Feelin' Festive

We interrupt the Maui pictures to bring you the official start of the holiday season - the Nordstrom Holiday Shopping Party!  Last night Erika was my date to the event, and we spent the evening perusing the gifts and treats while sipping free champagne and searching for Santa.  While we didn't walk away with much, we did score a bunch of samples to take home and it was worth it just to spend the evening shopping with my bestie.  Thanks for being my date, Erika - now the holiday season can officially begin!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Maui {Day 3}

Sunday morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the lanai before realizing that lounge chairs go quickly at the beach, so we headed out to enjoy a morning and afternoon soaking up the sun.  We alternated between reading, napping, and hopping in the ocean, but after a few big cuts on our feet from the coral, we decided to call it a day and head back up to the condo.  We ate a quick lunch of chips, salsa, and macaroni salad {does it get any better?} before freshening up for a drive into Kaanapali.  The beach was just a few minutes down the road, but a world away from our condo, as it was full of resorts, shops, and lots of people.  It was fun to be with the crowds for a bit, but also made us thankful we stayed where we did in a quieter part of the island.  After strolling up and down the boardwalk and checking out Black Rock Beach, we decided to stop for happy hour/dinner at the Hula Grill Barefoot Bar, where we grabbed one of the last tables on the sand perfect for watching the sunset.  This beach bar served delicious food {yeah ahi tacos} and Mai Tai's while live music accompanied the gorgeous sunset.  By this point we were pretty sure we never wanted to leave Maui :)

black rock beach

our sweetest condo

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Maui {Days 1 & 2}

What can I say about Maui except it was absolutely perfect?  Christian and I had been talking about going somewhere warm and beachy for the past year to celebrate a big bday and get away from the cold Seattle November.  We arrived in Maui after an early Friday morning flight to blue skies and a heat that almost knocked us over, and after a quick trip to Costco by the airport {in our fancy, complimentary upgraded Jeep Wrangler} we headed out to the west coast of the island, driving along the water right before sunset.  We pulled up to our condo in Napili Beach and were greeted by open windows and the sound of the ocean waves rolling in from the lanai.  We were starving so after admiring our first of many Maui sunsets, we headed just up the road to Maui Brewing Company to stuff our faces with a nice fresh brew and yummy food.  After rolling ourselves home full of food and beer, we enjoyed our first night of vacation with the windows open and the sound of the waves lulling us to sleep.  Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed into Lahaina for macadamia nut pancakes at the Pioneer Inn {highly recommended by Maddie}.  We wandered around Lahaina, which has the cutest downtown, heading in and out of shops and strolling hand in hand by the ocean.  Once lunchtime rolled around, we decided to go to another recommendation, The Fish Market, which as a tiny shop in a strip mall just down from our condo didn't seem like much, but was one of the best meals I had of the trip {the shrimp burrito was da bomb}.  After lunch, we stopped off at a little roadside beach to put our feet in the water, then headed back to the condo for some lounging on the sand.  We got ourselves all lathered up in sunscreen and filled up our pre-mixed Mai Tai's, only to walk outside to the rain starting to drop.  We headed back to our lanai where we sipped the Mai Tai's and took in the views until the rain finally stopped and we were able to spend the afternoon out on the lounge chairs and in the hot tub.  When it was time for dinner, we cooked up a few Costco steaks and paired with some macaroni salad and a glass of wine, it was the perfect end to a perfect first full day in Maui :)

 the view as we walked into our sweet condo

 maui brewing company

macadamia nut pancakes

 lahaina

 heading back to the condo after the rains started right as we were walking out

 cheers to the lanai!

 finally getting out to the beach

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad

I'm sure you're just dying to see our Maui pics, but first I have to share my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner this year, a Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad I found on Bon Appetit.  When the CDC came out saying that romaine lettuce was bad, I had to quickly find a new recipe using a different green that would be perfect for our family celebration.  I checked out the always reliable Bon Appetit and with the stellar reviews and easy looking prep, I decided to give this one a try.  The recipe calls for Tuscan Kale but I just used Curly {and only 1 bunch was plenty for this recipe}.  I prepped everything before hand and mixed the greens, dressing, and cheese right before it was time to eat.  It was such a simple and delicious salad that's great for a crowd, and I can't wait to whip up another batch of that yummy dressing for my weekday lunches coming up.  Enjoy!

Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad

Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tblsp grainy mustard
1 Tblsp minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
2 {or 1} large bunches of Tuscan kale, center stem discarded and leaves thinly sliced
12 oz brussels sprouts trimmed and thinly sliced with knife
1/2 cup olive oil, minus 1 Tblsp
1/3 cup almonds coarsely chopped {I used my food processor - you can toast them but I kept them raw}
1 cup finely grated Romano {or Parmesan} cheese

Instructions
1. Combine lemon juice, mustard, shallot, garlic, salt & pepper and whisk to combine.  Set aside to let flavors meld.
2. Mix together kale and brussels sprouts in large bowl.
3. Slowly whisk olive oil into lemon juice mixture.  Season with salt & pepper.
4. When ready to service, mix dressing and cheese into kale mixture.  Top with almonds, more cheese, and dried cranberries, if desired {we added these for color}.

adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 8-10

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Thanksgiving

Apparently we had a pretty great Thanksgiving because I took hardly any pictures!  We spent the day up with the family at Ed & Marsha's house, and although it was a smaller crowd this year, it was nonetheless a fun and delicious holiday spent with the family.  After a huge feast and lots of ice cream cake, we took our food comas back to my parents to peruse the Black Friday ads and let our bellies recover before it was time to head home to Nina.  I love a low key holiday at home and am thankful for all of those I got to spend it with.  Hope you had a great holiday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Thankful

Happy almost Thanksgiving!  We had the most amazing time in Maui, eating and drinking our way through the island and taking every chance we got to soak up the sunshine.  I can't believe the holidays are upon us already, but since Thanksgiving is early this year I'm planning on taking full advantage of all the season has to offer.  This year has been so wonderful {with some challenges, of course}, and I'm so thankful for everything big and small that has been making me smile this past year, including a new job with welcoming and kind coworkers, my amazing family, Mai Tai's, weekend adventures, Trader Joe's, red wine, cuddling with Nina, Saturday morning coffee, beauty face masks, wonderful girlfriends, Netflix & Thai food, my sweetest guy, and of course, snuggles.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Can't wait to share with you our Maui adventures!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Maui Bound

And we're off!  To celebrate my sweetie's bday {and to get away from the cold}, we're heading to Maui for some fun, sun, and relaxation before my new work life starts {and I have no vacation days left}.  Hope you have a fabulous few weeks - think of us drinking Mai Tai's on the beach! :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Last Day

On my last day of work in this pretty building downtown, my coworkers made me feel extra special all day long.  The morning started with my fave - breakfast burritos - before I met up with a longtime coworker {we've worked together since the very beginning!} for lunch next door at Farestart.  While I did some work and cleaned out my desk, I spent most of the day feeling antsy and nostalgic and trying to hold back tears.  In the afternoon, as I we were all feeling a little anxious, we made probably the worst hand-traced turkeys ever {elementary school kids do way better} and hung them up on the board.  In the afternoon, I finally popped open the little bottles of bubbly someone kindly brought to work so we could all have a farewell toast before I left.  I was almost out the door without crying until I saw Sara, the last of our core crew, and that's when the waterworks started.  I managed to compose myself in time to meet up with Christian and his mom at Urbane for a celebratory happy hour and the beginning of my two weeks of unemployment {glorious!}.  It was a sad but also cleansing last day, and though I wish I would've heard more from some of the people and leadership I had worked with for 12 years, I was overwhelmed by my coworkers love and support and celebrating with them ended up being way better than anything else.  They really are what kept me there for so long.  Now, on to the next chapter! 

 the greatest cupcakes and note waiting for me at work- apparently we had a bit too much fun at happy hour the night before!

xoxo,
stephanie marie