Headed to Hawaii

I am beyond excited that Sunday morning I'm off to Hawaii!  And it's for work!  I can't believe I convinced them to send me to a conference in Honolulu, but as soon as I got the greenlight, I booked it so they couldn't say no.  I'll definitely be going to the classes and hopefully learn a lot {that is why they're paying for it, after all}, but I'm managing to stay a few extra days to enjoy some of those umbrella drinks, a dip in the ocean, and lots of beach time.  Aloha!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Quick Garlic Lime Marinated Pork Chops

I've been trying to do a little refrigerator/freezer clean out lately and when I saw I had an extra lime in my fridge, I instantly thought of these Garlic Lime Marinated Pork Chops from Skinnytaste that I've had on my Pinterest board forever.  I had everything I needed for the recipe, so I took some pork chops out of my freezer that had been in there forever and got to work.  I made the marinade the night before cooking the chops and soaked them in it for almost 24 hours to get lots of flavor.  Since all the chopping and mixing was done, when I got home from yoga last night I simply turned on the broiler and stuck the chops in the oven.  I also had a bag of frozen cauliflower rice from Trader Joe's that I heated up and added a green onion to, and in less than 10 minutes I had a delicious home-cooked meal on the table without having to make a trip to the grocery store.  Not bad eh?  I'm definitely adding this one to my weeknight repertoire :)

Quick Garlic Lime Marinated Pork Chops

Ingredients
4 lean boneless pork chops {I only used 2 and had lots of marinade}
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp salt  
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions
1. In large bowl, combine garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.  Squeeze in lime juice and zest and stir until combined.
2. Place pork chops in large bowl or plastic bag and cover with marinade.  Refrigerate 20 minutes or overnight for more flavor.
3. Line broiler pan with foil for easy clean up.  Place pork chops on pan and broil about 5 minutes each side or until browned.  Alternatively, you can grill over medium high heat for 5 minutes on each side.

Serves 4

adapted from skinnytaste

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Sara's Bachelorette {Part III}

Saturday afternoon we were all super sleepy from a full day of wine tasting, so we headed back to our Nefarious home for some resting.  Since the tasting room was closed and the weather was absolutely gorgeous, we took advantage of their outdoor patio and the bottles of wine they had left us and sat out on the colorful chairs taking in the view in our sweats and slippers.  As we drank more wine and snacked on yummy cheese and crackers, we chatted all about life and love and I got to know my soon to be sister-in-law just a little bit better.  Once the sun started to go down, we headed up to Sorrento's at Tsillan Cellars for a delicious dinner out and ran smack into Sara's dad in the dining room - whoops!  He was super nice and even bought us a bottle of wine to sip on during our amazing pasta dinner.  After being extremely full of wine and pasta, we headed back to the house for a showing of My Best Friend's Wedding before heading to bed and sleeping sooooo soundly.  Sunday morning came too fast and after a yummy breakfast out, we stuffed the car with all of our stuff {seriously - how did we bring so much for just 2 days?!?!?} and headed back to Wenatchee.  All in all, it was a great girls weekend bonding with some soon to be family, and it made me even more excited for the wedding that is fast approaching.  Cheers to Shaun & Sara!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Sara's Bachelorette {Part II}

Saturday morning we woke up a little slowly and enjoyed a home-cooked breakfast and coffee with an amazing view {I could definitely get used to that place}.  After we got ready, we headed back over to the other side of the lake to Lake Chelan Winery for a little hair of the dog to get us going :)  After that, we headed up to Tildio to one of my most favorite wineries of the trip, where we chatted with a super friendly lady and had the winery to ourselves, once again enjoying an amazing view.  We then meandered down the hill to Cairdeas, which came highly recommended by David.  The people were so friendly and the wines delicious, and we had just missed a huge limo full of people, which definitely helped the vibe :)  After Cairdeas, we drove back to the Chelan side for lunch and tastings at Siren Song.  The Tuscan villa-esque tasting room provided the perfect midday sit down for lunch and an inventive presentation of their tastings.  Next, we walked across the parking lot to Fielding Hills, which had excellent wines but lacked in atmosphere and service.  By then we were all so tired {except for our amazing DD, Ashlee} but we had to make one more stop at Tunnel Hill just up the street from our house since we had heard great reviews.  The place was super cool - all stone walls and Hobbit-like surroundings - and even though we were halfway falling asleep, it was a good last stop before heading back to the house to recharge for the evening.

 the gift shop at lake chelan winery is my fave

 tildio

hauling 3 babies and an {empty} box of wine

 these pups were definitely the best part of fielding hills

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Sara's Bachelorette {Part I}

I got home last night from a fun-filled weekend in Chelan, and the more I go there, the more that town becomes one of my most favorite places to visit.  Friday afternoon, I met up with Sara, Ashlee, and Wendy to head to Chelan for a weekend celebrating the bride to be.  Driving into town, we immediately stopped off at Karma and were taken to the wine cave for a bubbly tasting and some appetizers - the perfect way to start the weekend!  Next, we headed over to Nefarious Cellars, which was closed for tastings for the weekend but was the site of our rental house {a rental house at a winery?  perfection}.  Ashlee had decorated the place so cute for Sara and we hung out for a bit before freshening up and heading across the lake to Benson Vineyards.  I had heard about this one, and the views from the estate were absolutely breathtaking - had it been just a tad warmer I would have loved to take advantage of their outdoor patio.  We tasted some yummy wines until they closed, then headed down the road to Wapato Point Cellars where we enjoyed yet another tasting before sitting down for a steak dinner at their onsite restaurant.  After our bellies were pleasantly full, we headed back to our little house where we poured some bourbon cocktails, got in our jammies, and watched Bridesmaids {very fitting}.  It was the perfect first day to start a great weekend :)

my little friend chad, just hangin' out with my bourbon

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Long {Wine Tasting} Weekend

I'm off for a long weekend in Chelan to celebrate this pretty lady soon becoming part of the family!  We have a big itinerary of wine tasting and eating, and though the weather won't be quite as gorgeous as it was when we went last summer, I'm excited to snuggle in and be cozy with a big glass of wine and lots of girl talk.  Cheers to Sara & Shaun!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Vannessa's 30th Birthday

This past weekend, this sweet little lady turned 30 and we celebrated in a big way.  I met Vannessa through Bar Method {the greatest place to meet friends as an adult} and as we've hung out more and more this past year I've decided that we're kind of life twins.  So much of her reminds me of myself and what I'm doing with my life and how I feel about certain things - we even started the same yoga studio on the same day without even knowing the other was joining!  So Friday night, Vannessa rented out an event space on Capital Hill to celebrate with all of her friends and family.  She went big with an open bar, tons of food, a photo booth, and champagne toast to celebrate the birthday girl.  We even went home with party favors that included Lucky Charms {why are they soooooo good?!?!}.  Sunday morning, a few of us met up at our yoga studio for a private yoga class that Vannessa had set up, complete with donuts and mimosas afterwards for even more celebrating.  I love a girl that wants to celebrate herself and a big milestone, and I'm so happy she invited me to be a part of it.  And I even have ideas now for my birthday this summer.....:)

 vannessa and sally, our awesome teacher

 favors from friday's party

posing with the birthday girl and our friend deon

xoxo,
stephanie marie