scenes from a tailgate

Here are a few instagrams from our Seahawks tailgate. This would be before our rookie QB, Russel Wilson, threw two delicious touchdowns in the fourth quarter to bring the Seahawks back from being down 23-10 to win over Tom Brady and the Patriots by one point...but who's counting, really.

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

il corvo

Ever since we got back from Europe, I haven't seen much of my husband. I went home to IL for a while and he was in Tampa for work, and it just seemed as though we kept passing each other in the night. So yesterday, Anders picked me up at work and we went on a little mid-day date to Il Corvo, a place that has been on a radar for awhile now, but we had yet to try.

Il Corvo is a tiny pasta shop hidden in the market. It's open only Tuesday - Friday for lunch only, and it only serves up three pastas a day. The owner, Mike, learned to make pasta in Italy and brought his knowledge back to the states. Every day he chooses seasonal ingredients from the market to make his three dishes, and around 10am he posts the dishes to his website so you know what's available for the day. Since there were only three pastas to choose from, Anders and I decided to try them all! I'm so glad we did. Each one was perfection with simple ingredients that complimented his homemade pasta perfectly. If you live in the area (or if you ever come visit) this place is a MUST.

 Spaghettini with Garlic, Olive Oil and Mama Lil's Pickled Goat Horn Peppers (and because Mike is the nicest guy ever he threw some anchovies on it for me...my favorite!)

Cavatelli with Sunburst Tomatoes, Butter and Fresh Oregano 

 Pappardelle with Salsa Salumi

Clearly we hated it.

around here...

I'm in possession of this super tomato (for a better reference, it's as big as my entire hand including fingers) grown by J. Hall.

I watched football with friends and fed them this delicious Chili Sin Carne.

There were Sunday sun rays. Maggie's ears remind me of this picture that I love (via a Cup of Jo).

New reading material...Maggie's new book and my two favorite magazines.

Have a happy Monday!

chase gets married

It's strange to me that my little brother is married. I mean, not only does that make me feel old, but it's just kind of weird. You're telling me that the little kid I used to pick on for listening to Garth Brooks and who used to wear cowboy hats before it was cool to do so likes a girl? What!

I kid. I kid. I was really happy I was able to get back from Europe in time to be there for his day. He married the nicest and sweetest girl and had one of the best weddings I've ever attended. It was held on our family farm in a barn on our property and the whole thing was decorated by my Mom, who really should start her own event business.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

Is a barn wedding even allowed without a yellow lab in the mix? 

 My nieces and the cutest flower girls of all time

Sorry little bro, apparently your wedding was boring. 

My talented Mama!

report from greece

It's so hard to compare Italy and Greece. They are totally different and unique from each other. I will say that Greece felt a little more relaxing. Maybe because we stayed on the island of Santorini for a whole week or maybe because we had the best.hotel.ever, but whatever the reason, Santorini stole my heart.

We stayed at the Anastasia Princess, which might be my favorite hotel I've ever stayed at. The best thing about it is that it's run by two brothers, Stavros and Lefteris, who treat you like family and bend over backwards to make your stay the best possible. We had such a good time getting to know them. They were great and, at this moment, are probably drinking Frappes, which is a very famous coffee drink in Greece. They loved those things!

 Santorini is big and the easiest (and most fun) way to get around is to rent a quad. We had this baby for two days and cruised all around the island. Anders was like a kid on Christmas. 

Although we stayed on the quiet side of the island in Perissa, we rode quads to the busy capitol of Fira and went shopping, and we had to stop for a drink simply for the view!

In Fira, we found a fish spa. I had tried this once before when I was in Thailand, so I had to make Anders and our friends try it too! You put your feet in these tanks and lots of little fish eat the dead skin off your feet. It tickles like crazy.

There was a lot of amazing food in Santorini, but I became obsessed with the Santa Irini bakery in Perissa. They had this bread baked with tomato paste and spicy pepperoni that I loved. I ate it three times and even made Anders go with me before we left for the airport!

Swimming in Amoudi Bay and watching the sunset in Oia was another highlight. However, be careful of the restaurant  prices in this town. We actually saw a lobster on a menu for 95 euros ($122).

With all the places there are to visit in the world, it's hard to go back to the same places. However, I can definitely see myself returning to this island. Santorini was such a perfect compliment to Italy. I loved it!

report from italy

Well, I finally went back to work today after three weeks off. It's so amazing how long you wait for a trip and then how fast it's over. I definitely could have stayed away longer! I guess the next best thing is to relive it here, so let's start with Italy. Here are some stories from our time there.

Our first stop was the town of Santa Margherita right on the Italian Rivera  One of the best parts of this little town was our hotel! We stayed at the very sweet, family run Villa Anita. They had the cutest place with a pool, amazing breakfast and balconies in every rooms. Our first morning there I laid in bed with our balcony doors open, looked out at palm trees and listened to a nearby church play bells. Heaven!

Santa Margherita is only three miles from the very ritzy Portofino. We borrowed bikes from the hotel (free!) and road the three miles along the coast to this crazy expensive little town. We followed Rick Steves' advice and avoided eating there, but splurged on drinks (four drinks = $80!). 

A model was being photographed in the plaza! She walked with back and forth a million times until they got the perfect shot. Loved her.

Our next stop was the Cinque Terre. We stayed in the town of Vernazza at La Mala. I loved this hotel although, if you go, I would recommend room 26 or 31. The other rooms are very small. However, the rooms are very clean and have a beautiful shared terrace that overlooks the water. This was our favorite hang out spot!

We hiked a lot while we were in the Cinque Terre. On this day, we accidentally took a wrong turn and turned what was supposed to be a 2 mile hike into a 6 mile hike! We ended up hiking through vineyards and tomato fields. We were so happy to finally reach our destination...2.5 hours later.

See that little town? Um...yeah, that was our destination!

Our favorite dinner was at Belforte, which sits on the side of a cliff in a thousand year old building. Order the trofee pasta...it's the best.

Part of the trail is a paved path between the last two towns. They call it the Love Walk and couples leave locks to represent locking their love.

I loved everything about Italy. The wine! The food! The people! It was honestly everything I had pictured in my head and more. I really hope someday I can go back and explore more of the region. Until then, I'll be making lots of pasta at home. Yes, please!