14/52: Getting caught up in April

If you are a regular to my blog, my apologies.  Lots of stuff going on.  Plans, parties and trips.  Not to mention life....you know...work, eat, sleep...REPEAT!!!!

It's nice to take some time....a break and then look back at 3 or 4 weeks of photos to appreciate all that is going on around you.

Longer days!  Sunsets on the train.  April flowers!

Time to relax and take care of yourself!  Time to walk.  Time to eat a wonderful meal!

Enjoy!
Stacy

13/52: Let the 50th Celebrations Begin.....

I have an amazing group of friends.  New friends and old friends.  Best of all, friends that know how to throw an amazing dinner party in honor of my 50th year.

Jenny and Brent hosted an elegant dinner party for 9 including a champagne fountain, a 4 course meal and a jazz duo (Jenny provided amazing vocals) the first Saturday in April.

It was an amazing evening and one that I won't soon forget.  Thanks for my friends who are like family for celebrating my birthday!

Enjoy!
Stacy

38/52: Working away.....

We welcomed Autumn 2018 with a ton of weekend "at home" work for our business, Testgeek Exam Prep, LLC.  As director of marketing, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday editing, saving and compressing the new SIE content videos.  It was a challenge, but we managed to work through it with a couple of nice comfort food meals and two beautiful walks through Lincoln Park.

I could have done without the giant wasp/bee/hornet sting, by my right ear on Saturday morning.  It hurt like hell and soured my mood. 

The rainbows helped!

Enjoy!
Stacy

28/52: Heat Wave

We tried to stay cool over the weekend.  I worked from home on Friday and it was a "pleasant" warm...then Saturday and Sunday were down-right "miserable" hot.  We live in a house that gets a nice cool breeze off the Puget Sound.  Let's call that "nature's air-conditioning" as we have nothing else. Need-less-to-say, we each experienced a bit of cranky pants over the weekend, surviving on little sleep.

Saturday we grilled burgers at my Mom and Kenny's (and took a time out inside as they have aircon) and Sunday we went to the West Seattle Summer Festival early in the day to hear Rat City Brass before the pavement began to melt!

Can't complain, can we?  It's the middle of summer and before we know it....there will be frost on the pumpkins.

Enjoy!
Stacy

14/52: First Weekend in April

Our Spring weather just refuses to cooperate, but we trot along.

Walking through Lincoln Park.

Decorating the house for Spring.

Making hearty (and warm) soup.

Counting down the days until Florida!

Enjoy!
Stacy

13/52: Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was quiet.  I had my nails done on Saturday and dropped off an Easter basket at my Mom's.  I spent the rest of the weekend doing things I love...cooking great food, sipping on Chardonnay, listening to Hawaiian music and reading.

Sounds like a perfectly wonderful weekend after-all!

Enjoy!
Stacy

3/52: Fun and Games

Friday night "Date night" dinner courtesy of Hello Fresh

January is usually such a quiet month, although before the month's end we will have had two big birthday bashes and a potluck dinner party/game night.  So far, we are keeping busy in the new year.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Recipe of the Week: Classic Aioli

This past weekend we made an aioli for one of our Hello, Fresh meals.  Brian mentioned that he had never made an aioli before so I looked into the actual ingredients and history of this condiment.

Aioli is a Mediterranean sauce made of garlic and olive oil.  Than name literally means "garlic and oil" in Catalan.  In France, the sauce is closer to a mayonnaise incorporating egg yolks and lemon juice with a bit more garlic.  In France, it is often served at room temperature.

In the late 1980's, it was fashionable to call all flavored mayonnaise, "aioli" with flavorings such as saffron or chili.  Purists would argue that garlic should be the only seasoning in a classic aioli.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Classic Aioli

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed

salt

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

slow drizzle of olive oil, approximately 3 tablespoons 

pepper

Directions:

Mince and mash the garlic into a paste with a pinch of salt using a large knife.

Whisk together the yolk, lemon juice and mustard either in a bowl or easier...in a food processor.

Combine the oil a few drops at a time to the yolk mixture...whisking constantly until all the oil has been added and the mixture is emulsified.

Finally, whisk in the garlic paste and season with salt and pepper.  If aioli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water.

Chill covered, until ready to use.  Remove from fridge and all to come to room temperature before using.

2/52: Hello, Fresh

I never thought I would be one of those people....you know all those food delivery businesses, right?  Why can't people just plan a meal and go to the grocery store with a recipe like in the old days, right?

Well.....

I caved!

I got to reading about some of those home delivery options, Purple Carrot, Blue Apron and Hello Fresh and I really was curious and wanted to try it out.

The past 6 months, Brian has become quite the cook and he is really getting good with meal plans and recipes.  His repertoire is growing as is his confidence.  He's also becoming more open to trying foods that he wouldn't otherwise buy or cook. 

Over Christmas, I decided that a meal delivery system might be a fun way for us to cook together, try some new foods (Brian) and new cooking techniques and squash the January Blues!  My hope was that it would not only improve our diets, but also help us stick to a budget and a plan, eliminating poor eating choices, snacking and excess fats and sugar.

Bingo!

Our first box came last Friday night with three meals for 2 people.  We cooked all three and enjoyed each one.  All items to prepare each recipe minus kitchen basics (salt, pepper, butter or oil) come pre-packaged in individual brown paper sacks with the protein/meats packaged seperately at the bottom next to two large gel filled ice bags.  Seriously, if left on your porch or kept in your pantry (if cool), the items would probably stay cold for 8-12 hours.

Will we order again?

Yes!  I can't wait for the next box on Friday night!

Enjoy!
Stacy

P.S.  We ended the weekend with a Sunday morning walk at Greenlake.

47/52: A Long Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving is a time for family and our family sure does know how to have a good time!

Wednesday night is kinda like Christmas Eve to me.  Family gathers together to cook, celebrate, listen to music and give thanks.  Brian prepared a wonderful Italian dinner and we all had a wonderful evening together.

Our Thanksgiving Day is typically laid back with the parade and football on TV, everyone devouring the Black Friday ads in the newspaper and preparing to feast.  We were treated to an Oregon Ducks Men's basketball game in the evening which was a perfect way to wrap up a great day. 

Friday was spent out in Oregon Wine Country and a visit to 4 wonderful wineries for some unique tastings.  This year the weather was amazing and we all enjoyed a wonderful drive through Yamhill County under white puffy clouds and sunshine.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone.  The weekend flew by.  The parents are gone.  Brian went home Saturday and Uncle Steve leaves Thursday.  Our house is full of Christmas now...lights and trees and a different kind of holiday feeling.

Enjoy!
Stacy