Who doesn’t love a treasure hunt?

And, what if that treasure you discovered was delicious food? What could be better?

Wanderlust in Wallingford is an gastronomic treasure hunt featuring the wonderful food of Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.

If you have ever felt that insatiable need to travel or had a strong desire to get out and experience more of the world, then you, like the pirates of old, have experienced wanderlust.

This idea and feeling that we need to explore can be realized! Before you jump on a ship to an exotic land, why not do some discovering (or rediscovering) in your own city? Located between two lakes, a freeway to the east and a highway to the west, Wallingford can feel a little like an island, ripe for exploration.

And as part of my partnership with Dishcrawl Seattle they have generously given me the opportunity to offer my readers (that’s you!) 10% off your ticket purchases to their upcoming Dishcrawl event, Wanderlust in Wallingford!

Join me as we meet restaurant owners and chefs and taste cuisines from this rich and eclectic neighborhood. Spend time with some other local food lovers, and let your taste buds wander!

And like a real treasure hunt, they’re keeping the names of the restaurants we will be visiting a secret for now, but here and there they’ll give you some hints. Follow them on Twitter @DishcrawlSea and be the first to know!

But don’t wait! Get your tickets today before this fantastic event sells out!

Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Time: 7 pm

Location: Various restaurants in Wallingford, all within walking distance

Tickets: The regular advanced ticket cost is $45 – BUT for my fabulous readers, here is your special code to get 10% off your ticket price: potpie10

Enter this code when purchasing tickets online (Click here to purchase tickets.)

Your ticket will include food at each participating location, with drink specials to be offered.

How does it work?: A ticket is your invitation to dine at all participating locations. During check-in, on the day of, you will receive a dinner map, which shows you all the places you will try and love.

Where to Meet: All ticket holders will be notified of meeting location via email, 48 hours prior to the event.

I’m a Vegetarian: Vegetarian options are available, however they may not be able to accommodate other dietary restrictions. If you have any particular requests or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Dishcrawl Seattle.

Beverage Policy: Drinks not inclusive the ticket price. Drink specials and pairings may be available at discretion of the participating restaurant.

About Dishcrawl: Food, Fun, and Exploration! Dishcrawl aims to provide you with a premier culinary social experience by bringing together neighborhood restaurants, local chefs, regional food producers and fellow food enthusiasts. Join in if you’d like to embark on a one-of-a-kind gastronomic adventure!

That is why I was so excited when the Smith Brothers Farms milkman delivered to my house last week.

So convenient! And just look at all that dairy goodness fresh from the farm!

With such wonderful customer service! What a nice touch this personal note was left by our milkman, Justin.

Smith Brothers Farms’ goal with their personalized milk delivery is to make it easier and more convenient for busy parents to feed their families healthy, fresh and nutritious food.

They have been delivering farm-fresh milk since 1920 (more than 90 years!), offer the freshest milk —from the farm to your fridge in 24 to 48 hours, and it has always been rBST (hormone) free.

I must admit that I am not the best at meal planning and shopping ahead for everything that I need. And after a full day of work, the last thing I want to do is head to the store and THEN cook dinner.

But I do want to serve my family the freshest, most nutritious meal I can. With some picky eaters in the house, it is sometimes tough to find a meal that will please everyone (and fill up those teen boys!)

This salad is perfect for a warm summer evening. The chicken cooks up fast, and making this homemade ranch dressing from scratch is so much easier than you think.

It takes just a few ingredients and some fresh herbs to make a salad dressing that will be a hit with your kids and is so much better than what you can find in any bottle.

The buttermilk marinade makes the chicken nice and moist. Plus you can marinate according to how much time you have – the longer the chicken sits in this mixture, the more juicy it will turn out.

You can mix all the ingredients up in the morning and stick the chicken in the marinade before you head to work, or you can let it sit in there for an hour when you get home.

The best part is that this recipe is so versatile – I served the chicken separately with ranch on the side, for dipping, to my vegetable-averse 16 year old.

Cheese (and the ranch dressing!) added to the salad helps to entice little ones who may claim to not like any green food.

And the pretzel coating on the chicken means that you do not need to add croutons, since it provides just the right amount of crunch.

Buttermilk Pretzel Chicken Salad with Farm Fresh Ranch Dressing

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken strips or breasts
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup flour

Marinade:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ground mustard
• 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
• 1-1/2 cup hard sourdough pretzels crushed (I just put them in a doubled up plastic storage bag and pounded with the back of a heavy spoon)
  

Ranch Dressing:

• 1-1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2% milk to thin
• 1-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chopped chives
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh dill chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• Fresh ground pepper

Salad ingredients:

• Salad (I use the bag of iceberg salad with carrots and red cabbage and then add red leaf lettuce to enhance it – just use whatever greens you usually use) 
• red leaf lettuce
• carrots
• cucumber
• yellow grape tomatoes
• Tillamook grated medium cheddar cheese

Mix together all ingredients for the marinade. Place chicken strips or breasts in mixture, cover and marinade in the fridge for one to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat nonstick baking pan with non-stick spray.

Remove chicken from marinade and dry them by blotting with paper towels. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, then dip in eggs. Place in crushed pretzels and roll as you push the pretzels on to coat.

Carefully place coated chicken on baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, mix all ingredients for the salad dressing, except the milk, in a separate bowl. Add milk to thin the dressing to your desired consistency.

Prepare individual bowls of salad using whatever greens and vegetables you like. My list is just a guideline! Top the salad with cheddar cheese, a warm piece of chicken and then drizzle with the ranch dressing.

I recommend that you finish it off with some milk and cookies for dessert! You will DIE for these cookies from Alki Bakery that is included in the Smith Brothers Farms delivery service!

I am pleased that Smith Brothers Farms would like to offer one of my lucky readers the opportunity to try your own home delivery service. Here is your chance to win a $100 credit of Smith Bothers Farms home delivery product.

To enter the giveaway: Simply leave a comment telling me what Smith Brothers Farms product, or products, you would choose for home delivery if you were to win.

Please note: This giveaway is open to local readers only – you will need to be in Smith Brothers Farms delivery area to qualify for this giveaway. To find out if you’re in their service area, go to http://www.smithbrothersfarms.com/delivery/ scroll down to “Find out if you live on a delivery route” and enter your address. Also note: they are unable to deliver to apartments or condos.

Extra Entries – (You must leave a comment on this blog for each one that you do.)

• Like KristinPotPie on Facebook
• Follow KristinPotPie on Twitter
• Like Smith Brothers Farms on Facebook
• Follow Smith Brothers Farms on Twitter
• Share this giveaway on Facebook then come back here to share a link to your post in the comments
• Share this giveaway on Twitter (be sure to tag @Kristinpotpie and @SmithBrosFarms in your post) then come back here to share a link to your post in the comments

This giveaway will end Midnight Pacific Time, Sunday, June 30th. I will choose one winner from the comments on my blog Monday morning and will email the winner. Winner will have 24 hours to respond before I choose an alternate winner.

Good luck!

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received samples for review purposes only. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

Last month, I was lucky enough to be chosen by House Party to host a World Harbors party.

It was a perfectly sunny evening (the night before Cinco De Mayo) when I gathered a few friends and family at our house for our Fajita & Margarita Fiesta.

The fun party pack that House Party sent me featured World Harbors Mexican-style Fajita Marinade so the theme was easy – A Mexican fiesta with fajitas (and what goes best with fajitas? Why, margaritas, of course!)

Though Cinco de Mayo only comes once a year, this party is also perfect for a summer celebration party. What better way is there to celebrate a warm summer night than going south of the border?

I went all out in decorating the table with colorful rainbow decor. With a focus on the bright hues of yellow, lime green, orange and hot pink.

I started with a table cover that I had on hand, laid down a burlap runner in the middle and then just went to town layering in color.

These great honeycomb hanging balls were a steal at the party store – on clearance for $1.04!

I stocked up on them and used them everywhere.

The goody bags were just plain paper sacks in the colors of my party – I filled them with the favors provided by House Party and each guest also went home with one of these margarita glasses I bought at the dollar store.

I got these plates (in my color palette) at the dollar store too – perfect! I’ve been looking at them for a while and wanting an excuse to buy them.

As I was putting the finishing touches on, and frantically searching around (a half hour before party time!) for a couple of vases to place these colorful daisies in, I spied a beer in my fridge.

I love last minute creativeness! I decided that I would empty it out and use that as a vase.

A nice cold beer before the party started turned out to be a much needed nerve calmer – I highly recommend having one drink before your guests arrive!

And because I didn’t want to get too tipsy, but wanted two floral centerpieces, I used a Mexi Coke bottle (in addition to margaritas we served Mexican beer and an assortment of bottled Mexican sodas for those who didn’t choose to imbibe) for the other arrangement – empty and rinsed of course.

I like the miss-matched look of the two different bottles on the table.

We started with a few appetizers – a fresh watermelon salad (recipe to come!) and some taquitos with the World Harbors sauce on the side – great for dipping as well as a marinade.

I placed chips in the rim of a sombrero, and served with chili con queso, salsa and my homemade guacamole for dipping.

You can find the recipe for my easy guacamole here.

Soon enough, everyone was invited to build their own fajita.

It was fun to see the thought that some people really put into their creation.

Dining outside is a must for this party!

What a night! One of my favorite parties ever! So much good food, great company and wonderful weather.

How do you like to celebrate the beauty of summer with your friends and family?

A little while back my husband’s aunt was raving about a new variety of tomato she had picked up while shopping at Trader Joe’s.

A brown tomato.

She said it was one of the sweetest tomatoes she had ever had. So, naturally, off I went to Trader Joe’s to check these babies out.

They looked a bit scarey, but also so shiny and interesting.

I decided to try them out for myself.

And in the most simple way. Why, caprese salad, of course.

So easy to make and such a nice light lunch for lovely summer-like weather.

This dish is perfect for a girlfriend get-together, to bring to a summer potluck or as a side dish for your very own summer cookout.

Use as much or as little as needed for your crowd – I found that one tomato and 1 mozzarella ball makes about 7 rounds.

This would serve about 2 – 4 people depending on what else you are serving alongside it.

It makes one nice lunch for a hungry girl!

Simple Kumato Caprese Salad

• 1 Kumato
• 1 fresh mozzarella ball
• 7 fresh basil leaves
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Rinse off tomato and basil leaves.

Slice tomato and mozzarella into 1/2″ rounds.

Layer the basil, tomato slices and mozzarella slices. I placed the Kumatos on top because they are so gorgeous that I wanted to showcase them, but many people layer caprese – tomato, mozzarella, basil. 

Drizzle rounds with olive oil and balsamic. As much as you like.

Sprinkle with sea salt and grind fresh pepper over the top.

Serve with slices of crunchy french bread.

Yes! It was delicious! I recommend giving them a try for sure – and right away! You never know how long items will stick around at Trader Joe’s!

Have you tried Kumatos yet? What did you think?

What is your favorite tomato dish?

This post is inked up here:

UPDATE: This giveaway is closed. The winner drawn is JD Northwest! Congratulations JD! Hope you enjoy your delicious cupcakes!

It is almost June and my favorite season of the year is about to start! Farmer’s market season! My neighborhood farmer’s market opens in a couple of weeks and I can hardly contain myself.

Plump, juicy tomatoes, local green (and purple!) beans, fresh cut flowers for the table and, of course, strawberries that actually taste like strawberries are a few of the items I am so looking forward to.

Cupcake Royale is like-minded in their love of this season. They will be using the freshest of the local markets’ fruits and whipping up cupcakes for their June menu to delight one and all, along with some other special flavors that will no-doubt be crowd-pleasers. I am so excited that, to kick off June, they are partnering with KristinPotPie to give away a dozen cupcakes to one of my wonderful readers!

The winner will be entitled to one dozen assorted June cupcakes, to be picked up at the cafe that is most convenient for you. Here is a sampling of the wonderful fresh flavors you will be able to choose from:

Start the month off with the Strawberry 66. A rich vanilla bean butter cake swirled with juicy local strawberry buttercream. This little cake is made with 66 percent local ingredients, including hand-picked strawberries from Skagit Sun.

I must not be the only one who loves those luscious little berries. Strawberries are highlighted twice this month at Cupcake Royale!

Enter the Strawberry Rhubarb.

It starts with a vanilla cupcake, add a tangy rhubarb vanilla bean compote,  homemade streusel tossed on top and baked to perfection! If that wasn’t enough, they add a generous swirl of fresh strawberry rhubarb buttercream and sprinkle with more crunchy streusel!

And who doesn’t think of lemonade when they think of sunny days ahead? The Raspberry Lemonade will quench your thirst for summer – this delicious cupcake is made with local and fresh Skagit Sun raspberries folded into a vanilla bean cupcake topped with freshly squeezed lemon buttercream. So refreshing you could almost stick a straw in it.

Is my grandma in the CR kitchen? The Honey Snickerdoodle is a vanilla cupcake swirled with cinnamon and dredged with sugar cinnamon then baked with love. All this goodness frosted with a light rich Northwest honey buttercream topped with house-made snicker-doodle cookie crumbs.

To celebrate Dad this month they have The Stash cupcake in honor of Father’s Day. Thank goodness my husband isn’t sporting one of these currently! (Though in cupcake form a mustache is perfectly acceptable.)

For a limited time only, from June 14 through Father’s Day, Sunday June 19, their award winning chocolate cake generously swirled with salted caramel buttercream, sprinkled with sea salt will be appropriately adorned – The Stash, will make an appearance at all Cupcake Royale cafes. Forget the Milk mustache- what’s hot is the cupcake mustache!

And don’t forget Gay Pride this month. The Gay is back and as bold as ever as the Cupcake of the Month. Cupcake Royale has taken Plain Jane shopping for a new outfit! Nothing plain about the GAY! The vanilla cupcake is sprinkled with rainbow goodness and kissed with some rich vanilla buttercream. Of course, it is crowned with a rainbow!

To enter the giveaway: Simply leave a comment telling me which cupcake flavor (or flavors) you would choose if you were to win.

Please note: This giveaway is open to local readers only – you will need to pick up your cupcakes at your neighborhood Cupcake Royale Cafe.

Extra Entries – (You must leave a comment on this blog for each one that you do.)

• Like KristinPotPie on Facebook
• Follow KristinPotPie on Twitter
• Like Cupcake Royale on Facebook
• Follow Cupcake Royale on Twitter

This giveaway will end Midnight Pacific Time, Tuesday, June 4. I will choose one winner from the comments on my blog Wednesday morning and will email the winner. Winner will have 24 hours to respond before I choose an alternate winner.

Good luck!

All photos provided by, and used with permission of, Cupcake Royale.

I recently made these simple centerpieces for an event at work. They would make the perfect rustic centerpiece, and party favor, for a wedding, garden party or a baby/bridal shower.

They would also work great for a teacher gift, or as a Mother’s Day, housewarming, or birthday present for the gardener in your life.

To make these easy centerpieces, all you need is:

• Flowering potted plant – 6″ or 8″ works well
• Square of burlap fabric
• Shepherd hook
• Raffia
• Mini galvanized watering can
• Ribbon in complimentary colors to the flowers

Choose a nice flowering plant in a 6″-8″ pot. I love these colorful begonias.

Place the shepherd hook into the plant. We purchased ours very inexpensively at Craft Supplies Online – love that store!

Cut the burlap fabric, fitted to the plant pot, with about 3-5 inches of overhang.

Cover the pot – gather it in places around the pot, making overlapping creases so that the overhang creates a nice presentation around the edges.

Stretch a rubber band around the covered pot…

Or use another set of hands (my son helped me with this one!) to keep the fabric in place while you tie a few strands of raffia around it into a bow.

Then tie a short (about 8″ each) thin fabric ribbon onto the handle of the tiny watering can. I used two pieces of ribbon in different colors.

We purchased our watering cans online at Consumer Crafts.

Place the watering can on the shepherd hook so that it is hanging over the plant.

Orient the hook so that the can appears to be watering the plant.

How simple it that?

What is your favorite flowering plant that you would use for this fun project?

With Memorial Day weekend fast approaching, chances are that you are probably planning a bit of grilling this weekend.

As you start to plan for summer grilling it’s a great time to start thinking about the best meat cuts and quality. To recognize farmers and ranchers that raise animals with respect, Whole Foods Market is celebrating May 20-27 as Animal Welfare Week.

Whole Foods Market quality standards for meat prohibit the use of antibiotics and the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating is consumers’ way of knowing how the animals were raised.

As part of the celebration, this Thursday, May 23^rd from 4-7pm, our local Seattle Interbay store will be hosting their annual regional Best Butcher Contest and Fishmonger Face-Off.  It will be a true battle of ‘Team Surf’ vs. ‘Team Turf’ as Whole Foods Market expert butchers and fishmongers show off their skills with a surprise cut of meat and fish. The winners will be granted the opportunity to compete at the national competition, hosted this September at the internally recognized culinary event, Feast Portland.

Competitors in Thursday’s event will come from stores all across the Pacific Northwest, including Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, BC. These cities are each in the midst of  crowning their own Best Butcher and Fishmonger champions and the winners will attend on Thursday to compete for the regional championship.

Guests at the event will enjoy mocktails and delicious food samplings cooked up by Whole Foods Market culinary super-star, Chef Hayden who is the talent behind such Whole Foods Market Westlake events as Bites with Chef Hayden, Lunch with Chef Hayden, and Westlake’s Supper Club & Happy Hour series.

And, the expert butchers and fishmongers will be available to answer any questions!

There will also be some fun Twitter prize giveaways at the event, so show your support for your favorite team by tweeting @InterbayWFM using either #WFMTeamSurf or #WFMTeamTurf. There will be several drawings throughout the evening, so you’ll have multiple chances to win.

If you are planning some grilling this weekend, why not try this amazing Rosemary- Lime Wild Alaska Salmon Kabobs, or this twist on the classic burger, the Apple and Cheddar Grass-fed Beef Burgers?

What is your go-to grilling recipe?

Let’s talk candidly today.

I am wondering how you all feel about bra shopping.

It is the one thing that most I dread doing (except for maybe going to the dentist,) and put off as long as possible. Are you as phobic about it as I am? Or is it just me?

Trying to get the right fit can be mind-numbing. Unless you have help.

Research shows that 8 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong sized bra. Women should be professionally fitted for a bra once a year to make sure that their bra size has not changed as a result of fluctuations in their body.

You can get the help you need to find your correct size today and tomorrow at a very special event hosted by Wacoal. And as a bonus, you will help Wacoal knockout breast cancer at their Fit for the Cure™ event!

Participate in any Fit for the Cure event to receive a complimentary bra fitting, in Wacoal or b.tempt’d intimate apparel, from a Wacoal fit specialist and sign up to receive a monthly email reminder to do a self breast exam. For every woman that participates, Wacoal will donate $2 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research and community health programs. Wacoal will also donate an additional $2 for every Wacoal bra, shapewear piece or b.tempt’d bra purchased at these events.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American women and accounts for 26% of all cancers among women.  Conducting monthly breast self-examination is an important way to detect abnormalities at an early stage. Take 15 minutes to meet with a Wacoal fit expert while contributing to an important cause and sign up for a reminder that could ultimately save your life.

I think that maybe getting some help in finding the right fit, supporting breast cancer research and taking better care of myself could be just the right incentives I need to get out there and buy the new bras that I desperately need!

These local stores are participating:

425-688-6240

Recently I was introduced to a fun new party resource and today I am thrilled to share it with you in a big way!

RhinestoneSash.com, specializing in quality rhinestone sashes, apparel, and gifts for any occasion, has launched their new site and whether you’re throwing a birthday party, graduation party, bridal or baby shower, RhinestoneSash.com can make it even more special!

With the biggest selection and the best prices, this is the ultimate source for rhinestone sashes, tank tops, tshirts & more. From Homecoming & Prom Sashes to Bridal Party Tank Tops & Tshirts, from Birthday Party to Divorce Party, they’re the place to shop for that sparkle that makes a party special!

Plus, they have amazing prices on custom and personalized sashes, t-shirts, tank tops, tote bags, hoodies and more!

Wouldn’t this be just perfect for the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday – or even a baby shower?

Here’s the best part! Now that it is May it means that wedding season will soon be in full force. I am so excited to announce that RhinestoneSash.com is giving me one of these Super Glam Bride Rhinestone Sashes (in your choice of red or black) to give away to one of my readers!

Your bride-to-be will definitely stand out as the guest of honor in this sash at your upcoming bridal shower or gallivanting around town at the bachelorette party!

To enter the giveaway: Simply go to RhinestoneSash.com, have a look around, then come back to this blog and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.

Extra Entries – (You must leave a comment on this blog for each one that you do.)

• Like KristinPotPie on Facebook
• Follow KristinPotPie on Twitter
• Like RhinestoneSash.com on Facebook
• Follow RhinestoneSash.com on Twitter
• Follow RhinestoneSash.com on Pinterest

This giveaway will end Midnight Pacific Time, Wednesday, May 8. I will choose one winner from the comments on my blog Thursday morning and will email the winner. Winner will have 24 hours to respond before I choose an alternate winner.

Good luck!

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes only. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

Can you believe that it will be May already tomorrow? The first four months of this year have just flown by!

To celebrate May Day and the promise of warmer weather ahead (was that snow we had this morning? I guess it was just hail…) the local sweets experts, Cupcake Royale, is having a very special event!

Did you know that Cupcake Royale has some pretty wonderful ice cream? (Perfect, right? – what goes better with cake than ice cream?) And who doesn’t think of ice cream as the weather starts to get nice? (Have you seen the extended forecast for this week?! YES!)

Cupcake Royale ice cream is different from many of the local popular brands. It’s a super-premium ice cream, meaning less air is churned into the ice cream. Less air makes a more dense, delicious, creamy ice cream. 

Just as customers have come to expect and love with the cupcakes, Cupcake Royale’s ‘Bakeshop Inspired’ ice cream flavors are handmade in house and contain only fresh, all natural, local and premium ingredients – no corn syrup and less sugar compared to other ice creams, which is especially important because Cupcake Royale adds so many interesting homemade inclusions, like fudgy brownie in the Roasted Banana ice cream, or red velvet cupcake chunks in the Red Velvet. 

May 1 is FREE scoop day at Cupcake Royale cafes (with free ice cream sammies at West Seattle and Madrona) from 2-8 pm. Stop on by your favorite Cupcake Royale store to try any flavor you like and ice cream is on the house!

Expect some local celebs to make an appearance and scoop for customers! Including yours truly.

Yep! I was asked to be a “Celebrity Scooper” for the event – I almost fell off my chair when I read that. “Celebrity”. Thanks Cupcake Royale.

Not sure about the “Celebrity” part but I will definitely bring it where the “Scooper” part is concerned

Come see me tomorrow between 3 pm – 4 pm at the beautiful flagship cafe in the heart of Capitol Hill.

The weather for this weekend looks like summer so come on down tomorrow and get your first taste of the season.

What’s your favorite flavor?