Via

We had the pleasure of meeting Sandy over the weekend. You may have heard a bit about her. When I moved to the District, I never imagined I would live to tell you about not one but two hurricanes. Of these two, it appears Irene last year was a bit worse. Although, Keith and I agreed we couldn't imagine staying home through something like Katrina.

This storm was quite a bit of rain, but not downpours. The rain was steady with some fierce gusts of wind every once in a while. Ultimately, we had a nice little break from life. We had comforting lazy breakfasts.

We were very fortunate and probably a little spoiled considering we never lost power, didn't have to head into work, and had plenty of groceries. Our thoughts are with all of those who not as lucky.

Did he kill her? He couldn’t have. He seems like such a nice guy. Maybe she’s still alive? Wait, maybe she really is dead. No, no. But wait…

That’s what I experienced reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Nick and Amy Dunne share the role of narrator as you learn about the fateful event of their fifth wedding anniversary and the days following it.  You learn of the friction and challenges in the marriage, but you also read of their sweet memories. It’s the twist and turns that keep you coming back for more.

Gone Girl is definitely one psychological suspense novel that will take you through a course of emotions and hold your interest once you get in about 100 pages. Don’t let the slow start discourage you. It’s completely worth the read.

I usually don’t go with the psychological suspense novels, but this one has me wanting to explore other possibilities. (Open to suggestions.)  I strongly recommend this novel especially since the weather is getting a little chilly – nothing better than snuggling up with a book, right?

I'm getting older. It pains me to confess this, but after spending Saturday night out on the town I have to accept the facts. Who knew spending a couple of hours standing would leave me feeling hung over on Sunday morning? 

Sometimes you just have to take the time to nap, catch up with friends, run errands, and make a home cooked meal. And that's what this past weekend provided us. Well, the weekend started on Friday night with ambitious plans. Andrea and I thought we could eat all of these in one night after eating deep dish pizza.

Well, the effort failed miserably. We didn't even manage to finish one apiece. Instead, there are two whole cupcakes sitting in my freezer for the night we decide to stay in. Since I kicked the weekend off in a food comma, I basically tossed the original plan of home projects out the window. Why not continue with this theme of baked goods? Good idea, right? That's why I baked some pumpkin chocolate chip bread.


Since Sunday was the first truly chilly day in the District (I don't believe we broke 60.) with the threat of rain lingering, I figured I might as well make a big pot of chili too. Looks like we'll be eating this for at least two more meals. When will I remember that you cannot make just a little bit of chili?

I think it's safe to say fall has finally made it's way to the nation's capitol. And it is glorious...the leaves are slowly starting to change, there's a chill in the air, and football has returned with the real refs. Can you tell this is my favorite time of year?

I don't know what it is about this weather, but I want to spend serious time reconnecting with my kitchen. After the extreme heat and humidity, I guess having a small galley kitchen with a window that doesn't open can do that to a girl. Tonight I skipped the gym to rush home and get a stew simmering on the stove and a pie baking in the oven.

In addition to rekindling the romance with my kitchen, I also like to spend a little quality time with my growing collection of cookbooks. Sometimes there's inspiration in those books and others I like to just eat with my eyes especially when it's one of those wonderfully photographed ones.