Old Town Home

Friday, March 23, 2012

Lately Even Our To Do Lists Have To Do Lists

Posted by Alex

Comments 10

I think we've all been there. If you haven't, count yourself lucky. What am I talking about? I'm talking about those times when you feel like you've got so much going on that you can't keep your head on straight.

We've reached a point in our lives and home renovation where we have several big and small projects going on at the same time. We're also swamped at work, have lots of stuff we want to do with friends, have vacations we want to take, things we want to do, movies and TV we want to watch...and it all starts to add up. Oh, did I mention, we have this little blog we want to work on too?

Are you sure there are 24 hours in a day? It feels like there are maybe only 12, but I'd prefer it if there were 48, and I didn't have to sleep anymore. Yeah, then I'd get all my stuff done.

So what happens now? We have too much to accomplish in too little time. Worse yet, there aren't a lot of things we don't want to move on. What gives?

Yes, yes, I'm using this blog post as my chance to vent and complain just a bit. Oh, woe is me, I have no time. I'm sure all the parents will say "Been there, done that." I'm also sure that many people are thinking, "Yeah buddy, join the club...I have vacations I want to take too." But this isn't just about complaining, it's about setting out to do something about it.

Because of these wonderful "day job" restrictions, my extracuriculars begin to suffer. At about this point in the process, Wendy and I start bickering a bit more around the house due to our limited time, but we also tend to get a lot accomplished. We just need a good game plan to get us jump started, and to me, a good game plan means a good list. Last night Wendy and I took a few minutes to come up with a short and long term list. More importantly, we're putting deadlines on the list. As aa software developer, I need deadlines, otherwise everything will stretch on in perpetuity. Here's an example of what we ended up with:

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes: Even Better Than the Drink

Posted by Wendy

Comments 4

Last weekend we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with early morning beers and an evening housewarming party with our friends. Since these friends are self proclaimed fans of my cupcake prowess, and it was St. Patrick's day, I decided to bring a special dessert to the party.

During last week's Pinterest Challenge I browsed through many of the nearly 700 submitted projects. One of the submissions that caught my eye and looked simply wonderful was a recipe for Irish Car Bomb cupcakes (along with her original source).

The thing is, until the week before the party, I had never experienced the drink known as an Irish Car Bomb. And coincidentally, the same friends who were hosting the housewarming party had been the ones to initiate me when we were out with them at a local bar. They ordered a "Car Bomb" for me and I nervously gave it a try. I'm not a big shots or chugging type of person, so it could have gone either way. Well, it turns out it's not that bad at all. In fact, I'm a fan. I figured there was no better way to repay the favor than to bring cupcakes inspired by the drink to their housewarming party.

If you're not familiar, an Irish Car Bomb is a glass of Guiness that has a shot of 1/2 Jameson, 1/2 Baileys dropped into it. As the drinker of the drink, it's your responsibility to then drink the whole thing as quickly as possible. When they say "drink responsibly," I think they are talking about making sure you don't spill.

Similar to the beverage, an Irish Car Bomb cupcake is a combination of the alcoholic beverages found in the drink, but baked into a cupcake. It is also necessary to consume it as quickly as possible.

There are actually a ton of recipes all over the Internet for these cupcakes, but If you're interested in the recipe I used, you can find it on NicoleLitton.com (and she picked it up from Quick Feet, Good Eats). If you enjoy this recipe and you'd like some more specifics of how others have made them, be sure to check out both of these great blogs.

After our early morning St. Patrick's Day fun, I took a nap and sent Alex on a grocery store run to pick up the necessary ingredients for the cupcakes. We also had to borrow the necessary alcohol from our friends across the street, since we didn't have any on hand. Lucky for us, their liquor cabinet is very well stocked. Also lucky for us, Alex grabbed the last four cans of Guinness in the entire grocery store. It was a St. Patrick's miracle.

Ingredients

Guinness Cupcake Mix

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup light sour cream

Chocolate Jameson Ganache

8 oz or 1 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate bar or chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8-9 teaspoons Jameson whiskey

Baileys Buttercream Frosting

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners/powdered sugar
7 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
Green food coloring (optional)

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Open Housing: Colonial Character in a Small Package

Posted by Alex

Comments 9

Throughout its historic district, Old Town has several pockets of homes and buildings that define the age or style for a given block. Though each area has its fair share of houses from the 18th, 19th, and 20th century, the rule of thumb is simple -- the closer you get to the Potomac in the blocks surrounding King, Prince, and Duke Streets, the better the chance the houses are older.

This weekend we were excited to see a home on the market in the 100 block of Wolfe St. This block is full of quaint homes built in the late 18th and early 19th century. They were largely built as modest homes for sailors working in Alexandria's bustling port, so they are by no means large like our Open Housing subject of last week. Though not large, they have a certain charm and colonial comfort to them that makes them all very livable.

This particular home is no exception. The exterior of the home has some great curb appeal. The house was built within a row of four similar houses, all differentiated by their exterior colors.

Though very small at first glance, this house is actually three bedrooms with two full and one half baths. Every bit of space is efficiently used and the end result is a nearly 1,800 square foot living area that all seems very well maintained.

When you enter the home, you walk directly into the house's main living area. For a small home built around 1790, the first floor felt very functional and open. No doubt there was once a wall in place that made the first floor into a two room setup, but that wall has long since been removed. Though I tend to dislike when walls get removed, sometimes it's necessary to make a home into "your" home. I get that.

The front two rooms are set up as a living room and dining room, and both have an original working fireplace. As you can see from the fireplace mantels, this home wasn't an ornate or overly embellished home, it was a simple and utilitarian home of a working class family.

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A Century Celebration of Cherry Blossoms

Posted by Alex

Comments 10

When we moved to Washington DC in 2000, Wendy and I knew we were moving to an area rich in tradition, history and culture. We grew up in an area where we had an annual fair or festival that we might celebrate with our friends and neighbors, or family traditions that we took part in every year, but there were very few events that people from all over the country or even the world would flock to in Cleveland on an annual basis.

Upon our arrival, we vowed to be more than just residents of the city, but to also enjoy the things and events that make Washington, DC and its metro area a tourist destination.

One of the annual traditions we have grown to love is the springtime bloom of the Japanese Cherry Blossoms around the tidal basin and National Mall.

Yesterday on my way to work, I played tourist in my own town. Rather than take my usual route, I hopped off the bus early for a slow stroll to take in the sights of this year's centennial bloom. I took a whole bunch of photos and want to share them, as well as some of my sightseeing tips, with you.

This year marks an extra special milestone in the tradition of this yearly bloom as it's the 100th anniversary of the gift of a number of cherry blossom trees from the Japanese Emperor.

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Monday, March 19, 2012

Suh-weet! Homemade Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Posted by Wendy

Comments 23

Frequent readers may know that Alex and I love a good vegetable, as is evident from our roasted veggie challenge. We also make significant efforts to try to eat healthy ourselves, but this effort extends beyond our own food choices. When our dog Oliver was diagnosed with cancer, we learned a lot about the undesirable ingredients that are oftentimes added to many pet foods and treats. In our efforts to provide the healthiest food we could for Oliver, we started home cooking his meals so his body could better fight the cancer. From that experience, we decided to put a lot of emphasis on making sure our four legged family members are eating as well as we are. Their health is our responsibility and we want to do what we can to ensure they are eating good food that's good for them.

Recently Lulu was put on a special diet by our vet in an attempt to fight her chronic ear infections. These infections are caused by her tiny ear canals and little shar pei ears that don't allow for proper air flow. We love her little ears since they make her so incredibly cute, but they sure are a pain in this sense. Her current diet consists of fish, sweet potato, and veggie mix. This means no other protein or carbohydrate sources, no raw hides, and no manufactured treats. We've had to get creative in terms of how to keep her interested in her food, and how to reward her with goodies that comply with her new diet.

Lucky for us, she LOVES vegetables as much as we do. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and lettuce top the list, but she'll eat pretty much any vegetable except for green beans. (Oliver would be disappointed in her as these were his favorite.)

Think we're kidding about Lulu's veggie obsession? Here she is, sneaking a bite or two of Brussels sprouts stalks, even before we can unpack the grocery bag.

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