93

The rest of Seattle might be overheating during this unbearable heat wave, but our friends lent us their portable air conditioner and we are doing just fine.

2nd most adventurous dog in the city

Ibex, one of our favorite clothing stores, was holding a "most adventurous dog contest" recently, and I decided that Maggie was pretty adventurous and should have a shot. So, I submitted a picture of her at the top of mailbox peak that I took with Anders and our buddy Shane when we were hiking, and, guess what? She tied for second place! Maggie won me a free pair of Ibex sock (which I LOVE) and she got her picture posted in the store. Ibex asked us to bring her in so they could meet her and I could collect my prize. It was very exciting.

Thanks, Ibex! We are thrilled! Maggie is going to start honing her skills for next year's contest.

Here is the winning photo from our time at Mailbox Peak:

YAY!

let's talk mushrooms

Anders went foraging for the first time this week. He was in search of matsutake, and I have to admit I was a wee bit jealous. Mushroom hunting has been on my adventure to-do list for awhile now, but, alas, I had to work. Anders only found one large matsutake, but he also found some chanterelles and had enough to make a big batch of mushroom rice. However, I think he needs to go back out and bring me along this time. I might have some secret mushroom hunting skills we don't know about. Plus, I have a list I'm trying to work through...

Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Mushroom and Spinach Enchiladas

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

Chanterelle Soup
Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms
Sliced Mushrooms with Mozzarella and Thyme

Also, we are thinking about training Maggie to be a truffle hunting dog.

and more pasta

This seems to be a very pasta heavy week for Anders and I (I blame Italy!), but, really, making homemade pasta sauce really was the only solution to the big bag of heirloom tomatoes that were donated to us and our "we tried to grow our own, but they decided to stay green forever" fund. We used this super easy recipe (but we added basil), and it was so good I licked every bowl, blender and spoon during the clean up. I am not ashamed. 

Before 

 After roasting

Finished product

Finished, finished product

gum wall

I love being a tourist in the city where I live. I've only been here five years, so I feel like there are still so many new things for me to see and do all the time. I had some time to kill tonight at the market, so I went and took some photos of Seattle's famous gum wall. It's pretty much the world's most disgusting tourist attraction, but oddly cool at the same time. It's what makes this city so unique and interesting, and I had a really good time hanging out there and talking to the tourist who were also taking photos. 

freeloaders

When I was growing up my Dad gave me a piece of advice that I carry with me to this day. He said, "Sarah, you never want to own a boat...you want to know people that own a boat." Great advice. So, Anders and I tracked down some friends with a boat and convinced them we were deserving of a ride (to be fair, they were friends first and the boat came later. We just got lucky.) 

Thanks Bryan and Amber! Feel free to call us for rides anytime!

bloglovin'

Are you familiar with Bloglovin' yet? This site seriously upgraded my life. When I first started reading blogs, I would visit each site individually checking for new posts. Usually you don't know when a new post is going to happen, so sometimes I would even check those sites multiple times a day. As my blogroll got bigger and bigger, it would take me forever to visit each site. I finally discovered Bloglovin' which allows you to see all new posts from all the sites you visit in one spot! All you have to do is search by the blog name and then click "follow" to add it to your list. Then, when you log in to Bloglovin', you'll have a list of all new posts along with a preview of what it's about. If you don't want to go to that site and read the blog, simply click "mark as read" and it will disappear. 

Genius site I tell you. Genius.

And if you need some reading inspiration, here is a list of a few of the blogs I visit daily. 

Grab a cup of coffee and waste some time!

Healthy Eating

My New Roots

Green Kitchen Stories

Roost: A Simple Life

101 Cookbooks

Healthful Pursuit

Other Food Blogs (not so healthy but always look amazing)

Smitten Kitchen

Lottie and Doof

The Wednesday Chef

Fashion

Cupcakes and Cashmere

Delightfully Tacky

The Daybook

Kendi Everyday

Lifestyle

Color Me Katie

Rockstar Diaries

A Beautiful Mess

Big Bang Studio

Apron Anxiety

Just for Fun

Suri's Burn Book

i love free food

My friend Dina just started the coolest/sweetest/most inspiring project where she delivers homemade soup to someone every day for 29 days. Anders and I were lucky enough to be the very first recipients, and, boy, were we excited. I mean, when was the last time someone brought food to your doorstep?!?! Um, never! We got to try out the tomato basil soup, and it was deeeeelicious. Read all about her project here.