Monthly Review: March 2013

Another month went by in a flash, hopefully spring is here!  Check out what photos I have captured on my iPhone!

Interested in what we did in the past?
2013: January February
2012: May June July August November December

Unfortunately, the month of March started off on a sad note for us.  One of our adorable kitties, Malcolm, passed away.  I realize not everyone feels this way, but to us the cats are like family and it’s difficult when they’re gone.  Thank you to all of our friends and family for the kind words, wonderful memories, and flowers.  We’ll miss you Malcolm!

I’m probably the last person to check out Union Market, but thanks to my friend Alix- I (finally) did!  After sandwiches from Red Apron Butchery, I also got some goodies for Sam.  Alix and Sam are pickle lovers, so thanks to her I was able to choose the best one’s from Oh! Pickles.  I also bought some fresh bread, from Lyon Baker, and a new beer from Cordial.  Have you been to Union Market?  If so, what’s your favorite place to eat at?

One early afternoon, Sam and I explored a new place- The Coupe.  It’s a 24 hour diner in DC.  Since then, I’ve also stopped by for coffee on a Saturday morning- lots of people coming in for brunch!

We also checked out a new gem in our new locale- El Chucho.  If you’d like to see what we ate and drank check out our El Chucho Review blog post!  What’s your favorite dish on their menu?

The 2 days before running races I like to make a giant pot of pasta.  Of course, I get bored of just red sauce- so I tried out a brussels sprouts mac ‘n cheese recipe.  Need other some new recipe ideas? Clams and Linguine with White Wine Sauce; Green Pea & Pancetta Linguine; Kale Lasagna; Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese; Mushroom Bolognese Fettucini; No-Cook Spaghetti Sauce; Provencal Pasta Sauce; Rigatoni with Vegetables, Figs & Blue Cheese; Sam’s Summer Pasta Sauce.

I ran in the Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon!  This was my 10th half marathon!  Congrats to all the runners out there, and thanks to my friends Steph & Cassie for being great cheerleaders.  Unfortunately, Sam was unable to run- but as always, he was my best cheerleader out there!  I also celebrated by eating a couple of our Green Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!

I’m excited for #11 next month: the Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon in Nashville.  Anyone running that race?  Any Nashville recommendations?  It’ll be a fun girls weekend which includes my friends Becky and Lianne– make sure to check out how their training is going!

Welcome the newest member of our family at Fifth Floor Kitchen!  His name is Fuggles- it’s a type of hops used in British beer.  One of Sam’s hobbies is brewing his own beer, which is where we got the idea for this cutie’s name.  He’s a little less than a year old, and a very energetic little guy!  I’m sure he’ll keep Van Gogh (our other kitty) on his toes!

Every couple needs a date night.  Everyone needs a date night at Red Rocks.  It’s our favorite pizza place in DC, and you all should check it out (at least) once.  Above is the Roasted Eggplant pizza (roasted eggplant, goat cheese, pesto, parmesan).  You should all be happy I shared this classified secret with you!  😉

I really enjoy having dinner dates with food blogger friends- I always get the great gossip about new restaurants, best dishes and fun events.  This past month Olga, from Mango & Tomato, and I went to Dukem.  I haven’t had Ethiopian in a long time, and it was nice to try a new spot.  Have you had Ethiopian?  If not, definitely give it a shot.

Thanks to Liza, of (a)Musing Foodie, and her post about Tonx- I knew we had to try a new coffee.  Check out how to get a free sample of Tonx Coffee here!  We received a medium roast for our sample, and it was perfect for the cold March mornings!

Full disclaimer: For the free sample Tonx will ask for credit card information, and automatically subscribe users to the lowest monthly subscription, unless you cancel (which is done with a quick press of a button).  They will provide reminders (via email) before moving you to the subscription (a couple of days notice).   

*This was not sponsored by Tonx, just me sharing a link to a free sample!

The Monday’s in March have not had the best weather- hello snow!  I’m hoping April will bring more sunshine and higher temperatures.  We did stay warm this month by making some of these recipes: Dal with Lots of Vegetables; Provencal Pasta Sauce; Rhubarb-Blueberry Pie; Rice & Lamb Burgers with Spinach & Tzatziki Sauce and the Banana & Chocolate Chip Cake.

To end the month on a delicious notice- my runner friend Tracy and I tried this amazing dessert: Deep Fried-Bacon Wrapped PB Cups.  Where can you find this treat?  At The Passenger!  Awesome bar too, so doubly worth the visit.

Monthly Review: January 2013

First monthly review for 2013!  What photos did I capture with my iPhone this month?

Interested what we did in the past?
2012: May, June, July, August, November, December

We make pizza at home regularly.  This was a shaved pizza recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  I went to see her at Politics & Prose in November, and now I can’t wait to try out more recipes from her book.

We also made some pizza for our friends who have a newborn.  We came prepared: dough, chopped ingredients, pizza stone.  What a fun nigh!

Need pizza topping ideas?  Try these: Apple & Smoked Cheese Whole Wheat Pizza; Mushroom & Broccoli Pizza.

I was trying out a recipe to post for the Chinese New Year– which will be in February this year.  Look forward to a delicious post in the next couple of weeks!

Need Asian-inspired recipes for your Chinese New Year party? Asian Vegetable Rolls with Peanut Sauce; Pear Sorbet with Sesame Wonton Crisps; Asian Noodle Bowl; Spicy Asian Salad with Sunflower Seeds; Veggie Stir Fry.

Sam and I are really excited to run the Rock ‘n Roll DC 1/2 Marathon in March!  This is a photo from one of our long runs in Rock Creek Park.  Are you running any upcoming races?  What distances?  Where do you do your long runs?

One beautiful Sunday afternoon, Sam and I went ice skating.  It’s been on our bucket list for some time, and we had a great time.  We went to the Sculpture Garden Ice Skating Ring!  What are some of your “to-do” activities for 2013?

Recently, our favorite bar has been Meridian Pint in Columbia Heights.  They have a large selection of beers, and some good food.  Have you been there before?  If not, definitely add it to your list!

We spent a fun Saturday afternoon people watching and eating sandwiches from Paul, the delicious French bakery.  Stop in: buy a sandwich, pastry, or coffee and read a book- it’s a perfect weekend afternoon!  There are a number of DC locations: Penn Quarter, Farragut North, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, and soon there will be one out in Tysons Corner.

Back in May, Sam and I tried Kushi for the first time.  This time around I tried the lunch version with my friend Alix.  The dish pictured above was my Ocean’s Oyako Don (salmon & roe), and she had the Spicy Zuke Don (spicy soy sauce tuna).  The lunch dishes come with miso soup, salad and pickles- most within a $12-$15 price range.  What’s your favorite sushi place?

The 2013 Presidential Inauguration was held over Martin Luther King weekend.  This photo is from the day before, where you can see they covered up that fresh grass that had been growing.  I think everyone was a little worried it’d get trampled up with so many people walking all over it, but it’s good thing they had a Plan B!  Did anyone attend any fun Inauguration Balls?

I won a set of AirBake cookie sheets from a giveaway Olga, of Mango & Tomato, was having on her blog!  I’m excited to bake some delicious cookies- any suggestions or recommendations?

Olga and I met at the Eat Write Retreat DC Blogger Conference back in May.  It’s been great making a new friend, and fellow food blogger.  I love her recipes, so definitely check out her blog for more giveaways and her fun stories!

I also received Breakfast for Dinner, the new cookbook by Lindsey and Taylor, of Love and Olive Oil.  We got this signed copy for helping out with some recipe testing earlier this year.  This was one of the first blogs I started reading, long before Fifth Floor Kitchen started, and I was so excited to help them out!  Can’t wait to try more delicious recipes from this book (in bookstores on February 12)!

Lastly, we finished off the month by trying out the Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew from A Couple of Cooks.  They have some fabulous vegetarian recipes, so definitely check out their blog- this particular one was easy and delicious, makes for great lunch leftovers!

We’ve got exciting news coming in February, so come back soon!

November 2012 Review

And we’re back with the monthly reviews on Fifth Floor Kitchen!  What photos did I capture on my iPhone this past month?

Interested in past months?  Check them out: May June July August

This was taken on our last day of our honeymoon in Phuket, Thailand.  Check out our posts about it here.

First week back from our honeymoon and we were excited for food from the farmer’s market!  We got: arugula, turnips, a pie pumpkin, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, cheese & eggs from the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market.

Don’t know what to eat for breakfast?  Check out this post on making Fall Granola– perfect to mix with yogurt or milk!

Sam and I visited our friend Beth in Baltimore.  We loved this place: Abbey Burger Bistro, make your own burger (and it’s got some good beers as well).

While in Baltimore we stopped by the Baltimore Farmer’s Market & Bazaar (check out the post about it here).  Sam pickled the cucumbers, and we enjoyed the spicy cheese & duck eggs.  But the honey butter is the best- have you had honey butter?  If not, you’re missing out!

My friend Alix and I got a chance to see Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen!  There were so many people at Politics & Prose to see her!  Checkout her cookbook and blog for some great recipes!

We have 2 cats who have really enjoyed getting wedding gifts.  Well, mostly the boxes that the gifts come in- Van Gogh loves to relax among the bubble wrap and paper!  One of the many gifts was a cookbook- and we tried this Shepherd’s Pie recipe!

Another Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market week!  The goodies were: bok choy, yogurt (to go with Fall Granola), broccoli, cheese, apples, pear and arugula!

Last May, when I attended Eat, Write, Retreat (check out my post about it) I met a lot of wonderful bloggers.  One of them was Olga (blog: Mango & Tomato; Twitter: @MangoTomato), we tried out the new DGS Delicatessen in Dupont Circle for lunch, and I had a delicious Salmon Pastrami Sandwich on a bagel.

As I mentioned, we had a low-key Thanksgiving.  After running the So Others Might Eat Turkey Trot 5K– Sam, myself and his brother went to Hill Country Barbecue for an all-you-can-eat dinner.  As always, Hill Country did not disappoint!  Although my favorite was the green bean casserole- it’s been so long since I’ve had it!

The past week’s Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market finds were: eggs, turnips, cheese, pears, eggs & meat sticks!