PAUL Bakery

In honor of Bastille Day today, I am writing to you about an amazing French bakery that has made its way to DC.  Now when I say French bakery, I legitimately mean French bakery.  It's the real deal.  PAUL bakeries can be found all over the U.K. in France and London, and now, they are right here in the U.S., with three locations in our nation's capital!  I was excited when I heard they were bringing this fine establishment to my neighborhood of Georgetown.

Halcyon Bangles

On a recent trip to Bermuda, we stumbled across these wonderfully vibrant enamel bangles.

Halcyon is a well-established brand synonymous with prestige in Great Britain. They are widely known for their enamel keepsake boxes, which have been a collector's item since the 1950s. Halcyon has been appointed three royal warrants by her majesty, the Queen, which means that they are an actual supplier of these goods to the royal family itself.  While this may be partly the reason for so many collectors, it's also a testament to the true quality of the product itself.

Pimm's Cup

Being that it is the oldest tennis tournament around, it's no surprise that Wimbledon draws tennis fans from all over the world.  Whether a fan of the sport is lucky enough to be at the actual grass courts in London, or is just watching the championship matches from the comfort of their own home, there are the traditional Wimbledon indulgences for the spectators to enjoy, and one of those would be the Pimm's Cup.

Pimm's, or more specifically Pimm's No. 1, is a gin based liquor proudly produced in Great Britain since 1840.  Hence, it is only fitting that one of London's oldest gins became the drink at one of London's oldest matches.

I have found that there are many different varieties to making a Pimm's Cup.  Some bartenders like to use sprite, some soda, some lemonade.  I prefer the latter and like to keep it nice and simple:

Ingredients:
2.5 ounces Pimm's No. 1
5 ounces of Lemonade
Lemon Wedge
Highball packed with ice

Serving Size: 1 delicious, refreshing, and tasty beverage

Mortar and Pestle

There is an on-going debate as to the initial birth date of the Mortar and Pestle; we do know it dates back thousands of years to the time of BC.  But nevertheless, from their first beginnings way back when to this very day, these wonderful artifacts continue to serve their initial purpose.

Here are my M&Ps, one of which we received as a gift for our wedding and the other we purchased shortly thereafter falling in love with the first one:

Bossypants

I just finished reading Bossypants and let me tell you, it is classic Tina Fey.  If you like Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, and the Saturday Night Live crew, both present and old, then you will enjoy this hilarious book rightly named Bossypants.  Tina Fey is her usual self, poking fun at everything and anything, including of course Tina Fey most of the time (as to be expected for those that watch 30 Rock).

The book itself is a journey with Tina from her theatric high school beginnings in eastern Pennsylvania, on to life in Chicago at Second City, and then landing at SNL in the Big Apple.  Finally, the book provides a look into a current day in the life of Tina Fey, inclusive of her own show, in which she writes, stars, and produces, and all the while with a little one in tow.  Phew, it's exhausting just typing that, but like many females in the 21st century, she's a wonder woman that seems to do it all.

Chicken Parm

After those long workdays when we're just craving some nostalgic comfort food, this has become our go to dish.  Everyone seems to have their own take on Chicken Parm; I grew up with a Mom's version and a Dad's version.  The recipe below is a twist on your more traditional Chicken Parmesan.  Here, I've reduced time, ingredients, associated cookware, and cost; it's a healthy at home alternative.  I hope this will become a staple in your household, too!

Ingredients:
2 Organic Chicken Breasts
4 ounces fresh pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)
1 15-oz can Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Olive Oil spray
Garlic Powder, Basil, Oregano, Salt, all as desired

Serving Size for 2

Directions:

1)  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees or Broil.

2)  Lightly spray a medium sized oven-safe fry pan with the olive oil and place on the stovetop.

3)  Place the breadcrumbs on a plate and season to your liking.  If you've bought already seasoned breadcrumbs, great; otherwise, add about a teaspoon of your favorite Italian seasonings - garlic powder, oregano, basil.

NOLA Eats

NOLA, the nickname for the southern city of New Orleans, Louisiana, is all about indulgence.  Yes, there are museums, and shops, and other things to see and do, but let's face it, most of us are there to eat and drink.  On and off Bourbon Street in the French Quarter there are a number of places to do just that.  Here are some of my favorites:

Acme Oyster House (724 Iberville Street, just off Bourbon Street) - Classic for Oysters and Po Boys.  There will be a line that forms outside, but it moves sort of quickly, and you can drink while you wait.  NOLA is very "drink on the streets" friendly, so grab a cold one before getting in line.  If Acme is just too packed, there is Felix's across the street, which I hear has a mean Po Boys as well.

Jim's Cheesesteaks

Recently we found ourselves in Center City Philadelphia for a wonderful wedding at the College of Physicians, which is a coolly unique museum and garden if you have time to spare. But, you cannot go to Philadelphia without visiting one of the classic cheese steak hot spots. Upon an earlier visit to the city of Philadelphia, my husband not only visited Geno's for a cheese steak, but then also went across the street to Pat's for a second fix. He declared that he had to give both a fair shot at his taste buds. I watched excitedly from the sidelines, satisfactorily full after the first cheese steak went down the hatch. Needless to say, I don't know if he was able to eat anything else for the rest of the day because he was so full, but it was well worth it! Those two are classic joints.

These days we find ourselves going back to Jim's Cheesesteaks on South Street. Jim's does it just right. The roll is soft and fresh and just the right size. The cook behind the counter knows just how much steak to accompany the cheese, onions, peppers, etc. I usually go with the steak and provolone, while most still swear by the whiz. Sometimes I go with onions, maybe I'll add peppers, but you can't go wrong with just the steak and cheese. Classic.

Toms

What first attracted me to buying a pair of these very unique looking shoes was not necessarily the fashion of the shoe itself, but the "one for one" campaign behind it all. In 2006 on a trip to Argentina, a 30-year old by the name of Blake Mycoskie saw a need. Children were walking the streets barefoot, unknowingly putting their health and safety at risk. Some of these children were walking more in a single given day than you or I would in a week, and this was without shoes. Blake, without any sort of shoe making or cobbling in his background, had a blindsided vision to make the impossible possible. He was going to change things. He was going to give these children shoes.

The one for one campaign means that for every one pair of shoes that you buy, Toms will give one pair to a child in need. Not knowing whether or not this idea would conceptualize, Blake did what many successful entrepreneurs have done; he went for it. What started as a strong-hearted mission to fill the gap has now grown into a movement worldwide. Shoes are now given to children in over twenty various developing countries around the world. As of September 2010, Toms had given more than 1 million shoes to those in need.

Tips to Cutting Basil

Fresh Basil is one of those lovely additions to almost any dish.  While some herbs tend to have a stronger flavor, and don't always match up as a pleaser to every one's taste palate (i.e. cilantro, thyme, rosemary, etc.), I have yet to meet someone that doesn't like the joy of fresh basil.  And somewhere along the line, I picked up the trick to cutting these Basil ribbons:

Find the two biggest basil leaves and set them aside.  Take the remaining leaves and stack them, one on top of another.  Sandwich those leaves in between the two bigger pieces.

Martin's Tavern

While DC can be a very transient city, with a melting pot of people that come and go year after year, Martin's Tavern delightfully remains unchanged.  Located on the corner of N and Wisconsin in the heart of Georgetown, we've been frequenting Martin's since our introductory summer internships, and we don't plan to stop this habit anytime soon.

Originally co-founded in 1933 by Billy S. Martin and his son, Billy G. Martin, the tavern was then passed along to Billy A. Martin, and today's owner, Billy A. Martin, Jr.  Suffice to say, it's a Billy Martin establishment.

Bermuda

My husband and I went to Bermuda for the first time on our honeymoon. We loved it so much that we went back that next year for our anniversary, and every anniversary thereafter we have always had the debate as to whether or not we would splurge on another trip to the lovely island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I am happy to say that come our anniversary this year, we are going back!

Long Bay at Cambridge Beaches

Bermuda was founded by accident, but what a lucky accident it was. In 1609 a fleet of ships set sail from England with an intention to dock in Jamestown, VA, but during the journey, the fleet was sent asunder by a dreadful storm at sea. Be it fate, or luck, all 150 passengers aboard the flailing ship made it onshore without the loss of a single life. Nowadays that can be taken as quite ironic since the island of Bermuda is the top point of what outlines the Bermuda triangle, an infamous area of the Atlantic Ocean known for the disappearance of those that brave to venture into the region. Ultimately, the British presence of the early inhabitants can be still felt throughout the island today, and is visible in the territory's flag:

Which brings us to the Bermuda shorts. Yes, people do, to this day, wear Bermuda shorts with tall socks. Where did this come from and why do they do it? Well, the British began to use this newly discovered island as a vacation destination due to its continually satisfactory climate, as opposed to the common seasonal rains found in England. But, as they started to vacation in Bermuda, this was still at a time where men were not supposed to show their bare legs, but it was too hot to walk around all day in pants. So, they cleverly cropped their pants to a knee length, and then pulled up their trouser socks to cover the bare portion. The look is then finished with a sports coat and tie. It was, and still is, considered suitable attire for a male in a Bermudian's professional or fine dining environment.