Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  We better get some gorgeous May flowers after all this rain!  Though today should {hopefully} be sunny, I'm ready to snuggle in this weekend with Nina while C is away and listen to the rain outside while we watch The Masters, eat takeout, and sleep in as long as we can.  Hopefully Nina won't mind :)  Also, a big Happy 1st Birthday to sweet Theia - I can't believe it's already been a year!  Where does the time go??  

Have a great weekend friends!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Day at the Zoo

A few weeks back we all got together to celebrate these 3 cuties turning 1.  Merith, Erika, Susannah, Josh, their families and I all met up at Woodland Park Zoo on one of the nicest days of the year with about everyone else in Seattle, but the lines didn't stop us from one of the best days.  I don't think I've ever seen so many animals out playing and showing off {they're typically napping when I'm there} - I think they saw the crowds and the sunshine and knew they had to get out there!  It was fun catching up with everyone and seeing how the kids' eyes lit up when they would see the animals up close {even if it was just the ducks swimming by in the bear exhibit}.  Linnea, being the zoo expert she is, took charge with the map showing us the best animals to see and what routes to take, and seeing Addie's face on the carousel was one of the absolute best parts of the day.  It was such a fun time celebrating these little kiddos - I can't believe they're already 1!

 linnea, charlie, ellowyn, addie, and theia

 josh & ellowyn

 linnea studying the map to find our next destination

 so many smiles

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Sunday night I had Christian and Nina over for a yummy homecooked meal.  C always talks about how stuffed peppers are his fave, so I decided to give them a try with Skinnytaste's Turkey Stuffed Peppers {although I ended up using ground beef instead of turkey - whoops!}.  Though they can look intimidating, stuffed peppers are so easy to make and easy to customize with different spices and veggies.  These had such good flavor and the filling would make a delicious burrito or taco filling if you don't have any peppers on hand.  It was such a delicious and easy dinner that I can't wait to make us again.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
Olive oil
1lb ground turkey {or beef}
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 onion, minced
1 Tblsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
3 large sweet red bell peppers
1 1/2 reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in non-stick skillet.  Add onion, garlic, and cilantro and cook about 2 minutes.  Add turkey, garlic powder, cumin, and salt, break up meat and cook until meat is completely cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken broth, mix well, and simmer on low about 5 minutes.
4. Add rice to meat mixture and stir together.
5. Meanwhile, cut bell peppers in half and remove all seeds and ribs.  Spoon meat mixture evenly into each half pepper and place in baking dish.  Top each pepper with shredded cheese.
6. Pour remainder of chicken broth in bottom of pan.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake about 45 minutes.
7. Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4

adapted from skinnytaste

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Weekend with Mom

Saturday morning Mom came to town for one of our fun weekends in the city.  We saw Marie: Dancing Still at the 5th that had gorgeous dancing but a bit of a slow story.  Afterwards we were sleepy and not too excited about going out and about, so we ended up heading home, ordering in pizza, opening a bottle of wine, and watching Mama Mia: Here We Go Again.  It was the perfect lazy Saturday night which was exactly what we needed.  Sunday we had a lazy morning, reading magazines and having breakfast in bed before we headed out to run some errands and drive around Queen Anne, stopping in for a much needed treat at Top Pot.  It was a fun and relaxing weekend with my Mama - one of my most favorite ways to spend a few days :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{gettin' my steps in on friday afternoon}

 {the rain bringing rainbows}

 {friday night dinner at our fave}

 {snuggles}

 {all eyes on breakfast}

 {the prettiest beer}

{sunday night dinner}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Nina's Birthday

Here are a few pictures for your weekend of our birthday celebration for our sweet Nina.  I made her the peanut butter cake and after making her pose for a few pictures with it she instantly devoured the whole thing in one bite, minus some crumbs that she so kindly licked up off the floor.  Besides her extra special treat, we took her on a long birthday walkie and snuggled her hard on the couch, which I'm pretty sure she loved :)  Hope you have a great weekend!

                              

xoxo,
stephanie marie

20 Minute Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

As a kind of New Year's Resolution I made a list of quick and easy weeknight dinners to make so when we're tired and hungry after work we don't always reach for the takeout menu.  One of those that we keep going back to week after week is this Thai Coconut Chicken Soup that has wonderful flavors and is a cinch to put together {especially if you use a rotisserie chicken or have some chicken already cooked up and shredded}.  It's made up of a lot of ingredients I've learned to keep on hand and really does come together in the time it makes to cook the rice.  The flavors are sooooo good, and it's the perfect weeknight dinner for any season that I promise you'll love.

20 Minute Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Ingredients
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper {any color}, chopped
1 Tblsp minced garlic
1 Tblsp minced ginger
2 Tblsp red curry paste {we also used green once since that's all we had - still delish!}
2 cups chicken broth {though I usually just use 1 can which is a little less than 2 cups}
1 can full fat coconut milk
3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 Tblsp lime juice, plus wedges for serving
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
White or Basmati rice, for serving

Instructions
1. Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and pepper and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.
2. Stir in curry paste, then add broth, coconut milk, and chicken.  Simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine.
3. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.  Taste and adjust seasonings as desired {we often add more lime juice}.
4.  Serve over rice.

Serves 4

adapted from cup of jo

xoxo,
stephanie marie