raspberry rhubarb crumble pie...

I made the most delicious Raspberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie! I've been making a pie each week thanks to my dad who has been requesting them. Although, he's only been urging me to bake blueberry pies (his favorite) I made a point to try something new. I've never baked with rhubarb and actually this pie was my first rhubarb experience, same goes with my father and everyone else. While I was super excited to make it and eat it my dad was a little weird about, not very surprising since he's really rooted in his ways. He loves blueberry pie and doesn't want anything else. Well, he had no choice and he was glad about it because after the fact he told me that now this pie has become his new favorite.

Whaddya know! I agree with him too! 

I decided to pair the rhubarb with raspberry. I know that there is lots of recipes that pair strawberry and rhubarb together so I decided to be a little different and I'm so happy I did. The simply sweetly tart combination of the two and the crumble topping it's like no other. Highly recommend this pie. 

Ingredients: 
pie filling: 
pie dough (my favorite recipe) 
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
3 cups raspberry, frozen or fresh
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch 

crumble topping:
3/4 cup flour 
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold cut into pieces

1// Roll out dough. Place it into a 9 inch pie dish. Mold it to the dish and put a fancy edge on it. Take a fork and poke the bottom of the dough. Refrigerate dough while you make the filling. 

2// Preheat oven 375. In a large bowl add the rhubarb and raspberries together. Combine the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Mix everything together. 

3// In a separate bowl combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Add cold butter and using your hands incorporate butter into dry ingredients creating clumps or crumbles. Sprinkle crumb topping on top of the raspberry & rhubarb evenly. Place pie in a heated oven and bake for about 1-1 1/2 hours or until it's bubbly and brown. If you feel like the crumb topping or the edges are getting too brown and the pie itself isn't baked all the the way through simply put a loose foil cover the pie. 

Ps: Try to wait until the pie is completely cooled down, all the flavors infused together! And ENJOY!

xoxo!

nomadic tipi's and snoqualmie falls...

Our weekend was a success! Such a beautiful place. Bobby picked me up after school on Saturday and from there we headed to North Bend to the Log Cabin Bed & Breakfast
where we reserved a majestic tipi that's nestled next to the Snoqualmie River. 

We drove down a long gravel road to get to the main house, a log cabin, where we were anxiously awaited by the family who owns the bed & breakfast. They were just as excited for us to be there as we were and apparently we were the first tipi reservation of the season. We were handed a welcome basket full of coffee, water bottles, hot chocolate and other small necessities. From there on we were pretty much on our own to make ourselves at home. We were okay with that! 

Our tipi was the red one that sat first on the property and the one I was praying for! Beside our tipi was a picnic bench set up to be our little kitchen area complete with a stove/oven and all the pot & pans we needed for cooking. The fire pit was between our tipi and the river so we faced our camping chairs so that we were looking out onto the flowing clear blue water. Firewood was at our disposal with axes laid out for us to us. Bobby enjoyed pretending to be a lumberjack, chopping away at the logs. Our first night we spent sitting by the fire and enjoying the soothing sounds of nature and even played a game of Scrabble. 

The inside of our tipi was simple which made it so peaceful to be in. Inside was a full sized log bed, handmade by the gentleman who owns the bed & breakfast, a table and another fire pit! That's right we were able to have a rolling fire to warm us during the night while we slept. In case you're wondering the top of the tipi open just enough to make it so that we could have a fire yet keep the rain out just enough. I loved it! We were a little smoked by the end of the weekend and our things had a slight layer of ash on them but it was part of the experience and I really wouldn't of changed it for anything. Having a blazing fire as we snuggled in bed put us right to sleep and we both slept like babies. 

Sunday morning we woke up early, well, I woke up early to make breakfast and make a cup of coffee in my french press and as soon as our tummies were full we heading up to Snoqualmie Falls. Snoqualmie Falls is dear to our hearts since it was the place we said "I Do". At the time of our wedding the trails were closed down due to renovations so were weren't able to climb to the bottom of the falls. Since then it has reopened and we wanted to make a point to adventure down to the bottom of the falls. It was a beautiful little hike. 

It was an amazing weekend and we highly recommend the bed & breakfast to anyone who is looking for a tranquil experience. They offer actual log cabins as well as big tents. The tipi's are fun and I hope to do it again but maybe bring Sebastian along! 

xoxo. 

bits & pieces of beauty school...

I've been bring my camera along to take snapshots of things I see on a daily basis, I'm sure everyone will be sick of me by the time I graduate! It's so inspiring being around fellow classmates who are so very talented. Not only have I learned so much from our instructors but I've learned even more by shadowing others. 

1// two front desk girls. One being my sister! 

2// had to get a shot of me in my natural habitat. 

3// two goofballs

4// Ricki always diligently working on a manniqin

5// Krystal practicing her curls 

6// Ivana applying makeup to an updo client! 

xoxo! 

on my soul mate...

This day three years ago, I stood just a short distance away from a beautiful waterfall underneath a typical Pacific Northwest sort of sky and married my soul mate. 

Marriage is such a complex thing, so much more than I would have ever imagined. It's more than love and trust. It's deeper, a more internal connection that runs down into the center of our hearts. Even though Bobby and I have only been married three years we've been together almost eight so there was a good chunk of time spent working on ourselves individually but at the same time becoming one. Whenever I have conversations with others about marriage, typically people who aren't married, I always end up telling them that it's a lot of work. It's not easy and the sooner that you realize it the quicker you can start flourishing into better people. 

Teamwork is probably the most key quality in a marriage. If you don't have teamwork then things fall apart. I'm lucky because Bobby and I have been able to really utilize teamwork. It's been something that in our relationship that has grown the most. It makes things easier when the person you share your life with is right there with you helping and planning the next move.

We're no where near perfect but I can say that we've grown since day one and our growth has made us better people and parents. It's truly amazing to have someone who completes me in every way. Sharing my dreams with him as well as him sharing his with me and us working together to do whatever it takes to make those happen is without a doubt the best feeling in the world, it makes me literally feel like I can do anything.

Don't get me wrong we drive each other crazy but that's just nature keeping things in balance! 

This year for our anniversary we wanted to get away for a few days. With me being in school and living at my father's we rarely have anytime together (if you know what I'm saying!). Saturday after school we'll be heading to spend a few days camping and hiking near Snoqualmie Falls. When you think of camping you probably think-- tent with sleeping bags. Fair thought, however we won't be pitching a tent because actually we'll be sleeping inside a real TIPI right next to the Snoqualmie river!! I found the coolest Bed & Breakfast where they have authentic tipi's set up along their property fully furnished with a bed along with cooking supplies and firewood. We couldn't say no. It's going to be a fun experience and something different, and we all know I love to do things out of the ordinary. 

Happy Anniversary to us! xoxo

on summertime grilled pizza...

Summer time is upon us! With school and how busy I have been since February and will be until December, quick, easy yet healthy meals are what I focus on. Now that the nice weather is here I utilize the grill outside as much as I can. One of my favorite things to cook on the grill is pizza! So yummy. There's something about the end result that always makes us go back for seconds! 

It's all about the dough. Focaccia pizza dough is the best and is always my number one chose when making pizza at home. It just makes the pizza that much better! I usually prefer to make homemade dough (love this recipe) but I don't always have time (school night blues) so I just use one of Trader Joe's Focaccia doughs that I always keep on hand. I HIGHLY recommend it. 

The next part is really up to your imagination. It's my favorite part! I always play around with my pizza toppings. One of our usual go-to's are spinach, artichoke, mushroom, tomato with mozzarella cheese. My stomach has a hard time handling tomato sauce so usually I just drizzle some balsamic vinaigrette. 
This time I had some asparagus that I needed to use so I sautéed it up with some red onion and added spinach with tomatoes. A little cheese and the balsamic vinaigrette and there you have it. Super simple yet incredible flavor. 

xoxo

on a field trip...

I was so glad to find out that Sebastian's field trip was planned for a Monday, my day off of school! We had so much fun at the Kitsap Fair Ground for a farm day. Sebastian was able to  have as many horse rides as his little heart wanted, we rode around on a hayride, went around meeting all sorts of farm animals and just enjoyed the hot summer sun! These are the days that I live for lately.