Hi Bloggies! It feels nice to say that again. Thank you for your sweet comments and emails and messages – everything will be fine eventually but I really appreciate your kind words in the meantime .

We’ve got a cooking class at work tomorrow and I’ll be there for 13 hours-ish, so tonight I took off a touch early to get things done. It’s so nice having some extra time in the evening! I’m too sore from a slightly over zealous round of Body Pump the other day to move much but it was just a shame not to take advantage of the daylight. So, I went for a nice long walk this afternoon.

I also had time to make a favorite easy-peasy recipe, which I was craving after discussing it with this girl the other night. Nut butter crusted sweet potato! Topped with a little greek yogi and cinnamon. Oh yum.

Potatoes by Beth, fish by (Trader) Joe .

While those sweet little potatoes were roasting, I had a read of my book.

Which I absolutely love! I probably shouldn’t as the book is about a girl who commits to not eating in restaurants for 2 years and eating out is well, one of my very favorite hobbies. (Can that be a hobby?) But it’s really good! Not only do you get to hear all about the challenges and adventures that not eating out in NYC can bring, she delves into all sorts of interesting “eating in” challenges like freeganism and supper clubs and cook-offs.

When I lived in Foggy Bottom, my roomies and I would always opt to eat in over eating out. It was just so much nicer to be at home, enjoying each other’s company and a leisurely dinner without worrying about how to get back or what restaurant we could all agree on. And this lovely book has reminded me of how fun that was! I should really start that up again – who wants to come over for dinner??

Anyway, that’s enough for tonight. What good books have you read lately? Unemployment leaves lots of time for reading .

So I guess it was not goodbye forever. Or even for very long!

Blah – I’m sad to report, my ‘dream job’ actually turned out to be quite the opposite. So in less than 2 weeks time, it’ll be back to the drawing board for me. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s a been a difficult few months over here! And while on the one hand I’d love to go back to just having a normal life, I’m really glad I’m here right now and not still gazing out of my little cubicle and wishing for things to start happening on their own. I’ve learned so much in such a short time and through it all I’m beyond thankful for the support of my family and friends. Things could always be worse!

Certainly when the going gets tough, it’s important to have happy things to keep you grounded. Like spending lots of time with good friends and laughing from the bottom of your tummy about how ridiculous it all is and taking fun classes at the gym and reading a good book and going for a walk in the sunshine and enjoying a glass of wine or piece of chocolate and long chats on the phone and lovely meals in and out and well of course, writing a blog.

I really, really missed Dining and Dishing and all of my sweet readers and fellow bloggers. It wasn’t until I said goodbye that I really realized what a huge part of my life D&D had become and how much happiness and contentment it brought me each day. Who would walk away from that!? And so we’re back. Sorry for being so here there and everywhere lately but if nothing else I promise you no shortage of material .

Hi Again!

Raspberry Banana Protein Smoothie

• 1 sliced frozen banana
• 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tbsp. ground flax
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 tbsp. of granola

Combine banana, raspberries, protein powder, flax and soy milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass, sprinkle with granola and enjoy.

Hi everyone! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving.

I’ve done plenty of talking here over the last 2.5 years so I’ll try not to do too much of that now. I begin my new job full-time tomorrow morning and I know that I need to give it my all. So it’s time to close one chapter and open another!

This blog has taken me on the most incredible journey since it began in June of ‘09 and I’m very sure my life would not be what it is today without D&D.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. A blog is nothing without readers and I will be forever grateful for the wonderful people that I’ve met.

So farewell! And thank you again. Words cannot express what Dining and Dishing has meant to me .

Happy almost Thanksgiving! We’re taking off tomorrow morning for Cleveland, where my darling Canadians will be joining us. I cannot WAIT!

I’ve got so much to be thankful for this year. I’m thankful for my new job, my new apartment and all of the exciting prospects in life. But mostly for my friends and family, who have been just incredible over the past few crazy months.

I’ll be back to begin full-time at Delaplane on Monday. I think it will be the official marker of putting the upheaval behind and moving forward with a very happy heart .

Enjoy your Thanksgiving friends.

Good morning! Hope you’re having a lovely Wednesday. Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the press preview of a new restaurant in Crystal City, Memphis. The opening has been delayed a couple of times due to construction issues but it was looking pretty spiffy last night and should certainly be ready for the public opening at the start of December. So let’s talk about the food!

To start, I had the mixed green salad, topped with spiced pecans, sun dried tomatoes, croutons and warm goat cheese.

I LOVE warm goat cheese salads and the tang of their balsamic dressing was perfect to cut the cheese’s creamy richness. There was a lot going on here for a starter though and I think this could have been improved with one of two less elements on the plate.

For our mains, my table ordered four and shared around. We had baby back ribs, grilled shrimp, barbeque salmon and prime rib. For sides, baked beans and grilled zucchini.

The ribs and shrimp were nicely prepared and very flavorful. The prime rib was also good. The salmon howerver was very undercooked and so we all chose not to eat it. I really enjoyed the beans and the flavor but not the flimsy texture of the zucchini.

And for dessert, a warm blondie with vanilla ice cream and a caramel swirl.

And of course, you can’t really go wrong with one of those!

It was a lovely evening out and I always really enjoy meeting other DC-area food writers (some very interesting people attend these things!). I think this will be a really fun spot for happy hours and with a few menu and service tweaks, about as close to Memphis as we’re going to get up here in our very East Coast city . We’ve got plenty of great food but I think DC can use always use somewhere a little more casual and fun.

So I shall see you again soon!

Hi Bloggies! Thank you so much for all of your kind words on my new job. I had to keep quiet for a few days while everything got sorted, so being able to finally share my excitement with you made it all the better . In case you can’t tell, I still can’t believe this is my life right now!

Having said that, things are still pretty nuts over here. I’m finishing up my part-time work at Hume, have started my new position at Delaplane and am still living under my sister’s kitchen counter (in other words – I need to find an apartment!). You would think that after finding a job, fining an apartment should be a breeze but I’m starting to think that it’s actually the more complicated task. Boo.

Anyway, that was a long way of telling you that Dining and Dishing is going to have to be scaled back for a while. I want to do the best work I can and settle into my new life as best I can and so that’s where I’ll be focusing my attention. In the meantime, I’ll still pop in as much as possible. And hopefully (one day) when I’m settled in at work and settled into my new home, I can come back more frequently. I hope you understand!

But what is a post without photos. So please enjoy the re-cap of our wine tasting extravaganza last Sunday…to celebrate new homes and new jobs and new lives and new beginnings for everyone!

Linden

Aspen Dale

Barrel Oak

At least when things get crazy, you’ve got good friends  in the same boat to laugh and cry and celebrate and commiserate and drink too much wine with .

As you may recall, a little over a month ago I returned from a bloggy-break with some big news. After almost four years, I’d handed in my notice at my editorial job in hopes of finding a path to my dream life/career. I thought semi-unemployment would be kind of boring and that I’d have all sorts of time to cook and share my job-hunting, wine-pouring adventures with you. However, these past few months have turned out to be anything but!

At the beginning of September, I’d officially finished my job. A little over a week later, my relationship ended and left me feeling pretty blue. A few days after that our lease expired and I moved in with some friends, to stay until I was back on my feet. A few days later, my car was rear-ended. A week or so after that, I headed out on one big road trip from DC to Cleveland to Toronto to Cleveland and home to DC. I arrived back in town on a Tuesday night, as I’d been offered some interviews beginning on Wednesday. Upon my return, I had to leave the house I’d been staying in due to some unfortunate circumstances. And so that Wednesday between meetings, my air mattress and I moved onto my sister’s studio apartment floor.

But after two months of almost nothing, I interviewed Wednesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Friday here in Virginia and out in California. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more ridiculous, they took an overwhelming turn for the better. And now I can finally announce…I’ve got my JOB!! I’ve been hired as the operations manager at Delaplane Cellars. I’ll be managing the tasting room, wine club, winery communications etc. I have such an amazing feeling about the position, the winery and working in the most beautiful tasting room I’ve ever seen . I just have to pinch myself.

It’s been two of the craziest months of my life, no doubt. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy road when I finally ripped the band-aid off and left my job. But I could not have anticipated the rollercoaster that came next! It’s certainly not been without plenty of frustration and plenty of tears. But in the end it’s all been so very worth it, as the thought of finally going after the life I’ve been dreaming of makes me smile so much my face hurts. And it’s only just the start!

And at least for this moment everything really is great, just look at that .

When I shared with you my pictures of Hume the other day, they were actually just some random snapshots I’d taken with my point and shoot while I had some downtime on a slow Friday. But they turned out so lovely, I was dying to see what my fancy camera could do! So the other day I took it for a spin around the vineyard. Here are some faves .

I’m not a pro photographer by any means but I think with scenery as gorgeous as this, the camera and the person behind it matters very little! I’ll be working at that lovely spot on Saturday and might be doing some wine tasting of my own with a few friends on Sunday. Let’s meet back here Monday, shall we?? Have a great weekend!

I am a food picture taking addict. If you flip through either of my cameras, that’s probably all you’ll see! But it’s a bad habit because although I’m always happy to share pics of the food I’ve enjoyed, I don’t often get to show you those I enjoyed it/other things in life with!

Luckily my parents took plenty of photographs this weekend and have sent them along for me to share with you today.

First, check out this girl!

Is she not the happiest post 26.2 mile runner you’ve ever seen? I was astounded by her post-race energy.

After the race, showers and downtime, we enjoyed our celebratory meal which I shared with you a few days ago. But now here are some real pictures of the diners .

Myself and my roomie Jackie. Single girls get to bring a friend to supper .

Louisa and Grantaford

Mum and her little Marathoner

Mum and her much lazier daughter

Mum and Dad

So there you go! I know I always enjoy seeing the faces behind the blog tales and so I thought I’d seize the opportunity to share them today. But after two days of foodie-photoless postings, I feel I’d better make it up to you tomorrow . See you then!

While on my recent road trip, I listened to a book on tape to keep me entertained during the long hours in the car. The plot of the book was completing a list of life goals before a character’s next birthday. The book itself was okayyy but I absolutely loved the concept! And so I’ve decided to adopt it for myself . Instead of “20 things to do before I’m 25” like in the story, I made my own list of “11 things to do before 2012”. And today I checked off my first activity.

I’ve got lots to consider over the next few days and nature is always a good place for some reflection. So I took a solo hike. It could not have been a more perfect fall day!

Just look at that sky. I know I’ve featured Great Falls here before but to me, the view does not get old. I’ve only ever been on a weekend and the atmosphere today was so much different. I barely passed a soul as I trudged along the beautiful trail.

After hiking out to the end of the path, I sat to catch a breath and soak it all in.

Life has been nuts lately. So it was an absolute treat to sit out there soaking in the sunshine and sorting out my mind. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in what needs to be done, there’s little time to spend on doing simple things that just make you happy. Which is why I love the idea of this list!  I think you should make one too .