Volunteer Park

One of the things that I enjoy most about Seattle is the many different parks that are within the city limits. One of the parks that was on my Seattle Bucket List to visit was Volunteer Park. After almost a year of living in Seattle I finally made it to the park. And I got to say, I was unimpressed with the park itself. A friend described Volunteer Park as a "picnic park" however, it has a few small trails. In addition, the park has the Asian Art Museum and a Botanical Gardens. But I had other friends that told me that I needed to go to Volunteer Park for the view. Consensus: if you are wanting a view go to Kerry Park; if you want a park with trails go to Discovery Park; skip Volunteer Park unless you want to see Old Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Asian Art Museum or the Botanical Gardens (costs $4 for adults).

View from Volunteer Park

Actual View from Volunteer Park

What the internet "shows" the view will be at Volunteer Park

Asian Art Museum

Botanical Gardens at Volunteer Park

Flowers outside the Botanical Gardens in Volunteer Park

Blowing At Uptown Glassworks

I just had the ultimate glassblowing experience in Renton, Washington. My friend had a Groupon that allowed us to participate in making our own glassblowing projects. We each made a bowl. The colors I chose were cherry and black. There was a lot of huffing and puffing which allowed me to empathize with the big bad wolf in The Three Little Pigs. This particular Groupon experience allowed the user to participate in about 30% of the making of the project. I cannot wait to do another project there!

Placing the Cherry and Black Glass

Supervised as I play with fire and exhaust fan in the hair

After all the twirling and mixing of the colors

And the blowing begins

Blowing continues; I am turning red and the vein is protruding on my forehead

Making the opening for the bowl; I was a spectator at this part of the process

Twirling Expert Level

The final twirl

Nothing Is Sweeter Than A Date

If the only dates you have devoured in your life are the pre-package pitted dates that you buy from the store than you have definitely been deprived. I grew up eating the sweetest and softest (they literally melt in your mouth and you had to be careful to not choke on the pit) dates. My family is notorious for when they go to Iran to bring back 20+ boxes of just dates (60+ dates in each box). Although I have been unable to find a date in the United States as good as the ones from Iran (which makes sense since Iran is ranked first for global date production), the medjool date is comparable.

I was attending a potluck and was assigned the dessert course, and as many people know, I do not bake (unless I am baking with my niece, because then I have a guarantee scapegoat if the dessert doesn't come out right). Since I was attempting the dessert course without my niece, I channeled the Middle Eastern within and followed the recipe book Modern Flavors of Arabia and made Spiced Ricotta-Stuffed Dates, and kept my fingers crossed that it would be edible. This is definitely more of a savory dessert (but it is still sweet) and the only things I dirtied were a bowl, whisk, and measuring cups/spoons. This recipe was a hit at the potluck and guests took the leftovers; many hadn't had cardamom before and enjoyed what it added to the recipe.

Pistachio garnished and non-garnished finished recipe

Ingredients:
-22 Medjool dates
-22 blanched almonds (did not use)
-1 cup ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
-1/4 cup half-and-half or heavy cream (I used heavy cream)
-1 1/2 teaspoon freshy grated nutmeg (I just used ground nutmeg)
-1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
-1/4 cup ground pistachios, to garnish

Directions:
-Cut each date lengthwise and remove the pit.
-In a bowl mix together using a whisk all the ingredients except the pistachios.
-You can be fancy and put the mixture in a bag and cut the tip to fill the dates or you can just use a spoon and dip the mixture into the dates.
-Garnish with pistachios. I grounded mine by using a meat tenderizer.

*Recommendations after making it once: I would fill the dates with the mixture a day before and leave in the refrigerator for approximately 12 hours uncovered and then cover the dish with saran wrap/aluminum foil until ready to serve. I would do this because the mixture was a little runnier than anticipated. Dates like Medjool are not meant to be kept in the refrigerator because they start to get stiff, but they will still remain soft. Additionally I would cut the recipe for everything (except the number of dates and pistachios) in half. There was so much mixture left over. I didn't put almonds in because I am not a fan of almonds; however, even though Medjool dates are quite large, with the addition of an almond I think there wouldn't be much room left in the date for the cream mixture. 

Smith Tower Observatory Deck

Smith Tower

I got to cross another item of my Seattle Bucket list thanks to a Groupon. Yesterday I visited  Smith Tower in Pioneer Square. The observatory deck is located on the 35th-floor.  The 35th-floor also has the legendary Chinese Room. The furnishings in this room were gifted by the last Empress of China. There is a chair that is said that any unmarried women whom sits in it would be married within a year....lets just say I kept a good 10 feet away from this chair during my visit. There is a penthouse apartment on the top floors of the Smith Tower; however, as I searched the internet I was unable to find out how much the apartment rents for, so I am thinking it could be $10,000+ a month.

From the observatory deck you get to see parts of Seattle that one is unable to see through the Space Needle and the Ferris Wheel. There is a small gift shop on the observatory deck and some maps and handouts (i.e. history of Smith Tower).  So the golden question: Would I take others to see the view? Probably not.  It is much cheaper to see the views from here than Space Needle and the Ferris Wheel, but you get what you pay for. I only spent about 10 minutes on the 35th floor during my visit. If you are interested in visiting Smith Tower I would recommend checking on their hours online because they are not set in stone and sometimes it is closed to the public because of a private event. Additional information: SmithTower.com    and  ChineseRoom.com

My Second Island: Vashon

Although I have never been to a tropical island, I just visited my second island in the Pacific Northwest. My second island was the legendary Vashon Island. It’s about a 15-minute ferry ride from Seattle or Tacoma. I actually left from Tacoma. Visitors have the option to take the passenger only ferry/taxi(from Seattle) or the drive-on ferry (approximately $20, plus $5 for each additional person). The island is 12 miles from one end to the other, and is about the size of Manhattan. However, the island only has about 11,000 populations.

The first thing we did upon our arrival to Vashon Island is we drove over to Maury Island. These two islands use to be one but with the addition of a road along Tramp Harbor, they are now two separate islands. We timed our arrival so it was at low tide so we could walk along the beach more. On Maury Island is P. Robinson Lighthouse. This Lighthouse is still operational and visitors can stay in the Head Keepers Quarters.

After getting in a nice little hike along the beach it was off to Vashon’s downtown for lunch. We ate at a vegetarian restaurant called Snapdragon, and it was all kinds of yummiest! Their pizza, soups, and desserts were island perfection.

After lunch, we were off exploring a new place to hike, destination Shinglemill Creek/Fern Cove. It’s Vashon’s newest trail and is two-miles (4 miles round-trip). It was a moderate trail. The final stretch of Shinglemill Creek leads to Fern Cove.

I can definitely see the appeal of escaping the busy city life for this charming island, but I don’t think I could be a permanent resident. But I definitely could escape to this little oasis for a week and most definitely for a weekend.  I cannot wait to return!

Vashon Island from the Tacoma Ferry

 P. Robinson Lighthouse on Maury Island

P. Robinson Lighthouse on Maury Island

Flavors of Arabia

My Middle Eastern kitchen is pretty much nonexistent.  I have relatives that make wonderful Middle Eastern food, so I haven’t been tempted to butcher the cuisine with my cooking skills. However, now that I am far away from family, I am now motivate to cook it since I constantly have cravings for it. I was window shopping as I was walking downtown Seattle, and I came across the store City Kitchen,  within this store had the Middle Eastern recipe book for me.

The recipe book is Modern Flavors of Arabia, and I just recently attempted two recipes from the book.  The first recipe was Baby Okra and Sautéed Tomatoes, and the second was Rice and Lentil Pilaf (Mjadara). Both of these recipes were absolutely delicious, and so I am motivated to infiltrate my kitchen with a little bit more Middle Eastern flair!

Baby Okra and Sauteed Tomatoes

10 cloves garlic, finely sliced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 package (14 oz) frozen baby okra (I used 16 oz package)

6 tomatoes, chopped

1 head of garlic, cloves separated, unpeeled (I used half a head and then used minced garlic)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

2 Tbsp sugar (I used Truvia)

salt and pepper (I used a lot of pepper and just a dash of salt)

In a large frying pan put olive oil and sauté the garlic. Then add the okra. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and unpeeled garlic. (I have never cooked unpeeled garlic, so I was hesitant on what the texture was going to be. The garlic becomes really soft and absolutely delicious). Stir. Add spices. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. I wanted my okra to be really soft so I ended up cooking it for about 20-25 minutes. You are suppose to serve it cold or at room temperature but I prefer to eat it warm.

Rice and Lentil Pilaf

1 cup of brown lentils, rinsed (I used Spanish brown lentils)

4 cups of chicken stock

¼ cup olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup white basmati rice, presoaked and drained

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper (I used a lot of pepper and just a dash of salt)

In a pot place the lentils and cover them with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook until they are dente. In a frying pan heat the olive oil and fry the onions. Pour on top of lentils. Add the drained rice and spices to the pot. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed (it took about 15-17 minutes).

My Guilty Pleasures

I would like to believe that everyone has a guilty pleasure. I presently have many!

• Wear my pjs under a coat during the winter when I just have a quick errand to do.
• I totally wear scrunchies in the comfort of my own home.
• When I am stressed I read fluff novels, and yes I still rate them on goodreads.
• Even though I am allergic to peanuts (I sneeze and break out in hives), I eat Peanut M&Ms, and I enjoy each and every one between the endless sneezes.
• I haven’t bought a tabloid magazine since high school, but I still thumb through them while in the check-out line.
• I totally still have N*Sync and Spice Girl songs on my iTunes and you betcha I jam out to them when they come on my iDevices.
• When I start watching a new TV series, I must watch all the available episodes, so it definitely turns into a hibernation day.
• In a book series, I flip to the end of the book to make sure all of my favorite characters are still present/alive.
• Games that I am interested in watching I record, I check the results online, and if my favorite player/team loses,  then I don’t even watch what I recorded.
• When visiting a new city, I am more excited to try restaurants that have appeared on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” than seeing sightseeing attractions.
• When I get a new book from the library, I buy a cupcake; since I just saved money by checking out the book and not buying it= Girl Money Management Logic
• Comparing weather in Seattle to the Midwest, since Seattle is almost always perfect.
• Getting Chinese/Thai carryout food, so I can peacefully eat with a fork instead of  struggling with chopsticks.
• My food addictions are Double Stuff Oreos (one of the few chocolate things that I will eat) and Crunchy Cheetos (I am definitely not a puff girl).
• Shopping while listening to music on my iPod.
• Pinning things on Pinterest that I never have any intention on buying or making.
• Open windows/patio door to let cool fresh air in and then put on a dozen blankets.
• Baking with my niece; therefore, if the recipe doesn’t come out right I have an available scapegoat.
• Since I only own 2 white things, I have never have had to separate my colors and whites when doing laundry.
• I probably dust my home maybe two times annually....I think dusting is the most pointless chore EVER!
• I only make my bed when my covers start to come off my bed......and yes, my mother is "oh-so-proud!"