Dinner updates

Posted in 2014 Themed eating, Drinky drinky, Food, Holidays by mszerwo

The Chef and his feast

One of this year’s resolutions was to incorporate “theme eating” into our weekly meal planning.

I’ve been pretty bad at posting updates, but rest assured we’ve been eating as themes, I just haven’t really been trying new dishes or taking photos of my meals. Some of the themes included “Market ingredients,” “Brandon’s favorites” (over his birthday), and “Quick and easy,” since I started a new job that added quite a few hours to my work week.

We really got back on track with “Mexican week” around Cinco de Mayo. I started off the week with the Huevos Gringos from the Burgundian. It was FABULOUS! I love cheese curds and having them like this for brunch was so tasty. Just looking back at that photo and thinking about the dish makes me want to go back to the Burgundian and have those… tomorrow. Yum.

Burgundian breakfast: Best ever

For Cinco de Mayo itself, we went all out. We made tortillas from scratch, chipotle tofu tacos with a mango-strawberry-avocado salsa, cilantro-lime quinoa with kale, guacamole and strawberry margaritas.

Crispy chipotle tofu triangles

The full meal deal: Cinco de Mayor feast

I was too tired from making all of that to make a simple syrup for the margaritas, so the margaritas were a bit tart, but still refreshing and good. You really can’t go wrong with tequila and triple sec.

Margarita time! Cheers!

A thank you to the Lunch Box Bunch for the inspiration behind this feast! Read the original recipe here.

We also enjoyed tacos, taco salads, and nachos throughout the week. It was a great week, but we were ready for some non-Mexican food by Friday.

18May2014

Spring to-do list

Posted in Garden by mszerwo

The combination of multiple 70+ degree days and record-breaking rain has done a very positive number on our garden. We’ve been maintaining everything pretty well and over the weekend I spent some time cleaning up and taking inventory of what’s next on the to do list. In honor of my favorite Young House Love bloggers, my very own Listy McListerson…

Needed: More moss ground cover

Front yard

Clean, stain and seal our bench in the front courtyard
Clean and stain fence
Drill drainage holes in the front retaining wall
Exchange busted walkway lighting for ones that work (Thanks, Lowe’s. Not.)
Get a new hose (Maybe one of those shrink-until-they’re-full-of-water fabric hoses?)
Import more moss for ground cover
Even out the concrete slabs
Think about replanting the plants along the walkway
Fix light above garage
New front door mat (Our Pinterest project gone wrong isn’t cutting it anymore…)

Side yard

Remove grass and weeds
Build and plant raised beds (It’s time to grow our own kale… and tomatoes, squash, and raspberries, among others…)
Drill drainage holes in the wine barrel planters (side and back yards)

Side yard: before

Back yard

We’re so close to finishing our pizza oven!

Pizza oven! Pizza oven! Pizza oven! We’re so close to getting it done and will this spring!
Make a wine barrel cocktail table (on wheels, with a plexiglass tabletop) for the deck
Build lower deck bench seat (Ideas here)
Have landscaper out to trim the hedges, get rid of the blackberry on the tree

Just a small little list, right? I’m not promising that this is all going to get done this year, but now that I have a list I’ll have more direction for how to proceed. We have a three-day weekend coming up soon. Maybe we’ll tackle this list then.

12May2014

Happy {belated} Mother’s Day!

Posted in Food, Holidays by mszerwo

My babies: Maddie & Jack

Happy {belated} Mother’s Day to all you moms out there! I’m the proud mom of two wonderful cats who even gave me a present for being such a great mom. (A special thanks to Brandon who helped the cats with their purchase…)

In addition to spending quality time with Brandon and the cats,my parents and sister and brother-in-law came over to Megan’s Island for a special brunch! We had quite the spread. It was similar to last year’s, but switched it up a bit.

This year’s menu:

Waffle bar with berries, syrup and whipped cream
Asparagus, ham and brie frittata
Chicken sausage
Homefries
Fruit salad

Mother’s Day brunch on Megan’s Island

And… Mimosas!

Mother’s day mimosas

I hope you all had a really great Mother’s day! And a very special happy Mother’s day to my Mom. Mom: You’re the best and I love you! Thank you for being such a great supporter of mine!!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

For more photos of me and my Mom, visit last year’s post here!

7May2014

{Wine Wednesday} Vine Trainings

Posted in Adventures, Drinky drinky, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

It’s small business week on Megan’s Island Blog. On Sunday I told you about Little Britches Bakery and today I’m here to share Vine Trainings with you.

Our Vine Trainings set up

Me & Zach of Vine Trainings at my sister’s wedding a few years ago

Vine Trainings is run by Zach Geballe, a certified sommelier, columnist for Seattle Weekly, and long-time friend of mine. I do have an especially embarrassing photo of him as a baby that I won’t share here… at least not yet.

Last summer Brandon and I had the pleasure of hosting several of our friends and Zach, for a Vine Trainings class.

Hosting was easy: Zach brought the wine, glassware and educational materials and we supplied the location, some snacks (palette cleansers, if you will), the atmosphere, and the audience.

The class includes a minimum of seven wines (we had Zach pick them out) and we walked through each of the bottles, as a blind taste test type of situation. The training lasted several hours, with Zach guiding and educating us through each sip with hands-on instruction and a whole lot of fun.

Zach of Vine Trainings in action

Interested in having Zach give your group a vine training?

Prices start at $35 per person, and the specific wines are customizable and negotiable. Zach also offers wines at a discounted price if you like what you taste.

As the Vine Trainings website says, it truly is “perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor or bachelorette parties, or any time you want to gather your friends together for an unforgettable evening!”

Check out Vine Trainings online, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Cheers!

Vine Trainings set up

4May2014

The perfect gift for Mother’s Day

Posted in Crafts, DIY, Parties! by mszerwo

Little Britches Bakery

Consider this a shameless plug for an excellent gift for a new Mom or Mom-to-be on the market today: Little Britches Bakery. In addition to being a government communicator and a super blogger, I have a small business where I make gifts for new parents and parents-to-be.

Little Britches Bakery isn’t a real bakery. Instead, we (the royal “we”) make inedible gifts that look like baked goods. They’re too sweet to eat though. (Great slogan, right?) I have a “menu” of standard and custom diaper cakes and onesie cupcakes. I’ve even been written up in the Mercer Island Reporter after Price George was born.

Here’s my Little Britches Bakery show set up

My diaper cakes are made of size three Huggies diapers. I have some generic-themed designs (floral, sports, rubber duck, etc) and can customize cakes completely. They make great centerpieces at baby showers! Here are some good examples of the variety of cakes that I can and have made.

Little Britches Bakery Diaper Cakes… made by me!

My onesie cupcakes are made out of 3-6 month sized baby onesies and washcloths. I make them to order and can make them gender-specific or gender-neutral and have split packs for twins!

Little Britches Bakery onesie cupcakes… Made on Megan’s Island

Visit my Etsy shop to order a gift for the new mom (or dad!) in your life. There is still time to order and receive your product by Mother’s Day! And if you’re not currently shopping for a new parent, please follow Little Britches Bakery on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest! (Also? I have 15 pregnant friends right now! You’ve got to be shopping for someone…)

I bring my Little Britches cupcakes with me everywhere… like to the Martha Stewart Show in NYC!

A visit to Martha!

And to meet the Young House Love bloggers. (One of my most favorite blogs!)

Little Britches Bakery meets Young House Love

23Apr2014

Kelsey Creek Farm

Posted in Adventures, Exploring Seattle by mszerwo

Did you know that there is a farm in Bellevue, WA, just minutes from Megan’s Island?! I didn’t. But now, I do. And you do too.

A few weeks ago some girlfriends and I were looking for a scenic walking location somewhat near Bellevue. I did some quick Google-ing and discovered Kelsey Creek Farm. This place looked pretty online, so I was excited to check it out in person.

Side note: I have a thing for barns and farms. I have a goal in life of owning a nearby barn/farm and renting it out for weddings. I think I’d make a killing and have a lot of fun. That’s on the bucket list. More details at some point, although it’s many years away. In the meantime, I pin ideas to my “Dream Barn” board on Pinterest. I love Pinterest.

I digress. Back to the Kelsey Creek Farm. The Farm is run by the City of Bellevue and is open everyday from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. We stopped in on a Sunday mid-morning and were the only people there. It’s free to walk through (donations are gladly accepted) and you can “meet” lots of fun farm animals: sheep, goats, chickens, bunnies, horses, pigs, and a cow.

Here are some of our new friends:

Sheep at Kelsey Creek Farm

Cow at Kelsey Creek Farm

Bunny at Kelsey Creek Farm

Goat at Kelsey Creek Farm

Fluffy chicken at Kelsey Creek Farm

Kelsey Creek Farm offers group farm tours, farm classes (for kids 2-6 years old) and day camps (for kids 4-7 years old). It also can be rented out for birthday parties. Occasionally, it holds special events that adults might enjoy too. In fact, one of them is coming up this next Saturday (4/26/14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). What is it? Sheep shearing! Here is the description from the web site:

Watch the sheep being shorn of their winter coats. Enjoy spinning demonstrations, children’s crafts, tractor/wagon rides, pony rides, food, animal viewing areas and more. No pets allowed in the barnyard areas. Free shuttle service available from Wilburton Park and Ride, 720 114 Ave SE and Bannerwood Sports Park, 1630 132nd Ave SE. No entrance fees. Costs vary for food and activities. No ATM on site and we cannot accept charge cards. Go here for more info.

Kelsey Creek Farm: Such beautiful terrain

We had a great time exploring on our walk and I wanted to share some of the opportunities at Kelsey Creek Farm beyond walking and making new critter friends.

They offer “adoption” of critters on the farm, which is a fun idea. I have a friend — and a husband — that I think need to “adopt” an animal or two. More information about critter adoption here. They also offer a picnic shelter event space for up to 50 people, for a mere $30 per day — actually,I’m not sure about that exactly. The three difference websites about the Kelsey Creek Farm aren’t clear on what you actually get for $30. I guess you have to email someone for more information. (Update: I found actual fees, after clicking through about 15 different pages. It’s much more than $30. More here.)

That leads me to my next point: Kelsey Creek Farm needs to streamline their websites! There are too many sites with too much out of date and/or confusing information. For example:

You can start in several places. I started with Google. There, I found http://www.farmerjayne.com/which directs to http://bellevue.com/happening.php?id=1036 (which appears to be a for-profit website highlighting events in Bellevue. Why would a city venue direct away from a city site? Seems counter-intuitive to me). I initially stumbled across the Kelsey Creek Farm through the “walk on in Bellevue” website. (Nice SEO!)

Thinking that there had to me more information somewhere, I Googled City of Bellevue and searched for “Kelsey Creek.” Only 2,600 page options came up. I started at the top and found this page with relatively no information and really mediocre photos http://www.bellevuewa.gov/kelsey_creek_park.htm. I eventually found this page which seems to have the most information: http://parkstrails.myparksandrecreation.com/Details.aspx?pid=23.

Normally I don’t have the patience to go on a wild goose chase like this for something fun to do. The Kelsey Creek Farm website (I can’t remember which one; there are too many) states that they have more than 250,000 visitors each year.

Anyway, there are some great links here about a great event this weekend at Kelsey Creek Farm. Grab your rain gear and head out to the Kelsey Creek Farm this Saturday. Maybe I’ll see you there?

19Apr2014

{Gone Pinning} Backyard bench

Posted in DIY, Garden, Gone Pinning by mszerwo

Happy weekend! Last weekend we spent many hours cleaning and staining the deck, planting and re-planting new plants, rearranging the yard and plotting future projects.

Here was the main focus of my plotting: the lower deck in the backyard:

Lower deck, in need of a bench

Then it was off to Pinterest to find some good ideas to fill in that gap in the laurel that looks right at the neighbor’s house, provide some extra seating for all the parties we’re planning for this summer, and finish off the lower deck. Beyond finishing the pizza oven, this is the only thing we really have left in the back, which is AWESOME!

So, here are some of my ideas. Let me know your thoughts. We’ll have our Megan’s Island contractor/supervisor (my Dad) over here soon and I look forward to sharing the finished product with you shortly.

Standard bench with backrest

Another basic bench, this one without a back. This could double as a storage location.

Maybe something in between? I do like adding a planter into the bench design.

A more modern look, with a concrete planter as part of the base

Or a bench that matches our front fence?

So many great ideas. I’m looking forward to talking it out and making a design decision this weekend. Have a great Easter and rest of the weekend!

14Apr2014

Spring has sprung

Posted in Garden by mszerwo

Just a few weeks ago I planted some spring bulbs and guess what? They’re already coming up!

Sprouting astilbe

Before too long they’ll be flowering up a storm. I’ve also been really impressed with our ferns. We have planted 19 varieties of ferns in the backyard in the past year and I’m happy to report that they’re coming back! We’ve had great luck/green-thumb-skill with most all of them except for a sword fern that we might have overly cut back. (Possibly thanks for nothing, Cisco.)

Ferns: returning! Love me some fiddleheads

Japanese painted fern

This is a Japanese Painted Fern that we thought was a goner, having been dug up by squirrels. BUT: We’ve got fiddle heads!

More fiddleheads

Camellia blooms

Here’s a wide shot of the fern garden…and the cats. I love spring.

Cats in the fern garden!

Our camellia has already returned to full glory. Here’s the evidence:

Camellia blooms

The warm, sunny weather combined with intermittent rain have been great for the garden. Check back for more garden updates!

11Apr2014

{Gone Pinning} Easter

Posted in Food, Holidays by mszerwo

Easter is already here. Where did the time go! We don’t have official plans yet, but they will likely be something like Thanksgiving: I’ll post a blog post about different fun food ideas that I’ve found on Pinterest and my parents, the loyal blog readers that they are, will choose one of those items for our Easter feast.

So, here are my ideas!

Perhaps, an app?

I love me some veggie trays.

I made this one for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving vegetable tray | Megan’s Island Blog

“Carrots” with salmon mousse

Blackberry brie bites

Spinach artichoke dip in Parmesan cups

Or, maybe, dessert:

Grilled Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Peaches with Salted Bourbon Caramel

Strawberry pudding dessert cups

Rice Krispie eggs dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

Birds nests

Yes, this will be a wonderful Easter indeed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I think we will!

9Apr2014

{Wine Wednesday} 2011 Klinker Brick Zinfandel

Posted in Drinky drinky, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

This rainy {Wine Wednesday}, I’m taking a look back to Monday and remembering the 70 degree temperatures and the glasses of wine that Brandon and I enjoyed on the deck.

2011 Klinker Brick Zin

We opted for the 2011 Klinker Brick Zinfandel, a favorite and a recommendation of some dear friends of ours. And? It didn’t disappoint!

I found these tasting notes on the wine from Cliff’s Wine Picks:

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color. The big and bold nose has brambly berries, roasted herbs, warm baking spices, road tar, dark bittersweet chocolate and vanilla bean. This has a very full body with moderate tannins and decent acidity. This is a rich and jammy style of zinfandel with spicy berries and chocolate up front with more spice and vanilla coming in on the back end. The finish gets a touch muddled as the body and alcohol over powers the acidity that was trying to hold everything together. This was better as an after dinner drink where it shined. Not a lot of subtlety here. Those who like a big and ripe wine will love it. (88 pts)

We enjoyed our wine with kalbi steak and spinach salads (it’s salad week!) and it paired quite nicely. It was also pretty good by itself, before and after dinner. At $19 per bottle, this is a full-bodied, delicious, affordable wine that I’d suggest you add to your everyday wine stash.

Enjoy and happy Wine Wednesday!

My favorite wine drinking location: my deck!

Sunset on Megan’s Island

Megan's Island

Welcome to my island!

Author Archives: mszerwo