I SHOULD be packing right now.  I mean, considering the fact that we have to be out of here by the 31st and we haven’t even STARTED putting crap in boxes, AND we’re not going to be able to pack anything this weekend because we’ll be camping at Mt. Ranier, I should be packing.

But I’m not.  I’m telling you more about my weekend.

On Sunday morning Mike texted me to let me know that he, An and Jaime were leaving their haunted hotel in Oregon and would be back home in the afternoon.  Then he texted me again telling me that he wanted crab legs for dinner.

Amy and I decided to combine our culinary prowess and dedicated most of the day to welcoming the boys home with meat.  First stop, the Ballard Farmer’s Market:

Remember how Saturday was beautiful and sunny and warm all freaking day?  Sunday was a little different.  We left the market looking like this:

Awesome.

The next stop was Uwajimaya.  When you’re on the hunt for crab, it’s always a good idea to seek out an Asian grocery store.  And since Uwajimaya is the most badass Asian grocery store in the world, I felt like it was my responsibility to share it with Amy.

There was crab:

And that was just the beginning.  We also found stanky-ass dried squid, aka Mike’s mom’s favorite thing to snack on when she’s near me in a small, enclosed space:

You’re a liar if you say you’ve never felt like this:

GIANT POCKY!!!!:

And finally, the best freaking frozen yogurt in the universe, courtesy of Utopia.  Considering the fact that I like frozen yogurt more than anybody else I’ve ever met, my official endorsement means a lot.  I even prefer it to Yogurtland. I know that verges on heresy, but you’d understand if you’d had their black sesame flavor with mochi topping.

With plenty of Pocky, bellies full of yogurt and $70 of crab and korean bbq in hand, we left Uwajimaya and headed home to cook

The night’s menu was pretty fantastic-

• Broiled Crab Legs
• Korean Style short ribs
• Bouchon’s French Lentil and Feta Salad (courtesy of Anticiplate, one of the prettiest cooking blogs you’ll find)
• Green Salad with sauteed garlic shoots, Japanese Black Truffle Tomatoes (I am going to cry when the season ends for these amazing tomatoes) and homemade creamy Balsamic dressing
• Cherry dumplings a la mode (kind of a bastardized version of this recipe from Gourmet)

We had just about finished when the boys drove up.

After 5 days of riding, they weren’t only tired and hungry, they all smelled really bad to boot.  So we kept the food warm while they showered.  And then we ate.  I think the meal went over well.

That’s a picture of An and Jaime telling Mike they can’t BELIEVE how lucky he is to have the best wife ever.  Mike is looking a little bashful, so as not to appear boastful, but agreeing nonetheless.

Or it’s a picture of An talking about how hot some waitress they saw on their ride was.  You can choose to believe whichever version you like.

And that’s how the weekend ended.  The boys crashed out on the couch, Amy and I cleaned up, and we were all pretty much asleep before midnight.  But at least we were full.