weekend review

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful spring weather this weekend as much as I did. A warm sunny day instantly improves my mood, so I was feeling easy breezy. I suppose "warm" is a relative term, but it was 60 in the DC area this weekend and I welcomed it warmly.

We drove down to DC after lunch on Saturday. My parents had a free hotel voucher that was set to expire soon, so they let Kent and I use it at the Key Bridge Marriott. We checked in to our lovely room with a view then headed to the International Spy Museum.

Our room faced Georgetown

We ran into minor difficulty at the metro station. Aside from the sign on the machine that tells you everyone needs their own ticket, who knew that each rider needs their own ticket? We resided in NYC for long enough to think that passing back tickets with sufficient fare was acceptable among all public transportation, but apparently not in DC. We initially overlooked that sign, so Kent had to get back in line. 

The International Spy Museum was very crowded, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I think I would have on a less busy day. You basically read about each exhibit throughout the self-guided tour, which was difficult due to the number of people fighting to look at the same signs on the wall. Kent loved it though, so I'm happy we went. We weren't allowed to take pictures during the tour, so here's what I snapped illegally.

 We each "assumed" an identity at the beginning of tour, where we had to memorize information that we were tested on throughout the museum. I failed miserably at being a spy.

A real Oscar.

Kent's favorite exhibit was the James Bond one.

We didn't have any set plants for the day after our visit to the spy museum, so we walked over to Pennsylvania Avenue to play tourists. 

The sun was so bright standing in front of the Oval Office

Kent told the foreigners who took this photo that a helicopter landing nearby carried the President. They were super excited, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't Obama.

After a couple of hours of walking around, we headed into Georgetown because we wanted to eat dinner there. It was still too early for dinner, so we decided to join the loonies standing in line at Georgetown Cupcakes. I normally wouldn't wait an hour for cupcakes (even as the dessert fanatic that I am), but since we had some time, we figured why not? 

There were literally 100+ people in line for cupcakes. I married a very easy going man.

They only let 5 people inside the store at a time, so it was quite exciting once we were allowed inside.

Peanut Butter Fudge, Boston Creme Pie, Chocolate & Vanilla, Vanilla Birthday, Chocolate 2, and Salted Caramel

We had dinner at a restaurant called Clyde's. It's an American bar and restaurant that feels like a saloon.  We ate all of our cupcakes before Clyde's because we hadn't eaten since lunch, so we were beyond full after dinner. We walked back to the hotel where we fell into a severe food coma.  Kent coined the term "foofied" to describe our state- you know, like roofied, but with food. I guess you had to be us to understand. We literally could not move, so we watched Love It or List It for the remainder of the night in our luxurious feather bed. In defense of our lameness, we had walked around all day. And, we're married, so naturally we're boring. 

Today was a typical Sunday. Kent and I did our bulk grocery shopping late morning, then I got a work out in. No run today because my calves are aching badly. After seeing that the forecast drops back into the forties this week, we figured we should enjoy the warm weather while it lasts. We walked to the harbor to get some Rita's frozen custard. Rita's was closed sadly, but the walk itself was lovely.

View from the boardwalk

We actually live across the street from a frozen yogurt shop, so no biggie that Rita's was closed

Overall, it was a great weekend. I hope everyone has a good week! I have banana bread and a St. Patrick's Day treat in store for this week, so check back later :)

friday favorites

Hello Friday! This week was a quick one. A massive snow storm was supposed to hit us on Tuesday night, but all we received was rain. I felt like I was transported back to the deep south, where the prediction of a mere snow flake shut down the city. I didn't have to shovel my car out of any snow, so I was happy that once again the ol' weather crew was wrong.

Kent and I have a little getaway to DC planned for this weekend. Our original weekend plans fell through, but we decided that we should still get out and about. The weather is supposed to be lovely, so I'm looking forward to walking around our nation's capital. Kent coaxed me into saying yes to a visit at the International Spy Museum, so that should be interesting...

Here are my some of my favorite things from this week: 

Favorite meal: French Bread Pizzas. This dinner idea is so simple. French bread, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella- pizza in minutes! I love how easy this meal comes together, but it still maintains a homemade pizza taste.

Favorite funny: Nutella Gate. The media attention this story garnered is too ridiculous. I didn't steal dining hall food nearly as much as I should have (especially considering the price of Columbia's meal plan), but I think that's because they didn't offer too many tempting options. Nutella though? I missed out.

Favorite look: I'm sure that this outfit looks just as cute from the front as it does from the back. I love the neon trend, but I prefer it worn as accent pieces like this gal's purse and belt. I also like how she mixes stripe and gingham patterns for her top. Cute.

Favorite snack: Peanut Butter Popcorn. I'm obsessed with peanut butter. Creamy, non-natural peanut butter, specifically. I once bought natural peanut butter at Costco in an effort to jump on the all-natural food bandwagon. Such a terrible idea. Never buy a new food in economy size. I'm not exactly sure how hydrogenated oils harm the body, but they make peanut butter delicious, so make sure to buy PB with it. Then drizzle it over your popcorn.

Favorite craft: Double Stuffed Balloons with Tulle Centerpieces. I love party decorations. I don't consider myself the most creative when it comes to decorating, but this idea is totally doable and instantly elevates your standard party ballon.

Favorite indulgence: Angel Food Cake French Toast. I love new twists on old classics. I prefer my cake to be rich and sweet, so I typically pass on angel food cake. Using it in place of bread, however, is such a great idea. The outside is crispy and golden, but the inside is light and sweet. Maybe I would enjoy angel food cake better if it was always served with a side of maple syrup.

Favorite read: "23 Most Relatable Hannah Quotes". I know, the term "read" is used loosely this week. If you're a female in your twenties and you're not watching HBO's Girls, then you should be. The last two episodes have been slightly meh, but this show is so cleverly written. I don't relate to all of these quotes (Hannah is a rather eccentric character), but I can understand the feelings behind most of these thoughts. So funny. 

Favorite Inspiration: 10 Things You Must Give Up to Move Forward. Some food for thought for you all.

Favorite workout: Intervals run. I think "self" pictures are a little ridiculous, but there's nothing like remembering how you looked after a hard workout. This was my workout: 

6 minutes warm up at 8.0 then 1 minute fast 8.8

5 minutes active recovery at 8.0 then 1 minute fast at 9.0

5 minutes active recovery at 8.2 then 1 minute fast at 9.0

5 minutes active recovery at 8.4 then 1 minute fast at 9.2

5 minutes active recovery at 8.6 then 1 minute fast at 9.4

5 minutes active recovery at 8.8 then 1 minute fast at 9.4

5 minutes active recovery at 8.6 then 1 minute fast at 9.2.

5 minutes active recovery at 8.4 then 1 minute fast at 9.0

5 minutes active recovery at 8.6 then 1 minute fast at 9.2

6 minutes walk to cool down

8.85 miles total. It was hard!

Favorite pup: sleepy pup. I won't ever be that person who shares a bed with their dog, but I appreciate those owners who are kind enough to allow this privilege. Very sweet. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

samoa cookies

Does anyone else feel like Girl Scouts season starts earlier each year? I always associate it with the Spring, but my sweet mother-in-law picked me up a couple of boxes in January. 

I haven't bought Girl Scouts cookies through an actual form since I myself wore a patch-ridden brown vest, but I always look forward to my yearly dose of tagalongs, samoas, and thin mints. Speaking of cookie order forms, I can't decide if Girls Scouts selling cookies from a table in front of the grocery store is a sign of laziness or efficiency.

These cookies aren't a homemade version of the samoa cookies, but rather they are a treat inspired by the famous Girl Scout cookie. An homage to samoa. A samoa cookie's big brother. A samoa cookie on crack. These cookies are serious. 

Chopped pieces of samoa cookies are added to the base of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, then they are coated with a toasted coconut caramel layer and drizzled with chocolate. Samoa cookies inside a samoa cookie, people. 

I wish that you could feel the weight of these cookies. They are heavy. They hold a lot of decadence, though, so naturally their weight should reflect that. Remember, I said that these cookies are serious. Seriously delicious.

Yes, they're a bit more labor intensive than your typical cookie, but who doesn't like a jazzed up cookie every now and then? These cookies are still fabulous sans coconut caramel topping, so no excuses- get creative with this year's girl scout cookies!

Samoa Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Samoa cookies, chopped
• 1 & 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 bag caramels, unwrapped
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In bowl of standing mixer, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy
• In a separate bowl, whisk together baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and all-purpose four; set aside
• Add egg and vanilla to sugar mixture, and mix until combined
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until just combined
• Stir in samoa cookies
• Drop rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes
• Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack
• While cookies cool, decrease oven temperature to 300
• Spread coconut onto greased or lined cookie tray and bake 5 minutes; remove from oven to turn coconut and bake another 5 minutes; turn once last time and bake another 5 minutes until coconut is golden; cool coconut
• Once cookies and coconut are cool, heat caramel in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds; remove to stir and add a splash of milk or water; heat for another 30 seconds and stir until smooth and melted
• Gently fold in toasted coconut and coat thoroughly 
• Grease a spoon and your fingers* to drop dollops of coconut careful mixture onto tops of cookies; smear to cover cookies (Caution: the mixture will be hot!)
• Once you have topped your cookies with the coconut caramel mixture, melt chocolate and drizzle onto cookies*; allow chocolate to set
• Store in airtight container
• Enjoy!

*Notes: I wet my fingers to spread the coconut caramel mixture; I melted chocolate in a microwave then transferred to a sandwich bag and snipped a bottom corner to better control drizzling

Source The Domestic Rebel

cake batter brownie bars

What's a girl to do when she can't decide between making cake or brownies? She combines them.

These bars, you guys. The name alone indicates that they are sure to be delicious, but they really are amazing. A rich chocolate brownie sits between a moist yellow cake and vanilla buttercream frosting. Because the brownie and cake layers bake together, they sort of coalesce during the baking process so that that each bite tastes like a cohesive bite of sweet decadence rather than two separate desserts. I knew that when I first saw this recipe that it would be a winning combination of flavors. These bars satiate even the sweetest tooth, so if you're unsure whether you can handle the intensity of this dessert (it is two desserts in one, after all) then I may suggest foregoing the frosting layer. As the self-proclaimed queen of sweets in my family, I think the frosting adds a fluffy light texture that contrasts well with the rich moist layers below it. And, I just really love frosting. 

Not only do these bars serve as a special dessert, but they are so easy to make because each layer uses a boxed mix. If you want to impress a crowd or simply looking to treat yourself, then I highly recommend these luscious bars!

Cake Batter Brownie Bars

Adapted from Cookies and Cups

1 box yellow cake mix

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 box brownie mix, prepared per package directions (I used Ghiradelli double chocolate)

1 can of frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 9x13 pan

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, egg, and milk; beat until combined

Spread batter in the bottom of your prepared pan

Make brownie batter according to directions on box

Pour on top of cake batter

Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

Let cool completely then frost if desired

Enjoy!

weekend review

It's official! All documents confirm that we are now Maryland residents. We continuously delayed getting our tags and registration, but Kent's tags finally expired at the end of February, so legality gave us the push that we needed. And by "us," I mean Kent because we all know that I nagged him for months. 

On Friday night, Kent and I tried a new restaurant called Bond Street Social in the neighborhood of Fells Point. This neighborhood is located on the opposite side of the harbor from where we live. Our temporary housing was located near the restaurant, so it was fun to return to our first "home" in Baltimore. We enjoyed this dinner so much, and we'll definitely return with friends and family. It has a really cool, upscale, modern atmosphere that promotes "social dining." You're encouraged to order a variety of plates that allow for you to sample and share with friends. The menu offers a variety of global cuisine from Asian to American that is all delicious. The dinner was so enjoyable that I provided a more extensive recap in pictures than usual.  

The restaurant is located right on the harbor and faces Under Armour.

It has nice outdoor seating that will be fun to take advantage of during warmer weather.

We were greeted with complimentary mini cornbread muffins. These paired well with wine and beer, so we say.

Mac & Cheese Bites- goat cheese, gruyere, aged cheddar, and truffle oil

We almost opted for the recommended duck spring rolls because we're trying to branch outside of our usual eating habits, but I'm so glad we ordered these dreamy cheese balls 

We were seated next to the most delightful fire pit. I wish I was always seated next to one when dining out.

Asian style chicken lettuce wraps with carrot and cabbage slaw

Bloody Mary Mussels- garlic, vodka, tomato, & old bay

Not at all annoyed by my incessant photo taking as long as I let him eat

Miso glazed salmon- served over sautéed spinach and topped with shiitake mushrooms

Chocolate ice cream sundae with cookie crumbs

We clearly indulged, but we figured why not? A food coma put us on the couch for the remainder of the evening, so we watched a movie and called it a night. Oh, and I also baked banana bread. It was a decision made under in the influence of wine, but it turned out deliciously and will be coming to the blog soon.

Saturday was a fairly uneventful day. We took care of the tags and registration, then ran some errands. I had my best elliptical workout since starting on this new machine. I did 9.5 miles in an hour with a five minute cool down. That holds about 215 strokes a minute, so I was pretty pleased with the total mileage. I alternate between using the arms and peddling backwards while holding the grip at a level 9. It's very challenging.

I made "brinner" (breakfast for dinner) that night. It was my first attempt at making pancakes from scratch. They were buttermilk pancakes that were fluffy and tasted quite good, especially when drizzled with maple syrup, so I consider the experiment a success. I served them alongside omelets with peppers and mushrooms. 

Today was designated as the day we plan for our trip to Italy in May. We spent most of the afternoon looking through our books and constructing a rough draft for our itinerary. We decided on how many days we will spend in each city and then booked our hotels. I could have easily spent days considering potential hotels, but Kent is decisive and made me commit after a few hours of comparing hotels. The next step will be to decide what activities are most important to us and book advanced tours. We'll tackle that another day because reserving hotels was so exhausting. 

I had another great workout today! I ran the longest mileage since moving into our new apartment. I ran 8.2 miles in one hour. I know that treadmill mileage isn't as difficult as pavement, but I was proud that I ran so long. For those interested, this was the speed pattern that I followed: 6 minutes at 7.8, 12 minutes at 8.0, 12 minutes at 8.2, 12 minutes at 8.4, 6 minutes at 8.6, 2 minutes at 8.2, 1 minute at 8.0, 2 minute at 8.4, and finally 1 minute at 8.6. I walked for 5 minutes to cool down. I wasn't in the best mindset for a long run, so I'm happy that I pushed through.

My girl Kyle Richards of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills helped me get through my run. Excuse my excessive sweat- I don't look pretty after my workouts.

Tonight, I made individual flatbread pizzas- chicken, bacon, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, & mozzarella cheese. Delicious! We'll enjoy our Sunday TV lineup and relax. Baltimore is expecting some snow this week, which I'm not too excited about, but as I mentioned in my Friday Favorites, Daylights Saving is next weekend, so that's something to look forward to! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I have a winning dessert recipe to share on Tuesday, so look for that this week :)

friday favorites

It doesn't seem possible that it's already March, but I'm always so relieved when we reach this month. Even though the weather isn't necessarily any warmer, it still feels like we're in the clear and Spring will be here soon. And it will be! Spring is approximately 20 days away, and I can't wait to welcome it. Also, Daylight Savings is next weekend, and that is something to be very happy about.

We don't really have any weekend plans right now. We'll try a new restaurant tonight or tomorrow night. For some reason, I'm really craving pancakes and I have found so many great pancake recipes recently, so I think breakfast for dinner may be in order one night.

Here are some of my favorites from this week:

Favorite Read: Gone Girl. I read this in one day. 415 pages of suspenseful, terrifying, menacing, deceptive, disturbingly addictive drama. This book is crazy.  It's about a failing marriage, and it alternates between the husband and wife's voices narrating the events surrounding their fifth wedding anniversary. I hated how it ended, but it was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Favorite Indulgence: Samoa Baked Mini Donuts. These seem so much better than the cookie, right?

Favorite Funny: Jennifer Lawrence interviewed about the details of her Oscars gown. I hope that we can all agree about how much we want Jennifer Lawrence to be our friend. She is the best. Oh, and please watch this.

Favorite Decor: Pottery Barn Ava Desk. I think this desk is so modern, beautiful, and simple. It should compliment most things, but seeing as how we don't have much furniture in our guest bedroom right now, it would be a lovely focal point. The only point?

Favorite DIY: Turning Your Wedding Song Into Art. I've seen this idea floating around the internet for a while now, but I think I may actually try it. This would be my most creative project ever. I think I'll continue to think about trying it.

Favorite Treat: Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls. I guess I'm going through a breakfast food kick. Yeast intimidates me, but I'd really like to attempt making my own cinnamon rolls, or something similar to these delicious treats.

Favorite Pup: Playful pup. I love when dogs do this. I'm not quite sure how to define this, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

 Favorite Indulgence: Eggs Benedict con Queso. I have never been tempted by eggs benedict on the brunch menu. I don't even like fried eggs, but this tex mex twist looks sinfully good.

Favorite quote: I don't consider myself a sappy idyllic kind of gal, but I love these kinds of quotes whether or not they apply to me. I'm striving towards being in this mindset more often than not.

Have a great weekend everyone!