Paris {2005}

Alright friends - the time has come.  Mom and I are jetting off to Paris for a week full of drinking wine, sitting at sidewalk cafes, window shopping at fancy stores, and taking about a bazillion pictures like the one above.  I absolutely cannot wait to share this amazing city with my mama - and I know she's pretty excited too :)  I'll be gone for a week and a half, but until I get back, here are a few of my favorite shots from my first trip to Paris nearly 8 years ago. 

first night in paris with kristen and elina

 

 strolling the champs elysees {then going to McDonald's for lunch}

 sunset boat ride along the seine

 with kristen in the hall of mirrors at versailles

 me, elina, kristen, & lana at versailles

 tim imitating the paintings at the louvre

 on top of the eiffel tower

 tim looking down on the city

 i took the metro alone all the way across the city one morning just to get this picture

 elina and me being f"rench"

Au revoir!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Just like Auntie

The other night I got a text from Kelli with this picture, saying "Abby just said she wants to be a ballerina just like her Auntie Stephie was".  Um, that may be the cutest thing I've ever heard.  And that picture?  It melts my heart.  I can't believe this little one will be 5 in a month!! Where does the time go?!?!?

Oh, and if she wants to be a ballerina like me, it's gonna look something like this:

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Chuckwagon

For as long as I can remember, The Chuckwagon has been my favorite restaurant in the valley.  I have memories of this place as far back as I can remember - from stopping for ice cream on the way home from swim lessons to burgers after high school football games.  It's a valley institution, and I know that if I ask, my mom will always say yes.  Last weekend was no exception :)  I ordered my absolute favorite - a cheeseburger deluxe with crinkle fries and a blackberry milkshake - it's like heaven in a red plastic basket :)  If you're driving through Skagit Valley, I highly recommend you stop at The Chuckwagon off Riverside for the best burger and milkshake you've ever had.  You won't regret it.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Craft Night {ceramic coasters}

Friday night, David and I headed over to Stefanie's for craft night - this is what all 20 and 30 somethings do on a Friday night, right?  David played bartender and made yummy margaritas (above), while Stef put together a delicious beef stir fry.  And me?  Well, I encouraged and entertained them while filling up on chips and guacamole :)  After dinner we set up shop creating these DIY ceramic coasters, and though we created quite a mess it was a lot of fun drinking, chatting, and watching old seasons of The Real World.  Stef and David came better prepared with stencils, while mine looked a bit like a child created them (although much better than this attempt).  However, after discovering that the tiles are only 13 cents each at Home Depot, I'm going to give it another try - and be better prepared this time.  In any case, it was a great way to spend a Friday night.  I see a tradition in our future :)

 dinner and crafting

 david's banksy inspired coasters

 stefanie's labradors

the second from the left is by far my fave

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {in pictures}

blue skies

 friday afternoon margaritas

 dinner at one of my faves

 salmon dinner at home

sunset while leaving the farm

It's starting to feel (and look) like spring :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Mur!

Happy Birthday to my college bestie!  So many of my favorite college memories involve this lady, and even though I don't see her nearly as often as I'd like, it's like no time has passed whenever we do get together.  Lots of love today, Mur!  Come visit soon :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

pic circa 2009 during mur's visit to seattle

Go Rams!

Tonight I'll be cheering on my #8 Rams to a (hopefully) victory over Missouri in the NCAA tournament (I may or may not have them going to the Final Four in my bracket at work....).  In honor of the game, I want to share with you Fum's Song, which is one of the most important teachings I took away from my time at CSU (and coincidentally, on the back of the tshirt I've been wearing to bed all this week).  Oh, and if there's any confusion, the Rams used to be the Aggies :)

Fum's Song
I'll sing you a song of college days and tell you where to go,
Aggies, where you knowledge is, and Boulder to spend your dough.
CC for your sissy boys, and Utah for your times,
DU for your ministers, and drunkards School of Mines.
"Don't send my boy to Wyoming U," a dying mother said.
"Don't send him to old Brigham Young, I'd rather see him dead!
But send him to our Aggies, it's better than Cornell,
Before I'd see him in Boulder, I'd see my son in Hell!"

My thoughts exactly :)  Go Rams!!!!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

pic via flickr

Tippi

Have I told you about my absolute favorite sweater in the world?  It's the Tippi sweater from JCrew, and I may or may not own it in 4 colors now (all bought on sale!).  It's the perfect lightweight sweater for layering or wearing on it's own, and the fit and versatility has me reaching for it day after day.  As we welcome spring with open arms today, I know it will still be on constant rotation in my wardrobe for these blustery brisk days ahead.  Go get one (or six) for yourself - I'm thinking I need a new one in a spring-y color :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Lacy Almond-Orange Cookies

When I first pulled these Lacy Almond-Orange Cookies out of the oven, I thought they were for sure going to be a baking FAIL.  However, after breaking off a few bites, I couldn't bear to throw them away and not share them.  My problem?  The scoops of batter I dropped on the parchment were way too big, resulting in one giant cookie the size of the baking sheet.  I also kept them in the oven about a minute too long - oops!  However, after I broke the huge cookie into smaller pieces and started tasting them, I knew they were going to be delicious to snack on throughout the day at work.  The recipe calls for orange zest, but I think next time I might try lemon to change it up a bit.  These only take a few minutes to put together, so go on and give them a try.  Enjoy!

Lacy Almond-Orange Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3/4 tsp fennel seeds
4 tblsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 tblsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup flour
1 tblsp finely grated orange zest

Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 375.  In food processor, pulse almonds and fennel seeds until coarsely ground.  
2.  Transfer almond mixture to small sauce pan.  Add butter, sugar, honey, and salt.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring to combine ingredients as butter melts.  Boil 1 minute, and remove from heat.  Stir in flour and zest.
3.  Working quickly, drop batter by the teaspoonful 2 1/2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake until golden brown, 6-8 minutes, rotating halfway through.  Let cool completely on parchment on wire racks.  Can be kept up to 2 days in airtight container.

adapted from Everyday Food Light

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {in pictures}

trip planning & french press

 {irish} spaghetti night

 mint nails for st. paddy's day {they look more green in person}

st. paddy's margaritas

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Friday

A pretty picture to celebrate the official start of spring less than a week away!  (you can tell it's been a long week when this is all I got for ya...)

Have a happy and restful weekend :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Basil Pesto

Last week, I found myself with a lot of extra basil that was about to go bad.  What's a girl to do when she has a lot of basil?  Make pesto!  I pulled out my Cuisinart mini-prep (thanks again, Stef!) and loosely followed the super simple recipe in The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.  Instead of adding ingredients while I was blending, I just threw it all in the processor, mixed it up, and hoped for the best :)  This is one of the most flavorful pestos I've ever had (I tend to find them bland) and now that they're frozen in mini versions (thanks to my ice cube tray), I can easily grab a few to throw on top of a pasta or veggies for an easy weeknight dinner.

 Dahlia Bakery Basil Pesto

Ingredients
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2 tblsp pine nuts
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 tblsp olive oil
3 tblsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth.  Transfer to airtight container to refrigerate for several days, or freeze in an ice cube tray, put in sealed bag, put back in freezer, and use as needed.

Makes about 2/3 cup

adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Chickpea Chicken Soup

You guys - I insist you make this soup.  I've been drooling over everything that Jessica makes since I stumbled across her blog, How Sweet It Is, many months back.  Her food photography is so beautiful it makes me want to try every single thing she cooks.  I was craving something warm earlier this week (with the 10 day forecast showing nothing but rain) and decided to flip through her recipes and find something to satisfy my cravings.  The Chickpea Chicken Soup includes some of my favorite ingredients (bacon, chickpeas, and mushrooms, to name a few) so I thought I'd give it a shot.  The end result was sooooo hearty and flavorful that I can't wait to make it again and again.  You could substitute virtually any veggie in here if there's something you don't like, but I followed her recipe pretty closely and it was fantastic.  I can't wait to try out more of Jessica's recipes but until then, please do yourself a favor and make this ASAP.  You will not regret it :)

Chickpea Chicken Soup

Ingredients
4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cups raw spinach, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup chopped carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
2- 14oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
26oz chicken stock

Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake until cooked through, about 30 minutes.  (alternately, you could pan fry, or use leftover roast chicken).  Let cool and shred with two forks.
2.  In a large pot, fry bacon until brown and crispy over medium heat.  Remove bacon with slotted spoon to a paper towel covered plate.
3.  Add onion, mushrooms, and peppers to bacon grease and cook until soft, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, spinach, paprika, and cumin, and stir for 60 seconds.  
4.  Turn heat to low.  Add chickpeas, celery, carrots, and chicken.  Cover with chicken stock and let simmer 30 minutes.
5.  Right before serving, mix bacon back into the pot.  Garnish with salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 5-6

adapted from How Sweet It Is

xoxo,
stephanie marie

A Field of Cows

This past weekend we went up to the valley while my parents were in sunny Arizona to take care of the kitties.  When I arrived on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I immediately grabbed a beer and a magazine and headed out to their awesome deck to read and take in the first warmish day of the year (see my view above).  The weekend was full of mooing baby cows, catching up on Dexter, visiting family, bbq-ing, and a lot of relaxation.  It was the perfect way to introduce J to the valley :)

 my model

 shadow's iphone

 my first time manning the bbq!

 when he arrived, justin said he expected banjos to be playing :)

"sissy - stop taking pictures and feed me!"

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Bachelor

Are you watching this season of The Bachelor?  I wasn't that into it at the beginning, but once I started seeing Catherine in my same workout class, I knew I had to watch the show.  I definitely like Sean a lot more than Ben from last year, and I can't wait to see who he chooses tonight in the finale (have you seen the teasers?  Who is the letter from?  What does it say??).  We'll have to wait until tonight to find out, but until then, who are you rooting for?

Catherine.....

....or Lindsay?

xoxo,
stephanie marie