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Monday, August 19, 2013

Spaghetti with mint-pea pesto.

I read a few blogs on a daily basis. One that I love is Dinner: A Love Story. I really appreciate the simplicity of most of their recipes and the light and fun way in which they share them and stories of their family.

I recently tried their Spaghetti and Mint-Pea Pesto. I was stuck at home with a sleeping toddler and a pretty bare pantry. I remembered seeing this recipe and realized I had most of the ingredients on hand. Peas in the freezer, mint in the yard and some random noodles. I could make dinner for myself without having to order pizza.

Here is my slightly-adapted version based on what I had available to me:


Spaghetti with Mint-Pea Pesto


1 1/2 cups frozen peas 
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed italian parsley 
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parm, plus more for serving
1 pound spaghetti
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (this is my favorite salt)
Red pepper flakes to taste
Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Whirl ingredients (except spaghetti) in a food processor. Consistency should be somewhere in between smooth and chunky guacamole.
Add pasta to the pot and about half way through cooking it, scoop out about a cup of hot water. Set aside. Drain pasta once cooked. Scrape pea mixture into the empty hot pot, then start drizzling reserved pasta water into the dip, whisking until it has the consistency of a creamy sauce. Toss pasta in sauce and serve with freshly grated Parm, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Kuz's Bachelorette: Great wines, great times.

As I mentioned the other day, I'm smack dab in the middle of an intense wedding season. There have been some seriously fun times and Kuz's bachelorette weekend in Walla Walla was no exception.

Here is a rundown of what we did and plenty of photos to go with it.

Thursday







Friday






Saturday







Happy wedding weekend Kuz! We are literally jumping for joy for you and Matt!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Wedding season.

I'm in the middle of a wild summer of wedding-related activities. I just returned from a wedding in Montana and this weekend I have another dear friend's wedding in Oregon wine country. In honor of all my brides and brides-to-be, get ready for a wedding themed week here at Westdale Drive.

Up first is a couple of photos from a shower my mom and some other moms threw for Erin last month. I love this photo with all the moms & daughters. Isn't it crazy how much everyone looks like their mother?!


More to come later this week! Up next, a post about a wine tasting bachelorette weekend in Walla Walla (including all my favorite Walla Walla recommendations and tons of photos) and details from Arley's wedding in Montana.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Arley's Bachelorette: It rains more in Seattle.

I think all Portlanders like to say it rains more in Seattle than Portland. Luckily the weather was perfect the weekend we spent there celebrating my friend Arley's bachelorette. You might remember I shared details from her gorgeous shower a while back. Well, last month we took the show on the road, traveling north up I5 to toast the soon-to-be Mrs. with a weekend filled with sailor hats, pink champagne and a obligatory stop at Glassybaby.

Here are some photos and details from our trip.

Gift bags


The gift bags were filled with fun sunglasses for wearing out, sailor hats (since Arley is marrying a captain), temporary tattoos and mini packs of Advil. One of Arley's bridesmaids is a designer and she created a sweet logo for the weekend that we ironed on canvas tote bags.

Arley got a special sailor hat with gold details and hand-sewn tulle (thank you Hilary!) for her to wear on Saturday night.




Pike Place Market


We rented a cute house in Alki Beach and took the water taxi from Alki to Pike Place Market where we walked around, checked out the gum wall, ate oysters and I bought a teepee. 








I mean, how awesome are these teepees?! Carson went totally nuts for it when I got home. If you want one you can find them online at TPS 4 Kids.

Glassybaby


On our way home on Sunday, I insisted we stop at Glassybaby in Madrona. Did you know they make 500 Glassybabys a day? That place is just amazing. 




P.S. Here are a couple of blurry group photos from our nights out for good measure. Fun times ladies and congrats Arley! Let's do it all over again this weekend at the wedding in Montana!