Happy National Doughnut Day! {2015}

My Top Pot favorites: frosted doughnuts! (Not pictured: my other favorites: the maple bar)

My Top Pot favorites: frosted doughnuts! (Not pictured: my other favorites: the maple bar)

Do you know what tomorrow is? It’s National DOUGHNUT Day!

We’re doughnut lovers here on Megan’s Island and I combed the archives for some great reads and recommendations to celebrate National Doughnut Day as the sweet delight that it is.

I’m not sure where I’ll indulge in celebration on Friday, but a new Seattle-based doughnut-ery (that’s a thing, right?) has opened up and Brandon and I plan on visiting this weekend: Rodeo Donuts. Rodeo Donuts has been operating out of the Ballard Cupcake Royale and is starting to sell out of the Capitol Hill Cupcake Royale starting tomorrow! The Rodeo Donut bakers are also bakers at Cupcake Royale, and they make brioche doughnuts that look amazing. Just look at their Instagram feed! It’s the food porn I look at every morning on my way to work. Their flavors rotate daily and once they’re out for the day, they’re out for the day. This peanut butter chocolate fritter had Brandon drooling this morning.

Top Pot is using National Doughnut Day to raise money for Northwest Harvest. While it will decrease our chances of winning, I’d encourage you to stop by a Top Pot cafe tomorrow for a celebratory doughnut and spend an extra $10 on a raffle ticket to win a grand prize of a four-night stay in Hawaii, complete with airfare! Here are the specifics, from the Northwest Harvest website:

Tomorrow: National Doughnut Day!

Tomorrow: National Doughnut Day!

Join us on June 5 from 6-10 a.m. at Top Pot Doughnuts locations around the Puget Sound! We’ll be celebrating National Doughnut Day and collecting donations of non-perishable food items in addition to money.

As part of the celebration, we will be raffling off a four night stay in Hawaii complete with airfare. Tickets can be purchased until 5:00 p.m. June 6 at any Puget Sound Top Pot Doughnuts for $10.

Must be 18 or older to purchase tickets. Winner will be drawn 9 a.m. Monday, June 8 at 711 Cherry St., Seattle 98104.

Happy celebrating! Nom, nom, nom.

Our bumble bee-themed gender reveal party

A couple of years ago I received a special order in my small business, Little Britches Bakery, for a bumble bee- themed diaper cake, for a “What will it BEE” gender reveal party. Ever since then I’ve been thinking about starting a bumble bee line for Little Britches and Mo/Michael’s big reveal was the perfect opportunity!

As usual, I started with some inspiration on Pinterest and a board.

Then I set about making the diaper cakes, and shifted the color scheme to yellow and white rather than yellow and black. I also added some burlap into the mix, which was very complimentary.

The full spread: What a party!!

The full spread: What a party!!

I always hang some sort of a banner (here, here) and this party was no exception. I wanted something light and airy, so I opted for tissue paper tassel garland. These are pretty easy to make and the bang you get for the cost and energy is definitely worth it!

My tissue paper and washi tape banner

My tissue paper and washi tape banner

I use 8 pieces of tissue for each garland and followed the instructions here for the most part. I did not bust out my glue gun and instead created a loop and secured the tissue paper with a black glittery washi tape. This was one of the first times I’ve used washi tape and as a result, I didn’t know that it wasn’t very sticky. I added a dot of of super glue to the edge of the tape and now the washi tape is there forever. Once the tassels were created, I alternated white and yellow when stringing them on the burlap yarn.

Because of the afternoon timing of the party, we opted for a light menu focused on desserts , with several of gluten-free options for our gluten-free guests. We enjoyed: a variety of cheeses, crackers, cured meats, a veggie platter, polenta bites, bee sugar cookies with royal frosting, meringue bee hives, spring Oreos (with yellow filling!), chocolate cupcakes with yellow frosting and chocolate bees, and lemonade.

It turned out to be quite the spread:

The food spread

The food spread

Even more food!

Even more food!  Did you spot the bees buzzing the lavender bush?

What will Mo bee? A "he" or a "she"?

What will Mo bee? A “he” or a “she”?

Handmade chocolate bees on cupcakes

Handmade chocolate bees on cupcakes

Beyond the diaper cakes, the beehive cookies were the focal point of the party. They were by far the best tasting items at the party. I normally try to make — or semi home-make — all of the items at my parties but I outsourced these cookies to my friend and former colleague Robin. She only makes cookies as a hobby right now, but she could easily be in business full-time! Her skill and creativity are both exceptional! Just typing about these cookies makes me want one right now… Just delicious.

The best cookies ever! Bzzzzzzzzz....

The best cookies ever! Bzzzzzzzzz….

I scoured the internet for old wives tales related to gender prediction — ok, it wasn’t just for the party. For the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy, every time I experienced a new symptom, it was off to the internet to try and gain some insight as to whether Baby Mo was a he or a she. I created this poster, and underlined the symptoms I’d been experiencing.

Old wives tales: truth or fiction?

Old wives tales: truth or fiction?

We had our guests guess Mo’s gender and they went along with the old wives tales and guessed girl. They were also wrong!

All signs were pointing towards Mo being a GIRL! (And yes, they were wrong!) Our little one will likely look like little Brandon, pictured here: 

Guess the gender!

Guess the gender!

The actual reveal took place in the form of this beehive cake. The results of the baby’s anatomy scan were given to our local bakery and they used blue or pink frosting in the middle. We had a great time cutting the cake and finding BLUE frosting! See the full party here!  We didn’t peek, this was the reveal to us as well!

What will it bee gender reveal cake

What will it bee gender reveal cake

If this Bee Gender Reveal party looks like something you would like to replicate, you can order most of my supplies and decorations on my Etsy shop.

Bumble bee diaper cakes

Bumble bee diaper cakes

As always, please ask any questions you might have! I’m happy to answer everything from suppliers to technique questions and beyond!

We're excited to meet our "HE" joining our family in September!

We’re excited to meet our “HE” joining our family in September!

 

Meeting Jen Lancaster

Two Fridays ago I had the honor of meeting my favorite author, Jen Lancaster, in real life!

Geeking out before the main event!

Geeking out before the main event!

Seattle lucked out and Jen was in town as one of the many stops on the tour of her new book “I regret nothing.” We haven’t been so lucky in previous years with her previous tours and I’m glad this was our year.

Jen on the cover and in real life! Check out that priority signing ticket!!

Jen on the cover and in real life! Check out that priority signing ticket!!

My dear friend Megan and I are big fans, so we pre-ordered the books and arrived at the University Bookstore extra early. We scored front row seats to the action and watched as Jen was interviewed by Seattle Times’ columnist  Nicole Brodeur. They covered all sorts of topics — Which book is Jen’s favorite? Where does she find inspiration for her writing? How did she tear her Achilles tendon? — Jen read a passage from the book — about her visit to to Italy and the ordeal of finding espresso — and she even pulled a couple of the audience “bucket list” items and commented on them. Sadly, one of my six (or so) submissions didn’t get pulled. I was really hoping she’d read the one about her: “Go out for a drink with my favorite author.” Alas, she didn’t. Instead, Megan and I went to dinner afterward.

Chatting away!

Chatting away!

After the hour or so conversation, Megan and I hustled and ended up being in the very front of the autograph line! We spoke with Jen like we were best friends. I gave her a blog card and it’s possible that she’s even reading this post RIGHT NOW! ACK!!! There is also a chance that she sees hundreds of crazy fans each night on her book tours and filed my blog card in the trash. I’ll stick to the wishful thinking though, that she’ll follow this blog and will be in touch next time she’s in Seattle for longer than a few hours!

New BFFs!!

New BFFs!!

I haven’t had a chance to start the book yet, since once I do, I know I won’t be able to put it down! I’d highly recommend picking up or checking out one of Jen’s books. My favorites include: The Tao of Martha and Such a Pretty Fat. Her fiction books are good too. Not as good as her non-fiction, but definitely enjoyable, relatively quick reads!

Jen and the Megan's

Jen and the Megan’s

Have a great week!

{Gone Pinning} Memorial Day mocktails

GonePinning

I’m more than halfway through my pregnancy and as the weather warms up, I want nothing more than a refreshing cocktail. While I know that I CAN drink during pregnancy, I’m opting against it for the most part. I’ve had a few sips of wine but I’ll be sticking to the mocktails this weekend and into the summer months.

Here are some of the delicious-looking mocktails I’ve found Pinterest:

Blackberry fauxjito

Blackberry fauxjito

Pear basil sipper 

Pear basil sipper

Ginger beer mojitos 

Ginger beer mojitos

Strawberry lemonade -- a classic!

Strawberry lemonade — a classic!

Blueberry mint lemonade

Blueberry mint lemonade

Dark invader

Dark invader

And these booze-filled cocktails also look good. I can just omit the booze and they’ll taste more-or-less the same, right!?

Blackberry margarita

Blackberry margarita

Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria 

Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria

Strawberry and peach sangria

Strawberry and peach sangria

Sstrawberry and rhubarb sangria

Strawberry and rhubarb sangria

Cheers to the long weekend and our expected Seattle sun! 

Our SoCal spring break

With a husband still in school, our vacations typically rotate around school holidays. And while we’re off on a different vacation I’ll tell you about soon, here is a better-late-than-never recap of our recent spring break trip to Southern California.

We started off with a much-overdue trip to Disneyland and had a magical time. It has been at least 10 years since my last trip there. A lot of sights seemed familiar, but a lot seemed very new too.

Disneyland!!!

Disneyland!!!

We arrived as the park was opening and went on nearly every ride that we could. (There are a handful of rides—most of the cool ones and any that have the word “mountain” in them—that pregnant ladies can’t ride. Thanks, baby.) We ended up staying nearly 15 hours and by the end of the evening, we were exhausted! Yet, we can’t wait to get back there!

We met Pluto! (We were there just before Easter, hence the ears)

We met Pluto! (We were there just before Easter, hence the ears)

Cruisin' through the "jungle"

Cruisin’ through the “jungle”

Princess time at the castle

Princess time at the castle

An all-you-can-eat BBQ feast in Frontierland

An all-you-can-eat BBQ feast in Frontierland

Storybook Land canal boat ride

Storybook Land canal boat ride

We found several City Halls (a vacation must for me...) Here is Toon Town's City Hall!

We found several City Halls (a vacation must for me…) Here is Toon Town’s City Hall!

One of the mountain rides Michael and I couldn't go one

One of the mountain rides Michael and I couldn’t go on

Brandon found a bench! (Another vacation "must" for us...)

Brandon found a bench! (Another vacation “must” for us…)

We took our time travelling up the coast, with a visit to Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame. We happened upon a filming of a magic show called “Don’t Blink.” We couldn’t find it online, so I’m not sure if it really exists. If you’re familiar with it, let me know. And watch for us in the background. I’m in a long, flowy pink dress! Next time we’re going to go on one of those tour buses of celebrity homes.

"Don't Blink" filming

“Don’t Blink” filming

...And hung out with Shrek

…And hung out with Shrek

Saw one of Brandon's hero's stars

Saw one of Brandon’s hero’s stars

Who is one of both of our hero's stars? (Get it?! Jeopardy!)

Who is one of both of our hero’s stars? (Get it?! Jeopardy!)

And a stop in Ventura for lunch and a stroll along the beach with one of Brandon’s aunts.

Ventura Beach. I do love the coast!

Ventura Beach. I do love the coast!

Rock sculptures at Ventura

Rock sculptures at Ventura beach

We spent the evening and following morning in Santa Barbara, exploring the courthouse and the stores and seeing some more family. We didn’t spend enough time there, and we definitely hope to return sometime soon.

The view from the wharf in Santa Barbara

The view from the wharf in Santa Barbara

We continued our voyage north, to Solvang, to visit Brandon’s grandpa. Solvang is a quaint town with shops, restaurants and winery tasting room after tasting room. We didn’t drink wine on this trip, but we have in the past and we definitely will in the future. Solvang is in the Santa Ynez valley and there are tons of wineries and tasting rooms there.

Solvang!

Solvang!

Glamour shots outside of the Santa Inez mission in Solvang

Glamour shots outside of the Santa Inez mission in Solvang

I hope to have some quality writing time soon, so don’t be a stranger and come back soon!

 

 

 

Drum roll please: Baby Szerwo is a …

It's a boy!

It’s a boy!

…BOY!

It was a fun weekend on Megan’s Island: we found out Baby Mo’s sex! We had some of our closest friends and family over for a bumble bee-themed reveal.

What will Mo bee?

What will Mo bee?

We had our 20-week ultrasound earlier this week and we had the tech write down the baby’s sex and seal it in an envelope. Brandon then took the envelope directly to the bakery, so neither of us were tempted to open it.

Here we are with the envelope. No peeking!

Here we are with the envelope. No peeking!

It’s been a long couple of days since the ultrasound, but it was worth the wait.

Our local QFC was in the know and baked a bumble bee chocolate cake, with the inside frosting the color the color of the baby’s sex.

The cake knows! Soon we would know too!

The cake knows! Soon we would know too!

We gathered everyone, cut the cake, and saw the BLUE frosting! 

Such excitement! BLUE frosting!

Such excitement! BLUE frosting!

BLUE frosting! It's a BOY!

BLUE frosting! It’s a BOY!

I’ll start working on a party-specific post now, so good bye for now from baby Michael!

Hello from Michael!

Hello from Michael!

{Wine Wednesday} Upcoming drinking events

WineWednesday

Over the weekend we celebrated Brandon’s birthday by going wine tasting. I only stole very small sips of some of my favorite reds, but enjoyed spending time with our friends and family. Brandon, on the other hand, enjoyed all of his favorites from Pondera Winery, Robert Ramsay Cellars, Davenport Cellars and Pomum.

My cousin Mike was in town from Florida, experiencing the Woodinville Warehouse District for the first time

My cousin Mike was in town from Florida, experiencing the Woodinville Warehouse District for the first time

We skipped Efeste because they refused to accommodate a group of our size (10) at the time we were planning on stopping by– or even a nearby time. Too bad for them because our group bought many bottles on our afternoon of tasting! It’s also likely the final straw and this next release will likely be our last as club members.

We’ve been club members at Efeste longer than we’ve been married (we joined in October 2010) and over the years their wines and customer service have been going downhill, in my opinion, and getting more expensive.

The service and wines at Pondera were very good.  If I were drinking, we’d likely join their club. We’ll see what happens come September and Baby Mo’s birth.

We also greatly enjoyed our time at Robert Ramsay Cellars and Pomum, enjoying both the wine and the company. However, the highlight was probably our stop at Davenport Cellars. They were kind enough to let us bring in a birthday cake for Brandon, which he loved. The group not only really enjoyed their wines but their kitchen too, the only reliable place to eat in the warehouse district, a big hit to a hungry group.

Bakery Nouveau classic chocolate cake pairs VERY nicely with Davenport's Orange Muscat!

Bakery Nouveau classic chocolate cake pairs VERY nicely with Davenport’s Orange Muscat!

Anyway, if you are interested in checking out Davenport’s wines, you can stop by and see them and a variety of other local winemakers at these upcoming events. Drink local. Cheers!

TOMORROW, Thursday, April 23rd: The annual STEM event at the Pacific Science Center. This is a fundraiser for the PSC and includes a souvenir wine glass, unlimited wine tastings and appetizers. For more information please visit STEM:Science Uncorked.

May 2nd from 1 to 5pm: Join Davenport Cellars, Des Voigne Cellars and Pondera Winery for their annual Vino de Mayo event. You will receive 10 tasting tickets good for tastes from any of the wineries, a gourmet taco plate by Chef Anne Marie, mixed case discounts and some fun in the sun. Cost is $25 and totally worth it! Additional tasting and food tickets will be available for purchase. Please RSVP with your name and the number in your group before end of day Tuesday, April 28th to Jeff at Davenport Cellars: jeff@davenportcellars.com

May 8th: The Downtown Kent Wine Walk. For more information please visit Downtown Kent Wine Walk.

 

Urban farming

It’s official… we’re urban farmers! The tricks to our success? Creating a nutrient-rich environment (tilling our own organic soil and compost, sand, coconut husks, and organic fertilizer) for our fruits and veggies to flourish in and doing nothing.

About six weeks ago we constructed and planted some planter boxes. After planting, we basically did nothing but monitor nature doing it’s thing. Job well done, nature!

Here’s how our kale box started in early March:

Raised bed #1: Raspberries, strawberries, kale, beets, garlic bulbs and carrots!

Raised bed #1: Raspberries, strawberries, kale, beets, garlic bulbs and carrots!

And at the end of March:

They're growing! The raspberries took the early lead in growth

They’re growing! The raspberries took the early lead in growth

Easter Sunday:

Kale has taken the lead, but the raspberries are holding on strong

Kale has taken the lead, but the raspberries are holding on strong

The next week:

Holy greens! Nothing like April showers and sun to get that garden growing!

Holy greens! Nothing like April showers and sun to get that garden growing!

This past weekend:

Kale progress: ready for harvest!

Kale progress: ready for harvest!

And today:

Harvesting our first kale crop!!!

Harvesting our first kale crop!!!

Thanks, kale, for a delicious dinner!

Yum! Kale, sausage and mushroom pasta for dinner tonight

Yum! Kale, sausage and mushroom pasta for dinner tonight

Pizza, pizza: Non-pizza in the pizza oven!

Our pizza oven is awesome. It’s especially awesome for pizzas, breads and skillet cookies and a couple of weekends ago we tried our hand at some more standard dinner fare.

Brandon’s dad was in town, so we heated up the oven TWICE. Joe helped us build the oven and hadn’t seen it in action yet.

We started with a trip to the Pike Place Market and QFC to pick up our supplies: Uli’s sausages (French Onion, heavy garlic chicken, and mild Italian), a sweet onion, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, a pork chop, and a seasoned flat iron steak. Dicing here, chopping there and voila! We had our veggies ready to roast and our skewers skewered!

We paired oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and herbs from the garden for the marinade.

Meat, meat, meat! Don't get the meat sweats!

Meat, meat, meat! Don’t get the meat sweats!

 

Veggies ready to be roasted!

Veggies ready to be roasted!

We heated the oven floor to approximately 800 degrees.

Sizzling dinner

Sizzling dinner

Veggies: roasted

Veggies: roasted

Final product: DELICIOUS!

Final product: DELICIOUS!

My compliments to the chefs! A wonderful Father-Son team!

My compliments to the chefs! A wonderful Father-Son team!

Montana Dreaming: votes needed!

It’s not very often that I ask for your help, so take action on this request, eh?

My sister-in-law Jessica is an excellent filmmaker and recently entered the Real Montana Wildlife and Scenery contest, with her one minute video featuring Montana’s amazing wildlife or fantastic scenery.

She’s in the running to win $2,500 (first place), $1,500 (second place), or $1,000 (third place).

You can vote once each day, up until the April 21 deadline. I’d recommend you do so.

Here is the video:

Vote for Jessica's film: Montana Dreaming

Vote for Jessica’s film: Montana Dreaming

And here is the link: http://theaudienceawards.com/film/montana-dreaming33418

Happy voting and thank you!

If this piques your interest for all-things Montana, check out my post from their wedding and my first adventure in Montana last summer.