The Weekend {Frozen & Mom}

How was your weekend?  Saturday afternoon I headed up north to pick up Mom for a weekend in the city.  We got back to Seattle with enough time to hit up a few of her favorite stores before grabbing some Red Mill burgers and shakes to take back home.  We spent the evening snuggled up watching lots of Netflix, which was the perfect end to the day.  Sunday we had a slow morning at home before heading downtown to the Paramount to see Frozen, which was such a fun and entertaining show {and full of the cutest little princesses in the audience}.  After the show we headed back to my house to meet up with Dad & Christian and eat the yummy chili I had prepared that morning for our Oscar viewing party.  It was such a nice weekend seeing the sun finally poking out and spending time with the fam :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Susannah!

Happy Birthday to one of my most favorite people, Ms. Susannah Nellie Bea!  Susy - I'm so happy you're just a car ride away {though we still need to see each other way more often than we do} and I love watching you be the best mama to sweet little Theia.  I just know she's going to be a fabulous human like you :)  Love you beautiful!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Oscar Weekend

Oscar weekend is so early this year, but I still managed to see 4 of the 9 nominated Best Picture films {and am hoping to watching another tonight!}.  From what I can gather, they are all very different and good in their own way, but from my standpoint it looks like there are two clear winners.  Read on to see my thoughts on all 4!

Maddie and I accidentally saw 1917 in the theater {we had gone to see Little Women but it was sold out} but I'm so glad we got to see this one on the big screen.  It's definitely not your typical war movie - filmed to look like it's all in one take {how did they do that?!?} it has more of a suspenseful, horror-like filming where you hold your breath the entire time not knowing what's coming around the next corner.  Despite that, it's a beautifully made and well acted movie that is one of my top contenders for Best Picture.

I probably did myself a disservice by watching Joker at home alone at night time {guess I'll never be sleeping again} but I just had to see this performance that is winning Joaquin Phoenix all the awards.  Let me tell you - they are more than well deserved.  Though I kept having to look away during the gruesome violence and deeply disturbing scenes, Joaquin really embodies the Joker and there is something very wrong if he does not win Best Actor.  I'd recommend seeing this one in the daylight with friends :)

Parasite was one that I had been so intrigued by but hesitated because I knew I'd need to pay lots of attention with the subtitles.  It was so worth it in this dark comedy/thriller about a poor South Korean family that infiltrates a very rich family.  Without giving too much away, Parasite is beautiful, gruesome, and will keep you on the edge of your seat -   definitely another one of my top picks for best picture.

I just watched Marriage Story last night, mainly because I was afraid this story of a family going through divorce would have me in tears for two hours straight.  In actuality I didn't cry once {maybe I've been hardened by Joker?} but instead found myself engrossed in the realness of the acting and rooting for each character at different points in the movie.  I absolutely adore Adam Driver and can easily see why Laura Dern has been winning all the awards, and the truth and rawness of this film had me moved and entertained the entire time.

Have you seen any of these?  Which is your fave?

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower

When I saw that the #1 recipe on my favorite website Half Baked Harvest in 2019 was this Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower, I knew I had to give it a try and the fact that it is vegan and I was trying to get the new year off to a healthy start made it that much better!  This one is a real winner in my book - anytime you can have this delicious flavor and be filling while still being vegan and healthy is such a win for a yummy dinner.  If you're looking for something new and cozy for these long, wet winter days, look no further than right here :)

Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 1/3 cups canned full fat coconut milk
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
salt & pepper
2 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 Tblsp garam masala
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper {more or less to taste}
1 can {6oz} tomato paste
2 Tblsp coconut oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
steamed rice and naan for serving

Instructions
1. Preheat broiler to high.  Line baking sheet with parchment.
2. In large bowl, combine cauliflower, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 Tblsp grated ginger, and a pinch of salt.  Let sit 10 minutes to marinate.  Spread cauliflower in even layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Broil for 3-4 minutes, until cauliflower is just beginning to char on edges {I found my oven took a little longer, so keep an eye on it!}.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant.  Add remaining garlic and ginger and cook another 5 minutes.  Stir in garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add tomato paste and remaining 2 cups coconut milk.  Stir to combine, bring sauce to boil, and cook about 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.  Stir in coconut oil.  If too thick thin with additional coconut milk or water.  Add cauliflower and any juices from pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens more, about 5 minutes.  
5. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve over bowls of rice with fresh naan.

Serves 4

adapted from Half Baked Harvest

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Just Married {David & Mackenzie}

Last Saturday we all came together to celebrate the beautiful {and fancy} wedding of David and Mackenzie.  I've known both of these wonderful humans since right about the time I moved to the city and started my first job {13 years ago!} and after many life changes I was so happy to be able to witness them finally tying the knot.  The big event took place at the Seattle Art Museum, so Christian and I took advantage of being downtown and spent the night at the Fairmont {extra fancy status}.  We got to the event early for cocktail hour to mingle with the guests - some I hadn't seen in years! - and as the ceremony began you could tell it was heartfelt, sweet, and full of lots of laughs {this is David and Mackenzie, after all}.  After the ceremony we had some more cocktails then headed up to the reception space where we proceeded to eat great food, drink way too many glasses of wine, and dance the night away on the dance floor, stopping only for pictures and a few toasts.  It was such a beautiful evening that I'm honored I was a part of and I can't wait to see where life takes these two awesome people.  Cheers to you, Cullens!

 me and my cutest date

 my other cutest dates

 the cullen family toasts

 happy couple

 gettin' down on the dance floor

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Trailbend Taproom

About a month or so ago Christian came over for an impromptu date night.  We kept looking at our "lists" of places we want to go when I remembered my neighbor mentioning Trailbend Taproom in Ballard.  Since it was close and the menu looked good we decided to give it a shot and I'm so glad we did.  We sat at one of the communal tables in this cute new industrial spot near all the Ballard breweries and were greeted by a huge menu on the wall of all of their beers on tap.  After settling on a few cold ones we each ordered sandwiches with side salads {my meatball sub was delish!} and spent the evening chatting over yummy beers before heading to another brewery down the road for a nightcap.  I love discovering new places, especially one like this that wasn't too noisy or busy for a Friday night date and is close enough to walk to when the weather gets nicer.  Cheers to that!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Mine was taken up mostly by the wedding of some dear friends, which was fun, fancy, and fabulous :)  While I'm still recovering from all of the fun we had, I'll leave you with a few of the pics I snagged from the photobooth on Saturday night, which we took full advantage of over and over.  Man, I love a good photobooth!

Cheers to a good week ahead!

xoxo,
stephanie marie