Bon Appetit

For her birthday, my roommate Kelly received a cooking class at CulinAerie, a cooking school in downtown DC. After attending the class, Kelly wanted to return to the school, but this time as a volunteer. Kelly asked if I would be interested in joining her and I jumped at the opportunity.

The class that we volunteered for was called "Channeling your inner Julia Childs" and was centered around French cuisine. Our instructor, Susan Holt, was engaging and made cooking the traditional French cuisine easy!

As volunteers, Kelly and I arrived about an hour early to help prep the ingredients and cooking stations for the students. Once the class started we got to watch Susan's demonstration and then lend a hand to the students cooking; making sure they were following the steps to complete the meals and generously filling their wine glasses when empty (after all, cooking is more fun when you have a glass of wine handy).

The environment of the class was amazing. Everyone was having a fantastic time, including us volunteers. The class was about 3 hours long and included instruction and food and beverage. Once the class was over, it was our turn to enjoy the meal. Susan whipped up all three courses for us and then sat down to share dinner with us. I am looking forward to going back for both as a student and volunteer and would recommend that everyone else do the same!

http://www.culinaerie.com/

BREAKING NEWS

Olivia said "Sue" last night while I was talking to Victoria on the phone. She is definitely a babbling fool these days, but nothing sounded sweeter than when I heard her say this.

Pretty sure that concludes it, I am officially the favorite aunt....

I can't sit still...

Okay, that's a lie because I have been sitting still on this couch for the past 5 hours practically. If you're judging, you should be ashamed. It's Sunday, there's football on and I ate too much Wendy's earlier to be any ounce of productive.

However, on any other day besides (most) Sundays, you won't typically find me sitting still unless it's forced upon me. Jogging in place or doing a self choreographed dance routine in my cubicle isn't "work appropriate" I guess, or is it? The past couple of weekends have been no exception to this.

Last weekend, Steve and I ventured to Old Rag Mountain to do one of my favorite hikes. Anytime a hike includes a rock scramble in the description, you can sign me up. The hike is located just a little north of Luray, VA and is about 8 miles long. You may question your choice of choosing the hike while you are winding up the mountain, but once you get to the top, the views are worth it.

Pictures of our success below and a nice snapshot of "Angry Steve".

I Couuuuuld Eat

My day today has been consumed by food! And not just any food, some of my FAVORITE foods! I blame it on the gray skies and endless rain. Let me just give you the rundown (obviously in list form)...

1. The day started with toast with butter and apple butter...that's right, double butter please. To make this start a little sweeter, might I add that this toast was made with the one and only Wonder white bread.

2. Lunch was a cup of gumbo (which could have been better but it was from the work cafeteria and all the andouille sausage was picked out...lame) with a side of cornbread (yessssss)

3. Snack! Are you ready for it? Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls. Here's what I want you to do, say that out loud (chicken cordon bleu balls) and not giggle. We had a party at work where these little gems were served up. I found a recipe online for something similar, check it out and try them - http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-cordon-bleu-bites/Detail.aspx.

4. Dinner. My roommate Kelly has never had a french dip sandwich. WEIRD, I know. So I whipped up some when I got home from work and served them with a side of sweet potato fries. Check out the recipe and the end result on her blog. www.becausesissaidso.blogspot.com.

6. Now for tomorrow...I have a new flavor of Ben and Jerry's that Meg picked up at the store (Milk and Cookies)in the freezer that is dying for a taste, jelly bellies are on the counter, and last but most certainly not least...KOZY SHACK CINNAMON AND RAISIN RICE PUDDING!!! What can I say? I have the taste buds of a 80 year old and love it and when I walked past this pudding aisle it called out to me like an old friend.

Are you drooling yet? Happy snacking. Hopefully it's on comfort foods.

Bargains for the Bride

It's no secret around my house that I love helping everyone get ready before a night out on the town. There's nothing better than having four extra closets to pick from and mixing and matching everyone's wardrobe to come up with fun new outfits to wear. But, before comes the getting dressed part, comes the shopping and there's nothing better (if you ask me) than finding a great bargain.

A couple of months ago my roommate Kelly asked me if I would be interested in helping her friend Kim shop for an outfit for her engagement photos. She wanted to look beautiful (not a hard task for her) and did not want to walk out of the mall feeling like she had spent a fortune. Of course I jumped at this opportunity. A bargain shopping challenge? Yes please.

Kelly, Kim, and myself met at the mall one evening after work to find her the perfect top and accessories for her photos. She definitely wanted to be well under $100 for everything. She was pretty open to trying whatever we handed her way, but ended up with a Forever 21 one shoulder white top for around $20 and bangles and earrings from Express for around $40 total. She looked gorgeous in her photos along with a very handsome fiance, David.

I had such a great time getting to know Kim and wish her and David all the happiness!



**Photos by Brian Lusby (http://brianlusbyphotography.com/)**

And then there was one....

Okay lets be honest, the spring and summer really got the best of us gals and our boy. What can I say? We are overly stimulated by warm weather and sunshine and can simply not be bothered by anything that isn't related to it unless it is the reason we get a paycheck each month.

I will be honest, I thought this blog was on the outs again (replay of Winter 2006), but I have heard you seven dedicated fans and I promise to get motivated and stay there for your entertainment as long as you promise to stay loyal three girls and a boy readers (even if it just becomes "The Girl Formerly Known as Three and a Dude" blog).

Just to fill you guys in on what's been happening since March, in true Three Girls and a Boy fashion, here is a short list of my spring and summer (in no particular order...just a quick recap...okay?):

1. Olivia is even cuter than she was in March (and is walking)
2. We went to OBX where we drank and ate enough to kill TWO armies and had a WONDERFUL time
3. Everyone has new jobs except for myself and Mom (still working on the reality show which we know will be Mom's ultimate key to success)
4. I made my first trip to Chicago this summer and am positive that I have to go back to embrace more of its awesomeness
5. I moved into a new house where I am loving my new roommates (especially those that cook...and the others I guess...) and am missing my old roommates all at the same time
6. Weddings, weddings, and more weddings
7. Moving into fall here...but have only slightly given up on the Hokies at this point

Stay tuned for more to come...sooner than later! It feels good to be back! Until then, here's a few of my favorite pictures from the last few months...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am currently on posting hiatus, or just any other day as Marie sees it, but here is a little St. Patrick's Day nugget to hold you over.

Is this what they serve in heaven?

To start Marie’s 31^st year off on the right foot, myself, Marie, and Brian made our way to the Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt in DC for brunch. Brunch being one of my favorite meals offered at restaurants on the weekend (you can choose breakfast, lunch, or combined dishes…what more could you ask for?), I was excited before we ever even arrived.

When we first sat down and got a glimpse of the menu, I was even more excited about what was in store for us. The menu consists of items from a baked cinnamon bun French toast to rock shrimp and scrambled eggs. However, the deliciousness doesn’t stop at the food. The drink menu had it’s own twist on your typical brunch hangover cures with items like the bloody maria, a bloody mary with a tequila base instead of vodka, and a pomegranate champagne cocktail.

After a much needed debate I ended up ordering an apple-ginger mojito and the seasonal quiche which was filled with mushrooms and Italian cheeses. We started the meal off with crabcakes which had little to no filler and mostly all delicious lumps of crab. Marie ordered the sourdough baked pancake with dry cherries while Brian opted for the short rib hash. There was nothing on the table that I would not take a trip back for, everything was amazing!

In honor Victoria, I have decided to make a list of the next five things that I want to try at Blue Duck Tavern:

1. Baked Cinnamon Bun French Toast
2. Scrambled Eggs with Rock Shrimp
3. Homemade croissants and jams
4. Croque Madame
5. Hand Cut BDT Triple Fries

Much thanks to Marie and Brian for including me in this brunch!