The leaves changing, the temperature dipping, and the nights getting darker made me think of making a stew this week. But not a rich beef stew - something a little lighter for the fall. Beef stew feels like it’s for the winter. Chicken Stew, however, is perfect for fall. It’s still comforting and flavorful, but not heavy.

The stew comes together pretty quickly. The longest you wait is for the potatoes and chicken to cook through. And quite honestly, if you chop the potatoes extra small it will go even faster. You can have this ready in 30 minutes or let it simmer for as long as you need. That’s what I did. Half of us were home early and starving and the other half were out until the late evening and we were thrilled to find hot soup waiting.

A loaf of crusty bread and a green salad - and you’ve got a guest worthy dinner.

Weeknight Chicken Stew

serves 4-6

2 large carrots, chopped (about 3 cups)

3 celery stalks, chopped (about 3 cups)

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken stock or bone broth

1 teaspoon chicken boullion

10-15 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 cups chopped potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)

2 pounds chicken thighs

STEP 1

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven (or large soup pan) and cook the onions, carrots, and celery with the garlic over medium/low heat until the onions are softened. Season with salt & pepper.

Wrap the thyme sprigs in cheese cloth and tie it together tight.

STEP 2

Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables and stir until well coated.

STEP 3

Pour in the chicken stock and add a cube of bouillon - or a teaspoon of the paste and bring to a simmer. Drop the thyme packet into the pot.

STEP 4

Drop in the chicken and potatoes and cook about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft and you can shred the chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper again if needed.

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It’s baseball season! Still! Which is so exciting for us in Seattle. I know there are cities where your team is regularly in the post season, or you expect them to be in the post season - we are not that city. We are the city who always has so much hope in April. And then we turn to football in the fall, because there isn’t another local sport happening.

But not this year! This year, we are in the picture.

It is absolutely something to celebrate, so let’s celebrate! We are making up a few special things and filling in with grilled hot dogs and pretzel bites. It’s a ridiculously simple menu. And even if you don’t make what I’m making, do something! Celebrate! It’s been almost a quarter century since we’ve been here!

Homemade Cracker Jacks

These are the best! And they are actually really simple - which is the best part. It’s super impressive that you made your own. Also wasn’t that hard.

Feta Pretzel Dip

A simple dip with ingredients that are probably in your fridge right now! Plus, it’s great on almost anything you can dip.

Cracker Jack Cookies

Filled with popcorn, white chocolate, and peanuts - you won’t believe how good this combination is wrapped in a buttery cookie.

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Having a great dip in your back pocket is a great hack to make any party feel special. This is one of those dips -it’s basically made with ingredients you have in your pantry already because it’s pretty basic. It’s just the way it comes together that it tastes so good! I keep feta cheese in my freezer because it freezes really well and then it’s always ready to go! If you buy the crumbled feta, then it defrosts super fast too.

I made this for my baseball party, but it’s a great party dip because it literally goes with everything. I like the tangy feta with a pretzel, but it’s also awesome with carrots, celery, crackers, salami, the list goes on! Imagine how good it would be on a burger!

Feta Pretzel Dip

4 ounces feta cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon worchestershire

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons milk (or more)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whip until well combined. Serve with pretzel bits, crackers or vegetables.

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When I was a kid, I thought banana nut was the grossest thing I’ve ever heard of. But as I realized banana nut was just banana bread with nuts in it, I came around. Now, when I see a banana nut muffin, I get excited. There’s something about banana nut that feels like fall to me too. I have no idea why. Is it the old bananas? The cinnamon? The chopped nuts? No idea. But here we are - fall + banana nut muffins.

I love these muffins because they are a great way to use up old bananas and they are great meal prep for breakfast. They are also super easy.

Banana Nut Muffins

makes 12

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

STEP 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the bananas, butters, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

STEP 3

Add in the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined.

STEP 4

Scoop batter into the prepared muffin tin to about 3/4 full.

STEP 5

Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Seattle has a lot of house boats. Obviously made famous by Sleepless in Seattle, but they’ve been around and popular since long before that movie. When I was in college a girl who was older than me in the house was living on a houseboat. I fell in love with it.

The idea living ON the water became a dream. There are limitations; house boats don’t have garages, or parking spaces, or basements. There are no yards, no gardens, and extremely limited home gym options. As we shopped for a house the first time, I proposed a house boat and it was quickly knocked down because of the above limitations. Reasonable as we were a young family with lots of babies and a dog.

But the dream never died. Now as we are starting to think about retirement and an empty nest, a house boat has come back into the conversation.

This has led to my favorite game - Zillow search then Pinterest board! I love to do this. I go on Zillow and find a home. Then I start redesigning and renovating it in my head. And often in my notebook. It’s such a fun game. It’s a great way to get to design something that I don’t actually have to pay for.

If I’m being honest too, I never like the house boat that’s already done. I never like the house that’s already done. I want to start from zero. Start from the junkiest looking house and come in and fix it. I can’t be the only kid that watched This Old House growing up and was obsessed. Luckily I married someone who still loves to watch This Old House.

The difference in house boats is dramatic. You can get a very tiny one bedroom for less than the cost of a condo in Seattle - or you can get a new build house boat that is millions of dollars. The cost of renovation is always a mystery. You can spend a lot on hidden costs - as experts on This Old House will tell you - like the foundation, the floats, etc.

Here’s what I would do if I had a house boat to renovate.

Swivel Chair from Room & Board | Schumacher Wall Paper | Coffee Table | Linen Sofa | Stripe Pillow | Cocktail Glasses | Teak Flooring | Giant Fish Pendant | Flag | Schumacher Fabrics

It seems like a houseboat would need to have a consistent color palette throughout the entire house. Most houseboats are very small so moving from room to room should be fun, but not jarring. I would stay in one palette of blues but swap throughout with how saturated the blue is. In the living room, lots of pattern and deep blues to not detract from the view.

But in the bedroom, bright and light blues carrying the use of patterns through. Very light feeling textures, like the rattan headboard and a fluffy rug keep the room feeling light and airy.

Woven Bedframe | Roller Rabbit Sheets | Flokati Rug | Stripe Bench | Boat Photography | Bamboo Mirror | Valet Tray

Stripe Towel | Faucet | Indoor Sauna | Rattan Mirror | Bathroom light | Blue Tile

The actual Sleepless in Seattle Houseboat on Lake Union in Seattle

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I went through a phase where almost every night we ate our dinner in meatball form. I cannot tell you how much I love to make a meatball. It’s such a simple dinner - and it’s done so easily - and cheap.

Bahn Mi is one of my favorite sandwiches ever and turning it into a meatball sub seemed like a natural. Especially because the meat does not need to be marinated - you can just mix all of the meat + flavorings and they become a well flavored meatball in minutes.

This seems like a lot of steps but not one of these steps are hard. Or time consuming. It’s especially handy because you can make up all of the vegetables and meatballs ahead of time - then just heat when it’s time to eat. It’s the perfect dinner for when there are one million sports events, after school activities, etc.

Bahn Mi Meatball Subs

serves 4

1 cup rice vinegar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

2 lb ground pork

1 cup panko

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon sriracha

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1/2 jalapeno, chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sriracha

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

brioche buns

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the sliced carrots and cucumber in a glass jar. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer until all sugar and salt is dissolved. Pour vinegar mixture over the carrots and cucumber and let sit while you make the rest.

STEP 2

In a bowl, combine the pork, panko, egg, chopped cilantro, sriracha, fish sauce, fresh grated ginger and jalapeño. Mix well with your hands and form into meatballs. Wet hands make the meatballs form more easily. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and pop in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until browned on top.

STEP 3

Mix together mayo, remaining sriracha, and remaining fish sauce.

STEP 4

When the meatballs are done, top the bun with the cooked meatballs, pickled vegetables, and the mayo sauce. Eat while hot!

HOT TIPS

• These meatballs freeze really well. Freeze once they are fully cooked and cooled. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

• Use your own discretion when adding jalapeño and sriracha. You know how much spice your family likes!

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Words cannot express how much I love this soup. It’s a perfect early fall soup - and a great aprés ski soup! It’s so fast to make and full of hearty and healthy vegetables. Obviously, my kids groan when they see the kale - you can leave it out - but it softens so much in the pot that it’s not super obvious and it’s so good for them if they’ll not pick it out!

I like to make this soup during the early fall because we are scrambling from one team sport to another team sport. Or activity. Or some volunteer job I didn’t remember I signed up for. I can make this early in the day and then have it done. Today I’m actually making it at 10am and popping it in the fridge. We are hosting a party tonight, one kid off to baseball and another off to swimming. I’ll bring this out when Adam is starving (he never eats enough at a party) and when the kids get home from practice. It heats up easy. I throw a loaf of bread on the side too.

White Bean & Sausage Soup

Serves 4

1 lb pork sausage

1 sweet onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can cannellini beans

4 cups kale, chopped (basically one small bunch)

28 oz  chopped tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

1 can artichoke hearts

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

½ cup Parmesan cheese

STEP 1

In a large stock pan, brown sausage with onions and garlic. Add red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper.

STEP 2

Deglaze the pan with white wine scraping any brown bits off the bottom as it cooks. (2 mins)

STEP 3

Add beans, kale, artichokes, tomato, red bell pepper, stock, and herbs.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes. 

STEP 4

Serve hot with parmesan cheese.

NOTES:

Swap out the kale for chard if it's easier to find or you have too much in the garden.

You can always add more stock to this soup and have it serve a large crowd on demand!

As a boy mom, I watched the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce interview and I thought: “Please find someone as smart and patient as Taylor is with Travis.” As a girl mom, I thought “Please find someone who looks at you the way Travis looks at Taylor.” If that wasn’t the cutest interview you’ve ever seen, then your heart must be a cold, dead rock. It was objectively adorable.

And inspiring. Taylor makes bread? Bread is time consuming. Bread is hard. My cousin makes some of the best bread I’ve ever had and I happen to know she spent YEARS working on her bread. If you live on Vashon, you’ve probably had her bread. I do not have the patience for bread.

But the thought of Lemon Blueberry was the spark I needed to level up my muffins right at the exact moment that blueberries are ready in the Pacific Northwest. Our here, blueberries are big. Like the size of a dime. I know I’ve had the back east variety and they are tiny little blueberries. This recipe works great with either version - but if you’re in the Northwest, like me, then go with more blueberries vs less. The big ones take up more room in the measuring cup - and then they also don’t distribute in the muffins easily. If you measure and add exactly 1/2 cup of our giant blueberries, you could end up with one berry per muffin. Be generous. Use 1/2 cup as a guideline.

Dying to know if I’m the only obsessive lady loving the Taylor/Travis relationship? I’m clearly not alone because the stream has like a bazillion views. But is everyone else not admitting it? Bake a muffin, watch the interview and get back to me.

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

makes 12

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1/2 lemon (1 heaping teaspoon)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)

1/2 cup blueberries

TOPPING

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl (or measuring glass) whip together the oil, egg, milk, vanilla, and zest.

STEP 2

In a large bowl combine together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour in half of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Then add the yogurt and blend together. Pour the last of the milk mixture and stir until combined. Add the blueberries.

Don’t over stir. The mixture will be a little lumpy, it’s fine.

STEP 3

In a food processor or a bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until it’s sandy. I just use a fork.

STEP 4

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way and top each one with the topping mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

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Once a week I play bridge. Except this summer where travel baseball has taken over my life and I’ve missed several weeks of play. Today, my girlfriends are coming over to play bridge and I’m so excited!

Usually while we play we have glasses of white wine and some sort of small snack. Today, I’m making my famous (and ridiculously simple) Smoked Salmon Dip. Not only because it’s easy and everyone loves it - but because it feels like a perfect summer appetizer.

It’s only a few ingredients, so use good ones. My smoked fish (I’m using trout) is from my boys going fishing earlier this summer so I know it’s delicious and fresh. Because you’re only using 1/2 pound - buy a good one! In Seattle, most grocers have great smoked fish but you can also head over to the docks at the base of Magnolia and pick up fish that you know came straight out of the sea.

Smoked Salmon Dip

1/2 pound smoked salmon (or trout)

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 jalapeño, grated

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or more if needed)

salt + pepper

STEP 1

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the mayonnaise and blend. Use a hand mixer, a stand mixer, a cuisinart, or a potato masher (heaven help your arm)

STEP 2

When blended, add the mayonnaise and blend until the texture is fluffy and creamy. Serve with crackers and cucumber slices.

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Turning any butter into an herbed butter is one of the easiest ways to make a meal seem fancier than it is. This simple version is just one herb - but the proportions are the same no matter what. If I’m using this on my clams, I often go over the top with adding herbs and end up with a 1:1 ratio vs a 2:1 which is much more common.

You can decide what you’re going to put into this! Garlic Dill is because the dill in my garden needed to have something done with it. I especially like to make these butters and then freeze them. Practically on demand, you end up with something fancy right when you need it.

OPTIONS

• Garlic Dill is perfect for seafood like salmon or clams

• Rosemary Garlic is great on a steak or on top of bread - add extra salt

• Garlic, Dill, Thyme, Basil is my go-to for clams and mussels

• Basil, Oregano, Rosemary has a great Italian steak thing going on - add red pepper flakes too

• Lemon, Garlic, Dill is also amazing on seafood - use the zest of the lemon

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Garlic Dill Compound Butter

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup chopped dill

1 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic

Mash it all together and use immediately, spread it on bread, or freeze and melt on a steak or clams later.

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