Day 2: The Zoo!

Today, we started out with brunch at the Open City DC diner. We had a sunny brunch in the patio! The food (and beverages) were fantastic! Multigrain pancakes with a warm banana walnut glaze!

We then went to the Smithsonian National Zoo!

(I took quite a few pictures but you get the point: zoo animals!)

We stopped at Noodles & Company for a late lunch (good food, not the best service) and then completely crashed! I really should have tracked our mileage this trip... I know we are over 15 miles walked in two days, probably closer to 20!

We just watched a couple get married in the courtyard behind our hotel too!

Brings back memories and makes me wish we had brought our wedding album along! We will do that tomorrow when we get home!

Now we are enjoying our anniversary wine from Chris, Christy, & Matthew Mugride and then heading off to dinner at Murphy's Pub! Adam is excited because they have Smithwicks!

Day 1 of our anniversary trip!

We had a great day! We walked at least 10 miles (ow my feet!!!) and saw some great sights! Here is the picture summary!

The white house 

The WWII memorial

The reflecting pool and Washington monument

The Lincoln memorial

Kermit at the national museum of American history 

 Julia child's kitchen at the national museum of American history

And topped off with a fabulous dinner at Fogo de Chao! We are stuffed but it was fantastic!

We are off!!!!

Here we go!!!

A Dinner Worth Blogging

I've been doing a LOT of baking and cooking in my fantastic kitchen lately - I've had a few super awesome things come out of it!

The first, was these: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/drunk-monkey-muffins/detail.aspx

Drunken Monkey Muffins - WOWZA! They were so moist and tasty - I had trouble staying out of them! I made them in a mini muffin pan so they were the perfect bite size.... and oh so amazing, you couldn't eat just one, or two.... or three or four...

The other, 'noteworthy' meal, was dinner tonight - Adam told me TWICE how good it was.

it started with this recipe: http://thecheesepusher.tumblr.com/post/2719857351/creamy-garlic-pasta

Here is what I did:
* Brown 1 lb of ground sausage (you could use turkey or beef too I'm sure) and set it aside

* Heat 2 tsp (about) of olive oil in a pan, then add 4+ cloves of Garlic, Minced. Once the garlic starts to soften, add in 2 tsp of butter, and stir until melted.

*Add Salt, Pepper, 16 oz Chicken Stock and 2 cups of water. Turn heat to High and bring to a boil.

*Once boiling, add 1 lb of your favorite pasta (I used wheat shells) and cook according to the pasta box.

*Reduce heat to Medium and add 1-2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until it is melted. Add the Sausage back in and toss in 2 cups of frozen peas.

*Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of half and half and some chopped parsley

Enjoy immediately!

Creamy Garlic Pasta with a twist:
Ingredients:
1 lb ground sausage
~2 tsp olive oil
4+ cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp butter
salt & pepper
16 oz chicken stock
2 cups water
1 lb pasta (your choice)
1-2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup half and half
chopped parsley


Sorry, no pictures- we enjoyed it all!