Happy Halloween!

I always have fond memories of Halloween. One of the neatest Halloween activities I've done in the past was to attend Dia de los Muertos at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. To have access to such a fascinating cultural tradition that I never had exposure to as I was growing up is amazing to me, although this celebration tends to be a mixture of tradition and current happenings.

Below are some photos of the event from 2006 including the altars and dancers.

Be safe and happy halloween!

Say Cheese: Shutterfly's 2010 Holiday Collection

This could just be me, but I have always thought that sending your friends and family cards with your face on it was some how strange and narcissistic. Over the past few years, as we’ve all grown up and...continue reading->

A Whole Lotta Home-cooking

Raisin Bread and I have been cooking up a storm at home. This week is another story because I had finals but here is a sampling of some of my favorite dishes so far.

Pork chops with cranberry port

"Greek-style" fritatta with spinach, black olives, feta and sundried tomatoes

Pork chop with apple butter glaze

Roasted whole carrots

My version of California Chicken Cafe's broccoli (crack) salad

Avocado, cucumber, carrot and shrimp sushi

Stuffed acorn squash with bacon-wrapped asparagus

Crab cakes with sauteed spinach

A Visit to the Farm

Last weekend we decided to check out the farm of one of our farmers market vendors: Cibola Farms. They are located about an hour and a half away in Culpeper, Virginia. They mainly raise hogs and bison and it was wonderful to see the animals first hand.

Other than us, there was one other visitor who came from Alexandria and the farmhand who was working that day. This is one place that doesn't have anything to hide.

Cibola Farm's sign

While we were visiting, the worker drove around on a tractor doing his work and once in a while we would run into him again around the farm. I really wanted to see the pigs, so we asked him where they were. He told us that we could unlock one of the gates at the end of the path and they would be there. He reminded us to chain the gate again, not because he was afraid that the pigs would get out but because the bison might wander over there and there aren't any gates on the other side of the parameter so they would wind up wandering into the streets.

The pigs were absolutely fascinating to watch. They love their mud and they seem both curious and slightly skittish. 

Piggles walking towards me!!

Muddy piggle

This pig was my favorite. He's a red head.

This bison was a twin. Isn't he cute?

The bull of one of the herds. There was another bull that was twice his size but we couldn't see him because the other herd was roaming freely and we weren't allowed into that part of the farm. Bison look slow but they can run and charge. 

Wellingtons: Am I too old for these?

It's fall here in the nation's capital or is it capitol? I still can't figure that one out. Can a thirty year old woman pull off wellingtons? How about wellingtons with fat blue birds on them?

If not how about classic Hunter wellies? I think these are slightly more age appropriate, but still can't figure out how to work them into my wardrobe.

------------------------------------------------
Entirely unrelated, for those who don't know, I am an MBA student at an undisclosed school. Today in my accounting class, I took home two new pieces of knowledge, which have nothing to do with accounting.

Take away #1: This is the Donald Rumsfeld chart.

Know                 Know
Know                 Don't know
Don't                  Know
Don't know         Don't know

Take away #2: Why averages are unreliable
If you are standing in a bucket of ice and your hair is on fire, on average, you should feel comfortable.

Coming Soon: CSNStores.com Product Review

I was recently approached by CSNStores.com to participate in a product review. If you aren't familiar with this company, CSN Stores operates 200+ websites with thousands of products. They sell everything from furniture and upholstered headboards to...Continue reading ->

What I'm coveting: Rope Necklaces

Raisin Bread and I went to Pennsylvania last weekend to visit his family and attend the Doylestown Arts Festival, where his sister was exhibiting. Being there reminded me that I am really coveting a rope necklace. Fabulous, aren't they?

Eat slowly, deliberately, and with pleasure

"Eating with the fullest pleasure - pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance - is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend."

- Wendell Berry

Hiking in Arizona

Arizona happened to be the place I found myself for my first anniversary with Raisin Bread. He lived in Phoenix for a number of years, and we were in town for his friends' wedding. We wound up being there for the weekend and took the opportunity to explore a number of the areas natural wonders.

Phoenix in January is absolutely perfect with its sunny skies and mild temperatures. Our first day was spent driving to Sedona and taking in Red Rock State Park. We both weren't appropriately dressed to hike. Instead, we found some easy walking trails and drove to various viewpoints.

It always amazes me just how diverse the landscape of our country is. Time has carved these beautiful and unusual pieces out of the land for us to enjoy.

Sedona's Red Rock State Park

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is literally built into the rock formations in Sedona and is open to the public. Being a formerly religious person, I still have a deep respect for the religions of the world and seeing the church combined with nature was stunning. 

The Chapel of the Holy Cross

Although I would have liked to have explored Red Rock a little more, just looking at it was awe-inspiring. Every formation had it's own life and presence. It was also a romantic way for us to celebrate our first year together. 

Red Rock State Park

We weren't the only couple enjoying the view!

Couple at Red Rock State Park

Sedona struck me as an extremely hippie town. There were galleries selling all sorts of Southwestern artwork, vegan restaurants and a whole lot of alien-related establishments including Ye Olde UFO Store. 

Ye Olde UFO Store

The UFO has landed in Sedona

In Phoenix, we went on two hikes after the wedding. The first was Papago Park or as Raisin Bread calls it "the rock with a hole in the middle." Another neat rock formation in the middle of a big city.

We walked up to the rock with a hole in it and saw the city through the other side. 

Papago Park's hole in the rock

Our real hike came later with a trip to Camelback Mountain. You can see this mountain from all over the city, so I have always wanted to climb it starting from my first visit to Phoenix in 2004. I am not sure what the name of the trail we went on was but it was a little hairy in sections. 

As you first begin to ascend Camelback, the view contains a bunch of Phoenix's cookie cutter homes. Not exactly a serene view.

View of Phoenix from Camelback Mountain

But as you continue up and look back down towards where you came from, you can see the entire length of the "camel's back."

Camelback Mountain

I didn't take many more photos on the rest of the climb up because the trail basically ends. It is rock scrambling the rest of the way up to the summit. Keep in mind that this was during the new year holiday so there was a bit of a bottleneck at some sections. 

Once we got to the top, we were met with a tree that had been decorated for the holidays!

Summit of Camelback Mountain

Eat and Drink: The Oval Room (DC Restaurant Week Summer 2010)

Tuesday night was my first foray into DC's Restaurant Week. I was skeptical at first because while LA Restaurant Week has tiers depending on the price range of the restaurant's normal menu, DC's had one price across the board: $35.10 for dinner. I was also worried that service would be lacking. Perhaps I thought they would look at me and realize that I don't have a real job?

I arrived a few minutes early to The Oval Room and was seated by the maitre d' (the hostess was seating another couple at that time) in the center of the back room. He complimented me on my new purse before leaving my side. Isn't it pretty?

Back to dinner. The dining room was bright and open. I found the atmosphere comforting with the noise level at a low buzz. Not so loud that you can't hear your dining companion and not so quiet that you are forced to eavesdrop on other diners.

For my first course, I ordered the Amish white corn angolotti with black truffle butter and parmesan crumbs. I found this dish to be a tad sweet for my taste and also slightly disappointing in size. However, I enjoyed the cream sauce and parmesan crumbs' contrast in texture.

Amish white corn agnolotti, black truffle butter and parmesan crumbs

Raisin Bread chose the soft shell crabs with buffalo mayo and celery. This appetizer had an upcharge of $5, which was reasonable considering other options included an heirloom tomato salad. The server told us that there was bleu cheese in this dish also, but we kept asking ourselves, "Where's the bleu cheese?" I looked back to the online menu and it doesn't say there was any bleu cheese. It is all a mystery to me. I found this dish to be a creative if odd play on buffalo wings.

Tempura fried soft shell crabs, buffalo mayo and celery

My main course were the sea scallops. When this dish arrived, I knew that the scallops were perfectly seared just by looking at them. I didn't quite enjoy the combination of the chorizo and scallops, which I thought added a degree of saltiness that wasn't necessary.

Sea scallops, stew of cauliflower, chorizo and hysoo

The other entree that we ordered was the seared salmon. For those of you who are familiar with my tastes, I never order any cooked fish other than black cod or monkfish. However, I quite enjoyed this salmon dish, especially the black pepper condiment. The presentation was also very lovely. It looked like a work of art.

Seared salmon, black pepper condiment, shaved cucumber and mashed potatoes

Finally for dessert, I had the date chocolate cake with toffee glaze and chocolate ice cream. The cake was moist and rich with huge chunks of dates strown throughout, while the chocolate ice cream was good but nothing extraordinary.

Date chocolate cake, toffee glaze and chocolate ice cream

I also had a taste of the almond brown butter cake, which our waiter recommended without hesitation. My favorite item of this trio was the cake. It was moist on the inside with a firm exterior. Both the peach salad and ice cream were a freshing compliment to the cake.

Almond brown butter cake, peach salad and sour cream ice cream

I was surprised by my first restaurant week meal despite my concerns. Service at The Oval Room was attentive and extremely well timed. The dining room had workers stationed throughout the entire time who were paying close attention to their guests. We both agreed that this meal was a wonderful first taste of restaurant week!

The Oval Room
800 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20006-2726