Greek Quinoa Salad

This past weekend I bought my first package of quinoa after eyeing this amazing looking Greek Quinoa Salad on a newly found food blog, Two Peas & Their Pod.  The quinoa was super easy to cook (much faster than rice) and the fresh ingredients of a traditional greek salad paired perfectly with the grain.  Topped with a simple dressing, I was eating dinner in no time, with lots leftover for weekday lunches.  This would be a perfect addition to a summer potluck, or as a side to some grilled chicken or fish.  This is definitely going to be a summer staple :)

Greek Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup chopped cucumber

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper, if needed

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tblsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa in cold water and strain.  Bring to a boil with 2 cups water.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked through and water is absorbed.  Lightly fluff with fork and let cool to room temperature.

2. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and oregano in small bowl.  

3. In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onion, and feta.  Top with dressing and stir until well mixed.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Original recipe found here

xoxo,

stephanie marie

A Memorial Day Sail

Monday evening I got a text from Autumn inviting me out on their new boat for a Memorial Day sail.  I promptly dropped my laundry and made my way to the dock just in time to head out.  We sailed around Lake Union, then out towards UW, where along the way we got to raise a bridge (definitely mine and Maddie's highlight :).  After tying up, Ryan broke out their awesome boat barbecue, and we enjoyed hot dogs, fresh watermelon, and Top 40 tunes on the radio.  It was a perfect evening for a sail with friends, and I can't wait to get back out there again soon for a Duck Dodge :)  Thanks Autumn and RyRy!!

 

captain ryan

 autumn in her new home :)

 we opened the university bridge (i got to blow the horn!)...

 ...and just barely made it under the montlake bridge

 we were very happy we made it under the bridge :)

 bbq time

such a pretty night

 gasworks park

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Memorial Day Weekend {via Instagram}

view of gasworks park from the sailboat

This long weekend was exactly what I needed.  Lots of time spent reading, being out in the sun, spending time with some of my favorite ladies, an outing to the M's game, and an evening sail around Lake Union to top it all off.  If only every weekend was 3 days long..... :)

 yummy biscuit after a saturday morning workout

 sunny day at greenlake

 girls night dancing

 posing at safeco field

 a disappointing game, but beautiful day

out for a sail on autumn and ryan's new boat

greenlake sunset

Hope everyone had a relaxing and sunny weekend!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Summer To Do

We've already lucked out in Seattle with amazingly sunny weekends for the past month or so, and it's really gotten me thinking about summer.  Since Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the season, it's time to once again make a list of things I hope to accomplish from now until Labor Day.  Let's hope I can cross a few more off the list than I did last year!

1. Discover Discovery Park

2. Rent kayaks at Agua Verde (then lunch after)

3. Wander Pioneer Square's First Thursday

4. Picnic at Chateau St. Michelle

5. Go for a day hike

6. Conquer the Greenlake Pitch & Putt, Interbay Mini-Golf, and maybe even a round of 18

7. Visit the Zoo

8. Champagne and oysters at Frank's Oyster House

9. Put on my fancies and head to Canlis for cocktails
10. Use my new tent at least once 

11. Duck Dodge

12. Sunday Ice Cream Cruise on Lake Union

What will you be doing this summer?  Any of these with me???

Happy long weekend :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

pic via hipstamatic app in fremont last weekend

Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas

A while back I bought an extra package of prosciutto at the store, and every time I opened the refrigerator, I would stare at it, trying to figure out something to make.  Remembering the delicious Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas that Erika had made for me last year from the Everyday Food Great Food Fast cookbook, I decided to recreate that delicious and simple recipe.  Picking up a few extra ingredients, the dish was a cinch to whip up, and in just 20 minutes, I was enjoying a yummy dinner.  I'm posting about this one today in honor of my dad, who loves peas almost as much as he loves blueberries, because his girl's golf team just came in 3rd place in the High School State Tournament yesterday!  That's 5 trophies in a row, for anyone who's counting :)  Congrats, Dad!!  Love ya!  

Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas

Ingredients

Salt and pepper

12 oz fettuccine

1 tblsp butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed

8 slices prosciutto (about 4 oz total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 tblsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tblsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Instructions

1.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Drain pasta and return to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat, add the shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the cream, peas, and prosciutto.  Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.  Simmer until the peas are heated through, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.  Pour the sauce over the pasta, add the Parmesan, and season generously with salt and pepper.  Add enough of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as desired.  Top with additional Parmesan and serve.

Serves 4

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Shake It

David always laughs at me when I bring it up, but I absolutely love the Shake It app for the iPhone.  It takes any picture from your phone and instantly transforms it into an old school Polaroid.  And while it's "developing", you shake your phone just like you would one of the real pictures.  Ok, it's a little cheesy, but for someone who loves old cameras, it's pretty cool :)  Here are a few pics for your mid-week enjoyment!

the space needle

 daffodil fields

 at the farm

 hotel in belize

 belize breakfast

 rainy day bus stop

 molly moon's

david, the news anchor

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Gwyneth's Basic Tomato Sauce

I love pasta.  If I didn't care about fitting into my jeans ever again, I would eat pasta for every meal.  With the weather turning a little cooler these past few days, I decided to whip up a super simple yet flavorful tomato sauce from the Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook.  Simmering the sauce for an hour or more enhances the flavors of these few ingredients, and served over spaghetti and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, it was exactly what I wanted to keep me warm with the rain pouring outside.  While it definitely wasn't my mama's spaghetti (the absolute best!), it hit the spot, and since the ingredients are almost always in my kitchen, I know I'll be making this again on those pasta-craving nights :)

Basic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 tblsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 fresh large basil leaves

2- 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes with juice

salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes.  Add 2 of the basil leaves and stir for a minute.

2. Add the tomatoes and their juice and the 2 remaining basil leaves.  Turn the heat to high.  Bring the sauce to a boil, turn the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and let it bubble on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

Makes 4 cups

recipe adapted from here

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Restaurant Bea {& Bottlehouse}

Friday night, Maddie and I decided to try a new restaurant in a new neighborhood and after several emails back and forth, we landed on the recently opened Restaurant Bea in Madrona.  We sat at the back bar (so please excuse the dark pictures) and after drooling over the entire menu, settled on several plates to share.  The food was extraordinary (Maddie even said it could've been "last meal" good) and we made our waitress happy by taking pictures of every dish and raving over how good everything was.  After dinner (and dessert) we walked across the street to Bottlehouse, a cute wine bar in a renovated house, and met Erika to catch up over a glass of wine.  It was the perfect beginning to a lovely spring weekend, filled with friends, food, and lots of smiles :)

 the dining room at Bea

 bea's tots with green goddess dip

 hanger steak with cheese grits, collards, and sauce choron (a-maz-ing)

 kodiak cod with morel cream, chive potato puree, and yellow wax beans

 bea's caramel cake with honey ice cream and ginger crumble

 just a sampling of the selection at bottlehouse

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Rifle Paper Co

I've always loved beautiful stationery (I get it from my mom).  When I found myself being drawn to the same type of cards at the specialty shop by my work, I had to look them up and see what other fun designs they had.  Boy, was I in for a treat.  Looking at the Rifle Paper Co website is almost as satisfying as eating my favorite cupcakes :)  Anna Bond creates the most beautiful and unique designs, and they make great accompaniments to gifts, or even gifts themselves!  Here are a few of my favorites from their site - a few I own, and a few on my wishlist.  Enjoy! :)

 the card I gave my mom for mother's day

 perfect little journals

 how unexpected to get a "thank you" postcard

 a notepad for mom - that she already deemed too pretty to use

 pretty recipe cards

love that these match my wellies

Happy Friday!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

all images via rifle paper co