Photo Booth

Maddie and Autumn had the genius idea to set up a photo booth at Lizzie's Bachelorette Party.  They brought a backdrop, props, and a tripod, and we were quickly in business.  It was a huge hit, and we took tons of pictures.  Here are the best of the bunch - and the most appropriate :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

pics via maddie

Recipe for a Fabulous Bachelorette Party

This past weekend we all headed down to Portland to celebrate the soon to be Mrs. Battaglia (yay!!).  It was a fabulous weekend, and though I can't share all of the specifics (duh), here are the key ingredients for a perfect Bachelorette weekend :)

 sparkly and girly decorations

 theme snacks

 pretty underthings for a smiling bride

 sisters!

 a yummy dinner - and finger mustaches

 a hotel room dance party....

 ....and some dancin' in the streets

 kisses from the bride

 dance club smoke machines that ruin cute pics (and leftover bouquets from an earlier wedding at our hotel)

 classy VIP section dancing

 scream singing

a gorgeous and happy bride

Lizzie - I'm soooo excited for you!!  Can't wait for June 23 :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad!  Thanks for always being the person I can rely on for an enthusiastic "hi, darlin" when I call, a good laugh when I cry, a pep talk when I'm nervous, and a giant hug just because :)  You're the best dad in the world, and I love you very very much!

Hope you have a fantastic birthday!! :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

PS - Happy Anniversary to Grandma and Grandpa too!

old polaroid from when I was 10 days old

The E.N.D.

Last night I took Erika out to celebrate her buying a house (yay!).  We ended up at Elemental Next Door (The END), a spinoff of the more upscale Elemental near Gasworks Park.  It is one of my absolute favorite spots, and since it is closing in a few weeks and Erika had never been, I knew I had to take her.  The concept is simple - they have a wall of wine, with each bottle being $30 for a full bottle or $15 for a half bottle, and they serve small sharing plates for dinner.  They also hand you a complimentary glass of champagne when you walk in, which isn't too bad either :)  After selecting our wine, we picked a few delicious treats from the menu (I must learn how to make that spicy goat cheese salsa) and chatted about home improvements, upcoming girls weekends, and life in general.  I'm sad that END is closing, but I'm excited to see what the owners have up their sleeves for future endeavors.  Erika - I am so proud of you with the new place.  I can't wait to spend summer evenings out on the deck with a big glass of wine and great friends :)  Love ya!

 complimentary champagne

 the "wine list"

 the single menu at the front of the bar

 spicy goat cheese salsa with pita

 eggplant ravioli

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night Maddie came over to help me bake chocolate chip cookies.  She kindly brought over Thai food (since I had a terrible-hostess-moment and realized I had no real dinner fixin's in my kitchen) and I provided the wine.  After an hour or so of catching up, we started on the cookies.  I've had my eye on The Pioneer Woman's Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies for awhile, and after several enthusiastic referrals, we decided to try them.  We both acknowledge that we're not the best bakers (as seen with our semi-careless measuring of ingredients), and after a first batch that involved charred cookie bottoms and my smoke alarm going off, I'll admit I was a bit nervous.  However, the 2nd batch came out gooey and a perfect shade of golden brown (we only left these in the oven for 8 minutes as opposed to the recommended 10-12 minutes) and each batch after that got better and better.  Though not quite as good as my mama's chocolate chip cookies, these were a very close second, and we both were left with piles of treats to take to work.  I doubt, however, that the two of us will be attempting a cake together anytime soon :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Enchiladas a la Stephanie

I can't believe I haven't shared this one with you yet.  It's one of my all time favorites to make, and is probably the simplest and yummiest dish to whip up for unexpected (and expected) guests.  I make this more times than I'd care to admit, and every time I do, I'm in heaven.  The original recipe came in a cookbook my mama put together for me when I first moved out on my own of old family recipes and favorites.  You can customize this however you'd like - I sometimes add black beans or a bit of white cheddar on top.  Note - if you are looking for true, authentic Mexican enchiladas, these are not them.  But if you are looking for a flavorful crowd-pleaser to put together in mere minutes, then you've come to the right place!  Now that my secret is out, I hope you enjoy :)

Enchiladas a la Stephanie

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into cubes

1 jar thick salsa

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Spray skillet with non-stick spray.   Add chicken and cook on medium heat until cooked through.  Mix in 1/2 cup salsa and 1 cup cheese.  Stir until melted.

2. Cover bottom of baking pan with a thin layer of salsa.  Place chicken mixture down middle of each tortilla.  Roll up and lay seam-side down in pan.  Continue until pan is full and you've used all of the chicken mixture.  Top with remaining salsa and cheese.

3.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and edges of tortillas are slightly crisped.  Serve with sour cream.

Note - these measurements are approximate.  Adjust to suit your tastes.

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Weekend in Wenatchee

Being that it was my only free weekend until July, and I hadn't been to Wenatchee since October, I packed my bags and headed out east to spend the weekend with my bro.  We had yummy home cooked meals, watched several awesome movies, ran some much needed errands (haircut for Shaun), enjoyed a bottle of wine on the patio while waiting for our kebabs on the bbq (I love that my bro drinks wine now!) - he even surprised me with a vintage Polaroid camera that he picked up at a garage sale just for me!  Spending the days in shorts and tank tops knowing it's going to rain on the west coast all week wasn't too bad either :)  It was a super relaxing weekend (I caught up on so much sleep) and hopefully it won't be so long until the next time I venture over there.  Thanks for another great weekend, little brother!

 shaun's famous breakfast

 movie time at The Avengers (so good!)

 evening wine on the patio

 waiting for dinner

 grill master

saturday dinner

 sara and shaun

xoxo,

stephanie marie