Celebrations.

When did I grow up?  Seems like just yesterday my biggest worry was getting through final exams and finding a job for the summer.  Now friends are getting married and having babies... on purpose.


This past weekend we switched up our Sunday dinner tradition to celebrate the future Baby Bogo. It was an amazing afternoon with amazing people. I can't wait to meet the little guy in 8 weeks.

Wishes for Baby Bogo.

Blue velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Recipe here.

Designing bibs for Baby Bogo.
(White bibs were found at BabysRUs and fabric paint and markers were from Michael's.)

Baby clothes line.

Mustache pops.
(All of the supplies for these were found at Michael's.)

Girls only!

Ideas for this shower were found on Pinterest.  
I can finally say all the time I spend on there has not gone to waste.

Mexican Fiesta

Whoops, a day late!  Totally forgot to hit publish on this yesterday...

As Steve takes his pregame nap and I sit on the couch watching Bizarre Foods of America dreaming that [sometimes] I could have Andrew Zimmern's job, I figured it was about time I wrote a post about Sunday dinner.  It's been quite a while.

After over a month long vacation, Sunday dinner made a comeback a few weeks back, before playoffs took over our lives. And this time, we were up! The challenge?  A Mexican fiesta complete with salmon tacos and orange-cilantro slaw, spicy baked sweet potato fries (obviously deep fried because that's how we roll) and margaritas!  When you're having Mexican, margaritas are a must, and I must admit Steve makes one of the deadliest margaritas I've ever had. You can never have just one!

This was the perfect Sunday dinner meal.  There is never a shortage of fish, specifically salmon or halibut, in the freezers of Alaskans.  And since it is almost that time of the year again, it also means people are trying to rid their freezers of last year's haul.  All the better to make fish tacos :)

Not only was it delish, it was fairly simple, which is definitely needed when you're cooking for 9 people.  Another plus of simplicity?  No near death battles in our kitchen.  Always a good thing when Steve and I are cooking. I can't forget to mention the great company for this meal. The Sunday dinner gang, plus those [lucky few] that occasionally join us, are amazing people and always make Sunday dinner a delight. Yummy food and drink and good company, what more could you ask for? This meal was easily given an A+.

Sadly since playoffs are in full swing, we probably won't get to enjoy another Sunday dinner with friends until the beginning of June.  By that time, we'll be able to sit out under the midnight sun, which makes Sunday dinners even better. We'll be picking that recipe so stay tuned for a good one!

New Experiences

Our Alaskan Staycation has been one of many firsts. First time salmon and halibut fishing, first moose and brown bear sightings in the wild, first time living together... lots of firsts and new experiences! While all new experiences have been amazing, one of the most interesting came one night earlier this week when our Sunday dinner friends invited us over to taste something new...

That something new?  Herring roe. Yes, your read that correctly, fish eggs.

Please don't turn up your nose.  Normally that would be my first move, but I've learned to be more open.  Before trying them, I obviously had to ask a million questions. Probably questions similar to those forming in your head as you read this.  Why?  How? Where? And again, why?!

Herring isn't a very glamorous fish.  The only time you ever really come in contact with it is when you are putting a big chunk on your hook to use as bait.  But this small, disregarded fish has a lot of importance to the world.  Not only are they an important part of the food chain in our oceans, they have played an important part in Alaskan subsistence hunters lives as well. The spring harvest of herring eggs has always been an important subsistence resource in coastal communities throughout Alaska. The collection is pretty interesting - In the spring, herring spawn nearshore in protected bays and their adhesive eggs attach to kelp or other vegetation.  Knowing this, subsistence hunters will deliberately place kelp and hemlock boughs in the water nearshore to collect the eggs when the herring spawn. The eggs we tasted were collected in the southeast, near Sitka, AK. 

Does it make you want to dive right in and try them? To be honest with you, they weren't too bad. The only words to describe them are "crunchy ocean", a little bit salty and kind of like pop rocks. Can you picture it?

To Alaskan subsistence hunters, herring roe is as much a tradition and cultural event as it is a food source.  It is a cultural coming together, a time when everyone is eating the same food at the same time. Kind of like what we did when we tried the roe.  Nice glass of wine, good friends, good conversation, and herring eggs. 

Have you tried anything "outside of the box" before?