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!

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!

6Apr2014

Game of Thrones is BACK!

Posted in Drinky drinky, Food, Parties! by mszerwo

Guess what starts tonight? Season four of Game of Thrones! If you’re tuning into HBO at 9 p.m. (6 p.m. if you’re not in Seattle, or don’t care to watch it in HD) tonight, I’ve got some great ideas for a special premiere party. We’re having a party of two and I might use some of these myself for the best Sunday night ever.

Here are some of the genius ideas I found on Pinterest…

Drinks perfect for your Game of Thrones viewing party

Anyone for a Ned Stark (Game of Thrones) head on a stick (cake ball)?!

Game of Thrones fictional food hits

Here is a sample of the Fictional Food Hit List for book 1: A Game of Thrones. The blogger came up with 75 food and drink references. Find the full list here. Some of the ideas look good, but some not so much.

Roasted onions and gravy on trenchers
Bread, two little fish, black bacon, and dark beer
Honey duck and orange snap peppers
Roasted joints of meat
Thick black sausages
Dothraki blood pies
Fruits and sweetgrass stews
Delicate pastries from Pentos
Honeyed wine
Squirrel stew with black bread and hard cheese

Now, some decoration ideas:

Perfect for a party, or a fridge: Game of Thrones inspired menu

Game of Thrones map and eggs

And for some entertainment during the show…

Game of Thrones bingo

And if you’re good… a bingo-like workout while you watch. Personally, I’ll work on some bicep curls with a big glass of wine. To each, their own.

Game of Thrones inspired workouts

Just a few more hours to go… Here is the fourth season trailer to get you even more amped up. I love TV.

4Apr2014

{Gone Pinning} Spring break!

Posted in Drinky drinky, Food, Gone Pinning by mszerwo

We tried to celebrate Brandon’s spring break from school this week, but circumstances beyond our control made that less of a reality. We did use “spring break” as our theme of the week for dinners, but the rest, relaxation and sun weren’t in our cards this week. But man, doesn’t that sound nice? I can almost see/smell/hear the sounds of the waves now…

Since I don’t have the time to travel to a fancy tropical location, I scoured the interwebs (thank you, Pinterest) for some things that get me in the mood for spring, sun and relaxation. Enjoy!

Hawaii: Yes, please

Beach: yes, please

Cocktails? Yes, please.

Strawberry tequila lemonade: yes, please

Kiwi blueberry mojitos: yes, please

Adult Capri Suns (vodka + lemonade): yes, please

And to drink all of this safely by the pool?

Plastic wine glasses: yes, please

Some tropical-inspired foods? Yes, please.

Monkeying around with lots of tropical fruits

Grilled avocado salsa: yes, please

Citrus-y cilantro shrimp: yes, please

Vietnamese summer roll salad: yes, please

31Mar2014

Week 9: Potatoes

Posted in 2014 Themed eating, Adventures, Food by mszerwo

With a quick trip to Idaho planned for the end of the week — including a really delicious meal at Snyder’s Winery — we knew that this week had to be potato as our theme of the week. Let me tell you… we didn’t slack off with this week’s special ingredient. We enjoyed potatoes at least once every day that week.

First, we started with sweet potatoes. We used our mandolin to cut some salt and pepper crinkle chips, cooking them per my friend Krissie’s recipe. They turned out pretty well. There were some mushy ones but then there were also some delicious crispy ones. And those delicious crispy chips? We paired them with homemade turkey burgers and my favorite kale salad. Man, were they good!

Sweet potato chips

Turkey burgers, sweet potato chips and kale salad. YUM

Next, we sauteed some red potato slices with rosemary, salt and pepper that we had with grilled salmon and asparagus. We were going to make the Pioneer Woman’s ‘crash hot potatoes,’ but were too hungry to wait that long to make them. We’ll make those some other time.

Salmon, red potatoes and asparagus

Did you know that gnocchi is often made out of potatoes? We did! And we made our gnocchi, turkey sausage, kale, and butternut squash dish. Delicious.

The best way to enjoy potato gnocchi

And then? We went to Idaho, land of potatoes…and we went potato crazy! We had hash browns at the hotel, a pizza with shredded potatoes (it was called “Idaho Ranch”) and this monster baked potato at Snyder’s Winery. This was the second time we’ve had this potato and steak feast, so we knew what we were up for. Not pictured: the coconut shrimp appetizer and house salad. Oy. So much food!

Snyder’s Winery’s baked potato and steak (And I don’t have small hands)

Next up? Asparagus week. (Yes, I’m as far behind as ever on posting these, but I’ll get there!)

25Mar2014

What a weekend!

Posted in Adventures, Exploring Seattle, Food by mszerwo

Did you enjoy this past weekend as much as we did?! Brandon finished finals, which meant the end to a long, long quarter. So what’d we do? Celebrate!

We checked out Crumble & Flake, a new-to-us bakery in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.

Crumble & Flake has received rave reviews, so we thought we’d check it out. I got the cheddar cheese and smoked paprika croissant and Brandon got the pistachio twice baked. My croissant was delicious and very interesting. In addition to being spread inside like a filling, the batter/dough was orange, as though the cheese and paprika were infused in it. There isn’t any seating at the bakery so we took our croissants to the University of Washington to eat them among the cherry blossoms.

Since we were so close, we opted for lunch in the University Village at Din Tai Fung. It’s a favorite of ours and we enjoyed our usuals: pork soup dumplings, garlic green beans and shrimp fried rice, along with something new: pork and vegetable steamed buns. Not unexpectedly, we loved them.

So full and ready for naps, we headed back to Megan’s Island where we powered through the sleepiness and got to work on spring cleaning the yard. We spent several hours pulling ivy, sweeping, leaf blowing, raking and packing many yard waste bags. Let me tell you… it looks good here. We’re absolutely ready for spring and for more sunshine.

I’ve got some great plans for both the yard and parties with the spring and summer. So looking forward to the longer days and warmer weather!

Now… onto this week. It’s going to be a doozy.

Me & B enjoying another year of cherry blossoms at UW

14Mar2014

{Gone Pinning} Snacks for finals

Posted in Food, Gone Pinning, Uncategorized by mszerwo

School is not in my recent past or immediate future, but school is challenging for Brandon this quarter. Thankfully, he’s just finishing up the last week of the quarter and next week is FINALS week.

How can I help? With finals snacks! Where do I go to find some delicious, nutritious snacks for Brandon and his cohort? PINTEREST! In case you’re also supplying study treats over the next week, I’ve scoured the internet for some great ideas. Don’t worry, these are great for non-finals times too.

Snack combos

Chickpeas

No bake energy bites

Chocolate raspberries

Power snacks

And maybe some not-so-healthy options…(via my “Sweets for my sweets” board)

Funfetti cookies

S’more krispie treats

Happy snacking! And good luck on finals!

12Mar2014

{Wine Wednesday} Girl Scout cookie + wine pairings

Posted in Drinky drinky, Food, Wine Wednesdays by mszerwo

Yes, you read that right: Girl Scout cookie and wine pairings! A few of my favorite things coming together.

I found this gem on Pinterest with a blog post with some great pairings:

From JDomb’s Travels:

Thin Mints

Ah, Thin Mints. I think those are just about everyone’s favorite. What’s not to love? Dark chocolate enveloping a mint flavored cookie. The great news is that wine and chocolate is a kick-ass pairing! Because of the mocha flavors and complex layers of spice in Syrah, it was made for pairing with dark chocolate.

Try 2009 Fable BOBBEJAAN Syrah $48 per bottle.

Samoas

Sweet and little bit salty, samoas are so addictive with the gooey caramel, toasted coconut, and of course chocolate. The slightly carbonated and lightly sweet Lambrusco compliments the rich Samoa very nicely. With earthy notes and flavors of red and black fruits, the mix of sweet and bubbly brings out the salinity of the Samoas.

Most Lambruscos cost less than $20. The best come from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.

Trefoils

Not everyone’s favorite, but I love the buttery shortbread Trefoils. And a serving size is five cookies compared to just two Samoas for about the same amount of calories. Just saying… Sparkling wines and champagne cuts through the rich buttery flavor of the cookie. True champagnes can be expensive, but a fizzy Italian Prosecco is a match made in heaven with the Trefoil.

Try Ca’ Salina Rivete Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut $12 per bottle.

Tagalongs

Tagalongs, or Peanut Butter Patties, are the Girl Scouts’ version of the Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Like Samoas, they are a sweet and salty flavor combination. But is there a wine with a taste complexity that can handle peanut butter? A port from Portugal is the perfect pairing with peanut butter. Say that five times fast!

Try a 10-year old Tawny Port from Portugal’s Duoro Valley. You’ll find them for around $20 per bottle.

In case you haven’t bought your cookies yet, you can find them in front of pretty much any grocery store, or you can visit the “find cookies” site or download the app. (My favorites are thin mints and tagalongs.)

You can also cook with Girl Scout cookies. Don’t believe it? Check out these posts from 2012, when “Girl Scout cookies” were an ingredient of the week:

Happy eating… and drinking! And most of all, happy Wine Wednesday!

11Mar2014

Week 8: Russian foods

Posted in 2014 Themed eating, Food by mszerwo

In honor of the Olympics, we chose “Russian foods” for the theme of the week in week 8. After finding some great (yet intense) recipes for Russian foods and looking at our calendars, we opted for “vodka”as an ingredient of the week instead.

What’d we have?

We sort of failed this week and while I had two vodka dishes planned, we only followed through on one:

Rotini with a vodka cream sauce with shrimp with a side of steamed broccoli. The pasta recipe is derived from Cooking Light.

Pasta with prawns in a vodka cream sauce

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked penne pasta (we used rotini)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, un-drained
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Frozen de-veined prawns, tails removed
A few pinches of shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender.
Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute.
Add vodka; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half.
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, tomatoes and prawns; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes; stir in cream.
Stir in cooked pasta, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and basil. Serve immediately.
Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy!

I had planned on having a pork-and-pear sauté with lemon-vodka sauce but like I said, it wasn’t in our cards that week. Somebody out there make it and let me know how it is!

Next up? Potato week in anticipation of our weekend getaway to Idaho! (And with that, we’ll almost be caught up!)

6Mar2014

Week 7: Heart-healthy foods

Posted in 2014 Themed eating, Food by mszerwo

Yes, I’m a bit behind on my themed-meal posts, but that’s ok, right? For the seventh week of the year (ending on Friday, Feb. 14) we opted for heart healthy. Get it? Hearts and Valentine’s Day. They go hand-in-hand.

Our heart-healthy week started off with my favorite vegetarian faro Greek salad with tempeh, which is great warm or cold. I’m looking forward to making many more big batches of this once it gets nicer out, to enjoy on the patio with friends. If I close my eyes long enough to block out the sounds of the rain pounding on the roof right now, I can almost picture it!

Faro Greek salad with tempeh

Lean meats, like chicken, are also heart-healthy. We opted for two chicken recipes this week: simple grilled chicken (with quinoa and asparagus) and our favorite hominy chili (remember this from cilantro week?).

Grilled chicken, quinoa, asparagus

Another heart-healthy ingredient we added to the meal plan? Salmon. And spinach. Together they make a delicious dinner, as pictured below. In an effort to make this salad special, I sought out a new dressing recipe to try. And… I found one! The best part about this dressing recipe? It’s a dead ringer for the house salad dressing from Voila!, one of my favorite Seattle restaurants.

Salmon with spinach

Here is the dressing recipe, so you can make it for yourself: (reprinted from FitSugar)

Ingredients

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 small shallot, minced
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Directions

Whisk together honey, apple cider vinegar, shallot, lemon juice, mustard powder, and dried basil.
Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking to emulsify.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into jar with lid and refrigerate. Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

We finished the week with a not-so-heart-healthy food: pizza. We used the fresh Trader Joe’s whole wheat dough and made two individual heart-shaped pizzas, complete with heart-shaped pepperonis! A most romantic Valentine’s Day, indeed.

His and hers homemade pizzas

Romantic Valentine’s Day pizza

Next up? Week 8 and Russian foods in honor of the Olympics that were happening that week.

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Category Archives: Food

Happy {belated} Mother’s Day!

{Gone Pinning} Easter

Game of Thrones is BACK!

{Gone Pinning} Spring break!

Week 9: Potatoes

What a weekend!

{Gone Pinning} Snacks for finals

{Wine Wednesday} Girl Scout cookie + wine pairings

Thin Mints

Samoas

Trefoils

Tagalongs

Week 8: Russian foods

Ingredients

Preparation

Week 7: Heart-healthy foods

Ingredients

Directions