the savory cupcake.

Oh how I love my eggs for breakfast on the weekends! But lately, I've been skipping the starch.  This means bread in all forms.  No toast to sopp up those runny yolks.  So I've been getting creative with breakfast.  The latest concoction was bacon and egg cups...or a savory cupcake.  The beauty of this dish is how quick and easy it is to throw together, and the culinary freedom it offers.  Got veggies you need to use up? Bam! Throw 'em in. Got cheese you've been meaning to use? Boom! Done!

The Savory Cupcake
Makes 3

You will need:
muffin pan
4 slices of bacon
3 eggs
a few veggie pieces (i used a few mushroom pieces)
a sprinkling of cheese (i used gorgonzola)

Heat oven to 350
Grease/spray/butter (whatever your greasing method of choice is) your muffin pan.  Cut one slice of bacon into three pieces.  Use pieces to line bottom of three muffin holes.  Line sides with a piece of bacon each.  Put in veggies (there won't be too much room, so don't go crazy).  Crack yo egg in each one.  Sprinkle tops with cheese and slide on into the oven.
Cook about 20 min, until eggs are set.

Remove and pop savory cupcakes out.  Then, enjoy.

-shauna

k is for kindle.

My mom and dad got me an Amazon Kindle for my birthday.  I love it! But I actually felt it was a bit too thin for me to hold comfortably when reading.  I also knew I needed to protect it from scratches, gunk, and anything else that life might throw its way.  I decided to make my very own Kindle Cover.  It took some thought and planning.  This was one of those projects that I think on for much longer than it would take to just do it.  But in the end I was happy with it.  Take a look...

See!? Nice and snug in its holder.  I used two pieces of cardboard inside to offer some sturdy protection and a piece of elastic to hold the Kindle in place.  Considering covers can run a good $30 or so through Amazon, I was pretty happy with how this little guy turned out!

-shauna

the underground.

Sometimes, when special friends come to visit, you find yourself playing tourist in your own city. This is precisely what happened when my dear friend Jill hopped into town. Back in March, when I visited her in Abu Dhabi (yes, I know, I still need to post about this!), we talked about taking the Seattle Underground Tour. SO that's what we did. Here are a few shots to give you an idea of what we saw...

We learned about the so called "seamstresses" of Seattle. And Madam Lou Graham, and her gender inclusive policies.  We learned of the fires, the sewage issues (glad those are taken care of), and why the skylights we step on daily look purple now.  We learned a bit about the suspected ghosts that still wander the underground and the about the rat infestation that closed the whole underground down for decades.  All in all, although a bit cheesy at times, it was worth going.  Even as a Seattleite.

More tourist adventures to come soon!

-shauna

a special birthday celebration.

For the past two years I have accidentally planned trips on my roommate/best friend's birthday. Now, Emily has been forgiving. But I still felt I needed to make up for my forgetfulness in the years past. So this year my create-a-birthday-wheels started turning. This is the big 26 for myself and my roommate, and many of our friends. 26 is one of those probably-not-particularly-special-birthdays, so I thought we needed to spice things up a bit. Get a little crazy. Not as in "Katy Perry - Last Friday Night" kind of crazy. But something a little out of the ordinary.

Thanks to Jeff at work for bragging about his margarita making adventures, and for coming up with his own rendition of Watermelon Jalapeno Margaritas. Also, thanks to Jeff for sharing the (albeit somewhat vague) recipe.

This concoction was Jeff's way to "Beat the Heat" for the one day of hot weather we've seen in Seattle this summer so far. Fortunately, the sun came out again for us, so we got to beat the heat with these cups of deliciousness too. I thought it would be especially amusing to use the watermelon rindes as margarita punch bowls. And, honestly, I saw no need for cups to be used. We're all friends here, so they became communal punch bowls, complete with hot pink straws. Ok...cups were used as roadies when moving around the house.

After partaking in some Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita festivities, it was only fitting that the moustaches (thank you, Daron, for my awesome birthday gift!) make an appearance...

Next comes dessert. We had had a Gay Pride Potluck at work, which sparked lively conversation about rainbow related foods. We started perusing rainbow layered jello desserts and I was hooked. I had to try it! My good friend, Reetu, recommended a lovely jello shot recipe, which was a big hit at her New Year's Eve party. I've altered it a bit below to fit our needs.

Layered Jello Shots

I bought three large boxes, all of different flavors (colors). This made about 12 cocktail sized glasses. You could use smaller glasses and make a lot more.

For each layer you will use:

- 1/2 large box jello

- 1 cup champagne

- 1/2 cup limoncello

- 1/2 cup vodka

Boil 1 cup water, mix 1/2 pack jello, let stand and bring to room temperature. When at room temperature, add champagne, limonchello, and vodka, and pour into desired cups. Place in fridge. While the first layer is cooling, start the second batch of jello. Let the first layer cool enough so that the top is sticky and jello doesn't run down the side of the cup when tipped. Repeat for as many layers as you want. Add whipped cream on top and you have a delightfully delicious, yet dangerous dessert.

Here's hoping I've made up for missing the last couple of years. Cheers!

-shauna