location and date set

Exciting news on the wedding planning timeline. We have a venue and a date set. Yippee!!!

We decided on a Friday night event - we have people coming in from out of town and this allows us to spend Saturday with them before they go home. So January 28th it is!!

We had two great locations in mind. We did not have a lot of choices as we had some unusual needs for our event. First no way am I getting married in a hotel - 1. way to expensive and 2. not really my style. So we were looking for something that met our "theme" of rustic glamour (more on that later), would let us party late, have both the ceremony and the reception, central to Seattle, let me bring in my own deserts and meet our tight budget!

We first looked at the Engine Room in Georgetown. Amazing old space - the look and feel we wanted with a 24 hr. rental period giving us lots of time and amazing owners to work with. I was sure this was it - and then we started talking about all the work it would take to decorate the space. How many friends we would have to enlist, how many ladders we would need and how cleaning all that up early the next morning does not sound like fun.

So on the hunt again - Mr. Ramon suggested I look at Sole Repair in Capitol Hill. We have been to several events there - but I have never looked at it from my own event perspective. We met with Grace the event coordinator to look at the space. Seeing it empty allowed me to visualize my event and it seemed so much more do able when it came to decorations. They have a great bar staff that will do a wine tasting with us and Grace was very flexible with the items I am bringing in and when they can be picked up etc. I love that there is a loft area where we can have soft seating and that the entire space is  feels old and recycled - giving it that rustic urban look we are going for.

So now that we have put a stake in the ground - Mr. Ramon and I are meeting this Friday to put together a timeline and some deliverables so we can move forward!! So exciting!!

blueberry buttermilk muffins

I am always trying to find a way to use up buttermilk in the fridge. It seems like there is always one recipe calling for a scant amount of buttermilk and then I have a whole container on hand. The good part is I can try and use it up making yummy snacks like these blueberry buttermilk muffins.

You can use any berry on hand - frozen work great - I went with blueberry since that is what I had in my freezer. They turned out great and I delivered them warm to my volunteers at our pet adoption event at Immortal Dog.



2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of one orange or lemon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk
2/3 cup (160 ml) safflower or canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray 12 muffin cups. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gently fold in the berries. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Fill each muffin cup almost full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins or 6 jumbo muffins.

Note: If using frozen berries you may have to bake the muffins a little longer than the stated time. Also, if making jumbo sized muffins, again, you may have to bake the muffins a little longer.