The Spies at Union Market

On our recent stay-cation we took a day and went to DC. Our first stop was the Spy Museum which was pretty cool and very interesting. It definitely makes you look at people differently.  I mean, how many people do you walk by every day that could be spies?! Who knows?! At any rate, all that spying made us hungry.

spy book

Bond...James Bond

 So afterwards we went to lunch at Union Market. So many vendors to choose from with lots of tastiness. As much as we like trying all different kinds of ethnic foods or unique foods, we were drawn to the smoky aromas of some good ol' Southern barbecue! We split a meal of brisket with two kinds of sauce, and a bowl of baked beans.

The brisket was sweet and tender and juicy! And the beans were unlike any other baked beans I've ever had. There was a mixture of several types of beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices. I'm generally a little picky about the kinds of beans I like to eat and when I order baked beans, I expect the traditional variety. However, these were pretty darn tasty! I would eat those over and over! Delish!

ninja at the Spy Museum

authors who were spies!

Next we decided to try some empanadas. DC Empanadas actually has a food truck as well as kiosk here at Union Market. We've eaten at their food truck before so we already knew these would be yummy. We got one cheese one and one beef one. The cheese one, also known as Speedy Gonzalez, was nice and gooey and salty with a mixture of 3 kinds of cheese: queso blanco, asadero, and mozzarella. The beef one, called El Toro, had chipotle seasoning, onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, blakc beans, and corn. A little spicy, a little cheesy, very savory.

Can't wait to go back to Union Market in the fall to celebrate the Crafty Bastards craft show!

Whew!...I'm SEW tired!!

Its been a crazy busy couple of months around our household.  My sister-in-law, Gwen, and I started our own crafting business this year on Etsy called Gray Kitty Boutique (check us out on Facebook!!!).  She does crocheting and I sew and most of our products are accessory-type items...hats, scarves, bags, aprons, headbands...While Etsy's site is nice and has lots of cool stuff, as a crafter its easy to get lost in the sea of crafters there.  We decided to hit a few local craft fairs when fall came around to try to get our name out and about town.  We did one in September and one today, even visited another to get some ideas a few weeks ago, and are hoping to do a couple more for the holidays.  All those craft fairs means I've been sewing my fingers to the bone in my own home-made sweatshop in my dining room. 

As a result of all this crafting, my house is a wreck (though Superking graciously cleaned the kitchen while I was gone today as a sweet surprise for me!! So many kisses to him for that!) and I haven't had much time for many food adventures or food blogging. But I do have a couple food stories lines up for you that I'd like to share.

Cotton Monster

me talking to Etsy lady

The one craft show we only visited was in DC (of course) and it was called the Crafty Bastards.  Gotta love that name! It was located in Adams Morgan and we decided to go early and have breakfast somewhere nearby.  We chose The Diner, a place that serves breakfast 24 hours a day! And even at 8am on a Saturday morning, it was bustling with people.

We started with drinks - a coffee and a hot chocolate.  The hot chocolate even came in a fancy glass.  It was topped with whipped cream which melted very quickly.  A nice chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.

We kept our meals simple with egg sandwiches. I had an egg and cheese sandwich with chicken sausage and cheddar cheese served with a side of home fries.

Superking had a Croque and Dagger...basically a fancy egg sandwich with bacon, gruyere cheese, and bechamel sauce on a French loaf, also served with home fries.

The food was simple but good and warming to the tummy on what turned out to be a very chilly rainy day and the atmosphere, though busy was warm and friendly.  It seemed like a cozy place to go for a midnight snack run! And the Crafty Bastards craft fair was a lot of fun.  So many talented crafters there that gave us many ideas for Gray Kitty Boutique.  Can't wait to put those ideas into action!

a knit slug

books as purses

pretty pillows

Chirp and Bloom...pretty baby items

Rogue Theory pouches

apron skirts with cupcake pockets

Running, Sewing, and Hot Stuff

Yes, I'm still here. I apologize its been over a week since I've blogged. But I've had good reason.  Theres been a lot going on.  And not all of it is related to food.

me and sister-in-law Gwen after the race all tired and sweaty

First of all, I just ran my first 10K race this past Sunday.  It was in Leesburg VA (a 10K/20K)and it was a great route through a little bit of the countryside part of Leesburg.  It was hard though. I trained for ten weeks and at times wondered how in the world was I supposed to run 6.2 miles.  I'm more of a walker/runner though so the walking helped break it up a bit.  The weather was great for an August run, starting at 7:30am, it was cloudy, not too hot or humid, and we even had a little rain which was cool and refreshing in the middle of the race! 

Gwen and Superking waiting for Matt to finish 20k

here comes Matt!

At home, I had been averaging about 15 minute miles and figured I could complete the 10K in about an hour and a half. In the actual race, I ended up doing about 13 minute miles (the first mile I even finished in 12:50) and completed the race in 1 hour, 22 minutes. I was very happy with those times!  I couldn't walk the next day because my hips and muscles were sore, but it was worth it! It was hard work but it was such a great feeling of accomplishment when it was done! It was also nice being able to run with my brother-in-law, Matt (who did the 20K part), his wife Gwen, and Gwen's sister, Erin.

even an 86 year old WWII vet finished the 10k carrying an American flag!!

The second big thing going on with me right now is that my sister-in-law Gwen and I have been trying to start our own crafting business, called Gray Kitty Boutique (check out our facebook page...).  We began our shop on Etsy earlier this year and now that fall is around the corner we're going to try our hand at some local craft shows.  So I'm sewing like crazy and trying to learn some business stuff too that will help promote our business.

here's a reversible beach bag I made using some fabric and a shower curtain!

heres the reversed side!

and an apron with a cute recipe print

So I haven't had many food adventures recently or much time for blogging but I've got a few food stories on the horizon that I can't wait to share with you. Before I go, I will leave you with a few food photos to hold you over till the next blog post...

Hot Stuff...

remember these ghost peppers we got from the farmers market?

like the hottest pepper ever

Superking about to eat one...

Don't make me do it!!

Danger!! Toxic!!

Better on a pizza with cheese and red onion

Cooking the pepper and having it with cheese and other flavors does help lessen the heat to some degree

but just in case, here's a bottle of milk for emergencies!

taking the first bite...

not as hot as expected but hot enough to need the milk!

Don't try this at home!! This stunt is only for professionals!!

Ruby Woo and I are friends!

So this is totally not food related at all but I wanted to share.  My friends at Ruby Woo, a fashion blog, asked me to do a guest post while they are out of town.  I was so excited and honored!

But what, may you ask, could a food blogger contribute to a fashion blog? Even though food is one of main passions, it is not my only passion. I also enjoy many different crafts, including sewing. My guest post at Ruby Woo was about a recent craft project I did for my bedroom.  Check it out for Saturday April 30.