Family Time in Seattle

We had a great day today walking (briefly) in the footsteps of Rob and Kelly Brewer and their 2 high energy kids, Charlotte (Charley) and Katherine (Kate). We were fortunate enough to meet up with Rob and Kelly in Napa a couple of weeks ago and we were excited to get the chance to stop in Seattle, where they live and meet their 2 adorable girls. Of course, we would happen to catch them on an especially busy Saturday. They had a morning soccer game for Charley, an afternoon game for Kate, a sleep-over to get the kids ready for and a birthday celebration to go to.

We headed over to their lovely 1923 craftsman bungalow that sits in the heart of NE Seattle in a quaint neighborhood of other bungalows with a sprinkling of older 1901 era victorians. Their home was an original Sears Catalog home that someone ordered and assembled themselves back in 1923.

This isn't the exact model, but you get the idea. They have done a great job of decorating and updating it.

Shortly after arriving, we were off to the first soccer game of the day. Charley and her team were adorned in bright orange. They were all a pretty lively group of 7 - 8 year olds. I was exhausted just watching them play. Here is Charley with their adorable Puggle - Mitzi.

After Charley's game in the morning, we went back to Rob and Kelly's home and we got to watch Kelly prepare a lovely Nicosia style salad topped with some beautiful grilled fish. She also made what looked like a really tasty green olive salad dressing. Kate speedily ate a bean and cheese burrito. Unfortunately, Kelly didn't get to enjoy the lunch she prepared because she had to drop older daughter Kate off at her soccer game so she could warm up before game time. Kelly then had to run to a meeting of Charley's Brownie Troop. This should give you idea of the hectic life this modern family is living.

While Rob and Elisa enjoyed that beautiful salad with grilled fish and roasted potatoes, I couldn't help but notice that they were constantly eyeing my meal replacement shake with envy. As much as I would have loved to have swapped with them, I had to disappoint them by sticking to my diet. They got to top off their lunch with some really tasty looking green grapes. I sure wish I could have sampled a couple of them.

After our quick lunch we were off to watch Kate and her team take of one of their rivals. It was a really exciting game and Kate played really well and scored one of the team's 2 goals. Kate played the entire game with no substitution. She was even named "Player of the Game" for her performance today.

After the game we headed back to Rob and Kelly's home only to find the Mitzi the adorable Puggle had eaten almost the entire bowl of those luscious looking grapes. Unfortunately, grapes can be toxic to some dogs. So on top of Rob and Kelly's busy schedule today, they now had to take Mitzi to the vet. We sure hope Mitzi is going to be alright. While Kelly was dashing off to the vet, Rob was taking the girls to their sleep-over. As some point this evening, they would have to pull themselves together so they could head over to some friends home to celebrate a birthday party. We thought it best to get out of their hair so that they could bring this busy day to an end.

On our way back out to our camp ground we decided to stop at a new Seattle restaurant that Elisa's cousins Riccardo had invested in along with a couple of his college buddies. His friends Davide and Fillipo came to America to bring their proprietary blend of pasta to the masses. Their pasta contains 30% less carbs than standard pasta, and 50% more protein. It was critical to these two entrepreneurs from Tuscany that their Pasta have that authentic Italian taste and texture, while being more healthy. They also have developed a gluten free variant. The restaurant is Dueminuti Pasta (www.dueminutipasta.com) and as the name suggests their pastas, which are all freshly made on premises cooks in only 2 minutes and it can be topped with a wide variety of tasty sauces.

Elisa tried their gluten free rigatoni with their fresh garden pomodoro and spinach sauce with a touch of ricotta. It was very good.

Davide and Fillipo have located their first restaurant in the heart of the Capital Hill neighborhood of downtown Seattle. Capital Hill is an eclectic neighborhood filled with colorful shops and many restaurants of every imaginable variety. Dueminuti Pasta fits in very nicely here. The quick, healthy and freshly made food seems to be just what the thriving Gen X and Y generation of Seattle is looking for. They've only been opened for 10 months now and they continue to refine the formula and I am sure they will soon be opening additional locations. If you find yourself in Seattle, check them out.

www.dueminutipasta.com