bringing you all of the best of the pacific northwest
As a blogger I think it is important to check in with yourself sometimes - who am I, why do I write, what do I want to write about, and so on. Since it has been a while since I have done something like this, I decided to do a little 'get to know me' post so you can learn more about what inspires my blog and the type of content I want to bring to you - my readers! I hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for following along!
Life has been crazy lately, but hey when isn't it really?! I have had work events, work travel, a baby's first birthday, a wedding anniversary, and on top of it all we are selling our house and moving! So much stuff going on but it is all good. Full updates are in the post, thank you for reading along and happy fall!
When you have the cutest baby you want to have the cutest party for her first birthday! We decided to throw our little one's at the pumpkin patch and it was basically the most adorable thing ever, so I decided to blog about how we tied it all together!
A fantastic spread of food can easily become decor if you choose to theme the colors and add some seasonal accents. In this tutorial, I walk you through a few easy things you can add to a basic meat and cheese (charcuterie plate) to give it a fun fall vibe!
A compilation of a handful of my favorite family Halloween crafts I have done over the years. Click to read more about the haunted gingerbread house, my sugar skull family, and mummy black velvet cupcakes!
What are your favorite things about a winery? Of course, great wines is #1, but what else contributes to your experience? For one, I love something super local and home-grown with a fantastic back story. I also love places with a great patio and entertainment. Also, it is a super plus to find a spot that practices sustainablility. Vin du Lac in Lake Chelan has all these features! I recently had the chance to tour Vin du Lac on a Chelan vacation weekend, and they are now on my must-visit list when wine tasting in the Chelan region.
This Vanilla Bean Pound Cake is loaded with flavor! I love the addition of cream cheese in the batter. It is spongy, delicious, and great for so many different occasions! Click for recipe.
If you are looking for a fantastic poke and Hawaiian food shop in the Seattle area, Sam Choy's should be your go-to spot! With locations in South Seattle and also now Kirkland, they are on both sides of Lake Washington to accommodate customers all over the Northwest! Their poke is fantastic. They serve loco moco bowls, beef short ribs, and all other kinds of fantastic island eats. They even have sides of lumpia! I love Sam Choy's Poke - for the full write up and pictures be sure to click for more info! Mahalo!
This was our first summer as a family of 4, and there was a lot I wanted to squeeze into it! About half way through the season I panicked feeling like summer totally got away from us, so I paused and wrote an "end of summer bucket list" to document all the things I really wanted to accomplish by the end of the season. Here is a look back at what we got done - some amazing times were had here in the Northwest!
What makes an ice cream shop special? Homemade, local flavors. Delicious options for everyone's flavor palette. Creative ideas that keep you coming back for more. Salt and Straw has all these! A notorious name on the west coast, Salt and Straw has moved into the Seattle area within the past few years, and I recently had the opportunity to sample their fall "Student Inventor" series. Read along to see what I thought!
Vegetarian/vegan cooking (at least I think) often gets a bad rep from the general public in regards to flavor and how filling it is. I know I have heard plenty of people joke about how they can't live off a plate of lettuce, or that nothing tastes better than a steak. Honestly, I have been trying to dive more into vegetarian eating for sustainability reasons, and being a lifelong meat-eater am finding there is no reason for this stigma! There are tons of creative meat recipes and substitutes out there, and a well-prepared vegetarian meal can be just as if not more delicious. I set out to try and discover a new vegetarian restaurant in Seattle and came across the "No Bones Beach Club" in Ballard and thought it was fantastic! Here is my full experience.
