Damn You and Your Doughnuts Seattle!

If you are ever in Seattle ( i have yet to visit but it's on my list) and you love doughnuts then you're in luck,
my friend just got back and said he probably gained 20 lbs just from a doughnut shop he couldn't stay away from.

Say hello to Top Pot Doughnuts....

Begun in February 2002 out of a small brick storefront on north Capitol Hill in Seattle, Top Pot paired a vintage aesthetic with a gourmet spin on the traditional coffee and doughnuts pairing. 
They are also well noted for their coffee as well

they have several locations throughout Seattle

check out their menu of doughnuts.

Did Someone Say Chocolate?

So you say you love chocolate....no you say you LOVE chocolate. Ever try hand-crafted chocolate from the Mast Brothers?

http://vimeo.com/13664547

If you wanna order individually online then try 

French Broad Chocolates

Get Your Sushi On

If you have the patience and desire to make your own sushi well hell!!! you deserve to get some suitable sushiware to pimp your talents on...
Check out this Alessi Lily Pond set , every design whores wish, but it's worth the $100

Or if your world is a spinning perhaps your sushi can parade around the soy sauce with this Sushi Time plate for $50

I think this one is my personal favorite...who doesn't want someone to hold your chopsticks with this Sushi Set for Two and is a bargain for $16.95

Check out Mr. Lin's kitchen for a complete array of sushi sets.
This one is my personal favorite...the Domestic Aesthetic Sushi Plate $45

I'm a Little Teapot.....

Having British blood in my system for some reason HAS automatically made me a stickler for tea. Earl Grey tends to be my favorite. You tear open a bag or pop open a tin of that stuff and it's like crack! it's soothing intoxicating smell instantly calms me. I recall when i was younger we had tea time with my grandmum, tea set and all...and now that she nor my father are unfortunately no longer present in my life i feel like i should honor them by acquiring a tea set of my own so i thought i would share some of my findings in case any of you out there feel inspired to get your tea time on.

There's always the more modern and manly tea time with this Mr. Tea teapot for $45 on Etsy.

Then we have the scare-the-crap-out-of-you Ewok teapot. seriously i love Star Wars but this thing is creeeeepy. Especially for $80. to each their own.

I found the Halo Teapot to be simple yet modern in it's deliciously smooth whiteness.

I'm not sure how much i wanna pay for a little sexy in my tea but the Blaue Blume teapot tries to seduce you into paying a hot $128 for it.

i could say a lude comment on this "rooster" tea set but i better not.

for $17.29 i am digging this Old Dutch red tea set. It comes in other colors too.

There's the stylishly earthyYixing Crescent tea set

There's the ever so cute Matryoshka Tea for Two set

The Teapot Shoppe has every gaudy and kitschy set imaginable.

There's the English Teastore

Overstock.com has a plethora as well.

Enjoying Tea has some unique finds.

All in all i guess it's easier to hit up Ebay?

I have yet to find the suitable tea set but when i do there will be a light shining down on it and hopefully a backup choir singing the ever-glorious "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Tea-Coffee-Sets/6476/subcat.html

Shake it Like a Salt Shaker!!!

Oh the world of salt shakers.... makes me want to start collecting them
the Lilliput Set

The Mr. and Mrs. Chin set (which could use a better name)

The Forest Gump set

Paradise Birds set

The Banana Boys set (which i should get for my friend Ruli)

the Stone set..for the Zen in your life

.

The Battery set

the Poodle Set

the MUSHROOM set

the Salt Plus Pepper Grinder (quite pricey but cute)

the Hand Set

one of my favorites...the G'Rabbit Jr. set (sounds dirty)

The Banana Set

oh and it goes on and on and on...

A Kitchen Full of Color

As i was flipping through a pile of my backed up DWELL magazines i came across the cutest lil' coffee pot.

Which then lead to the cutest lil' teapot

which then led me to discover that Bauer just has a whole bunch of cute lil' somethings or the other...

from butter dishes to plates to cups and saucers to casserole dishes...all in a deliciously happy assortment of colors..i'm trying to hang on to my paycheck.

For The Beer Lover in You

I love beer. No doubt about it and if my father was still alive he would be proud. In fact, we'd probably be at Ruli's every Tuesday night trying out all the amazing styles Ruli's carries. As much as i love beer i'll be honest that i don't know all my terms,styles, etc (shame on me). At first i didn't really know the difference between a pale ale and a lager. Now i do. How? One amazing site called THE BEER ADVOCATE. You can subscribe to their magazine, and my personal favorite you can check out where all the beer festivals are on their calendar, they even have an educational section where you can learn the styles,etc of beer. Check out this site. It is so worth making it a favorite if you're a beer lover like myself. CHEERS!!!

Ice Cream...You Scream

Ever hear people swoon and moan about the fresh homemade ice cream they had? Or see some special on the Cooking Channel that someone opened up their own icecream shop? They have evrything from savory ice cream, like a proscuitto flavor, to homemade bon-bons.
Check out Sweet Rose Creamery.

Doesn't it just make you wanna start creating your own ice cream? Ok, well for us foodies it challenges us. It then hit me i bought a Cuisinart Icecream maker at William and Sonoma and brought it with me in my suitcase (imagine that going through a checkpoint). It's been rated the easiest and most efficient ice cream maker around and i have yet to use it.

It's worth the $60 at William and Sonoma.
Or is you have one of those amazing-does-everything KitchenAid mixers there is now an attachment for it so you can make icecream

Ice Cream Maker attachment $65 at William and Sonoma. Best thing is they also have a video you can watch to see how it works. If you feel like you're an ice cream addict and need something more intense, or manlier, check out Cuisinarts Supreme ice creammaker

Want to step it up a notch and make your own waffle cones?

Waffle Cone Express $50 Have a love for popsicles? Try the Zoku Popsicle Maker Kit

If you have a sweet spot for frozen yogurt and sprinkles perhaps this mega station might do the trick?

Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker For the pro try the Lussino Stainless Steel icecream maker

More of a gelato fan? De Longhi can hook you up for around $300

Prefer to get a bit of a workout with your ice cream? Try and Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker. You put your ingredients in a ball and kick it about until it's ready.

If you like to keep it old school you can always had over to Target and pick up an Aroma 4-qt machine

 And if you need recipes? Ideas? William and Sonoma has a plethora of them on their website. Also try these books:

The Ice Cream Bible

The Vegan Scoop (for the vegan..obviosuly) and lactose intollerant.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Book
Don't forget the Food Network also has quite a collection of recipes online from their various chefs.
So whether it be winter or summer...how can anyone say no to ice cream? and after all these resources i think it would be rude if you did! LOL :)