Threadless T's

So I came across this website for Threadless T-Shirts the other day. I thought their shirts were clever, so I've posted a few of them below.


MP3


Summer Job


You Sank My Battleship


Robot Dance Contest


Heavy Metal




Dog Fight


Lemon-Aid


Make Love Not War


Skip Dessert



There are tons more on their website- I thought these were enough to give you an idea for what they've got. You can buy their T-Shirts, hoodies, posters and more either online or at their store in Chicago.

Maybe you can say Carlin's 'Seven Dirty Words' on TV in heaven

George Carlin has passed away. The legendary comedian was admitted to Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday and died later that evening of heart failure. Carlin had a history of heart problems and drug dependancy. He was 71 years old.



From the New York Times: "George Carlin, the Grammy-Award winning standup comedian and actor who was hailed for his irreverent social commentary, poignant observations of the absurdities of everyday life and language, and groundbreaking routines like “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” died in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He was 71."



Here is his obit and some photos the New York Times put together of his life.

Very big news about a teeny tiny development

I got a call today from a certain southern couple who had some very big news to share!

Since this is not their blog, and I don't know who they've told- I'm just going to write that we are so excited and thrilled for you, and can't wait to see you in September!

Fathers' Day Weekend 2008

This weekend we headed north for Fathers' Day.

We had originally planned to spend the whole weekend with our dads, but David had to work on Saturday, so we ended up driving to New Jersey later that afternoon. A bit later than expected, we arrived in time for Fran’s home-made chicken parm dinner. (Delish!)

Afterwards, David and his dad relaxed and watched the Yankee game at home while Fran and I had a ladies night out. She took me to see Movin’ Out at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.



NJPAC is gorgeous, and before the show we enjoyed cocktails while Fran showed me around the building. Now, anyone who know me is aware that I am a HUGE Billy Joel fan, so 2 hours of listening to his music is always a good time- but I think I was a little thrown by my expectations. I was so excited, but was expecting something similar to Mamma Mia (a pop musical with dialogue) and got more of a rock ballet instead. Not a bad thing, at all- just not what I thought it was going to be.



During the show, all the vocals are performed (quite well I must add) by a pianist and band suspended on a platform above the stage while the dancers act out the narrative. Twyla Tharp directed and choreographed this show and I really love her work as well- so once I adjusted to the idea of the musical, I had a great night. The dancers are so athletic and graceful. The show had a creative storyline, wonderful dancing and of course, the great music- I had so much fun!

On Father’s Day we slept in a bit. I watched Meet the Press (so sad) while David and Dov started cooking. Then we cleared off the deck and took a few pictures before Dad and Leslie arrived.




the chefs at work





We had a really nice afternoon- we enjoyed some cheeses dad had brought over from Murray’s Cheese Shop. One of New York's oldest and best cheese shops, it has been around since 1940, and sells over 250 different varieties of cheese. Their selection represents cheeses from around the world including; France, Portugal, Holland, Italy, Ireland and the British Isles.



As well as stocking some of the most amazing cheeses in the city, Murray's has specialty groceries, fresh breads, olives, antipasto and charcuterie for sale. If we lived closer, we’d probably be there weekly.



We had a relaxing and tasty lunch of BBQ duck breast, smoked brisket with home-made sauce, salads, and knishes from the one and only Knish Nosh. By far, these are the best knishes in the universe, and I am so lucky that my dad lives only a block away from their store.



We were knish purists yesterday and only had the potato ones, but they also have spinach, pastrami, kasha, mushroom, broccoli, cabbage, and kosher pig-in-a-blankets knishes!

If you don't want to ride all the way out to Forest Hills to get the best knishes in the world, all is not lost. You can order some from their website, or by calling 1-877-NY-KNISH. Seriously, if you don’t love them, I will come over and eat your leftovers.





After lunch, the dads opened their presents and (of course) took some more pictures with us! They are such good sports.












Hangin' with out dads



Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay all afternoon. We hit the road and headed back to Maryland around 4 PM and had smooth sailing the whole way.

It’s always good to spend time with family- especially since we don’t get to see them all the time. We hope our dads had a very Happy Fathers’ Day!

Meeting Morgan Spurlock

Knowing that I am a very big Morgan Spurlock fan, my colleague Jason (you rock Jason!) offered me his extra guest ticket to last night’s reception and screening of the FX Network's '30 Days: Working in a Coal Mine.'

Best known for the documentary film Super Size Me in which he demonstrated the health effects of McDonald's food by eating nothing but McDonalds three times a day, every day, for 30 days, Spurlock is also the executive producer and star of the reality television series 30 Days.



In case you are not familiar with this show, the premise is that each episode features a person or group of people spending 30 days immersing themselves in a particular lifestyle with which they are unfamiliar. For example, a Christian living as a Muslim, a heterosexual living with a homosexual person, a Minuteman living with immigrants, etc. During each episode, Spurlock discusses the relevant social issues involved with the participants.

Additionally, Morgan spends 30 days living another lifestyle as well. In the premiere episode of the first season, ‘Minimum Wage’ Spurlock and his fiancée Alex lived for 30 days in the Bottoms neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, earning minimum wage, with no access to outside funds.

In the second season finale, Spurlock spent 25 days locked in a Henrico County, Virginia jail to experience life as an inmate. He did not complete the entire 30 days in jail because the majority of inmates in the state of Virginia serve 85% of the sentence, so once Spurlock hit that benchmark, he was released.

The episode we screened last night was the first episode of the third season. Entitled ‘Working in a Coal Mine’ it was filmed in Bolt, West Virginia, roughly 18 miles from the town of Beckley, where Spurlock was raised prior to leaving for New York. Morgan lived in the home of Dale and Sandy Lusk. Dale comes from a family of miners and is a supervisor in the mine where Morgan worked.


Morgan was very impressed that I not only knew where his home town of Beckly, West Virginia is, but that I had been there as well. (Thanks Dad, I know those family summer road trips would pay off in the end!)

The event was held at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's awesome screening room, and Morgan, Dale and Sandy were there for the reception as well as a Q&A session after the screening.

David and I love watching 30 Days and have been fans since the first episode, so it was a real treat to meet Morgan. Dale and Sandy are great too, I had no idea they'd be there and I'm glad to have met them.



Morgan, myself and Dale

Kung Fu Panda with Marin

Man, is it hot out! Still, I had a fabulous afternoon with Marin yesterday. We escaped this insane heat and went to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda.

We got to the theater a little early so we headed to Maggie Moo’s for ice cream, but they were closed. Apparently the shop had lost power earlier in the week and all of their ice cream had melted. So we headed next door to Starbucks for black and white cookies instead.


Marin eats the chocolate sides first and then starts on the vanilla.

The movie was very cute – here is IMDB’s plot synopsis: It's the story about a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around...which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey -- under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? Po puts his heart - and his girth - into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.


Marin poses with Po the panda.

After the movie, Marin and I watched the ducks for a bit and made silly faces at them.




Then we went to Carvel for treats and to cool off before heading home.



I had a fabulous day with Marin and will miss her lots when she goes to camp next week!

Summer Celebration at Ruth’s Chris

Got this coupon and thought I'd share this lovely treat...

Summer Celebration at Ruth’s Chris

You and a guest can enjoy 2 three- course meals for $89. Begin with a soup or salad, followed by an entrée and a side dish. Choose from five entrée courses, including our signature filet, our fresh fish selection or our delicious chicken. End your evening sharing one of our homemade desserts.
There’s cause for celebration this summer at Ruth’s Chris. Available for a limited time

Recipe of the Month: Old Ebbitt Grill Crab Cakes

Month two for ROTM and I'm posting another summer favorite.



Old Ebbitt is a DC institution, and while this is about 99% their recipe, we have made it at home a few times and tweaked it a bit for our tastes. These are authentic Maryland style crab cakes -all lump meat with almost no filler added and tastes incredible! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.



First, you will need:

1 large work bowl
1 small/ medium work bowl
a baking sheet
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (such as Old Bay)
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon water
4 Saltine or Ritz crackers (or ¼ cup of breadcrumbs)
1 lemon (optional)

Got everything? Now, you:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet

Pick the crabmeat over to remove excess shells and cartilage.

Combine the mayonnaise, crab seasoning, parsley, mustard, and water in the medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the crabmeat and mix, being careful not to break up the lumps of crabmeat.

With your hands, break up the saltines into crumbs and mix into the crab mixture.

Form into patties and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn the crab cakes over, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until nicely browned.

Plate and garnish with any extra fresh flat leaf parsley and lemon wedge, serve with tarter sauce on the side. Enjoy!



We usually get our crab and fresh seafood and fish from Cameron’s Seafood Market in Rockville. They have lots of locations in the DC area, and have daily and weekly specials available online.

Zinfandel tasting...and tasting...and tasting

On Saturday night, we participated in a Zinfandel tasting in Silver Spring. Our wonderful hosts were Aaron & Jenn and Dave & Deniz - two great couples we've met through various off-lines in the area.



Our hosts provided the main course (delicious Peruvian chicken) and all of the participants brought a side dish in addition to their wine contribution.



Throughout the night we blind tasted 16 different Zinfandels. (!) At the end of the night, we voted on our top 3 favorites. The wines were numbered and organized in flights of old, Russian River Valley, Napa (with a ringer thrown in there for fun), Lodi, and misc.

I've never been a huge Zin fan, but found a few to be enjoyable- my notes are blow. Overall, the top three votes were for:
2005 Michael David Lust
2005 Four Vines Maverick Zinfandel
2005 Carlisle Tom Feeney Ranch

1993 Ravenswood Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard -USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Fruit has faded a bit but some some darkdried cherries were detectable on the nose. It was balanced but thin on the palate with a short finish is short. Pleasant but past its peak. Received 2 votes.

1994 Hartford Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Dark purple color. More fruit on the nose and noticeable heat, but it was not overpowering. Nice full, big, rich mouthfeel and a long fruit driven finish. This is a nice wine, that held up better than the other older zins. 4 votes.

1995 Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel Old Vines - USA, California, Sonoma County
Pruney and raisiny, David noted kirsch on the nose and some actdity on the palate, but I tasted my wines slower than most of the group and found it to be thin and falling apart by the time I got to it. 1 vote

2004 Hartford Zinfandel Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A real change of pace after the flight of old zins. It had a big, bold nose of plums, spice and pepper- This was a very big wine and not at all my style. Many tasters noted that this was ‘over the top’ and suspected this was the Turley as this was a very big wine. (In his notes, David thought it was an ordinary Zin- nice call babe!)

2003 Hartford Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
I heard this wine was a little closed at first but quickly opened up. By the time I got to it, I detected bold fruit and firm tannins. More than one taster noted that it improved with airtime. 8 votes.

2005 Carlisle Zinfandel Tom Feeney Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A refreshing change and one of my favorites. I found it elegant with nice acidity and nose of dark cherries. Well balanced with a great finish. 10 votes - 3rd place.

2004 Rosenblum Cellars Petite Sirah Heritage Clones - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County
Almost everyone identified this as the ringer of the tasting and even though I didn’t know there was a ringer in the group, I could tell that one of these things was not like the other. It was a big wine with berries, worcestershire sauce, vanilla and spice. KInd of young and primary, I loved the smell but hated the taste- it wasn’t my thing at all. No votes.

2004 Rubicon Estate / Niebaum-Coppola Zinfandel Edizione Pennino - USA, California, Napa Valley
More than one taster mentioned that this was an ordinary but good zin. Typical but nothing remarkable. 5 votes.

2001 Schrader Cellars Zinfandel Vieux-Os Ira Carter - USA, California, Napa Valley We brought this bottle. The consensus was that it’s a good, but not great zin. There was some light fruit and nice acidity. 3 votes

2005 Four Vines Zinfandel Maverick - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
Lush nose of white pepper and sweet plums. Beautiful mouthfeel on the palate. Acidity gave it some nice lift and it had a great finish. Excellent wine. 2nd place with 21 votes.

2005 Oak Ridge Winery Zinfandel Moss Roxx Ancient Vine - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
I learned a new term when tasting this wine as it had issues with TA. This refers to the total acidity as a percentage by volume; winemakers refer to this as the titratable acidity, or TA for short. The nose was like acetone, and the wine tasted sweet and raisiny. I poured this out but somehow it got 7 votes.

2005 Michael-David Vineyards Earthquake Zin - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
This bottle was corked. The good thing about this was that it taught me to trust my nose. I was tasting a bit slower than the rest of the group, and before it was pulled from the tasting, David brought his glass over for me to smell. I took a good whiff and said “what the hell is that?” Obviously I passed that test.

2005 Michael-David Vineyards Zinfandel Lust - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
I had a hard time detecting what other tasters identified as new oak in this wine. I didn’t find it off putting at all. Thought it had some nice fruit and vanilla on the nose with a full, rich mouthfeel, and long finish. This was a polarizing wine, some tasters thought it was horrible while others thought it was terrific. In the end, it was rated first place with 22 votes.

2003 Carol Shelton Zinfandel Rockpile Vineyard Sonoma County - USA, California, Sonoma County
Light but almost sour, I didn’t take many notes on this. Nice acidity, but not enough body and fruit to go along with it. Short finish.

2000 Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
This was our other bottle. It also had high levels of VA and was received as flawed.

2003 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines - USA, California
This was probably the most hyped wine of the night- everyone was guessing “which was the Turley?” I did not get to this one, but from others I heard that it had nice red jammy fruit with notes of pepper on the nose. Lighter in color, most tasters thought that this was a good, but not exceptional zin. David thought it was a bit green. Many tasters thought the 2004 Hartforrd was the Turley, but no one guessed this wine.


the damage


revealing the wines at the end of the night


voting on our favorites

We had a great night, met some really fantastic people, ate yummy food and I learned a bit out Zin. Unfortunately, we didn’t stay for too long after the event- David actually had to work on Saturday and Sunday- but a bunch of other wines were opened after the tasting and included 2005 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Chard, 2006 Peay Viognier, 2005 Sonoma Coast Vineyards Chard, 2004 Las Rocas VV, 2005 Selbach Oster, among many others. At last count, 28 bottles (whoa!) were opened.