The weather this weekend was a bit deceiving– clear blue skies and cold(ish) wind. The garden is happy and growing though– our peas are starting to climb the fence, and a handful strawberries are starting to ripen. This weekend we went out in search of an estate sale out near the beach. Lots of little old lady sweaters, wool suits, big carved wood frames, gold-rimmed dishes and metal trunks. I came home mostly empty-handed though, except for some linens in perfect, ironed condition. Intern won’t like the idea of vintage old lady linens… but after a good wash, I plan to sneak them into rotation, and he’ll hopefully never notice! (Except of course, if he happens to read this post)

I took the afternoon off yesterday, and went for a walk with Lucy over to Wise Sons Deli for lunch. OMG. Really good. I am no pastrami expert, but the sandwiches were amazing. We each needed a gallon of water afterwards, and I didn’t feel hungry again for the rest of the day.

It was a good afternoon off, after a strange week. Intern is out of town, I’m wrapping up a big design project, and our building was broken into on Tuesday… and what is with this crazy wind we’ve had all week? We’ve learned a few lessons, number one: GET RENTER’S INSURANCE ERRBODY! Fortunately our neighbors had renter’s insurance to cover everything that was stolen.  Our landlord has replaced locks, and all the neighbors have taken a good look around to help make our building more secure, but it still feels very scary that someone broke in right in the middle of the afternoon. No one was hurt, and everything was replaceable, and we alerted our other neighbors. The Ingleside police were incredible though, they arrived within minutes of our call, and were very helpful throughout the whole ordeal.

I leave you with some cat photos… they are clearly unfazed by the events of this week.

1. Breakfast: Mini egg frittatas with shredded potato, goat cheese and pepper with avocado on the side
2. Breakfast/lunch: Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, capers and salmon
3. Lunch: Spinach salad with cucumber, avocado and almonds and a blood orange balsamic dressing with gruyere toast on the side

4. Brunch: Scrambled eggs with a bagel two ways: cream cheese’d and smashed avocado
5. Breakfast: Smoothie with cranberry juice, mango, spinach and lemon
6. & 7.& 8. Dinner: Brown butter and sage pasta with pecorino romano and lemon roasted asparagus… and a glass of rose

The peas are starting to climb the fence, the sunflowers are opening, the sage is flowering, and the strawberries have yet to be eaten by slugs.

I received a funny post card in the mail over the weekend, and a lovely bunch of flowers from out of town visitors. The flowers have been enjoyed by all in the house, including the cats. On Friday evening we shared an amazing meal with T&B over at Gialina Pizzeria in Glen Park. The meal was lovely, hearty, and full of spring flavors. The Moroccan lamb sausage pizza with mint and yogurt… so amazing and satisfying.

Holy moly. Sharon Ardiana (and her lovely partner Alisha) may just have a whole new fan club after our workshop last night. I’ll happily admit, I’ve got a crush on these inspiring ladies after the most thoughtful, and engaging workshop last night. Sharon put on a show last night, and shared so much information and stories. Sharon shared a basic ricotta cavatelli recipe, and two sauces to pair with the pasta. Sharon used spring ingredients: fresh flowering sage, fava beans and spring peas, and did I already mention the BUTTER? The whole shop had a buttery, sage scent throughout the evening, as Sharon taught us how to make the cavatelli dough, use a cavatelli machine, and how to cut the pasta by hand.

Sharon invited everyone to participate in making pasta, and we had an eager audience of aspiring pasta makers lining up to crank the machine, shell fava beans, and get their hands into some flour to learn how to make something new. At the end of the class, it was time to eat. Every little bit was savored, wine was poured and passed back through the rows of chairs, and leftover pasta dough was wrapped up and shared with the group. Both of Sharon’s restaurants have her cavatelli on the menu, so if you haven’t experienced it before, get yourself to Ragazza or Gialina immediately. Do not wait. Thank you Sharon for a wonderful, and very heartfelt class!

Last year, I was busy doing this and this. A few days later, I did this. I finished my thesis, and  grad school was done!

Looking back at these photos, all I can think is what a difference a year makes. So much has changed– yet it seems like only weeks ago I was nervously practicing and preparing for my final review.

Photo by Sketti K. http://www.flickr.com/photos/skettik/

COME TOGETHER, this year’s MFA design show opens Thursday evening (tonight!) at CCA. From the look of things, this is going to be a great show.

COME TOGETHER is a celebration of the collective work of 31 disparate designers, linked by the practice of transdisciplinary design. It is an event, two years in the making, in which our unique lines of thought, processes, and methodologies converge and intersect in one final exhibition.

Our Seattle condo is available for rent again! For the last two years we’ve had a wonderful tenant, but she is moving, and we’re looking for a new tenant to move in June 1st. The one bedroom apartment is located at the top of Queen Anne, right across the street from Kerry Park (!!!), and is a few blocks away from Trader Joes, Metropolitan Market, Caffe Fiore, Via Tribunali, Top Pot Donuts, and an absurd number of other amazing places to eat. Rent is $1695 a month, with a 12 month lease agreement. The rent market in Seattle seems so silly and amazing to me, I guess because I feel so weirdly acclimated to the absurdly high rental prices in San Francisco, and I just read this article on the rental market. To save time if you don’t feel like a read right now, here is the bottom line: SAN FRANCISCO IS CRAZY EXPENSIVE.

Our Seattle apartment has laundry in unit, a daily garbage service, covered parking, a gym in the basement, a dishwasher…For you Seattle friends and strangers, call Quorum Real Estate to schedule a viewing (206) 283-6000.

6. Dinner: Roasted rock cod over sliced potatoes with tomatoes, pancetta, olives
7. Dinner: Meze of olives, fried eggs, hummus, falafel, feta, tabbouleh, cucumber, tzatziki
8. Lunch: Farro salad with feta, avocado, radish and almonds
9. & 10. Dinner: Grilled romaine with pancetta, grilled pizza with prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula

I just did a quick count, and realized that there are only a few weeks left in the current Skill Exchange workshop series. Since this whole project began in August of last year, we’ve had 17 workshops, and have only 3 more before the series wraps up at Pot + Pantry. I’m already working on the lineup and schedule for the next SKill Exchange project, starting in September. This series will feature workshops with a wider range of skill sets and topics, which I am so excited to share in the coming weeks. Before I get ahead of myself, here is the final schedule at Pot + Pantry:

5.10
Gialina & Ragazza Pizzeria
Seasonal cooking & cavatelli making* SOLD OUT
tickets available 4.26 at 10AM

5.17    6-8pm
The Dough Sisters
Breakfast pastries: Scones and quick breads* SOLD OUT
tickets available 5.3 at 10AM

6.14    6-8pm
Salumeria
Cheese Basics: a beginners guide to everything lactose *
tickets available 5.31 at 10AM

* includes a tasting

And, just in case you missed a few, here is the full schedule of workshops from our current series at Pot + Pantry:

2.22    6-8pm
Red Circle Tea
tea brewing basics*
tickets available 2.9 at 10AM  SOLD OUT

3.1    6-8pm
Urban Veggie Starts
spring gardening 
tickets available 2.16 at 10AM SOLD OUT

3.15    6-8pm
Red Circle Tea
tea: brewing, sourcing & ethics* 
tickets available 3.1 at 10AM

3.22    6-8pm
Revival Bar + Kitchen
bacon curing demo 
tickets available 3.8 at 10AM SOLD OUT

3.29    7-8pm
Town Cutler
knife sharpening demo 
tickets available 3.15 at 10AM

4.12    6-8pm
Almanac Beer
beer brewing*
tickets available 3.29 at 10AM  SOLD OUT

4.19    6:30-8pm RESCHEDULED for 4.20 from 6:30-8PM
Inna Jam
basics of food preservation* 
tickets available 4.5 at 10AM SOLD OUT

4.26    6-8pm
Revival Bar + Kitchen
sausage making demo
tickets available 4.12 at 10AM SOLD OUT

5.3    6-8pm
Sidesaddle Kitchen
raw food basics*
tickets available 4.19 at 10AMSOLD OUT

5.10
Gialina & Ragazza Pizzeria
Seasonal cooking & cavatelli making* SOLD OUT
tickets available 4.26 at 10AM

5.17    6-8pm
The Dough Sisters
Breakfast pastries: Scones and quick breads* SOLD OUT
tickets available 5.3 at 10AM

6.14    6-8pm
Salumeria
Cheese Basics: a beginners guide to everything lactose *
tickets available 5.31 at 10AM

* includes a tasting