen just sat there and didn't know what to say. My review? Well, it was really unique. Odd pickles and relishes, a very bitter endive salad, excellent short ribs and a grapefruit/avacado/shrimp salad that stole the show. It all had an Indian flavor undertone, and the best thing there are the appetizers and the desserts by Dan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP95-BQUDznwasgJNiRKhUCZowBrUuQ_TYj0VTJmLdQpWVBK5FHetnoguUeSU3zqSPnuT3YarfTVlk31FeTRFG_mETL-OFJG-cDgWON4quLe2CH2_zsvPH6lkopzG8fre8KHl6IEmRfGgF/s1600-h/New+years+08+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP95-BQUDznwasgJNiRKhUCZowBrUuQ_TYj0VTJmLdQpWVBK5FHetnoguUeSU3zqSPnuT3YarfTVlk31FeTRFG_mETL-OFJG-cDgWON4quLe2CH2_zsvPH6lkopzG8fre8KHl6IEmRfGgF/s320/New+years+08+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287903901657436082" border="0" /></a>a Cree. I really liked it, but it was so interesting that you wouldn't necessarily crave those flavors often. Next up for Lee and I? A special trip to Rover's for the Grand Degustation--my Christmas gift from him. <br /><br />Here are a bunch of pictures of the past few weeks. My adorable niece Cypress, some friends from CC at a party, apps we made in class and a dark pic of Jerry Traunfeld.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BAszz8DQn5aWafFGXCOXV1SsyWXg3fN02uhaYLF2k7rxV27w0_wUbQSIG5LGpSZ0kxgE03jJMB3ITeI_IvjxI6Yqt1fRsuiGoEFZhgnlO9iCcOPYi-cQCe-IzO1SXJnEXaqYEO2AeB1P/s1600-h/New+years+08+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BAszz8DQn5aWafFGXCOXV1SsyWXg3fN02uhaYLF2k7rxV27w0_wUbQSIG5LGpSZ0kxgE03jJMB3ITeI_IvjxI6Yqt1fRsuiGoEFZhgnlO9iCcOPYi-cQCe-IzO1SXJnEXaqYEO2AeB1P/s320/New+years+08+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287904118076332290" border="0" /></a>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-32164182099102561292008-12-14T11:06:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.965-08:00Stuffing Stockings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIszPt8biV-_TpyiLKQTJJPF0DZ3nGUVjCWJ-sVjKJHGgh_ZaVbQ-cWVtTkT3eI_heo6jGqtnq-YzfLXF2zjNG7Y0stJrCpl-PJAWrMlkCPUss-0aRSXAoYLS5YYWDPjbEuTV2lqHVUdm/s1600-h/IMG_1170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIszPt8biV-_TpyiLKQTJJPF0DZ3nGUVjCWJ-sVjKJHGgh_ZaVbQ-cWVtTkT3eI_heo6jGqtnq-YzfLXF2zjNG7Y0stJrCpl-PJAWrMlkCPUss-0aRSXAoYLS5YYWDPjbEuTV2lqHVUdm/s400/IMG_1170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279729031050786898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQjVqeuWD2LuBhfl_plYOmy5NktyY28EL30B01bSngEFnIrNQ7vB_M3RMrUL_v46K-a71XkERvXZNzDzoiiyacTCFWRRWcaeSQpUL3kOd1tSmyENZRcI0b0pIPWrKgpzohIo6YNfoS4X5/s1600-h/IMG_1169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQjVqeuWD2LuBhfl_plYOmy5NktyY28EL30B01bSngEFnIrNQ7vB_M3RMrUL_v46K-a71XkERvXZNzDzoiiyacTCFWRRWcaeSQpUL3kOd1tSmyENZRcI0b0pIPWrKgpzohIo6YNfoS4X5/s200/IMG_1169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279729132980039858" border="0" /></a><br />My future Mother-in-law, Ginny, invited us all to stuff stockings yesterday for the local shelters and homeless kids around Seattle. She had the largest division with over 500 stockings filled! We had so much fun and of course it felt good to give back as well. Last year I volunteered to tutor kids in low income housing projects and I loved it, but it became too difficult for me to do once a week with my own work schedule, taking classes and having a new home so I had to stop doing it after a year. I am now looking for some volunteering activity that is perhaps once a month or I can sign up on days I know I'm free, so that's one of my goals for this next year. Remember, New Year's Resolutions are coming up soon. I've always like New Years Resolutions, it's a time to re-evaluate and see if there are things you can do better in the year to come--it makes me feel good to know I'm actively working on myself and making note of it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrP1HZEKk6PKmQFpNjcKXPytDDEQ7977kxMFqZh_mtZJ8vu6wT62cwftcODuNjRyY77NMDhsM9_C1dQBvLIKUFoKBHMEua4gLcq-Ozzs-hHR-PIAEwZk9NQML9NtgcL5A3RvJoOW46QyE-/s1600-h/IMG_1166.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrP1HZEKk6PKmQFpNjcKXPytDDEQ7977kxMFqZh_mtZJ8vu6wT62cwftcODuNjRyY77NMDhsM9_C1dQBvLIKUFoKBHMEua4gLcq-Ozzs-hHR-PIAEwZk9NQML9NtgcL5A3RvJoOW46QyE-/s320/IMG_1166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279729441865932642" border="0" /></a><br />We've got our spa Christmas party at our house tonight so I made my very first gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting. We'll see how that tastes tonight. I also made one of my favorite pasta salads with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and arugula, but this time I added some salami and extra basil as well. We lik<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPxZURJFsOWOneUg1FXEdd2y9k9uvCjSik-YdlYeN-tV9I13d2oXFMdQhbSzXkYdcTC0LygUCSu_Qwhh4M8x2mhMQS1Sje_eHvGiN-6tTefg2vYBx3C-x5bhLjBr7wx26rwlvsNmvMlnU/s1600-h/IMG_1174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPxZURJFsOWOneUg1FXEdd2y9k9uvCjSik-YdlYeN-tV9I13d2oXFMdQhbSzXkYdcTC0LygUCSu_Qwhh4M8x2mhMQS1Sje_eHvGiN-6tTefg2vYBx3C-x5bhLjBr7wx26rwlvsNmvMlnU/s320/IMG_1174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279729340850387842" border="0" /></a>e it because it's so tangy. I made truffles this week with Sarah and Morgan--Caramel salt, oreo, toffee, kahlua and peanut butter. I'm terrible at making them, despite them tasting good, and I will never make them again. What a pain in the butt!! They are ugly too. Really ugly. The lasagna recipe I promised to report on turned out to be incredible and now my current favorite lasagna and the one I will use from now on. Some of the secrets to it were less noodles, both beef and pork, three kinds of cheese, fresh herbs, red wine and lots of good tomatoes. I also simmered the sauce for 3 hours before I even got started on the assembly of it--it was so good!<br /><br />I'll be student assisting in a couple of CC classes this week so I'll take pictures and report on what we make. That is if I can get through the snow to get over to Beacon Hill. Happy Holidays!Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-26600572157307090532008-12-08T11:29:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.979-08:00Celia's Gingerbread House<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbDfCNuoCY5I0e8vQihN4u8xCavm6Bs8lt5XtU7uQccHCy6Jm6Md07r2CDt0zLryMGnyBbahIZ34ki27FwB9YbYgzfl8_sWhbFiEefohBvt7IQh25IA1-PxA5_esmemgWFt8YWuYyCTvb/s1600-h/IMG_1160.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbDfCNuoCY5I0e8vQihN4u8xCavm6Bs8lt5XtU7uQccHCy6Jm6Md07r2CDt0zLryMGnyBbahIZ34ki27FwB9YbYgzfl8_sWhbFiEefohBvt7IQh25IA1-PxA5_esmemgWFt8YWuYyCTvb/s400/IMG_1160.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277506564138690818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOVDfMoo1aXooYh59uSevhmtRTf5iRm-1bXAeGvD8aTncuBJ1oOfIPH7ef6_tH1G0nkCiJ9GItqcsqgHN2Nq_wsFL0JFrsI659YcmmmlAQ13dvEOwxBXx34oQSSlfyAc2m20rWeHNr8IA/s1600-h/IMG_1142.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOVDfMoo1aXooYh59uSevhmtRTf5iRm-1bXAeGvD8aTncuBJ1oOfIPH7ef6_tH1G0nkCiJ9GItqcsqgHN2Nq_wsFL0JFrsI659YcmmmlAQ13dvEOwxBXx34oQSSlfyAc2m20rWeHNr8IA/s200/IMG_1142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277507236706818306" border="0" /></a><br />Celia and I made a date to build a Gingerbread house this week. For a kid that can't buy all the candy in the world she wants, this is a time where she can pick out all the candy she's ever wanted to try and not have to then go and eat it all. Which is why there isn't much of the actual gingerbread part of the house you can actually see. Still, it's very cute. Celia and Cypress went to see Santa this week as well and although Cypress doesn't cry anymore, she st<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7Hkn0nAWcch9LRLwqdnb0oXQkE3VUftHl8CJdxN19GKYftymeTUDAL2pWZxzJwsJnn-Z8y4kH4oGJ6nyGsVQe8Jyardfxp-WgXvCYVWRYfmkJ0g2m-ogXu0pjE9g5leuLxV-m-RRHZ_J/s1600-h/IMG_1153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7Hkn0nAWcch9LRLwqdnb0oXQkE3VUftHl8CJdxN19GKYftymeTUDAL2pWZxzJwsJnn-Z8y4kH4oGJ6nyGsVQe8Jyardfxp-WgXvCYVWRYfmkJ0g2m-ogXu0pjE9g5leuLxV-m-RRHZ_J/s200/IMG_1153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277507088406281554" border="0" /></a>ill looks terrified of Santa. I can see that--I mean he's sort of strange and he gets all up in your face and he might have terrible breath. So glad I'm an adult and my Santa sitting days are over. And I know my hair is pink, for those of you that haven't seen me in a while, it's supposed to be that way.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5UaGOY1ID6zfkID8fFm7uot15gxJMH2feI7md04XlVQ4oTbiss1cT20_UyiBZ0NQoQArcb_zbc_Vs6xlSmiHEloGTRc2ELJqmabjPzYNJT5D7wdMybLmWRQvixjto69v0acV8wHQ-s7Q/s1600-h/IMG_1159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5UaGOY1ID6zfkID8fFm7uot15gxJMH2feI7md04XlVQ4oTbiss1cT20_UyiBZ0NQoQArcb_zbc_Vs6xlSmiHEloGTRc2ELJqmabjPzYNJT5D7wdMybLmWRQvixjto69v0acV8wHQ-s7Q/s320/IMG_1159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277583019113626066" border="0" /></a><br />We had a great dinner this week of steaks and arugula with some excellent blue cheese from PFI. I'll be making a new lasagne recipe tomorrow night and give pics and and update. This is also a pic of the beautiful sunsets we've been having lately.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuQ7lC7BPZAQ7R9Ko2eCmV37mIh_8FxplqeKBGfqJ_8M5S9sSUB5AlI9nWcoKxZcmz6M-t2dx-ov04KxE6BMs2r8osItaaB_5ErNLDVjeXM2-wsbBvS0lGJRuBhvocQi-3M7klYSHbXXp/s1600-h/IMG_1157.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuQ7lC7BPZAQ7R9Ko2eCmV37mIh_8FxplqeKBGfqJ_8M5S9sSUB5AlI9nWcoKxZcmz6M-t2dx-ov04KxE6BMs2r8osItaaB_5ErNLDVjeXM2-wsbBvS0lGJRuBhvocQi-3M7klYSHbXXp/s200/IMG_1157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277582922811610418" border="0" /></a><br />Also, we've made it to the dodgeball showdown -not sure how that happened-but that will be tonight on KBUTT Channel 5. Don't bother looking for it.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955731075935905916.post-9651696038305648392008-12-04T11:47:00.001-08:002010-01-17T00:01:15.994-08:00Marathons, tattoos and carbonara!! Oh my!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheC0WaqWrh-0GBl0zG94I0i4us6NC8Z6mY4ZoH8y_e4wKJu6_vf8Qoe_Z8mfJHpq9cwUGFR3ZxwQuOAx2tvG6dD_NIS769rysjmXuFRyn10vn24RjD8MZHUF63KCMHHYYkmFaOLBM7CrR/s1600-h/IMG_1125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheC0WaqWrh-0GBl0zG94I0i4us6NC8Z6mY4ZoH8y_e4wKJu6_vf8Qoe_Z8mfJHpq9cwUGFR3ZxwQuOAx2tvG6dD_NIS769rysjmXuFRyn10vn24RjD8MZHUF63KCMHHYYkmFaOLBM7CrR/s400/IMG_1125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276034349524223074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Thanksgiving went smoothly this year, not too much work and pretty relaxing if you ask me. Lee and I made the majority of food for dinner, but family members brought things like pies and wine and salads which helped a ton. We made two turkeys, seared duck, spanish scalloped potatoes, kale with bacon, mushroom and sausage stuffing and mushroom soup. Everything was so good--aside from the fact that I'm not a big fan of turkey unless it comes on a sandwich, so I didn't eat much of that. I did, however, eat my weight in pumpkin pie, caramel apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin cheesecake, creamy jello yumminess that doesn't have a name and pecan pie. Then, I snacked on those things and more carbs before the Seattle Half Marathon, you know to do the carbo load thing. Which gave me the energy to finish the half marathon, Yay! I did it in under 4 hours and that included waiting in line 20 minutes for the porta potty. Horrible. Yuck. I am proud of myself and for me, it was harder than the triathalon I did a few years ago. The constant pounding on the pavement with no stopping or stretching and going as fast as you can was pretty rough on me. Apparently the banana and protein bars I ate weren't enough because later that day (after a tasty Guinness) I nearly passed out from low blood sugar and thank goodness Lee was there to take care of me for the rest of the day. I was pretty much out of it for a good 24 hours. Live and learn, I guess. So I'd like to say the half marathon was successful, but I wish I hadn't gotten sick.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86PIhH_LdKK-TuB01KQQ9qTRl-aTk7JIWNZqiJMGkM0DGy1_5rSTMvHkRrbZRU-HeH83Asq0brTxGJm52Qd3zLBfTaK9Q_GQirUQXlDFlBwhdzobuf9nyN5kQIMzEQDJrXN2kwd4DSU7v/s1600-h/IMG_1131.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86PIhH_LdKK-TuB01KQQ9qTRl-aTk7JIWNZqiJMGkM0DGy1_5rSTMvHkRrbZRU-HeH83Asq0brTxGJm52Qd3zLBfTaK9Q_GQirUQXlDFlBwhdzobuf9nyN5kQIMzEQDJrXN2kwd4DSU7v/s320/IMG_1131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276033191880877858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Lee got his second tattoo from Josh at Slave to the Needle, best tattoo shop in Seattle! It's the Douglas crest and it looks so good-- Josh is a great artist. And I've finally figured out what I want for my next one as well-took me a while. Don't ask--you'll see pics when I get it done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxe8ELsw8jDeZx3kBxiYZczQNqKk3hQb5t5DI0-g_eCB7sWxs3v2yHwTUZ9JR5wpXoWZDTBDnurUZNWvPXBo7Cz7Fyeu-aQe6bHw2p-SX1bm5YvL9o7SNtpXIRfJdn3UiCmcE-OKPknqks/s1600-h/IMG_1122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxe8ELsw8jDeZx3kBxiYZczQNqKk3hQb5t5DI0-g_eCB7sWxs3v2yHwTUZ9JR5wpXoWZDTBDnurUZNWvPXBo7Cz7Fyeu-aQe6bHw2p-SX1bm5YvL9o7SNtpXIRfJdn3UiCmcE-OKPknqks/s400/IMG_1122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276032406942757410" border="0" /></a><br />We've been making some really good pasta dishes lately. Katie came over and made us spaghetti with a traditional meat sauce. I never ate spaghetti or red sauces growing up-my Mom didn't really like them and so I never knew how good they could be--now I crave red sauce all the time. I also made the best carbonara I've ever had, better than any restaurant and even what I had in Italy. I took some spaghetti we got at the Ballard market, imported from Italy, and added fresh local eggs, parmesan, cream, pepper, Gabe's guanciale cut into lardons, criminis sauteed in white wine and peas. Now I know traditionally it doesn't have peas or mushrooms, but that's how I like it. And fresh eggs and pancetta or guanciale make all the difference. It's a hearty meal, but I can't stand ordering it when we go out because it's <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyknlMu3JCPoTJ464E4XcicYtVC8xwsxIMSbcqoMfV6Zad38AU_YfSqctCiq7l72PYCEVJNSLl65vyRZiazclkMSOrLzED34cAosDwL2fIu_jHrGWoEbdggSU2ZODDYKmy1GixnDeS0opG/s1600-h/IMG_1119.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyknlMu3JCPoTJ464E4XcicYtVC8xwsxIMSbcqoMfV6Zad38AU_YfSqctCiq7l72PYCEVJNSLl65vyRZiazclkMSOrLzED34cAosDwL2fIu_jHrGWoEbdggSU2ZODDYKmy1GixnDeS0opG/s320/IMG_1119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276032715378099874" border="0" /></a>always got that awful, pasty, heavy, no taste cream sauce and old eggs and oscar meyer bacon. I pretty much stay away from cream sauces in restaurants--they don't do a very good job at making it.Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08372878264438695659noreply@blogger.com1