Vineyards and a Bachlorette

My friends Shannon and Doyle are getting married later this month in Santa Barbara, and  our girlfriends celebrated Shannon by hosting a bachelorette party in her honor. I have quite a few friends who are recently engaged, and it's a great to excuse to plan a party or host a trip to the nearby Virginia vineyards. 

We spent the day tasting lots of wine (some good, some not so good!) and just generally having a great time. We were blessed with sunshine and warm weather, although we did encounter a downpour on our way to dinner. 

Spring and Picnics

D.C. has its fair share of weird weather patterns--the derecho of 2012, snow on Halloween, random flooding, a tornado here, a hurricane there--and this spring has been no exception. In February we had days with highs of 70, and in April we were still bundling up with highs of 40 and 50. However, spring is finally here, and with it come baseball games, rooftop parties and picnics. 


Per usual, Kate Spade has all the inspiration you need to start planning your own picnic!

via

Kate Spade champagne box

Kate Spade picnic blanket

Kate Spade picnic basket

An Open Letter to Pumpkin-Flavored Seasonal Treats

AN OPEN LETTER TO PUMPKIN-FLAVORED SEASONAL TREATS.
BY ILANA PLEN

- - - -

Dear Pumpkin-Flavored Seasonal Treats,

So you’re back. You just come waltzing into town like nothing has happened, like nothing has changed. Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who left for a year with no explanation, no warning. No note. And I’m just supposed to be okay with that?

Well, I’m not. A lot has changed in the last year. I’ve moved on. I tried going vegan, did you know that? Of course you didn’t. You know why? Because you never bothered to call and check in. I had a fling with peppermint in December, but that didn’t last long. I never really got over you.

Do you know what it was like for me after you disappeared? I was a wreck. I couldn’t get out of bed; there was nothing to look forward to. I started visiting the places we spent time together, on the off chance you might be there. But no matter where I went, the fact was that you were gone. Worst of all, it seems that I was the only one who noticed. Signs advertising your presence remained up. Commercials encouraging me to consume you in mass quantities flooded my television and haunted my dreams. You were everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.

If I had realized how temporary your presence in my life would be, I would have done things differently. I would have cherished the time we spent together more. I would have taken more pictures. I would have told you I loved you each and every single day. If only I knew it was all going to end, I would have planned ahead. I would have stocked up. If only.

But like I said, things are different now. I’ve changed. I’m strong now. I’m not the same girl who needed you, yearned for you and cried when you weren’t around. I am an independent, self sufficient woman, who refuses to be tied down. Especially to something that can’t handle hanging around for more than a three month period of time. So screw you, you commitment phobic piece of crap.

You’ve got a lot of nerve coming back here. How dare you look me in the eye? Do you think I’m dumb? Do you think I don’t realize that since you’ve come back, you’ve flirted with every person you pass on the street, tempting them with your elusive charms and intoxicating scent? You jerk. You big jerk. I trusted you. I thought we had something special. And now you’ve gone and thrown it all away. Again. God, I’m stupid. I’m so stupid. I hate you. I really, really do.

Wait. I’m sorry. Maybe I’m being too hard on you. I don’t know. I’ve put so much into this relationship already. Maybe it’s better to just try again. A blank slate, so to speak. It’s still early in the season. We still have time; we can still make it work. What do you say? How about a drink? For old time’s sake? But please, whatever you do. Don’t ever leave me again.

I love you,

Ilana Abby Plen

Some Good News

It's been an interesting couple of weeks.  You would think that not having a job means I have much more free time, and I do, but luckily I've had quite a few interviews that have been keeping me busy.  The short story is that I was presented with three very attractive job offers within a 24-hour period; the good news is that one of those offers was my top choice, so I am beyond thrilled!  I start work on Tuesday and couldn't be happier. 

That's me, celebrating my new job.

My birthday was on Tuesday (yep, Valentine's Day) and I had a pretty phenomenal birthday, all things considered.  Since my sister now lives in DC, and since we were born five days (and five years) apart, we had a joint birthday celebration last weekend.  It was tons of fun, and so great to see so many friends in one place!  We went to New Vegas Lounge, a DC favorite for live music and dancing.  Then, my sweet roommates treated me to dinner at Town Hall (our home away from home) on Monday night to celebrate turning another year older; my sister came by later that night with a delicious rainbow birthday cake, her specialty.  The night of my actual birthday, my sister, her boyfriend and I celebrated again at another favorite restaurant, Zaytinya.  Like I said, pretty phenomenal. 

rainbow birthday cake

I leave you with the recipe for Town Hall's Goat Cheese Macaroni, because it is amazing and I hope to recreate it myself one day.  I found the recipe via Pinterest, naturally.

Town Hall’s Goat-Cheese Macaroni

Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups half-and-half
¾ cup heavy cream
1½ tablespoons white wine
1¼ cup fresh goat cheese
½ cup garlic-herb Boursin cheese 
1½ teaspoons kosher salt (or more to taste)
1⁄8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Dash of Tabasco
½ box (½ pound) cavatappi pasta 

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux and cook for 1 minute. 

Add half-and-half, heavy cream, white wine, salt, and white pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a high simmer, but make sure not to boil the milk. Cook the mixture on low for 10 minutes to thicken. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Put the cream mixture into a blender and add the goat and Boursin cheeses and Tabasco. Blend for 10 seconds on low speed until smooth. 

Strain the cheese sauce through a mesh strainer back into the saucepan and set aside to cool until the pasta is cooked, or store it covered overnight in the fridge. 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cavatappi, and cook until al dente, about 8 or 9 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce). Strain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce. Turn the heat to medium-low and warm the macaroni and cheese until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with more salt if necessary.

Devour!

Peeps Show 2011

Each year in the weeks leading up to Easter, The Washington Post hosts its Peeps Show, a diorama contest where the entrants are... well, dioramas made of Peeps (for those of you in the DC area, there's an actual Peeps store at National Harbor).  I have never been a fan of actually eating the marshmallow-fluff-and-sugar candy, but each year the Easter Bunny placed Peeps in my basket, along with Robin Eggs, Cadbury Creme Eggs, plastic eggs, and lots of plastic grass that my dog, Duffy, loved to eat.  Below are just a few of this year's finalists; you can view a slideshow of the contestants by following the link above.  Hoppy (almost) Easter!

Winner: Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue

Winner: Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue

The Peep Behind the Curtain

Peep Hoarders

TSA Agents Get a Peep Show

The King's Peep

Inpeeption

Angry Peeps

Peeparazzi

Let Them Eat Cake

Can you imagine being served a slice of this beautiful work of art at a wedding or party?  I know that you can purchase edible gold dust or glitter for decorating cakes and other confections, but this cake is almost too pretty eat!

(via)

And how adorable are these mini cakes also decorated with gold dust?  If anyone wants to test your baking skills, I'll happily serve as your guinea-pig!  Recipe here.