Strawberry Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote

As much as I love rhubarb I still hang on to the false idea that it is associated it with summertime rather than spring. I suppose it's the classic pairing with strawberries that makes me hold on to that misinformed thought since strawberries are a quintessential summer fruit. Or it could be that once the grey skies of a Northwest winter roll back I just get greedy for the arrival of summer and skip past thoughts of spring altogether. In any case, when I see those rose-colored stalks of rhubarb appear at the market I experience a simultaneous seasonal sigh of relief along with a little mouthwatering.

I love that special piquant zing of rhubarb that pairs so well with any number of sweet flavors. And I love that it's so easy to work with to add its distinctive touch to even the simplest dessert. A quick rhubarb compote is amazing when barely folded into sweetened whipped cream for a 'Rhubarb Fool' or just slathered warm on top of good vanilla ice cream. But given that its culinary bestie is the strawberry and with Mother's Day coming up I thought I'd combine the best of all worlds - easy and elegant - in a strawberry panna cotta with rhubarb compote.

Recipe after the jump...

The Cuyana Seattle Soirée

Last week, on a beautiful Tuesday night, Cassandra of Coco+Kelley and I hosted the Cuyana Spring Soirée at Seattle's Black Bottle. There is nothing like the first sign of springtime sun to get us Pacific Northwesterners to emerge blissfully from our hibernation. You combine that with champagne, shopping, and noshing and you're gonna see some seriously sunshiny Seattleites, my friend.

This was a perfect chance for people to see Cuyana's wares up close and personal while sipping, nibbling, and socializing. But, lemme tell you what, one gander at the goods and the glasses were getting set down and the wallets were coming out! Woosh! Leather tote in Nectarine? Sold out! How about in Caramel? All gone! Our stylish guests were serving up some serious retail therapy. The mister and I also became the proud owners of an Alpaca Infinity Scarf and the Weekender Bag (perfect for our pending Palm Springs trip). And, man, I'm surprised that there were any of their leather travel cases left as those beauties were the belle of the ball that night! Given their gorgeous candy colors, they were hard to resist. Such a fun night!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MY CO-HOST, CASSANDRA, WITH OUR PAL, ERIN OF APARTMENT 34, ONE OF THE MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER LEATHER TRAVEL CASES, ASHLEY OF THE STYLE UMBRELLA, OOH! LOOKS LIKE BRIANNE OF THE RAVENNA GIRLS AND MELANIE OF INWARD FACING GIRL WERE IN A FRIENDLY TRAVEL CASE TUSSLE (TOLD YOU!), THE GORGEOUS CUYANA SIGNATURE GIFT BOXES, AND THE CANVAS & LEATHER WEEKEND BAG IN MUSTARD (THE ONE WE GOT!).

ALL IMAGES SUPPLIED BY CUYANA.

A Warm (and slightly whacky) Weekend

Well, as you can see, kids, it was a dreadful weekend with weather nothing short of perfection in Seattle and Cinco de Mayo margaritas involved. I know! Right?! Unthinkable! If I didn't have such an extraordinary tolerance for suffering the insufferable I don't know what I would have done. Well, I probably would have been forced to enjoy another sunny margarita just to get through. I'm a trooper like that.

But wait! There's more! I managed to get some yard work done which I'm sure my neighbors greatly appreciated. Since it's rhubarb season, I got myself into the kitchen and started working up a little recipe that I'll post later this week. (A perfect dessert for Mother's Day, by the way!) I learned about new fashion concepts while out and about. Can anyone explain to me the thinking behind "big and tall... hats" and "XXL - Slim Cut"?! Seriously?! Even after a couple of margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo I still couldn't wrap my head around those bright ideas. Nor the gold lamé shorty shorts that one fellow pub patron decided to don with black socks and sandals. It was my own personal version of Fashion Police. I think I might have a fashion hangover this morning. Oy! And you know the phrase, "wouldn't hurt a fly"? Well, it seems that our dog, Fergus, lives up to that motto as we discovered he was afraid of the one that was circling the room. Pathetic. Finally, I wrapped up my Sunday by tuning in for the last episode of The Bletchley Circle on PBS. Did you watch? I loved it and hope there's more to come in the future.

So, enough about me, how was your weekend?

ALL IMAGES FROM MY INSTAGRAM.

The Global Wares of Cuyana + A Seattle Spring Soirée

Let's face it, sustainability and style don't always manage to come together successfully. But Cuyana founders Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah have succeeded in what can sometimes seem the almost impossible. Custom designing their own products, they source and have created country-specific, limited-edition collections that celebrate each country's culture and local craftsmanship.

As if that wasn't enough of a great start, a percentage of their profits are donated to "charity: water" in an effort to help support the charity's mission in providing safe drinking water to communities around the world. Does it get much better than that? Um, yeah. Because they also offer free shipping and free returns (on U.S. orders)! I know, right?! (And their reusable gift boxes? Don't get me started! Love!)

To top things off, Cuyana is throwing a "Spring Soirée" in Seattle next Tuesday, April 30th, from 5pm to 8pm at Black Bottle with myself and Cassandra of Coco+Kelley being your hosts! And you're invited! Come and enjoy cocktails and bites while we peruse Cuyana's wares together! You'll get to see Cuyana's products up close and personal plus get 10% off that night. When you RSVP (Yes, Seattle! R. S. V. P! You know what I'm talking about!), select "The Bedlam of Beefy" in the drop-down on the RSVP page and you'll have the chance to win a gorgeous leather tote. And if you refer 5 friends you'll score a free canvas tote as Cuyana's "thank you" for helping spread the word (details on the RSVP page).

Let's get our sustainable, stylish swag on, kids! Click the image below to sign up and I'll see you there!

Art & Manufacture Ceramics

Blue and white is a classic combination, certainly a favorite one for me, and I love the rustic quality of its application on the offerings from Art & Manufacture Ceramics. Something about these pieces has me imagining sipping on morning tea or coffee while hearing chirping birds, the slight creaking of a swaying hammock, and the crunch of pea gravel underfoot. And if there's the sound of a conversation in French? That sure wouldn't hurt either.

AND I *LOVE* CLEAN, CLASSIC WHITE.

Pillow Love from My Bearded Pigeon

Throw pillows are such an easy way to interject some color and personality into a design scheme. And, frankly, I'd much rather open a box or a shopping bag and, bam, pull out some pop than pour over color samples and commit to a weekend of painting. My Bearded Pigeon has some super sweet options in their Etsy shop that can help you do that very thing.

I know it's Springtime for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere so some of you might be expecting something a bit more colorful and/or floral being featured. But as I live in the Pacific Northwest and am surrounded by pine-laden woodland goodness I couldn't help but get down with their nature-inspired prints. But from the nature-inspired options above, to antique maps, to this pixel rose print, there are plenty of possibilities for getting on with your pillow pop.

Flight Tag Prints by Neil Stevens

Growing up I was lucky enough to do a lot of traveling. A lot. I miss my jet-setting days so much (despite the fact that there are flight attendants from British Airways out there that really deserve an apology from me - let's just say my young, inexperienced self had a serious throwdown - throwdown - with the in-flight bar service). Anyway, my subsequent travels have been decidedly more refined much like these sleek and sophisticated Flight Tag prints by image maker Neil Stevens. I love how they possess a decidedly contemporary quality while simultaneously harkening back to the good ole days of air travel. You remember those days? When we got all dressed up and behaved ourselves with conduct more becoming? Well, some of us, anyway.