Seasonal Scents

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Lights are already springing up in neighborhoods, red cups are grazing coffee shop countertops, and that holiday warmth is in the air.  

One of my favorite things the approaching Christmas season is the familiar holiday scents.  Evergreen, gingerbread, peppermint, orange + cloves, all of the wonderful, cozy, homey scents that by aroma alone signify Christmas.  This time of year, I always indulge in the ever-fragrant Bath & Body Works candles.  This year, I am loving White Barn No. 2 Chestnut and Clove.  Quite a long name, for a holiday scent I realize, but even so, this candle is worth a burn.

Wishing you a sweet smelling season!  What are your favorite holiday scents?

image/babw

Dinner Last Night: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

I made soup on Sundays two weeks in a row, woot woot!  Another pin-turned-reality find, tomato basil parmesan soup.  The best part about this soup, the majority of the prep is done via crockpot.  Cha-ching!  Talk about a time-saver.  

I added the first batch of ingredients to the crockpot around 11 AM, ran errands and did school projects during the day, and then finished the soup with a roux later that evening at 6 PM.  Dinner's ready!

image/myphotos

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a holiday full of family, friends, and thankfulness.

Eat up!

image 1/lovelydove

image 2/bloom

Two Years Ago Today...

Two years ago today, my husband asked me to marry him.

What a wonderful ride it has been!

Happy Engagement Day my love!
Looking forward to all the years to come. 143.

Dinner Last Night: Curried Pumpkin Soup with Mushrooms

Way back in January, I made a New Year's resolution to try and make soup on Sundays...  Obviously that's been super successful, seeing as it's mid-November... But hey, this is my last ditch effort to fulfill that goal and make this Sunday soup tradition happen!  Another pin-turned-reality dinner last night - curried pumpkin soup with mushrooms.  Y-U-M.  This soup was incredibly easy with minimal ingredients, and boasts the flavors of fall.  It's creamy but chunky, smooth but spicy - all in all, a new fall favorite to add to the mix.  

image/myphotos

Coffee vs. Water

Do Seattleites drink more espresso than water?

What do you think?

Well...the answer is YES!  Check out this article, it's crazy to think that Seattleites truly consume more coffee than water on a daily basis.  While I'm not sure this is a fact to pride ourselves on, I can't say I'm terribly surprised.  Seattle is undoubtedly a coffee culture.  While other cities also enjoy their java, according to this article, Seattle is the only place in the US where this fact is true.

The article also states that part of this may be due to the fact that Seattleites avoid drinking bottled water (it's not green people).  In lieu of reaching for a bottle of water, we reach for coffee.  

Thoughts?  

What is the coffee culture like in your city?

image/bloom

Dinner Last Night: Ramen Vegetable Soup

I don't know about you, but in college I ate a lot of Top Ramen.  I know my friend Heather can attest to those days. :) Gosh, looking back, I think, did I'm thankful I am long past the days of adding powdered chicken flavoring to water and calling it a meal.  But back then, it was such an easy, quick dinner that was ideal for the busyness of college life.  

Until recently, this was the only ramen I knew of. I didn't realize another, truer version of this soup existed until I visited Japan in 2010.  Wow, talk about a wake up call!  The authentic, real jam-packed savory bowls of noodles, meat, and vegetables put those powdered chicken broth packets to shame.  

This ramen vegetable soup recipe was simple enough, and Martha Stewart endorsed (always a welcome seal of approval).  While it's not quite the overflowing bowl of gustatory loveliness I had in Japan, it was tasty and easy to concoct.  Funny enough, it calls for those familiar grocery store noodle packets (minus the powdered broth, of course).  Since I had more vegetables on hand, I added in mushrooms and peas to the mix.  One thing to keep in mind for reheating, the ramen noodles soak up a LOT of broth, so it might be beneficial to keep some extra on hand for leftovers.

image/marthastewart