Pączki Day

Since moving to the Midwest, I have come to accept certain quirks. Like the fact that some people say "melk" instead of "milk". That people in my town seem to walk with no sense of urgency, but drive like a bat out of hell. That you have to turn right to make a left.

And then there are quirks that I embrace. Like the fact that it takes 15 minutes to check out at the grocery, because you get into a friendly conversation with the cashier. That I've heard Savage Garden multiple times on our local radio station. That emergency weather alerts call Eastern Michigan "the thumb" in official press releases.

And today, I embrace Pączki Day. Louisianans have a cinnamon roll with a baby inside; Michiganders have a dinner roll stuffed with jam.

No matter if you call it Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, the State of the Union, or Rivalry Week: here's hoping you found a themed confection. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, my family spent Thanksgiving in Key West. A few days in the Conch Republic was a perfect Florida Fix. I'm thankful for margaritas, live music, Hemingway cats, conch fritters and my family.

I'm also thankful: for my friends, who are spread across the country and call just to say hey. For my sweet boyfriend, who makes me laugh and can hang pictures perfectly without measuring. For everyone in Michigan being so darn friendly. And for butternut squash, coffee, blogs and you!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

The Kindness of Strangers

A pleasant reminder to be the kind of person you want to meet.

(Especially if this busy holiday weekend brings out the cranky airport passengers, the aggressive highway drivers, and the stealers of all the mashed potatoes.)

Next Stop: Michigan

(Print by Friends of Type, via the 50/50 Project)

Hello, America!  We are home safe and malaria-free!  I held a koala, pet a kangaroo and rode an elephant - and can thus die happy.

I took 3,000 photos ("Oh, that's all?") and am almost done sorting them.  However, that's been put on the back burner because...I'm moving to Michigan!

If you've ever lived in Ann Arbor, I am taking recommendations.  Namely, where to find the best cupcakes, good places to run...and how exactly to salt a sidewalk.

Wanderlust

(the back of my car)

Tomorrow, I board a plane and travel for 2 months on what others have called our "Grand Adventure".

And I'm not the only one.  My friend group in DC has hit this four year mark - people are going to grad school, moving cities, changing apartments, switching jobs, getting married.  It's like there was some internal clock counting down to change.  It was a different change for all of us, but a growth opportunity nonetheless.

The last month has been a whirlwind of vaccines, visas, foreign transaction fees, subletters, moving boxes, travel books, google calendars and goodbye meals.
I'll pop in here when I can, and update our shenanigans on Instagram.

Boyfriend has his travel buzz cut.  I've said goodbye to potable water.  We've got seven outfits and a portable pharmacy stuffed in our backpacks.  I can't believe this is happening.

Keep your fingers crossed for us...we're off!

If you've been to Australia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia or Singapore, please let us know if you've got any recommendations!

Cherry Blossoms

Nothing says "resting after a half marathon" like more exercise. On Sunday, Andrew and I rented bikes and rode to the Tidal Basin.

The Cherry Blossoms are budding, winter is officially gone.

13.1 & Guinness

This weekend was the DC Rock and Roll half marathon. It was my first half, and I had a blast. Good company, live bands at every mile and so much crowd support. Plus, we earned back our calories with Good Stuff burgers, outdoor Guinness's and some very entertaining late-night karaoke.

Erin go bragh.  Here's hoping you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, full of soda bread and beer.

Happy Pi Day!

I have been home sick with the whooping cough.  Which means I spend my days drinking tea, watching re-runs of Friends and turning everything into a soup.

But then I remembered that today is March 14.

March 14 = 3.14 = Pi = PIE

There is no better way to celebrate a mathematical constant than with sugar and crust.

March 14 Mini Pies
(Recipe adapted from ZoomYummy and Not Martha)

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Assorted fruit (apple, blueberries, raspberries, mixed berry)
Pillsbury pie crusts (unless you're not lazy like me, and then you can make it yo'self)
Eggwash

Chop the apples, set aside. Mash the berries by type and drain the excess liquid, set aside.

Add the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch in a medium bowl until combined. Then, stir the butter into the mixture.

Combine 1/4 of the pie mixture with each type of fruit. Stir to mix.

Cut circles from the dough with the top of a glass. Spray a muffin tray with baking spray, and push a circle of dough into each tin. Fill with fruit mixture. Cover with another circle (or lattice top), making sure to include slits for air. Brush eggwash over top the crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops begin to brown. Let the pies cool for 30 minutes, impatiently tapping your fingers on the counter until they're ready.

Hum "sec tan cos sin 3.14159." Oh, math.

Lemon Water

I have a lot of Lemon Love. It has vitamin c, boosts your immune system, detoxifies your liver and aids in digestion. Boom.

I've been drinking warm lemon water in the morning. Just water, the juice of half a lemon and a straw. (Gotta save those pearly whites.)

Antioxidants. And it my makes the kitchen smells awesome.

Rain + Soup

I'm avoiding the rain with miso soup.

And hydrating for my training run tomorrow.

And doing my laundry.

 

Crazy Friday night over here.

Happy Weekend!