Simply Coffee: Slate Coffee Roasters

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Remember when Josh & I first moved to Seattle, I started my coffee tour? I dropped the ball on keeping that series going. I partially stopped because there are just so many places in Seattle and I couldn't keep up. There is definitely no shortage of coffee houses in Seattle. That's for sure. And all Seattleites have our favorite places, including Josh and I. But we had a recent discovery I wanted to share.

This recent discovery was Slate Coffee Roasters. It's a hidden little gem in Ballard. We stumbled upon it driving around, and decided to stop for a caffeine fix. And ever since it's been Sunday morning routine for breakfast before church. Our spot is right in the window.

Sunday Morning's at Slate

Mind you, this isn't like Starbucks or Tullys where there are flavored syrups and whatnot. Slate's main focus is the coffee - simply coffee. Not many fancy-dancy creations. Their menu is mainly coffee and milk in varying different ways with chocolate if you'd like. And the milk they use is local and organic, so it's fresh. 

Slate is more of a coffee experience than it is grabbing a quick caffeine fix for the go. They take their coffee rather seriously. They are sure to take time on each coffee so it's perfect. My usual is espresso + milk with a Splenda. I have an extreme sweet tooth, but honestly I could probably get away without the Splenda. But heck, I just like that extra bit of sweetness.

Then we enjoy a pastry. On Sundays, they get Tall Grass Bakery goodies. I tend to go for the cinnamon roll or the apple cornmeal muffin. But Josh likes the cream cheese danish. But on other days, they get Fuji delivered, which is also quite delicious.

The other weekend, we missed our Sunday morning visit (due to snow!) so we stopped in the afternoon. I got my usual, but Josh tried the deconstructed coffee. This is espresso, milk, and then espresso + milk. It's was fun to taste each on it's own and then together. We felt like true coffee snobs (snobs in a good way).

Slate's Deconstructed Coffee

And the folks that work at Slate are incredibly knowledgable and super friendly. Chelsea greets us when we come in (I don't know when she's not working, by the way) and knows our order. 

Chelsea, our favorite Barista

So if you find yourself in Seattle and wanting a true coffee experience, please visit Slate. And if my recommendation isn't enough, you'll be happy to hear Slate's been named one of the 20 hottest coffee shops across the US by Eater (props to Slate!). 

Note: This is part of my Local Spotlight Series.

Sweet & Simple Valentines

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Valentine's Day. The day were people talk about how they are single/married, eat chocolate, have way overpriced pre-fix dinners, try cooking fancy-dancy meals at home, or say how they are boycotting it all and watching TV alone. Yada yada yada. But I do think it's nice to have a day to really stop and be thankful for all the loved ones in your life. 

Josh and I made a pact not to give each other anything for Valentines Day. Of course, we broke it. I snuck a card in his laptop so when he opened the top a card was waiting. He had flowers delivered to my office.

I secretly love getting flowers delivered to my office. It really make for a lovely surprise and everyone oohh and ahhs over them. And you get this pleasant floral smell as you work. (Until said flowers have been at your desk unattended for too many days and begin to rot at the stem. Then it takes you a day to figure out what the horrendous smell is at your desk. Not that this has happened to me or anything, cough cough).

Flowers delivered to my Office

For dinner, we kept it simple and went to Thai food. Then went to a Hazelwood for a cocktail together and finished it all up with some gelato. Nice and simple, and better yet, didn't break the bank.

Cocktails at Hazelwood

We finished it all up with an episode of Sherlock (love this series!). 

So, how was your Valentine's Day?

Olympics in the Movies

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When I was a kid, I felt like there was a lot more hoopla about the Olympics. Oh sure, people still talk about it and the Today Show is giving me updates, but I really felt more Olympic spirit as a kid. Have things changed? Or have I changed? 

In the mornings, while I eat my bowl of cereal, I watch the Today Show. This has been my main "news" feed on the Olympics. So when I came home the other day, I turned on the TV, and low and behold there was the Olympics. It was like the Olympics was telling me to watch since the same channel I watch in the morning plays the Olympics at night. So I left them on, just to see. They were showing speed skating...and it was at moment that I remembered that little kid Olympic spirit. That was the night the Dutch took all the metals for men's speed skating, which is cool because I have a Dutch friend. But even cooler was that it was twin brothers that won.  

From that night one, I've been watching it a little bit each night. I saw some figure skating, halfpipe, and ski jumping. I was bummed about Shaun White. But anyways...to get to what I really wanted to talk about: Olympics in the movies. There are some great movies about the Olympics. I say go Olympic crazy. Watch the Olympics and then watch a movie about the Olympics. Totally crazy.

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The Cutting Edge

Have you seen this movie? Please say yes. I grew up watching this movie. My sister and I love to quote it. You gotta love Doug and Kate. Here's some favorite quotes:

  • Toe Pick!
  • If it was forty below and that button meant the difference between a long satisfying life and a cold horrible death from hypothermia, I still wouldn't give you the satisfaction!
  • What difference does it make? The difference is...I'm in the mood to kick a little ass.
  • I- I b- I been doin' a little- I been doin' a little figure skating....(chime in old man) Finger painting?

I think I need to watch this again now. Oh, and I also own the soundtrack. 

Cool Runnings 

Now, I know you've seen this one. I mean, who hasn't? I say, "Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!" Yes, a Jamaican bobsled team. This is a good old family favorite - it's got everything...laughs, soul, encouragement. Not to mention John Candy. 

Miracle

This is more recent movie compared to the ones above. I've actually only seen this once or twice, but it's a genuine, feel-good, Olympic movie. Oh and totally inspiring. Isn't that a given with an Olympic movie? And it's also a true story. Gotta love true stories. Now, if I only knew the rules of hockey. 

Chariots of Fire

I saw this a long-long-long time ago. I think my sister was watching it, so I just started watching it, too. I probably should watch it again. I remember a lots of running and the song (you know, THE song). But, most importantly, I do remember liking it. So there's that.

I think those are the best of the Olympic movies. Here's another, longer list of Olympic movies (and yes, I have seen National Velvet), but I can't vouch for them - especially not Blades of Glory. Hmm. Or, you can check out this list as well. But seriously, with the above, I've got you covered.

P.S. There are some sequels...don't do it.

The 12th Man Stands in Victory

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Seattle is on fire (figuratively)! If you were here, it would be hard to miss how excited we all are for the Seahawks. We've just freakin' won the Superbowl!

For the past weeks (or months, really), people have been decked out in their Seahawks gear everywhere. Not only are the people dressed up, but the buildings as well. The Space Needle has the 12th Man flag flying on top and with blue and green lights shining. And all the buildings are putting up signs and lights. The Ferris Wheel was light up. Heck, there is even music. There are some songs that have been twisted up - like What Does a Hawk Say? or Sweet Home Field Advantage.

Honestly, I'm not an avid football fan. Only recently did I really catch the spirit - it was impossible not to! Here are a few things I've learned about the team:

  • 12th Man - This is EVERYWHERE...signs, flags, jerseys, etc. So, the 12th man...who is that? Well, there are 11 players on the field, and the 12th player is the fan. And man, are we big fans. Seattle Seahawks fans are loud and we're proud of it.  
  • Legion of Boom (L.O.B.) - Seahawks are known for there awesome defense. The legion of boom is the Seahawks' defense style. I really don't know much more, but I how I think of it, is when the other team's player tries to break through Seahawk's defense...BOOM, they are stopped. You know what they say, the best offense is the best defense.
  • Richard Sherman - He's one of the Seahawks players. There has been a lot of press about him because he it quite the talker. After the play-off game against the 49'ers, Sherman had an interview that everyone is talking about. It's all the talk...I just think he was super pumped on adrenaline and excitement.
  • Skittles - Yes, the candy. This is a cute story about Marshawn Lynch. When he was young, every time he scored a touchdown, his mom gave him Skittles. The fans (I mean, 12th Man) caught on and now when he score Skittles are thrown onto the field in celebration. No joke, apparently Seattle is running low on Skittles.
  • Russell Wilson - Our beloved Quarterback. He just seems like such a great guy. In fact, our pastor actually interviewed him. So great!

It's been a lot of fun having a city with a winning team. I don't followed about football or the Super Bowl. But those dang 12th Man fans rub off on you. So, I bought myself a Seahawks t-shirt. With t-shirt on, I felt I could really join in. Like at work, for Blue Friday, I joined in...

(Yes, it may not seem like it, but I have a Seahawk t-shirt on - it's grey but it definitely says Seahawks on it).

Responsys Blue Friday

The Friday before the Super Bowl, we had a big Seahawk party. We had yummy cupcakes. Our office manager even made the Seahawk logo out of beads. Crazy!

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We went to our friends house, the Maben's, for a couple games. We made our blue & green cupcakes (the kids helped decorate a few). 

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For the Super Bowl, we also celebrated with the Mabens. We had tasty football nibbles - chili, pulled pork, guac + chips, cheesey bread, and blue & green M&M cookies! 

And the best part of it all: WE WON! We are the World Champions! (oh, I know you thought the Broncos would win, fooled yo!). 

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I'm so proud of my city! I feel like we should all break out in one big cheer...

We've got the spirit

Yes we do, we've got the spirt,

How about you!

Baker's Corner: Pie Perfection

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I have a confession. This may totally surprise you. I haven't always liked pie. You heard me. There was a time where I thought I didn't like pie. The horror! (Caveat: I did like Marie Callendar's Boston Cream pie, but we all know that's more cake than pie).

Luckily, I came to my senses. It happened when we were looking for desserts for our wedding. We liked the idea of pie because you could get many flavors, and it fit with our rustic chic theme. So we tried Shoofly Pie, and my life was forever changed. I like pie. It was an amazing revelation. I'm still somewhat particular, but I'm that way with everything. 

So you probably know, we did have pie at our wedding and it was fantastic. 

Since pie is somewhat new to my life, I hadn't spent much time baking it. I've been a bit intimidated by pie. That hasn't stopped me before, though. Take macarons, for instance. I made a few along the way, and they've been successful. But right before Thanksgiving I invited my friend, Sarah, over and we made the most magnificent pie together.

We certainly took on a challenge with the lattice top, but all the effort was well worth it. It tasted as good as it looks. I wish I had a piece right now! 

Are you looking to take on baking a pie? Let me walk you thought this one. 

#1 - Make the pie crust. The crust needs time in the refrigerator, so while it's chilling, you can make the inside. We used Joy the Baker's pie crust recipe. 

With this pie crust, she has you use a rolling pin to mix the flour and butter. I think this helps make it flaky. Then you separate the dough into two balls, wrap it up, and put it in the fridge. 

#2 - The Filling. We use The Baker Chick's Salted Apple Pie recipe. Basically, you peel and slice up the apples. Then put them in a skillet with other goodies, and cook. It gets all bubbly, gooey and delicious.  

#3 - Bring it all Together. Take out the pie dough and roll it out. You'll need roll out two crusts - one for the bottom crust and one for the pie top. Once you've rolled it out, you need to place this in the pie dish. There is a trick here that Sarah shared. You roll the pie crust onto the rolling pin, and then unwind it over the dish. Easy peasy.  Then dump the apples in.

#4 - Final touches. We took it a step further and made a lattice top. Since neither of us have done this before, we followed Simply Recipes instructions. I used a pizza cutter to make strips. It's a bit hard to explain from here, so just check out the link. Then we folded the edges back over and used a spoon to crimp.

#5 - Put into the oven. We forgot to do this, but sprinkle some sugar on top before putting it in the oven. We remember afterwards. Don't worry, it still tasted delicious.

#6 - Let it rest (if you can wait), and EAT! If you don't let it rest, then it'll ooze all out when you slice it. We didn't have much patience since the whole apartment was filled with baked pie smell. But when I ate it the next day, the slice was perfect. 

Dang, that pie was good. And I'm soooo glad I like pie now. Life is much fuller because of it.

And hats off to the bakers...

Funny Faces & Silly People

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Well, the holidays are over. The last holiday event was last weekend, which was Josh's company office party. It was pretty fun at the Pan Pacific hotel here in Seattle. 

It seems like every good party these days has a photobooth. Who doesn't like a good photobooth? They are so popular right now. It's not a party without some sort of photobooth. And Josh's company didn't disappoint. Here's our fun snaps:

(I think the two bottom ones are my favorite)

But wait! My office party also had a photobooth. I told you, photobooths are popular. For this one, my co-worker James and his wife Sarah joined us. Yes, that's mountains and bears in the background. It's cool. 

Oh, and there is more. How many times do I have to tell you photobooths are popular? For New Year's Eve our friends Mark & Sarah co-hosted a party. They turned an iPad into a photobooth. Now, that's clever. 

We took quite a few photobooth pictures at New Years. Here's some more...

Are you sick of these funny poses and faces yet? I have even more in my back pocket. We did a photobooth back in 2012 at our friend Manuel & Alley's wedding. So, yes, it has been popular for a few years now. 

I sorta love photobooths. 

Exploring Joshua Tree

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Funny that I grew up in San Diego, but never made it to Joshua Tree National Park. It's really not crazy far from my childhood home - maybe a few hours drive. Go figure. But anyway, I finally found myself there over the holidays. It's actually pretty close to Palm Springs, and my in-laws live in Indio. When Josh and I were visiting for Christmas they took us on a day trip to the park. 

One great thing was that it was sunny and warm...in the winter! Getting some Vitamin D is always a good thing. So it already had that going for it as we entered the park. Then, I knew I'd like it when all these funky "trees" started appearing. Not just one, but miles of them. 

Joshua Trees

The reason for the quotations around "tree" is that Joshua trees are not our typical tree. It belongs to the Yucca family. I'm not an expert on these trees, so I'd hate to mis-inform you. If you really are interested in what the heck they are, go to Wikipedia. 

I learned a fun fact from my in-laws as we were driving around the park. The name Joshua Tree comes from the Mormon settlers in the 19th century who were crossing through the dessert. They thought they trees were raising their arms up to the sky to pray like Joshua in the Bible.

Joshua Tree - Up close & personal

Besides Joshua Trees, there are a lot of boulders and rocks at the park. For this reason, there are a lot of rock climbers. There is a climber on practically every large boulder. We did a little rock climbing ourselves. But not with ropes and harnesses - just on large rocks. 

Rock Climbers - one in every picture...

But just sitting on the rocks suited us fine.

Sitting on the rocks at Joshua Tree

We did some small hikes at the park as well. One was to Skull Rock. A very clever name for a rock that looks like a skull.

There was also a view point out into the valley below where you see Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault (yikes!). Luckily, no major earthquakes while we were there (whew). But you can totally see how the land has been pushed up.

It was a great day at the park. Sunny, Beautiful, and good company. Can't beat that!

For more pictures, go to my Winter 2013 album (just scroll down the page to Joshua Tree). 

Christmas Vacation

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Wow, we blew through Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany before I've even told you about my vacation. 2014 is going to be over before I even get to sit down and write to you about the end of 2013! Okay, that's an exaggeration, but really it's crazy how time moves.

But before we move on with 2014, I really do want to tell you about my holidays. They were oh-so-nice.  Similar to past years, Josh and I flew down to SoCal for the holidays since both parents are down there. Yes, I know this is incredibly convenient (and lucky). We did a little switch-a-roo and started at my parents house rather than at the Browns. So that's where we'll start, at my parents house...

The O'Neill's 

We flew down on Saturday. Lucky for me, the cold I had was on the mends by the time we flew down. Better not be sick during the holiday, or for Disneyland! Yea, you heard me, we went to Disneyland! (Comm'on, you have to say it like the commercials).

I love Disneyland during the holidays.They deck the park with everything holiday. They even switch up the Haunted House for the Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of my family doesn't like how they alter the Haunted House, but for me, I think it's fun. They also have the Jingle Cruise instead of the Jungle Cruise. Love it.

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We had the happiest time of our lives - how could you not at the happiest place on Earth?! 

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Disneyland was a great kick-start to the holidays. The rest of the time with my parents was everything holiday. I squeezed in another Christmas cookie, Peppakakor. We did some shopping, wrapping, and saw good friends. 

Christmas Eve we went to a lovely dinner at Vigilucci's and then the candlelight service at my childhood church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church. We sang Christmas songs and celebrated the reason for the season.

Then it was Christmas morning. We were all very good this year because Santa visited us. He came with lots of gifts, so we had to spend the whole morning unwrapping. 

See that red-head in the picture? Meet Olivia. She's part of the family. No really, she is. She's related to our relatives in Germany - so like a second cousin. She's from Rust, Germany and staying with my parents for the year learning English and getting the American High School experience.

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At halftime, eh hem, I mean after the Christmas tree presents, we switched to stockings. My mom takes stockings seriously. You DON'T MESS with stockings, man. Everyone gets the same number of gifts, and you have to open one by one around the room. Let me tell you, these stockings are crazy. The gifts spill out of the sock, and some (like a hula hoop) need to just hang out by the mantel. 

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Also, we got some visitors. My cousin Brennan, Anne, and their little girl, Marina came over. Marina was very much into the gifts, too - especially dropping them. Keely (that's the other daughter, I mean dog) was thrilled for all the people around to pet her - she's just too cute not to pet.

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Around noon, it was time to transition, and we packed the car and headed off to...

The Brown's

The drive takes about 2.5 hours to drive, and you cross over the San Jacinto mountains. We arrived mid-afternoon, just in time for more gifts and a homemade turkey dinner.

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We finished off Christmas with more gifts and a tasty dinner. What a great holiday!

For the rest of our stay with the Browns, we had some fun at Joshua Tree. More about that later. We went to the movies, and just relaxed. It was heavenly. Not to mention the warm weather, iced beverages, and short sleeves. 

I love Christmas - it's the best time of year. And in the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone."

For more pictures, go here!

Checking In - Don't Go!

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Hello Friends,

Well, I guess I shouldn't make my new year's resolution to write more. Ugh! I'm so behind. I have tons to tell you about - Christmas, New Years, Joshua Tree - the list goes on & on. I feel like some of it's getting so late it might not be worth posting anymore. Never. I'll write to you about Christmas 2013 in May if I must. 

I just wanted to jot a quick note to encourage you to keep visiting my blog. I promise to write something soon. My hope is to work on it this weekend. Don't give up on me! 

That said, I don't want this visit to my blog to go to waste. Here's something interesting that I came across. Are you left for right brained? Take this quiz and find out.

Guess what?! I'm left-brained. Not too surprising. 

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That didn't do it for you? What something less brain-y? Well, Jimmy and Justin are pretty hilarious with their hashtags. #checkit #funny 

Or, another video where you can learn True Facts about the Tarsier. Hello freaky! Or maybe you want to hear Morgan Freeman narrate about himself.

That's all I got for now. Time for a shower, read, and off to bed. I'll be back soon!

XO,

Heather

Best of 2013 - Your Favs

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At the end of each year, I always like to sit back and reflect back on the year. What was my favorite moment? What trips did I take? Who did I meet? Favorite songs, books, and movies? I wonder, did I capture it all in my blog? Probably not, but I hope I was able to share most of it. So I took a look at my Google analytics from my blog and thought I'd see what your favorites were from my blog for 2013. Let's take a look:

1. heatherjoyus - [Page views: 1,568] Not surprising that most people just head to my main page. This shows the most recent posts, and you can scroll and check everything out. It's a good place to check in on what I've been doing. I've been trying to make the top image change more often to give it some jazz. The below is one that I had up for a large part of the year. We were in Georgetown (just south of downtown Seattle). 

Heather in Georgetown 

2. A Spot of Tea: Cederberg - [Page Views: 141] This little tea shop popped up in upper Queen Anne this year. I just love it. It's South African roobios tea that's made into delicious drinks. It's made like espresso so they do some magical stuff with it. This was probably popular because the owners posted it on their Facebook page. It's so great to support local businesses, and the owners are so nice. 

Iced Roobios latte & Roobios Fresh from Cederbergs

3. It's Not Pulled Back - [Page Views: 89] Wow, I had no idea you guys were interested in my hair! This year was a big change for me with my hair style. I got it shorter and more red. I'm quite happy with it. 

Heather at Joshua Tree 

4. Christmas Letter 2013 - [Page Views: 81] I was really thinking this would be at least #2. We put the link to the Christmas letter on our Christmas card. If you want to hear about our 2013, check out this post. You should watch the slideshow, too.

5. 2 Year Anniversary - [Page Views: 80] Two of the happiest years being married to my best friend. I know, that was super cheesy, but it's incredibly true! He makes me laugh, we have long conversations, we can have no conversations, we venture around - love this guy.  

Heather & Josh in Victoria (where we had our 2 year anniversary!)

6. Baker's Corner - [Page Views: 63] You also seemed to like this Baker's Corner post as well. Do you like sweets as much as me? I think I need to share more baking goods with you if you like these posts! More yummiest for me, and more eye candy for you. This also helps me work on my food photography skills. It's a win-win for everyone!

Making Macarons

7. Goodbye Home - [Page Views:59] This was a momentous event of the year. My parents moved away from the home where I grew up. I loved the house and it has so many good memories of my childhood, but I think it's a good move for my parents. The memories will still live on. 

Goodbye to my childhood Home

8. 2013 Fall - [Page Views: 56] I moved away from Flickr and started to post my albums on my blog instead. I didn't know you even looked at my photos! This warms my heart. I work hard on my photos. One of my goals in 2013, and again for 2014, is to improve my photography skills. 

Kayaking on Lake Union

9. 2013 Summer - [Page Views: 52] Re-read #8 above. Dang, now I know I need to get Winter 2013 up! 

Parents Visit in the Fall

10. Baker's Corner: Cake Balls & Pops - [Page Views: 48] Of course! Who doesn't love a good cake pop. I have had none believers eat one of these pops, and realize they might have been mistaken. These are the real deal people. Delicious! 

Cake Balls

Thanks for reading my blog in 2013! More to come for 2014. :) Cheers!

Pre-Christmas Look Back

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I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Dang, Christmas came quickly! I barely got everything done. Somehow I managed to get most of the pre-Christmas activities and decorating done. I did miss a few things, but given the short time we accomplished a lot. Let me give you a peek at our Christmas preparations.

Let me share some of what you're seeing in the collage. (Note: My counting starts in top-left and goes across & then down)

  • Buying our Christmas tree (pics 1, 3, 5): We stopped at three lots this year, and we ended up at the same lot as last year. Figures. We got a Douglas fir at about 5 feet tall. We got it all decorated and it just glowed. We always use a little fresh babys breath (Brown family thing) and some good-looking, but fake poinsettias (O'Neill family thing). Then you add ornaments and lights. It's magical. And it's a great scent for the house.
  • Shopping (pic 2): Got to get those gifts! We did some shopping at local shops, Seattle's Urban Craft Uprising, and the Bellevue Square mall (shown). I love seeing the stores all decorated. 
  • Gingerbread Village (pic 3): Every year the Sheraton hosts a Gingerbread village. I heard about it before, but this was our first year going. I imaged it being a large gingerbread house, but it was actually about five gingerbread creations all following a theme. This year's theme was There's a Rhythm and a Reason this Holiday Season. All the gingerbread was in nursery rhymes like London Bridge is Falling Down. The one I have pictured is Hey Diddle Diddle. It was cute, and better yet free.
  • Swanson's Nursery (pic 6): Yep, I saw Dasher! The nursery up in Ballard gets all decked out for the holidays. They have reindeer and a camel. We needed a new tree stand, so we swung by. It was a fun little Christmas visit.
  • Responsys Holiday Party (pic 7): My office holiday party was on 12/19 this year. It was at a trendy place called Fred's Wildlife Refuge. No, it wasn't a zoo or have any animals roaming around - it is just an event space, They did up all cool with a video wall, which basically projected different scenes onto the walls like snow falling & doves. We all had a great time.
  • Snow! (pic 8): It snowed the day before Josh and I headed to SoCal. I totally didn't expect it, but it was there in the morning. It only stuck around until the afternoon, and then melted away. Fun but it totally messes up commutes.
  • Baking (pic 9): Ahh yes, my baking, I can't let Christmas pass without some cookies. I made some gingerbread macarons, chocolate peppermint cake balls, and peppakakor. All I can say is...YUM.

The first picture collage was more activities, and this one is more about decorations. I didn't nearly get as many decorations up as I'd like, but I still got some Christmas spirit in the house.

  • Christmas Card ribbon: I really wanted to hang the Christmas cards on the ribbon horizontally, but our tiny apartment didn't have enough space. So I took it vertical! Then overflow when over to our cabinet thing in our living room. I love getting Christmas cards in the mail and hearing from all our friends and family. 
  • A Christmas Story Lamp: FRAGILE (FRA-GEE_LAY) it must be Italian! // Do you know what this is? This is... A lamp! // This is a major award! // Yes, Josh and I have the “Soft Glow of Electric Sex” in our apartment. Please watch the movie, then you'll understand.
  • Table Centerpiece: I tried to get creative this year. I got some winterberry while at Swanson's Nursery and put it in a vase with babys breath. Then I added some pine cones, a candy cane swirl candy, and my little owl (I just love owls!).
  • Lights around the door: Not pictured! But yes, we got some lights up, too.

That was our pre-Christmas. Christmas is the best time of year! Love it! I hope you had a nice holiday season as well.

Christmas Cookie Challenge

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I really didn't know how I was going to make it happen this year. There was just so little time for Christmas preparations this year. It all happened so fast after Thanksgiving. Usually I have one weekend dedicated to Christmas cookie baking, but this year I had to squeeze it into one day. Ahhh, so many cookies, so little time!!

Of course, crazy me picked two time intensive recipes to make this year - macarons and cake balls. Macarons because I have recently declared them my favorite cookie (why did I pick the most expensive cookie? I seem to always pick the most expensive things). And then cake balls since my co-workers had been begging for them. 

And although I had just one day, I conquered. Here's the baker in action:

Baker  Heather

Chocolate Peppermint Cake Balls

Look at these beauties:

These are not necessarily complicated, but they are time consuming. You might remember the class I took earlier this year. Well, we swore not to share the secrets. However, this recipe isn't too far off if you really want to try it out. The peppermint flavor came from peppermint extract, and then I added some Andres Peppermint pieces inside. Of course a chocolate cake base. Then some red sprinkles and candy cane crumbles. Voila! No joke, my co-worker said these were, "a Christmas miracle!"

Gingerbread Macarons

Now, look at these beauties:

These cookies...well, where to start. It has been a love hate relationship for me. I absolutely love macarons, but they are a pain in the patootie to bake.

Here's something about me: I'm a perfectionist. Surprise! (well, you might have known that already.) These cookies test my perfectionism. The first time I made them after the class I took, they turned out quite well. Then the next time, they all cracked. Although, they still tasted good. This time, yet again, they cracked. I tried a new recipes, a new method, and I was so careful!

It's so sad. I dedicated so much time to them. They were like my little babies, and I spoke to them (oh wait, that's creepy, scratch that). Anyway...moving on...I so desperately wanted them to look like a French bakery. I had it all pictured in my head, and after they were done, I'd wrap them up so cute with ribbons. Not to mention...I am a baker and have a reputation to uphold.

The first batch came out great - they were smooth and pretty. Then the rest where just cracked. I tried so many things. I wanted to throw up my hands and give up. Then I tasted knew they were worth it, even though they weren't perfect.

Oh my goodness, where they good. Here's the recipe inspiration (considering how time consuming they are in the first place, I was not about to make them gingerbread man shaped). Then I followed Annie's step-by-step instructions.

In the end, totally worth it. But it was an emotional roller coaster. At one point, I thought I would never make these cookies again. Then I thought to myself...challenge accepted. Should I try these for New Years?

Peppakakor

Oh yea, one more:

Peppakakor

I lied to you at the start of this post. I said I only had time for two types of cookies, but another Christmas miracle I was able to squeeze in peppakakor. I made it while I was at home with my parents on Christmas Eve. I am so glad I was able to include these cookies in this year's cookie array - they are a tradition! (2009, 2010, 2011). These are a Swedish cookie that taste similar to gingersnap - a thin, delicate ginger type cookie. The tradition is passed down from my Grandma Norma (my Swedish side!). The picture I show is a Swedish Dala horse.

Whew, so glad I got my cookie baking in this year! YUM!

Christmas Letter 2013

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Thats...3.5 years living in Seattle, 2 years of blissful marriage, 10 years being in love, 1.8 years at Responsys, 1.3 years at Logic 20/20, 1 month with a mustache, 8 months with shorter hair

Pretty crazy stuff. 

Let’s just focus on this year shall we? Even though time seemed to go by so quickly, we still managed to have a very fulfilling year. We explored our hometown, ventured to getaway, and enjoyed visits from our parents and friends.  We also had some fun at parks, sporting events, and festivals. Here's a little bit about all these fun things...

SEATTLE, A CULTURED CITY: 

Even after three years, we are still exploring our hometown of Seattle and it’s surrounding areas. There never seems to be a lack of something to do. No doubt about it, we love Seattle and we’re staying put. Some of our top spots included the Chihuly Glass Exhibit, Museum of Glass (in Tacoma), the Conservatory, and Mohai. If you ever want to visit, we know where to take you!

VISITORS:

Speaking of visits, we were lucky to have both sets of parents visit this fall. With the O’Neills we took the ferry over to Bainbridge and enjoyed time in Seattle with some good food, too.

The Browns joined us for Thanksgiving. It was the first time I (Heather) had made Thanksgiving dinner for more than Josh and me. It was a total success -- especially the stuffing and pie. Beyond all the turkey we also took the Browns to the Olympic Peninsula and explored some of the cute towns there.

Another visitor this fall was Josh’s best friend, Kevin. They both attended our church’s Resurgence conference (another item to note for the year: Josh got baptized!). They had a blast spending some time together - it was like they were never apart. It’s great that a friendships can last so long and over the miles.

GETAWAYS:

We love Seattle, but we also love to get out of dodge once and a while. Our big trip this year was across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Any guesses on where that would be? If you guessed Victoria in British Columbia, you were right. There we met up with our good friend from Holland, Irene, and her boyfriend Jochem. We had a grand time seeing friends and checking out our BC neighbor. 

Beyond our international trip, we also took a weekend getaway to Port Ludlow. This serene port on the Olympic Peninsula served as our home base when we hit up some local cideries and also spent the afternoon in Port Townsend. What a way to relax from our busy schedules!

Other awesome day trips: Snohomish and Dungeness Spit Hike

HEATHER'S TRIPS:

I (Heather) took two trips without Josh this year. I learned from this that I just don’t like trips without Josh!  

The first trip was down to Encinitas to visit my parents to say goodbye to my childhood home. Yes, it’s true, my parents moved from the home that I lived in since I was about 8 years old. It was hard to sort through all my stuff (so many My Little Ponies!), and even harder to say goodbye to the house. On the same trip, I joined the family on the MS Walk in Legoland. 

The other trip was to Chicago for my cousin Jeremy’s wedding and to see family. It was great to see my Grandma Ruth. She’s a tough old cookie, and still manages to eat her Hackney’s burger and fries. We also went to the site of my parent’s first date, Ravenna. There we saw Chicago (the band) play in Chicago (the city). 

WORK:

We guess we have to work sometime. Heather has been a Program Manger with Responsys for just about two years now. Not to sound too cliche, the best part of the job is the people. They like each other so much that we’ll even do stuff on the weekends like Wayzgoose. Heather has also traveled down to San Fran for the big Interact Conference her company pulls off each year - quite impressive.

Josh has been a Senior Consultant with Logic a year now. He mainly works on Microsoft projects and ventures out to Redmond often. He has had a wide verity of projects there in a number of their groups and is getting to do what he does best: solve problems.

HAVING FUN:

We’re not all work and no play. There is definitely play. Definitely. Let’s list some of the awesomeness we have done this year:

PARTING NOTE:

It surly has been a great year. We are so blessed to have such loving family, and kind friends. We hope you had a wonderful year. Enjoy this season and have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Cheers! 

Heather & Josh

Cook's Corner: Thanksgiving Feast

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I know, I know, it's already mid-December and I'm only just sharing my Thanksgiving with you now. Is there a 12 days of Thanksgiving? No? Bummer. Well, maybe you can pick up some of these recipes for Christmas. The two dinners are pretty similar (at least, in my family), so there's that at least.

So I bring you Cook's Corner as opposed to Baker's Corner. And this is a special Thanksgiving edition! 

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

I found this while looking on Sunset magazine's website for recipes. I saw the secret ingredient - Earl Grey tea - and knew it must be made. I love the brightness of cranberries, and the punch it gives to your meal. The best part, though, is putting git on a turkey sandwich. We were originally going to skip this one and buy cranberry sauce to save time, but Josh gave the saddest face, so we ended up making it. Glad we did!

Rustic Herb Skillet Stuffing 

[aka Dressing - my parents call stuffing dressing. I'm not sure how I ended up calling it stuffing. Weird] Now here's something about me. I don't like stuffing. But, this stuffing made me change my mind. No joke, it was that good. I picked it because it was mostly made on the stove top, and I knew I wouldn't have much time with the oven given the turkey and all. The other reason was the parmesan. I am a sucker for parm - Josh and I put it on practically everything. Oh, and we used a tasty potato bread from a local bakery, Marcina. So give this one a whirl, you won't be disappointed.  

Mashed Potatoes

This is more of a method than a recipe. I used the video to make these lovely mashed potatoes. They turned out perfect - smooth, creamy, and oh-so-good. I watched the video and then wrote the recipe out, printed it, and then deleted it (sorry). Watch the video though, it'll be great. You could be doing it all wrong!

Roasted Veggies

I wanted to make both sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. Alas there was not enough time. So I cooked both in one! So clever. This was a classic roasted veggie dish, and they were a great side to the meal. I added some brown sugar for the last few minutes of roasting to add some sweetness. 

And I didn't make my own rolls. I wanted to, but there wasn't enough time. Just pop them in the oven and they taste homemade. Guess there is always next year! 

Turkey Breast

The main event: the turkey! Although in my opinion, it should be dessert. Wink wink. For one, I totally need to take the time to brine the bird. Just do it. I use this brine from Allrecipes. Then I used this recipe for the bird itself. I only did a beast - we just don't need the whole bird. This was just enough for the four of us, and it even made leftovers (and we used the carcass for soup - eh carcass, that sounds gross, but the soup is good).

Pumpkin Pie

Now, this is what I'm talking about - dessert! This is the main event, no doubt. I made the pumpkin pie the way I like it - with a gingersnap crush. This pie was perfection. I think it helped that I made my own pumpkin puree. I found that this is actually pretty easy. You know what made this even better, the spiced whipped cream. And Nada & Don bought us a special whipped cream dispenser. I reminded me of my Starbucks days. I know there are fun creations with this ahead. 

The Table

The flowers were a gift from my father-in-law. Isn't he sweet. Without them, the table would have been lacking. This was the wonderful table upon which we ate all the food above. If you go to so much trouble to make the food, let's dress the table up too. The table wants to be part of the party.

The Cooks

Nada and I were the cooks of the feast. I was the chef, and Nada my sous chef. We were great together. 

Top 10: The In-Laws Visit

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Goodness, it's almost Christmas, and I've hardly told you anything about Thanksgiving. I was totally focused on Thanksgiving that I didn't realize how soon Christmas was as well. When Thanksgiving ended Christmas came out of nowhere and smacked me in the face. Snapped to reality. I need to get moving. Now I'm cramming in Christmas - gift hunting, shopping, decorating, music, lights, baking...ahh! 

Deep breath. I feel better now. 

So Thanksgiving. It was really quite nice. My in-laws flew up to celebrate with us. It was the first time I had to organize, prep, and cook a Thanksgiving feast for more than just Josh and me (hence why I was focused on Thanksgiving). It went swimmingly. I'll tell you more about the food later. The more important stuff first: the in-laws visit. 

Here's the top 10 highlights from their visit: 

1. Don's 70th Birthday

We celebrated with dinner with Vince & Jonita (good friends).

Don's 70th Birthday

2. Cooking & Baking with Nada

I was the chef and Nada was my sous chef - we were quite the team.

Nada & Heather cooking the Thanksgiving feast

3. Thanksgiving Feast

More to come on the food. For now you just get to see the table with food. Yum!

The Thanksgiving Table

4. Helix Bridge

I've shared this bridge with you before, but I think it's just too cool. This team it gets bonus points for the fog.

Helix Bridge in the fog

5. Walk in the Fog

The fog while we walked at Myrtle Edwards Park was so cool. I will try to share a post with you soon with more photos. 

Walk at Myrtle Edwards Park in the fog

6. CB Nuts

We drove over to the Olympic Peninsula and came upon CB Nuts. Another awesome, local company. Washington rocks. 

7. Meandering Pike Place Market

Breakfast at Lowells. Coffee at Storyville. Gum wall. And a cool Pike Place Market truck.

Pike Place Market Truck

8. Port Townsend

We also stopped by Port Ludlow. Drove by Port Gamble. Lots of ports.

Adventures in Port Townsend

9. Boats

Don, my father in-law, loves boats. Shh, we trespassed to the boatyard - we're wild & crazy. He made me do it.

Boats at Lake Union

10. Being with family

Great to see the family. Nada seems to bring the sun with her, too. (Thanks for that)

Brown Family

Brown Family

'Stache Status - Final

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November is over so that means Movember is over as well. Which also means Josh finally can shave the 'stache and grow back the beard. - hurrah! But...I bet you're wondering how the final 'stache is lookin'. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the 'stache, I have to say Josh did pretty good. 

I'm not sure what he co-workers were thinking about not voting him the best moustache. The Josh 'stache has style. But the best thing is that he raised some awareness. And so did my work team, 'Stache of the Titans - we raised $380 buckaroos! 

Goodbye Movember. Hello Beard again. 

(and no more blog 'stache updates. happy? sad? maybe again next November, maybe.)

Thankful on Thanksgiving

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You know what I'm thankful for...Thanksgiving. It's frustrating how lots of retailers just skip right over Thanksgiving. But Thanksgiving should not be skipped over. It's a time to remember what's important in life - family and friends (and food, you need it for survival, duh). It's a day to step back and put things in perceptive and remember these important things in your life.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to share some of the things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving.

1. A Loving Husband & Happy Marriage

2. Family - Parents, Sister, & In-Laws - that are always there for you

3. Friends that make you Laugh

4. A Beautiful City

5. Good Job with Fun Co-workers

This list could go on and on, but I need to get back in the kitchen to continue the Thanksgiving feast. My in-laws are in town, and we're planning a awesome dinner. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo, Heather

Baker's Corner

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It is about time I wrote to you about some baking. I kept it low key during the summer. Dudes, the kitchen in the summer is just ridiculous. Have I told you that we don't have air conditioning? Then add a 350-400 degree oven to the warm weather. I'm just not doing it; I melt. I did make some cold desserts though (more to come on that). Let's talk baking and treats!

Doesn't that all look so scrumptious? Want me to say something to make you jealous? Well, I got to eat every single thing you're seeing in that picture. Oh yea baby!

Top-Left corner working down to bottom-right:

  1. Strawberry Shortcake - I loved 'lil Strawberry Shortcake when I was a girl. One of my birthday's was Strawberry Shortcake themed. So I've moved from the cartoon to the actual food. I think the latter is the better choice. This recipe had some balsamic in the strawberries - a nice touch!
  2. Peaches - OMG, I had a whole series of peach photos to share. I was going to share how to peel peaches. This was an August treat. I'll do that sometime; maybe next August.
  3. Watermelon Floats - This was something I made as a refreshing alternative to baking. It sounds odd, but it was really tasty. I also made rhubarb floats. Delicious! 
  4. Blueberry Pie Sundae - I wish it were summer again so I could eat this again. Hey wait, I do eat frozen yogurt & ice cream in the freezing cold. Guess I should go make this and eat it while wearing gloves and snug in blanket. It was super easy, too. If you don't like cold treats in the winter, then be sure to bookmark this one (or pin it).
  5. Homemade Oreos - This was a Josh favorite. Did you know Josh loves Oreos? It's a very typical dessert in our house. It's best with milk. I gave these cookies a whirl, and they were great. I was doubtful of the cream center, but it was totally good. And the cookie was crispy! Now if I can get Josh to stop asking for them all the time. 
  6. Pumpkin Whoopies - If you don't know by now that I love pumpkin then I don't know if we can be friends. I've got my friends trained...they tell me when they discover something pumpkin delicious (or that their baby only likes pumpkin - kid after my own heart). So, I have to make these pumpkin favorites every year. Check out last year.
  7. Macrina Peach Galette - See #2 above. This is the result of the peaches. It's actually from my Macrina cookbook. The closest recipe I can find is here. Macrina is my parent's favorite bakery in Seattle. This thing turned out gigantic. Not probably with that, but it was crazy (and crazy good).
  8. Sky High Muffins - No joke, these muffins really rose. However, I thought they were too dry and bland. I think if you can take the rising trick and apply it to a different recipe, that would be good. This these muffins...these look delicious and scream fall! 
  9. Lemon Crinkles - Lemon in desserts is so refreshing. I love citrus desserts. These were not a disappointment. 

Now it's fall and winter and I'm back in the kitchen some more. Plus, I will be baking more for the holiday season, so I'll be sure to share. I wonder though, will anyone bake me something? Being in the kitchen is tough work. Then again, if you give a baker a cookie, she'll want to bake it herself...

'Stache Status - Week 2

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I know you've all been waiting for another 'stache status! We're heading into week 3 now, so let's do a quick look at the 'stache.

Apparently Josh saw some of his competition in the office today. The same guy that won the office Movember competition last year is looking pretty 'stache-y. Josh might have to rub in some Rogaine next week. 

Unfortunately for me, I have to live with the 'stache four days longer than I'd like...the office Movember party isn't until 12/4. I just keep repeating to myself, "it for a good cause." Speaking of which, here's Josh's Mo Space (unabashedly promoting this thing all month long, folks, deal with it).