The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday night dinner}

 {strolling through capitol hill}

 {saturday dinner with friends}

 {vegan ice cream that tasted amazing}

 {welcoming lizzie's newest arrival cece}

{sunday afternoon meal prep}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  What a week, eh?  It's officially fall out there with the leaves falling and the air getting crisper {almost too crisp so soon} but I'm embracing the changing seasons and look forward to all the coziness ahead.  I love this picture I took while driving over to see baby Jack {who is 3 weeks old today!} - the sky was such a gorgeous shade of pinks and reds in my rear view mirror that kept me smiling all night long.  I love the colors of this time of year, and if the sun keeps shining I'll be a very happy lady.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs

You know how I love me some Half Baked Harvest, so when I came across her 30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs, I knew I had to give them a try {quick, easy, and delish?  Count me in}.  I brought all the ingredients over to Christian's last week and we shared cooking responsibilities {he made the sauce while I prepared the meatballs} and in no time we were enjoying this really delicious meal that was fun and easy to make.  We paired the meatballs with basmati rice and frozen naan from Trader Joe's {which I will now always keep in my freezer because YUM} and if you're looking to switch things up for dinner sometime soon, I'd highly suggest you give these a try.

30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken {or turkey}
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt & pepper
2 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated or minced
1 Tblsp garam masala
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can {6oz} tomato paste
1 can {14oz} full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 Tblsp butter
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Steamed rice and naan, for serving

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine chicken, egg, bread crumbs, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl.  Coat hands with olive oil, then roll meat into tablespoon size balls {will make about 15 meatballs}, placing them on the prepared baking sheet.  Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are crisp and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add garlic and ginger, cooking another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the tomato paste, coconut milk, and 1/2 cup water.  Stir to combine, bring sauce to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.  Stir in yogurt and butter.  Add the meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
5. Serve the meatballs and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan.

Serves 4

adapted from half baked harvest

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Bar Harbor

Christian and I have been talking about finally getting oysters for awhile {now that it's a month with the letter "r"} so after the boat show a few weeks back we headed down the road to Bar Harbor to do just that.  While the restaurant right in the heart of Amazon-land is typically bustling mid-week, it was nice and quiet this Saturday afternoon for some beers and an early dinner.  Unbeknownst to us, oysters were half off from 3-6pm so we ordered a dozen along with their specialty, lobster rolls, and washed it all down with a couple of local beers {we were walking back up to Queen Anne afterwards so needed fuel for the hike up the hill}.  The dinner was good and filling and it definitely hit the spot after a long and rainy day - we'll be heading back for happy hour again the next time we're in the area.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Fina11y

Last winter, after 10 long years of waiting, Edgar Martinez finally made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  When the Mariners announced there would be a celebration at T-Mobile Park in August, the family jumped at the chance to get tickets and celebrate one of the greatest players of all time.  Luckily the rains earlier in the day cleared for a beautiful night of baseball where we got to cheer for the hometown heroes, see players old and new, and listen to Edgar's heartfelt speech about his love of Seattle and love of the game.  Though the score didn't turn out as we had hoped {oh, M's - what are we going to do with you?} it was such a fun night at the ballpark with the crew enjoying the sunshine and cheering on our M's.  Now, if only they could win every now and then....

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Fall

Happy First Day of Fall!  Though summer is so much fun, fall is one of my favorite times of year with the air getting crisper, the leaves changing colors, and the nights getting cozy enough for blankets and sweatpants and snuggling.  We've definitely felt the change in seasons here in Seattle {almost too quickly} and I'm excited for some fun fall adventures ahead with friends and family.  Here's to hoping for a few more sunny fall days!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  How sweet is this little "note" I found at the bus stop on my birthday?  It wasn't for me, but I like to think it was for someone extra special - it's one of the sweetest gestures I've seen in a while and totally brightened my day.  What are you up to this weekend?  I'm excited to have some relaxing family time and officially say goodbye to summer with a yummy bbq and cheering on the Hawks.  Hope you have a great one!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Bike to Work

I love my new job, but the commute is slowly killing me {please someone tell me how it can take an hour each way to go 4.5 miles by bus - ugh Seattle}.  So in an effort to work up a sweat and cut that commute time in half, I tried biking to work this summer!  Ok, full transparency - I only did it once.  But, it was great!  Christian and I practiced the route ahead of time - luckily it's completely on trails from my house to my office, so besides crossing the street in front of my house, I did not have to worry about cars at all - and one morning in August I psyched myself up enough to do it.  The ride itself only takes about 25 minutes to get to work {and that's at my snail-like pace} and while the entire ride I kept trying to decide if I should turn around and go home, I made it to work in one piece a little more sweaty than usual but feeling pretty great.  The ride home was even better with the sun shining and the breeze on my face and though there are a few kinks to work out for next time {namely, I have to carry way too much stuff - breakfast, lunch, change of clothes and shoes} it felt so great being outside and feeling active.  Sometimes you just gotta switch it up :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken

I love looking through Half Baked Harvest - besides having delicious recipes, her food photography is so beautiful - so recently when looking for something easy to put together for dinner that would provide leftovers for a few nights, I decided to try out her Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken.  An under 30 minute recipe, this dish came together surprisingly fast and tasted just as good, if not better, than the Thai restaurant up the street.  I'm definitely putting this one on my list of faves to make again and I'd suggest you do the same!

Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken

Ingredients
2 Tblsp sesame or peanut oil
1 lb ground chicken
Black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 red or orange bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews 
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tblsp fish sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tblsp chili paste {sambal oelek - less for not as much heat}
1 cup fresh basil, torn
1/4 cup fresh mint, torn
Steamed white or brown rice for serving

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken, season with black pepper, and cook until browned all over, breaking up as it cooks, about 8 minutes.  
2. Add garlic, ginger, peppers, and cashews and cook about 3 minutes until garlic is fragrant.  Pour in soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, and honey.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook until sauce coats chicken, about 8 minutes.
3. Remove from heat - stir in basil and mint.
4. Serve chicken over rice with sauce.  Top with more basil if desired.

Serves 4

adapted from half baked harvest

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Canlis {Hawaiian Nights}

I've done the fancy Canlis experience a few times {see here and here} but this summer we decided to take it down a notch when Canlis announced their summer parking lot pop-up, Canlis: Hawaiian Nights.  The concept was intriguing - summer afternoons and evenings in the parking lot decked out to transport you to a Hawaiian luau, full of cheap{ish} eats and drinks, a daily roasted pig, and even a hot tub open to all.  Now, I'm not one for going in a hot tub in a parking lot with a bunch of strangers, but I do love me some cocktails and Canlis cooking so for my birthday weekend Christian and I headed over to Canlis to see what all the hype was about.  We got there pretty early so didn't have to wait in line in the crazy hot sunshine, and after picking up a few themed cocktails we found a spot in the shade near the unfortunate pig to watch the happenings around us.  We decided to try some kalua pork nachos which were hands down the best nachos I've ever had and watched their James Beard Award winning chef Brady tending to the pizza oven and roasting pig.  It was an interesting afternoon with a very eclectic, almost fratty crowd, but it was definitely an experience to remember and worth it for those cocktails and nachos.  Bravo Canlis on surprising us yet again - can't wait to see what you come up with next!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday night dinner at one of our faves}

{rain = lazy day for this one}

 {boat show}

 {dreaming}

 {chilaquiles + hawks}

 {so nervous watching the game}

{rainy day tomato soup}

xoxo,
stephanie marie