Sunset on Summer

Happy Friday!  Since yesterday was basically the last day of summer in Seattle {85 and sunny and today I woke up to rain}, we headed to Golden Gardens for a picnic of gyros and beer and caught this gorgeous sunset at the beach.  It was such a perfect evening, it made me almost wish we could do summer over again.  But Fall, I'm ready for ya! 

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Something Rotten

Saturday afternoon I found myself with an extra ticket to a show, so I invited Kelsey {who loves Broadway} to the 5th to see Something Rotten with me.  We started our day at Purple Cafe for some lunch and a pre-show glass of wine, then headed over to the theater just in time for the curtain.  I had no expectations coming into the show - all I knew was that it had won some Tony's and was supposed to be funny.  From the very beginning to the very end, we were both dying of laughter {along with the rest of the theater} because of the hilarious actors {led by Adam Pascal, the original Roger in Rent!} and musical numbers.  The very basic premise of the show is two brothers during Shakespeare's time try to invent the musical to rival Shakespeare's plays.  If you get a chance to see it, you must - I promise you'll be laughing until you cry and you will love every minute of it.  We sure did!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

A Head Full of Dreams

I've loved Coldplay for as long as I can remember {Mom & I even caught a free show of theirs on the plaza at the Today show about 9 years ago} so when I heard almost a year ago that they were coming to play at Century Link Field for A Head Full of Dreams tour, I instantly snatched up tickets.  The day finally came this past Saturday for the show, and with my trusty sidekick Leslie, we headed down to the field for what was to be an epic night.  Our seats were perfect - right up from the stage and in the very first row of the 300 level, so we had a perfect unobstructed view of the big screens, fireworks, and Chris Martin running up and down the long stage through the middle of the audience.  From the very first song where fireworks were the backdrop on this beautiful fall night, the energy never let up throughout the entire set.  You could tell how much fun the guys were having {especially Chris} running around dancing, laughing, and playing their hearts out.  Just like the Taylor Swift concert, we were given electronic bracelets when we arrived and through almost every song they lit up to the beat of the music, adding an even more interactive and fun vibe.  I couldn't stop smiling throughout the entire show {and there may have even been a few happy tears during my favorite songs} and I left knowing that it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen in my life.  If you ever get a chance to see Coldplay, you must go.  That night, my head full of dreams was all about them :)

fix you - one of my absolute faves

xoxo,
stephanie marie

A Reunion

When I was in Colorado about a month ago, I received a surprising text from Cara, my roommate from Spain, saying that she was heading to Seattle for a quick trip and wondered if I still lived there.  I was beyond excited to hear from my former roomie and dear friend and we instantly made plans to meet up.  Last Friday she finally arrived, and we reunited after 12 years {!} of being apart.  Cara is the exact same as I remembered - her sweet southern drawl, infectious smile, and no nonsense attitude - and my nerves of being apart for so long were instantly put to rest.  I snuggled her sweet 4 month old baby Leo as much as I could, then we headed out just the two of us for dinner at The Pink Door.  Over cocktails and bowls of pasta, we caught up on the past 12 years {there was a lot!} and reminisced about everything Spain.  Spain was one of the most important and amazing parts of my life, and to finally be able to talk about it with someone who actually lived it with me was so nostalgic and perfect.  It was so fun to remember things that I hadn't thought about in years and try to picture what our lives were like back then.  Though the night went way too quickly, we promised that it wouldn't be another 12 years until we see each other again.  I love this girl so much and I can't wait until we are old ladies wandering the streets of Granada arm in arm in our fur coats :)

sweet baby leo

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Canlis

I can't believe it's been a full year since John passed away.  There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him, wondering "what would John do?" or wishing I could take him out to happy hour and ask his advice.  Since last Thursday would've been John's 50th birthday and since we weren't able to get to Canlis with him last year, the 5 of us {Nicole, Cullen, Leslie, Delila, and myself} headed out for a birthday dinner there to celebrate our dear friend.  We all got dressed up in our fancies and after a pre-dinner cocktail in the bar, we were escorted to our corner table with a view for our close to 4 hour meal.  We had a fabulous time eating, drinking, laughing, and reminiscing about John, and I know he would've had an amazing time with us {even if he would've had to wear a suit :) }.  We brought along Dave the Minion in honor of John, and when Mark Canlis stopped by to say hello, he took to Dave right away.  The food, of course, was amazing and the company even better, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate John than with good food and the people he loved.  We miss you, dear friend.

 cullen, me, & nicole

 leslie & delila

 mini corn on the cobs + taquitos

 geoduck + fennel & canlis salad

 orecchiette + lamb ragu, foie gras + figs, & dungeness crab + polenta

 black cod + tomatoes + artichoke & filet mignon + peppers

 japanese style cheesecake + plum sorbet

 after dessert macarons with a serving for john that our sweet server left us {which we of course ate - he wouldn't have wanted us to let that go to waste!}

We love you John - happy birthday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Fall!

Happy first day of Fall!  I absolutely love this time of year - the changing of the leaves, the crisp mornings, the coziness of it all.  I'm planning on making the most of this season by doing some of my favorite things - drink pumpkin spice lattes, go for long crisp walks, cook soups, bake pies, watch all of my favorite tv shows, put pumpkins on my front steps, light candles, watch football, wear sweaters, cuddle in blankets, and be extra cozy :)  It's going to be a great fall, I can feel it!

Happy Fall Friday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Grilled Shrimp Chopped Salad

I came across this recipe for Grilled Shrimp Chopped Salad in Gwyneth Paltrow's  "It's All Easy" cookbook and it instantly called to me.  Everything looked so fresh and easy to make, and the fact that the recipe serves just 1 is perfect for a single lady :)  I made this a few weeks back when I had some frozen shrimp to use up and a bunch of fresh veggies from the market, and since the dressing makes extra, it was easy to whip up the salad again the next night for another fresh and delicious meal.  If you're looking for something quick to make as the rain goes away this weekend, give this one a try and thank me later :)

Grilled Shrimp Chopped Salad

Ingredients

Salad
1/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 Tblsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup chopped romaine {or other greens}
1 Tblsp finely diced red onion
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup sliced radishes
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup diced avocado
1/4 cup feta
1/3 cup cooked quinoa {gwyneth suggests this, but I skipped it}

Dressing
1/3 cup packed fresh basil
1/3 cup packed fresh chopped cilantro
1 scallion, sliced
juice of 2 limes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp honey
salt & pepper

Instructions
1. To make salad, heat grill or frying pan over medium high heat.  Toss shrimp with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, until pink throughout.  Set aside to cool, and chop if desired.
2. Place chopped romaine at bottom of salad bowl.  Carefully arrange red onion, cucumber, radishes, tomatoes, avocado, feta, quinoa {if using}, and grilled shrimp separately on top of the lettuce.
3. For dressing, combine all ingredients in blender or veggie chop and blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour several spoonfuls over salad and enjoy!

Serves 1

adapted from it's all easy

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Mbar

Back at the beginning of August when Seattle was engulfed in smoke, Josh and I met up at Mbar in South Lake Union to catch up and cross something off my summer to do list.  Mbar is a rooftop bar overlooking Lake Union that's perhaps a little too swanky for Seattle standards, but the view is hard to beat.  Even on that hazy day where it felt we were floating in the clouds, you could still make out the lake and the Space Needle and in the 90 degree heat it felt wonderful to catch a breeze 14 floors up.  We cooled ourselves down with several glasses of happy hour wine and time flew as we caught up on all things summer and our lives.  Even though I don't see this jet-setter as often as I'd like, I still love that Josh lives so close and is always up for a last minute get together.  It's friends like him that I'll always keep around :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Seahawks!

Sunday morning Leslie and I continued one of our favorite traditions - going to the Seahawks home opener.  We started out as always at Planet Java for a greasy and delicious breakfast before heading down to The Lodge for some pregame beers.  About an hour or more before game time we headed to the stadium to check out the new offerings and escape the looming clouds.  By game time, the stadium was packed and ready to cheer on the Hawks just as the raindrops rolled in :)  We didn't let that take away from cheering as loud as we could for the boys as they began another nail-biter of a season.  Though it was an ugly and stressful win, it was a WIN and that's all that matters, right?  I'm hoping they make it a little easier on us the rest of the year, but I'll take whatever I can get watching these guys play in the best stadium in the world.  It's gonna be a fun season - I can feel it already :)  Go Hawks!

 a little blue thunder performance outside before the game

 meeting up with cousin dj at halftime

 hawks win!!

Thanks for another great game, Papa New Guinea! :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Magnolia Farmer's Market

Saturday afternoon, after sufficiently sleeping in and having a lazy morning, I headed over to Magnolia village on a gorgeous summer-like afternoon to check out the farmer's market.  I haven't been nearly as much as I hoped to this summer so it was fun to wander the market checking out all the delicious looking end of summer produce.  I ended up picking out a few things for the week's meals {including those gorgeous radishes above} and enough veggies to make a delicious shrimp and vegetable pasta Saturday night.  It was a fun and relaxing afternoon that reminded me just how much I love my little neighborhood :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie