Wallingford Gardens, Coffee + Carmelita

Welcome to Wallyhood--or Wallingford. A Seattle neighborhood just south of Woodland Park Zoo and east of the U-district.

 My parents are avid gardeners. Consequently, they have fostered a thriving appreciation for gardens in me (even if my physical skills at gardening are, frankly, tragically late blooming).  Nevertheless, as a way to celebrate this rare day of sunshine in June, they took me out on a garden tour this Sunday over in Wallingford.  Here is sampling a pictures I took at some of the gardens this morning/afternoon.  Looking at them makes me feel all inspired :)

We could smell these roses from yards away. Now, that is a fragrant flower.

 Onions, aliums and poppies. Oh my!

This kitty, Tux, was lounging about in one of the gardens on the tour. She was so freaking friendly. Thus, a mini cat photo shoot was in order.

 Of course, no sunny day in Seattle is complete without iced coffee. 

 Another awkward photo of my lower region + shoes. Perhaps I should actually attempt to do a proper OOTD? For anyone's reference, the shoes are by Harajuku Lovers (a Japanese style brand) and are covered in animal cracker box print.  No, seriously.  The tongue of the shoes has the "nutrition facts" label embossed down the front.  Reeeeaally old and worn in. But still cute.

After wandering through the Wallingford gardens, we went for a looooooong walk around  Green Lake Park before heading over for a bite to eat at Carmelita in Phinney Ridge. The weather in Seattle was abnormally sunny *shock horror* so we took the golden opportunity to linger over our food on the restaurant's back  patio.  Utterly beautiful.  I loved their use of "windows" and flower boxes ^_^

 A big glass of tamarind-ginger lemonade. Super tangy and crisp.

 A smoked chickpea and sofrito empanada. There was much hoarding of the romesco sauce (far left in the picture) on my part. 

 My mum ordered eggplant agnolotti. 

 My Dad chose the polenta gnocci with 'shrooms.  

 And I went really crazy with my order and ended up deciding on...errrmmm... pizza. But! this pizza was loaded up with arugula, caramelized shallots, hazelnuts and nettle pesto. Yum. Not your godfather's by any means.   

We also indulged in Carmeltia's scrumptious dessert selection, but unfortunately, we plowed through our sweets before I remembered to snap a few photos. *hang head in shame*.  I can only insist that you try anything with lavender on the dessert menu.  It will change your perspective on eating floral flavored drinks/food and such. Once that door is open, no going back. 

Cheers,

kaite ;]

5 Things ⋆

Whew. Let's just pretend I did not write anything for the past four months. ... Yep.


1) This little string of flying pigs I picked up at the Missoula Farmers' Market on birthday.  So sweet. They are currently hanging out in my room and captivating the attention of two furry felines.

2) Spring in my parents' garden.  The flowers (well, the one's the bunnies haven't devoured) are in full bloom everywhere I turn this week: irises, rhododendron, bleeding heart, clematis, fox glove, hydrangea, geranium, alum, marigold and so forth. Despite the floral  carnage from the rabbit wars, I love watching the bees flit about the flowers during the day.

3) Playful outfits suited to warmer weather.  I am particularly head over heals for this blue shift dress and jacket I picked up at a thrift store. Both are sure to make highlights in my daily outfits this summer.

4) Peachy-pink nails. And yes, the varnish really does smell like strawberry fruit chews. Creepy. But awesome all at the same time. Like mint chocolate flavored throat lozenges or chewing gum. I don't want to know what is in the ingredients to make it yummy, it just tastes good.  (Below is Strawberry Cream from Revlon). 

5) Great views of Seattle and the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).

 Picture taken from the engineering office of Facebook in Seattle.

Too many great films to see. Drama, comedy, romance, animation, documentary, political, aliens and fantasy. It's all there.  Films I enjoyed this year: Eden (huge thumbs up!), The Eye of the Storm (a thinking drama), and Starbuck (made me smile, they characters are hilarious).

Cheers,

kaite ;]

POTD: What I Made with Baked Beans

Does everyone remember that post where I asked how I could serve up baked beans? Hmmm, me thinks not. {click here for a reminder}


A few days ago I made made myself up a plate of baked beans, complete with all the other unusual suspects.  Instead of the more traditional cornbread, BBQ, English toast, sausage or collard greens, I paired my saucy beans with crock-pot roasted parsnips, cheezy rice and onion jam. Unconventional, but it was what I had in the fridge.

This seems like the apt point to include a basic summary of how I roast vegetables in my crock-pot.  


Method: chop a variety of solid vegetables (such as carrots, parsnips, squash, onions, brussel spouts, beets, Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, etc.) into 1 inch chunks.  I usually chop enough to fill my crock-pot about 3/4 of the way full.  Place all of the veggie chunks into the crock-pot, drizzle with 1/2 to 1 tbsp each of olive oil and vinegar depending on the amount of veggies in crock-pot.  Cook on HIGH for about 2-3 hrs, or until the veggies are soft and have a slightly "crisp" exterior.   Try to stir once or twice while cooking to ensure even "roasting."


But if we are being frank, this is a crock-pot.  Don't miraculously expect oven fries with this method.


Anyone have other suggestions on how to pair baked beans?  Would you like a separate post with more detailed picture steps on how I roast food items in my crock-pot?  Please comment!


On a side note, I mentioned earlier how mid-term weeks usually entail:  increased coffee consumption, repetitive drawings of molecules and body systems on my mirror, chipped nail varnish, minimal-to-no-showering, insomniac pacing blah blah blah. As today is Saturday, here is what my hand looks like at the end of said week... in a little need of TLC.

Needless to say, I am about to repaint me nails and give my digits a break. (Does reading psychology or about the cardiovascular system count as a finger break?)


What does everyone else do after a exam-packed week?  Do you have a personal pamper ritual or special activity reserved for "winding down"?


Cheers, kaite ;]

7 Favorites from the Week ⋆

1. Cooking with friends for a "failed" Superbowl party. This week kicked off to an excellent start at a friend's apartment.  We had full intentions of actually watching the Superbowl, but one thing led to another. We spent most of our time cloistered in the closet sized kitchen and around the precariously balanced dining table.  By the time all the munchies were ready; there was all of 7 minutes left to the game. Oh, poo. Our Superbowl party quickly morphed into a foodie party culminating in a few episodes of Anime.  

2. Falling back in love with my necklaces. I am head over heels for this little pig necklace by brother gave me as a Christmas present.

And I pulled out my peanut necklace this week. Equally adorable ... in a nutty way.

3. The snow and ice has begun to thaw.  While the Spring thaw makes me a little sad (I love Winter), Spring means I don't have to wear four layers to walk outside during the day.  Yesterday, after I missed my bus, I actually enjoyed my long walk back to the dormitories. 

4. Facial masks!  In particular, the Mask of Magnaminty from LUSH. It is a rather deep-cleanse formula.  When I say deep, I mean this green clay is intense.  Within a few minutes of applying the mask, my face went numb from the peppermint oil.  About an hour after I washed the mask off, my face turned strawberry red with patches of "break-outs" along my T-zone. eeeeek.  But! The next morning my face was perfectly clear and even toned.  (Think: super-detox for the skin.)  This mask is not for the faint of heart.

5. Dabbling in my music play-lists. Currently, I am enjoying Starfucker's Reptilians Album (check out their music here), Kate Nash (here music video for Foundations is sweet), and Carla Bruni (one of my favorite songs is Quelqu'un m'a dit).

6. Learning to love my lazy mornings. This week I obsessively listened to Radiolab podcasts over my morning oatmeal and between classes/doing laundry/starting a new chapter of Anatomy and Physiology notes. 

7. The Vagina Monologues. Excellent, hilarious, and a completely superwoman, pro-feminine-sexuality production. I attended the Missoula V-Day event last night with a group of friends. We couldn't stop raving about the stories. It’s a powerful play and organization to be part of. I have full intentions to attend again next year. {learn more about V-day here}

Cheers, kaite ;]

Yearning for shorter hair

I have had my moments where I lusted for longer hair.  To have locks that tumble down my back.  Those ever coveted beachy, romantic waves that could be plaited into mermaid-esc braid.


BUT for the past few months, I have more than flirted with the idea of hacking off my mid-length hair into a scruffy, shorter cut.  There is something edgy, sophisticated and chic about short hair.  It walks the line between practicality and frivolousness with a touch of confidence.  (I'm reading waaaayyy too much into the symbolism of hair length).


Nevertheless, here are a few of my inspirations that keep feeding the craving for shorter hair....

{Kristin Stewart} 

{Alexa Chung}

{Scarlett Johansson}

{Keira Knightley}

Any opinions?  How short should I go?  Is there a particular muse with short hair I should go photo-stalk?  Let me know if you have any commentary or suggestions.  Lately, I have been perusing the archives of For the Girls who Yearn for Short Hair for more short-hair inspiration.  Until I can manage to get myself over to my hair-dresser, I shall live vicariously through images.

Cheers, kaite ;]