I am currently scheming as how to never have to grocery shop.  Once a quarter at best.

If all goes well, we'll have fresh produce and dairy delivered to the front door.  We'll have fresh eggs in a few months just outside the kitchen door, thanks to Moe, Maxene, Munk and Mabel. And I'm hoping we'll buy half a cow and freeze it.  With that, all we need to buy is dried goods and we could stock up on those quarterly at Costco.  Oh yeah, we have a Costco card.  Our "other, married half" put us on their membership.  We're basically adults.

Goodbye 5am and 9pm shopping trips. Hello fresh, local food and laziness.

I imagine in this wonderful dream world, I sometimes get up on a Saturday and stroll through the local farmers market for some delicious vegetables, raised with love by the community garden down the street.  But no more lines, no more florescent lights and 90's hit music at ungodly hours.

So far... my plan is not going as well as I intended.  Smith Brothers delivers to "almost all of the Western Washington" - almost, means not Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, Laurel Heights, Northgate, or Maple Leaf.  And "Blake the Milkman" who is their independent supplier to these snuffed neighborhoods, only delivers to orphanages and families that apparently consume copious amounts of milk each week.  :/

I will not be defeated. Commence emailing request for "special exceptions" to Milkman Blake. Follow with second personalized phone call.  If needed, make additional promises. I will have my milk delivery.

Tom Douglas takes retail space in Via6

Seattle DJC
October 11, 2012


By JOURNAL STAFF

Restaurateur Tom Douglas will lease 10,000 square feet in the Via6 apartment complex under construction at Sixth Avenue and Lenora Street in downtown Seattle.

The space will house a new restaurant called Grange Hall, and three other businesses: a market that sells Tom Douglas products, a cafe and a bakery. The architect for the space is Graham Baba.

The building has a total of 16,000 square feet of retail and 14,000 has been leased, said Jane Lewis of Pine Street Group, the project developer.

Douglas owns and operates 13 restaurants in the Belltown and South Lake Union neighborhoods.

Other retail tenants in Via6 are Velo Bike Shop, which is moving from Capitol Hill, and ViaBike, a club that gives bike commuters a place to park bikes and get them serviced.

Via6 will have 654 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. It opens next February.

GGLO designed Via6, Lease Crutcher Lewis is the general contractor and MKA is the structural engineer.

***

More to Love!! :)  I wouldn't mind grabbing my morning coffee and croissant at a TD restaurant.  :)

The best part about a sunny day in Seattle, is you actually get to enjoy this incredible city.  Yesterday was one such day, lunch alone in Westlake Park, dinner and the evening showing visiting new friends around town, and enjoying a few of the things that make Seattle a beautiful home (Tom Douglas at the top of that list).  :)  First dinner at Palace Kitchen - and I was more than happy. :)

I am going camping this weekend with a big ol' group of people.  I'm not even sure I know all of them, but the core is some Blueberries.  Erik and I volunteered to handle food for a few of us.  (Or, did I volunteer Erik and I to handle food?  :/  Sorry, Erik.)  Thanks to my amazing older sis, Kim, I am set.  She and Jason organize a camping trip for the community group each year and so I assumed she'd be a great resource camping food ideas.  (When is she not a good resource when it comes to cooking?!)  But my expectations were blown away when she emailed me her previous camping list, with a complete breakdown of meals, drinks, supplies and gear.  I don't really know what I'd be doing without her, since I also realized yesterday that I had left myself one evening to shop, prep food (with Erik, thankfully), do laundry, find my gear, and pack! That would be tonight, after work. 

I could not be more excited.  Okay. Yes, I could.  I would be more excited if Meg would email me back, "I am coming too!" But, besides that, I could not be more excited.  We have our menu all picked out - some from Kim, some of our own ideas.  We have our shopping list.  And our drink requests (what, did you thionk we were handling food for free?  Oh no, we're adapting to someone's Bartering life-style).  The two other guys we're covering food for arrived last year at the camping trip with a thing of peanut butter, a head of lettuce and two snuggies. So, we don't have much to live up to. ;)  But even if we did, I think we'd still surpass the expectations.  I hope. 

The real issue I've spent most of my time considering:  What book(s) should I bring?  I'm still halfway through HP5.  It is such a big book that I don't cart it around - I only read it at home.  I also began Everything Beautiful Began After, which is my smaller "bus book."  AND, I need to have read the first 500 pages of The Count of Monte Cristo by next Thursday.... which I haven't even picked up yet.

Banana on the way to the bus.  Oatmeal at work.  An hour later - hungry again.  I'm going to go ahead and blame my recent non-stop eating on the spring.  Really.  Is it just me?  I'm constantly hungry.  Apple now and lunch in an hour.  I know by summer I often start losing this ravenous appetite, but geez, in the meantime.... this is rough.  Anyone else? 

Dinner at Arabica Lounge last Thursday night was a well-rounded culinary treat. Loved the entire experience: colors, flavors and community. Thank you Southern Nomad for introducing me.  

Esther and I shared the lime vinaigrette and coriander salad (you see in the bottom corner of the menu) and the most delicious homemade pasta.  For dessert she ordered the rice pudding (which was so picturesque it took her 5 minutes to even take a bite of - no lie), and I finished my meal with a pepper and lime, cardamom and chocolate cake.  Esther may have to correct me on some of these details, or supplement, because I largely let her take hold of the ordering, it being one of her favorite Capitol Hill retreats.  


Though the food was beautiful and delicious, it was the atmosphere tailored by the artisan who owns and runs the store.  It was the bikes that strolled in with their owners, the hugs issued at the door, meals shared at the large wooden table, the community that was evidently central to the business that captured my attention as it had captured Esther's appreciation.  Let us taste authenticity - let us feast on beauty and community - and as artists we will come alive.  And we'll come back again, and again. 

.

In the depths: 

Why did Jimmy Johns take away  my sprouts?!!! :(

This summer, I will be visiting The Corson Building. 

Just read through their entire website.  AMAZING.

So amazing, I considered not sharing... but decided to not be silly.

Have any of you ever been?

Tell me about it. 

please.

I saw a picture on Pinterest today of a woman with an incredible body in a bikini and the Helvetica words scrolled across the sand, "Still want that cookie?"   And I thought to myself.  "Yes.  I wanted all three of them, and I enjoyed every bite."  : )  

I actually have been taming my sweet tooth that seems to arrive every year at the holidays.  By Spring it naturally gets replaced with a craving for fruits and salads and salmons (and okay, burgers!)... but by then, there's a bit of damage done and it's not quite rectified in swimsuit time.  

But to be fair, I'll always be the girl who says "Eat the cookie.  Take a lap."  Because life is too short to not eat cookies.  Ya know?

I woke up this morning, was brushing my teeth and suddenly realized I was humming The Galway Girl. : /


Interesting.

On that note, I'm already excited for St. Patricks Day!  A little over a month away.  As soon as Valentines Day passes, I'm breaking out The Pogues playlist on my itunes.  : )   (Deal with it, Unger.)   A friend just gave me some good information on some great beer bread recipes.  I just learned a few great bourbon spirit-forward recipes. ; )  And let the search for a more tasty traditional Irish meal begin... hopefully this time it doesn't require me up to my elbows in 7 pounds of raw lamb for a meal most people agreed was bland.  It had more aroma than taste. :( 

Please feel free to pass along dinner, bread, hors d'oeuvres, and drink recipes.  :)



.

 I made breakfast this morning and I didn't even Instagram it (yet).  

.

Yesterday went as well as I could have hoped.  And my very select posts worked better than I could have hoped.  I've been trying to get dad to set up his new record player.  He really doesn't like feeling rushed or pushed.  Yesterday, I heard him in the hallway, in his best girl-impression voice "Hey Dad - wink wink."  I acted all subtle and nonchalant about it.  A couple hours later, I walked into the living room and the project was already underway.  :)

Last night we ate dinner downstairs, sipped wine by the fire, and listened to my mom and dad's old favorite records, and one of mine.  Loved it.  It was deep and beautiful, the way the music filled the room like the wine our glasses.

Before dinner, Megs and I had walked down to Safeway to pick up some groceries and trekked back up.  That night will probably join the elite group of "favorite snow memories."

We just grabbed the necessities, you know: coffee creamer, wine, bacon, a sweet potato, pineapples, skinny cows, eggs, english muffins, chocolate chips.  Only things we really needed.

(And we didn't even break one single egg!)

The best part of getting snowed in is that it is filled with cooking and coffee.  We make breakfast and then snack all day and then mom makes delicious dinners.  I love it.  And I especially love having Meg snowed in here with me (though she's convinced I'll be avoiding her for the next month).

Seriously, doesn't this say something incredible about the Creator?

I think this really just made my mouth start watering... from what I can figure it's crab, peppers and/or tomatoes, maybe spinach, some kind of cheese and a lot of other goodness on top of a mushroom?  I need to experiment.

It is better for me not to work out. I don't crave bad food... unless I exercise. Typically I love spinach and vegetables and yogurt and granola and yes breads (and yeah so bacon and cheese!).  OKAY, but overall... I'm a healthy eater. But put me on a treadmill and suddenly I'm a teenage boy and all I can think about is fast food! (don't.) Last night, part way through our work out I began craving a sourdough jack. Bad... who knows where that idea came from too! By the time we finished, I insisted Rosie and I drive over there. And in the line, I suddenly wanted all of the terrible (and delicious) foods. Then I ate a brownie, and a cup of Kim's amazing white chicken chili soup. 

Guess how many calories I burned?  And how many I then ate? I try to avoid math, but I'm pretty sure that ratio is blaring. And supports my claim: It is better for me to not work out.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with this problem. In fact, I've worked out with enough of you to know it.

*Cation: unexpected matching.   -->

Sunday.  I love Saturday night service!  Sleeping in on Sundays feels so... incredible.  It's better than sleeping in on any other day.  I'm not sure why, but it might be because it is so foreign.  It's like your first bite of candy, or sip of bourbon (was that just me?). 

So, after sleeping in rather late, and then spending an hour or so 'sloaking' in prayer... I crawled out of bed, started the coffee and got immersed into some fun crafts.  By 1pm, my dear friend and weekend guest, Meg, gently prodded "Hey Kati, want to eat something?"  To which I replied from the other room, "yeah."  "Maybe want to eat it before you get into another project?"  "Yeah."  I shut off the sewing machine and realized I'd been starving my sweet friend.  From there, we began plotting our delicious day.  A quick trip to the grocery store and we were set for our kitchen adventures.  Meg's has begun a foodie blog... which I am very grateful for, since I think it will require both of us to become more adventurous and confident.... changing, amending and owning recipes.  Yesterday, we began with our very own, Bourbon-Bacon-Pecan Sticky Buns.  And they were delicious.  I'm not bragging (okay, yes I am), but I've had several from Specialty's (it's a weakness... and there is one RIGHT by my building! Some mornings, they just scream at me!)... anyways, ours were better.  That was probably just because they were smothered with butter, brown sugar and bourbon and sprinkled with bacon.  Hard to go wrong there.. especially when you begin with a nice warm piece of carb (aka bread). 

A few hours later and I was back in the kitchen making the ceremonious first butternut squash soup of the year. :) MMmm.

Someone couldn't sleep the other morning.  So they got up and baked these little treats.  Homemade, delicious pumpkin scones, delivered to me in parchment wrappings and beautiful blue ribbons.  Loved much?  I certainly feel so. :)  I enjoyed my last one this groggy Monday morning with my second cup of coffee.

 My mind might be a lump of stone, but my hearts more a puddle.

Riesling Poached Pear Tart with Chiar Spiced Custard & Almond Custard

I want to make this... More accurately, I want to taste this.

"So for those of you holding onto summer, let it go. Allow this new season to sooth and settle you into a slower pace. Don some warm socks, an emollient to our callused, sandal worn feet. Put your comforter back on your bed and open the windows allowing the impending cool air to flush your cheeks. Dust off your kettle and refill your tea canisters with earl grey and orange spice. Find an old book to read and buy a new journal to gather your thoughts."
-Roost  

Sunday Afternoon. More laughing with Landies.   Tea, fire, a great new album, photos, blogging, recipe scanning and bit of napping.  All while we waited for Miss EmKuff to part with her man and get over here.  ;)   We had a lovely evening of cooking (and teasing) and getting filled in on the wedding planning updates of the soon to be "Olsons."  Unfortunately, the only photos I took of later that evening were of our coats and of the plate full of baked carrot slices we ate ALL of while waiting for dinner to finish baking.  Dinner came out of the oven at about 9:30pm.   Yep.   And by then I was starting to feel sure that I was coming down with something. :(

She MIGHT be upset with me for this, but she's absolutely beautiful and so darn cute I couldn't resist posting.

Sunday Brunch.  Can you tell the Daniel Fast is over? And boy and I truly over it! T and I made the breakfast pizza I found on some blog and posted a picture of on here a few weeks back.  She was wonderful to way 'til my fast was over so we could enjoy it together.  I love that I can find pictures, and she can just make it happen.  That's just part of her personality, but also part of her culinary talents there if you ask me. ;)  She made the dough that morning and we covered it with basil, mozzarella, bacon, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, fresh ground pepper and a couple cracked eggs on top.  Not to mention, she even had the mimosas I'd requested.