Happy {Labor Day Weekend} Friday!

Happy Friday!  I'm so ready for the long weekend, right? Even though we're staying in town I'm excited to go on a few new adventures in and around Seattle and hopefully get started on another house project. Cheers to the weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Manila Clams with White Wine

Christian and I had been saying that we wanted to make clams this summer since neither of us had, so one Saturday morning a few weeks back we stopped off at Fisherman's Terminal to pick up some fresh manila clams to make for dinner.  We followed a few different recipes online {including this one from the mussels I made a few years back} and the end result, paired with some delicious Sea Wolf Bakers bread we had picked up at the farmer's market and some crisp white wine was the perfect simple and yummy summer meal to share.  

Manila Clams with White Wine

Ingredients
2 tblsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 lbs fresh clams, rinsed and cleaned
Several sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt & Pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat.  Add onion, shallots, and garlic to pot and saute until the onion is translucent and tender.
2. Add clams, wine, stock, and thyme to pot and cover with lid, cooking 3-4 minutes.  Stir mixture well, circulating the shells throughout the liquid.
3. Discard any shells that do not open.  Season with salt and pepper, and ladle into soup bowls with plenty of broth.  Serve with crusty bread for dipping and leftover wine.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Urban Hiking {Downtown & Seattle Center}

For our most recent urban hike around the city we decided to do the walk that we had originally wanted to do almost 2 years ago - from Queen Anne to downtown.  We walked down to Lower Queen Anne and since it was lunch time we decided to stop off at Dick's Drive-In for some burgers because Christian had never been!  We got burgers, fries, and a milkshake and he agreed it was pretty delicious and the perfect meal to keep us full for the rest of the day.  After lunch we stopped off at a few shops in Belltown, made a return to Nordstrom, and tried to hide from the few rain drops that were sprinkling throughout the day, then headed back towards QA by way of Seattle Center.  At the Center we ran into an unveiling of the new electric Volvo {which of course C was super stoked about} and walked through the grounds, watching all the kiddos playing in the fountain and all the people enjoying the summer day.  We zigzagged our way back up the hill to Christian's house where we had some delicious wine waiting for us after our long walk around the city.  I can't wait to see where our next adventure around Seattle will take us!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Chicago {Chateau St. Michelle}

After we had so much fun last year at the Chateau St. Michelle summer concerts we couldn't wait to see the lineup for this year, and when they announced Chicago performing at the end of July, we jumped at the chance to get tickets with our friends Sara & Parke.  We arrived at the winery early with our picnic baskets in tow and found the perfect shady spot to wait in line with some bottles of wine and lots of catching up.  When the gates opened we grabbed a perfect spot on the grass and quickly set out our picnics that we accompanied with some delicious Chateau wine.  As the sun was setting the band came out to play and while the first half was a little slow and relaxing, the second half {yes, they took an intermission} was totally jammin', with everyone getting up and dancing around {including us} which was such a blast.  I didn't realize how many Chicago songs I knew, and I ended up leaving a total fan of the band having danced the night away.  This is becoming one of my favorite summer traditions and I can't wait to see who comes here next year!

 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{thai friday + the handmaid's tale}

 {coffee + snuggly dog}

 {where you guys going?}

 {bbq with the bachs}

{homemade peach crisp}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  What are you up to this weekend?  I'm excited for a fun summer weekend full of friends and family, but first a relaxing Friday night with hopefully some Thai food, Netflix, wine, and Nina snuggles.  Can you believe it's already the end of August?!? Cheers to a fabulous summer weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Nina Time

A few weeks back Christian had to go on an overnight work trip so I headed over to his place to have some quality time with Nina.  We spent the evening snuggling on the couch and going for a walk up to the park {where she of course found a bunny she wanted to befriend so badly} and when it was time to go to sleep, I couldn't help but hoist her up on the bed with me where she slept soundly on daddy's pillow all night long {and then promptly stretched out across the entire bed while I was taking a shower the next morning}.  I love spending time with this girl and even though I miss C when he's gone, Nina is a pretty awesome replacement :)

 it's amazing there was even room for me on the bed

 nina found a bunny

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Grilled Pizza

I've been wanting to grill pizza for years now and after our hike around Lake Union, we decided to give it a go.  We had made the dough that morning and let it sit all day and since our recipe made 3 perfect personal sized pizzas we invited Christian's sister over as well {she had also just recently grilled pizza, so we wanted to take advantage of her expertise}.  It took a while for us to get each of our dough rolled out and into somewhat pizza-looking shapes but once we did we were ready to grill!  We had picked up a bunch of random toppings - mushrooms, peppers, onions, prosciutto, tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula, basil, jarred marinara - and after getting each dough perfectly grilled on each side {it only takes a few minutes} and the veggies heated up in a makeshift foil pan on the side, we headed back downstairs to top each of our pizzas.  They were all super similar looking {and we got a bit carried away with toppings so they were quite heavy} and when we brought them upstairs we set them on the grill again to warm up the toppings and melt the cheese.  We were all so excited to eat our creations and I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs because no one could finish their pizza.  However, I was so delighted with how it turned out {and how easy it is to make pizza on the grill} that I can't wait to try again - and maybe not get too greedy with the toppings :)  If you're interested in trying it yourself, below is the Cook's Illustrated recipe we used for the dough that I would highly recommend!

Grilled Pizza Dough

Ingredients
3 cups King Arthur bread flour
1 Tblsp sugar
1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tblsp ice water
1 Tblsp vegetable oil {plus extra for counter}
1 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
1. Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor or mixer until combined.  While running, slowly add water.  Process until just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, about 60 seconds.  Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Divide dough into 3 equal parts.  Roll each piece into tight ball, transfer to bowl or oiled baking dish and coat top of each ball with oil.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap {careful not to squish the dough} and refrigerate 24 hours or up to 3 days {we only refrigerated ours about 8 hours and it still worked fine}.

After this, you can follow any grilled pizza recipe you can find.  The main thing to remember is to use a lot of oil so your dough doesn't stick to the grates of your grill and to cook on very high.  Voila!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Urban Hiking {Lake Union}

Since we had so much fun on our first urban hike, we decided to up the ante on our second one and trek the entire 6 mile loop around Lake Union.  We once again started at Christian's place on Queen Anne on a sunny and brisk Saturday morning and headed the same way we did the first time to South Lake Union, but continued on along the houseboats and Eastlake.  About halfway through we were ready for a break, so we stopped at Little Water Cantina where we grabbed a spot on the deck and ordered some much earned margaritas and tacos to sustain us for the rest of our trek.  We continued over the University Bridge {where we snapped some of these pics} then headed around Northlake, stopping in a few shops in Fremont to take advantage of the air conditioning since the brisk morning had turned into a full blown hot afternoon.  Back on the northside of Queen Anne, we crisscrossed our way up the hill, only encountering one set of stairs, and made our way back to C's in time for dinner.  I love exploring the city this way, especially with this guy who's always up for an adventure :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie