Archive for the ‘Matthew’ Category
Family Time Finally!
May 9th, 2009 Posted 5:05 pm
I mentioned somewhat briefly before that my parents were here last weekend (Friday – Tuesday) and that we had a great time. This was really just brushing over the entire weekend, which included a TON of eating at new places, hanging out with my mom and dad and Santana being adorably excited to see them. I was waiting to post any details about the weekend until I got the pictures my dad took. I wanted to share some of the great shots he got (luckily, we had mostly pretty nice weather).
When my folks got in on Friday, they were exhausted from flying across country all day, so we got lunch at Macaroni Grill and crashed at home and played with Santana until Matt got home. After my parents went to their hotel in the U-district, Matt and I got a fast dinner and crashed for the night. A very very uneventful first evening in Seattle.
Saturday was a completely different story! Since my parents’ hotel is located directly next to one of our favorite breakfast places, we splurged (way expensive and HUGE portions) on a fun Saturday breakfast/brunch.
Portage Bay is really amazingly wonderful, and it shows in their food. Their philosophy “Eat like you give a damnâ€, is seen in their great local, organic, DELICIOUS breakfast choices (we’ve never been for lunch). My dad ordered Banana Foster French Toast, my mom went with a Pork and Apple stuffed omelet and Matt and I shared one of the best omelets I’ve had in a while: Greek Omelet. Pepper bacon, herb-roasted organic onions, organic baby spinach, Greek myzythra cheese, basil pistou. YUM! It came with their roasted potatoes, which are addictingly wonderful. We took Dori and her mom here when they were in town, and of course they loved it! We’ve actually only been a few times, since it is such a splurge (and a long wait on the weekends), but if you want to impress visitors in Seattle (or to be impressed if you’re visiting yourself), head to the U-district Portage Bay. They have a 2nd location on South Lake Union, but we haven’t tried that one yet.
After breakfast, we crashed at our apartment for a bit again, and I taught my mom and dad how to play Wii bowling. This was probably one of my favorite parts of their visit because it felt a lot like being home as we got competitive and joking around with each other while we were playing. Also, my dad is amazing at Wii bowling!! He is extremely particular and precise about things, so once he figured out how to line up the shot, he did really great! In his first time ever playing! Way to go dad!
After relaxing for a while, we headed to Woodinville to visit the Red Hook Ale Brewery. So fun! They have a tour there that costs $1 per person…it includes the tour (obviously), plus a mini taster glass, and the equivalent of at least 2 pints of beer samples! I don’t really drink beer (although I tasted all of them from Matt’s glass), but I know when I hear a good deal! $1 just for the little glass (which will be perfect for mini-cocktails) is a good deal, but we also got some fun info about Red Hook’s history and the making of beer in general. The tour itself was held primarily in a large room with a bar and tap setup. This is really the only feasible way for them to give the tour to 60-80 people at one time, and it worked pretty well. Our tour guide (Valerie), was really funny and called some annoying people out for talking the whole time (they eventually snuck out). Definitely another place to go when visiting the Seattle area, especially if you are a fan of beer!
My dad got a picture of the outside of the tour/gift shop/restaurant entryway (and Matt and I waiting patiently for our tour)
After the tour, we sat down in The Forecasters Pub, located in the Brewery, for dinner. My dad got a really yummy chili, my mom had a southwest-type salad, and Matt and I split a pasta dish we weren’t crazy about. It’s bar food and if we had been in the mood for burgers or something, I probably would have been more impressed, but I was starving by this point, so anything was good. My dad got more pictures!
Sunday was GORGEOUS. The sun was shining and it wasn’t raining…we took advantage of the weather and the four of us walked with Santana up to the 74th Street Ale House. We weren’t planning on stopping there, but we were all getting hungry after poking our heads in little stores along the way and working up an appetite. Since it was so nice, we grabbed two outdoor tables and tied Santana next to us. She fussed the entire time, but I fed her some of my mom’s potato chips and she was pleased. She loves to snack just like I do!
My dad got the blackened salmon sandwich and my mom had a Reuben (there was an article taped to the window saying that this was the best Reuben in Seattle!).
Matt and I split a soup and salad combo, with caesar salad and the 74th St Gumbo. From their website:
Based on an old New Orleans recipe, we feel this is the best Gumbo anywhere. "Hot and Spicy", it consists of baby shrimp, roasted chicken, fresh Cascioppo Brothers andouille sausage, onions, tomatoes and green peppers. Served on a bed of "Dirty Rice" and garnished with pickled okra. Accompanied by freshed sliced Essential Bakery rustic white bread.
It was pretty yummy, with a nice spice to it. I also stole a bunch of my mom chips (for me and Santana). A great lunch!
My parents were really full, and still on East coast time. So Matt and I were on our own for dinner and got a quickie rotisserie chicken and had macaroni AND potato salad on the side (my mom and I spent the afternoon making these…LOVE comfort food from home!)
While we were walking, my dad took some pictures of the area:
On Monday, Matt had to work and I took a vacation day to show my folks Pike Place Market. Even though it was not as busy as it would have been on the weekend, it was still pretty packed. We didn’t stay long, but my dad took lots of pictures and we ate at Lowell’s in the market, where all three of us had Lowell’s Famous Fish & Chips – 4 Pieces of Hand Breaded Alaskan Cod, Fried Golden and Served with Cole Slaw and French Fries, Tartar Sauce and Lemon Wedges. Malt Vinegar on the Side. Very crunchy and tasty ! But a huge meal!
The highway right next to the market.
Me glaring at and my mom ignoring my dad’s picture attempts.
Park sleepers 
Lots of color in the market…
As you can see, my mom and I are not amused by the idea of standing in the middle of the road for a picture with the Pike Place sign. I normally complain about people doing this when I’m down there!
Since their flight was leaving super early Tuesday morning, we took them to a hotel by the airport Monday after Matt got home, and Matt and I just had sandwiches for dinner later that night.
Such a great weekend! Santana was super excited to see them, and got just as excited each day when they came back over! I hadn’t seen my mom since last June and my dad since August…the longest I’ve ever gone without being home, so it was such a nice, relaxing weekend to have them here. I can’t wait until I get to head back to NY for a visit!
Click over to Santana’s blog post about the weekend to see the adorable puppy pictures my dad took!
Falafeleftovers
May 7th, 2009 Posted 11:25 am
I love leftovers! I am extremely satisfied by using up random bits of leftover things throughout the week and get really frustrated when food is wasted or spoils. So last night’s dinner was very fulfilling for me.
When we made falafel from scratch the other day, Matt had 3 patties for lunch the next day, and we froze the last four for later use. Tuesday, I took them out of the freezer and defrosted them in the fridge, and then popped them in the toaster oven to heat up while I put together the rest of dinner, which largely came from our CSA box this week!
Falafel Chop Salad
- 1 head Red Leaf Lettuce, washed and torn
- Salad Dressing to Coat (we used parmesan pepper or something like that)
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 medium cucumber, chopped
- ¼ small white onion, chopped
- ¼ block Beecher’s Flagship cheddar, chopped
- 2 small pitas
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- Grated Parmesan
- 4 leftover falafel pattiesÂ
- Toss lettuce with dressing, just enough to coat lightly. Split between two plates and top with veggies and cheddar.
- Brush pitas with a light coating of olive oil and garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan to taste. Place these on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until toasty (10-20 minutes…keep your eye on them!). Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, then quarter.
- Toast falafel patties on a tray in the toaster over until warmed through and re-crisped.
- Serve salad topped with crumbled falafel and pita crisps on the side.
Super easy! I topped each of my pieces of pita with a heaping pile of lettuce and veggies and cheese and ate like a mini open-faced sandwich. So delicious and really satisfying for our tummies…also very very filling. We debated putting some leftover black beans (from breakfast burritos this past weekend) on the salad as well, but I’m glad we didn’t, since I probably wouldn’t have finished.
Matt gets no carrots because of his OAS… stupid allergies! Also, speaking of Matt, he did an adorably wonderful post about the Mallory Color Guessing Game, which he made for me when we started dating and he taught me hexadecimal! Fun!
Back to the blog with a review!
May 5th, 2009 Posted 9:57 pm
After a long weekend relaxing and exploring some new (and some repeat) places, I have lots to write about from the past few days while my parents were in town. I’m holding off because my dad took lots of pictures and I want him to send them my way so I can include them in that post.
In the meantime, a review of a new restaurant!
Tangerine
Across the street from our apartment, we’ve got a 7-Eleven, Santa Fe Cafe (decent New Mexican cuisine), Zeek’s pizza (a local, OK chain),Chef Liao (yum yum yum Asian food, with award-winning pot stickers) and a few off-the-wall type places. When we first moved in, there was Phinney Market and a Pottery Store in the same building as Santa Fe Cafe, but both closed. We were especially sad about Phinney Market, as it was a great place to pick up small things, shop locally and grab a delicious sandwich once in a while. BUT, Phinney Market opened back up, under new ownership, and it seems better than ever…excitement all around!
So, that is not the point of this post, so enough about Phinney Market.
Soon after the pottery shop closed, there was a sign announcing a Thai restaurant coming soon…soon meant several months, and I spent the entire time dreaming about having Thai across the street. I envisioned mountains of pad thai and kee mao noodles piled on our kitchen table. Fried tofu dancing around our apartment. Thai iced tea running through the streets. Let’s just say, I love Thai food and I was excited about the prospect of having it so close…that makes me seem less crazy.
Well, just a couple weeks ago, on a gorgeously warm and sunny Sunday Matt noticed Tangerine open! It was crowded and people were sitting inside and outside at cute little tables. The interior blended into the outdoor seating with the help of a mechanical garage door-style store-front. We had plans that night, but we vowed to go later in the week….during the week it didn’t seem to be open! My guess was that as a new business, they were taking it slowly and opening up on days when there would be some guaranteed traffic. So we held off.
My parents were going to be in town the following weekend, so I figured we wouldn’t get a chance to try it out then. I underestimated just how sleepy my parents would be coming from East coast time, and we ended up having Friday night free for dinner. We trotted over to Tangerine like good little local diners…they only take cash right now! I should have predicted this, but I didn’t, so we failed to have cash on us. We went with something else.
Tonight, our normal “Thai Tuesdayâ€-turned-“International Tuesday†with a regular group of friends was cancelled due to travel plans, illnesses, job-related interferences and other interruptions. Rather than being healthy, abstemious and smart (ie. eating leftovers from our fridge), we decided to indulge and try Tangerine since Matt had noticed they are open during the week!
It was rainy all day and pretty chilly this evening, so needless to say there was no outdoor seating. We started with Thai Iced Tea (my favorite!) and admired the cute interior of a space that used to be a tiny, cramped pottery studio and storefront. So adorable in there…pretty minimal decorations, mirrors on several walls, deep colors, cozy and very inviting. The server was friendly and even though he was juggling a few tables at once, did a great job of keeping tabs on us throughout the meal.
We decided to split an appetizer of fried tofu and a red curry with chicken. The menu at Tangerine does not have the vast array of dishes you’ll find at a lot of Thai restaurants, but everything they did have sounds great! The server also told us about a special curry they make with red curry and duck that they roast right there in the restaurant. We’ll definitely be trying that one out! So many things on the menu looked amazing…I’m surprised we held back and only ordered one entree.
The fried tofu appetizer was decently sized, with 10-12 small pieces, a few fried veggies (carrots and broccoli) and a light and spicy sauce. I enjoyed it, though I wasn’t blown away…I’m still learning to love tofu, and our “regular†Thai place has this AMAZING fried tofu in their dishes that I just can’t figure out how to replicate. Apparently, neither can any other restaurant, because I have yet to find a tofu that challenges it. Maybe I’ll have to ask them for their secret! I did like the snacky-ness of the tofu dish…little bite size pieces with a zingy sauce…I could definitely see myself craving this at certain times.
Our curry came out with a big bowl of jasmine rice shortly after we finished our appetizer. Curry is always dangerous, because most places will keep refilling your rice bowl, and the curry will keep getting soaked up by that rice. I’m definitely glad we split this…I’m still feeling full a couple hours later! Next time, we’ll just go with a dish…no appetizer. We ordered medium spice (2 stars on a scale of None-Five), and I’m glad we didn’t go any higher…it was definitely hot! The only thing I would have changed with the curry is to add some veggies (onions and maybe a few more red peppers). It was primarily chicken and bamboo shoots, both of which there was a generous amount of, but only a couple pieces of red pepper that we found, and no onions (which I am crazy about). But the taste was GREAT! Red curry is so flavorful, and this particular one did not disappoint. I’m pretty sure we were both contemplating licking the bowl clean 🙂
The price was also pretty reasonable…not crazy cheap, but way within range for a quick takeout curry or pad thai. I’m crossing my fingers that they can get some frequent customers and take advantage of summer zoo-goers so they can stay in business! I know we’ll be going back!
Hooray for supporting new, local small businesses!
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Hooray also for fun blog contests! Jenn at Prior Fat Girl is giving away Holey Donuts! I am dying to try these, so hopefully I get lucky…but I’m also contemplating splurging and ordering some for when my old roommate is in town in August. They look amazing!
Super Easy Homemade Pizza
May 1st, 2009 Posted 8:38 am
I love homemade pizza crust…it makes me really really happy. The problem is, I usually am not in the mood to make dough. So I have a ridiculously easy pizza method I use when we want that quick dinner bite of pizza. Just as easy and fast as heating up a frozen pizza in the oven (or toaster oven), and you have more control over the ingredients, which is always a good thing!
I use a homemade, Crockpot marinara that I usually make in giant batches when canned tomatoes are on sale, or when we have herbs at the end of the summer to use up. I freeze the sauce in small freezer bags in two-serving portions. Perfect for heating up and throwing on top of pasta for a quick dinner for Matt and I. Also perfect for defrosting the day before and using for pizza! Since we only made two small pizzas, there was still lots of sauce left, but that’s something that you can easily heat up and throw on some pasta or veggies or whatever you like for marinara (dipping sauce for breadsticks??).
Here it is:
 Top 2 whole wheat pitas with about 2 Tb of marinara, spaghetti or pizza sauce. Sprinkle on a little Italian Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. Add toppings of your choice (we used what we had leftover in the fridge…pepperoni, bacon and some sautéed onions). Top with shredded Italian Cheeses (mozzarella, provolone, asiago, whatever you like). Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown.
 That’s it!! Let it cool for a few minutes, slice and enjoy! So easy! Pitas make amazing mini pizza crusts because they have a doughy chewiness, but also get nice and crisp when you bake them in the oven. If you’re just doing one pita, you can also just throw it in the toaster oven, which makes it even easier.
We’re crazy about pizza and are always looking for new ways to fit it into our meal plans! Since we had falafel on Monday night, we had leftover pitas, and this worked perfectly. It’s not NY style pizza, but it will definitely hold us over.
I am looking forward to the next chance we get to go to Queens together (I have NO idea when this will be) so we can share some Napoli pizza, right across the street from where Matt grew up. Look how happy it makes us! (Please note our awesome fake smiles. We have perfected this artform. Also, who thought it was a good idea to eat a giant pizza before we went to Herhey Park that day?? It seems like poor planning, but it was delicious!) 
My parents are flying into Seattle this afternoon, so it will be a busy weekend of eating out rather than much cooking at home, so we’ll probably be a little sparse on the blog side of things, but maybe some new places will pop up to review!
Have a wonderful sunny weekend!
Posted in Fun, Leftovers, Life, Magical Magical Animal, Matthew, Non-Baking, Yum
Baked Falafel!
April 28th, 2009 Posted 8:22 am
To make up for our super-heavy comfort food dinner last night, we went a bit healthier after work on Monday! (We also followed it up with some Cherry Garcia ice cream…so it wasn’t completely healthy)
Falafel Pita Sandwiches
(adapted from this recipe)
What You Need
What You Do
- Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil, add bulgur, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain.
- Blend chickpeas through garlic until mostly smooth. Stir in bulgar.
- Form into 1/4 inch patties (makes about 12) and place on baking sheet lined with cooking spray. Give them a little space, as they’ll puff up just a bit.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time.Â
- They’ll get nice and brown and crispy on each side. Yum!
- Fill pitas and enjoy! (sorry for some of the fuzzy pictures…I was too tired and hungry)
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This was really easy to make. I’ve done fried falafel from a mix before, which is even easier (and frying gives you the most amazing flavor, of course), but this was SO good and so much healthier than frying. They were a little dry, so I might add a little more water to the mix next time. I also think it would be good with some red pepper blended into the mix as well. Matt and I are crazy about falafel, so i’m sure I’ll have some opportunities to udpate this recipe!
We were missing our loveable friend, bacon (which got two minor roles in yesterday’s meals)…
Posted in Comics, Life, Magical Magical Animal, Matthew, Yum
