August Date Night {Part I - Neb Wine Bar}

The weekend after my birthday we headed downtown on one of my most anticipated nights of the summer {more on the second half later}.  Leslie had graciously sent me some old Tom Douglas gift cards that she no longer could use so we decided to try them out at Neb, a newish TD spot in the old Serious Pie location that had a yummy looking menu.  We got there right when it opened and for awhile were the only two in the restaurant {I guess downtown really is dead}, but were excited to be able to hit up happy hour for a few drinks and yummy appetizers.  We started with the homemade rosemary fossette {like a focaccia} and burrata {so delicious} then ordered our pastas {rigatoni with arrabiata, ground pork and sesame oil for me and uni spaghetti with tobiko and nori for C}.  Both had super unique, intense flavors {uni is C's favorite so he was in heaven, and the sesame really added a new layer to my red sauce} and we gobbled everything down quite happily.  It was the perfect way to start the evening {made even better by the gift cards - thanks Pags!} and somewhere we'll definitely be heading back to next time we find ourselves downtown.

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Serious Takeout {Palace Kitchen Burger Pop-Up}

 

In case you weren't aware, last Friday was National Cheeseburger Day, if that's even really a thing :)  I read online that Tom Douglas was doing a one night only Palace Kitchen Burger Pop Up through his Serious Takeout program in Ballard and since it was one of the new Covid-inspired pivots in the Seattle restaurant world this year that we hadn't yet tried, we decided Palace Kitchen burgers were the perfect opportunity to give Serious Takeout a go.  Palace Kitchen burgers are often described as some of the best burgers in Seattle so we were both excited to try them.  We placed orders ahead of time and then headed down to the Serious Takeout warehouse in Ballard to pick up our order {they also have a regular menu consisting of the Serious Pie pizzas, sandwiches, and salads that looked and smelled delish}.  We brought our burgers and generous helpings of fries back home to pair with some red wine and could tell from the first bite that they were made with some delicious beef and cooked to perfection.  The one thing missing was a good sauce {they gave us some ketchup and mayo to top the burgers with} - I think this burger topped with the Ethan Stowell burger sauce from the M's pop-up really would've made it out of this world good.  But of course I'm not going to complain while enjoying a good burger, fries, and some wine with my honey, and I can't wait to go back and try some more of the Tom Douglas takeout food soon!

somebody was wondering where her burger was

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Etta's & Zig Zag

Last Friday we all went out to celebrate Christian's mom's {Maggie's} bday.  She was craving seafood, so after looking into several restaurants, we decided on Etta's in the market {can't go wrong with Tom Douglas!}.  Christian and I got there early so we wandered around the Market taking in the nice evening.  Dinner at Etta's was delicious and mother and son went all out with 1lb each of King Crab Legs.  After dinner we were all so full, but since we still wanted to celebrate we headed down to Zig Zag Cafe for a few cocktails to continue the party.  It's been years since I've been to Zig Zag but I always love heading to this Seattle staple for late night cocktails - it brings back so many fun memories.  We sipped our drinks and toasted the birthday girl, making it the perfect end to a fabulous birthday celebration :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Cranberry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

I have a few special deliveries to make this week and I thought what better to bring than cookies - everyone loves a cookie, right?  I had my Dahlia Bakery cookbook out from making my favorite tomato soup the other week and after debating between several different cookies, I decided to try my hand at their Cranberry & Apricot Oatmeal Cookies.  Oatmeal cookies are some of my absolute faves, and this version with delicious spices and dried fruits is the perfect chewy treat to snack on at any time of day.  They turned out better than a lot of my baking adventures do, and  I definitely plan on adding these to my baking regulars - I hope the people I'm bringing them to love them just as much as I do :)

Dahlia Bakery Cranberry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups + 2 Tblsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 1/2 cups rolled oats {like Quaker old fashioned}
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup diced dried apricots
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup + 2 Tblsp unsalted butter, softened {room temp}
1 1/4 cups packed moist brown sugar {from a bag, not a box}
3/4 cup + 2 Tblsp granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices.  Stir in oats and salt.  Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine apricots, raisins, and cranberries.  Set aside.
4. In bowl of electric mixer {or using a hand mixer}, combine butter, both sugars, and vanilla extract, creaming on medium speed until very pale and fluffy.  Scrape down bowl.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate each egg and scraping down bowl as needed.
6. On low speed, add flour mixture in 3 additions and mix until just combined.  Using a spatula or spoon, add dried fruits and mix until just combined.
7. Scoop cookies in about 1/4 cup scoops, placing evenly on parchment lined cookie sheets, 6 cookies per sheet.  Using your hand, pat down each cookie mound of dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.
8. Place pan in oven and bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges and still slightly pale in the middle, about 14 minutes.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven and allow to cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes before using metal spatula to remove cookies from pan.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

adapted from the dahlia bakery cookbook

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Cookbook Social

Monday night Stefanie and I decided to get all festive and head over to the Palace Ballroom for the Tom Douglas Cookbook Social.  For $15 each, we walked around with a glass of wine visiting about 15 different local cookbook authors and food vendors, trying delicious samplings from each - everything from cheddar chive biscuits to salmon tartare in lettuce wraps to homemade butterfingers.  Each booth was selling their cookbooks and products, but our mission was to try as much food as possible {we succeeded}.  It was fun to roam around the ballroom getting into the Christmas spirit and catching up, and I even got a few ideas for Christmas presents {though let's be honest, those butterfingers I bought as "presents" aren't making it out of my house}.  Thanks for going with me Stef - I think this is a new holiday tradition!

tommy d himself was in charge of the raffle drawings

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Etta's & Pike Place Market

After the game on Friday, Shaun & Sara stayed at my house so we could go to brunch with the parents the next morning and celebrate their engagement {sidenote - it was so fun having roommates for a night!}.  Mom had suggested Etta's, so we all headed down to the Market for one of my most favorite brunches {the food is delish and you can't beat the location}.  We all cheers'd with our breakfast cocktails and enjoyed the yummy brunch before wandering around the Market to try and walk off those huge meals.  The flowers were in full force at the market {especially the tulips!} and it was fun to play tourist for a few hours in this lovely city with my family :)

 cheers!

 chorizo & egg tostadas

 paparazzi 

love this family of mine

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Hot Stove Society

Friday night, I cashed in on my birthday present from Stef, a Tailgate Party cooking class at Tom Douglas's newest venture, Hot Stove Society. Hot Stove is a cooking school that hosts classes of all varieties with local chefs and restaurant people, and knowing how much I love football and grill food, Stef knew this was right up my alley.  The class was super laid back - we walked in and were immediately offered a beer and a Fireball Jell-O shot :)  During class, Chef's Sean & Tim taught us how to make some of their favorite tailgate foods, all of which we got hefty portions of to try.  We also got to make our own buttermilk biscuits and onion dip at our stations to take home, which were insanely good and easy.  We've already decided that we need to cook up some of these dishes for our next football viewing party, but in the meantime it was nice to just hang out with this lovely lady for a night of good food, good drinks, and great company :)  Thanks Stef!!

 the premade biscuits topped with sausage and carmelized apples

 my cheddar topped biscuits! {these are almost too easy to make.....}

 palace chicken wings & taco salad with flank steak and halibut

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Cocktail Class {Italian Plums & Asian Pears}

 asian pear daiquiri

For my birthday present this year, Stefanie took me to a cocktail class at Cuoco {see our past classes here and here}.  This year's theme was Italian Plums and Asian Pears, and along with the class, we got a membership to City Fruit.  The format was a little different than classes past {we didn't get to mix the cocktails on our own} but we still got appetizers, 4 {small sized} drinks, and souvenirs to take home {pickled plums and our own homemade bitters}.  The class focused not only on the fruit and the drinks but different types of bar tools and methods to make our at home bartending skills top notch.  It was such a fun evening - not just for the class, but to spend time with Stef since I don't see her everyday anymore.  Below, I've copied down my favorite recipe from the class that I'll definitely be replicating just as soon as I remember how to pickle plums :)

Plum Dirty

Ingredients
1.5 oz gin or vodka
1 oz Dolin dry vermouth
1/4 oz plum pickling liquid
dash orange bitters

Instructions
Combine all ingredients, add ice, stir, and strain into martini glass.  Garnish with orange twist or slice of pickled plum.

 plum dirty

perfect plum

 asian pear highball

catching up with wine after the class

Thanks again, Stef!

xoxo,
stephanie marie