what’s better than
lunch outside
with your best friend?
i can’t think of much.
Tag: food
magnolia's at the mill
while we were in virginia wine country for a night away at stone manor bed and breakfast we went to dinner at magnolia’s at the mill.
i’ll admit that i didn’t have the highest expectations going into magnolia’s at the mill. i figured it would be fine, a filling dinner out, but nothing special. boy, was i wrong.
we started with some nice fall beers. mike had brooklyn octoberfest and i had post road pumpkin. beth suggested the calamari so we had that for our appetizer.
it was yummy but i was probably in more of a salad mood. we took our time before ordering dinner. i had the seared pepita spiced scallops with sweet potato mousse and brussels sprouts. i was so impressed when my food came out.
the deep orange of the sweet potato and the vibrant green of the brussels sprouts were so striking together, the toasted crushed pepitas looked like crunchy fall leaves on top of the scallops. the potatoes were so smooth and had a light sweetness to them while the pepitas had a crunch and saltiness that provided a nice contrast. the scallops were perfectly cooked and so were the brussels sprouts. home run!
mike had the lothar’s sausage plate. mike says “it was great. (smile). no, it was the perfect meal for a cold, rainy night.”
for dessert we shared the chocolate chip cookie sundae. the cookie was right out of the oven so it was warm and gooey and the vanilla ice-cream melted nicely on top of it. honestly, this exceeded my expectations. a chocolate chip cookie sundae is such a simple dish that could so easily be mediocre. but not at magnolia’s. it’s clear that they put thought into their food.
aside from the delicious food, the service was great. our server let us relax and stretch our meal. he was also really knowledgeable about the menu.
i highly recommend magnolia’s at the mill.
a night at stone manor
as a wedding gift, my girlfriends gave mike and me a night at a bed and breakfast in virginia wine country. i picked mike up from the airport on sunday afternoon and we headed to stone manor bed and breakfast for a night of relaxation and catching up. from reagan national airport, it was just a short hour and 20 minute drive into the rolling hills of northern virginia. it’s always so nice to get out of the city for a bit, there’s something about seeing grass and trees as you drive. it feels free.
we arrived at stone manor around 2:30, a half-hour before check-in, but were warmly welcomed by owners spencer and beth.
spencer took us right into the kitchen, offered us a glass of wine and took us on a tour of stone manor. spencer bought the house in 1986 and shortly after he met his “sweetheart” beth, they began transforming the house into the manor it is today.
our room, the manor suite, was the last stop on our tour. after we put our things down and spent some time looking around, we settled in for a much needed afternoon nap. boy was the bed comfortable: soft but firm and those pillows! ah, it was so warm and cozy, perfect for a cold, rainy october afternoon. after our nap, we chose a movie, the pelican brief, from the dvd collection and got back in bed to watch a bit. after about 45 mins (remember i’m not a movie person), it was time for a break.
mike went to read in the library and i followed shortly after looking for the wireless password. i heard some people in the kitchen and went to ask for the password. beth was there with another guest and offered some homemade bread and hummus, followed by another glass of wine. i stayed chatting for a bit and soon enough it was time for dinner.
at spencer and beth’s recommendation, mike and i headed to magnolia’s at the mill in purcellville, just a short 15 minute drive away. i wanted to stop and take pictures of the beautiful tree covered mountains in the distance and the chimney smoke billowing through the trees but it was raining so i just looked intently out the window. our meal was absolutely delicious (check back at 4pm for a post about dinner) and we drove back to stone manor with full bellies.
we took a relaxing bath in the huge jacuzzi tub using the bath salts beth made just for us. as i sit under blankets in our drafty apartment, i wish i was back in the warmth of the bath. the warm water and scent of the lavender in bath salts was so calming. we both commented how relaxed our muscles felt when we got out. after the bath, mike watched the phillies and i blogged for a while. though our stay was coming to an end as we went to bed for the night, we still had breakfast ahead of us in the morning.
a six course breakfast was served in the morning. the first course, pineapple and cheese grits was served in a martini glass. it sounds weird but was actually pretty good. as beth said “anything with a pound of butter and ritz crackers has to be good.” juice was a blend of orange, pomegranate, and blueberry. another guest proclaimed “this is the best juice i’ve ever had” and i might have to agree. it was so sweet but light and refreshing all at the same time. next up was “the comfort food of the breakfast world, think of it as macaroni and cheese,” beth said. it was two kinds of potatoes, 3 or 4 types of cheese, heavy cream, and eggs. then we had sweet onion, sweet pepper, and cheese in a puff pastry. i know you’re wondering how we managed to fit anymore in at this point, but we did. you would’ve found a way to fit these in too: corn griddle cakes (beth’s great grandmother’s recipe), two types of homemade sausage–pork sausage with and chicken sausage with mango and habanero pepper, and rancher’s style thick cut bacon. finally to end the meal was a chocolate peanut butter muffin. this was an amazing meal made with love.
we had such a nice time at stone manor bed and breakfast. if you’re looking for rest and relaxation, i definitely recommend a night (or two).
thanks, girls!
are you ready for some football?
after a productive morning with coffee with some chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie bread, reading/writing, cleaning, and the gym (mike) and yoga (me), i am ready for some football.
it’s week 1 of football season and eagles are playing the rams. [note that as i write this the game is on in the background and i say “eagles are playing the…” mike says “st. louis…” i shrug “i don’t know” mike says “rams.” thank you.]
to keep me occupied during this week’s game, i will make note of all the silly things mike screams at the tv during the game.
- two mins in: “god dammit! that didn’t take long”
- 10 mins later: “come on baby, come on baby”
[alright this might get too inappropriate…]
football feast week 1: pepperoni calzone and pepperoni/spinach calzone. and yuengling of course.
this was delicious. i started reading for class shortly after eating and was falling asleep on the couch before half time. so far, getting into football is going great. goal for next week: stay awake for the whole first half.
labor day in ocean city, md
we had a nice long weekend in ocean city, md with mike’s parents, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend, gayle. we stayed in a beautiful ocean-view condo right on the boardwalk. the weather was perfect: sunny and warm (but not hot) with a nice breeze.
we enjoyed the sun, the sand, and the boardwalk food.
highlights of weekend include drinks with dave and gayle on the boardwalk, my first fried oreo, reading a few chapters of pillars of the earth without falling asleep, multiple icre-cream cones, sweet corn on the cob, and dinner at uncle george’s house on the bay.
we all wished we had one more day but mother nature made it a little bit easier for us to leave when she brought a cool rain this morning.
feel good friday
i love fridays. i love fridays even more when i have no plans. and i honestly can’t remember the last friday that i didn’t have something to do. because of this, i was really looking forward to tonight and it ended up to be a really nice evening. mike is at the nationals game with some buddies, so i had the whole night to myself. what a treat 🙂
after a stressful few days at work, i was ready to relax with a pedicure. boy, was it relaxing. i thoroughly enjoyed the foot soak, chair massage, exfoliation, and an extra long foot and leg massage i think the pedicurist felt bad after she asked me if i had a baby and i said no. hey, i’ll take it. it. felt. so. good. i flipped through some magazines as my nails were getting painted and as they dried, randomly finding an article by gretchen rubin, (i highly recommend her book the happiness project), and learning that ben and jen are having another baby (what a great celebrity couple, huh?).
i left the nail place completely relaxed and headed to 2amys for a pizza to go.
i enjoyed the 2amys with arugula while watching guiliana and bill.
then i cleaned our kitchen, took out the trash, and packed for the weekend: we’re headed to ocean city, md with mike’s family tomorrow.
mike will be so pleased when he comes home and sees that we’re all packed for the beach. this is one of the little things i try to do to make him happy. typically i pack the morning of and getting out the door in the morning is quite a process and makes us both stressed. nothing like starting a long drive huffing and puffing. fingers crossed that we will get out the door with ease in the morning (and that mike feels moved to reward me with breakfast at open city).
snack love
in addition to the standard three meals a day, i also have two snacks every day. i love my 10:00 snack and my 3:00 snack. since the abs diet i try to make sure my snacks have either protein or fiber to fill me up.
my go-to snack right now is chocolate pudding with a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter. sweet, savory, and the peanut butter gives the protein that i need. yum!
i’m always looking for new snack ideas. what are your go-to snacks?
later today: my september goals!
things i learned on the abs diet
up until last august i’d been trying to lose weight for as long as i can remember. i remember in middle school running on the treadmill in my parent’s bedroom at 6:00 in the morning while my dad was still sleeping. i spent most of college wanting to lose weight–going to the gym multiple days a week, trying (loosely and without guidance) weight watchers. i thought about and talked about my weight a lot, to mike, to my mom, and to friends until one day last year i decided “if this is my body, this is my body.”
then two weeks later mike says “i found this diet in men’s health called the abs diet. you can sign up online for pretty cheap. i think i’m going to do it.” i panic, thinking “what?? i just came to terms with my body and am learning to accept it and appreciate it for what it is, i can’t go on a diet/don’t want to be on a diet and concentrate on every single thing i eat. but if mike’s on a diet, we’re both on a diet.” i had serious anxiety about this. after talking to a friend at work, i decided to embrace it and go for it. what did i have to lose? weight? ok.
so mike and i started the abs diet. he signed up online and had access to a ton of recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. he took care of all the meal planning and grocery shopping (i know, a dream, right?) and we started to eat better. before i knew it mike was saying “next week will be one month on the abs diet. can you believe it?” “really? wow, no i can’t. i don’t feel deprived or hungry. this is great.”
i didn’t feel deprived or hungry because the abs diet doesn’t set out to starve you. in fact, it’s almost the opposite.
pillars of the abs diet:
- fill up on powerfoods (whole grains, lean meats, low fat dairy, fruits, vegetables)
- eat 5 small meals throughout the day
- it’s about how you eat most of the time not all of the time (don’t deprive yourself)
how i’ve changed as a result of the abs diet:
- i choose foods that fill me up and give me fuel
- i have a new awareness about how foods make me feel (energized, full, tired, groggy) and make food decisions based on that
- i’m not tired all the time
- i know when i’m full and stop when i get there (before, the abs diet i had two settings: hungry or completely stuffed)
- i eat five times a day and make sure there is protein or fiber each time to fill me up
- i don’t obsess about my weight or what i eat
- i rarely find myself saying “ugh, i ate too much” or “i want to lose weight”
- i’m able to listen to my body and give my body what it needs. if i’m really craving chocolate or salt, i have that. one time at lunch, i was really craving red meat so i chose a meal with steak in it.
- i’ve lost 5-7 pounds and maintained my weight
*the meals above come from the new abs diet cookbook
**i should note that i was not compensated in any way for this post. i just really enjoy the abs diet and want to share what i’ve learned from it.