volunteer park

Anders and I went on an adventure to Volunteer Park last Sunday. It was the first time either of us had been there, and I have to say it's definitely one of my favorite parks. We caught views of downtown from the lookout tower, took pictures next to the "donut" (that maybe inspired Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun? Possibly?) and took in all the pretty flowers and plants in the conservatory. 

mt. rainier

Guess who decided to show her pretty face last weekend? Most of the time this beauty is hiding and you sort of forget about her, and then, all of a sudden, we get a clear day and BAM she comes out and everyone stops and stares.

Oh and just in case you were wondering, the space needle is orange to celebrate its 50 year anniversary!

draft luck

Remember when my little sister made Anders and I little crossed-stitched people that looked like us? Well, not to be outdone, my older sister made us these super cute little Seahawks themed monsters and penguins! Maybe you are wondering what penguins and monsters have to do with the Seahawks, but they showed up right before the draft tonight, so I’m thinking they are like those old troll dolls. You know, for good luck and all. We’ll probably get awesome draft picks this year all because of my sister.

My family is seriously so crafty. I think my Mom and my sisters should have a contest to see who can send Anders and I the coolest crafts! Ready...GO!

tequila cooler

Earth day isn't just about planting! It's also about drinking cold cocktails while planting. I made Anders and I this refreshing (and deserved) cucumber tequila cooler after a long afternoon of working in the yard and it definitely hit the spot.

Cucumber-Mint Tequila Cooler

slightly adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light

2 cups of chopped English cucumber

1/2 mint leaves

1/3 cup of honey

1/4 cup of cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

Dash of salt

1/2 cup tequila blanco

3/4 cup club soda

Directions:

Combine the first six ingredients in a food processor, pulse until smooth. Pour mixture into bowl, stir in tequila. Chill. Once cold, strain mixture. Stir in club soda. Serve over ice.

Seriously awesome.

earth day

Some people love the Christmas holiday...others love dressing up for Halloween. But me? I look forward to Earth Day every year. It might be a lesser known holiday, but Anders and I knowledge it every year and celebrate by planting something into the Earth. It makes me feel like I'm giving back and, whether there is any truth to it or not, I always feel like it officially marks the end of the cold weather. 

This year we planted apple trees, blueberries, strawberries and flowers in our newly landscaped backyard. Anders and I are SO happy with how it came out and can't wait until our produce starts producing.

Hope you all had a happy Earth Day too!

pineapple and mango salsa

Anders and I are clearly not the first people to come up with a recipe for pineapple salsa, however, thanks to a suggestion from Charlie at the Fish Market, I like to think ours is a winning recipe. 

See if you can spot Charlie's key ingredient!

Pineapple and Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced 

1/2 a pineapple, diced 

1/2 red bell pepper, diced 

1/4 cup of red onion, diced

1 fresno pepper, diced

1/2 a garlic clove, minced

handful of chopped cilantro

juice of 1 lime

2 cap fulls of your favorite tequila

If you guessed tequila, you are right! It really added a nice zip to the salsa. We ate ours over halibut cheeks, but this salsa would be great on tacos, with chips, in a cabbage leaf, by itself, with a margarita or anywhere else that salsa is appropriate. Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Enjoy!

in the yard

Anders and I are those strange kind of people who actually love yard work. We love to put on music, make fun drinks and get our hands dirty. We are tackling a rather large landscaping project this year, so, last Sunday, we finally got started. The first order of business was to create a border along our fence. We are planning a edible garden theme for our backyard and have plans to put columnar apple trees, blueberries and herbs in this border. There will be many before and after pictures to come, but here are a few shots of our work party.