2012 Roundup Part 2

Hi Friends,

Part 2 of playing 2012 catch up.  In the next few posts, I'll be focusing on birthdays and celebrations.  We had some big ones this year, and the year isn't even over!

First up, Brother Birthday. My little brother turned the big 25 this year, and his birthday just happened to fall right on Mariners opening day at Safeco.  Turned out, Sounders were in town too, so we turned the weekend into sports-a-palooza.  While we didn't get many photos, we had a great time! Some good old fashioned brother/sister bonding.  Here are some of the shots we did get:

Started off the festivities at Elysian Fields for a beer, the chocolate stout was like a chocolate cake in a glass!

Then, off to the see the Mariners: 

The next morning, we were right back down at the fields, watching the Sounders!

A month and a half later, it was my turn.  The birthday of another friend from work fell right around mine, so our fabulous coworkers who threw us a Pinterest Party.  What, might you ask, is a Pinterest Party?! Oh the greatest work birthday surprise ever!  My beloved friends and coworkers had gathered many of the various recipes we had pinned over the last few months (we're both hot in the Pinterest scene), banded together, and turned our foodie dreams into real life.  I have to say, it was pretty great trying all those different recipes without actually having to go through the effort of making each one. Take a look...

From top left to right, I've linked as many as I can find the recipes for!

Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip

Avocado & Feta Salsa

Individual Seven Layer Dips

Asparagus and Gruyere Tart

Onion and Garlic Dips

Honey Mustard Pretzels 

...and some sweet treats... 

Orange Cookies with Sweet Orange Glaze

Raspberry Ganache Cake

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Samoas Bars

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Fruit topped Cheesecake

It was a day of deliciousness and less work than should have happened, a great way to spend a birthday!  After work, Emily and I headed down to Portland for more birthday celebrations... stay tuned!

-shauna

2012 Roundup

Hi friends! I have some news. News I'm sure you've been aware of for some time. This blog has been sleepy. Super sleepy. Like, coma sleepy. It's been more than eight months (say, what?!). Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it's been more than eight months since I posted a single post here. Eight months of work, class, studying, playing, eating, drinking, trips, birthdays, concerts, baking, baseball, friends, downpours, sunshine, and family time. I'm going to do my best to play catch up. So, buckle up folks, we don't want any whiplash around here.  Today, we'll start with crafts and foods.

Crafty Time:
Sadly, there haven't been many crafts lately... but these wrap bracelets were quick, easy, and fun! Instructions found at Honestly WTF.

Foodie Adventures: 

Granola, for my Dad's birthday (the secret to chunks is all in the egg whites!):

Recipe thrown together from several different ones found online, and mostly consisting of what I had in my kitchen.  Big hit! So big, in fact, it was hard not to eat it all straight from the pan.  Dad's lucky any made it to him! ;)

Stuffed Baguette: 

Recipe found at Baking Obsession. This was seriously delicious. 

Caprese Skewers:
Caprese on a stick, grab and go! I used those great mozzarella balls in seasoned olive oil from TJ's, added a great flavor without having to drizzle anything over the whole plate.

Hamantaschen:
Cookies for International Cookie Day at work. My country was Israel! Recipe found at A Cookie for Every Country.  Of course mine didn't turn out as pretty as the original photo, but they were yummy little treats nonetheless. There was a slight snafu when I realized I was out of flour (seriously?! this always happens to me!). SO these were made with part whole wheat flour. They were devoured at work, so must have worked out all right!

Bite Sized Baked Brie Bites:
Recipe found at Joy the Baker (whoops, didn't get a finished product shot! Click through to see the finished product from Joy the Baker).  Now run (RUN!) and make these. They are TO DIE for. And seriously easy.

Roommate Dinner Creations presents: Homemade California Avocado Pizza
Easy peasy to throw together, our best attempt to recreate California Pizza Kitchen's California Club

Stay tuned for more 2012 adventures soon!

-shauna

basket makeover.

I have this basket, see. I'm not sure when or where I acquired it, but it has come to be a regular part of my daily routine. I pack it up each morning with my lunch and various reading materials for class. After work, it usually gets filled with needed items, books, notebooks, etc. and comes with me to class. Then, it gets carried home and emptied out, ready to do it all over again the next day.

Well, in the last few weeks, this basket has really started showing it's age. The handles started fraying and coming apart from the basket, the liner dingy. Just looking a little sad these days.

Sad. Really sad.

So, not wanting to just chuck my beloved basket, I decided to do a basket makeover. Of course I ended up making it more complicated than it needed to be, but everything worked out after some brainstorming with my momma, and some more troubleshooting.

May I present you with..... New and Improved Spring Basket!

-shauna