Tag Archives: breakfast banter

SUNDAY BRUNCH: Alexa’s Cafe

Posted on 07.22.2012 by Lindsey • 0 Comments • Leave a Comment! • Other, Sunday Brunch

Today started with brunch at Alexa’s Cafe in Bothell, WA with a few of my closest friends. The perfect quaint little cafe for a goodbye brunch.

My time with people is limited, so I am going to keep this short. I hope you understand.

I always enjoy checking out a new place, and as you know, anyplace that serves anything in a mason jar is my favorite. The food was delicious. Lots of scrambles with maple bacon, amazingly thick toast and garlicy potatoes. The coffee was delish. All-in-all a successful brunch.

We followed brunch up with estate sale shopping and tattoo getting. For real. I will give you more on that later.

As for right now, I am going to spend some quality time with friends while playing Super Nintendo and drinking mimosas. Don’t judge. Our time is limited and I’m going to spend it doing things I love.

Lots of Sunday love…

 

 

SUNDAY BRUNCH: Thorp Antiques and Fruit Stand

Posted on 05.27.2012 by Lindsey • 0 Comments • Leave a Comment! • Other, Sunday Brunch

Do you ever just want to hop in the car, roll down the windows, turn the music up loud, and drive?

I do almost everyday, but today it actually happened.

We (my friend Amanda and I) took a mini road trip to Thorp Washington. I had never been to Thorp. Also, I had never heard of Thorp, but when Amanda brought the idea up I could hardly stand still. All she had to say was “road trip.” I was sold.

I find freedom in the combination of open road, loud music, and wind blown hair. The cool fresh air from the still snowy mountain tops rejuvenating us with every turn. Coming alive with every country song blasting through the speakers. I felt renewed. My spirit was fully awake and happy to be.

I was amazed when we arrived to Thorp. The only sign of life was in a three story warehouse building: Thorp Fruit and Antique Mall.

Heck yes! We spent three hours carefully searching through the two floors of antiques. Probably an hour of it we were fully having a dress up party. I’m the proud owner of a new blouse that looks like it came off the set of Now and Then.

We then headed downstairs for some brunch. We settled on some freshly picked cherries, a local trail mix, and of course coffee. We used my shirt as a tablecloth :)

This wasn’t your typical brunch, but it wasn’t your typical day either. I’m content knowing I spent my time on the open road with a dear friend and not in a restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, I love restaurants, but they have never left me feeling rejuvenated, peaceful, and just grateful to be alive the way a road trip does. Even if it is just for a day.

Sadly, our road trip had to come to an end as all things do. The sun sets. We can count on this (unless we’re somewhere like Alaska, but even then it does eventually).

How does your spirit come alive? Open road, over a good book, a spa day? The options are endless. Fill us in…

Happily content…

 

SUNDAY BRUNCH: Roasted Corn

Posted on 05.20.2012 by Lindsey • 0 Comments • Leave a Comment! • Other, Sunday Brunch

Seattle is split up into different neighborhoods all with their own uniqueness, culture, purpose, passion, and style. The U-District is a perfect example of one of these neighborhoods. It’s the stomping ground for University of Washington students. Coffee shops, used book stores, old movie theaters, consignment shops, convenience stores, trendy clothing (Urban & American Apparel), bikes galore, bubble tea, and pubs call the U-District home.

This weekend, 10 blocks of booths selling deep fried everything, jewelery, soap, purses, and anything else you can think of lived on the streets of Seattle’s U-District for the street fair of all street fairs. Seriously people they even had deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Who even thought of that?!

Street fairs are chaos. A bunch of over-stimulated people walking around eating more sugar than they know what to do with while trying to rationalize a tie-dyed t-shirt purchase. Love it! As I walked around among them I was overcome with gratitude for what Seattle has taught me: I cannot let the rain rule my life. Yes, it was raining today, but the world still showed up to stroll the streets. That’s beautiful in my opinion, especially since in Southern California (where I grew up) water falling from the sky is cause for an emergency broadcast. Reality check- weather happens and so should our lives.

Anyway, while strolling in the rain my roommate and I picked up some roasted corn, blackened salmon, and salad. I know what you’re thinking, “where is all the sugar and deep-fried food?” We opted to indulge in people watching instead of food. Don’t feel too bad for us though, our corn was decadent. Seasoning roasted corn is like building an ice-cream sundae. Lime, chili powder, cheese, salt, butter, hot sauce…the list just goes on and on. It’s a big production!

Thank you U-District for letting me stroll your streets while eating some darn good corn! It might be one of the last times my boots hit your gravel. Sigh.

Have a lovely evening…

SUNDAY BRUNCH: Mother’s Day, Cyclops, & the CBEST

Posted on 05.13.2012 by Lindsey • 0 Comments • Leave a Comment! • Other, Sunday Brunch

On Mother’s Day twenty-twelve I feel it necessary to tell you that my mom has a HUGE heart. I’m her daughter by marriage, but her heart is big enough for her 2 sons and me too and always has been. We are a blended family. I love this term, because it is the perfect illustration of what we are: lots of people coming together with the willingness to “blend” in order to form something new. The past is not swept away. It is merely blended with the past of others to create a new present. I love it. We love it. I’m sure I can speak for our entire family when I say, we love you mom! Here is some family photo love from my brother’s wedding. My mom is the happiest in it. Beautiful.


Being that my mom is literally 1,180 miles away (I Google mapped it) there’s not much happening on the Mother’s Day front here in Seattle. I did call my lovely madre (pretty much the only Spanish I use on a regular basis) to tell her I love her, and I sent her a sticker for her car that says “Chapman Mom,” along with a note promising to spoil her next year when I can be with her (more about the move tomorrow…).


As for brunch, I went basic today. I made a Cyclops. Most people call it Egg in a Basket, but it reminds of the Cyclops from Homer’s The Odyssey. It just does, so I changed the name. I topped it with sriracha and paired it with fresh strawberries and some water with lime. The perfect brain power brunch to kick start my studying for the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test).

What is the one thing you want the world to know about your mom?

Lots of love for all you madres out there. Now time to study…

 

SUNDAY BRUNCH: Preservation Kitchen

Posted on 05.06.2012 by Lindsey • 0 Comments • Leave a Comment! • Other, Sunday Brunch

Who: Five friends and a baby

What: Sunday Brunch

When: Sunday of course

Where: Preservation Kitchen in Bothell, WA

Why: To eat, drink, and be merry

How: Our own two feet actually. We walked up the stone step path through luscious blooming trees where we found the front door to the classically understated brick house that just so happens to be a restaurant.  We stepped inside where a hostess dressed in a simple white on black ensemble led us through the house to our table.

What we did: We proceeded to sip drinks with champagne, orange juice, coffee and lemon (not all together), and eat meals with bacon, herbed ricotta omelets, blueberry pancakes, salmon benedict, and roasted potatoes. The potatoes were my favorite. They just melted in my mouth like butter. Delicious warm butter.

Preservation Kitchen strives to serve locally produced cuisine which is why their menu changes with the seasons. I think there is something very organic about working their menu this way. I’m pondering changing my diet with the seasons as I write this…

During our very springy conversation we talked about planting gardens, why we’ve been seeing families of geese on the highway, Anne of Green Gables, and how we all missed opening day of boating season. Normally I would just say, “next year” to comfort myself, but there was no comforting my sad heart about missing the beauty of 9,000 sailboats sailing on the lake (I’m exaggerating). Instead, I vowed to spend as much time by the lake as possible. I’m happy to report I said hello to Lake Washington after brunch.

Can we talk about their drink called Death in the Afternoon for a moment? I would have ordered this, but I kind of already felt a bit under the weather (cinco de Mayo was last night). I fully plan on ordering Death in the Afternoon one day soon. It might be the English major in me, but once I saw that this was Hemingway’s drink I was sold. Or I will be sold soon.

Do you buy things based on their name or what they’re affiliated with? Maybe a nail polish color or in my case a fancy drink a fancy author once favored.

Thanks for bantering with me…

 

 

 

P.S. You should know that a million pictures were taken, but due to technical difficulties I have only these 2 photos to share with you. If the technical difficulties go away soon I will share the million photos of our food, gorgeous faces, and Preservation Kitchen’s incredible garden. Thanks for understanding.

Fancy that! We have eggs.

Posted on 05.01.2012 by Lindsey • 0 Comments • Leave a Comment! • Random Goodies, What's For Breakfast?

Tuesdays are exciting at our apartment. Before I even wake up we have farm fresh eggs on our porch. Right there! (We actually can have a whole host of other items at the click of a button. That’s right! We can change our order online right up to the night before.) The next morning, I just open the door, open our little insulated porch box, and bring the eggs (and sometimes other items) inside. Some mornings I whip up an omelet or quiche or frittata or some other eggy thing. However, most days I place them in the fridge and rush out the door knowing that breakfast for dinner is in my future.

Today was a fancy Tuesday. I made Caprese Egg Cups for our little home.
I buttered a cupcake tin, layered chopped tomatoes, mozerella cheese, 1 cracked egg, fresh basil, salt & pepper, and baked it at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Wallah!

Have you ever looked into having produce or any farmy groceries delivered to your front door? Do you already? What has your experience been?

Miss Meg, Miss Melissa, and I will be sad to part with our wonderful Tuesday deliveries…also with each other come July. Tear.

Off to work followed by a TB skin test (oh the joys of becoming a teacher)…