Soup Day

I'm still here...three days into a pesky cold and my second day off work and I'm getting antsy. As my faithful followers may remember, when I get sick I often cook. Something about chicken soup shortening the lifespan of a virus. Well I also tend to develop a craving for spicy foods when I'm sick, so this afternoon I'm sitting here beside a simmering pot of hot (like spicy hot) Asian chicken soup. Since I don't feel like going out, here's what I found in my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to create my own version of the chicken soup cure:
1 Tbsp. Asian sesame oil
3/4 box chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. Tamari sauce
1 cup (?) sliced mushrooms
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/4 cup or so shredded carrots
1-2 cups chopped spinach
1-2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
and to fulfill the spicy craving...about a tablespoon and a half of green chili paste.
Then half a lime squeezed into it.
Just remembered I have some dried lemongrass...better throw that in too. About a tablespoon or two.
[insert 15 or 20 minutes of simmering]
First bite just now. Yes, that will definitely clear my head!*
*Measurements are an estimate


Enjoy! I'll sign off now so I can finish off the bowl without spilling the contents on the computer.

All in a Sunday

Often Sunday lunch is a meal at a chain restaurant or a potluck and once in a while, now that my parents are nearby, a family affair. Yesterday a few friends and I crossed the 520 bridge to find a new place: Volunteer Park Cafe."Find" I mean literally...after a series of turns the wrong direction down the wrong streets we finally happened upon this little cafe in the corner of a lovely little neighborhood in the Madison Park meets Capitol Hill area. [Note to self: when asking your Blackberry for directions, it is necessary to specify whether the street goes east or west or down a hill or up or this way or that. Ahem.] If you've been to Volunteer Park, this cafe is sort of tucked away in the southeast corner, but it's a couple blocks from the actual park entrance. Anyway...it's a Sunday brunch kind of place, where young families or groups of friends wander in after sleeping all morning to read the paper or a new magazine and have a breakfast panini with a Stumptown cappuccino or perhaps a morning strata with the brew of the day. Volunteer Park also serves salads and sandwiches along with the brunch fare. Members of my group had a brie & apple panini with cup of coffee, the "big boy" panini with root beer (big boy meaning 3 kinds of meat and a few veggies), and the chicken potpie with, again, root beer. They proclaimed the root beer good. I had the strata and a side salad. The strata was shaped in the form of a jumbo muffin cup: yummy layers of bread, egg, thick bacon, and veggies. The side salad had a light but tasty vinaigrette, somewhat sweet and somewhat sour. There is a long communal table in the middle of the room with booths and tables and chairs along the walls. For a minute we weren't sure we were going to find seats, but then a table near the window opened up just as our food was ready. While sitting facing the window I spied with my little eye a bungalow for sale across the street...hmmm....[accepting donations]

Leaving the little neighborhood us girls drove through Volunteer Park with plans to return on a nice day to take photos of Seattle through the "donut hole" and climb the water tower stairs...on to Cap Hill to grab some sweet treats at Cupcake Royale's latest digs at 1111 11th Avenue. Babycakes are truly a fabulous invention: you can try multiple seasonal flavors--Cranberry Orange and Pumpkin Maple--on the same day!

Later in the day I realized I had an Anthropologie birthday coupon burning a hole in my bag so I made tracks to the Shops at the Bravern. The Bravern has been open for about two months and is a collection of high end designer shops. While my status in life does not warrant more than window shopping for the most part, The Bravern contains an Anthropologie, Sur La Table, and Trophy Cupcake, and so I expect I shall pay it a visit from time to time. I nearly lost track of time while wandering through Anthropologie oohing and aahing and wishing but managed to find myself a scarf to complete an outfit. A scarf you ask? that's all? Well, those bungalows aren't free, you know!

And I just have to add...

I still get so excited when I am in the vicinity of Cupcake Royale and can have a Verite cappuccino. Beautiful foam. Strong espresso. It's a lovely thing.

Last weekend I had not one, but two, chances to visit Cupcake Royale. Friday night after Delancey we headed over to Cupcake Royale for dessert (the cookie was, uh, just a second course, kinda like the cheese plate that comes before dessert in some countries, ahem). Unlike the last time I was in on Labor Day, this time they actually had...drumroll...Blue Mountain Huckleberry (September's flavor of the month). Oh, yeah.

Then Sunday afternoon I went to Golden Gardens with two friends for one last chance to soak up the warm sun and fresh air. After walking the beach, and being in Ballard, naturally you have to go get a cupcake. Next up: Salted Caramel. Yep, also delicious!

On a side note: I was able to burn off at least one cupcake (I hope) by getting in one last hike on Saturday. Got up early and drove over Snoqualmie Pass with a friend to hike in the Teanaway area to Ingalls Lake.  The sky was an incredible deep blue. It was somewhat windy and up at the lake the chill in the air meant pulling out the fleece, but the weather was otherwise perfect. We were hoping to see the larches turning yellow but unfortunately not much was happening yet. However, the blueberry bushes are crimson and there are a few flowers here and there still blooming. The hike climbs steadily through forest and then down into meadows with lots of good campsites. The last bit is some scrambling and then you crest the rocks and suddenly you're at the lake. We ate lunch there while enjoying the views of the craggy peaks across the lake. A man who was taking a break by the lake pointed out two mountain goats way up on top of one of the peaks to the west. Their climbing skills are amazing!