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Magical Cold Brew
We have a fantastic cold brew coffee recipe for you today! Ryan does not even like coffee (unless it has chocolate in it!) and he mainlined this magical cold brew. A recipe born out of necessity because, unfortunately, COVID-19 has closed our favorite Lake Chelan coffee stand for the summer. Which, while at the lake, we typically walk or kayak to everyday for an iced coffee. And, despite this closure, our kids still wake up at the crack of dawn ready to play on the lake. So we started experimenting with cold brew recipes… Below is the magical recipe we are now making over and over again. INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup…
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Happy Anniversary Mallory & Chris
Today is Mallory and Chris’ 6th wedding anniversary. And this post is a complete surprise to both of them. Mallory previews and QCs all of our posts before they go live – I might lose my password privileges after this… Six years ago I had the honor of being Mallory’s matron of honor and giving a speech during her and Chris’ wedding reception. A couple weeks ago I found my handwritten speech on four pieces of legal notepad paper while searching for something else in my home office (which is really a closet but more about that in another post). I decided it would be a fun anniversary surprise to…
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Three Ways to Serve Watermelon
Hello Sunshine! Watermelon season is here and we can now officially say its summer. If we’re not eating watermelon in the traditional sliced triangle, here are our three favorite ways to serve it. How do you like your watermelon? Watermelon Arugula and Feta Salad All the ingredients of this fresh summer salad compliment each other so well and it’s pretty to look at too! It is delicious, easy to throw together and perfect to serve with anything you are grilling. INGREDIENTS 3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed and chilled 1/2 cup crumbled feta (plus more to sprinkle on top) 7 oz arugula 1/4 small red onion, sliced very thin 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper Balsamic glaze…
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Patriotic Pasta Salad
Still looking for a festive dish to to serve for the Fourth of July? We have a fun, easy!, and celebratory red, white and blue pasta salad recipe for you today. The perfect thing to bring to a Fourth of July barbecue or potluck (do such things still even exist?!?). A takeoff from Freutcake’s beautiful Blueberry Tomato Pasta Salad, I simply added penne noodles and diced chicken breast to take this recipe from a side dish to the main event. How to Cut Mozzarella into Stars Cutting mozzarella into stars is not nearly as hard as it looks and because the rest of this recipe comes together so quickly, it’s…
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Patriotic Sangria
Looking for a celebratory cocktail for the Fourth of July? We have a good one for you that just happens to be red, wine and blue! Mallory and I tried it on a Monday evening with Freutcake’s mojito pulled pork on pretzel buns and the Summer Slaw from this post. The combination would make a great meal for the Fourth or any other fun summer evening. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup blueberries 2/3 cup raspberries 1 cup quartered strawberries 1 bottle dry rosé 4 cups chilled club soda or seltzer 1/2 cup sugar 2 mint sprigs 4 lemon peel strips 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice DIRECTIONS: Make syrup. In a small…
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Marfa Ranch Water
Its Friday AND its supposed to be a high of 80 degrees in Seattle today! That calls for a celebratory, refreshing cocktail and we have a great option for you: Marfa Ranch Water. The exact origin of this tequila-based drink is unknown, but it apparently heralds from West Texas and we are now bringing it to Western Washington. While some people claim it was invented by a Texas rancher in the 60s, it apparently was the word-of-mouth drink of West Texas dive bars until around 2010 when bartenders in Texas starting adding it to their menus. The defining characteristic of this refreshing drink is Topo Chico – an excessively bubbly mineral water…
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Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
Today we have a quick, family-friendly dinner suggestion for you: slow cooker chicken burrito bowls. In Megan’s house, Sam actually requests this recipe for dinner (and it does not include noodles which is a huge win!). The premise: everyone gets to make their own burrito bowl and choose their own toppings without interference from Mom and Dad. This concept is a huge hit with kids. Just be prepared for lots of shredded cheese on the floor. Of course, Sam opts for chicken no beans and Emma opts for beans no chicken. Sam layers all his toppings together; Emma keeps hers separate. Ryan, no surprise, adds hot sauce to finish off…
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Juneteenth
About a week ago, The New York Times Cooking newsletter showed up in my email inbox including a very pretty picture of a strawberry cocktail and a link to Nicole Taylor’s story entitled “A Juneteenth of Joy and Resistance”. Admittedly, it’s the picture of the strawberry cocktail that caused me to open the email, read the newsletter and then clink on the link. Nicole Taylor’s story describes how the coronavirus and protests over the killing of George Floyd have complicated the upcoming celebration of Juneteenth, the June 19th holiday that honors the day in 1865 when, Taylor writes, enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas, learned from Union soldiers that they were free, two years…
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Gardening With Kids
My kids love to garden! They look forward to every spring when plant starts begin to show up in stores. Each year we plant snap peas (our backyard snap peas taste so much better than store bought!), kale, cherry tomatoes (recommend the Sweet Million and Sun Gold varieties), cilantro, parsley, and basil. And we also have perennial blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb, chives, an artichoke, and rosemary in our yard. This year we added radishes (which are a great one to plant from seed with kids because they sprout so fast), broccoli with a lot of success, and some containers of strawberries and something called a Hula Berry from Costco. In the…
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Got Rhubarb? Make a Shrub Cocktail!
When we moved into our home over twelve year ago, the prior owners had a big beautiful rhubarb plant growing in the backyard. This then 27-year old had absolutely no idea what do with rhubarb (or how to take care of it!), so most years we simply gave away the stalks. That poor same rhubarb plant has since been transplanted at least four times around our backyard. Despite the multiple moves, the plant continues to thrive. Little did I know it was a sign that I should have been making rhubarb shrub cocktails! This past spring, while taking an evening stroll through the neighborhood, we happened past the home of…
