Brother Sister Weekend

Appetizers

My brother has been asking me for months when I'm going to come visit him.  When faced with no plans for the holiday weekend, I decided to make the most of it and head on over to Wenatchee for a visit with my little bro.  As always, he had the guestroom made up for me (all that was missing was a chocolate on the pillow) and was nice enough to let me sleep in while he went to work each morning at 6AM.  Along with eating a ton of good food and meeting some of his friends and coworkers, we cheered on the Wenatchee Wild to victory in the Guns and Hoses hockey game, where the local firefighters and police officers played at half time.  With the exception of the Seahawk game (I still can't talk about it) we had such a great weekend.  I'm definitely going to visit more than once a year - that is, if he'll let me.

Birds and a crab my brother made during down time at work

Wenatchee Wild game

Bag Pipe band at the hockey game afterparty

Homemade breakfast by brother

A little maintenance by the guys at the shop before heading out of town

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Eastbound

I'm heading east of the mountains this weekend to enjoy some quality brother/sister bonding time.  On the agenda: attending a local hockey game, making a good home cooked meal for the bro, cheering on the Seahawks to the NFC championship game (Go Hawks!), eating cheap Thai food, watching the Style Network while my brother is at work, and general relaxation.  And with us crazy kids, you never really know what might happen...

photo from my last venture east

Happy Long Weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie
 

Orchid

I lack the green thumb that I probably should've been born with (sorry, Dad).  The stephanotis that I received as a house-warming gift a few years ago had to finally go to the dumpster after several months with no sign of life and several years without a bloom, and despite my best efforts, the basil plant I so desperately want to survive (so I can use it in my cooking) just won't produce anymore leaves.  But the orchid I received this year on my birthday from my friend Kami is actually thriving.  As instructed, I give it 3 ice cubes once a week and now, in the middle of January, it has 4 blossoms and at least 8 more ready to bloom!  It makes me smile that in the dead of winter I can look to my window and see my happy, blooming flowers instead of only grey skies.  I, queen of grocery store bouquets that die within the week, finally have some flowers that want to stick around for awhile.  I couldn't be happier.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Snow-mageddon....Almost

So it wasn't quite the dumping of snow that the forecasters had all predicted for Seattle yesterday.  At least, not what I had dressed for in my snow boots, snowboarding coat, and knit hat with ear flaps that I had to wear home on the bus while the roads were clear as can be.  At least the bus was wearing chains, so I wasn't alone.  But by 7PM, the snow had started to steadily fall on Green Lake and by 8, everything was white.  The little kid in me wanted to run outside and build a snowman with my brother and make my dad pull me on a sled while my mom made us hot cocoa.  Instead, I sat by the window and stared out at the street from my warm and cozy apartment.  After all, this doesn't happen in Seattle very often. 

Pictures from the real blizzard of Thanksgiving 2010

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Pureed Butternut Squash Soup

Inspired by Erika's yummy dinner of Cauliflower soup and the 20 minutes of snow we got on Sunday, I decided to make my own homemade soup (one of my favorite cold weather dishes).  I decided on this Pureed Butternut Squash Soup from Martha Stewart, as it seemed perfect for the chilly evening.  It filled my apartment with the delicious scent of ginger and did it's job to warm me up.  I think the leftovers the next day tasted even better than the first night - the extra 24 hours gave the soup time to thicken up a bit more.  Oh, and I'd definitely recommend half a baguette with melted white cheddar to go with it.  I can never say no to bread and cheese :)

The ingredients

Peeling and chopping the squash was the most time consuming part

Heatin' it all up on the stove

My Blender - One of my most favorite appliances

xoxo,
stephanie marie

A Smash-ing Weekend

Friday night I met friends in Wallingford for happy hour at Smash Wine Bar & Bistro.  The atmosphere was laid back and the food selection for 4 nearly starving people was just what we needed.  Oh, and the wine wasn't bad either :)  After happy hour we headed to a free screening of Not Just a Game, a documentary about sports and politics co-produced by my friend's brother.  The film was thought provoking and emotional, and the evening was a great way to start out a relaxed yet productive weekend.

Crostini with Roma Tomatoes, Artichoke, & Chevre

Duck & Shiitake Spring Roll w/ Soy Sesame & Sweet Chili

Truffled Oregon White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Picasso

Last night I was finally able to visit the Picasso exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum.  With more than 150 works of art from the most influential artist of the 20th century, I was in complete awe walking through gallery after gallery of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs.  Having not known much about Pablo Picasso other than his most famous pieces, I was struck by how many different mediums he used and how he worked fiercely until his death in 1973 to create as many masterpieces as possible.  His drive to create is deeply inspirational (he famously advised to "only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone") and with more than 300,000 people having visited the exhibition so far, I would highly recommend seeing it before it heads out of town January 17th.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the collection.

Still Life on a Pedestal Table

Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race)

The Weeping Woman

The Artist Before His Canvas

Portrait of Dora Maar

Sacre-Coeur

xoxo,
stephanie marie

images via