Dear Seattle,
Thank you so very much for getting over your drawn-out weather mood swing and giving us the most perfect weather to properly welcome the summer solstice today:
From my office, the Pike Place Market
Happy summer solstice!
Reply
Category Archives: Misc.
Happy, happy Friday!
Despite being crazy busy the past couple weeks and the fact that my weekend will be a short one (work event in BFE Redmond tomorrow – ugh), today turned out to be a pretty good day.
For starters, I finally found time to update this blog, bringing the total for April to a whopping TWO posts! 
Confused?
Well don’t be. The blog has a new name and look, but I’m still Jenn and a lot of the content here will still focus on food and cooking.
So why the change, you ask? As much as food/cooking is my greatest passion, this doesn’t fully define who I am as a person. There’s more to this crazy lady than you think and I want to be able to share other interesting tidbits about my life. And I can’t fathom managing two separate blogs (I already feel like I have multiple personality disorder with all the Twitter accounts I manage – lol!) without having an epic meltdown.
So buckle your seat belts, folks – we’ll be traveling at extreme speeds and may hit some occasional turbulence!
Ring in 2011 w/ a fancy feast
OK, not gonna lie…December was a total blur. And suddenly Christmas is here! I’m amazed I managed to get all my holiday shopping done and international packages mailed on time. Anyway, I know the virtual cobwebs that have formed over this blog are no bueno — I promise to make up for it in the new year as I’ve got a couple fun food-related projects up my sleeve.
Needless to say, I’m in chillax-and-unwind mode for the remainder of the holidays. I will be hanging up the apron and cooking utensils, and plan to go out for a nice New Year’s Eve dinner. For those of you pondering going out for dinner as well, below is a list of some of my personal favorite restaurants who are offering special NYE menus (although, you better get on those rezzies fast!):
- ART Restaurant, 7 courses for $123 or 3-course “pre-party” menu for $65
- Canlis, 5 courses for $125 or 7 courses for $185
- Epulo, 4 courses for $45
- Fresh Bistro, 5 courses for $60
- Olivar, 4 courses for $65
- Place Pigalle, 4 courses for $75
- Staple & Fancy, 4 courses for $75
Whatever your NYE plans, I wish you all a pleasant and safe evening. Merry Christmas…Happy Holidays…Seasons Greetings…Happy Festivus…Merry Christmahanakwanzika…and Felice Anno Nuovo!
Enter to win a fabulous prize!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was among the 100 food bloggers worldwide to have a recipe published in the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook (my chapchae recipe is on pgs 72-73). Thank you again to everyone who voted for my entry!
If you haven’t already purchased a copy, perhaps I can entice you with this prize giveaway contest that Foodista is doing:
- BUY the cookbook on Amazon.com on November 3, between 10 and 11 am PDT.
- FORWARD your order confirmation email to book@foodista.com.
- You’ll then be entered into a drawing for one of the many fabulous prizes. Check out the website to see the prizes and get more info on the contest.
My personal copy of the cookbook is already covered in little post-its — so many delicious recipes that I can’t wait to try out!
One year later…
This month marks Amateur Gourmand’s first blog-iversary, and as I reflect back on the past year, I can’t help but feel truly blessed for all the wonderful new opportunities, experiences and friends I’ve made through this blog.
And to add fuel to my blissful state of mind, I received a lovely email yesterday announcing that I’m among the winners of Foodista’s Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest. My chapchae recipe will be published in the cookbook, which will be released on Oct 19 (you can pre-order your copy on Amazon.com).
Of course this success was due in large part to those who voted for me — a heartfelt THANK YOU to you all. Thank you for your unwavering support and for continuing to encourage me despite how awful some of my photographs turn out or the occassional disasters I create in my kitchen
Here’s to another year of fun food adventures!
Recap: Tour of the Seattle Square
This past weekend was one that I’ve always dreamed about but never found the time or energy to fulfill: having an intimate “date” with my beloved city. After a very busy few weeks at work, a gnarly on-call rotation and car break-in, I was ready to just unwind.
And as if they were reading my muddled mind, the folks at Banyan Branch invited me — and other local bloggers — to tour the Seattle Square, a new outdoor market located in Occidental Park in historic Pioneer Square. I had first heard about the Seattle Square when my friend Kara wrote about it for Belles of the Sound, and I’ve been meaning to check it out.
The Banyan Branch Crew. Thanks for the great tour!
Pioneer Square has come a long way since I used to work in the neighborhood many years ago. And the Seattle Square is among the efforts to rebuild the neighborhood’s reputation by offering a family-friendly weekend activity and supporting local businesses.
The Seattle Square launched on July 17th and goes through the end of September (every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.). To clarify, the Seattle Square isn’t a farmers‘ market. Rather, it’s an outdoor market that features a mix of locally designed and manufactured clothing, accessories, vintage items and other random (but intriguing) tchotchkes.
I know what you’re thinking: where’s the food?! Fear not, dear friends, this place has you covered. Among the rotating vendors are several of Seattle’s ever-popular mobile food trucks. Since I missed the past few Mobile Chowdown events, I was especially excited to check out the food offerings after the tour.
I started with the Big, Bold Pork Po Boy from Where Ya At Matt. Nom nom nom!
Owner Matthew Lewis takes customers' orders
Pork po boy w/ Granny Smith apple slaw, grilled onions and cilantro pesto. YUM!!!
Full and satisfied, I decided to do a little cardio after lunch by perusing the booths. Star Wars-themed jewelry, children’s clothing made from recycled fabric, vintage fondue pots, screen printed t-shirts, paper materials, steampunk ray guns. And then something more my style: Marilyn’s Nut Butters. I tasted a few flavors and settled on a jar of the delicious Pistachio Hazelnut w/ Cumin and Black Pepper.
Organic, gluten-free, DELICIOUS!
Before taking off for date-with-my-city location #2, I stopped by Street Treats to grab dessert for the road. I cannot rave enough about their salted krispy treats — I took one bite and instantly regretted not buying an entire batch. Salty-sweet-ooey-gooey-krispy goodness…mmmmmm mmmmmmmm!
Diane Skwiercz shows off some beautiful marshmallow sticks
Hellooooo, luh-vuh!
Overall, a great first time experience at the Seattle Square, as depicted in this group photo from the Facebook Photo Booth after our tour (I’m the dork with the sombrero and lei in the front row ).
As you can imagine, the market’s success and longevity depends on how well its vendors do. No business + unhappy vendors = sayonara Seattle Square. So if you haven’t yet checked the place out, do it! And if you’ve already been, go again — there are different vendors with new goodies each week!
For more information, visit the Seattle Square website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary $20 Seattle Square voucher as part of this tour. I am not affiliated with the Seattle Square or Banyan Branch, nor did I get paid to write this blog post.
Kicking off “Meatless Week” – May 24-30
Pause! Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, let me clarify up front: I have no desire to become a full-fledged vegetarian. I do, however, want to eat healthier and incorporate more seasonal veggies into my diet.
I saw this blog post by Lorna Yee (Seattle Magazine columnist and author of Newlywed Kitchen) and became inspired to also participate in “Meatless Week” and challenge myself to try new ingredients and recipes.
I’ve collected a few recipes from my friends and endless stash of cookbooks, but am always open to getting more. If you have a favorite vegetarian recipe you’d like to share, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at jenn@amateurgourmand.com.
Check back throughout the week to see my progress — wish me luck, folks!
Happy National Margarita Day!
Source: istockphoto.com
If I weren’t down with yet another nasty cold, I would be properly celebrating National Margarita Day tonight. So instead, I’m doing the next best thing – blogging about it. Although now that I think about it, tequila may be just what I need to clear my sinuses!
Anyway, for those of you Seattle-ites looking to try some amazing margaritas, below is a list of 10 local hotspots. This list is comprised of some of my own personal favorites as well as recommendations from friends, coworkers and even the Twitterverse (thanks, everyone!). In no particular order:
La Cocina + Cantina (Capitol Hill) – OK I lied, this is my personal favorite for both amazing Mexican food and fabulous margaritas so I had to put it up top. The remainder of the list is really in no particular order 
Rosita’s Mexican Grill (Greenlake)
La Carta de Oaxaca (Ballard)
El Camino (Fremont)
Santa Fe Café (Phinney Ridge) – $6 on Margarita Wednesdays!
Ocho (Ballard) – AKA “Home of the $10 Margarita”
Sonrisa (U-Village) – $3 margaritas on Taco Tuesdays (8pm-close)
Galerias (Capitol Hill) – $1.99 House Margaritas all day Mondays & Tuesdays!
Matador (Ballard, W. Seattle, Redmond, Tacoma)
Pesos Kitchen & Lounge (Queen Anne)
Alright, people, now go out and have some fun so I can live vicariously through you — be sure to have a margarita (or 2!) for me. Now back to my date with Sudafed…
Popcorn, caramel, corn on the cob…
…food I can enjoy again as I just got my braces off this morning! I’m actually most excited to eat baby carrots without chopping them up into tiny bits. Oh the freedom!
Here’s a post-braces pic with the lovely gift from my orthodontist:
