BOO!

Sometimes a party sneaks up on us, sometimes we spend weeks planning. Tonight, it's a little bit of both.


First things first, it's Halloween Eve (is there such a thing?) and our dilemma is always - what to be? We considered Frida Kahlo and Miss Piggy before settling on the seemingly easy, inexpensive and not-that-exciting black cat. And then we went over to our dear friend Spuntina's house this week - she and L were doing crafts, we were doing a test run of our makeup. And it was a disaster. We hated everything about our costume. Plus, the girls made these totally amazing masks that really made us feel lame.


And then we decided to copy (ahem, get inspired) and make a mask of our own. Delicious black glitter, long black ribbon...we're cat-tastic!

We're having people over tonight for a funk-fest before going out. Or, maybe it'll be so much fun we'll just stay in. Of course, that means Halloween-decor, good food and drink. We scored a cheap table runner at Pier 1 and decided to make paper bag jack-o-lanterns. And we wanted to buy a bunch of black helium balloons with black ribbon and let them float up to cover the ceiling but we ran out of time. Next year.


A FALL MENU
Rosemary Almonds*
Butternut Squash & Gorgonzola Pizza (we blogged about this in April)
Steve's Mom's Brownies (recipe here)

*Rosemary Almonds (adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Paris)
This is seriously the best-ever cocktail party snack. It's made us the most popular girl on several occasions!


1 lb roasted, unsalted almonds
2 t minced fresh rosemary leaves (OK, we admit we pick this from the neighboring condo's landscaping)
1/2 t cayenne pepper
2 t light brown sugar
1 T kosher salt (we generally use less)
1 T unsalted butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on cookie sheet and toast in oven until warm (about 5 minutes). In large bowl combine rosemary, cayenne pepper, sugar and salt with melted butter. Toss toasted almonds in spiced butter until coated. Serve warm or later. Yum!

IT'S A DATE

Photo via Green Door Studio

OK, we need your help. We've been compiling a mental list (to be doled out when asked - what do you feel like doing?) of our favorite date ideas. But, we live in Seattle and have only really dated here (except for some college-era dates in LA, which barely count) and, we've realized most of our fave dates are centered around food. We need some diversity and inspiration.


So, what's your favorite date activity and/or meeting spot?


OUR TOP SEVEN

• Latona Pub: For a first date drink, or dinner anytime. With a rotating list of craft brews and wines and inspired-pub food we love, love, love this neighborhood spot. (We've been on so many dates here, we're waiting for the management to embarrass us and say something.)
• Volunteer Park Cafe: Brunch or lunch and then bocce ball in the park (bonus, a walk up the water tower for stunning views and a kiss!).
• Ocho: Perfect for a first date, tapas are good for conversation, get the Pimientos de Padron. Hot!
• Henry Art Gallery: Watch the clouds and enjoy the company at James Turrell's Skyspace, Light Reign.
• Kangaroo and Kiwi: Quiz night every Wednesday, it's the craziest one in the city!
• Discovery Park: For a spontaneous, close-to-the-city hike, picnic (if the weather's fine) and beautiful views of the Sound and Olympic Mountains.
• Century Ballroom: If you're feeling brave, learn salsa, tango and lindy hop at one of their classes.
• Barolo: The sexiest bar in Seattle. And a great happy hour. Warning - we try and stick to a one-bottle-of-wine maximum (shared, of course!)
• A mini road trip to Tacoma: Tacoma Art Museum, Graffiti Garages, dinner at Pacific Grill or Indochine. Yum!

We also like Lenny's for the jukebox, brews and maybe a game of pool. The Hazelwood because it's a great place to sit at the bar. And a walk to look at the houseboats on Lake Union.

A COSMO DON'T

Ever see a pair of undies on the street and wonder how they got there? We'll tell you how.

Ages ago, when we were young and reckless, we read an article in a magazine about how to maintain a spicy sex life. We decided to try.


One night at a party when we were wearing a dress, we went into the bathroom, took off our panties and slipped them into our boyfriend's pocket. Hot, right? 


Until somehow between the party, the cab and our friend's house, our undies ended up on the street. Only to be discovered the next morning when a big group of us headed to brunch. Whoops! 


At the time we were too mortified to swoop them up so they stayed there, in the gutter in front of our friend's apartment. And stayed. And stayed. Until weeks later, when were were back visiting and finally got a moment alone to snag them. 


A footnote: We were reminded of this story when one of our faves told us she'd been tossing a pair of undies into her purse (aka "Shag Bag") lately. This seems a recipe for disaster.


Girl: I'll have a tall nonfat latte, please.
Coffee Guy: That'll be $2.86"
(girl reaches into her bag, undies catch on wallet and go flying, hitting coffee guy in the chest)

GIDDYUP

We fell a little bit in love with a wrangler in Montana. We did. 


The road trip was epic. Lovely country, lots of good tests (we know how to build a mean fire and cook fab one-pot meals on a camp stove, hooray), one black bear (from a safe distance), new friends to inspire us and many laughs. 


Then there was our cute-and-super-cool wrangler (which is like a cowboy, but with horses only) who took us on the beautiful and miserable 8-hour trek to Cracker Lake (east Glacier). The icy wind blew, the rain poured, we were soaking wet and we saw a moose! It was the highlight of the trip. 


And then we had our crush to talk about the rest of the week. Aren't boys fun?