Christmas Cookies

I have a cookie exchange on Sunday, and every year (no matter where we live) I make a variation on the recipe below. They have a chocolate batter and usually I add some combination of Craisins, white chocolate chips/chunks, and macadamia nuts. This year, after having the peppermint bark from Costco, I got a hankerin' to make the cookies with crushed peppermint candy and even bought a box of candy canes in anticipation. Then my friend Lauren clued me in that Andes now sells pre-crushed peppermint candy, which will definitely be part of my Lazy Baker book if I ever write one, and Steve will make sure that the candy canes don't go to waste. Anyway, the recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cookie Book (one of my favorite wedding gifts) and fortunately I just googled the title and was able to copy/paste as I am not the only one on The Internets who loves this recipe. [I did add comments in italics.]

Outrageous Double Chocolate-White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Yield: about 2 dozen [large] cookies

1 (24-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips (4 cups)
1 cup butter or stick margarine, softened [I use unsalted butter]
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (6-ounce) package white baking chocolate, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch chunks [or a package of white chocolate chips or pre-made chunks]
1 cup pecans or walnut halves*

Heat oven to 350°. Heat 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Cool to room temperature, but do not allow chocolate to become firm. [I microwave these in 30-second increments until just melted. I don't usually have time to let that cool to room temperature, and the one time I did I seem to remember the dough getting too stiff anyway.]

Beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and melted chocolate until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips, the white baking bar chunks and pecan halves.
*Instead of pecans or walnuts, you can substitute a cup of macadamia nuts, dried cherries, dried cranberries, or crushed peppermint candy.

Drop dough by level 1/4 cupfuls or #16 cookie/ice-cream scoop about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. [I have stacked two 1" balls with good results, or made 1" balls and baked 2-3 minutes less.] Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set (centers will appear soft and moist). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

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Update after the exchange: I didn't end up getting the Andes peppermint crumbles because the grocery store sold out of them long ago. The crushed candy canes worked well, although next time I'll unwrap them first and put them in one bag to hammer all together. Oh, and one more thing: Have you seen all the flavors of Hershey's kisses available now? I particularly like the peppermint striped ones, so if you're going to make these cookies you could just chop those up and have your white chocolate and peppermint all in one.

Weekend in the District

Steve has been traveling a lot and doing awesome at work, so I thought it would be fun to reward him with a weekend away. We stayed at The Willard, a beautiful old hotel adjacent to the White House, replete with woodwork, marble, and mosaic tile.

Saturday was warm and beautiful, more like September than November. We got settled into our room and then Metro'd to Capitol Hill to browse through Eastern Market. There are tented vendors outside selling handcrafts, produce, and antiques, and inside there are food vendors. It reminded me a lot of Reading Market and Saluhallen. Next we Metro'd back to the Mall where there were probably ten different games of football and frisbee going on. We went to the National Gallery of Art to see some favorites by Seurat, Monet, and Gilbert Stuart. Dinner was one of the most awesome burgers ever (with sweet potato fries) at Capitol City Brewing Company, plus I have a new affinity for brewery-made root beer. I'm not really a bath person because I get bored, but my body was screaming so after dinner I soaked in the tub, wrapped myself in a luxurious robe, and watched the exciting Texas vs. Texas Tech game.

On Sunday we passed on brunch at the Willard, opting for Kramerbooks in DuPont Circle. Blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit, fruit compote, home fries, scrambled eggs, coffee, and juice. I passed on the mimosa this time, but otherwise Yum! It felt like a real fall day, sunny but cool. Unfortunately I was in so much pain when we went next door to Beadazzled that I didn't even want to look at beads, people. Fortunately the Metro ride to the American Art Museum helped me feel a little better, so we got to see some pieces by Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keefe. The last little DC treat was to see a helicopter land on the South Lawn of the White House while we waited for the valet to bring the car around. Then we headed home on a ribbon of highway flanked by yellow, orange, and red trees. It was a great weekend and I am so happy to have Steve home for a while.

Pumpkin Spice

One of the reasons I love fall so much is it inflicts The Cozy (cozy 1 a: enjoying or affording warmth and ease : snug). Sweater season, mug season, call it what you want. Steve and I mark the advent of fall by plugging in the Instant Hot faucet and lighting the fireplace pilot for the season.

I've blogged before about my love for all things Pumpkin Spice, which two years later are still everywhere with more new products being added each year. Case in point, Pumpkin Eggnog. (I'm sure it helps living 2 miles from an HP Hood plant, but look for it and other Hood nog flavors like Gingerbread and Sugar Cookie!)

This product gets extra points for actually containing pumpkin and not just the spices, much like Cold Stone Creamery's ice cream pie. I even took a picture, in the first light of morning, to share with you the Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe that doesn't even call for additional pumpkin.

The Nog tastes like licking the bowl after preparing pumpkin pie, and it also makes a heck of a coffee creamer. We just got the first seasonals shipment from Gevalia with 4 boxes of Pumpkin Spice coffee, after which Steve confessed that it's a flavor he doesn't really like, so I'll be slowly working on those all winter. Anyone want to come over for coffee?

(P.S. Steve: Cheryl said to thank you for not liking it. More for her.)

Chocolate Mug Cake

I saw a recipe for 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake on Kate's blog that sounded awesome, so tonight I tried it and I was not disappointed. Make sure you read the comments about beating the egg and gently mixing - it makes a difference.

Those of you who know me know I have (ahem) a bit of a sweet tooth, so it takes a lot to reach my limit. I am currently chocolate drunk and NOT sorry, although ask me again when I'm lying in bed wide awake at 3am. And get this - I don't usually like chocolate cake. I did have a glass of milk and frosted it with the remnants of a previous project which made the mug cake that much better, so now I feel compelled to share The Frosting recipe. It was actually part of a chocolate cake recipe from BHG, the results of testing recipes for the "moistest, richest, chocolatiest cake" but didn't do it for me. They obviously didn't try Chocolate Mug Cake.

But they were so right about The Frosting recipe. If I had to choose one food to have while stranded on a desert island, the food of which I would ne'er grow weary, it would be Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting even if I had to make it myself. I even scanned my yellowing, greasy, pieced-together magazine clipping just for the delicious photo.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
12 oz (2 c) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c butter
8 oz sour cream
4 1/2 c sifted powdered sugar (that means sift, then measure)

In a large saucepan melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Makes 4 1/2 cups of frosting, enough to generously frost a multilayer cake. (It may look runny for a few minutes after you finish, so just keep beating it until it cools a little and stiffens up.)

More Fall Baking

Lauren and I went to Marker-Miller Orchards yesterday for apples. The weather was gorgeous and we had nothing else to do the rest of the day. Honeycrisps are picked out for the season, so we picked Nittany (go Big Blue) and Crispin. Then we went back to my house to make apple dumplings the traditional way. We used the "Never Fail Pie Crust" recipe that the marching band used to make when we did our huge pie & dumpling fund raiser (this one is similar), and the dumpling recipe was pretty standard. I love how my apple peeler also spiral slices the fruit because it makes the dumplings easier to eat. Steve came home from watching football with the guys just in time to help out with quality assurance.

Remembering Grandma

My paternal grandmother lived in tidewater (southeastern) Virginia, several hours away, so it's not like we grew up going over to her house every week. The visits we did have were always fun and there are several things that still immediately bring her to mind. Granddaddy passed away when I was little but we had my grandmother until about 10 years ago, and I miss her. I want to give her a hug and kiss the top of her head (she was a little lady), to hear her genteel accent and sing-songy, "Ooo-oo" when I walked in the kitchen in the morning.

• Roses. Any time I smell a rose, even at Costco or in a hotel lobby, I am transported back to Grandma's rose garden that bore what must have been dozens of plants in all different colors. She would cut and arrange them on the dining room table whenever they were blooming. Her Christmas arrangement would contain boxwood, the smell of which also reminds me of her.
• Squishy white sandwich bread. White bread toasted in a shiny, chrome toaster with real butter was a luxury my parents allowed only at Grandma's. Most of our visits to her house were in the summertime when aunts and uncles and the ten cousins would gather at Grandma's house. We'd spend a day at Virginia Beach, and in preparation the night before we'd line an entire counter with slices of white bread and make PB & J sandwiches in assembly-line fashion. Each variation went back into a separate bread bag: type of jelly, type of peanut butter, raisins or no raisins... By the time we had lunch at the beach the next day the bread would be soaked through (and never better).
• Chinese checkers. We played countless hours of this with Grandma.
• Little glass bottles of soda, especially orange soda. This isn't something I see very often now, but I took a glucose test last week and had to drink exactly that. And of course it made me think of Grandma.
• Coconut cake. I was always impressed that she would have cake on hand *just* for our visit, but I later found out she made them for bridge club or something and the leftovers were what we got. Come to think of it, the cake was wrapped in waxed paper and stored in the freezer, but it was always good and coconut cake still reminds me of Grandma.
• The smell of a paper mill. Strange, but true. The mill in West Point, VA was close enough to give Urbanna a unique smell on certain days. On other days we got the seashore smell that comes with a tidal area.
• Scuppernong grapes. Grandma had a grape arbor with this variety, located next to the rose garden. Even though we rarely visited in the fall, the taste of one of these grapes brings me back to childhood. This variety is not common, but Steve and I happened on some at a farm stand in NC when they were ripe. Half of the ones we got went to Mom and Dad and the other half I baked into a pie. (Halve grapes to de-seed, add 1/2 c. sugar, 1 T. lemon juice, 1 t. cinnamon, and 1/2 c. golden raisins, line pie plate with premade pie dough, fill with grapes, top with crumb crust, bake at 375 for 25 minutes. I made up this recipe because the ones I found online were too much work. See The Lazy post above; this recipe would be in the book The Lazy Cook.)
• Blue crabs. During our summer visits we'd sit all the cousins and aunts and uncles at long tables on the screen porch overlooking the water. Steamed crabs would be piled high on red checkered paper tablecloths. We'd pick crabs for what felt like hours, somehow managing to get full, then we'd roll up the tablecloths with all the shells to throw away. Then the kids would slide down the hill toboggan-style on cardboard boxes and my cousins were known for putting on skits.
• Three-part dinner rolls. These were served at Thanksgiving, buttery deliciousness (at the opposite end of the spectrum from oyster stuffing). I remember watching them be made: roll 1" balls of dough and put three in each cup of a muffin tin. Always heard at the end of the meal: "There's always room for one more roll." My aunt made copies of Grandma's recipe collection, but I have yet to figure out which of the "Hot Roll" recipes was The One. (Update: Thanks for the help, Karen! I'll let you know if they turn out.)

I know it doesn't take much to make me cry (a trait that may have actually come from her as my dad and aunt are the same way), but when Steve and I were driving near Urbanna on our trip to the beach I was overcome with how much she meant to me and how many memories are associated with her. And my face is streaked again now just thinking about it (so don't get me started on Grandpa in Oklahoma). It makes me appreciate that I did grow up knowing my grandparents, even though neither set lived nearby, and even though I can no longer hear them chirp on about something funny. I am hopeful that our kid(s) (and our siblings' kids and our cousins' kids) will be able to create this kind of memories with their grandparents, regardless of how far away they are.

Camping

This weekend was the perfect weather to go camping with our Cornerstone group. First we had a marshmallow war with PVC guns and mini-marshmallow ammo. Then we and set up tents and started the campfire for dinner.

If you ask me, the reason to go camping is not so much the sleeping-on-the-ground part as the food part...

Dinner: Hot dogs, Pizza Pockets, Banana Boats, S'mores, and Mountain Cherry Pie

Breakfast: Campfire Biscuits with cinnamon butter, Breakfast Pie, bagels with cream cheese

OBX Babymoon

Steve and I just spent a wonnnnnnderful getaway in Duck, NC. Relaxing on the beach, relaxing at the pool, side-by-side pedicures, good food, our kind of vacation. My favorite thing was to sit in beach chairs to watch the nature video: sand crabs digging holes, sandpipers looking for dinner but avoiding the surf, pelicans flying in formation, schools of dolphins, seagulls checking out the seaweed...

Our hotel room was so pretty, with birds and eggs and seashells everywhere. And when I walked into the bathroom my first thought was, "This looks like our bathroom at home." Aqua-gray walls, sandy tile, glass shower. The staff was helpful and friendly, amenities were plentiful, restaurant was delicious, weather was perfect for bathing suits, plus they serve hot/iced tea & homemade cookies in the afternoon and offer turndown service (with chocolates and a forecast) at night.

More Fall Baking

I apologize to the jewelry people... I just don't have that much to share lately in that department. I haven't told you about the 8-month saga of a website redesign that recently ended miserably; maybe I'll share when I have more perspective or a better ending.

On a happier note, I like to cook with my friend Lauren. First she had me over for Phad Thai, then a different week I did Japanese Crusted Chicken. Living in apple country in apple season, tonight she did apple-nut stuffed chicken and we made a new (to me) kind of apple dumplings, thanks to a suggestion by our friend Reid. Up until now I've always done the traditional rolling-dough-pinching-corners-whole-apple kind of dumplings. They are so good, but a lot of work. Reid's version is simply refrigerator biscuits wrapped around apple quarters: much easier and just as good. Lauren and I made some with Grands buttermilk biscuit dough squished flat (1/2 biscuit per apple quarter), and the rest with crescent rolls. Liked both, but ultimately crescent rolls win out for me because of the dough shape (flat).

Lauren also tried a different Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie recipe and they tasted great but different than mine, so now we're each going to make another batch and do a side-by-side taste test. In the name of science. And antioxidants.

Fall baking

Molly came over yesterday... She's a great help and full of ideas when it comes to sewing and knitting projects.

She's working on a seat cushion, apron, wedding favors, and a knitted elephant. I'm working on a quilt, valance, crib skirt, and knitted hat.

We brainstormed but didn't actually work on any of those projects this time. Instead we made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies. For the fiber, antioxidants, and beta-carotene, of course.

Family

My brother Tom and his wife Jen and son Travis are in town this week. Our friend Elizabeth, her son Ethan and I went to pick them up from the airport, then headed to one of our favorite restaurants. (If you're doing the math, Liz has a 3rd row seat in her Pilot.)

Travis (2 1/2) was thrilled to have another little person to hang out with in the back seat. He kept echoing every move and sound Ethan (9 months) made. So cute!

Ketchup minis

Heinz Tomato Ketchup.... makes food more ketchupy.

I don't even remember from whence I swiped these, but they are single-serving bottles, probably from room service or an airplane since I found them in my laptop bag.

The bread tie is there for size reference. So cute. Now I have a hankerin' for some fries.

Reminds me of the time Steve was horrified to catch me swiping mini jars of Hero marmalade from the cafe condiment station in Trimingham. The following Christmas he gave me 8 jars of Hero preserves. (Come on - one or two jars would cost less than the shipping charges!) It's one of the most memorable and funny gifts I've ever received.

More berries

PB, J, & S with cherries and Fritos - the lunch of champions!

... and strawberries with Walkers shortbread.

Weekend

I kinda skipped over telling you about the post-picnic stuff last weekend. The forecast was 60% rain on Saturday and Steve and I didn't want to get stuck out on the water, so we scrapped our kayaking plans. When we have a free day and no responsibilities beyond mowing the grass, sometimes we just hop in the car and drive. This area is full of cute little towns; last time we checked out Shepherdstown. This time we drove along the Shenandoah River, through Berryville, Boyce, Millwood, and Purcellville. We also did part of the AT near Bear's Den. Highlights for me are little stops along the way, like getting Cheerwine and a lemon cooler cookie at Hill High Orchard (I've seen enough fruit lately - no temptation there). I also liked poking around the French antique store in Boyce, but I'm not about to pay $18 for a Tin Tin book. I'm more into junk-tiques; cool old stuff without the pedigree price tag.

Speaking of fruit, yesterday I made strawberry freezer jam with one of my quarts. Not having made jam of any kind before, it hadn't occurred to me that the traditional canning method is what gives jam a darker, more mellow look. The freezer jam is just squish, add pectin, stir, and freeze, so you end up with uncooked bright red jam that looks like Jello with fruit in it. So yum!

Iced Latte

I like to make iced lattes with the Italian espresso maker my Mom scored for a quarter at a yard sale. We now have a 4-shot one as well (for Those Days or to share with somebody). No measuring, just fill the bottom with water, fill the basket with grounds, and stick on the stovetop for a few minutes to let it brew. Then I fill a glass with ice, pour espresso over top, and top off with half-n-half. (Okay actually I pour the espresso and cream at the same time because it looks cool).

One thing I love about putting cream in coffee is watching it swirl together. Makes me want to make glass beads with this effect (I know, I have a sickness - can't even have a latte without thinking of beads). So I'll tell you that I kicked coffee, but really I just cut out the morning cuppa joe so days like today a cup can do in the place of a nap.

That there is our first ripe tomato of the season, a SuperSweet 100.

July 4th Picnic

Our Cornerstone group planned a picnic to celebrate the 4th. Fortunately we reserved a pavilion at the local park because this is a screen shot of the weather map beforehand. (Imminent doom!) But, we still grilled out and had a good time. And we watched the fireworks from home, so the traffic wasn't bad at all!

More berries

Steve and I just went for a visit with his folks in upstate New York. On the way we stopped by Joolz in Canandaigua to say hi to Francie and Kerry Bogert, who was having a trunk show and demonstrating flamework. Hopefully next time I can meet Kerry for margaritas, but it was fun to say hi, catch up a little, and hit the road for the final leg of our trip.

The next morning it rained, then was sunny, then rained some more. Normally I wouldn't have cared, except anyone who knows me knows I love berries, and this is strawberry season in NY. There is a you-pick farm on every other corner! So during a break in the clouds Steve and I headed down the road to Morgan's Farm to pick some berries. We'd collected 7 quarts before I stood up and said, "I think that's enough. What are we going to do with all these?" And then it rained again, so we went home.

Here are Matt and Bob working on the lawn tractor in the barn.

Also in the barn there is a nest of swallows almost ready for flight school. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Later I was walking Riley in the family orchard when I noticed there are cherries! on the tree! this year. (They knew this, but it's not a big deal to everyone else.) Ripe ones, and lots of them. They're called tart cherries, but they are sweet to eat. (When I think "tart cherries," I think of the bright red ones Cheryl and I bought from a vendor in Barbados who assured us they were sweet to eat - turned out to be the tartest cherries I'd ever tasted!) So we picked a quart of cherries off the tree, plus some red raspberries which had just begun to ripen. And then I died of happiness. The end.

Saturday night is always Mexican food, so Cherie makes enchiladas, quesadillas, or tacos. This week it was tacos with your choice of fried-corn or flour shell, two kinds of cheese, several hot sauces, lettuce, tomatoes, and chili beans (two sets, one for each end of the table). I started thinking about this meal (and drooling) weeks ago because it's always so good.

I have an inordinate love for Wegmans, and being that the closest one to our house is an hour away, we always go to Wegmans in NY as there is one in practically every town. It's not just a grocery store, people! Sheesh. This time we didn't walk up and down every aisle, but we did get coffee and stroll through the market part and the cheese shop and the kitchen gadgets and the bulk candy and the craft brew section (arranged by region like wine). I got some rhubarb which may or may not have survived the trip home in the trunk, some French lemonade for my francophile friend Elizabeth, and a measuring cup with a slanted edge to make it easier to read.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 8 quarts of fruit to deal with. Bliss!

More berries

The other day I stopped by a farm stand and bought a quart of strawberries. You can brag about your apple-sized berries from Costco, but there's nothing like the flavor of small, sweet, sun-ripened berries that were on the vine just yesterday. (Full disclosure: these strawberries were from the market in Sweden; I ate my Virginia berries before getting a photo.)

In other berry news, blueberries are 2 for 1 at the grocery store so today's smoothie was blueberry & lemon.

I'll probably do another round of Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with blueberries soon, too.

If not for the thunderstorms and smelling honeysuckle from the screen porch, I love summer for the berries.

Japanese Crusted Chicken Recipe

Here is one of my favorite things to make at the meal assembly place. My grocery store actually has things like panko and mirin, so I made a point of remembering the ingredients this time so I could re-create it at home. I am not a professional recipe writer, so I just did it my way...

Panko Wasabi Chicken with Sesame Brown Rice

Serves 3 (can be doubled)

Source

Combine the following in a saucepan:
1 cup brown rice
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup water
Bring to a boil, stir once. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

Heat 2 Tbsp. canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Mix together on a plate:
1 c. panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
½ t. wasabi powder (adjust to taste)

Add to ziplock bag or bowl:
2 eggs, beaten (or use egg substitute)
3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, flattened to 1/3-inch thickness between plastic wrap

Dip each egg-coated chicken breast in the panko mixture to coat evenly. Sauté until golden and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a platter.

Meanwhile, mix the next five ingredients and save to add to the rice:
1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. green onion, thinly sliced

Mix the next four ingredients and save for deglazing the pan:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup mirin or sake
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. green onion, thinly sliced
Make sure you remember which teriyaki mixture is which!

When all the chicken pieces are cooked, add the teriyaki deglazing mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping up the browned bits. When the rice has cooked 20 min, add the teriyaki rice mixture. Allow to cook 5 min longer if more water needs to be absorbed.  Plate the chicken, then drizzle sauce from the skillet over top. Serve with the rice.



And while we're on the subject of recipes, here is one for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes that I had on Saturday at the Comfort Diner in New York. They put blueberries in mine and I really liked that combination.

Update: that link is now something else, so Google provided another source for the recipe. I'll go ahead and post it just in case:

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

www.wnbc.com/producepete.../detail.html
Recipe From 'The Comfort Diner Cookbook,' By Ira Freehof

These pancakes are light and elegant. They're a bit like French crepes, but never fear -- they're still proper pancakes and very easy to make. These are heavenly with fresh raspberries on top.

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter + additional for griddle
4 large eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

confectioners' sugar, to serve
raspberries or other berries and/or puree or sauce
slightly sweetened whipped cream


1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Allow it to cool.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the ricotta, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add sugar and whisk thoroughly. Slowly add the melted butter and continue to mix. Add all of the flour and mix thoroughly.

3. On a griddle or nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Scoop 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup of batter onto surface and cook for about 1 minute, or until small holes appear on the surface of the pancake. Flip the pancake and cook for 1 minute more until cooked through. Repeat to cook the remaining pancakes, adding more butter to the pan as needed.

4. Serve with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, fresh raspberries and/or raspberry sauce and very lightly sweetened whipped cream if you are feeling really decadent or serving as a “dessert”.

Or try strawberries or blueberries.         

Blimey!

Last week Steve and I checked out Irish Isle in Middletown, Va. We went that night because Tuesday's live music du jour is Robbie Limon who not only sings John Denver songs but is also from a long line of jewelers. (I love JD. I remember how sad I was when I walked into a freshman chemistry class and found out he had died). Anyway, the food was great; I had sausage in a pastry crust. It makes me wonder if that's really what they eat in Ireland.

On Saturday we joined our friend Reid for Shamrock Fest at RFK Stadium. There were hundreds of people dressed in green metro-ing to the same venue, so we never had to stop and think about which way to go. The people-watching alone was worth the price of admission. We saw Carbon Leaf in concert and got some festival food, then went out for tapas in Arlington.

Steve's family is of Irish descent, and after seeing this Irish Blessing the emerald isle is definitely on our list of places to go. After all, Guiness is good for you. Happy St. Patrick's Day!