Salsa Verde

~Salsa Verde~

4 Large Tomatillos 

2 Bunches of Cilantro 

5 Garlic Cloves 

1 Large Yellow Onion 

4 Ounces Vinegar 

4 Large Jalapeno 

Salt & Pepper to Taste 

-Place tomatillos in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the tomatillos.

-Put tomatillos in a blender or food processor and add remaining ingredients.

-Puree until smooth or until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste.

-Enjoy with tortilla chips

Recipe by Jason Harrell, Varsity Grill 

Design: Tile Detail

Pebble Tile - Shower Floor 

Glass Tile  - Shower Detail 

 All the Master Bath Tile & Kohler Shower Detail 

Tile for Main Bathroom 

Our tile delivery came today - yay! Looking forward to master bath and main bath to be completed. 

Loving a Busy Life

It has been over a month since my last post - wow. Things have been super busy around our house and life has been mile a minute as well. We are in the process of remodeling our house - master bedroom, master bathroom, baby room, main bathroom, living room, new windows throughout house, patio and all new lighting. We are in phase 1 of out 3 phase process right now - it has been so fun selecting all the new materials (tile, carpet, paint, fixtures, and much more) and am loving seeing it all come together. We are spending this Friday shopping for nursery furniture - yay! At 6 months pregnant now - I am getting anxious to get our baby's nursery designed and built.

I am VERY excited for our patio to get done so we can host a summer bbq on the patio next month -  I love outdoor entertaining - my menu is already planned!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a photography workshop from Me Ra Koh Photography. This 2 day workshop was very inspiring and helped me learn a great deal about my camera, lenses, light metering and I now am able to shoot in manual mode 100% of the time. This Saturday I am doing a fashion shoot for jewelry designer Jessica Alexander  & stylist Rebecca Dashow - vintage fashion is the inspiration - this should be so much fun. 

We are booking our next Mexico trip tomorrow - a two week vacation with our little one and also booking Thanksgiving travel this week. My sister and her husband are commercial fisherman who live in Petersberg, Alaska which is where we will spend our holiday.

So that is what has been going on. More fun images and recipes to come soon! 

love this book by Me Ra Koh - a great resource 

The inspiration for my bbq- image from Pottery Barn 

bathroom inspiration 

 new bathroom lighting from Pottery Barn 

Flank Steak with Lime Marinade: The Recipe

~ Flank Steak with Lime Marinade ~ 
I have had some people ask for the marinade recipe from the Dinner with Friends post. It is from Martha Stewart's Cookbook, Great Food Fast: 250 Recipes For Easy, Delicious Meals All Year Long. This entire cookbook is amazing. Happy Grilling! 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (about 4 limes) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 scallions (about 1/3 cup), thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• Vegetable oil, for grates
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and red-pepper flakes. Add steak, and seal bag (place in a dish to catch any leaks); marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, up to 1 hour.
2. Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off (discard marinade); season with salt and black pepper. Place on grill; cover. Cook, turning once, until meat reaches desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly.
   recipe from Martha Stewart 

Banana Bread

I love banana bread and have loved it even more since I have been pregnant. I having been buying a slice every day with my hot cocoa from Forza and realized last week that I should just be making my own. I used a new recipe that my mom shared with me (I cannot find my favorite recipe) and thought this one was just as delicious! I loved this recipe because no mixer is needed -  it is quick and easy.

{Banana Bread}

Aunt Holly's Banana Bread from Epicurious

3 to 4 ripe bananas 

1/4 c. melted butter 

1 c. sugar 

1 1/2 c. flour 

1/4 tsp. salt 

1 egg beaten 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1. Mash bananas in bowl 

2. Add remaining ingredients - mix with wooden spoon 

3. Bake at 350 in buttered loaf pan for 55 minutes

Dinner with Friends

On Monday night we hosted a dinner at our house for friends - Nate, Sheryl, their twin 4 month old baby girls, McKenzi, Anthony and Amiya. It was the first adventure for our grill this year (something I have been wanting to get out for weeks now). The dinner, a collaboration of cooking/grilling by me, a salad by  Sheryl and dessert made by McKenzi turned out delicious and we had a fabulous time with friends! I love doing dinner this way, after a full day of work at the restaurant, having everyone help out took some of the pressure off and I always love trying new recipes by friends. 

{The Menu}

Appetizer:

 Alaska Smoked Salmon Caught by Sister & Her Husband

Rosemary and Sea Salt Flatbread Crackers & Sesame Rice Crackers 

Red & Green Organic Grapes 

Brie and Boursin Cheese  

Main Course:

Flank Steak with Lime Marinade 

Twice Baked Potatoes 

Greek Salad ~ made by Sheryl 

Dessert:

Raspberry & Lemon Curd Trifle ~ made by McKenzi 

the marinade 

my new FAVORITE beverage!  Dry Soda. I love the Vanilla Bean Soda - only 60 calories and sweetened with sugar cane. 

I did not get photos of the twice baked potatoes or the dessert - which was SO beautiful! 

Pizza Party ~ Birthday Celebration

For my birthday this year we did a casual make your own pizza dinner at my parents house. My mom is an amazing cook/baker and we love having dinner at their house anytime we can. For our pizza night she made us each our own pizza dough ball from scratch and had all the perfect toppings a person could want. We cooked the individual pizzas on the grill - a new favorite way to make a yummy pizza!  I would recommend grilling pizzas to anyone who has not tried a pizza this way before. I know think this is the only way to make a pizza at home and is so easy with little clean up. This is a fabulous way to serve a casual lunch or dinner for a small or big group as well.

{The Menu}

Spinach salad with strawberries, red onion, walnuts, feta topped with a vinaigrette dressing 

Individual grilled pizzas 

Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream (my favorite dessert) 

My finished pizza 

pizza dough from scratch 

making sure our dough is stretched to a 7 inch round. This amazing kitchen gadget is from King Arthur Flour Co. and my mom uses this when making breads 

 Place dough on cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Send to the grill for 1 minute and then bring back to top with your choice of toppings 

After they had been grilled for 1 minute we brushed them with olive oil and used a pesto as our sauce base and topped with yummy fresh ingredients 

back to the grill they go for 3 minutes to be finished