Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Farmer's Market

Saturday, I decided to hit up the local farmers market with my friend Meg for the last time. I went in determined to buy some different vegetables than I normally would. We got there and went straight to the Anastasia Kitchen booth and got sweet potato and black bean burritos which were awesome! Then we walked around, and just kinda looked at what was there. I ended up buying quite a few things, and Sunday I did my first round of cooking with my farmers market items.

Pretty peppers, and a red/purple onion.


Apparently these are Asian eggplants. They are supposed to have less seeds in them. 


A beet!


Goat cheese!


5 beautiful peaches.


Delicious Garlic and Rosemary Foccacia bread from Maria's Bakery

I decided to make roasted peaches with goat cheese, honey, and toasted hazelnuts. It came out pretty well. However, I did have a couple mishaps. First, I totally burned my first batch of hazelnuts, and secondly, the goat cheese I used was not as soft as I would have liked. Therefore, I am going to try this again with a softer goat cheese. It was really good though!



I also made a delicious roasted beet, peach, and goat cheese salad. I have come to adore roasted beet, and really should come up with more uses for it!

That concludes my farmers market adventures. I am still looking for something to make with my eggplant. I just haven't narrowed down the perfect item. And in other news I move out of my home for 3 years, in just under a week and a half. I can't believe it, and I'm going to miss it so much!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The District

Well it's been a few weeks since my trip to The District also known as Washington D.C. I really had a great time although it was a whirlwind trip filled with business and not much pleasure. My Dad flew us up there and we spent 3 days traipsing around D.C., Maryland, and Virginia looking at the school, apartment hunting, and airplane business. I did find an apartment, and recently found out that I did get it! I was really nervous that I wouldn't be able to secure an apartment in my price range, but I was successful. Another bonus is that it is about a 10-15 minute walk to a Metro station. So I will have easy access to and from school. There is also a bus that will take me tot he station if I don't feel like walking.
So the main purpose of my trip was to find an apartment and see GWU. However Dad and I also got to go to the National Air and Space Museum on Sunday night when we got there. During the summer months some of the Smithsonian's are kept open a little later to account for the tourists and such. I really enjoyed the exhibits and I think my Dad did as well. After we left the museum we took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol building, while heading back to the Metro Station.


The next day, we were able to take a tour of the GWU Foggy Bottom campus, which is just a few blocks from the White House! The campus is huge compared to Flagler, and walking around I totally fell in love with it. Below are some pictures I took of the campus. 


The 7 story library! I'm sure I will know every inch of it soon!


24-hour Starbucks on the 1st floor of the library. 



The Women's Studies Department building. This house has a great story behind it!


John Quincy Adam's House, He was one of the original founders/financial contributors to the college.


I look disporportionally short in this picture, but this is where the main admissions office is located. I think it is also the official address for the college as well. 



In honor of Mr. Washington himself, these are on the four main boarding corners of the campus, and they look out onto the city. 


The GWU Bookstore. There are three levels, enough said. 


Campus map, they are posted around campus on the street. I can't believe I'm going to a school so big they have maps on the sidewalks. 


Oh the Hippo. The unofficial mascot of GWU. I'm kinda in love with how ridiculous it is.

That pretty much sums up my whirlwind trip to the District. While we were there, we were able to meet up with my cousin and her fiancee which was really cool, as I had not met him yet. I am so excited to begin my journey in the big city. The countdown is on, and we will be on our way in 21 days! I only have 3 shifts left at lovely Panera, and then we will see what kind of wonderful jobs await me in the big city.