Date Night {Pablo y Pablo}

Christian and I are pretty set in our routine - cook at home most nights and takeout on Fridays, while watching some of our favorite shows and relaxing after a long day of work.  However, last Friday we decided to switch it up and go out on a date night since the weather was decent and there are so many good outdoor spaces these days.  We settled on Pablo y Pablo since we had a very old gift card to use up and we snagged the last outdoor table and immediately celebrated with delicious margaritas.  We went all out with chips & guac, some inventive tacos, and my fave beef birria quesadillas and were completely stuffed by the time we were done.  Though it was a bit pricey {thanks gift card!} and reminded us why we don't go out all the time, it was fun to treat ourselves and take advantage of a nice spring evening - plus, we were home early enough to still get in some of our favorite shows!  The perfect date night :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

An Afternoon in Duvall

Saturday afternoon we headed out on an adventure to meet up with Mom & Dad in Duvall at Cherry Valley Winery.  Cherry Valley is a small family owned winery that Dad had gotten tasting vouchers to for his retirement so we joined them on the covered patio during a warm but rainy day.  We leisurely sipped on wines and enjoyed catching up, then decided we were starving so headed into town and the Duvall Tavern for a late lunch.  The food was surprisingly delicious {the southwest chicken sandwich was legit} and I love a good round of crispy tots for the table with an array of dipping sauces - the best!  After a quick trip to Flowerworld so Dad could pick up a few things it was time to say goodbye and make our way back to the city, all the while dreaming of our own place in the countryside.  Thanks for sharing the tastings with us Mom & Dad - so fun!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Oscar Fashion

There's so much to say about the Oscars this year, but I think for now I'll stick to the fashion I loved the most :)  There was a lot of red, a lot of black, and omg Zendaya.  Which looks were your fave this year??  

Zendaya

Zoe Kravitz

Simu Liu

Lupita Nyong'o

Jennifer Garner

Emilia Jones

Timothee Chalamet

xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{avocado toast}

{daffodils everywhere}

{a sunday hike around queen anne}

{the cherry blossoms are poppin'}

{views from the park}

{preppin' the grill for bbq season}

{my honey made dinner and got the antenna to work so i could watch the oscars - the best guy}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Oscar Weekend

This year has been incredibly hectic with moving and renting out my house, but I still managed to see 6 of the the 10 Best Picture nominees for this year's Oscars {and I'm hoping to watch another this weekend!}.  I was pretty underwhelmed this year except for one or two fantastic films, but am curious to see who brings home the gold on Sunday!  

We watched CODA this past week and WOW.  CODA stands for Children Of Deaf Adults and while it starts out as a normal, slightly heartbreaking family story, it suddenly flips and makes you feel ALL the emotions.  There were many waterworks during this one {as Susannah's dad said, he lost about a quart of water watching it}, but it is worth it for my favorite film of the year.  A must watch!

Full disclosure, we've only watched the first 2 hours of this 3 hour film because the subtitles suddenly went on on HBO and since the entire thing is in Japanese, it was hard continue without them.  Despite that, Drive My Car is a really beautiful, slow story set in Japan about unexpected friendships and loss and I'm hoping to finish it this weekend.

I am probably the wrong audience for Dune having never read the book and not being super into SciFi, but I really disliked it when I watched it late last year.  Great actors and sweeping scenery, but I just could not get into it.  If Dune is your thing, great, but otherwise I'd skip it :)

Nightmare Alley is a beautifully filmed {albeit long} story following a travelling carnival worker and his rise to success on his own.  It's fun to watch and has an awesome cast and while it comes full circle at the very end, it takes a while to get there.  Watch if you're intrigued by the carnival or a fan of Guillermo Del Toro films.

I'm probably supposed to love The Power of The Dog but I really just couldn't get into it.  The acting is fantastic, the scenery gorgeous, but the storyline was slow and sparse and just not for me.  If you're a big fan of film I'm sure you'll love it, but if you're hoping for action or something that will grip you, this isn't it.

Nothing like a 'the world is going to end' film to round out the list, but despite it's harrowing {and eerily familiar} message, Don't Look Up was one of my faves of the year.  The actors are superb and the storyline frightening, making it an entertaining yet cautionary tale for all.  One of the must see's of the list!

***As an aside, I also watched some of the films not nominated for best picture but instead for Best Actress and thought they were fabulous - most notably Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter {she can do no wrong} and Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Which was your fave this year?  And who do you think will win??  Happy Friday!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Easiest One Pot Pasta & Broccoli

Recently I've really been getting into meal planning for the week and finding joy in perusing my cookbooks once again.  I love my Skinnytaste: Fast & Slow cookbook because it almost always has a delicious meal that comes together quickly with minimal, healthy ingredients.  I found this recipe for Easiest One Pot Pasta & Broccoli and knew it would be a good weeknight meal to fill us up.  It really is super simple {the key is to use good quality ingredients to make the flavors shine} and since we had some frozen corn in the freezer we decided to throw it in while the pasta was cooking, which added even more yummy flavor.  It was a great weeknight meal and super easy to add to and change up with whatever you've got around.  Enjoy!

Easiest One Pot Pasta & Broccoli

Ingredients

Salt

12 oz medium pasta shells or macaroni

6 1/2 cups broccoli florets

2 Tblsp olive oil

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 cup frozen corn {optional}

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta & broccoli at the same time and cook until pasta is al dente.  If using frozen corn, add about halfway through cooking.  Reserving about 1 cup pasta water, drain pasta & broccoli.

2. Return pot to stove and set over high heat.  Add 1 Tblsp olive oil and garlic, cooking until golden brown {about 1 minute}.  Reduce heat to low and add pasta & broccoli.  Add remaining olive oil, cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Stir well, smashing any large pieces of broccoli into smaller pieces.  Add 1/2 cup reserve pasta water and stir, adding more as needed to get desired consistency.

3. Divide among bowls and serve with additional grated cheese as desired.

Serves 6

adapted from skinnytaste fast & slow

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Meesha

Last week Erika and I resurrected one of my favorite traditions from pre-pandemic days - birthday dinners at a new restaurant!  Thanks to vaccines, testing, lower cases, and plenty of patio options we felt comfortable finally going out to celebrate her birthday {a few months late}. After checking out new restaurants with outdoor seating online we decided to try out Meesha, a modern Indian spot with a cute covered and heated patio out back. Per usual we ordered a bunch of dishes to share {the butter chicken was delish} plus some yummy and inventive cocktails and spent the next few hours catching up one on one, which ultimately was the best part. I’ve missed nights out with this lady and with the weather getting warmer and the patios here for hopefully a long time, I envision lots of nights like this in our future!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Urban Hiking {Rooftop Brewery}

Saturday afternoon, after a morning of organizing and cleaning, we were surprised to see the sun peaking out on what was supposed to be a super rainy day so we decided to take advantage and go for a walk.  It was still pretty chilly but we bundled up and headed down the hill towards Rooftop Brewing {one of my fave local breweries} and some yummy beers.  Luckily the outdoor patio had heaters so we grabbed some cold IPA's and a bag of chips {necessary snacks} to enjoy outside under the cover.  After drinks we decided to make our way back home and made it almost there before getting stuck in an unexpected mini rainstorm.  We picked up the pace and made it home just in time for hot showers, naps, and movie time on the couch - not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday afternoon ikea trip}

{burritos + margs}

{spring!}

{brunch with old friends}

{finding his faves at costco}

{costco dinner}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  What a week, huh?  In honor of a long work week and St. Paddy's Day yesterday I took myself on a little mid morning walk up to Top Pot for a festive treat.  With how close we live to my favorite donut shop, it's probably a good thing I don't go nearly as often as I want to.  But hey - it's nice to have nearby for a midday pick me up!  Hope you have a great weekend - stay dry out there!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 4}

For our last breakfast in the desert we headed over to Keedy's, a favorite of Mom's and just a few blocks away from our hotel.  We sat outside enjoying the classic diner fare, then headed back to the motel to lay by the pool and soak up the hottest day of our trip {it was getting in the mid 90's so we stuck to the shade and feet in the water}.  After finally dragging ourselves away, we had a bit of time to spare so we drove up the mountains overlooking Palm Desert to get a breathtaking {and slightly terrifying} view of the area, then made our way back to the Ontario airport to fly home.  We couldn't leave California without a stop at In & Out for lunch, then we said goodbye to the warmth and sun as we flew home to the rain.  It was such a fun and much needed escape and I cannot wait for our next one, wherever it may be!

xoxo,

stephanie marie