Christmas Whirlwind

Christmas Day was a whirlwind: Presents, Packing, Driving, Family, Presents, Eat, Stockings, Friends, Presents, Dinner, Cleaning, Relax. Whew!

Josh and I started Christmas in Indio with the Browns. We woke up and immediately started presents. We spent a good hour and a half with lots of laughter and fun while opening. Then we noticed the time. The rush began. We races to eat, pack, and get on the road.

A few highlights during the Brown Christmas:

• The Prank: Nada did the best prank ever. Apparently there are boxes at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that show Infomercial type products on the box. Well, she found one that was a family snuggie and another that was a Dream griddle. The snuggie had two head holes and four arm holes. The griddle also had a alarm clock and showed pictures of a guy making breakfast in bed at his hotel. Quite believable actually. Don and Josh fell for it. They seriously couldn't believe Nada would gives these things to them. Then Don tossed the box to me. It seemed awfully light. Wait a second...that's not right! Hmm, let's see. Oh my, it opens to something else...a nice sweater and work shirt. Bamboozled. Gotcha! Well done Nada!


• Josh's Big Gifts: Josh received every piece of technology he wanted this year. His lovely fiancee gave him the Kindle for reading on all his upcoming business travels. Don and Nada gave him the PS2 - with BlueRay and Netflix capability (I gain from this one too).


• Don and Nada Gifts: Don got some great photography items and Nada got a trip for both of them to Hawaii (I'm jealous on this one!).

By 10:45am we were on the road to Encinitas. Josh's parents drove us since they were going to visit a family member in Orange County after dropping us off. We arrived to the O'Neill household at one o'clock. We hugged and got right to the circle of unwrapping. I say circle because that's how it works every year. We all sit in a circle (well, we all have our spots that are almost in a circle) and then we unwrap presents clockwise, one at a time.

The Browns joined us for a few rounds, but they were soon off on the road. The rest of stayed behind and  continued the circle of unwrapping. We tore through the presents, pressed for time. Then we quickly ate some food, but then got right back to unwrapping stockings with the "don't look, just unwrap" mentality. Go. Go. Go.

We finished at 3:50pm, just in time for guests to arrive at 4pm. We had quite a few guests: John, Jan, Lindsay, Heather, Josh, Johan, Don, Sue, Jessica, Dave, Jon, Nikki, Judy, Bill, Dorothy. You counted right - 15 guests. We enjoyed turkey, ham, cauliflower (this was delicious - Judy gave me the recipe), mashed potatoes, green beans, jell-0, stuffing, and some vegetarian version of some too. A feast indeed. Then to top it with dessert: apple spice cake, cookies, kahlua cake, and glogg.

A few highlights from the O'Neill Christmas:

• Heather Gifts: Fossil purse, boots, warm clothes, and well plenty of other great stuff - practically everything that I asked Santa for...and more including the awesome camera from Josh.


• Swedish Visitor: Johan is staying with my parents for a few months and joined us this year. Based off his good, Swedish judgement, I can offically say my pepparkakor is authentic. He also introduced drinking glogg, a classic Scandinavian hot spiced wine punch, after our decadent Christmas dinner.


• Mom's Big Gift: Kindle. Josh and mom are Kindle twins.


• Stockings: Over flowing with goodies. Can they really be stockings stuffers still if they don't fit into the stocking? This is my mom's favorite part of gift giving.

With family and friends all together, we had a great Christmas. We were all pooped at the end, but with smiles on our faces and sugar fairies dancing in our heads.

Eve in the Desert

Surprisingly enough, we started Christmas Eve by heading to El Paseo, the shopping district of Palm Springs. Not because we were behind on gifts, but to go to the Apple Store for some urgent computer help. Don bought a new computer and Josh was helping him get it setup; however, it wasn't going so swell...long story short, they got it fixed after a visit to Apple.

While the guys were talking the tech talk, Nada and I did some pre-Christmas shopping. It seems the sales started before Christmas and went straight through the holidays. With nails yesterday, and shopping today...it was a nice girly, bonding time for Nada and me.

Afterward we met up with the guys again and grabbed some grub at Sammy's. For those of you that don't know, Sammy's is similar to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK). There is a battle within the O'Neill household as to which is preferred. My thoughts: CPK for pizza and Sammy's for pasta or salad.

The afternoon was random errands and then the holidays officially began at 4:30pm. We headed over to Southwest Community Church for the Christmas Eve Service. Now, we went to a service here last Christmas Eve and it was nice, but the skit was, well, it was lame (I was afraid to use lame and church in the same sentence...but it's the truth, and I'm sure it's best to be truthful). This year the service was great. There was singing and more singing. Christmas carols old and new. The sermon was short and sweet and we all enjoyed the service. The only crazy part: they brought in a singing Elvis for Blue Christmas. HA!

In the spirit of A Christmas Story, we had Chinese food for Christmas Eve at P.F. Changs. Don't you remember the part with the goose head and the "ra ra ra ra" for "Fa la la la" - too funny. If you don't remember now, I insist that you go re-watch it right now. Now. I mean it. Now.

After a satisfying dinner, we headed back home for some stocking action. Time is limited Christmas morning since we have to drive out to Encinitas, so we wanted to get the gifts going. Plus, little did I know, Josh had a reason to give me his give to me early on in the Christmas celebrations. You'll see.

So we unwrapped the stockings and received a years worth of chocolate. In fact, we decided the theme was chocolate. Candy bars, truffles, hot chocolate, chocolate jelly bellys. Chocolate. We even had chocolate lava cakes for dessert as we opened chocolates (the others did, I had a huge bowl of gingerbread frozen yogurt - could live get any better?). We also got some handy items like travel size soaps and baggies.

In addition, Josh gave me his big gift to me. Now, this gift covers Christmas, Valentines Day, St Patrick's Day, Easter, and maybe even part of my birthday. Drum roll please...I got an shiny new, small, professional quality camera called a Panasonic Lumix GF1 (the link has some example photos and video - one word, awesome). Now, I can take awesome pictures for the rest of the holiday! (yes, I use the word awesome a lot - it's an awesome word).

After stockings and one gift each, we all went to bed to dream of santa and the day to come.

Eve Before the Eve

Josh and I are following the same schedule for the Christmas holiday as last year...desert then coast. We arrived to the desert, specifically Indio, CA the night of Wednesday the 22nd. The flight was on time and smooth. Upon arriving, we were greeted with hugs and kisses from the Browns, Josh's parents (and my soon-to-be parent-in-laws). We actually flew into Long Beach since pricing was better, so we arrived late in the evening and had a semi-long drive out to Indio. Good catch-up time though.

Our first day began in total relaxation mode. What better way to start a vacation than relaxing? I have been waiting for so long for the holiday and having several days off with family and fun. Nada and I headed over to Prestige Nails for some pampering. I sat in a magical chair that not only massaged your back and neck, but your hips. Not to mention, my pedicure was heavenly. Tom, the technician, must have been a physical therapist because he was so good. I may have drooled and fallen asleep (not in that order). My feet were so pretty - a fun dark blue, metallic color. The color was so cool that Nada saw the color and had to have it too. The fun didn't stop there, I also got a manicure. Working at Starbucks has destroyed my hands - they were a mess. Now, they are cleaned up, shaped, and beautiful with a sparkly, light pink color. Very girly...love it.

After our pampering, we headed to lunch with the guys at The Jackalope. The restaurant atmosphere is fun with pig statues and adobe secco style. We enjoyed sharing roasted chicken, salads, and yummies.

The boys took off for some quality time shooting birds. Sheesh, not shooting bird (you have an evil mind), but rather photographing birds at the Salton Sea. By the way, Don has some absolutely great photos from there. He ventures out there often for photographs. This time was to test out a new lens. Meanwhile the girls stayed home to do some wrapping, chatting, and enjoying pictures.

That evening we headed to La Quinta Resort's Adobe Grill for a Feliz Navidad experience. The resort is all decked out of the holidays. Lights and trees and ribbons and poinsettias. Gorgeous! The resort was built around 1926 and still has a classic feel about it...very Waldorf Astoria. Wait a second, it is part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection. Go figure.

Our dinner was delicious. Josh and I both had chicken fajitas while Don and Nada had tacos. We laughed and had a good time. It was nice to sit out on the patio in December and still be comfortable. As we left, I said "Feliz Navidad" to our waitress and she relied, "prospero un ano nuevo!" Spanish. Awesome.

To finish our day Josh and I headed to Josh's good friend's house, Kevin and Genny, for the Annual Christmas Game Night. We played Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples (the writer of this blog was the winner - not bragging, just stating fact), and Would You Rather (which we all decided was quite boring). It was fun to hangout with friends and enjoy some games and giggles.

So far we're off to a good start on a very wonderful SoCal Christmas - warm temperatures, flip flops, sunshine, palm trees with lights, family, etc. Did I mention frozen yogurt without having to wrap myself in blankets? Yay back to froyo land.

Seattle Coffee Tour: Zoka

I was starting to worry about my coffee tour postings. I was sure giving out quite a few good scores - lots of 4 somethings. Am I being too nice? Should I be more critical? Are people really going to keep reading if I only give good reviews. In reality don't I want to give just good because then I'm not enjoying my coffee experience? Also, we must keep in mind that at the start of this tour I'm going to all the popular places, so of course they'll be good. However, something different for you today.

Another thought before I begin. I'm sitting here in Indio, CA Christmas vacation and realized that Seattle really is quite special when it comes to coffee. Here you'll find Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and It's a Grind, but these are all bigger chains. There isn't a whole lots of small, independent coffee shops. Startle is unique when it comes to coffee. It truly is the coffee capital. And another realization...I'm turning into a coffee snob.

On that note, let's launch into my next review.

Coffee Shop Name: Zoka Coffee Roasters

Location: 2200 North 56th Street

The Order: I got a cappuccino. Josh got a mocha.

General Babble: This has been my least favorite experience so far while on this tour. Josh found Zoka online after typing "Seattle coffee roasters." he wanted to go to a place that roasted their own coffee. When we walked into the store, we found it to be very spacious, but somewhat stark. For instance, Their were bookshelves in the back of the store, but they were empty. Why have book shelves with no books?

There were a few kickers for me: (1) The price. Now I know coffee is expensive, especially the fluffy kind I get, but this seemed more than others, even Starbucks. (2) The wait. We were only the second in line but we waited quite a while for our drinks. Then, when ours was finally ready some guy the came in way after us grabbed the drink - probably Thinking he had waited the normalfor drink waiting time, not realizing they were just that behind. He was nice about it and gave. It to Josh when he realized. (3) The quality. After points #1 and #2 I just made, you'd think the drink would be awesome. No. My cappuccino was a sad little sight to see. There was also hardly any foam. The taste..ugh. Burnt! Being that I paid for this drink, I decided to bring it back. When i approached the barista guy, i could tell he was struggling. Newbie. When I returned it, the guy. A was at register had left the customers in line to help out. He whipped out my cappuccino in no time. Much, much better.

Was that review harsh and unforgiving? No, but it was the most negative thus far.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 2.5 - I hate having to bring coffee back to be remade. Worse having it remade and and then still being slightly disappointed (the foam is key to the cappuccino). Or perhaps the cappuccino from Aster the day before, which I l-o-v-e-d, made this one pale in comparison.

Latte Art: 2.75 - The first cap I got was just sad. The second was good which is why this score got the .75 added to the 2.

Atmosphere: 3 - It was just a bit cold (not as in the temp), but the feel.

Drink Options: 3 - Just the standard options. Nothing more, nothing less.

Coffee Knowledge: 3 - I didn't get the chance to ask the guys very many questions about the coffee, but the website is full of information. They roast their own beans, but you couldn't see any of the roasting at the store we visited. They use their Espresso Paladino on their lattes. It was smooth, but the coffee wasn't singing in cup. Good but nothing to rave about later.

Food: The food was pretty good. Nothing to remember. It was Essential Bread Co. Which I usually really enjoy. However, their goodies seemed to lack the EBC umph of flavor, or maybe it was that they were day-old pastries. Who knows. It was good, but not spectacular.

The first cappuccino and then the re-make...

Yearly Commitment

Every year I am committed to making one Christmas Cookie. If can only make one cookie, this is the one. It's a family tradition. It's heritage; our Swedish roots. These are a cookie tradition I've carried on from my Grandma Norma. She taught me how to make these cookies. Plus, they have a fun name: Pepparkakor! (Pronounced Peppa-Kaka). It is my understanding that "kaka" means cookie in Swedish.

To make these cookies, you must dedicate an afternoon. They are similar to the classic gingerbread and sugar cookie, but a bit thinner and crispy. They are best eaten with a cup of tea or coffee!

How do I make them? Well, let's go through it together.

You start with some dough...



Mix it up. I wish my Cuisinart mixer wasn't broken. It's perfect for this tough dough. Make sure you wear an apron with these bad boys, they get flour everywhere!



Then you roll out the dough, and start going to town with the cookie cutters.



Then you bake. Roll, cut, put on pan, bake. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Then pile them all up.



Voila! The cookies are done three hours later. Now, I'll just put on a pot of tea and have myself a little snack.

Seattle Coffee Tour: Aster Coffee

Today has been a great day. It's only the morning, but I'm in the best mood. Perhaps it's because it's my day off and I have no obligations and slept in. Perhaps it's the beautiful sun shining outside. Perhaps it's that I met a cute dog. Or that the ice spray worked perfectly on my windshield. I know, it's that I talked to my best friend on iChat. Or that I got a lovely mocha and pumpkin muffin...

Coffee Shop Name: Aster Coffee Lounge

Location: 5615 24th Avenue NW, Ballard, WA

The Order: I got a tall mocha. Eventually adding in Sugar Free Vanilla.

General Babble: Puntos (points = fun to say in Spanish) for the cool interior and logo. The Aster logo is well done. By the way, appreciating cool logos is something I picked up from the Brown family. They are big decorators and have an eye for good design. Anyway, that got me into the store. Plus it was close to home and easy parking (at least for a Friday morning). Then the lady behind the counter was very sweet. I found out her name was Beth. When I told her about my blog, she gladly fielded my questions. I was on the fence about getting a pastry, but then I saw a pumpkin muffin and better yet that they were homemade at the store. Sold!

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4.5 - The seating was plentiful. The people were nice. The coffee smooth and tasty. The mocha was a darker chocolate that they make at the store. At first, I thought it was a bit too dark for me; however, she graciously added some vanilla. With a bit of a stir, it was heavenly. Nice and sweet, but not overpowering.  I've found with mochas that you definitely need to give it a bit of a stir to get the chocolate permeating throughout the drink. I enjoyed sitting by the window, eating my muffins, drinking my mocha, and enjoying the sun rays.

Latte Art: 4 - Beth made this seem so easy. I'm sure she could have done a more complex design, but her rosetta was quite pretty. I wonder what it'd look like on a latte. Next time!

Atmosphere: 4 - Like I said, the interior was quite nice. Lots of seating, and a nice, comfortable temperature. The stars in the window were fun. The clocks with the different time zones of popular coffee growing regions was a fun idea. People were chill just reading the paper or talking with friends. It was not a total hipster place which was a nice to see, but normal everyday people.

Drink Options: 4.5 - Besides Starbucks, this is the first place I've come across on my tour that had Clover brew available. I'll have to try it there next time. Clover is a great way to enjoy a cup of coffee. It's like a mix between a french press and a vacuum pot. You can really taste the type of coffee with the Clover. If you like french press, you must give Clover a try. There are not a whole lot of the brewers out there, so get it when you can. Otherwise, they had the normal coffee menu. I noticed a few holidays drinks on the sign out front - eggnog and peppermint mocha. However, they do offer beer and wine in the evenings. Now, I want to return at night!

Coffee Knowledge: The espresso drinks use Intelligentsia, which is what was in my mocha. They also Stumptown for single origin coffees. Apparently they invite guest roasters every few months as well.

Food: You can't beat freshly made onsite bakery goodies. They even offered waffles there, something I'm sure Josh would spring for if he were with me (he's traveling for work today). My pumpkin muffin was tasty and the hard sugar on top was a good touch. I wouldn't say they are comparable to my pumpkin muffin from Full City / Palace Bakery in Eugene, but a nice decent muffin. The other stuff looked good, like the cookies. I'll have to try an afternoon or evening treat there sometime.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but I'm going to be using the Disloyalty Card as I tour around. It's a good start for where to go...Get it? Disloyalty? You're going to different coffee shops (so you're not loyal). HA! It's cute.



P.S. I really enjoyed my visit, and will definitely return with Josh. Next time, I might come in the evening for a coffee and cookie and Josh can get a beer. Sounds fun! Oh, and sorry my pictures are a bit blurry. I forgot my camera...again. I need to get better about that. The iPhone is handy though! And sorry, the muffin picture has a bit in it -- I was hungry.



P.P.S. On some online research On Intelligentsia, I came across another coffee blogger. Check it out. He's probably more coffee knowledgable than me. Mine are more just for fun than anything. If I keep going though, I'm sure I'll get more knowledgable. Or if I become a Coffee Master...

Seattle Coffee Tour: Victrola

Although I haven't posted to the Coffee Tour in a while, I have actually been drinking coffee. I guess that happens when you work in a coffee shop. Or maybe it's just the grey Seattle weather that forces the coffee habit. Either way, I have a bit of catching up to do on my coffee tour series.

Today Josh and I headed into Capitol Hill where there is a plethora of coffee joints. I had a hard time deciding on which to visit. We ended up at a place that Josh's parents went to with some friends a couple years ago. We have little espresso cups at home actually, so we thought we should give it a try. Not to mention, some great raves on Yelp.

Coffee Shop Name: Victrola Coffee Roasters

Location: 310 E Pike St (between Bellevue Ave & Minor Ave)

The Order: I ordered a sugar free vanilla, 2% latte, and Josh got a mocha.

General Babble: Like I said, we have cups from this place, so we thought we should taste it to be able to speak to the cups that we own. Also, I've heard good talk about this place. They roast their own coffee in shop. When I asked, they roast it during the week and you can see the roasting machine in the back. There are also free cupping (tastings) on Wednesdays. Perhaps something to try someday. The place was quiet and parking easy to find (a plus in downtown). There wasn't a ton of people, so I didn't have to wait hungrily in line.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 3.75 - I know this looks funny with the below ratings, but Josh's mocha wasn't our favorite. The chocolate was different and we couldn't quite pin-point the taste. It could have been made wrong or it's just how it tastes. Perhaps it is the kind of chocolate they use. Who knows. I think he wished he got my drink. However, we liked it enough to go say we'd go back and re-try it though. I enjoyed my latte; it was very smooth and even balanced. I did go back and add some more vanilla (but that's just me liking it on the sweeter side). The food adds some points too. I liked the place very much, I just docked a few for the mocha. I revised visit sometime in the future.

Latte Art: 4 - there wasn't anything brilliant about it. A fun little design like a tree flower. It was the same design in both of our drinks. The color contrast was cool though.

Atmosphere: 4 - The missing point is for hard seats & strange art. However, the plus is for the ease of finding a seat, openness (tall ceilings), quiet and easy to hear each other talk, and it was a nice temperature inside.

Drink Options: 4 - the typical drink options. No current specials or store specials. There was only one sugar free flavor option. Points for doing the drinks they do have well though. The had french press, pour over, and other options too.

Coffee Knowledge: The espresso drinks used a single origin coffee. It was their Ethiopia Nekisse. I think I like cofees from Ehiopia because an old favorite was Ethiopia Sidamo at Starbucks. Just smooth, silky, and slightly sweet. The board menu was pretty descriptive too.

Food: Well, it was Macrina's. Enough said. I love Macrinas. It would have been cool if they made their own and I found some awesomely delicious new muffin or something, but at least it was Macrina. If you're going to purchase the food, that's the best way to go. Macrina's coffee isn't stellar, so at least I can get great coffee with my favorite squash harvest bread (just have to drive further). Josh had a yogurt parfait. He got a day-old discount, which is nice. He said it was alright, but the granola on top got a little too soft. He could imagine it being tasty if it were a tad bit fresher.

Tis the Season

The day after Thanksgiving my Christmas music was playing. The season had finally begun!

Every season I start worrying how fast time is going. I only get to celebrate this season once a year! I must make the most of it. So far I'm doing good, but there is so much more to be done and we're already through the first week of December.

Last week Josh and I got our Christmas tree. It's so tiny and cute. Almost a Charlie Brown tree, but not quiet so barren. And by tiny, I mean we could both carry the tree. Easily. It's perfect for the apartment though.



Josh had this great idea for decorating the tree  - we added fresh baby breath flowers. Apparently his parents have done this for years (and looking back at pictures from last year - he's right, I see it on their tree!). Then I added poinsettias, which is something my family does with our tree. Together it's quite a beautiful, little tree.



As I said at the start of the entry, the Christmas music has begun. Today I opted to add to my Christmas music collection. I need to keep it updated and fun. I bought the Glee Cast Christmas album (here's a song). That was inspired by the Glee show that aired this week. It was themed after the Grinch with Sue as the Grinch. HA! Then I bought Owl City's Peppermint Winter. (Did you know Owl City if from Seattle?). I took all these songs and burned a CD for my car. I added some Straight No Chaser songs too since they are my favorite. If you don't know them, listen to the 12 Days of Christmas song they have - it's awesome.

I've also made huge progress with Christmas shopping. I'm *almost* done. Just a few odds and ends for stockings stuffers. I might help my parents with stocking stuffers too - they ask for help each year, haha. Here's a pictures of Josh and I shopping downtown:



We've also decorated our little home. Their are Christmas lights over the door and a wreath. I put out the Christmas decorations too. I cut out some snowflakes and taped them up. It's looking very festive in here.



There is still much to be done though. I need to watch more Christmas movies. I've only watched the Muppets Christmas Carol so far. So many to watch! I should just plop on the couch for a day and do a Christmas movie marathon. That'd be sweet. If only there were time to do so. Josh will be out of town for work, so perhaps I'll fill time with movie watching.

Not to mention, I need to get into the kitchen for cookie baking. I do like to get a bit closer to Christmas though because the cookies are best fresh on Christmas. However, who says we can't just enjoy them all month? That's a self appointed rule I made up though. It's fun to have all the cookies on display on Christmas day. Just something special about it. I will make pepparkakor and biscotti soon though because they last a while. Plus pepparkakor takes a long time to put together. They're like sugar cookies. Rolling and cutting, and rolling and cutting, and baking and cooling. Repeat and repeat. Delicious though!

The season celebration is not limited to home either. Our store has decorated too. Starbucks is great at Christmas time. The drinks, the merchandise, the music - it's great. As a barista though, it's busy. We've had parades, tree lightings, Santa across the street, and caroling contests all outside our front door. We've also made stockings with our names (using puff paint at our last store meeting) and hung them over our fireplace with care.



Oh my, the season is here!

All I Want For Christmas

Today I witnessed a Christmas miracle. It was early in the season, but wonderful. As I went to downtown Queen Anne this afternoon to get some odds and ends at Bartell Drugs, Josh noticed some balloons near the sidewalk where i knew the building of a frozen yogurt store was being built. Could it be? Is it true? Is the frozen yogurt store open?

Yes, indeed! Frozen yogurt is now just 5 minutes from home! I'm thrilled. I'm estatic! Now Seattle is complete. And I'm lucky that the one store they decided to built is in the part of town right near home.

The store is called Menchies. I first tasted it in Federal Way, which is just south of the SeaTac airport. Apparently this chain is growing fast because my sister mentioned one opened near her a couple months ago. Feed the masses sweet froyo.

To the important stuff, my first taste of frozen yogurt in months. It was superb. I had so many choices - there are about 5 machines (=10 flavors). I picked two all time favorites: cookies and cream & pumpkin. I guess I'll have to going back to try the others.

Come visit and I'll take you to Menchies.

The Return of the Turkey

PART 1: Gooble Gooble Goodness


Since I was sick the days leading up to Thanksgiving, and the fact I had to work a long shift the next day, Josh and I opted to go out for Thanksgiving dinner. Not to mention, we received a gift certificate to help fund the restaurant experience as well (thanks - you know who you are!). Luckily, the snow and ice had mostly melted and we could venture out of the hose at last and drive downtown. And aren't we glad we did...dinner was delicious. The turkey so moist; probably some of the moistest I've ever eaten. The sides were scrumptious and plentiful. All and all, it was a fabulous night. The best part of it all...no dishes or clean-up involved!

We ate at a Tom Douglas restaurant called Lolas (side note: Tom is a famous Seattle chef). Here's the Thanksgiving menu:

• Free range Washington turkey


• Caramelized onion-thyme gravy


• Liam's Thanksgiving stuffing


• Creamy fennel mashed potatoes


• Brussels sprouts, pearl onion, bacon


• Yams, metaxa, hazelnuts


• Cranberries, orange, apple


• Dahlia bakery pumpkin pie, whipped cream

PART 2: The Turkey Strikes Back


But the above was not it. Oh no. After eating Thanksgiving dinner, Josh and I began to crave more turkey. No turkey leftovers. Ahhh. We did have leftover sides though. I asked Josh to pick up some pre-cooked turkey at Wholefoods so we could enjoy the leftovers. However, when I returned home from my 10 hour shift on Black Friday, Josh had a bone-in turkey breast cooking away in the oven. Hurray for turkey. He also bought us some spiced autumn cake from Macrina. It was like Thanksgiving all over again.

Now, we have leftover turkey but no leftover sides. Make more sides? Just kidding. It's turkey soup time. Oh yea!

Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I am so very thankful for all of my friend, family, and the country I live in. So much to be thankful for...I'm truly blessed!

Josh and I are staying in Seattle for Thanksgiving this year. I have to work a big Black Friday shift tomorrow - 10 hours. Probably one of our biggest days of the year at the store. Across the street is Santa. In the morning is a parade. And in the evening, the lighting of the Christmas tree. Since I've been sick, we're not cooking. We're going out to a lovely Seattle restaurant called Lola's (thanks to a gift certificate we received!).

Let's check out the History Channel's Thanksgiving story:



Now, on a lighter note (well, perhaps not lighter if you see what they are actually making) another video on birds:

Now Extreme Winterland

At first everything seemed so beautiful and snowy, but then reality hit. The stress of commuting in the snow in a city full of hills and ice. Josh had the first taste of all this on Monday.

After my post on Monday and a safe return home from my store downtown, Josh took off to help get a friend to the airport. They left at 3:30pm on Monday. After they left, the winds picked up, the snow came down harder, and it got c-r-a-z-y. I kept looking out the window to see him walking up the path, but he never came. Around 5pm I got a text message, "still on the 99." I thought, "whew, he must be on his way home now." Oh how wrong was I! I got a call later and they were only just arriving at the airport -- it was 7:30pm. What?!?

Once they got to the airport, his friend had missed his flight. The airport was doing okay, except one cargo place skidded off the runway. Otherwise it was functioning; just a bit slow. They decided to grab food at the airport and head home. The ride home was a long one. They left around 9pm and trudged through the 5 freeway. At one point, they were stopped in one place for hours and only moved a few yards. Along they way, they had to deal with maneuvering around cars (out of gas or parked), buses, and semis. They even had to get the car pushed out of ice. The return time home...2:30am! That's eleven hours round trip. Side note to make that sound more dramatic: Generally the airport is only 30 minutes away. Needless to say, Josh was tired the next day.

Then I had my experience with commuting in the snow. I had to get to work at 7am on Tuesday. 7am sounds fine until you factor in such things as: freezing temperatures, icy roads (can't drive from our home right now), buses either delayed, on snow routes, or canceled. I called in to the store before heading out. They needed me there. My co-worker had walked 2 miles in the snow to open the store and we were getting customers. Apparently all those people on foot in the city needed warm coffee and tea.

I layered up -- ear muffs, scarf, jacket, gloves, snow boots, and hat. I stomped down the icy and snowy stairs to the level area where I could catch a bus. I waited for my bus, and then when it arrived I got the last seat in the bus. The next stop, more folks crowed in and filled the bus to capacity. The bus had to turn down all other bus-goers along the route. Poor people in the cold trying to get to work. I finally got to the store, only 15 minutes late. Woohoo.

As for today, I had the schedule switched because I was supposed to open the store.  A bit difficult when you have to factor in such things  as: no bus (it doesn't run early enough to get me to the store to open), no walking (too far), and unable to drive (we're on a hill with a layer of ice on the road). At least I have time today to rest and recover from the cold I have right now.

All in all...Seattle is crazy in the snow. Temperatures remain at freezing but it's except to warm up and rain by Thursday and Friday.

Check this out (keep watching - a bus (see 3 min 15 sec mark), fire truck, and numerous cars involved:

Seattle Wonderland

It's snowing! And it's sticking to the ground! I often get asked if it snows here by friends and family now that I live in Seattle. Before my answer was all speculation, but now I can officially say that, "yes, it does snow."

As I sit here typing this entry, I can look up and out the window to see...white. It's coming down pretty hard, with blustery wind. Brrr!!!!

However, I did have to venture out into the winter wonderland to get home from work. The buses were running on snow routes (less hills, etc), and a whole lot slower (some with chains apparently). I lucked out though. As I arrived to my stop 15 minutes late, my bus was helping a wheelchair person. Since it was delayed, I made it...Hallelujah! I didn't have to wait in the snow. I had my extra hot Chai and hopped on the bus. Then I stomped up the stairs to home sweet home.

It's the talk at my Starbucks right now. People telling me about waiting for the bus and then it never arrived, all the traffic, or late for work. Crazy, I now live in a city that snows.

Alright, enough about snow. Let's get to some pictures.



I think I'll need to invest in a scrapper for the windows...



Our home with the snow on the roof and trees.



Brr, get the photo...quick.

Seattle Coffee Tour: Vivace

Note: Be sure to read the series introduction first.

To start off this series, I'll be writing about my recent visit to Vivance. Josh and I headed to the up-and-coming South Lake Union area around mid-morning on a brisk day; definitely a day for a warm coffee.

Of course I read up a bit on the place beforehand. I learned that there white velvet and cafe nico drinks were favorites. Also, that it started as a sidewalk, walk-up window type place, which has now expanded to include some larger shops. Oh, and apparently this place is known for it's latte art because there are t-shirts and logos with the rosetta design when you walk in the door.

Coffee Shop Name: Espresso Vivace Roasteria or Espresso Vivace Sidewalk Bar

Location: 227 Yale Avenue, Seattle, WA

The Order: Josh ordered the white velvet, which happens to be a white mocha. I ordered a mocha.

General Babble: We received some beautiful coffees to enjoy. They both had the lovely rosetta design. The coffee was smooth and sweet; we could hardly taste it in our drinks. Hardly being the key word though because it still had that espresso that balanced out the sweetness. For some descriptive words, try creamy, cocoa, and nutty (or perhaps that's the mocha part of the drink).

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4.5

Latte Art: 4 - they could have done something more than just a rosetta

Atmosphere: 4

Drink Options: 4 - I wish they had more sugar-free syrups

Coffee Knowledge: They use Northern Italian inspired espresso blends.

Food: Sorry, we had breakfast at home that morning and really didn't feel like food. They did seem to serve a few Macrina items though and that makes me happy.

Introducing: Seattle Coffee Tour

Congratulations, you are now participating in a series I will be running on coffee shops. I will be touring Seattle to taste coffee all around town - shops big and small, corporate and local. Then you'll get to hear all about the experience with a personal review by yours truly.

This won't be a true coffee tasting where you pull out the french press then sniff, slurp, describe, and share. Rather, a tasting of lattes, mochas, and such. The fru-fru drinks.

Also, you'll hear about the fun latte art that you see on the foam. It's not a serious review, but a fun tour with yummy coffee. And the review might be swayed since my faithful coffee commando confidant, Josh, will be joining me on the tour.

Here's how it will work:

• Blog Category: There will be a category on my blog called "Coffee Tour." You'll find this in the top navigation bar. All my posts about the tour will be associated with this category.


• Coffee Shop Name: You probably want to know the shop's name.


• Location: Just in case you want to head there yourself.


• The Order: What did Josh and I actually purchase?


• General Babble: I will most likely give you some random thoughts on the experience. Perhaps some information or other random thoughts.


• Ratings: I will be rating each shop in several areas on a scale of 1 to 5. With 5 being the "I've died and gone to heaven" best and 1 being "wow, ick, get this out of my face." The categories include:
  
  
  
  • Overall Visit
  
  
  • Latte Art
  
  
  • Atmosphere
  
  
  • Drink Options
  
  
  
  


• Coffee Knowledge: I'll try to find out about their roasting and beans and share this with you. This is more official coffee stuff than the rest of the review.


• Food: Coffee pairs great with food. If I have something there, I'll be sure to let you know about it.

I'll try to organize the entry starting with a general description of our visit, then I'll do some bullet points in the sequence I have above. Not to mention, there will be pictures at the end (and maybe in the middle on some occasions)!

Lastly, below is some information to educate yourself. This is so you know what the heck I'm talking about:

• Region - Coffee beans come from all over the world. Such regions include: Latin America, Africa / Arabia, Asia / Pacific, Multi-Region blends, and dark roasts. As a heads-up, most lattes and such drinks are made using dark roasts and more specially espresso roast.


• Espresso - a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Definition from Wikipedia.


• Pairing - This is when you match food to the coffee you are drinking. It works best with french press that is not dressed up.


• Crema -


• Dressed up (aka Fru Fru) - I believe this is a Heather term only. It is when you add sweeteners, milk, chocolate, anything really, to your coffee. This is how I like it best.


• Latte Art (aka Coffee Art or Foam Art) - These are patterns made in the foam that tops espresso drinks made by your barista. There are stencils out there, but the true art is done by those barista free hand. It's in the wrist I hear (and the proper equipment, which I personally don't have...boo).


• Rosetta - This is a common pattern used in latte art. It's almost like a flower.


• Coffee Geek - Got you. I've never really looked at this site until I was trying to find stuff to educate you with...read up my friends.


• How To - This will show you the steps to making latte art it at home. Beware: you have to have the right equipment for this stuff.


• Glossary (for all those times when you just don't know what to say about your coffee) - Cocoa, nutty, caramel, fruity, buttery, spicy, citrus, smooth, earthy, floral, body, bright, complex, clean, exotic, balanced, intense, smoky, and oh so much more.

Cheers!

And the Sky is Grey

Listen to this song to help set the scene for this post. All the Leaves are brown here (actually, brown and on the ground) and our skies are grey. I don't really go for walks on cold days. And yes, I do think it's warmer in CA, but I'll be down for the holidays. Okay, I'll stop that now. Read on please, don't let this first part deter you.



Yes, it's cold here now. Not freezing, but cold. The fall is come and gone, and now we are starting winter. The talk about town is how this is going to be a cold winter here in Seattle. And let me tell you, I get to talk to lots of people at Starbucks. Everyone is excited and nervous. Our store is talking about snow back-up plans. Oh my! Snow in Seattle my first year here.

Don't believe me? Here's some proof: The weather guy says he is "...predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow will be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes. That will put cities like Portland and Seattle that escaped with a very nice winter last year, colder and snowier this year." (Source link)

Apparently, when it snows here the city closes down. Seattleites just don't know what to do! The hills get frozen and driving is practically impossible without sliding. Josh and I will be trapped on Queen Anne! I better start a safety kit or something.

I started preparing with some cold weather wear. Example #1: A new hat.



I'm also wearing my warm, fluffy vests (see picture), scarves, boots, and gloves. I also got Smartwool socks. I think I'll consider some ear muffs and umbrella.

Okay, getting under the blanket on the couch now. Stay warm this winter my friends!

P.S. A new coffee series will be starting soon.

Taking Care of Business

Josh will be taking care of business soon because I have some excellent news...Josh is employed! Woohoo! Yippee!

"Details, Heather, give me details," you say. "The details, huh? Well, alright."

Josh graduated from law school back in May of this year. You may think graduation is the end of the road, but oh no. There is still months of studying and testing. He studied long and hard through the summer for the big, evil law exam that took place at the end of July. Then there was...dun dun dun...the question: law or not law. Josh decided somewhere in between. Hence, the beginning of the job search.

As many of you may know, search for a job is like a job in itself. It takes a lot of effort and time. Resumes, cover letters, emails, web searches, networking, and that's just part of it. Josh has been working is rear off the past few months. Going back and forth mainly with Deloitte and similar firms on jobs close to law but not. For instance, words like security, privacy, contracts, and compliance pop up. Luckily, Josh had some friends and connections in the industry that were a huge help in getting a step in ("the door"). And he got there --  all the way in the door, past the entrance, and into the house.

This past week he got two offers. A blessing for sure! But a very tough decision too. Both great offers, both positions something he'd enjoy, and both generous. After a lot of thinking, pondering, talking, and more thinking, Josh made a decision. He's going back to Uncle D. Back into the Deloitte family.



What's the position? He's going to be a Senior Consultant working on reviewing contracts and some other stuff (ask him, he'll give you the details). The first year or so, there will be travel. Sigh. However, the travel may be fun...Bay Area (visiting time!), SoCal (home!), and Portland (old stomping grounds!).

When does it all start? The first day is after Thanksgiving on November 29th. First, however, we must celebrate with cupcakes (from Trophy Cupcake):



And now the work begins...

Chuckles

It's too funny. It's hilarious. Laugh.

• Fiddler on the Roof - This is a wedding one that's pretty awesome. Sing along if you're a Fiddler fan like me. Yes, I went through a stage in my youth when I was a bit obsessed with the music from FOTR. If I were a rich man, yada yada yada...and so on.


• Auto Correct - All of you text messengers will know this stuff. Pretty dang hilarious.


• The Oatmeal - Just a funny site. For starters, check out cobwebs, email meanings, and phone calls.


• What? - Okay, only those that watch Mad Men, a new t.v. series favorite of mine, will get this YouTube collage.


• Dog Tricks - I love this band; they do such great videos. By the way, it's Ok Go. Now, remember the This Too Shall Pass music video.


• Charlie, the Unicorn - Sort of bizarre, and sometimes I think "why is this funny?" But it's interesting if not freaking crazy hilarious. Actually, just plain weird, but you'll find yourself saying, "Charlie" in a weird high pitched voice.

Fall Back

Did I remind you of the time change? It's happening tonight. Another hour of sleep - hurray! This is especially good news considering I open tomorrow. Another hurray!

Time change is among the top indicators that fall has arrived. Besides the changing colors, the gourds, rain, and cool weather, etc.

Let me tell you about some of my fall indicators:

Orange, Red, Brown, Yellow - these are the fall colors. Auburn and burnt sienna are some of the colors Josh said when I just asked him (not being specific at all - wink wink). It's so beautiful to drive along and see the colorful leaves. The past two falls in the Pacific Northwest have been a great experience.



Fall means pumpkins, spices, fruits, and veggies. Yum. For instance, I had a tasty caramel apple from the Ballard Farmers Market stand JonBoy Caramels. Then there is the newly discovered Essential Bread Company and have enjoyed fall breads. The Perrin bread has fresh pear, figs, and hazelnuts. It screams fall. Or the sweet potato pecan bread. Quite delicious as toast.



Pumpkin. Time. Oh pumpkin, how I love thee. There isn't lots of frozen yogurt here, but there is gelato. I had some pumpkin gelato. It was heavenly. Those of you in frozen yogurt lands, please consider this (click here) frozen yogurt review. Also, I found a review about Jell-o pumpkin pudding. I had to try it. I found it in the seasonal portion at the front of Safeway. As the pumpkin mousse it was quite good with some graham cracker on top.



As for weather, well, this is Seattle. Enough said. No really, we actually had some beautiful days. For a while there was only rain every other day. The other days were slightly cool, clear, fall days.

This evening I made some delicious molasses crinkles. I've also made pumpkin muffins, pork with sauteed apples, mashed sweet potatoes, and some other tasty dishes. Josh approved.

Have I inspired you to enjoy fall? I love fall. Enjoy it!



Above is our pumpkin on our door step!

The Visitors

Doesn't that title sound like a book? But it's not. Or maybe it is and I don't even know it. Well, either way, it's the blog title for the post about my parents visit to Seattle.

My parents have been to Seattle before, but it's been just about 20 years. We had a family vacation up here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest when I was about 8 years old (ok, do the math and you'll figure out my age). My dad had a Burger King convention in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We made a trip out of it in typical O'Neill fashion. We went to Mount Saint Helen's, Olympic National Forest, Seattle, and a brief stop in Spokane. I remember loving Seattle even though we only had about a day and a half here. My parents didn't have quiet the same memories; not bad, but just not the best.

With that little story, I was determined to make this trip the best visit for them. Some of the plans were out of my control and I had to pray -- primarily about the weather. The rest I could control and plan in advance. Here is a sample of my game plan:



The weather turned out well for the most part. We had to be slightly flexible on Saturday since we encountered some heavy rain and the fact that our plans took us near the university when there was a big U of W football game. However, we managed to stick to Friday's plans to a tee. Want to hear more? Well, ask no longer. Here's some of the activities and restaurants we enjoyed this weekend:

Activities

• Julep:  Let's start with some background on this topic first. A Seattle friend shared Groupon with me, which is a daily email coupon from somewhere or something in Seattle. A few weeks ago a groupon came up that was a facial and pedi combo at a palor just a few blocks from my store. It was a great deal, so I bought two combos - one for me and one for mom. I was very excited to say the least, so the very first thing we did was get our pedi and facials. That would be mom and I, not the guys. It was quite fabulous. I just may have to return. Our faces were so soft. It was nice.


• Columbia Tower: You might remember this activity from Irene's visit. Josh took my dad up the tower while my mom and I got our nails done. It turned out to be a gorgeous fall day, so they could really see the city (no rain = visibility). I didn't hear full reports back, but I'm sure my dad and Josh talked about where different things were in the distance.


• Pike Place Market: This is a Seattle must for all visitors. It wasn't crazy crowded since the tourist season is over. We did get to see all the pretty flowers and fruits. My dad, in typical John O'Neill style, stopped to look at the meats and cheese very carefully (those of you who have taken a trip with him should know this one). Basically, we had a nice walk through the market. We bought some honey crisp apples since we were lured in by the free apple tasting. How could we resist? The only thing I wanted was find this blueberry guy (he has a commercial even!), but there was some construction going on and apparently he was on vacay. Lucky duck.


• Kerry Park: Of course, we had to make a stop at our favorite Seattle downtown view. It was gorgeous as always. Think Grey's Anatomy. If you've been to my Flickr site, you've seen this site many times already.


• Museum of Flight: Wow, this is a cool museum. I was hooked when we I found the stories about some folks that received the Metal of Honor. We also got to tour an older Air Force One and the British Airways Concorde. Also, there were parts about WWI and WWII, Nasa and Space, and much more. We got to get inside some pilot seats too. I think my dad was in heaven. Everyone had a swell time.


• Bellevue: Originally we were going to head to University Village, an outdoor mall that was like the Forum in Encinitas but bigger. However, with heavy rain and the football game happening, we opted to go to Bellevue instead. Bellevue has a nice indoor mall and just a general pleasant area with good restaurants. We spent our Saturday afternoon roaming the stores and my mom on the Christmas hunt already.


• Ballard Farmer's Market: You've seen this one enough on my blog already to know that this is something Josh and I enjoy. We enjoy it so much we decided to spread the love to my parents. My dad, again, was very interested in the foods and local merchants. It was Halloween, so when I saw the caramel apples, I had to partake...it was good.


• Retail Core: This is the part of downtown Seattle that houses all the retail stores - Gap, Banana Republic, Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers, and all that good stuff. I didn't get to spend this part of the parent tour since I had to close on Sunday evening, but it was a nice closing to the Seattle weekend for my parents.

Restaurants

• Macrina: This is one of my favorite places to get bakery goods. I knew that if I liked it, my parents would probably like it as well. I mean, muffins, cookies, and scones...oh my! And Macrina did not disappoint. My mom declared it was her favorite bakery place. She love, love, loved the fruit coffeecake. My dad mentioned the scones were crunchy, but soft on the inside. Well done Macrina!


• Fresh Bistro: This is our newest restaurant find. It's in West Seattle. Every time we get stuck in this construction and it takes several tries before we get across to the other side of the water. It's been worth it though. Tasty lunch option. You might hear more about this place soon.


• Palace Kitchen: This was the big dinner out in the town. It's a Tom Douglas restaurant, a famous Seattle chef. You may have seen his spice rubs around your markets. The menus changes often, but the chicken is always on the menu. I had it and now I know why. How do they get it so moist?


• Essential Bread Co: This competes with Macrina for breakfast and bakery options. My dad said it was 50/50 between Macrina and Essential. Tough life here in Seattle.


• Purple Cafe: We ate here before moving to Seattle. It's a nice restaurant and wine bar. There are four of them throughout the Seattle area. This time we went to Bellevue. It has a "bit of this, and a bit of that" lunch combo which is awesome.


• Anita's: Crepes. Need I say more? Oh, dessert crepes. Delish.


• Volterra: Josh and I have walked by this place since our arrival and have been waiting for a chance to try it. I had an acquaintance recommend it, then I saw an article in my Cooking Light magazine, and I checked up and saw good reviews on yelp. Sooo...all signed pointed to try it. And that is what we did for brunch Sunday morning. I had these delicious pancakes. Everyone enjoyed. Yum!

And there you have it. The weekend in activities and food with my parents. The weather "worked with us" since our only rainy day was the one we planned for the museum. Otherwise excellent fall weather with all the colorful leaves. It was great to see my parents and share our new home with them. Hurray for a successful and very nice weekend with my parents.

I love you mom and dad! Thanks for visiting!!