Frozen mugs, cold root beer, and fresh vanilla ice cream on a hot summer evening.
The only thing that made it better was sharing the experience.
(P.S. Mom -- reminds me of The Good Steer!!)
Showing posts with label arlington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arlington. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2012
Last night's root beer float
Frozen mugs, cold root beer, and fresh vanilla ice cream on a hot summer evening.
The only thing that made it better was sharing the experience.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Pops in DuPont
Enjoying a few Summer Peach Popsicles on this 100 degree day. DuPont Farmers Market from our dear friend Brian at Pleasant Pops!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Our first CSA pickup!
Have you ever heard of a CSA? It stands for Community-supported agriculture. How it works is people in your geographic area will purchase half or full shares of vegetables from local farms. Each week, the farms will assemble boxes of whatever crop is ready for harvest, and bring them to a common location for pickup by shareholders. As a shareholder, you don't have a choice of what vegetables you get; you just get what you get each week. Shareholders pay for their half or full share at the beginning of the season -- if there is no rain or the crops are low for another reason, you might be out of luck.
I have always wanted to participate in a CSA, but in the past I traveled often and did not think I could eat all of the vegetables I would receive. Now that Justin and I are living together in Arlington, I decided to shop around for a CSA and participate by purchasing a half-share of vegetables each week.
Several CSAs in the Arlington area were already completely full by the time I started looking (early May), so our veggies have to travel a little further to get here from Pennsylvania. They come from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, which gathers fresh foods from the local Amish farmers and delivers them to us!
Here's our first batch:
There were a few items in there that I had to learn how to cook (Kale, Collards, and Radishes), but all in all I would say it was a successful week.
The second batch we picked up this week was more familiar and a lot easier for me:
....Except what the heck is a Garlic Scape?? It looks like the green part of a scallion and I have yet to Google what I should do with it. I also may have cooked the bok choy to death on accident in my stir fry -- oops!
update: Karen over at The Art of Doing Stuff must be reading my mind...
I have always wanted to participate in a CSA, but in the past I traveled often and did not think I could eat all of the vegetables I would receive. Now that Justin and I are living together in Arlington, I decided to shop around for a CSA and participate by purchasing a half-share of vegetables each week.
Several CSAs in the Arlington area were already completely full by the time I started looking (early May), so our veggies have to travel a little further to get here from Pennsylvania. They come from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, which gathers fresh foods from the local Amish farmers and delivers them to us!
Here's our first batch:
For our first pickup last week, here's the list they sent me the morning of my pickup:
1 Pint Strawberries - Certified Organic - Liberty Acres
Click here for strawberry storage information.
1 Bunch Baby Scarlet Turnips - Certified Organic - Outback Farm
Click here for turnip storage information.
1 Bag Loose Sparkler Radishes - Certified Organic - Maple Lawn Organics
Click here for radish storage information.
1 Bunch Red Kale - Certified Organic - Maple Lawn Organics
Click here for kale storage information.
1 Bunch Collards - Certified Organic - Coyote Run Organics
Click here for collard storage information.
1 Package Portobello Caps - Certified Organic - Mother Earth Organics
Click here for mushroom storage information.
1 Bunch Fresh White Pearl Onions - Certified Organic - Liberty Branch Farm
Click here for onion storage information.
There were a few items in there that I had to learn how to cook (Kale, Collards, and Radishes), but all in all I would say it was a successful week.
The second batch we picked up this week was more familiar and a lot easier for me:
1 Bunch Asparagus - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics OR Lancaster Farmacy
Click here for asparagus storage information.
1 Bag Snow Peas - Certified Organic - White Swan Acres
Click here for snow pea storage information.
1 Bunch Garlic Scapes - Certified Organic - Coyote Run Organics
Store unwashed garlic scapes in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
1 Head Broccoli - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics
Click here for broccoli storage information.
1 Head Red Leaf Lettuce - Certified Organic - Railroad Organics
Click here for leaf lettuce storage information.
1 Bag Mini Bok Choy - Certified Organic - Riverview Organics
Click here for bok choy storage information.
update: Karen over at The Art of Doing Stuff must be reading my mind...
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
a Top Golf birthday celebration
A few weeks ago, we celebrated our dear friend Michelle's birthday playing Top Golf in Alexandria.
Top Golf is pretty fun. It's basically like a driving range with these huge targets out in the field. Kind of like bowling (or maybe ski-ball), the computer-chipped golf balls distribute points depending on where your ball lands.
Apparently Top Golf only has four locations in the United States (and three in the UK), so I'm glad we get to enjoy this one every now and again. I was pleasantly surprised to find the food was pretty good for a place like this, and they even have punch-like sangria.
I loved baking a cake for Michelle's birthday because I knew her favorite flavor combination and color, so she was guaranteed to like it as long as I didn't mess it up :) I did add a little something special by spreading on a layer of my grandma's homemade strawberry jam between the two layers of chocolate cake. (Full disclosure -- it was a box cake with store-bought frosting. It was a weeknight, don't judge me.)
All in all, I think the birthday girl had a fun time!
Top Golf is pretty fun. It's basically like a driving range with these huge targets out in the field. Kind of like bowling (or maybe ski-ball), the computer-chipped golf balls distribute points depending on where your ball lands.
Apparently Top Golf only has four locations in the United States (and three in the UK), so I'm glad we get to enjoy this one every now and again. I was pleasantly surprised to find the food was pretty good for a place like this, and they even have punch-like sangria.
I loved baking a cake for Michelle's birthday because I knew her favorite flavor combination and color, so she was guaranteed to like it as long as I didn't mess it up :) I did add a little something special by spreading on a layer of my grandma's homemade strawberry jam between the two layers of chocolate cake. (Full disclosure -- it was a box cake with store-bought frosting. It was a weeknight, don't judge me.)
All in all, I think the birthday girl had a fun time!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Impromptu Wednesday Night Date
I worked late last night and on my drive home, Justin called and said he felt like taking me on a date. It was perfect because I was hungry and neither one of us felt like cooking.
(sidenote: I think it's funny how we used to just say we were "going out to dinner," but now that we're married it's always a "date".)
We hit up a new-ish local favorite called Wilson Tavern, in the Courthouse neighborhood. The BLTs were crispy and delicious; the PBRs weren't bad either ;)
After dinner, we both felt like having a tiny something sweet, so we went to Vapiano to pick up tiny little cups of [below average but still awesome] tiramisu.
(Mom -- here's the new haircut! xoxo)
(sidenote: I think it's funny how we used to just say we were "going out to dinner," but now that we're married it's always a "date".)
We hit up a new-ish local favorite called Wilson Tavern, in the Courthouse neighborhood. The BLTs were crispy and delicious; the PBRs weren't bad either ;)
After dinner, we both felt like having a tiny something sweet, so we went to Vapiano to pick up tiny little cups of [below average but still awesome] tiramisu.
(Mom -- here's the new haircut! xoxo)
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Bike Ride Saturday - Mount Vernon Trail
The Washington DC area has a huge network of bike trails. Saturday morning brought us beautiful weather, so we jumped on our bikes and took a long and leisurely ride down the Mount Vernon trail.
We biked south for about 45 minutes through Old Town Alexandria and along the scenic trails on the Potomac. The trail is mostly paved, with some small sections of curving boardwalk here and there. Along the way there are many parks; we saw plenty of people out fishing, picnicking, playing sports, and just generally enjoying the day.
I like to quiz Justin on which tree is "his favorite".
On our way home, we stopped at a [totally crappy] pizza place in Old Town. The bad salad bar was worth it for the atmosphere, though. We sat at a table out on the sidewalk, bistro-style.
xoxox
We biked south for about 45 minutes through Old Town Alexandria and along the scenic trails on the Potomac. The trail is mostly paved, with some small sections of curving boardwalk here and there. Along the way there are many parks; we saw plenty of people out fishing, picnicking, playing sports, and just generally enjoying the day.
I like to quiz Justin on which tree is "his favorite".
 | |||
On our way home, we stopped at a [totally crappy] pizza place in Old Town. The bad salad bar was worth it for the atmosphere, though. We sat at a table out on the sidewalk, bistro-style.
 |
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
redeeming qualities
Work gets crazy sometimes and it's nice to have somewhere to take a break. Luckily, the company I work for is located in a great place. The building we occupy has a rooftop patio with an amazing view of the Washington DC skyline.
(Now if only people would stop using my relaxation patio as a smoking room, all would be right in the world...)
The building also sits right on top of a network of local bike trails. There's a cute little half mile loop that walks you right through the woods and on the streets of a quiet neighborhood. It's a beautiful way to take a break and get some fresh air.
I hope everyone is enjoying their workday today!
(Now if only people would stop using my relaxation patio as a smoking room, all would be right in the world...)
The building also sits right on top of a network of local bike trails. There's a cute little half mile loop that walks you right through the woods and on the streets of a quiet neighborhood. It's a beautiful way to take a break and get some fresh air.
I hope everyone is enjoying their workday today!
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