The Dinder House

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"Family Style" is an interesting article from The New York Times Style Magazine about a couple who renovated a Georgian manor house in Somerset, England to work for their lifestyle and their four boys. I love how they dealt with the scale of the rooms. I could settle down in this grand manor with my familia, especially after reading about the rest of the house and gardens.
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The Winter Olympics

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The Seattle restaurant scene is exploding. Every time I scratch a restaurant off my list I hear about a new one to try. It's exciting to have so many great places to return to, and even more awaiting me. Here are my medals for all the restaurants I tried this winter. They've all been pretty good but some have really stood out for one dish or experience. A few of these are not necessarily new to me this winter, but so good I had to include them.

And the medal goes to....

Gold
Delancey
Nettletown
The Golden Beetle
Eltana
Madison Park Conservatory
Mistral Kitchen
Caffe Fiore

Silver
The Independent Pizzeria
June
Book Bindery (next time I'm ordering the lamb)
Staple & Fancy Mercantile
Marjorie
Sushi Kappo Tamura
Din Tai Fung (heard it's getting better)

Bronze
Luc
La Bete
Revel

Not Worthy of a Medal
The Counter

Restaurants to Try
Fuji Bakery
Lecosho
Elemental @Gasworks
Honore Artisan Bakery
Hitchcock
Willows Inn on Lummi Island

What are your Gold Medalists for the Winter Food Olympics? What restaurants are on your list to try?

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J-A-M Jam Jam

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I think I eat jam about 350 days a year. I wish I could say that being with my children is what gets me up in the morning but none of us are morning people so it's just not the case. What really gets me up in the morning is good bread toasted with butter and jam alongside my homemade coffee. Then I'm ready for the chaos of the morning routine with the littles.

I go through jam phases and coming off a particularly long stint with apricot jam, I have become obsessed with a new flavor. I found a variety of plum jams from Ayako & Family at Nettletown. The first jar was so good that when it was gone, so was my excitement for breakfast. I hurried back and bought two more jars of different types of plum jam and they are equally as good. Just one more reason to go eat at Nettletown if you haven't already.

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Birthday BBQ



Photo credit: Party Perfect



I know it's not BBQ weather here in Seattle but I spent most of last summer without a BBQ so the minute spring arrived (based on the calendar and clearly not the weather) I was ready to grill. We celebrated my husband's birthday Monday night and he requested barbecued flank steak and butter rice. My friend Marly tried a recipe for Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji and Guacamole awhile back that got rave reviews from her guests so I decided to try it. She served the flank steak with roasted potatoes and everyone loved dipping them in the Aji Sauce. I smothered the Aji Sauce all over my chicken skewers and butter rice. Moral of the story... don't skip the sauce! It's delicious! 

This is a really easy menu to prep and if you have your act together (unlike me) you can have everything done ahead of time and just fire up the grill when the guests arrive.


Birthday BBQ Menu 

Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji and Guacamole

Aji Sauce

Chicken Souvlaki Skewers

Butter Rice

Grilled Asparagus

Green Salad

Bananas Foster

Quote of the Day

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I DON'T DO DISHES AT YOUR HOUSE, AND YOU DON'T DO DISHES AT MY HOUSE.

- Allison Terpening (my sister-in-law)


I love this rule and have been implementing it with as many friends as will let me. No one can load your dishwasher as efficiently as you can, and vice versa. Plus I hate interrupting the party to clean. It always disrupts the natural flow of a good dinner party. I want my guests sitting, talking, laughing, eating and drinking! ...not doing the dishes. Love this quote!
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Soupalicious

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I won't bore you with the details (again) about how I'm trying to eat less meat and lean into a vegan meal here and there (oops, I just did), but I will say that I'm on the hunt for delicious meatless or vegan recipes. Know of any you want to share????

I found this recipe for creamy vegan carrot ginger soup and decided to serve it with a salad for meatless night. I have to be honest and admit that I cheated and used 1 tablespoon of butter because I don't have soy butter so it wasn't exactly vegan but it was still healthy and DELICIOUS! I will most definitely make this recipe again. The orange zest, orange juice and almond milk concerned me in a carrot ginger soup but it all came together with the best flavor. Loved it!

Shoe of the Day

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Chloe's Back Tie Sandal in Natural

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Look of the Day: Sienna Miller

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Recipe Labels

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I've always wanted to have my recipes available by category but I couldn't figure out how to have a second labeling function within the "recipes" category. I want them grouped together though so I'm going to start labeling them more specifically like "Recipes - Pizza" or "Recipes - Breakfast" so it's easier to find what you might be looking for. This could take some time so be patient but know that it's in the works! I've already sorted them by pizza, BBQ, chicken and breakfast. More to come!

Just Can't Get Enough

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I love the look of stacked bracelets that we're seeing so much of this season and last, especially courtesy of Tommy Ton's photos from the various fashion weeks around the globe. I always have my eyes peeled for something new and different to stack on the wrist. Be inspired...

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Fresh Spring Scent

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Launch into spring with Anthousa's new fragrance - Violet & Black Currant. I love the bright pink packaging but even more I love the scent. It's fantastic. Anthousa is always a perfect gift for that special friend or family member or a treat for your own home. Who wouldn't love a bottle to brighten up their home and make it smell floral and fresh?! The question is never to buy or not to buy, the question is which Anthousa product and in which great scent. .

I Heart Twitter

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I'm loving Twitter because it links me to so many great articles by way of people I respect like Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman or The New York Times Health section. Here are a bunch of articles I read yesterday that are all very interesting!

1. "The Morality of Mealtime" from Time


2. "Resistance to Antibiotics: The Spread of Superbugs" from The Economist


3. A database of food with artificial dyes from IATP


4. "Mapping Global Food Spending (Infographic)" from Civil Eats


5. "Low Levels of Radiation Found in American Milk" from The New York Times


6. "Cellphone Radiation May Alter Your Brain. Let’s Talk." from The New York Times

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Just Say NO to GMOs!

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As many of you know, GMOs have been in the news a ton lately with some disappointing legislation allowing genetically modified alfalfa and sugar beets. This has been a huge upset to those who are concerned about the future of our crops, especially organic produce. I have started countless blog posts about GMOs but it is such a huge topic to tackle that I always save it for another date. It's just too important to keep avoiding though so here are some easy things I will address.

1. One more reason to love shopping at PCC is that they have joined the Non-GMO Project and are labeling foods on every aisle that are free of GMOs. Love it!

2. Here is a quick fact sheet about GMOs.

3. Here is great list of 6 things you can do to avoid GMOs.

4. Download one of these non-GMO shopping guides.

5. I first learned to fear GMOs after reading the article "Doctors Warn Avoid Genetically Modified Food" from The Well Being Journal back in 2009. Since then GMOs have been on my radar and I've been learning much more. One point from the article that especially caught my eye...

The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. This means that long after we stop eating GMOs, we may still have potentially harmful GM proteins produced continuously inside of us. Put more plainly, eating a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.

6. Once on my radar I started researching GMOs and found The Institute for Responsible Technology whose website is "the most comprehensive source of GMO health risk information on the web". I spent way too much time checking out this site but learned a lot.

7. The article "Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals" from the Huffington Post was also quite interesting.

Reading up on GMOs can be really overwhelming. It would be really difficult (almost impossible really unless you're willing to change your habits, not eat out and avoid gatherings with friends and family) to avoid GMOs entirely. I try to live by a motto, and help inspire others to do the same, that you just have to do as much as you can in your own home and then not worry about the rest. It's really all you can do without making yourself loony. On the other end though, don't turn a blind eye to what's happening in our food system. The food out there is not what our parents were raised on and not even what we were raised on. It's packed with pesticides, antibiotics, chemicals, artificial coloring, GMOs and more. This is something to pay attention to for your health and your kids! You can also get involved to help make a difference! ..

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Hama Hama Clams

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My best pal at the Ballard farmers market is a guy named Tim at the Wilson Fish stand. He's the friendliest chap and every week we stop in to say hello and catch up, get a sample of the smoked salmon for my little lady and see about buying some fresh fish. (It's coming soon friends! Only a few more weeks and they're headed back out to sea!)

On Sunday Tim told me that the Hama Hama Oyster Company had just joined the Ballard market and that he's known the family for years and can attest that their clams and oysters are great. Tim always steers me to the right cut of the right fish at the right time so I trust him completely. With his recommendation behind us, we headed for Hama Hama and picked up a few pounds of clams. That night I made Tyler Florence's Linguine con le Vongole. Other than using spaghetti instead of linguine and throwing in some extra garlic (I always add more garlic than a recipe calls for) I followed the recipe to a tee. It was delicious.

If you've never cooked clams before, read these instructions for cleaning clams. They're easy to clean and easy to prepare with so many different ways to cook them... in beer, in wine, with sausage, over pasta, with bread for dipping in the sauce, and more.

Get the Goods....

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I'm getting so excited to throw fun dinner parties when the warm weather arrives that I'm on high alert anytime I see great outdoor entertaining pieces. Pottery Barn really nailed it this year with all of their outdoor entertaining items like their melamine plates, wicker charges, white flatware and more. Some of my faves.... .

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Decorator's Drink Dispenser

Hobnail Polycarbonate Drinkware

Caterer's Outdoor 36-Piece Flatware Set

Melamine Plates

(available in light blue, green, raspberry and mustard yellow)

Wallpaper Envy

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I love this wallpaper spotted on House Crush. I want it for my kiddos playroom. Can't you just imagine how fun it would be to create a wall of artwork and photos?! Sadly our playroom is already on overload and any more clutter to the eye would put me over the edge. But in another life, in another house, I would buy this in a heartbeat!.

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A Sure Thing

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Let me break it down for you... noodles, cream (lots of it), butter, and four kinds of cheese (2 cups worth). How on earth could this be bad? I tried the Pioneer Woman's Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi and it was delicious. My kids and I gobbled it up. I made it with spaghetti instead of angel hair but followed the rest of the measurement because honestly, with this type of pasta there's no point in making it if you're going to skimp on the fatty ingredients. To really get the flavor you have to go for the gusto. It's worth it, especially hot and steaming right out of the bowl.

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Last Chance for Tickets

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Alvin Ailey has arrived in Seattle. Last chance to get your tickets.

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Article from The Seattle Times:

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"Celebrating the return of Alvin Ailey and 'Revelations' to Seattle"

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Brand Anna

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Interesting article on Anna Wintour from The Wall Street Journal:

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"Brand Anna"

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(I wish I could say I read The Wall Street Journal but I don't. I rely on my husband to pass on the interesting stuff. And I must say he does a pretty good job. Thanks for the article husband!)

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Shoe of the Day

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I love this Metallic Braided Sandal by Chloe. The perfect summer sandal to wear with everything from shorts to dresses. Other than being a pretty penny, they're pretty perfect for an everyday nude sandal.

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Oh So Cute, Outdoor Entertaining

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I did not waste one minute after seeing the post on House Crush about all the adorable blue & white melamine dinnerware on sale at Target. I loaded up the baby and off we went at 9:30am this morning. There are so many cute plates, bowls and platters in different prints to mix & match. I also couldn't resist the plastic tumblers in smoke color for water glasses or mixed cocktails on the patio. Thank you House Crush! I could not be more excited to use all my new dinnerware for my first outdoor dinner party when the warm weather arrives!

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The War on the Food Movement

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I'm always interested in hearing what Michael Pollan has to say on current food issues. Click here to read an interesting interview with him about the war on the food movement.

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Easy Vegan Substitutions

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I'm in no way prepared to go vegan, but as Oprah says "I'm leaning into it". So I'm making easy substitutions where I can, and taking a little more enjoyment when I do have cheese, eggs, and meat. This morning I substituted rice milk for cow's milk for my morning latte and it was delicious. I was actually getting bored with my morning cup of joe anyway so it was nice to mix it up and I really enjoyed the new flavor. It's a little sweet so I didn't even need sugar. I also substituted almond milk for cow's milk in our oatmeal and it was fantastic.
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"Leaning into it" Vegan Oatmeal

old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 apple (preferably organic)
1/2 t cinnamon
banana
raisins
slivered almonds, toasted
almond milk, steamed or warmed

Cook oatmeal according to instructions on package. When it's 1/2 or 3/4 of the way cooked, stir in cinnamon and use a microplane to grate apple into the pan. Stir to combine. Warm the almond milk and set aside. When the oatmeal is ready, spoon into bowls and top with banana, raisins, almonds and almond milk.

Serve with rice milk latte for a delicious vegan breakfast. You won't miss the dairy for a second.
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Quote of the Day

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ONE GLASS OF WINE = TWO GLASSES OF WINE. I'M SORRY, BUT IT'S TRUE. IT'S SO TRUE, IT SHOULD BE A MATHEMATICAL LAW.

- Andy @ Dinner, A Love Story

(I couldn't agree more)
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Time to Find Your FLARE for Fashion

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Photo credits: Sartorialist, Jak & Jil Blog, Denimology and many many more

(some old, some new)