Mmmm, Donuts

I'd like to bear my testimony of donuts. I know they are true.

When first we moved to Provo one of my classmates, Dave, mentioned a small bakery in Provo at 100 N 200 E. He and his wife used to live near there and would go every couple days.

The Saturday before Easter I was driving home from running an errand, was winding through the smaller streets in Provo, and decided to stop at the bakery. After a quick orientation from one of the employees, I walked out with a Buttermilk Bar, two Chocolate Frosted Custard Filled, and an orange muffin for Clara. On the way out the door I noticed they had beautiful rolls. I asked the girl who had helped me how they were. (She had recommended the Buttermilk Bar.) She went over to a tray, grabbed a roll, and handed it to me. It was delicious.

The donuts were amazing. I love small-town bakeries. I have fond memories of Dale's Donut Factory in Michigan where I first tasted a Buttermilk donut. The buttermilk bar at the Provo Bakery is equally amazing. Every time I've been back I purchased at least one.

We are heading up to Park City today to hit the outlet malls. Carters is calling Kristin and I need some clothes for my internship. On the way, we stopped by the bakery. Mom came in with me and found it's simple homeyness charming. Not a big donut fan, Mom willing tried everything we bought and ended up LOVING the Buttermilk Bar! The apple fritter, maple bar, and chocolate-frosted custard filled were tasty as always.

Next time you're in town, I'll take you by.

The New Wei

This afternoon, after helping my buddy Paul move his stuff into our garage for the summer, we piled everyone in the car to head over the point of the mountain and through the burbs to collect Grandma at the airport.

A group of starving people decided that dinner in Salt Lake would be a good idea. Before dinner, we stopped by Cummings to get Kristin a push present. Yeah for a two-pound box.

We drove by Grandma's Grandma's house on our way to Chipotle in Sugarhouse. As we stood ready to walk in to Chipotle Kristin's eagle eye spotted:

PEI WEI!!! How I adore Pei Wei. After a quick call to the restaurant to make sure they don't use peanut oil, we went over. Lettuce Wraps, Honey Chicken, Honey Shrimp, and Mongolian Beef were the order of the night. I don't remember the Mongolian Beef being that amazing. It had a strong, grilled flavor with a delicious sauce. Clara kept stealing my rice - she loves the stuff - and didn't want to stay at the table. Remind me to never take a two and a half-year-old to a restaurant again.

Why don't we have any good restaurants in Provo? Kristin will only tolerate the sketchy Chinese Buffet every once in a while. Sigh. I miss good food.

Holiday Traditions

Our little family will be spending Christmas at home, just the three of us, this year. Kristin and I felt it was time for us to begin establishing our own traditions. Although Clara won't remember this Christmas, we're excited to make the day special for her, and in turn us. We even mentioned Santa Claus for the first time over dinner tonight.

One of the traditions we discussed is holiday baking. I mentioned today that it wouldn't feel like Christmas without Seven Step Bars and Haystacks, two treats that we always had each Christmas. Many people are familiar with Seven Step Bars (also called Magic Bars says Kristin), but Haystacks aren't as well known. Haystacks are a butterscotch candy combination made with Chinese noodles and cashews. I have many fond memories of my mom making them each year. She always put them in the same tin, wax paper separating each layer. The tin would sit on the washer or drier and I'd often sneak one or two when Mom wasn't looking.

After a quick call to Mom for the ingredients and a quick trip to the store, I found myself standing in front of the stove with a double boiler barely simmering, melting the butterscotch chips. I added in the Chinese noodles and cashews once the chips were melted, gently mixing them together. Once everything was coated I made the stacks that give the candy its name on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. The first set were a little too big ...

But the second set turned out just like I remember them.

There's something special about taking the old to create the new. With a little from my youth and a little from Kristin's we'll create something for our family to look forward to from year to year. And thanks to Jeff, we'll be able to watch Christmas Vacation time and time again.

And Kristin will laugh at Cousin Eddie all night long.

Memorializing With Meat

David got a new gas grill. It is a beauty to behold. He and I went to go pick it up last Friday night in our car. It fit perfectly in the back. He assembled it on Monday morning. It is glorious. Glonious, even. Witness.

David cooked Hebrew National Hot Dogs on his new grill. As my friend Dave likes to say, "My people know how to make a hot dog." They were perfect. Here are shots of David loading up his new grill for the first time.

Clara and Michael had a wonderful time playing together. As did the adults. At one point in the afternoon we found ourselves, David, Bonnie, Oliver, and Kristin, sitting up in their family room talking while the two children played in the basement. Occasionally silence would trigger a parent to go investigate, but by and large they were able to play downstairs on their own. How they're going up.

Other highlights include the Baker's Edge brownie pan brownies, the corn on the cob that Bonnie perfectly cooked, watching random videos on YouTube, and dancing in the kitchen. 'Twas truly a memorable memorialization.

Reading books, playing on the couch, Michael jumping off the couch

Stroller Fun (Clara climbed in by herself)

Shall we dance?

Greatest. Brownie. Pan. Ever.

So, this Christmas Kristin won.

While opening presents she handed me two boxes with the instruction, "Open the top on first." I opened a box of brownie mix and looked at her in puzzlement. "Brownies?" "Yes, brownies." "Okay ... I like them. Why as a gift?" "Open the next one." "But we take turns: me one, you one." "Open the box." "Yes, ma'am."

I then opened the single greatest gift given in the history of our family: the Baker's Edge Edge Brownie Pan. (Detailed info here.) Ingeniously designed, the Edge Brownie pan produces six corner pieces, four pieces with edges on either side, and two pieces with THREE EDGES. That's right, three edges! Genius, I tell you. Pure genius.

I freaked out then and there. You see, I love the edges of brownies. I could take or leave the middle, but nothing tops the chewy outside of a pan of good brownies. I have fond memories of the Duncan Hines brownies my mom used to make and the way the corners would cook a little too much and have a chewy, crunchy consistency. Now I have a pan that guarantees at least two edges per piece. Le sigh.

So, tonight I was complaining that I needed a sweet treat. Kristin reminded me of my Christmas gift. I jumped out of my seat, scurried to the pantry, paraded the pan around the main floor while making fanfare noises, and started making brownies. Here is the pan after I administered the layer of non-stick cooking spray:
The only brownie mix worthy of such a vessel is the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix. I combined the ingredients, stirred the prescribed forty times, and spooned into the edge pan. After a little manual redistribution, and spatula licking ("I liked their spatulas so much, I bought the company."), the brownies were ready for the 325º oven.
One of the great joys of the Baker's Edge Edge Brownie Pan is, due to the increased surface area, courtesy of the ingenious design, the brownies cooked in 35 minutes. (The recipe said 40-45 minutes.) I pulled the pan from the oven and fought myself as I waited fifteen minutes for them to set and cool.
There the pan sat, tempting me. I looked at the clock again and again. 9:11. 9:12. 9:13. 9:14. When will 9:15 arrive. Finally, 9:15. "Lovey, it's time!" Kristin didn't stir, so I pulled out the spatula that came with the pan (perfectly sized) and cut us each a brownie. I had one of the three-edge pieces; Kristin had a two. And to say these brownies were exquisite would be an understatement.

The brownies were perfectly cooked. No part was over or undercooked. Each bite was brownie perfection. I kid you not. One. Two. Three. I couldn't stop myself. Finally an aching stomach told me I'd had enough. Gone was the travails of overly gooey centers and slightly charred edges. Gone was the fight "Oh! save me an edge." 100% brownie goodness is now mine. For the rest of my life.

Hold the presses! Upon reviewing this post Kristin told me that Clara gave me the brownie pan. I hereby strip Kristin of her title and proclaim that Clara is winning. What a good girl she is.

Sigh.

Heidi is a good friend. On her blog she posted a recipe for
bread pudding. Oh, I love bread pudding. (Kristin does not. Alas, the one incompatibility in our relationship.) I followed the link and found an amazing blog full of great recipes and step by step pictures of how to make each dish. The lighting in the pictures, something I am currently struggling with, is amazing. Go check out the recipe at The Pioneer Woman Cooks!.

But my run in with bread pudding doesn't stop there. No! I stopped by Whole Foods on the way home from work today (needed soy-free, wheat-free, dairy-free biter biscuits for Clara). I walked by the bakery, in the hopes that something would jump into my basket, and found the dessert bar. A very inspired dessert bar.

• Item: Whole Food's Strawberry and Cream cake by the slice. Ask anyone at work; this is my favorite cake.
• Item: Chocolate Cake by the slice.
• Item: Bread Pudding by the spoonful.
  
  and ...
  
  wait for it ...
  
  
• Item: Croissant Pudding by the spoonful.

I couldn't resist. I grabbed a plastic container, scooped up some bread pudding and twice the amount of croissant pudding. I was giddy. I was full of nervous excitement. What would this taste like? Could you really improve on the goodness that is bread pudding? At the check out I asked where I could get a fork. I jumped in my car, turned on the A/C, and opened my little container. It was warm. It smelled so good. Wanting to build up to it, I dug my little plastic fork into the bread pudding. Oh, that first bite. White bread and a nice custard pudding with a few pieces of fruit here and there. Another bite. Same glorious sensation. Bread pudding. Sigh.

I could already feel my stomach starting to ache. Yet stopping wasn't in the equation. I had croissant pudding. I had to try it. My little fork quivered with excitement. Bite one. The buttery flavor of the croissant called through the creamy custard. The choice of tart fruit was a brilliant one, as the flavors of rich butter, heavy cream, and tart fruit sang a chorus of joy across my tongue, down my esophagus, to my stomach. Bite two. Bite three. Bite four. I had to stop myself. I had to save some for tonight. I still had dinner to eat! Oh, I just spoiled my dinner.

On the way home a most wonderful thought crossed my mind: the greatest joy of bread pudding is that I never have to share. It's all mine.

I tried new food today!

Mommy gave me a new food today. Sweet potatoes. Mommy told me that she is going to give me different foods to see what I like. Well, guess what? I really liked this one! It's much better than the applesauce she and Daddy fed me here.

Towards the end I grabbed the spoon from Mommy. I had so much fun gnawing on the spoon that when Mommy tried to get it back from me, I wouldn't let go. So she got another spoon and fed me the rest of my lunch in-between gnaws on my spoon. I can't decide which I liked more: the sweet potatoes or the spoon.

Go West. And for some of you, Go South then West.

Tonight we had a bunch of people over to say "Good Bye" to a couple of couples that are leaving fair Virginia for points further west. Dayna & Sara are heading to Utah; Pedro & Diana, to Melbourne, Australia.

For tonight's party, I decided we needed a theme ingredient. Much like Iron Chef - but without the annoying Chairman or his nephew, who incidentally bugs more than the Chairman, who really bugs - the theme ingredient would be prepared by various people. In our case: three. I chose cupcakes.

Red velvet has definitely been on the rise of late*. I was first introduced to red velvet when Ouiser sliced the behind off of the groom's cake in Steel Magnolias. Two cooking shows in the past three days have featured red velvet cupcakes, so I felt that we needed red velvet. When it came to the making of the red velvet cupcakes, there was but one option: Bruce and Julie. They can make anything. And it always tastes good. They brought them complete with cream cheese frosting. Bonnie made Devil's Food cupcakes with German Chocolate frosting. Kristin and I made yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. All told we had 54 regular-sized cupcakes and 18 mini ones. Perfect. I didn't think to take a picture of all the cupcakes, so here is one of the left over red velvet cupcakes.
Unfortunately, Dayna & Sara had to cancel at the last minute due to sickness and changed travel plans. The remainders had a wonderful time eating, talking, rough housing with the kids (see picture Oliver As Jungle Gym to the right), and having a good time. Clara especially enjoyed gnawing on Diana's knee. Colter and Jacob raced Cars cars and were endlessly entertained by Kristen S.'s roadblock maneuvers. We wrapped up the evening with a frame-by-frame analysis of the new Harry Potter trailer followed by a reading and discussion of the list of J.K. Rowling quotes about Book 7. If you haven't read them go do it. It's worth the read.

To our departing friends, travel in safety. Drop us a line when you land. Know that you'll be missed. Please come back and visit soon.

*The New York Times ran a piece on red velvet February 14th of this year.

Gather, Gorge & Gab

Easter Dinner. A time for friends to gather, gorge, and gab. Last year we hosted fifteen at our house. This year David & Bonnie hosted nine. The menu included honeybaked ham, Bonnie's homemade rolls, a Jello salad, funeral potatoes, and a green salad. Everything was tasty and those doing The Plan decided to take point-free days. Though most of you know what a Jello salad is, I'm guessing that many of you are not familiar with Funeral Potatoes. Both hold special places in the parthenon of Mormon cooking.

Jello. That wonderful byproduct of horse hooves. Jello has taken on mythic proportions in Mormon culture. In particular, green jello salad is a favorite dish at Ward functions and meals in Mormon households. While not part of the doctrine, it is such a mainstay in Utah that during the 2002 Winter Olympics a collector's pin title "Mormon Soul Food" was released (see pic at right). Growing up my mom made a green jello salad every Christmas that had Cool Whip, grated cheddar cheese, and pomegranate seeds in it. [DISCLAIMER: Though my grandparents we all Utahans, neither I nor my parents have ever lived in Utah except for university.]

The second dish, Funeral Potatoes, is also a big dish in Utah, but is not a Mormon-only tradition. Truthfully, I'd never had it until last Easter when someone brought it to the feast at our house. You can't truly understand funeral potatoes without seeing the ingredient list:

2 lbs. frozen hash browns

2 cup grated cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

1 pint sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup diced union

Topping: 2 cup crushed cornflakes

Topping: 1/2 cup melted butter

To put it lightly, we're talking about death in a pan here. Kristin put it best when she said, "I never realized how terrible these things are for you until I made them!" They are often served at the post-funeral luncheons that are popular in many faiths and were also commemorated by a pin at the SLC 2002 Olympics (see pic at right). They are mighty tasty, but death on a plate. They've sort of become a tradition with our group of friends as that one dish that you like to eat, but is to fattening that you'll only dare eat it once a year. And Easter is that time for us.

After dinner we sat around talking. I crashed on the couch with Clara and the two of us took a nap for an hour or so. Helped to digest dinner and make room for cake. A word on the cake.

It's David's birthday today. For a birthday cake, Bonnie contacted a catering company David's company uses and asked them to make this chocolate-raspberry cake David is in love with. They usually don't do one-off orders for individuals, but she was able to talk them into it. She had to drive thirty minutes away to pick up the cake yesterday, but it was so worth it.

After cake, we decided we needed some entertainment, so we laid Clara and Michael, Clara's betrothed, down on the floor and let them kick and squeal. Kristin had the camera ready and we especially like the two below. The first we call Stink Eye; the second, Tasty.

We took some video of the two little ones which I'll post once they're done processing on Google Video. Until then, hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Plays by Eugene O'Neill for One Hundred (Updated)

The past two days we've had amazing winter weather here in the DC Area. Finally our forecasters cast off the habit of debating whether the weather, and earned the title of weather people by predicting something that came to fruition. They're sort of like Trelawney. They get it right once or twice in a life-time.

Yesterday we started out with snow of various intensities that changed overnight into wicked sleet and freezing rain. Luckily the freezing rain was mostly to the east of the city. I've learned that it is far more trecherous than sleet. Today we are featuring below freezing temperatures that are keeping the snow and ice frozen. Both Kristin and I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of ice pellets on the bedroom window. By the morning we had streams of ice running down our window screen. In the first picture the water on the window screens is frozen in place. Similarly on the deck the grey box in the second picture has streams of ice "running" down its side.

Because of the weather I decided to head into the office a little late. This allowed me to ride in with Kristin and Clara. Ride in with Kristin and Clara, you say? That's right! Today was the fourth JCREM Cook-off and Kristin and Clara were the guests of honor. (I blogged the last cook-off here. ) After having done food from your upbringing, summer dishes, and a harvest theme, we decided to mix it up with a Valentine's Brunch. As always a strong showing by all with traditional breakfast dishes as well as some things that my mother would never have let me eat for breakfast. See if you can pick those out of the list below.

• Waffles made on the premises & Fresh Fruit (Sonja)
• Goat Cheese, Spinach, Tomato & Bacon Cups (Meredith)
• Breakfast Casserole (Kristin - my wife)
• Pecan Roll (Kristen - my coworker)
• Heart Cupcakes with a Surprise in the Middle (Diana)
• Better Than ... Most Things Cake (Courtney)
• Brownies (Jen)
• Pumpkin Bread (Brendan's Mom)
• Streusel Crumb Cake (Sheilah)
• Homemade Biscuits with Homemade Jam (Caroline)
• Bacon - four pounds worth! (Fang)
• Chicken and Apple Sausage (Daquaan)
• Quiche (Kim)
• And I know I'm forgetting something. If you know what it is, tell me so I can add it.

In keeping with tradition I tried every dish. They were all wonderful. I especially loved Meredith Goat Cheese cups. She had to track down filo dough in last night's bad weather. Harris Teeter came through. Nancy also had an adventure heading to the store in her almost-PJs to pick up eggs. We also had mystery judges, but they have yet to hand down their verdict on the winners. Once they do I'll update the post.

Everyone loved seeing little baby Clara. She was a good guest at the brunch and smiled and cooed at all the right times. She napped in Dad's arms whilst we walked around the ninth and twelfth floors. It was fun to have the chance to show her off. Everyone says she is a beautiful baby. I couldn't agree more!

Update: And we have a winner! Hats off to Diana for her winning Cupcakes. Honorable mentions to my adorable wife for her breakfast casserole and to Caroline for her from-scratch biscuits. Thanks to Joe and Jen for adjudicating.

Shopping @ Shoppers

The Shoppers Food Warehouse near us recently underwent a major renovation in what appears to be an attempt to upgrade their image in response to Wegmans entrance into the local supermarket space. Giant similarly embarked on a marketing campaign to tell the world that they now have fresh produce - one of the main reasons we forsook Giant for Wegmans, the second being price. With the Shoppers upgrade they have new deli and seafood counters, upgraded produce, and a redesigned interior that departs from their past bargain basement image. Additionally, they dropped 'warehouse' from their name and are now called simply Shoppers.

We stopped by Shoppers this morning to pick up some formula for Baby Clara. As she posted last night, the tummy troubles continue and are now accompanied by what appears to be a rash all over her face. Kristin and I decided we should give the hypoallergenic stuff a second shot. So, on the way to the bus stop this morning we stopped by Shoppers and I ran in to get some formula and a few other necessities*. While scanning the signs announcing the items found on each aisle, I chuckled at what they had chosen to include in the aisle I sought: baby needs, feminine hygiene, magazines, and greeting cards.

I wonder if the people in charge of layout don't think men buy greeting cards.

*One of the areas Shoppers has always been tops is their colossal donuts. They are baked fresh daily, are fairly inexpensive, and there are always plenty Chocolate Frosted Custard Filled. Today our necessities consisted of two chocolate frosted custard filled and one raspberry filled. One guess as to which of us ate two...

Almost an Obsession

I broke.

I couldn't handle the pressure.

There they sat on my counter. Seven boxes. One each of the seven Betty Crocker's Warm Delights.

Taunting me.
Calling me.

And I couldn't resist. They're about to become my obsession.

So I made the Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cookie. Considerably shorter cooking time than the Molten Caramel Cake. Only microwave for forty-five seconds, as opposed to one minute and fifteen seconds. I love chocolate chip cookies and I needed some.

As part of the Seven Days of Chocolate, Sara made chocolate chip cookie bars. I LOVE chocolate chip cookie bars. I could eat nothing but chocolate chip cookie bars. And I would be fat, happy, and dead in a few weeks, but there would be a smile on my face. I've
been jonesing for some since the last cookie bar was eaten a few weeks ago. That's where the Warm Delights sitting on my kitchen counter comes in. The team of Kristin, Oliver, and Sally made short work of the finished product, as is evidenced by the photo. Truth be told, Sally only one bite. Kristin had a reasonable number of bites, and I devoured the rest. The cookie was very tasty. The fudge sauce could be refined.

Afterwards I wanted more. So I started discussing the need for chocolate-chip cookies. My mother (that's Sally) is in town to help out and offered to bake some. We used these new swirl chips that Jared posted about. Ours were caramel and chocolate swirl. They turned out delightful. I have eaten way too many.

I can start back on the diet after they're gone.
Right?

Calling All Chefs

The day has come. The hour is nigh. No, I'm not talking about the second coming, I'm talking about the long awaited, long anticipated, celebration of culinary skill and prowess that will be (drumroll please)

Iron Sketch Microwave!

Based on the popular TV show, Iron Sketch Microwave will feature two chefs armed with two microwaves, water, and seven Betty Crocker Warm Delights cakes to see if something that even remotely resembles food can be produced.

At this time, the producers (me) currently stand in need of:

• A second Iron Sketch
• A second microwave
• Three judges
• A studio audience (who will also get to try the dishes, if you are brave enough)
• An announcer and a commentator
• A photographer
• The seventh warm delights Lemon Swirl Cake (they didn't have it at Target)

If you can help out with any of the above, or would like to witness the grand culinary experiment, please post a comment to this post.Brought to you by General Mills, the look of digust on Kristin's face, and this post.

A Great Christmas Gift

For Christmas this year some friends gave us rolls. I can hear you out there: "Um, rolls? Lame." But before you start, let me esplain. (And, no, I didn't misspell that.)

These are Bonnie's freezer rolls. Every time a group of us has a potluck Bonnie is assigned to bring these rolls. They are always a hit. Here's how they work. After the dough is made and the rolls formed, you freeze them. On that day you just know you have to have hot rolls with dinner, you pull them out, place them on a cookie sheet, and let them rise for a few hours. Once they are risen/thawed, you cook them and you've got fresh, hot rolls.

Being a house that never makes rolls, this was the perfect gift. Our polenta with marinara meat sauce never tasted so good. I hope we get rolls for Christmas next year.

A lot

A friend called this morning asking if everything was okay. I assured him that we're doing well, just a little tired. I asked him what caused him to wonder. "You hadn't updated your blog," came the reply.

Touché.

Hello blogosphere. I'm back. And here is a drive-by update:

• Tuesday night I picked up Debbie Lou from the airport. Debbie Lou is Kristin's mother. Debbie Lou is my mother-in-law. Debbie Lou is Clara's grandmother. Debbie Lou isn't her real name; I just call her that. She flew from Portland, OR, via Dallas-Fortworth and was pretty wiped out from the day of travel. A good excuse to pick up Chipotle, eh?
• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I worked. Work is work. Next Monday is a holiday. Rock on.
• On Monday, Kristin made her first solo trip out with Clara. She said everything went swimmingly well. Guess where they went ... wait for it ... wait for it ... Target.
  Shocking.
• Overheard while eating breakfast this morning: "Is it pathetic that one of our goals for today is to watch a movie?"
• On Wednesday and Thursday we took Debbie to Costco. To quote Debbie, "I went to Costco two days in a row." I think we're channeling my father a bit too much.
• We've eaten out two nights this week. Has been great to get the ladies out of the house a bit. Clara cooperated at both meals. The second meal was Indian food last night with David, Bonnie, and Michael. Kristin couldn't do Indian during the pregnancy, David and I were both jonesing for Indian, and Bonnie and Kristin were kind enough to acquiesce. Yeah for Palak Gosh.
• "Oh, boo. Can you stay little, but sleep through the night instead?"
  -Kristin to Clara on seeing Colter act like a normal boy.
• Thursday morning Debbie and I rearranged the nursery so the chair wasn't taking up the entirety of the middle of the room. Our handwork:
• Also overheard this morning:
  He said: "Poor thing has the worst parents on the planet."
  Clara smiles in her sleep.
  She said: "I think she understands more than we give her credit for."
  Clara smiles again.
• Sunday night we scrounged around to find enough for dinner. What resulted was what we like to call a themed meal. Behold the orange dinner!
• Yesterday Debbie cleaned two of the bathrooms that rarely get deep cleanings. Now I understand from whence cometh Kristin's cleaning gene. You know it's a good cleaning job when you can still smell the chemicals twenty-four hours later.
• CLARA UPDATE: She enjoys eating every hour, much to the dismay of her mother at 2am, is getting adorably chubby, and is growing out of some of her clothes. She is more alert, when you hold her upright on your shoulder she tries to hold up her head, and won't sleep in her crib except at night. She has a good temperament, only crying when she is hungry, and has started to develop a bit of gas at night that Mylicon drops seem to take care of. All in all she's pretty amazing.

Just because you can never have too many pictures of a beautiful woman. Oliver's Saturday morning hair continues to defy the laws of physics. Or maybe I'm just celebrating.

Oliver OUT.

A Trip to the Towne

Yesterday we took advantage of the amazing weather and headed to Old Town Alexandria with David, Bonnie and Michael. It was Clara's first trip out and about. I believe it was also the first trip for Michael. They walked over to our house and we piled in our Honda Pilot for the drive. A few words on our Honda Pilot. We fit four grown adults and two newborns in car seats without issue. It was a comfortable ride and we only had one car to park. Such a lovely way to travel.
We took the George Washington Parkway to Old Town. It's the more scenic drive. Although there aren't any leaves on the trees, there was still a majesty in the tall trees forming a nave over the road. We got great views of the monuments and memorials as we drove past downtown.

[Side note on parking: We found a street parking right across the street from the spot where a coworker and I parked when we had to run an errand to Old Town a few months ago. Hello National Federation of Republican Women.]

David & Bonnie brought along their Snap & Go stroller. It fit beautifully in the back of the Pilot with the third row up, even! Kristin brought along the Baby Bjorn. Check out the pic of us all ready to roll.

We grabbed a bite to eat and hit a few stores. I was served the wrong sandwich, but finally got the right one. Oh, and I had salt and vinegar potato chips. I love salt and vinegar potato chips. David was OBSESSED with a marble game in Ten Thousand Villages. We also found the bowls that are also power chimes. Hours of fun. Also, who knew that Old Town was home to so many wig shops. I think the last time I saw a wig shop was ... well ... never. We saw three.

It was fun to be out on the streets on such a beautiful day. There were tons of people out; it seemed everyone either had a dog or a kid in a stroller. Window shopping was great. We took a break at the plaza near the City Hall and the kids had a snack. We also snapped a ton of pictures in and around the plaza.

Since the kids had eaten, to be fair, the parents needed a snack too, so we went to The Scoop. The two favorite flavors were Black Raspberry Cheesecake and Orange Chocolate Chocolate Chip.

We walked around some more, eventually making our way to the car. David felt that, as we were so close, the trip would have been a waste had we not stopped by Krispy Kreme. We headed to the source of the true and living donut and bought a few dozen. As we sat in the car, feeding babies who wouldn't wait to get home, ahem Clara, we all commented that Dunkin Donuts and Shoppers ain't got nothing on Krispy Kreme.

Nice Try Krispy Kreme

You gotta give it to their marketing department. Trying to make you feel okay about getting one tenth of your daily caloric intake via a donut.

Giving Up Pie in the Sky For Just Desserts

Quick read from the Post.
Check it out.
I love dessert.

Giving Up Pie in the Sky For Just Desserts

Three days and it all goes

Remember this post about all the chocolate that came into our house after Clara was born? Well, we've definitely enjoyed all the goodies - maybe even enjoyed them all a little too much. Meals have been substititued by sweets and stomachs have ached. And the pile of sweets seems to have multiplied. Odd, no one sent us chocolate rabbits.

Kristin put forth a decree that on January 1st everything gets thrown away. I sometimes wonder if this will result in more or fewer chocolate binges.

Soup's On & On & On & On & On & On

Well, we've made it through week one. It's been emotional, funny, tiring, and above all a delight. Clara is a cutie and is more and more alert each day. Today at one point she kept looking at me and smiling. She's a total doll.

One of the great things that our friends from Church have done for us is bringing in food for the first few days we had Clara home. Last Friday night Kathy brought us a wonderful meal. My favorite part was the salad, as I hadn't had a vegetable in about three days (hospital and fast food). I know this sounds totally weird, but the lettuce tasted soooooo good. I downed the majority of the salad.

On Saturday, Kristin's friend Cindy brought dinner over. Italian was the theme. Of particular note were the homemade rolls, for which I am a complete sucker, and the chocolate creme puffs for dessert. Could there have been any more perfect dessert!?!

On Sunday, Erika brought over her traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Erika is Austrian and her Christmas Eve tradition is homemade wiener schnitzel. It was so touching that she would share her traditions with us!

On Monday, Christmas Day, Bruce & Julie invited us over to their home to share in their Christmas dinner. Once again, there were homemade rolls. Sigh. I love me some homemade rolls. Those and chocolate chip cookies. But more on that later.

The generosity of our friends didn't stop there! On Tuesday, some dear friends (and I say dear because of what they brought) brought us Chipotle. Oh, sweet ambrosia! Thou perfect food! It was made even more perfect because a week ago to the day I brought Kristin Chipotle as her congrats on the end of your gestational diabetes present. Then, unexpectedly, Wednesday another friend brought over some tasty chicken tortilla soup.

The outpouring of love, support, and food has been amazing. We're grateful to have such wonderful friends.