FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Not Ideal… Not Ideal At All

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Simply put, today was terrible.  Like 9 hours of back to back meetings and thinking that you have the chicken pox terrible.  What?  Chicken pox?  Yes… Chicken Pox.  Never had ’em.  But more realistic than pox was probably the woody photo shoot from Saturday.

Apparently I was attacked by something from the nature world.  So it looks as though I’m neither athletic nor outdoorsy.  Thank goodness for being cook-y and crafty, right?  Oh, and Calagel, thank goodness for that, too.  I put my label reading skills to the test to find which product had the most of everything relief related.  Calagel won and it worked.  Highly recommend the stuff.  Saved my life.

When I got back to the hotel, I placed a delivery order with Urban Thai, knowing they already had my address on file.  Yum tofu and supposed-to-be vegetarian pad thai.  Here’s to hoping my leper-ness goes away before my weekend with Emily!!!

Are you the one that always gets bitten in a crowd or are you the luckier sort that leaves the nature scene bite free?

Special Treatment

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I’ve  posted up at the same Crystal City hotel spot frequently enough to know the lay of the land, but not long enough to stop thinking that Crystal City is a goofy name.  Don’t you think Crystal City should look like the picture below and not the picture above?

photo source

Crystal City… Emerald City…  Potayto, Potahto.

And since I’ve crossed the line of feeling familiar, I braved walking the dusk streets rather than ordering delivery.  This was a big step for me.  I’m afraid of the dark.  Like… more afraid than any little kid you know.

I read every street-side menu and finally decided on one of the seven Italian restaurants on the strip: Cucina Vivace.  The chilled tomato and roasted pepper soup and linguine with olive oil, spinach, and herbs caught my attention.

I could have done without the soup, it was a little chunkified for my liking, but the pasta was super fresh, delicate, and well seasoned.  I felt really terrible leaving my leftovers but, like I told the waiter (who thought my flashy camera was an indicator that I was important), leftovers and hotel rooms don’t quite mix.

Have you ever noticed a difference in restaurant service when you’re with camera as opposed to without?

A Flowery Day

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The main mission I had today was to buy this candle and stock up on other, less fun, household nonsense before heading to D.Sizzle.  I was certain I wanted the blue jar, but spotted the red jar in the dressing room, and shortly thereafter was directed by the dressing room attendant to the pink jar.

Once I smelled the pink jar it was a done deal – I’m a sucker for jasmine (or honeysuckle) anything.  Seriously, N-E-THING!  And I must have been in an ultra flowery mood this afternoon because I even bought the Tofutti Chocolate Covered Flowers during my last stop at Rollin’ Oats, which are so super yum by the way.

When I got home, I unpacked the flowery goods and whipped up a pseudo homemade dinner: macrobiotic Shanghai dumplings and quick kale soup.

Side note: I read some pretty terrible reviews on the flower pops but, like I said, I thought they were delicious.  It makes me think you either like flowery desserts or you don’t.

Are you a fan of flowery flavors in food?

A Labor Day Morning

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By the looks of my Cafe Brazil coffee stash it doesn’t seem as though I’ve been longing for my Dallas days lately – holy icicles!  Perhaps I’ve been distracted with thoughts of LA, continuous DC work trips, or more likely, the coffee was buried so deeply in my freezer that I forgot it was even there.

Neglected coffee means neglected percolator.  I’m sorry percolator.

I made a conscious effort to eat a simple and lovely meal at home this morning as I’ll be at the airport bright and early tomorrow and then in DC for the following seven mornings.  Seven mornings with disposable coffee cups, seven mornings with questionable breakfasts.

I combatted the potential ‘woe is me’ moment with over medium eggs on sprouted wheat toast and piping hot cup of Joe.

I packed the remaining HLS bars with hopes that having an alternative to office pastries and muffins will aid in my survival for the next seven mornings.

Have any tips for healthy habits during an extended work trip?

Wish me luck!!