Adventures with Chocolate

While dipping bananas in chocolate last week, the roommates and I found ourselves digging through the pantry for anything else we might be able to dip.

We didn't find much, but it was a fun little experiment.

Oreos, pita chips, cereal . .

I told you we didn't have much.

With all the leftover chocolate, I introduced the girls to what my sister refers to as Mexican S'mores.

Chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmallow creme on a warm tortilla.

And speaking of chocolate, I've been baking more cupcakes lately. Last week, I fulfilled a friend's wish for peanut butter-filled chocolate cupcakes. Unfortunately, I was too busy analyzing the final product to take any after pictures. They were very dense and would've been great with milk, though!

Baking Kolaches

The diet went completely out the window this past weekend. Out the window and down the road.

I can't think of a better way to end it, though.

I spent the weekend in Williamsburg with my roommate Katie and her family. Not only do we both have a Czech heritage, but our grandmothers from Nebraska introduced us to a popular Czech pastry, kolaches.

Katie and her sisters love to bake them, so we devoted our entire Saturday to doing just that.

See for yourselves . .

Baking Kolaches from LP on Vimeo.

Temps That Make Me Happy

It may have snowed over two feet a month ago, but after this kind of weather last weekend, I'm totally over it.

And I didn't shoot too bad a game, either. I'm not back to where I once was, but hopefully I'm on my way.

Decision Time

Last night was a good night! Not only did I eat a frozen chocolate-covered banana {courtesy of my roommate} and bake peanut-butter filled chocolate cupcakes {don’t ask if I ate one of those, too – the diet’s clearly going so well!}, I also learned that my best friend, Michelle, will be visiting me the beginning of May! The same day my mom and sister head home after their visit. I won’t have even an hour to feel lonely.

This means that, not only do I have yet another thing to look forward to these coming weeks, but I also have an even greater excuse to finish my bedroom – no matter the cost! Well . . I do have a budget.

So I’ll have to stop wavering between aqua and navy and where to click purchase on a seagrass rug. It’s decision time!

This Week's Salad

In addition to mixed greens and grilled chicken strips:

Roasted eggplant with rosemary



We all know I didn't think of the fabulous rosemary addition.



Toasted pita



Also with rosemary and melted butter



White beans



Carrots



Plum tomatoes



Toasted pine nuts



Plus feta and . .



MMMmmmmm.

I Caved

I baked cupcakes.



And I ate one. Or two.



They were honey cupcakes with swiss buttercream frosting. I made them Saturday, but wondered if baking them for a shorter time would've resulted in a more moist cupcake.

So I baked another batch last night.

More moist, and the batter was just as delicious as it was on Saturday.

:)

*In my defense, I made them for a friend who recently had a baby boy. I topped them with blue sprinkles. And I gave the rest to my colleagues. . . minus a few.

Dates

Last summer, when celebrating birthdays at Founding Farmers with InTheTweeds and The Girl, someone mentioned bacon-wrapped dates as a delicious appetizer option.

My first thought: sounds gross.

I wasn't sure I'd ever tried a date, but it was probably for very good reason. Who eats those anyway?

But they wound up on our table, and I couldn't resist a taste. If someone is raving, I'm easily convinced.

After sampling this hors d'œuvre, I was raving, too - and helping myself to another. Bacon-wrapped, basil and bleu cheese-stuffed dates with balsamic. It was as if a million flavors had exploded in my mouth. Everything I'd eaten at Founding Farmers was worth coming back for, but I would always remember it as the restaurant where I met bacon-wrapped dates.

So I guess you could say we had a reunion this week. I spotted a container of dates on the kitchen counter and they were destined for the very thing I hoped.

Lyn made bacon-wrapped, asiago cheese stuffed dates. A happy night indeed.

Salads and Limited Portions

I didn’t know I still had this much self-discipline. Enough to give up desserts and alcohol {though I don’t consume much of the latter anyway}, to eat smaller portions, and to make it to the gym at least four times a week.

After wiggling into my skinnies in L.A., I got serious. I want to feel good about myself again – not that I feel terrible, but I know it could be better. Much.

After 2 ½ weeks of lower calorie consumption, including delicious daily salads, fruit for snacks, and intense workouts at the gym . . I have lost 3 pounds, and I can already see a difference in more areas than one. The results of my obsession with push-ups are especially paying off, and I’m motivated to stay committed to my plan.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never wanted to bake cupcakes so badly. Could I bake them without cleaning off the spatula with my tongue? Not a chance.

Surprisingly enough, the Girl Scout Cookies sitting in the pantry don’t really tempt me. I know the inevitable guilt that would follow, and it’s just not worth it.

I should admit that I’ve cheated the tiniest bit by accepting a yummy mimosa at a bridal shower last week, and taking one bite of a red velvet cupcake by Something Sweet at an engagement party. {It’s a cupcake shop I haven’t yet tried.}

And I may or may not have taken a few bites of brownie at a gathering last Saturday. {I also tried venison for the first time, although that wasn’t breaking any rules.}

Despite my occasional give-ins, I’ve been very consistent in maintaining a healthier diet. My roommate Lyn has been a huge help in preparing some delicious salads for our lunches – so delicious that I thought I would share . . because if you’re anything like me, you think salads are typically boring and would take too much time and effort if you were to make them at home. You’re nothing like me? Oh well, I will share anyway . .

Last week's salad:

Mixed greens, tuna salad, cooked and seasoned red skin potatoes, steamed green beans, plum tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, crispy garlic onions, and my new favorite dressing - roasted red pepper vinaigrette (by Annie's Naturals)

First week's salad:

Arugula, shredded rotisserie chicken, steamed asparagus, sliced red peppers, sliced mushrooms, crumbled goat cheese, crispy garlic onions, and again - roasted red pepper vinaigrette

This week's salad:

Mixed greens, hard boiled eggs, broccoli, peas, carrots, mandarin oranges, rice noodles, and gingery vinaigrette

Can't wait for next week's salad!

Rug #3

How is it that I have purchased three rugs in six weeks? Someone stop me!

The two rugs I scored great deals on from Williams-Sonoma Home were lovely . . but, as ridiculous as it sounds, I put them in storage. I basically purchased them as back-up rugs - if my duvet didn't work, I would use one of them as a jumping off point for decorating my room. But the duvet worked, and it clashes with the rugs.

I now plan to purchase an 8x10 sisal rug for my bedroom and hopefully a sheepskin rug, as well.

That is the only rug I was looking for when I went to the Pottery Barn outlet with Lauren.

But we spotted a rug we both loved, and the next thing we knew . .



Although it looks quite dirty in the pictures, it's spotlessly clean - a cream colored rug with flecks of gray and gold.



And it's allowed me to get rid of the clashing red rug under our dining room table.



Much, much better. {However, this room is still not well-decorated - I need to really lose that big frame - but homes are a work in progress, aren't they?}

French Sandwich

Last week, I read all about the Croque-Monsieur and -Madame in this month's issue of Elle Decor. "The French take on a ham and cheese sandwich."

Had to have one.

Although Cafe Bonaparte stopped serving this sandwich after 5pm, I was lucky enough to see it on the menu at Open City during Sunday brunch.

Hot ham and cheese (gruyere), smothered in Bechamel sauce and topped with a fried egg. The salad was equally amazing.

Delicious!

Are you tired of all this food talk yet? I'm sure!

Next time - no food post!

Cupcakes for Men

You know how much I love cupcakes.

I also love the Wall Street Journal (with a different kind of love, of course).

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon an interesting WSJ article on cupcakes today. Or rather, mancakes. Most are infused with alcohol, yum yum!

Unfortunately this cupcakery has yet to open a storefront, making the mancakes only available through delivery . . in New York City.

Still, you should check it out:

From Wall Street to Mancakes: A Lawyer Turns to Cupcakes

Butch Bakery

I Need More French Food in My Life

I had dinner with The Girl tonight at Cafe Bonaparte. It was every bit as lovely as I had heard.

Perfectly tucked away in Georgetown, I almost felt as though I'd been transported to Paris. . . except that I've never been there, so I suppose I can't quite know how it feels.

The Girl and I happened to be eyeing the same plate for an appetizer, and we ordered the crepe chips with apples and brie.

We unknowingly picked the same entree, as well. The Budapest crepe was filled with seasoned ground beef, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, topped with a sour cream cilantro sauce. And what was that salty dressing on our salad? We're dying to know, but forgot to ask.

It's a shame that I've committed to avoiding desserts for several weeks {in an effort to get back in shape}, because I know every one of the treats on their extra long dessert list would've been the perfect end to a delicious dinner. There will have to be several 'next times' to make up for it, I suppose.

Goodbyes and Good Chili

Tonight I said "see ya later" to my friend Em, as I've referred to her here on the blog. Tomorrow is Emily's last day in D.C. before flying across the country with the rest of her belongings (those we didn't ship out last weekend) to sunny San Diego. It's hard to believe three years have gone by so quickly, and the days of lunch meet-ups and afternoon delights {treats} are over. *Tear*

I'm so excited for my friend to return to her family and many of her friends {most importantly her fabulous and talented boyfriend}. Ok, that last part was for Emily, since she now reads the blog. Hi Emily!

Tonight was Farewell Happy Hour #2, and I successfully left without crying - hooray! I'm thankful we've been able to spend some quality time together over the past week, drinking delicious wine from France, packing up her things, and picking out outfits for her upcoming weekend in Napa.

You should know that Emily is not only fun, genuine, smart, and super funny . . she is also an amazing packer and downsizer. I'm pretty sure she gave as many items to Goodwill as she shipped to her new apartment last weekend. Could you ship all of your belongings for less than $400? Impressive, I know! And that included a 42" flat screen TV!

We rewarded our heavy lifting and line waiting at the post office with a trip to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. Her boyfriend, an avid "Man vs. Food" watcher, insisted she try it before returning to California. I was, of course, happy to come along.

We walked in to a crowd full of people, a long line waiting to place their orders.

President Obama, Bill Cosby, and many others graced the walls.

We placed our order for some chili fries and a chili half-smoke sausage. We were definitely going to share the greasiness.

This meal was not for the faint of heart, but we took care of it. Women vs. Food.

I'll miss you, Friend! See you soon!

*Ben's has been around for over 50 years. You can read about it's interesting history here.

More L.A.

Yes, I mostly ate in L.A.

I also did plenty of shopping.

But whatever we did, it was so fun to hang out with a good friend.

















Don't laugh . . :)