Sunday, February 28, 2010

I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell...

(from Matchbox Twenty)

Insanity is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Things like hearing voices, seeing things... Most people consider that sort of stuff "crazy." Maybe not necessarily straitjacket-crazy, but definitely odd and eccentric at the very least.

But us writers and arteest-folk... We're lucky.

That's what we call fun!

...I know right now you can't tell, But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see,
A different side of me...

~*~

Heather S. Ingemar has loved to play with words since she was little, and it wasn’t long until she started writing her own stories. Termed “a little odd” by her peers, she took great delight in exploring tales with a gothic flair, and to this day, Edgar Allan Poe continues to be her literary hero. To learn more, please visit: http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/ or follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/heatheringemar

Buy a story (or two or three): Heather Ingemar on Echelon Direct

Franklin's

First, SORRY to all the Google Reader subscribers who saw a Franklin's post the other day and got super excited, only to see it blank--I published by accident and even though I deleted it, I cannot control the feed.  AHHHH I AM OUT OF CONTROL. Please accept this apology, and this internet hug as token of my affection ::hug::

Ahem.

I drove past Franklin's in downtown Hyattsville literally hundreds of times before having lunch there recently.  And now I can't wait to go back!  Preferably after work-hours though, because by the way, this place is also a brewery, and the brewer, Mike Roy, started last month--he's blogging here.  On this particular lunch day I went for Franklin's root beer--not particularly fizzy, but a nice change from the old brand and name.  If it's local, I want to try it.


First E had a cup of chili.  I tasted it, and it was just delicious.  Really flavorful, not spicy, and filled with veggies and beans. 


Next came the sliderfest--I had a seasonal special: Chinese Barbecued Duck Sandwiches.  Three little sandwiches (on the most delightful cornmeal crusted buns) with shredded duck drenched in hoisin barbecue sauce. I LOVED that this wasn't one big ducky sandwich, because something shredded and saucy would have turned the bread into a soggy mess.  And there were THREE, so I could trade one with E for one of hers.   My shoestring-type fries were pretty good, but they weren't super hot.  I could see how piping hot they would be awesome, though.



E got the Nickel Curves--3 housemade merguez burgers, or lamb sliders, topped with tzatziki.  Super yummy lamby flavor, and a major texture shock after eating my sandwiches.  I was transported to a place quite Mediterranean, and if I made a giant bowl of Israeli salad I'd love to serve these little gems at my house. 

This place gets a big lunch crowd, but there's plenty of space.  Check out that upstairs!  With the TVs and everything!  And by the way, there's a "general store" connected to it--knick knacks, toys, tchotchkes, and also wine & beer.  And I spied this across the street, knitty friends.

Options in this area are slim, but if you work in the area or it's in between a friend's place and yours, definitely go to Franklin's.  There are at least half a dozen things on the menu I'd like to try next time--I should bring some friends. 


Franklin's
5121 Baltimore Ave
Hyattsville, MD
Metro: Red line to Rhode Island Ave or Green Line to College Park, then a Metrobus that gets you to Franklin's on Route 1.  There's gotta be a few.  Or drive!  Parking in the lot next door is 25 cents per hour--major bargain compared to the meters in Arlington.

Franklin's on Urbanspoon

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Good memories...

I can't get over the good memories I have left from Friday's visit to the gym where I saw an Austin Nichols look-a-like (aka Julian in One Tree Hill). I mean, is it even legal to be that hot?

Gaaah...drooling! O_O

Friday, February 26, 2010

Fridays are Fahbulous, and So Are Sesame Street Cupcakes

So the people have spoken (the people = YOU), and 16/26 (about 62%) of you say you'd go into Crumbs (one of the 9274 locations coming soon) and eat Georgetown Cupcakes to their faces.   Interesting!  Just don't start with anyone, readers.  Fighting is unladylike (and also, ungentlemanlike).  And now the week's (most important) news:

Speaking of cupcakes, heeeeey these cupcakes look like Sesame Street characters!  Via EBG.

A few weeks ago I read this article in the Times about growlers, and then on Saturday I saw one!  Thanks Shel for having friends hipster-ish enough (as opposed to old-school beerlovers, the other sect that seems to have 'em) to have a growler.  I love when I learn about something (I didn't know what a growler was prior to reading the article) and then encounter it shortly after--knowledge is power.

Announced this week on Twitter by Dairy G itself (herself?), Dairy Godmother will be featured on Tastiest Places to Chowdown: Presidential Edition, airing March 7 at 10pm.  Set your DVR accordingly.

In honor of the holiday, The Shiksa Blog brings us "Hamantaschen and the Story of Purim."  These treats are delicious and those of you who follow me on Twitter know how hard it can be to keep these little triangles CLOSED.  Via LB.

Yearning for summer Restaurant Week? Restaurants Unleashed Week, March 1-7.  The deal that caught my eye first was at Tabaq, yummm.

Also, watching curling is like drinking merlot, apparently.  NICE!  I guess watching aerials is like drinking 5 Hour Energy.

Have a great weekend!  It's supposed to be nice out, so go out for brunch--what's your first pick these days?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

A Special Day

Tomorrow is my beautiful grandson's 8th birthday and sadly I will not be there to share it with him.  And his wonderful mother has her birthday the following day with my one and only granddaughter (whom I have never seen in person) celebrating her first birthday the next week.

Now, as is the case with all first born children, there are hundreds of thousands of photographs of Andreas, so I have plenty to choose from to paint.

But I am ultra lucky if I get one or two of Catherine!  Maybe they'll take the hint and send me a whole bunch of the little lady so I can get to paint more than the one I already have.

This was done from a photograph taken when they were last in SA almost 2 years ago, but I liked it, so I painted it, and it is one I'm going to keep!

 
Andreas - Just Listening

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Stitches - A Mother's View


I've always prided myself on being tough when it comes to blood and guts. I was an interested spectator as a surgeon dug a cyst out of my ring finger. "If you get light-headed, just look away," he'd said. "Nope. I want to see what it looks like," I'd answered, calmly and curiously as he proceed to stitch up my knuckle.

My husband, on the other hand, can see my leg hanging by a thread after a chainsaw accident (No! This didn't really happen. Just giving an example, here) and carry out life-saving measures, but blood spilling from any part of his body? He's on the ground, passed out cold.

But, back to me. As I mentioned before, I'm usually tough as nails when it comes to blood and injuries. Tough, that is, until it came to my 10-year-old son and his first bike wreck. I heard the crash on our front sidewalk and ran to the door just in time to see him standing on the porch, shock on his face, holding his chin.

I persuaded him to let me look at the injury. His chin was hanging open and the only thing visible was blood and bone. I rushed him to the doctor, at least I think I did. Fortunately, it was Saturday afternoon, and we arrived just as the office was getting ready to close.

As the doctor led the patient back to the surgical room, I was told several stitches to close a pretty bad wound would be needed — at which time I almost passed out in the empty waiting room. The nurse smiled and said, "Why don't you sit down and wait. It won't be long.''

I imagined all sorts of horrible things and braced myself for screams of pain coming from my son. But, none came. All I heard was a calming voice talking through the cleaning and sterilization of the injury, and then on to the procedure of putting in the stitches. When all was done, I heard the doctor say, "You're all set to go, John. You've been very brave."

I sighed with relief until he went on to say, "Now, if we can just figure out how to get your mother home."

Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning 'Tween fantasy/mystery series, Cynthia’s Attic.

She is also co-writer of the humor-filled, women's lifestyle book, Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF), along with published stories,
Ghost Light and Christmas With Daisy, A Cynthia's Attic short story.

Mary Cunningham Books
Cynthia's Attic Blog
Amazon
Kindle
Quake/Echelon Press


Dragon Palace with the girls

There are days when you never want t get up. When it is so much nicer to just lie under that warm duvet, humming and continuing to dream sweet dreams...But then you realize that you have to get up, and then it's not as nice anymore. It gets even worse when you check the termometer which shows -11.5 °C...But "never mind" you tell yourself, because it just occurs to you that you're having lunch with your lovely friends that day...Thank God for those friends. ♥

We went to Dragon Palace this time...

A bit blur, but I like this picture of me and Shilan :)

Beautiful Lewar and Tarane

All in all, we spent 3 hrs and 10 min there (crazingly enough, yes), which totally made us break the record! ^^ But what can I say more than that we...talk a lot, eat a lot and laugh a lot? Hehe ^_^

My Brave Moment


It happened in this building. It was my first day in a new school. I was an awkward, chubby sixth-grader with a slight stammer. I didn't know anyone in the class and they were all staring at me. Everyone seemed to already have a best friend and they all grouped around and looked me over before the teacher entered the room. He read off the names of the class roster and assigned seats. I noticed a girl named Kathryn was absent. The teacher left a seat open for her if she came the next day. No one seemed to notice that my name was the same as the teacher's name. He was my father, but he paid no attention to me, nor did he introduce me as a new student. He told me later that he didn't want the other kids to think he favored me. Small chance of that, since he never called on me or let me do any of the special things that other teachers had always let me do.The other children had mostly been together since first grade at this rural school in southern Indiana. I felt so alone I could have cried. I wanted my old school and my old friends.
My mother, who would later open her own beauty shop in our new home, had curled my hair. I had on my very best Sunday clothes. I have never been so nervous in my life. Every eye in the room followed my every move. We said the pledge. We were given an assignment. I opened my new tablet and began to write with my new pencil. The teacher told us to stay busy, he'd be right back. He slipped from the room. closing the door. All was quiet. Again, 30 pairs of eyes watching my every move.
Suddenly, the door opened and Kathryn came in. It was her first day too, but her parents had dropped her off 30 min. late. She was skinny and dirty, with stringy hair and a dress that was way too small for her. I found out later that she was one of eleven children of a poor, welfare family who moved around from school to school as they looked for cheaper housing or got evicted. All eyes went to this strange, new girl. She faced the class and blushed. No teacher. No one said anything. I still remember feeling her pain as she stood there alone, dirty, and afraid, not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, and without any warning from myself, I sprang to my feet, pointed to the empty seat in the middle of the room and declared loudly, "That's your seat!" She smiled a little at me and hurried to her seat, ducking her head from the stares. She had no new pencil or tablet. Within a few minutes the teacher came back and it took him a few minutes to realize Kathryn had arrived. When he did, he called her up to his desk and got the vital information he needed. Maybe he gave her a pencil and paper, I don't remember. But I do remember how this frightened child saw someone who needed help more than she did. Later, the other kids accepted me and I formed lifelong friendships as we finished school and graduated together. It wasn't long until Kathryn moved away and had to do it all over again. I often wonder where she is now.
Marlis Day is the author of The Secret of Bailey's Chase and three Margo Brown Mysteries
You may visit her at her at http://wwwmarlisday.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sunshine Award

Every  now and then some enterprising person sends out an award to marvellous people in our blogging world.

The latest one is the Sunshine Award and what a lovely idea it is.  I have received mine from fellow South African and fabulous West Coast artist, Marie Theron.  I hope to connect with Marie after Easter when a group of us plan to take a painting trip to her wonderful part of our world.

I am also so thrilled and blessed to have 135 people following my little blogging patch and the first thing I would do is to pass this award on to all of you who have made my life so much richer.  So I'm breaking the rules (I think Autumn Leaves also bent them a bit), but then creative types aren't really known for being that obedient!

Please take this award with my thanks and may your days always have sunshine even when it rains.

Cuba de Ayer

I'm sure you've gone to Cuba de Ayer for lunch after all of your curling excursions.  If not, you should go!  Honestly, I wasn't sure where to dine on this outer-beltway excursion, so I did what I always do:  ask the Washington Post.  I'm not sure I've ever had Cuban food (I can hear the clucking of my Florida friends from here--I'm sorry!!!), but I've been meaning to go to Cubano's in Silver Spring for a while--it just hasn't happened yet.   

First we shared the two orders of the papa rellena and tostones rellena.  The first is a lightly breaded stuffed potato with beef filling, the second came with 3 fried green plantains, again stuffed with beef.  These were both super tasty, but J liked the papa rellena better.  If these were hors d'oeuvres at a party, I'd totally fill up on them and not bother with dinner.  


 

For lunch we mostly got sandwiches, except for one veggie platter.  The sandwiches clocked in at about $7, and they were pretty huge.  SOME people couldn't finish theirs, but I had no issue (as per usual).  Curling can really work up an appetite, people.  I enjoyed the pan con ropa vieja (shredded beef in a tomato sauce on a baguette) and I'd get it again.  We even had a carafe of the very-fruit-filled sangria--if you don't like grape juice-type sangrias, then this one isn't for you.  But we finished it.



For a quick & cheap meal Cuba de Ayer really hit the spot.  Spelling sticklers, I apologize in advance.  The menu is rife with error.

Cuba de Ayer
15446 Old Columbia Pike
Burtonsville, MD
Metro:  You gotta drive.

Cuba de Ayer on Urbanspoon
Burtonsee6

Being Brave

by Pam Ripling

I used to sew Halloween costumes. I’ve made a space suit, a Middle-Eastern get up, a harem girl, a Care Bear, Super Mario, a green crayon. A purple wizard. A gypsy, a hippie, and a pair of pink striped clowns. So I know all about stitches, buddy.

Wait. You’re talking about the other kind? The ones they sew right into your very flesh? Eww! Ouch! Nope, never had them. Guess I’ve been lucky, eh? No stitches, no broken bones. No dismemberments or gaping wounds.

Does that say something about me? Am I too cautious, hiding behind my sewing machine, behind my apron strings, behind my ebook reader?

NO. I’ve done a few courageous things in my life. Courageous to me, anyway. I went up in a hot air balloon (that fairly crash-landed.) I tried water skiing (okay, so I have weak ankles. Took a little water.) Once got up (and down, see: water skiing) on snow skis. On one particular fun and notorious vacation, I wedged a snowmobile into a barely visible pine tree. Only a few of those pine needles still remain imbedded in my forehead, but the way I comb my hair, you can hardly see them through the green hair dye.

What else. Scary. Hmm. Does being a parent count? WAY scary!!!

How about getting a book written and published? How about 7 books? Try being brave enough to tell people about those stories, and asking them to take a chance and actually buy one!?

(Ah, marketing. Don’t you just love it?)

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.


Monday, February 22, 2010

Sexy black heels

Sexy black heels, need I say more? Seriously, I've been searching and searching for decades for the perfect pair of shiny black heels...so when my lovely mami came home with this little present yesterday...Aaaw, she's the best. ♥

SEK 499 from Depache...

Actually they are a bit too big, but who cares - I love them! :P

Seeing Red



A boy called "Choppers" lived across the street from me when we were growing up. We called him Choppers because he loved to break off huge sticks and branches from trees and spin in circles. Over and over again, all summer long, you could see him spinning in his yard.

Of course I should have known better, but he always listened to me in the past. As I came down the sidewalk on my bike, I called to let him know he should stop spinning this huge branch. Either he didn't hear me, or he couldn't stop in time, but I got whacked in the face.

I saw red. Truly! Blood seeped into my eye and I could barely see to get my bike across the street. I dashed inside, bawling and hollering. Turns out he ripped my eyelid nearly off. A thin bit of skin kept it attached to my eye.

While we waited for the taxi, I gave away my favorite bookmark to my best friend. My mom had me lie down with a wet towel over my damaged eye. Crying, my friend and I told each other good bye. Mom snorted and said we'd be back in a few hours.

I ended up with stitches that looked like I had a double row of eyelashes for a while. Luckily there wasn't any nerve damage or scar left behind. Now when ever I hear or read anyone saying they saw red, I'm always reminded of that summer day and those stitches!

Warmly,
J.R. Turner

J.R. Turner is the author of the Extreme Hauntings series. The first book, DFF: Dead Friends Forever is available at Amazon.com, Kindle, Fictionwise, and Echelon Press.com

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Monday morning

Then it was Monday morning again, however, I'm not too bummed since I have one week of break ahead of me. A well nedded one, indeed.

Now I'm going to get some breakfast before I get down to today's TO-DO LIST:

1. Reschedule mydentis appointment.
(The poor dentist apparently broke her arm. :O) [x]
2. Vacuum clean the whole apartment. (To prove to mami and sis that I CAN do housework...-.-) [x]
3. Schedule lunch with Shilan and Lewar. (I heard the girl were up for some Chinese. :P) [x]
4. Show you my drop-dead-gorgeous present mami came home with yesterday. ♥ [x]

Postcard from Austin

Austin.  WOW.  What a city---it's a constant barrage of breakfast tacos and food trucks (or trailers), and both are things I love.  I want to thank EVERYONE who gave me suggestions both on and off the site for places to go in Austin--first, thanks for even taking the time to respond to my open-ended question.  Second, thanks for leading me in the right direction, as you'll see below.  I couldn't get everywhere, but I hope to go back sometime in the not-so-distant future.

I'm gonna go through the highlights of where we went, throw in the links, etc.  Mostly I'm just trying to make you hungry, possibly early in the morning at work, and then you'll have to go to the vending machine and get something nasty.  Whoops.

First we went to the Saturday 4th & Guadalupe farmer's market. Some vendors had the most adorable names, like Seriously Sourdough.  We got a pumpkin spice mini loaf (bread, not cake, which is what is ounds like) that was chewy and tasty, a-ok to sustain you for 13.1 miles.  We also got some local olive oil and balsamic, and also jams from certified-organic Gundermann Farms.


Juan in a Million: Fresh chips, very creamy guac (not full of onion/tomato/cilantro like some people like it, so beware of your own preferences, ya'll), and DAMN some fine migas.  This meal provided my introduction to migas.  I ordered huevos rancheros, which was fine, but when I tasted my friend's dish I knew I'd messed up.  I made up for it a few days later at Jo's, though, so no worries.  Migas (at least in this case) = scrambled eggs with tortilla chips in them, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese.  Dude. It sounds so simple, maybe even strange, but it's delightful!  Where oh where can I find Austin-style Tex-Mex migas in the DC area??? Anyway, there might be a wait, but JIAM is a great place.  Go for breakfast and go nuts.  We like their queso.
Juan in a Million on Urbanspoon


Saturday night we found ourselves at Annie's for a light meal at the bar.  We wanted some carbohydrates before the morning run but also something relaxed.  The restaurant was empty when we arrived, but the host informed us that we couldn't be seated because they were "all booked up for the night."  I looked around sort of puzzled, and asked if we could eat at the bar.  Several times during this trip we ate at the bar, and the hosts informing us that we a) couldn't be seated or b) had to wait at least an hour never suggested the bar option--both times we asked.  Hi, who wants to wait an hour and 20 mins if they can sit at the bar???  Not this girl!  Our pizzas (tomato, basil & mozzarella; prosciutto, arugula & parm) were yummy and perfectly personal-sized.  Maybe next time we'll actually go into Spaghetti Warehouse, instead of just laughing at the URL (meatballs dot com, ya'll).

Annie's Cafe and Bar on Urbanspoon


On Sunday afternoon we were happy to find some cheap eats at mmmpanadas, conveniently parked alongside other food trucks after the race finish.  By then the sun was warming up the city and lots of sweaty hungry people were walking (or limping) around.  It shouldn't be a surprise to you that the empanada I chose had spinach, mushroom, goat cheese, and pine nuts.  Really.  It's as if I crafted it custom-style and called it the iEatDC-panada.  I'd love to try a sweet one, like Peach Cobbler or Mango Ginger.  MMM.

If I lived in Austin I'd be following them on Twitter for sure.

So I'm not sure about your travel strategies, but we made sure to check in with our favorite Travel Channel and Food Network stars before making any plans. So if Giada loves South Congress Cafe, then by golly, so do we.  And we did.  Ya'll, the mimosas are the bomb.  And have I mentioned that they serve brunch DAILY?  As in, every single day.  I basically licked my plate after I downed the smoked brisket hash--the chipotle adobo marinade gave it a nice kick, the fingerling potatoes were awesome, and I'm all about tortillas coming with every meal.  L loved her super omelet full of fun, but the real star of her plate was the smoked gouda potato pancake.  It was unlike any latke we've had before, with a rich creaminess and a tangy jab of flavor that was truly captivating.  We ate at the bar because of the hour+ wait, and it was plenty roomy, and the service was great. 

 South Congress Cafe on Urbanspoon


Next up was Hey Cupcake!  Like "Yahoo!" with the exclamation there.  With a hilarious menu and super tasty cakes, this truck has it goin' on.  I had the Michael Jackson, a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese icing.  And as if getting a cupcake to go wasn't enough, we stopped for ice cream at Amy's.  I really wanted to try pretty much every flavor, but I had to limit myself.  I went with dark chocolate and strawberry.  They were both REALLY good. The dark chocolate wasn't as dark as I thought it would be--I was picturing the deep dark super chocolatey sorbet at Boccato.  They had a bunch of toppings and even "crunch in" situations (like blend-ins at Thomas Sweet), but I wanted to taste the flavors for what they were.  If you want a crunch in, be specific, otherwise it seems like your topping will just be...a topping.  





 Dinner time! There was a limited menu at La Condesa because of Valentine's Day, but on regular days the menu is HUGE, and the appetizers look amazing.  Along with our round of margaritas, we started with the pork croquette (crispy browned outside!), red lentil salad (::raises hand guiltily:: Yes, that's so something I'd order).


The salad was a little low on the flavor I expected, but really--salad?  I could do better.  For dinner L enjoyed the seared scallops and I had the grilled Texas quail, topped with a fried quail egg, huitlacoche (remember the diseased corn?) and ancho-spiced fig marmalade.  This dish was super delicious, and had so many things I love--eggs in my food, fruity jamminess...it was an easy pick, considering my last quail experience.  Besides some complimentary homemade marshmallows & cookies (sort of a lovechild of the Oreo and whoopie pie), we also enjoyed the chocolate-orange flan with champagne sorbet. We ordered this without the menu and L's fine palate discerned and named the champagne!  We knew there was something going on in there!


Service was super friendly (our waiter suggested we hit up Pie Slice for migas, but there was no time!), food was delightful, and the location was convenient.  And I know if I go back to La Condesa with eNJoyNJ, I know we'll be getting the huitlacoche again. 

La Condesa on Urbanspoon


Jo's is a great spot for breakfast, lunch, or whatever.  We split a migas plate and had endless mugs of coffee while being stared at by adorable babies on a Monday morning.



On to the barbecue.  When close friends make suggestions, they cannot go ignored.  Even if we need their parents to pick us up and physically bring us to the suggested place.  I'm talking about the Salt Lick.  C's fabulous family made sure that we had our fill of delicious barbecued meats and even some cobbler and ice cream.  If you don't want to go for the $14.95 All You Can Eat (at lunch), then settle on the meat plate, which is pretty much All Most Of Us Can/Should Eat.  Brisket, sausage, ribs, potato salad, cole slaw, and beans.  We also shared a side of turkey (I know, why?) but to be honest, after all the real meat, turkey just seemed goofy.  I was like, "Oh, hey turkey!  Yeah I usually like you a lot, it's just that everyone else on my plate is 10x more awesome than you. <3xoxo."  The sauce was awesome, and they sell bottles there so you can go home and get all Salt Lick on your kitchen.

Did I mentioned this joint is Bring Your Own?  Oh, we brought it.  And can we discuss the cobbler for a second?  Not the thin crumb top that you may remember from cobblers from the now-distant past, but a thick, bready, cakey, top that would be delicious (and could stand up) on its own, without the fruit!  But with the fruit it's just a double whammy of awesome.  We had half blackberry and half peach.


The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que on Urbanspoon

If you're at the Salt Lick in Driftwood, you may as well stop at Driftwood Vineyards for gifts, the view, and of course some wine tasting.  I was doing little comparisons in my head v. the Virginia wineries---the viognier seemed much sweeter at Driftwood, for example.  I'm all about going to wineries in unexpected places.

On our last morning we stopped in the Hideout Theater for a coffee, muffin, and the obligatory breakfast taco (spinach and cheese, stocked by Torchy's).  We decided it would be a great place to sit if you were looking for a super hipster boyf.  They have improv shows every single weekend all year round, according to their web site, but it was 9am, so no improv was found.  But my latte was decorative.


I'd like to also thank L for her food opinions, planning, and patience--she rules.

Happy travels, everybody.  Who's going somewhere tasty for spring break???