Trimming the Tree

The first thing I want to do after Thanksgiving is over?  Put up my Christmas tree!  It's one of my most favorite parts of the holiday season.  I love the ornaments, the ribbons, the lights - especially the lights.  After the first attempt at stringing them, I insisted on more lights :)  This year, tree trimming was accompanied by hot cocoa with Bailey's (delicious and slightly dangerous) and a mandatory Santa hat.  I think we did a pretty awesome job with the tree this year - now it's time to get things to put under it!

 treats

 laying out the ornaments

santa's little helper

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Turkey Bolognese

With a free day on Saturday, I decided to give this Turkey Bolognese recipe a try from one of my surprise favorite cookbooks by Gwyneth Paltrow.  I had been eying it for awhile, but with the 5 hour simmer time, there was hardly a chance to make it.  You definitely want to let this one cook as long as the recipe indicates - it helps the sauce get thick and hearty and the flavors combine deliciously.  It was a great winter meal - and perfect leftovers for days after.


Turkey Bolognese

Ingredients
5-6 tblsp olive oil
3/4 lb Italian turkey sausage, ground
1 lb ground turkey
Salt
Pepper
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2- 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 lb rigatoni
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions
1. Heat 2-3 tblsp olive oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned all over, about 10 minutes.  Remove to plate.
2. Add ground turkey to pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until browned.  Remove to plate.
3. Add another 2-3 tblsp oil to pan.  Add onion and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.  
4. Add tomatoes and their juice along with 1/2 cup water swished in the tomato cans to get the rest of the tomato juice out.  Add sausage and ground turkey and stir well.  Bring sauce to boil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and turn heat to low.
5. Cover almost completely (let steam escape from one side) and gently simmer for 4 hours.  
6. Uncover sauce and stir in tomato paste, barely cover, and simmer 1 more hour.
7. When almost ready for serving, cook rigatoni according to package directions.
8. Serve sauce over rigatoni, topped with grated Parmesan.

Serves 4

adapted from My Father's Daughter

xoxo,
stephanie marie

It's in the Bag

When my trusty Target purse that had accompanied me all over the world finally fell apart, I decided it was time for a little upgrade.  A few weeks ago, Jcrew was having a sale (and I can't say no to a sale), and when scrolling through their purses, I fell in love with the Brompton Mini Hobo bag with it's cross-body strap, hidden pockets, and unique colors.  I picked out the hunter green color (no longer available online), as it goes perfectly with both blacks, blues, and browns, and I couldn't be happier.  It's been the perfect everyday bag (I've already introduced it to some nasty weather and it's held up remarkably), and I know it will be a great sidekick on a few adventures I have planned for the upcoming year :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Thanksgiving Baby

After all the turkey and pumpkin pie, mom and I headed over to spend some time with Lila, the newest member of the Welty family.  At just 8 days old, she's the tiniest baby I've ever held and I couldn't get enough of her scrunched up little face, super soft cheeks, and full head of hair.  It was the most perfect way to end Thanksgiving day. 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Thanksgiving {in pictures}

family pic

 sara, shaun, and me

 brother

 yum

don't mess with thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Being Thankful

I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving time!  A few things I'm thankful for this year: genuine girlfriends, mashed potatoes, rain boots, pumpkin spice lattes, date nights, red wine, new cookbooks, plaid pajama pants, Friends reruns (see above), the best family, the end of the election, yoga, late weekend breakfasts, and smooches :)

What are you thankful for this year?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend! :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Holi-DIY {Coco & Kelley}

Last week, Stefanie and I headed downtown Seattle to Anthropologie for their Holi-DIY series with Cassandra of Coco & Kelley.  I've been reading Coco & Kelley for awhile now and was excited to meet Cassandra (who turned out to be super nice) and get a little crafty.  We arrived to find champagne and cupcakes, along with an array of paint colors to make our very own holiday coasters.  With the limited amount of time we had and my impatience at (literally) watching paint dry, my coasters weren't the best they could've been, but I do love the colors I picked (above) and with a few supplies you can pick up at your local craft store, I know I can do a much better job the next time around.  If you want to give it a try, check out Cassandra's tutorial here.  What a fun way to get into the holiday spirit!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Bar del Corso

Per tradition, Erika and I headed out to a new restaurant to celebrate her birthday - about a month late :)  After sending her a list of some awesome new places around town, she settled on Bar del Corso on Beacon Hill - a semi-new restaurant in a neighborhood we rarely venture to.  We sat at the bar in this bustling space and ordered the delicious burrata with crostini and a pizza with sausage and pickled peppers.  All of the dishes we saw coming out of the kitchen looked amazing, but we were incredibly happy with our choices (evidenced by the completely empty plates our waitress cleared away).  Though it's a little out of the way, I can't wait to go back and try all new dishes.  I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Happy {late} birthday, Erika!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

{Introducing} Lila Anne

I couldn't be more excited that Kami and Craig welcomed this beautiful little munchkin into their family on Wednesday night.  Lila Anne - I can't wait to squeeze your little cheeks and put bows in your hair and take you on shopping dates to Nordstrom :)

Lots of love, Welty family!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

I made these Pumpkin Enchiladas several years ago, when Leslie and I used to have cooking dates.  The ingredients just scream "fall" to me, with the pumpkin puree and rotisserie (or home roasted) chicken.  I decided to give them a try again last night to see if they really were as good as I remembered.  If you can get past the fact that there's pumpkin in your enchiladas and just enjoy the yummy flavors, you're sure to love this just as much as I do :)

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
6 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, quartered
1 tsp chili powder
8 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 1/2 cups (6oz) grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425.  In medium bowl, combine chicken and green onion.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth.  Pour 1 cup mixture in the bottom of a baking dish.
3. Divide chicken mixture equally between the 8 tortillas.  Roll each up and place seam side down over the sauce in the baking dish.
4. Pour the remaining sauce on top.  Sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbly, about 25 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

adapted from everyday food

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Pantry Chicken Parmesan

Saturday I headed home to spend a few days with mom and dad in the valley.  After nixing the idea to go out to dinner, and not wanting to drive in to the grocery store (apparently moving just 5 miles from the last house is way too far from town for us), Mom and I scoured the cupboards to come up with something tasty and easy that we could make from what they already had.  We put together a super simple Chicken Parmesan dish that was much less labor intensive and just as yummy as this version I tried last year.  I almost always have these ingredients in my cupboard, so I know I'll be coming back to this one when I need a quick and easy weeknight meal.  Thanks for the idea, Mom!

Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
1 jar marinara/tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400.  Dip chicken in egg, then bread crumbs.
2. Arrange chicken in 9x13 pan.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Pour sauce over chicken and top with cheese.  Bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve over pasta with crunchy bread (and a glass of red wine :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Life Lately {via Instagram}

 homemade apple pie for halloween

 

 starbucks red cups

 dinner at Revel

 a day in the valley

enjoying the long weekend

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Yes We Can

While I don't want to go on a political rant (cuz that's just not me), I do want to say how proud I am of our country (and our state!) and how excited I am to see what the next 4 years will bring.  I think that if we can all try to get along and put differences aside, we can make this a really exciting and positive time in our lives.  So regardless of who you voted for, let's stop the Facebook bashing and start looking forward.  We're a pretty lucky bunch of people to call this place home :)

Have a fabulous {long} weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

photo via The New York Times

Cookbook Wishlist

Lately, I feel like a new cookbook has been released daily that I must have.  Here are the ones I'm most anxious to get my hands on:

The Smitten Kitchen

Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof

Tiny Food Party

The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

What cookbooks are on your 'must-have' list lately?

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew

Since Halloween this year was just going to be two of us, I decided to mix things up and try a slightly different type of stew.  I couldn't stray too far, though, because my love of stew runs almost as deep as my mom's does.  We all know that The Pioneer Woman can do no wrong in my book, so instead of Mom's reliable Witch's Stew, I went with PW's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika.  I'm not gonna lie - I may have been swayed by the bottle of beer the recipe called for :)  Using many of the same ingredients, this version was just as, if not more flavorful than the original, even though it was lacking a rutabaga (definitely adding this next time).  Paired with crunchy bread, a yummy pumpkin beer, and homemade apple pie, the evening was absolutely perfect :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Rock the Vote

If you haven't already done so, I urge you to get out there and VOTE.  It's important, people!!  Even if you're voting for that other guy :)

Do you have plans for watching the elections?  Mine include some Thai food, sweatpants, and a big bottle of wine.

Happy Election Day - fingers crossed!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

pic from May 2012 when Obama was campaigning in Seattle and I tried (to no avail) to catch a glimpse of him.  I did, however, see his motorcade.  That counts, right?

Uneeda Burger

Saturday afternoon, I had a Father/Daughter date with my dad to go see The Addam's Family musical (mom decided to sit this one out).  The show was surprisingly hilarious, and afterwards, we met up with mom for dinner before they headed back up north.  After much debating on what sounded good, I decided that we should try Uneeda Burger in Fremont, a place I've been dying to go to since it opened.  We went all out, ordering burgers (Classics for mom and me, and a Monsieur for dad), fries, onion rings, milkshakes, and Mexican Coca-Cola, and everything was amazing.  With quick service, an awesome atmosphere (it's built in an old car repair garage), reasonable prices, and delicious food, I know that I'll be frequenting this place much more often.  I suggest you do the same :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Friday

While flipping through the photos on my phone, I found this awesome photo-strip that David and I took during Best Night Ever with the Pocketbooth app.  Here's hoping it gives you a good laugh to start your weekend off right :)

Happy November!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

The weather has been pretty gross around here, and it has me craving cozy comfort food.  One of my all time favorites is tomato soup and grilled cheese, but instead of just heating it up from a can, I decided to get a bit fancier and make it from scratch.  Flipping through Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, I found her Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup and knew that it would be delicious.  The soup was actually super simple to put together, with the most tedious part being blending it in batches.  Paired with grilled cheese sandwiches made with sharp and white cheddar and crunchy french bread, it was the perfect meal to come home to on a rainy fall evening.  As long as there are fresh tomatoes around, I will be making this soup :)

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

Ingredients
3 tblsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup red onion, chopped (about 1 and 1/2 onions)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
4 lbs vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tblsp tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped basil leaves
3 cups chicken stock
1 tblsp salt
2 tsp pepper
3/4  cup heavy cream

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium low heat.  Add onions and carrots and sautee for about 10 minutes until very tender.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 
2. Add tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well.  Bring soup to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until tomatoes are very tender.
3. Add cream to the soup.  In batches, puree soup in blender until desired consistency.  Reheat over low heat until just hot.  
4. Serve with grilled cheese on crunchy bread.

serves 5 or 6

adapted from Barefoot Contessa

xoxo,
stephanie marie