Snapshots of D.C.

Holy blog hiatus. It has been busy around here as you may have guessed. Last month, I visited D.C. for a long weekend to visit my little brother who is living out there. I also lucked out as two of my good friends from college live there so we were able to meet up for dinner and drinks. The weather was perfect and we ate so much food.

{9/11 exhibit at the Newseum}

{Arugula, basil, mozz, tomato, onion and mushroom at Pizzeria Paradiso}

{Georgetown}

{Lobster mac and cheese at Founding Farmers}

{Reliving our college glory days}

My favorite stops?

Baked and Wired in Georgetown for cupcakes

Founding Farmers for cocktails and seafood

The Newseum – amazing museum about journalism and media, worth the admission

What do you enjoy about DC?

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Caramel Sea Salt Macarons

Whenever I went to Paris when I lived in France, I had to stop and buy macarons. I was actually almost reduced to tears when I couldn’t buy a final box of them at Charles de Gaulle airport because I was running late and nearly missed my flight home. I know, it’s silly.

To satisfy my craving my aunt and I decided we would make our own. I had heard that they are not as easy to make as they appear. But with a little practice , I think anyone can craft delicious macarons.

Here’s the basic macaron recipe we used:

2/3 cup almond meal (we actually just ground up almonds in a food processor)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 large egg whites at room temperature

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

If your almond meal (or almonds) is/are not very fine, grind in a food processor with the powdered sugar, then sift once or twice and set aside.

Mix the egg whites on medium and gradually add the granulated sugar when the eggs become frothy. Beat until glossy stiff peaks form.

Add half of the almond/powdered sugar mixture by hand and gently fold and repeat with the other half. Using the flat end of a spatula, punch down into the center of the batter, scrape the sides, and repeat 10-15 times until the batter has the consistency of lava.

Scoop the batter into a pastry bag and pipe out one-inch rounds on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving at least an inch between each one. Rap the sheet one or two times on the counter and allow the macarons to sit at room temp for approximately 15 minutes.

If you can lightly tap the top of the macarons without the batter sticking to your finger, they are ready for the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 280 degrees. After two minutes, open the oven door to let any excess humidity to escape. They are finished when the shells are baked all the way through (however the tops should not brown!)

Allow the macarons to cool and then assemble with the filling of your choice.

For caramel sea salt:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/16 cup butter

fleur de sel, add as needed

Heat the butter and sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly (to avoid burning!) to form a dry caramel. Slowly add cream, whisking as your pour until you have caramel sauce. Chill. Assemble with as much or little salt as you wish!

And voilà! If you’re lucky, you’ll have delectable macarons for much cheaper than retail!

Bon appétit!

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Airfare 101

For lots of travelers, airfare is generally the most daunting task when it comes to planning a trip. It is often the most expensive portion of a vacation and can dictate what you do, where you go and for how long.

While I am no professional traveler, here are some tips I find useful to get you started:

1. Do your research! Traveling can take as much or as little planning as you would like but for airfare, I believe it’s best to investigate thoroughly. Decide how long you want your trip to be and take into account the possibility of delays, cancellations and jet lag, especially if traveling overseas. It’s also best to be flexible if possible. Traditionally, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the cheapest days to fly.

2. Shop around. Websites like Kayak and Bing are great because they save you a lot of work. Bing also has an airfare predictor that I’ve found to be fairly accurate and can advise you to wait or purchase based on airfare trends. The only downfall to these sites is that they do not include certain budget carriers like Jet Blue, Southwest Airlines or Allegiant Air. Do not forget these in your travel research.

3. Sign up for weekly emails regarding deals on flights leaving from your preferred airport(s). Most major carriers send these emails out detailing their sales and which destinations are included. Airfarewatchdog is another great internet resource and sends weekly emails on fares but can also send price alert emails if you’re looking to score a deal on a specific route.

4. If you are a student, 25 and younger or an educator, Student Universe is worth a look. Fares can be much cheaper, especially if you are looking at international travel. When fares were going for $900+ last year from Chicago to Paris, I found a 25 and under one-way fare for $292 to Paris. This worked perfectly for me as I did not know my return date and would have had to pay a change fee anyways. When I booked my return flight in high season 10 months later, I paid $425. I saved money buying two one-ways instead of a round-trip and got the flexibility I desired.

5. If luggage is important to you, take this into account when booking your ticket. Most domestic airlines now charge for luggage, as much as $25-$30 each way for one piece. Southwest still lets bags fly for free so it may be smart to use this carrier if you’re transporting lots of items. Always check with the airline’s website.

6. If you see a good fare and you’ve been doing your research, BUY IT! Airfare fluctuates like crazy so if you see a fare that works for your schedule and your budget, go for it. If you decide to wait, know that it may be gone when you finally make your decision.

7. Don’t forget about frequent flier miles. These days you can earn miles not only flying but going out to eat, subscribing to magazines, and ordering flowers. If you generally stick to one particular airline, opening a credit card can be a smart decision. Just know that airlines are increasing blackout dates and fees. There is no such thing as a free ticket anymore.

Do you have any airfare tricks or tips?

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Boo Radley!

The Oscars were a little underwhelming but Jimmy Kimmel’s spoof after the Oscars with Oprah had me cracking up. I have always really liked Oprah and the fact she can joke around makes me like her even more.

Hysterical.

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Mountain Madness

Last weekend I hopped a plane to Asheville, North Carolina for a weekend of mountain madness to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one of my oldest friends. Andy and Caitlin are in law and med school in Georgia, respectively, and so their lives are crazy to say the least. They decided to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party and so all of us flew in from around the country.

Friday night we enjoyed a lovely seafood meal at The Lobster Trap. I happily broke my no-meat rule and had blue crab cakes, rosemary mashed potatoes, and green beans with a wheat beer. It was deeeelicious.

We also played a vicious game of rugby in the pool. There may or may not have been a bloody nose and several bruises in the process.

The guys and gals split up and rendez-vous’ed at The Green Man Brewery later in the day. They had an incredible beer called Extra Special Bitters. I am not a fan of hops but this beer was phenomenal. We played darts and then went out for the night in our five dollar formal attire. Finding formal attire at Goodwill for 5 dollars or less is no easy feat. Let’s just say everyone looked terrible, but in a great way…

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying many of Asheville’s local bars, microbreweries, and organic/vegetarian friendly restaurants. It was definitely difficult to come back to work on Monday.

And I crossed off another thing on my list, I had never visited North Carolina!

What never-visited state is on your travel wish list?

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SAG Awards

Did you watch the SAG Awards last night? I don’t remember ever watching them before but I liked how quick and to-the-point they were. No fluff!

The Red Carpet was better than the Golden Globes, I didn’t think there were that many trainwrecks.

Here are my best picks:

{Emily Blunt in Oscar de la Renta}

{Sofia smokin’ as always in Marchesa}

{Stacy Keibler would look good in a paper bag. George doesn’t hurt her cause}

Worst?

{Kristen Wiig needs to fire her stylist! What the hell is on her neck!?}

Did you watch? What did you think?

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Golden Globes Roundup

Did you watch The Golden Globes? I was hoping for more zingers from Ricky Gervais to be honest, I thought he was rather nice.  Best moments of the night? Seth Rogen “trying to hide his massive erection” while standing with Kate Beckinsale, Elton John’s face when Madonna won for Best Song, William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman’s singing presentation and George Clooney walking out on stage with Brad Pitt’s cane.

The dresses were kind of boring, but here are my best dressed picks, images all via:

{George’s gal pal, Stacey Kiebler, looked fantastic}

{Charlize Theron always looks good. Especially when it’s Dior. Love her}

{Love this color on Sofia Vergara}

And…a little loving for the guys, even though they should ALWAYS be a best dressed

{Adam Levine looked phenom in Tom Ford}

My worst dressed:

{I HATED Sarah Michelle Gellar’s dress. I don’t care if her 2 year old picked it}

What did you think of the Golden Globes? Best dressed? Worst dressed?

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