Keeping Spice in a Marriage

Today's post is about the joy of spices and challenging yourself to cook a favorite yet unfamiliar food for your special someone. What did you think this post was about? Get your minds out of the gutter.

The bulk food aisle is a magical place. I admit that I used to look at this corner of the grocery store with fear and apprehension. It reminds me of the first time I went to a plant nursery. I went with a friend and avid gardener and was intimidated but curious. I didn't know how to buy bulbs, and I was very nervous about looking stupid or buying the wrong thing. Instead of carefully reading the plant labels, I watched other people pick up brown paper bags that were provided by the store, select a few bulbs, and then write the type, quantity, and bin number on each bag.

I decided to try a relatively safe variety  (Paperwhites, if you must know) that, according to the instructions, you could grow inside during the winter. I figured if the bulbs died in the warmth of my house in January, I would have quietly and privately failed the test and wouldn't have to bother with gardening in the future. Thankfully, the bulbs bloomed brilliantly, and it started a life long love of all things in the garden.

Anyway, back to the bulk food aisle. I thought the whole concept of opening bins to buy unpackaged food was, well, unhygienic and lowbrow. Then, a cashier at my beloved Greenwood Market asked me why I was buying a $5 package of garlic powder when I could buy it in the bulk food section for much less. That wonderful woman changed  my life.

I now buy all of our spices from the bulk food section as well as nuts, oatmeal, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, lentils, beans, rice, and pasta. It truly is a fantastic place to discover new things like Christmas lima beans  or fleur de sel. So far, nobody has gotten food poisoning or any strange diseases. In fact, the selections in the bulk food aisle can make or break my opinion of the grocery store in much the same way as a bulb selection at a nursery.

Don't be scared of the bulk food aisle! Explore it!

 Oooohhh. Pretty.

Yesterday was Ryan's birthday, and I had lots of plans to take him out to dinner or whisk him away to the Methow Valley. Unfortunately, we've all been sick for the last few weeks, and Ryan came down with the dreaded cold just in time to celebrate his 30-something years. We all just wanted a quiet night at home, but that didn't mean that the birthday celebration couldn't be special.

How do you cheer up a guy with a bad sore throat and serious congestion? You make his favorite food, of course! Ryan loves Indian food, and I've always wanted to cook an Indian feast, but, like the bulbs at the nursery, I've been intimidated to try it.

Thank you Google and the bulk food aisle. Without you, Ryan would have been sad and miserable all weekend long.

  Just a few of the spices I picked up at the store. 

The colors and smells were vibrant and wonderful!

 

The start of a delicious Indian basmati rice. 

Simmering Aloo Gobi. 

 A heaping plate of flavorful and satisfying Indian food. 

The rice is in the center of the plate, the aloo gobi is in the foreground, a wonderful lentil daal is on the left, and a decent saag paneer (spinach and cheese dish) is on the right.

And now for dessert. Ryan doesn't like cake (say what?!), so I decided to do something reminiscent of a birthday cake but made out of Ryan's favorite dessert, cookies.

I made an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie cake. Seriously, this thing was the shiz-nit. I put it in a 9-inch round cake pan, and it took about 40-45 minutes to cook in my convection oven. We added a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream, and let me just say that the final product was DI-VINE.

 

My artsy photo of the cookie-cake with Ryan's birthday tulips. Soma wanted to watch in the background just in case the cookie-cake should spill or need tidying up. 

 9 birthday candles (we decided to have each candle represent 4 years of his life). 

I don't know whether Arlo is terrified or mesmerized or both of the burning candles. 

 

O. M. G. 

Happy Birthday, Ryan! I love you very much!

Winter in Seattle

Ok, I suck at keeping up with the Nonericks. We've been hibernating, and we have many more excuses: snow days, the Packers in the playoffs (ugh), a nasty round of the stomach flu, winter gardening.

I actually made a movie showing our winter adventures (minus footage of the stomach flu and the Packers) starring Arlo Sherman Patrick. Keep your eye out for this kid. He has a real future. His emotional range is amazing, but he needs to develop more coordination and balance before he can be a double threat.

Winter in Seattle

Music by: The Decemberists (January Hymn) and Jolie Holland (Littlest Birds)

If the movie is not enough, there's more.

Arlo was so sad when the Giants beat the Packers in the playoffs... again!

 

 Snow Day!

What do you do for a sled when you live in largely snow-free location? 

Use a plastic storage bin, of course!

In addition to playing in the snow and watching football, Arlo got a big boy potty seat. He's not quite ready to use the seat for its intended purpose, but he seems to enjoy having a new place to sit.

We are excited for the day when this position will mean we avoid one more diaper.

We also got to visit a beautiful place on the Skykomish River near Seattle where a new hydropower dam could dramatically alter one of Washington's coolest rivers. It was a very cool spot, and we plan to return to do some hiking in the summertime.

Canyon Falls 

(targeted for dynamite and dewatering - boo)

 

 The Skykomish River and Mt. Index in the background. 

Gorgeous even on a cloudy day.

Finally, the garden season has started. Just today, I planted some radishes, carrots, kale, lettuce, peas, and blueberry shrubs. So excited to learn if I can grow edibles!

Oh, and Arlo helped!

Arlo took an occasional break to watch an airplane.

 

Arlo is a good helper, when he isn't eating dirt. Good for the immune system, right? 

That's enough dirt eating for one day.

Fun and Firsts

Despite our silence on the blog, we've been busy during the last few weeks. Arlo got his first haircut and enjoyed his first trip to the aquarium. We also celebrated a good friend's 1st birthday and made time to play in the new and improved playroom. 

You may be asking yourself why we felt compelled to cut Arlo's fine hair. Well, pictures are worth a thousand words, so here you go.

How can you notice that cute little face with wild, "Mad Scientist" hair? 

 Yep, it's even worse from behind.

 Who is that handsome boy with perfectly trimmed locks?

We're still waiting for the hair to fill out up front, but he looks more like a toddler and less like a baby after his new haircut.

At the aquarium, we spent a little time playing on a pier to enjoy the incredible view of the Olympic mountains.

 We love our town!

Arlo wasn't as impressed by the mountains. He wanted to check out the fish in the aquarium. 

Happy Birthday, Wyatt!

Wyatt inspects a cool homemade blanket made by his Aunt Becky. Even Arlo is struck by the craftsmanship.

Reading books together before dinner. Buds for life, we think!

(I owe Arlo an apology for not catching the embarrassing diaper faux pas.)

Fun with Friends!

Wyatt exploring the tunnel.

Barrett playing Peek-a-Boo!

"There she is!"

Serious engineering going on. 

Barrett and her Mama, Lydia, providing a little music for the play date. 

 Arlo loves the tunnel!

Whoa, Santa!

This Christmas, we planned on having a low-key affair focused on enjoying some quality time as family. Well, Santa didn't get the memo.

I don't know what happened. Arlo must have learned how to work the Christmas system. Of course, we have explained the benefits of prioritizing one or two things to Arlo, and Ryan and I have also talked about planning future holidays around experiences rather than presents. Lesson learned.

Sigh...

With that said, the pictures and videos below summarize our wonderful but excessive Christmas. We missed our family and friends, but we hope everyone had a memorable and relaxing holiday!

Arlo was so excited about Santa's visit that he wished the big night would come already. To cope with the long wait, he played the blues on his harmonica.

Arlo went to Madison, WI, for a few days where he learned how to dance to the Nutcracker. Arlo's cousins, Lucy and Amelia, are not only talented ballet performers, but they were in the Madison Ballet's rendition of the holiday classic.

Ryan and Arlo enjoying a fully decked out Christmas House on our traditional Christmas Eve walk through Olympic Manor.

Christmas morning cinnamon rolls - yum!

Legos!

Arlo is just starting to figure out how to unwrap presents.

Now we have an official play room complete with little table and chairs,

a "Secret Garden" tent with toadstool pillow, a tunnel, and a basketball hoop (see Arlo's demo below).

Ryan and Arlo opening presents. So ridiculously cute.

A playroom that is now ready for action!

Decking the Halls

On the day after Thanksgiving, we have a tradition of getting our Christmas tree with our good friends, Amy and Byron. This year was the first year we had both of our kids in tow. We are looking forward to continuing the tradition as the kids grow up, but this year the parents had the most fun selecting the perfect tree.

I don't know what it is about a Christmas tree. Perhaps it's the fact that we load it up with twinkling lights during the darkest time of year. Maybe it's the familiar smell that you forget about until you get the tree in your house. Whatever it is, I love it. 

Now that Arlo is a toddler (how did that happen?!), we debated whether or not we should fully decorate the tree with ornaments. At the end of the day, we decided we could risk it if we exercised the right amount of caution. We put breakable ornaments up high, made sure there were no choking hazards within reach, and tied the tree to prevent it from falling over. I'm so glad we decorating the whole thing. It seems like a shame to pay money for a tree only to use part of it for its intended purpose.

Byron and Wyatt scoping the selection. 

Wyatt did a great job choosing his first Christmas tree!

 

Jack Frost nipped at our noses.

Arlo thought Ryan could use a little help getting the tree in the stand. 

 

Let the Nonerick family Christmas begin!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving with good friends and good food. Wonder what a bunch of vegetarians do for a holiday centered on turkey?

The Main Course

Fake turkey sliced into discs make a perfect turkey with stuffing taco! De-lish! 

A Full Table = Excessively Full Bellies

We devoured Amy's sweet potatoes with ginger and orange juice, two types of stuffing (yes!), mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, a yummy salad and many more tasty treats. 

 

Wyatt was perfectly content after a wonderful meal.

Arlo, on the other hand, was so full he had to take off his pants. 

Buddies playing

I'm so sad that I only captured the last of what was an adorable moment of love between friends. 

Barely Keeping Up

Arlo is walking like a maniac. We are barely keeping up with him, which may be evident based on the messy room in this video. Despite the fact that we have to be even more on our game with a toddler, we are loving the walking phase. For one thing, he sleeps more at night. Perhaps he is wearing himself out more?