Joie de Vivre
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" ~Mary OliverArchive for Ice Cream
158. A Friday Five
This has been a very busy week at work, but has also been filled with friends & fun moments…
- Monday evening, Bruce, Mom & I attended Members Monday at the Seattle Art Museum. This was my second time to see the Inspiring Impressionism exhibit and it was just as fabulous as the first time. (Above are a couple of my favorite paintings from the exhibit.) We joined in the docent tour and then explored on our own for a bit. Afterwards, we walked to Txori for dinner and wine. We ordered a bottle of the 2005 Vierlas Guelbenzu (a blend of Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot, Graciano, Cabernet Sauvignon & Garnacha – loved it!) and a selection of pinxtos (San Sabastian style tapas). My favorites were the ‘calamares en su tinta’ (stuffed squid, ink, fried bread), the special green beans, and the lamb. We also had the saffron-orange flan for dessert, which was amazing!
- B emailed me this incredible picture that was taken by a friend of his during their summit of Mt. Rainier last weekend! I think it looks like another planet.
- Wednesday evening, we all gathered at Mom & Dad’s for dinner. The guest of honor was my old neighbor who I haven’t seen in over 10 years. He is in town visiting family and was joined by his lovely wife and their 2-1/2 year old daughter, Rory, who entertained us all.
- Mom met me at my office today and we walked over to Bennett’s Bistro for lunch. We had their turkey burger followed by a scrumptious dessert: honey lavendar ice cream with toffee-caramel brittle. That’s two FABULOUS desserts this week! Yum, yum, yum!
- During my commute this week, I have been listening to a CD that Dana burned for me. She entitled it ‘Kiss Me, Go Away” and it features songs by Glen Hansard, The Wreckers, ABBA, Dixie Chicks, Ann Wilson, Lily Allen, Sia, Amy Winehouse, Maria Taylor, Feist, 10,000 Maniacs, Gwen Stefani, etc. A great selection and a perfect theme! Thanks D, I love it!
128. Long Day, Lovely Evening & Ice Cream
Kyle, Vanessa, my cousin Shannon and I assembled bright and early today to help Mom & Dad finish moving into their new condo. It was a lot of work, but everything went smoothly. There are still a gazillion boxes to unpack, but it is 7:30pm and Mom, Dad and I are sitting in their lovely new living room, drinking wine, watching dusk settle on Lake Washington, anticipating the sweet King Crab we’re going to eat for dinner. Ahhh, the life! :) I’ve spent the last couple days cooking for ‘the crew” in their new gourmet kitchen — Pear Gorgonzola Ravioli w/Sage Butter for dinner last night and Sausage & Mushroom Lasagna for lunch today — and I’ve been so spoiled that now I don’t want to return to my own minuscule galley kitchen.
Ice Cream Party|– Odie (a bona fide Ice Cream Addict) sent me an email this morning letting me know that there is a new ice cream shop opening soon in Wallingford — Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream. Their grand opening party is scheduled for Saturday, May 10th at 3pm and their flavors sound absolutely delightful! — Cardamom, Salted Caramel, Vivace Coffee, Honey Lavender, Balsamic Strawberry, Lemon, Ginger, etc. Yum! They ALL sound so good, I can’t decide which one I want to sample first. Here’s a blurb from their website…
All of the dairy products used to make Molly Moon’s ice cream are grown organically and locally in Maltby, WA, where the cows are happy and the milk is the best I’ve ever tasted. In addition, some of the fruit and other ingredients used to create our gourmet treats are also organic when I’m able to find them grown locally. My priority is to purchase locally-grown ingredients from great Northwest suppliers.
From Skagit Valley’s strawberries to Sequim’s and Vashon Island’s lavender, Molly Moon’s is committed to using the best ingredients the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Furthermore, don’t be fooled by the cute cups our gourmet treats are served in or the stylish design of our Wallingford shop; the dishes are 100% compostable and Seattle’s newest favorite hang-out was built with sustainable materials.
In other ice cream news, Epicurean Empire will be back at the Ballard Farmers Market on Sunday, May 24. Last year I tried their Sweet Corn and their Brown Sugar Peach ice creams, which were both wonderful. I guess they are also going to be at the University District Farmers Market this year, so keep your eyes open!
Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream
1622½ N 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
206.618.4934
119. Meals With Friends
Today was a day of meals (and taxes)!
Breakfast|– G3 had the day off of work, so he came over and we made scrambled eggs w/feta, chicken-apple sausage and toast for breakfast — accompanied by several cups of Market Spice Tea while we caught up on politics, books, movies, work (okay, his work, my job hunt), etc.
Lunch|– I met Mary downtown at the Library Bistro in the Alexis Hotel for a relaxing lunch. This is the first time we had both been here. The restaurant has a very peaceful ambiance and the service was wonderful. We both had the Cobb Salad (w/chicken, bacon, bleu, avocado, tomato and egg, $13.50), which was okay, but not fabulous. There are other places downtown that I prefer more for lunch (i.e. Lola, Café Campagne, Le Pichet), but I liked the atmosphere here and look forward to returning for breakfast or for happy hour to to try their fries, both of which I’ve heard are wonderful!
Dinner|– After lunch, I drove out to Woodinville to help Mom pack up their kitchen items for their move. (They are moving here in 13 days into a wonderful two bedroom condo with a spectacular view of Lake Washington. The scary thing about this move is that once completed, Kyle, Vanessa, Mom AND Dad will all live within a one mile radius of me! Good thing I love my family!) We had a nice afternoon listening to music and cleaning out spices from 1971. (Did you catch that dear readers?…Yes, 1971! Oh Mom, you can’t be moving into that beautiful gourmet kitchen with 37-year old spices!)
We had chicken and potatoes for dinner, followed by a small bowl of this (which was amazing! — Odie and Dana, definitely add this one to your list!) while we watched American Idol. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for one of the two David’s to win. I even voted tonight!
The Library Bistro
92 Madison Street
Seattle, Washington 98104
206.624.3646
Click here to visit official website.
114. Lovely Green Lake
It was another beautiful afternoon in Seattle — sunny and 65 degrees. Odie and I met at Green Lake for a picnic lunch and a walk. The reflections on the lake today were exquisite; hundreds of birds and waterfowl lazed in the sun; and the daffodils, willow trees and flowering trees are in Spring bloom. Our plan was to walk around once (maybe twice), but then we got into a discussion about politics and three laps later I think I was finally able to sway his opinion. ;)
(My dear Michael, note the miles I accumulated today! My total so far is 32.4. How many do you have? I just realized that is only an average of 2.7 miles per day though since we started. I think I need to step it up a little!)
I spent the evening with Mom & Dad. We went to see a movie (Leatherheads directed by George Clooney — love George, but the screenplay was not good), had dinner and watched American Idol. We also had a small dish of this for dessert, which was yummy!
