Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese

 Two words: yum yum.
As I've noted numerous times, I feel most comfortable cooking vegetarian entrees, both because of my deep love for veggies and my paralyzing fear of undercooking meat.  Luckily, John Paul doesn't mind eating vegetarian fare once or twice a week!
This entree is so full-bodied and complex, you won't even miss the meat in your dinner.  This was my first time cooking with butternut squash, and I was a bit surprised at how easy it was to peel and chop up.  The spices pair wonderfully with the sweet squash, and the tangy goat cheese melts into the warm lentils.  My only problem is that the recipe really only makes 3 servings, which means John Paul didn't get to bring any to work the next day (I usually win the leftovers game; it's good to be the one who cooks!).
The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, and I didn't make any changes to the original, except to opt out of the pepitas.  Serve topped with some extra goat cheese and enjoy!

 

 

A Poem

I'll be 100% honest: I'm still struggling a bit to get back into the swing of things.  We moved two and a half weeks ago, but packed for a week before that, and are continually in the process of getting all of the unnecessary moving stuff out of our condo.  It's been a lot, and I apologize for the irregularity of some of the posting that's been going on.  Please accept this Pablo Neruda poem as an olive branch; I'll get better.

"Your Feet"
When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.
Your feet of arched bone, your hard little feet.
I know that they support you,
and that your sweet weight rise above them.
Your waist and your breasts,
the doubled purple of your nipples,
the sockets of your eyes that have just flown away,
Your wide fruit mouth,
Your red tresses, my little tower.
But I love your feet
only because
they walked upon the wind and upon the waters
until they found me.

Bacon and Chocolate

I know Wednesday is typically book review day, but this will be much tastier.
There's a new candy bar in Georgetown (called, um, The Georgetown Candy Bar) that had its grand opening on the same day of the Georgetown Public Library Reopening.  Naturally, I dragged my man in for a few free samples and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this.
Who doesn't love bacon?  Who doesn't love chocolate?  I was intrigued by the combination, and insisted on buying the deep milk chocolate (with 40ish% cocoa) to try out that evening.
Y'all, this chocolate bar is the to die for.  The sweet, smooth chocolate is a perfect foil for the smoky, smoky bacon bits that float around in the middle.  I'm not the only one who thinks so; the company we had over that evening also agreed that it's scrumptious. 
So, if you're wondering what would possess someone to mix these two flavors, it's as simple as breakfast.  The girl who came up with the idea remembered loving chocolate chip pancakes with bacon on the side; naturally, the two tasted wonderful together, and thus a classic was born.
For a chocolate bar, the price may seem a bit steep (usually around $7).  You don't eat it all at once though, and would make a great hostess gift at a get-together.  If you see it around, give it a shot!  You won't be sorry.

Georgetown Public Library Tour

The new Georgetown Public Library in DC is beautiful!  It's wonderful to see this particular library doing so well because in 2007, the library was badly damaged in a fire.  That year, my mom and I saw staff from the library at the ALA convention, selling shirts to help raise money for a renovation.  Three years later, it's back and better than ever!

Book Hill Park is a lovely garden and stairway to the back of the Georgetown Library (GL).  Flowers line the path, and the leaves are changing colors for fall; it's a beautiful landscape!

The back of the library is lovely, and overlooks Book Hill Park and the northern part of Georgetown.  For the grand reopening, there was food and music on the terrace, along with a few musical performances and face painting!

This is the outdoor stage area; it sits right below the terrace you can see in the second photo.  Story times go on here, and other programs when the weather is nice.  How fun would it be to see something out here?

Each reading room has a fireplace, although they aren't functioning (for kind of obvious reasons).  The atmosphere is classic and tasteful, but not stuffy; light pours in through huge windows and the bookstacks are wide, with lots of space to browse.

The staircase is lined with glass on the bottom of the railings, making the stairwell feel open and modern.  I love it!

The third floor is full of Georgetown archival materials: old maps, atlases, guides.  It's pretty cool to live in an area of town so full of history.

The children's section and a few meeting rooms are on the bottom level.  It's got tons of room for kids to read and play games, as well as a space for indoor story times.

The top of Book Hill Park is perfect for eating cupcakes.  Might I recommend a strawberry one from Baked and Wired?

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Garlic.
Caramelized shallots.
Heavy cream.
Listen, winter is coming and we need to be ready to hibernate with a few extra pounds.  Right?
I've checked out Giada de Laurentiis' Giada's Kitchen from the library four times; this weekend marked the time that I finally just bought a copy of it for myself.  Now I have access to this recipe whenever I want!  Actually, so do you, with the help of the Internet.
That's beside the point.
This soup will make you a believer of purchasing cookbooks instead of looking at recipes online.  It's thick and creamy, with a rich combination of garlic and sage.  Whip it up and serve with a crusty baguette.  You won't be sorry.
Giada's recipe can be found on the Food Network site, and the only change I made was using a hand blender instead of a real blender.  Eat up!

 

 

P.S. Happy birthday to my wonderful father!!  He taught me that one should always laugh hard enough to fall off a chair, and I'm still learning from him.  I love you, Daddy Man, and am so glad you were born!

 

So I bought a cropped top...

Top: Urban Outfitters
Skirt and earrings: F21
It's true; see the above for proof!
I know, I know, first the long skirt, then the cropped top...what's next?  I'm doing everything girls under 6' shouldn't!  The day that I bought this top was the same day I bought the skirt I wore a couple weeks ago, and was just feeling courageous and experimental.  The shirt was a sale find, and I didn't even try it on before buying.  It's just that I have a lot of high-waisted skirts, and I got tired of tucking all of my tops into the waistline.  The print is easy to match with anything, it's super soft, and I can't help liking the cropped top a lot!

 

I also love these earrings!!  They're just fun and make any outfit pop.

Casa Shelton-Diego, Pt. 1

A lot of people have asked why we moved; could you say no to these living rooms views?  That's the park where we can take Mia for her daily walks.

This is the view from the dining room window.  Those towers in the back are the National Cathedral!  It's so gorgeous to eat breakfast in the morning and watch the fall colors come in.

Our mantel's a little bare, but we're going to get a mirror cut to go into the frame (it's a flea market find; John Paul painted it black).  The gas fireplace works with the flip of a switch!  I love the clean white and turquoise accents against the neutral wall, and Mia's new toy basket fits perfectly into a nook between the fireplace and built-in bookcase.

The new kitchen is a bit smaller, but has the same amenities (gas stovetop, great fridge, marble countertops) as the last one, plus these great glass cabinets!  It's encouraged us to get fun colors to punch up the white cabinets, like new latte bowls from Anthropologie in yellow and red (hey, my man's Spanish, what can I say?).

I have to post this, because it's my favorite new thing we've bought for our home.  John Paul needed a new dresser, and we both fell for this mid-century "gentleman's dresser" from Hunted House in Logan Circle.  It's in tip-top shape, and is a great compliment to my Heywood Wakefield dresser that my dad refinished years ago and has moved with me from Florida to DC!
Somewhere in the apartment, John Paul's other loafer is weeping from loneliness.

Ok, maybe the office needs a little work.  It's a process!

I love looking out the window and seeing my little family on the corner.  Hi Mia and John Paul!
More pictures to come soon, along with the story of moving our 92-inch couch into the smaller living room.  We're very lucky to have such generous and helpful friends in the city!

Roasted Chicken

Do you have a crock pot?  If you do and you're like me, you love it.  Looooove it.  I pick up something, throw it in, turn the pot on high and eat dinner eight hours later.  Crock pots are perfect for people who work and love simple meals!
All we did was buy a whole chicken, skin on and everything, some carrots and onions, and various seasonings.   There are a few steps to this, but it couldn't possibly be easier!  The chicken comes out juicy and incredibly tender, and the carrots and onions are soft and tasty.  It's a great fall meal!

Roasted Chicken in a Crock Pot
1 whole chicken, bag of gross stuff removed from the cavity
1 c. chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into thick coins
1 onion, thickly cut 
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tsp. of the following: saffron, paprika, pepper, coarse salt
Throw everything into a crock pot.  Turn onto high for 8-10 hours, and cover.  After however many hours, serve with white rice and eat up!

 

 

John Paul actually made this, but I did have an integral hand in eating it.  Does that count?

Perfect Saturday

Jacket: Anthropologie
Scarf: Gift from Mom!
Tank: F21
Jeans: Gap
Ballet flats: Gap
Necklace: Vintage
Oh, I love Saturdays!  John Paul and I spent our day walking around Georgetown, checking out the new public library, drinking cappuccinos at Patisserie Poupon, and eating chocolate/bacon bars.  What the what?!  The only thing that could have made the day better was if I could have found a way to eat free Baked and Wired cupcakes.

What's that you say? I did? At the Georgetown Library? Well, then...I guess I had the perfect Saturday. 

I'll put up a couple of pictures of the new place later this week; it's really looking great!

Guest Blogger Goes Rogue!

Sure you think that Abbi is fashionable now - but she came by it honestly, she's always been particular about what she wore.    Granted, when she was young I got had some control over what she had on  - but she has always had a definite idea of what she wanted to wear.  Sometimes it was dictated by having to match her sister or cousins!  When I questioned her choice of long pink cotton prom-type dress and high-tops on the way out to high school one day, she accused me of "not letting her express her individuality".  And I have to say - I am glad I held my tongue (most of the time anyway) and let her be creative - she does have a certain flair for fashion!  I love you Abbi!

Tomorrow Abbi gets her internet back and she takes back over her blog - but Haley and I have had fun being her guest bloggers and we are honored (aren't we Haley?) that she trusted us enough to fill in for her!

Abby and Haley in matching nighties, courtesy of Grandmas in NC!

 

Abbi has always like pockets and Haley has always loved her big sister.

Summer Jean and Abbi getting married - I think?!

Big bows were the style and dig the balloons in my hair!

Singing in the rain - Abbi still loves raincoats - she wants to look cute in any weather.

Check out that whale sprout hair do and giant cow on her sweater.

The year of matching Christmas outfits - they were cute!

 This is what EVERY librarian was wearing on "The Hill" that day.  And somehow Abbi made it look good!