Thought I would share some of my current obsessions. Life is good right now, am I right though?! Summa’ summa’ time is officially here and it is hot. PLUS – my birthday/my favorite holiday is next week and we’re heading to the family cabin for some lake time.
Flag Scarf/ Govino Champagne Glasses/ Foam Roller/ Basil Plants raised from seed/ Kikoys from Kenya/ BKR Water Bottle
Have a wonderful (short) week!
xx
-h
P.S. Here’s the real photo of my current faves.
As Google Reader checks out this weekend, you can check us out on Bloglovin’!
Thanks!!!
h&s
My friend Lindsey is temporarily back in the area and I couldn’t be more excited. She came over last week and we collaborated on a salmon dinner served with cucumber salsa. We were feeling inspired by Ashley, the chef behind one of my favorite Seattle blogs, Not Without Salt, having never poached salmon before, I decided to do what I know and treat my big side of fresh Copper River Salmon to the grill.
Salmon is quintessential in the Northwest, and it is a food that is full of memories for me. Rory and I were in Alaska with my family on a salmon fishing trip when we got engaged. We brought home 50 pounds of fish from that trip.
Catch of the day in Yakutat, Alaska (2009).
We were giving it away to our friends and coworkers and still months later, I would pull a bag of salmon out of the freezer, researching new recipes as it thawed. In the mean time, we found our favorite techniques for preparing the fish. It is easy to overcook it, but a true Northwester will tell you that if the fish is quality, it can be on the rare side of medium rare and coast into perfect texture once removed from the heat.
This recipe can be adapted according to what you have on hand, but the basic technique is the same.
Barbeque Salmon
– Using pliers and feeling along the fillet pull the larger eye bones out – this isn’t necessary, but for guests, it makes it much more pleasant to eat.
– Preheat grill to medium high.
– Lay the fish on a piece of heavy duty foil that is big enough to fold up along the edges.
– Season using fennel seeds, green garlic, fresh garlic sliced, fresh chopped dill, salt and pepper.
– Thinly slice a full lemon and lay on top of the fish.
– Grill for about 12-15 minutes (depending on thickness, we usually do about 8 minutes per inch) and let rest for 10 minutes.
– Serve salmon warm with cucumber salsa.
Cucumber Salsa Recipe via Not Without Salt, it packed some serious heat from the serrano chili. Next time, I think we would use a jalapeno instead.
Enjoy!
xx
-h
Oh yeah baby, it’s summer farm share time. This week’s haul included: baby bok choy, Rainier cherries, radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, and arugula.
I have to be honest, I’m not feeling super inspired for what to cook right now. Summer meals usually mean simplicity for me – veggies sauteed and lots of grilling. It’s easier to go raw then turn the stove on when you’re trying to take advantage of every last bit of light. Right now, dusk doesn’t hit until about 10:00, it’s nice to be able to finish dinner and still have some time to walk over to froyo. That being said, I love an arugula, watermelon, feta salad. I usually just mix whatever I have together with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette, but here’s a tasty looking option.
What are you cooking with all the lovely summer ingredients that are currently available?
xx
-h
P.S. Learn more about our Terry’s Berries Farm Share here.
About 10 weeks ago my friend Anna texted me asking if I wanted to run the Seattle Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. I agreed and convinced Sarah to do it also. Since then, I’ve been working hard getting in as many training runs as possible. The race was last Saturday, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!
Anna flew in Friday and we met in Seattle to get some last minute details in place for the bridal shower we were hosting Saturday afternoon for my future sis-in-law, Erica. We headed to the expo and picked up our packets and then went out for dinner. Saturday morning came quickly.
We all started together and kept a comfortable pace for the first several miles. Eventually Sarah and I fell in together. By mile 7, I was getting super hungry. I hadn’t experienced that sensation in my training and started to feel frustrated. I was glad that Sarah was with me because we supported each other and pushed through the miles one by one. Mile 8 passed and I tried to put down a gel. I was really struggling mentally. My legs were tired, my feet hurt, and I was hot. Eventually we made it through to 9, then 10 and 11 came quickly. The last part of the race is along Highway 99, there are sweeping views of the Puget Sound and cars were honking and waving as they drove by. Tons of racers were stopping to take photos. Sarah and I pushed through the uphill and FINALLY rounded the corner to the last stretch of the race. There were tons of people lining the course cheering for their family and friends. There is a short down and then a steep uphill. I could feel Sarah steps behind me and we both started to sprint. I was scanning the crowd the whole time looking for Rory and just as I passed him I heard him yelling. Crossing the finish line was emotional, but I felt so proud of myself, I couldn’t help but smile. Anna finished shortly after us and we all met to walk back to Sarah’s apartment to get ready for the bridal shower.
I finished in 2:32:14 via my watch and 2:38:07 via the timing chip, Sarah was 2:38:08, which was awesome considering she hadn’t been training much.
Overall it was a blast and we’re already scheming our next race!
xx
-h
Welp you guys, tomorrow is the half marathon! I’m nervous/excited. I feel prepared, but don’t know what to expect. My friend Anna is flying in from Utah today and I’m absolutely thrilled to see her for the first time in over a YEAR. Anna and I lived together in what I affectionally refer to as the “Wanna Tappa Kegga” house, us and 5 guys in SLC. It was like the Real World meets ski bum life. And, before that lived together in the dorms. Needless to say, we’ve been through a lot together, and I can’t wait to face this challenge with her.
I already mentioned that this will be Sarah’s 2nd time running the Rock n’ Roll Seattle Half, so she’s our veteran and will be showing Anna and me the ropes.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about mantra style thinking and when I saw this on Pinterest via Elle Noel, I knew I wanted to share it.
If you’re participating this weekend in the Rock n’ Roll, Ragnar in Utah or any race – GOOD LUCK!
Have a great weekend!
xx
-h
Sometimes I don’t want to share every funny thing I find on the internet by hitting share on FB. Here’s what I’m entertained by right now.
Lucille or Kanye Quote? You decide via EW.
George Zimmer, founder of Men’s Wearhouse fired?!
Loca the pug that cannot run.
Sad Cat Diary and Sad Dog Diary.
Adorable Peter Pan at Disneyland.
I LOVE weddings, Moment Junkie features hilarious, emotional, and special wedding moments.
And this photo of the new tiger cub at the Point Defiance Zoo:
So cute!
xx
-h
The second week of summer share: broccoli, spinach, scallions (green onions), carrots, kale, lettuce, frozen blueberries and Rainier cherries!
I love Rainier cherries soooo much. On the menu this week? Lots of salads! My mom is making a chicken caesar romaine situation for a bridal shower we are hosting on Saturday, so she took the scallions. Speaking of scallions, my friend Allie posted on FB this week that she has to relearn that scallions are not a kind of seafood once a month. I had to LOL, because I do the same thing.
Have you guys seen this Martha Stewart seasonal produce guide? Love. Probably going to have to make that Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon this week with some tweaks of course like adding hard boiled egg and losing the pecans.
Want to learn more about our farm share?
xx
-h
As a kid, my grandmother always had cookies at her house. My parents didn’t keep junk food in the house, let alone cookies, so going to Grandma Jeanne’s always meant we would get to have either a ginger snap or oatmeal cookie after lunch. A couple years ago I made this Bon Appetit Chewy Triple Ginger Cookie Recipe and it was delicious, but pretty labor intensive given the amount of ingredients. Recently, I picked up the Tom Douglas Dahlia Bakery Cookbook and marked the recipe for Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies with Fresh Ginger. Last night I combined parts of both recipes for these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies.
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
-3/4 cup (1.5 cubes) unsalted butter
-1 cup light brown sugar
-1 large egg
-1/4 cup molasses
-2 teaspoons fresh ginger peeled and grated
-2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and fresh ginger and mix to combine. In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until evenly dispersed.
Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup of sugar in the raw (or regular white sugar if you don’t have coarse kind) in a bowl. Form 3/4 inch balls of dough with your hands and roll in the sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets 2-3″ apart and squish down with your hand so the ball is flattened.
Bake for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown and set around the edges but slightly soft in the center.
Tip: If dough starts to get soft while you are putting on cookie sheets, return to fridge until it’s set again.
These would make great ice cream sandwiches – put a scoop of chocolate ice cream between 2 cookies and wham bam, delicious dessert!
Enjoy!
xx
-h
This week’s farm share included: lettuce, baby turnips, carrots, apples, spinach, Swiss chard, green garlic, an onion and more strawberries!
We don’t have any major plans this weekend which I’m excited about. We’ll be getting ready for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower that S and I are helping host.
Low-key weekends mean there is plenty of time for homemade pizza, so I’m thinking I’ll make this using the Swiss chard from our share using the green garlic.
My friend Lindsey came over early in the week to catch up and we made a delicious grilled salmon meal. I’m still working on the leftover including spinach salads for lunch.
xx
-h
See week 1, 2, 3, and 4 for more information on our Terry’s Berries Farm Share.