Moving Out and Moving On

On Sunday Eric and I, alone (not so happy about that aspect), moved ourselves out of our apartment, into a U-Haul, then into a storage unit.
We then had appetites like savage beasts, so treated ourselves to sandwiches and brewskies at our beloved Kiss Cafe. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Ballard for awhile.

After spending the day whining cleaning on Monday, we are officially out and feeling good about leaving our moisture-ridden, cold and smelly apartment. On to bigger and better things!

Date Day/Night

Eric has been working a ton the past month or so, trying to come up with as much money as possible before our big trip. Consequently, I've only been seeing him for a few hours in the evening, before we go to bed.
BUT yesterday, Eric only worked for a few hours in the morning, and was home by 12:15pm, so we got to spend the day together! We had such a great day, too.
I didn't do any cooking, but I just wanted to write about our fun day and how much we love/are going to miss Ballard.
When Eric got home, we walked down to our beloved Kiss Cafe for a coffee and appetizer date. We had (too much) coffee and split a breakfast quesadilla, so we could try one of the owner's homemade hot sauce. Delish!
Afterward, we walked around Ballard and ended up perusing our favorite music spots, Sonic Boom and Bop Street Records. We picked up FOUR new used CDs: two blues, a hip-hop of sorts, and the Crazy Heart soundtrack. Back to the apartment we went to have a listen and a glass of wine.
THEN we walked down to this amazing Indian restaurant on Market Ave for dinner and then drove downtown to the movies to see Moneyball (we had free movie tickets!).
Is that not the best date day and night ever?
Yes. It was.
The coffee, the music, the wine, the food, the movie, AND the company was all perfect.

About 10 days left until we completely pack this place up and leave...
but I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll find our way back to Ballard some day.

Taqueria Mexicana

I've never been more serious in my life. If you don't already live in Seattle, you need to move here NOW so you can take a cooking class at the Pantry at Delancey and learn how to cook a meal like the one I just made tonight. This place is that amazing. The food is that good.

I heard about the Pantry at Delancey before it was even open, through Molly Wizenberg's blog, Orangette. Her and her husband started up the beloved pizza restaurant, Delancey, here in Ballard and a few years later her husband and two friends founded the Pantry at Delancey! This place is an incredible community kitchen that offers a WIDE array of cooking classes, family style dinners, and catering. Upon entering their facility, you walk up a path surrounded by beautiful gardens growing produce they use daily. The Pantry at Delancey places a strong emphasis on where and how they get their foods, offering only the best and most trusted resources. Since opening in July, their classes and family dinners are known to sell out the same day they are posted. So far though, I have been lucky enough to attend a cooking class AND a family style dinner: Taqueria Mexicana and Down South Dinner.
This place truly has it going on. I would be in total heaven if I could learn under the two main gals that run that place...maybe someday. A girl can dream, right?

One of my best friends and myself attended the Taqueria Mexicana cooking class. Let me tell you, it EXCEEDED our expectations by a mile. We were truly blown away. In one night we learned how to make flour and corn tortillas, pork carnitas, queso fresco, tomatillo salsa, and two different versions of guacamole. Not only did we receive step-by-step and hands-on instruction, we got to FEAST on the fruits of our labor AND take home recipes for everything! On top of all the mouth-watering foods I already named, they put out corn tortilla chips, homemade cabbage slaw and radishes for our tacos, Dos Equis beer and homemade horchata for dessert! Is your jaw to the floor? It should be!
The food was mind-blowingly good, and the pork carnitas stole the show. That pork was so tender it literally melted in your mouth.
My friend and I were so unbelievably full at the end, I'm pretty sure we had to unbutton our pants on the way home. Worth it? UM YES!

Ever since that night, I have been telling everyone about the class and about how amazing the food was and I've been dying to recreate that night at home. The true test is if you can do what they taught you ALONE, in YOUR own kitchen! So yesterday I had the day off and I decided to dedicate the day to this meal.
On my menu:
Corn Tortillas
Pork Carnitas
Tomatillo Salsa
Guacamole
Corn Chips (not homemade)


Everything turned out perfectly. The pork was melt in your mouth, fork tender and so flavorful. The tomatillo salsa was so fresh (tomatillo salsas and chile verde are my absolute favs)! The corn tortillas were so fun to roll out and tasted authentic and homemade. And the guacamole delicious as always. This meal was SUCH a success, I'm so proud! (Recipes coming soon)

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

I'm so excited to recall mine and Eric's ULTIMATE Beer Weekend Extravaganza!

First, let me preface.
About a year ago, when Eric and I first moved to our new apartment in Ballard, my parents came up to help move us in. After an afternoon of moving and hauling, we went exploring down the street for a tasty lunch spot. We first wandered upon Portage Bay Cafe, but since they were only offering breakfast at the time, we decided to pass and that's when Kiss Cafe Beer & Wine Bar fell into our laps.
It was love at first sight. This adorable little cafe, with only about 9-10 small tables, and a long bar with high stools, boasts a large beer cooler, (with 99 constantly rotating microbrews and a wide variety of other beers and ciders) a great espresso area with lovely coffee AND a menu loaded with salads, sandwiches and wraps and soups (aka. all I really need in life).
This cafe is the absolute perfect spot to have right down the street. That first day we were there, Eric and I talked about how we wanted this place to become "our place." You know, that place. . . the one that you walk into and the owners go "Heeyyy Laura! Heyyy Eric! Welcome back! What beer can we get ya today? Oh, and would you like your usual sandwich/soup combo, Laura? We're on it! We love you!" That was our (my?) goal.
After numerous times of going there to eat our way through their menu and enjoy many of the Pacific Northwest's microbrews they offer, we discovered that Kiss Cafe is the home of the "Ballard Drinking Team." On January 29, 2011 Eric and I set out to become official members.....AND ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2011 (after 5 beers - don't worry, I drank these over the course of six hours) WE FINISHED OUR LISTS! WE DID IT, WE REALLY DID IT!!
Eric is member #154 and I am #155 and proud of it, ya'll! When we finished they rang a cowbell and announced to everyone their newest members and made us feel like rockstars. Then they bought us ANOTHER BEER. Holy microbrews! I held up like a champ, for reals.




The challenge/rules: to drink 99 DIFFERENT beers in one year. One of those beers must be a Rainier Tallboy (hahaha!) and one must be a hard cider.
Sidenote: When I drank my Rainier, I was given the can in a beer cozy. It was totes one of my favorite moments.

Each time we finished a beer, we got signed off by an employee. AAND when we completed the list, we became members of their exclusive drinking team! This now entitles us to our very own, personalized beer glass kept at the cafe, discounts on beer, and really fun member events. Our first member event is going to be their Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest, which includes seasonal beer and food and fun!

Eric and I started off on a strong note - we were gung-ho and determined with a capital "D." When I would tell myself we only needed to finish 99 beers, it didn't seem like THAT much. Ain't no thang but a chicken wang? UMMM YEAH RIGHT. I thought this challenge would never end! I'm not saying I didn't love every moment, but holy shit, toward the finish line (like the 70 beer marker), I just wanted more than anything to be D-O-N-E. Well, now I am!
I'm amazing, I know! Thanks.

PS. Remember when I said bring me pumpkin anything and we'll be best friends? Well, (since I'm now a beer snob and everything) bring me a light domestic beer and I'll throw it at your head and laugh at your injuries. Whoa. Too much? Sorry, I'm kidding. (Kinda.)


CHEEEEEEEEEERS!

Ballard stole my heart

I love Ballard for many, many reasons, but one of the main reasons this old Scandinavian fishing town stole my heart is the food. Plain and simple.
It seems as if the entire community is in agreement that there needs to be a food revolution in our country, and this massive movement is already well underway, and thriving here. Whether it's community kitchens and gardens, a booming local/organic farmers market, restaurant rooftop and backyard gardens, local beekeeping/honey making, breweries...you name it, Ballard has it! I am so unbelievably fortunate to be a part of all it. I am constantly discovering and on the lookout for new restaurants, stores and activities weekly; at times its hard to keep up! Thus, it's safe to say I will be blogging about Ballard continually.
One of the very first places I spotted upon moving here was a cute cafe called Verite Coffee/Cupcake Royale. As if a cafe selling endless amazingly delicious-sounding cupcakes wasn't enough(Salted Caramel! Lemon Drop! Lavender!), what drew me in even more was the fact that these are "cupcakes with a conscience!" The flour comes from local Shepherds Grain no-till co-op, fruit from local farmers, local eggs, hormone free milk and butter from Medowsweet Dairy, AND organic sugar! AAAAAND each month they come out with a new flavor made with local, seasonal ingredients. SOLD!
Today is June 1, and I just walked down to get the new cupcake of the month: RASPBERRY RHUBARB! A 'tart n sweet' combination made with rhubarb cake and and raspberry cream cheese frosting.
Now that's what I call a cupcake! Raspberry? Rhubarb? Cream cheese? Why, those are three of my favorite things. Thank you Jesus!
Excuse me while I go stuff my face with a piece of heaven...