5 Star Treatment at Agrodolce

When I posted last week about the 48 hours in Seattle I spent with my good friend Lindsay, I neglected to mention one amazing experience that we had at an amazing restaurant called Agrodolce. I had actually never heard of this restaurant, despite the fact that it's right down the street from where we live. I was a bit surprised that I had missed the buzz because it is run by award-winning chef Maria Hines, who owns several well-known restaurants in the Seattle area.

How did we end up there? Well, Lindsay's friend has been a server at the restaurant since it opened a few months ago. When she asked if we would come in and eat during her shift last Sunday, I had NO IDEA what we were is store for. It pretty much went down like this: Free champagne when we sat down. Free house made focaccia bread appetizer. Free cured pork loin appetizer. Free chickpea fritter side dish. Free chocolate budino dessert. They seriously pulled out all the stops for our little table of three -- I've never had that experience before, and it felt like a serious treat! All we ended up paying for were our entrees (I had the amazing ricotta ravioli) and a bottle of Italian wine, which were also out of this world. All I kept thinking was, "so this is how the other half lives!" Needless to say, I enjoyed my night of feeling like a red-carpet celebrity. 

 

 

 

Thank you Lindsay for your wonderful visit, and for making this meal possible! :)

48 Hours in Seattle

This weekend Stuart and I hosted our good friend Lindsay as she visited Seattle for the very first time. She only had two short days to stay with us, so we strategically planned our itinerary to take her to some of our favorite neighborhoods, shops, and restaurants. We had an amazing weekend walking, window shopping, and eating until we couldn't move. Below are photos from the past two days, which can hopefully guide your own whirlwind trip to Seattle, or inspire current Seattleites to visit some of our favorite spots...

 Breakfast at Mighty-O Donuts, previously posted about here

 Mac and cheese and grilled cheese at Beecher's, previously posted about here

 

  

  Strolling through the University of Washington campus

 

 

 

 Breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe, previously posted about here

 A trip to Elliot Bay Bookstore, our favorite bookstore in Seattle

 Taking in the gorgeous city view from Gasworks park!

 

Endless chocolate samples at Theo Chocolate Factory, full post to follow soon!

Valentine's Day

A belated post featuring my favorite kind of candy...See's! Received this amazing package of assorted chocolates and truffles in the mail from my mama. Obviously, the box is already half gone. Good thing Valentine's Day only comes around once a year!

Other than eating chocolates, Stuart and I enjoyed a nice evening at home on V-day. He treated me by making a delicious Moroccan chicken dish for dinner. I would love to post about it, unfortunately I dug into my food so quickly I forgot to take pictures. Ah well, next time!

Rosemary Popcorn

It's that rare sunny winter day in Seattle today, and Stuart and I celebrated with a walk around Woodland park, soaking in the good old outdoors! We had a great weekend that involved drinking lots of wine at Via Tribunali, a Naples-style pizza joint just a few blocks from our apartment, trying a new coffee shop in Fremont called Milstead & Co. for breakfast on Saturday, and seeing Silver Linings Playbook at the movie theater last night, which was a great film.

Recently every time we've gone to the movies, I've made my own popcorn at home at hidden it in my purse to bring to the theater, rather than buy the insanely expensive movie popcorn and candy. A few times I've just popped a bag of old packaged popcorn that expired over a year ago (we brought it with us from California in 2011, but hey, how bad can it really get??). But THEN I saw this post on my favorite blog, Cup of Jo, about making your own Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn. I had to give it a try - tasty results pictured below.

As a whole grain, popcorn is actually a very healthy snack, and I recently included it on my Healthiest Foods list in a previous blog post. If you add Parmesan and salt versus gobs of melted butter, you can enjoy multiple cups of popcorn almost guilt-free. Additionally, it's super cheap to buy a bag of plain popcorn kernels.

Ingredients:
To make a batch of rosemary olive oil, combine the below ingredients and let it sit in the fridge overnight (or for up to 3 weeks).
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
6 rosemary sprigs

For the popcorn:
1/4 cup rosemary oil
1 cup popcorn kernels
Grated Parmesan (to taste)
Sea salt (to taste)

Directions:
1. To make the popcorn, heat oil and 1 kernel of popcorn over medium-high heat in a large pot.
2. Once the kernel pops, add the rest of the kernels and cover. Listen closely; once popping subsides, remove from heat.
3. Add Parmesan and salt, and shake up the pot to stir. Taste, and add more cheese and salt as needed.

Kale Chorizo Soup

There's something about a warm pot of soup simmering away on the stove to counteract the winter blues. Particularly in colder areas like the Pacific Northwest, a steamy bowl of soup with some crusty bread can be just what the doctor ordered. Personally, I love soups that have lots of broth and green veggies, such as this kale and chorizo soup. Normally kale is a bit too stiff and leafy for my taste, but cooked up in this soup it's both tender and delicious.

Ingredients:

8 ounces Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced crosswise

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

1/2 teaspoon pepper

7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 pound russet potato (about 1 large potato), peeled and chopped

12 ounces Red Russian or other kale, stems removed and leaves cut into slender ribbons

Kosher salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook chorizo in oil in a pot over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spoon.

2. Add onion to fat in pot and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chile flakes, and pepper; cook about 1 minute. Add broth and potato; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in kale and chorizo; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until kale is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.