Long Live The King

Tuesday night, Stefanie and I crossed another thing off my Summer To Do List and cheered on the M's from the King's Court {it was also her birthday present from way back in April}.  When you buy tickets in the Kings Court section at Safeco you also receive a tshirt and a "K" sign to wave around when King Felix is pitching.  It's pretty awesome :)  We couldn't wait for the game - the sun was shining, the beer was flowing - and the Mariner's were sucking.  When the first pitch thrown by Felix was a homer, we knew we were in for a rough night, but we still had an awesome time cheering on the team, eating hot dogs, and bad mouthing the Blue Jays {who knew all of Canada comes to Seattle to watch Toronto play?}.  I am definitely sitting in that section again - hopefully next time the game is a little better to watch :)

felix's queens

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Peach Crisp

For mom's birthday, I wanted to make a yummy dessert that was light and fresh to compliment the warm summer day.  When I spotted the bowl of fresh peaches on her counter, I instantly thought of The Pioneer Woman's Peach Crisp.  I had never made it before, but always drooled over it when flipping through her cookbook.  I decided to nix the maple cream sauce {it seemed too rich for us that day} and instead we topped the crisp with some light whipped cream, though it was amazing on it's own slightly warmed from the oven.  If you find yourself with some extra peaches lying around {lucky you!} I'd highly suggest turning them into this crisp - an instant crowd-pleaser :)

Peach Crisp

Ingredients
5 or 6 whole peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cold
1 lemon
2 tblsp maple syrup

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In medium bowl mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture until evenly mixed and crumbly.
3. Place peaches in separate bowl.  Mix in zest of one lemon and juice of half the lemon.  Add maple syrup and stir well.
4. Spread peach mixture into 9x9 pan and top evenly with crumble mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes, or until crisp is brown on top.

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

 happy birthday, mama!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Seeds

Last weekend for my mom's birthday we went to one of the yummiest restaurants in the valley - Seeds.  Located in the cute town of LaConner, it specializes in local and fresh ingredients, and everything on the menu is absolutely delicious.  I debated over and over of what to have for dinner, but once we decided on an appetizer of Cougar Gold Mac & Cheese {um, amazing}, I figured the only thing that could really follow that up was a delicious burger {topped with avocado and bacon, of course}.  I forget how much I love the little shops and restaurants in LaConner, and I plan on heading back there more often when I venture up north.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Great Wheel

A few weeks ago, Mom & Dad came down to the city and we completed the #1 thing on my Summer To Do List - Ride the Great Wheel!  There was hardly a line, so we got a little pod all to ourselves to enjoy the ride and the views.  While I'm not the biggest fan of heights {I like to say I'm not afraid of heights, I'm afraid of falling from them}, once the ride actually got going, I dismissed my fear and enjoyed the awesome views of the waterfront, Mt. Rainier, ferry boats, and so much more.  We went on the most gorgeous day {our summer has been unreal this year} and I couldn't stop snapping photo after photo of everything I saw.  If you're down on the Waterfront, I'd highly recommend hopping on the Wheel for a spin.  After our ride, we headed down to El Gaucho to use up their gift cards on happy hour food and drinks.  All in all, it was a perfect summer day :)

 this picture slightly terrifies me

 

 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Birthday Party {Golden Gardens}

For my birthday this year, I wanted to do something low key and easy that everyone would enjoy.  Since I've been slacking a bit on my Summer To Do List this year, I decided to incorporate one of those things {Paseo sandwiches and Golden Gardens} into my birthday.  After an awesome day at work where I was incredibly spoiled, I met up with some friends at Paseo in Ballard to pick up some of the yummiest sandwiches in the city, then we headed down to Golden Gardens to meet up with more friends for food, wine, games, and lots of laughs.  While the forecasted rain kept other park-goers away, the night ended up being fantastic and warm {and the sunset was gorgeous} and it felt as if we had the beach all to ourselves.  The night was perfect, spending time with some of the people I love most in this world, and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

 sauteed prawn sandwich

 joe, erika, sam, ashley, and andy

 david and my cupcakes

 my special cupcake - strawberry cheesecake

maddie, erika, joe, david, merith, me, & my birthday dunce cap

 emily & me

 david showing off his football skills

awesome birthday hat

birthday sunset

you all are the best!! :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Mom!

This weekend the celebrations continue with the birthday of the most wonderful lady I know.  Mom - I'm so lucky to be able to call you my mom, even though you're so much more than that.  You're my travel buddy, my confidant, my comic relief, and my friend.  I'm so grateful for you, and I can't wait to spend some time celebrating the awesome woman you are.  I love you! 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Birthday Love

I'm too tired from the celebrating to sort through the bday pics right now, but let's just say I was feelin' the love for my birthday all day yesterday - starting with my awesome Starbucks boys who decorated my latte to the nines :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie