Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Our Favorite Places To Eat - Social Fabric Restaurant Blog Hop #cbias
I love eating out at restaurants while I am on vacation. I do check out restaurants online, and read guidebooks, but I always appreciate the local's tips for great restaurants in their cities.
I recently posted my own list of restaurants that were my favorite places to eat on Bainbridge Island,
which is a gorgeous 35 minute ferry ride from Seattle.
That post is part of a blog hop with my Social Fabric community. Today, I am excited to share with you some of my other Social Fabric members recommendations for their favorite restaurants in their own cities.
The list is divided into specific areas of the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
So if you are vacationing in any of these areas, be sure to check them out. And even if you a local, it's always fun to try new restaurants that you may not have heard about.
Eastern US
Tampa, Florida - I Run for Wine
Annapolis, Maryland - Maryland Momma's Rambles
Framingham, Massachusetts - 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires
Orleans County, New York - Living Off Love and Coffee
Charlotte, North Carolina - MommyB Knows Best
Eastern North Carolina - Rebecca Lately
Raleigh, North Carolina - The Dirty Floor Diaries
East Greenwich, Rhode Island - Mama Luvs Books
Richmond, Virginia - Close to Home
Western US
Aliso Viejo, California - Una Colombiana en California
Oceanside, California - Adventures of Valley Writer
San Diego, California - Toot Sweet 4 Two
Wildomar, California - Simple Sojourns
Las Vegas, Nevada - Growing Up Gabel
Las Vegas, Nevada - Home Cooking Memories
Reno, Nevada - Saving in Nevada
NE Oklahoma (Route 66) - The Creative Princess
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Masterpiece
Austin, Texas - Texas Type A Mom
Dallas, Texas - The Effortless Mom
Dallas/Denton County, Texas - Coffee & Giggles
Houston, Texas - A Day in Motherhood
Palestine, Texas - Going Crazy! Wanna Go?
Provo, Utah - Clarks Condensed
Salina/Sevier, Utah - Home Maid Simple
Salt Lake City, Utah - Summer Scraps
Bainbridge Island, Washington - Popcorn and Pearls
Seattle, Washington - Faith Filled Food for Moms
Northern US
Lake County, Illinois - THE ROCK FATHER
Long Grove (NW Chicago Suburbs), Illinois- Make Dinner Easy
Naperville, Illinois - Making Time for Mommy
Cincinnati, Ohio/Northern Kentucky - {enjoy the view}
Detroit, Michigan - Roasted Beanz
West Michigan - Eat Local, West Michigan!
Rochester, Minnesota - The Mama Report
St. Charles, Missouri - Robyn's Online World
St. Louis, Missouri - inRandom
Omaha, Nebraska - Midwest Mammas
Seward, Nebraska - Busy-at-Home
Dayton, Ohio - Mudpies and Tiaras
Miami County, Ohio - The Home and Garden Cafe
Greenville, South Carolina - The Destiny Manifest
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Outnumbered 3 to 1
Norwalk, Wisconsin - The Mommy Bunch
Southern US
Northwest Arkansas - MamaBuzz
Atlanta, Georgia - The Jort Report
Cumming, Georgia - In the Kitchen with KP
Canada
London, Ontario - Creative Cynchronicity
UK
Bristol, UK - Slummy Single Mummy
London, England - The 21st Century Housewife
Portishead, UK - Practically Perfect Mums
Friday, July 26, 2013
My Vintage Flea Market Finds
One of my absolute favorite things to do for fun is go to flea markets. I love the fun atmosphere, the people watching, the food, and of course, the great stuff you can find there.
Over the last few weeks I have gone to a fabulous flea market here in Seattle, the Fremont Sunday Flea Market. I love this market, and always find great stuff to bring home. I never spend a lot of money for what I buy, and the thrill of the hunt is exciting!!
These plates were only a dollar each, there are four, and they feel very 60's to me, yet with a modern twist. I think they are great for a spring or summer meal.
I can never have too many flower vases, and this one is very heavy, and perfect for that one gorgeous flower. I paid two dollars for it.
I already have lots of baskets, but I couldn't pass up this sweet green one. Baskets are great for every room in the house, and I can store kitchen towels or other kitchen items in this one. This basket cost three dollars.
I love white dishes and vases. I can use this one for flowers, pencils, or really anything. I am using it right now for my knitting needles, which I am always losing. Cost was two dollars.
I am calling this a fruit basket, but I can store onions on the counter in it too. I thought it was cute, but it might be cuter if I spray painted it in apple green. At only a dollar, I couldn't pass it up.
I am always up for a visit to any flea market, and Seattle has a few more I want to go to before the summer ends. You can see that I didn't spend a lot of money for what I bought, and there are great deals on furniture, clothes, shoes, and more. I love flea markets!!!
What about you, are there flea markets in your city or town? Have you bought anything fabulous there?
I would love to know.
Happy Friday!!!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Picnic Fun and On-The-Go With Bigelow Tea #AmericasTea #shop #cbias
Here in the beautiful Northwest, our summers are glorious but not very long. My family and I try to pack as much outdoor fun into those three months as possible.
My daughter Samantha and I have begun taking day trips with her children, and we try to go someplace different every week. This week we went to a wonderful little park that was on the beach, and we had a great time.
We took along a picnic, and a delicious drink that I made with Bigelow Tea. I have been drinking Bigelow for many, many years, and I love making iced tea with it in the summer. Bigelow Tea comes in so many different kinds and flavors, and it truly is a family favorite.
I went shopping at Walmart for Bigelow Tea, and brought home some Lemon Lift. I found a recipe for Lemon Citrus Tea Coolers on the Bigelow Tea website. The recipe is super easy, and I absolutely loved the delicious tangy, citrus flavor. It was the perfect drink to enjoy at our picnic. I made it the night before so that it was very cold when I put it in the cooler to bring.
It was a beautiful day for our picnic. My daughter loved the Lemon Citrus Tea Cooler, too. I enjoy plain iced tea, but sometimes it's just more fun to whip up something special. Bigelow Tea makes it so easy, and I try to keep plenty of pitchers of tea on hand for these warm summer days.
Bringing along our drink was super easy. I just put it in this plastic pitcher that has a tight fitting lid, and then popped it into the cooler. I like using cute things for picnics, and just because you aren't at home doesn't mean you can't eat or drink with style.
Transporting the kid's food was easy in these cute little plastic containers. Sandwiches are always so easy to bring, and we had egg salad this time.
All the kids loved the Lemon Citrus Tea Cooler. We didn't give any to my granddaughter, but she grabbed this glass on her own.
I promised the kids a special treat, so I picked up a box of Red Raspberry Herb Tea. The kids love slushies, and these were easy to make, and bring along. You just combine four cups of brewed, cold tea, one cup of Almond Milk, and three cups of mixed berries in the blender. I pored the mixture into a freezer bag and froze it over night. I set it out for about fifteen minutes before the kids were ready to eat it.
I squeezed the freezer bag to mix it up a bit, poured it into cups, and topped it with whipped cream. We all loved it, and it really was delicious.
You can get creative with Bigelow Tea no matter what season it is, and there are even ways to cook with it. Bringing Bigelow Tea along on vacation, a trip to the beach, or other fun outing is always a great idea.
My grandchildren thought it was great to have fruit slushies after their lunch. It was so easy to just toss the bag of frozen fruit mixture and a can of whipped cream in the cooler.
After lunch we went down to the water. Even though the day was very warm, the water in Puget Sound is always cold. The boys had a good time looking for things, and tossing rocks in the water. In the end though, they did take off their shoes and socks and wade into the water. So did I!
Being a grandmother is a very large and important role for me. I never knew either of my own grandmothers, so I feel very lucky to have four little grandchildren of my own.
It's wonderful summer picnics like this that help me build close bonds with them.
I can't wait to go on our next outing, and I'll be sure to bring along Bigelow Tea again for all of us to enjoy.
If you would like more summer tips and ideas, check out this great Summer E-Guide.
You can see my shopping trip for Bigelow Tea on my Google+ Photo Album.
You can also connect with Bigelow Tea on Facebook and Twitter.
Easy Lemon Bars For Lemon Lovers
I think I am going through a lemon loving phase. I'm looking through my cookbooks and on Pinterest to find some good lemon recipes to make.
I came across a recipe for Lemon Bars and made them yesterday afternoon. They came out delicious, and are quite zippy, with a tender crust, and lots of lemon flavor. The recipe is very easy, and you don't even need to pull out your mixture.
I highly recommend making them if you need a lemon fix.
Recipe for Easy Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
pinch of salt
2 sticks butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
Make the crust by combining the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Dip fingers into flour if needed if the mixture sticks to your hands. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix together the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice.
Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 20 minutes longer.
Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cooled and slice into squares.
Makes 10, depending on how large you slice them.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
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