My go to cookies.....

In celebration of Earth Day some of us in the office decided to bring in some goodies and I chose my favorite cookies….EVER. For starters Ryan and I are completely obsessed with Reese's peanut butter cups, eggs, Christmas trees, and hearts (RTK says the hearts look more like arrows). Our favorite by far are the eggs that come out at Easter. We stock up….or try to at least. The eggs were hard to come by this year so my lovely mom went out in the wee morning the day after Easter and picked us up some. I owe her big.

Oh….so back on the topic. The cookies I make use the miniature cups which are also pretty amazing. I have taken these the last four times I have needed a dessert item and have never brought any home. I figure that is a pretty good sign! I would love to say that they are super hard to make and I slave in the kitchen for hours….but I didn't…not even close.

What you need:

24 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups
Peanut butter cookie dough (you can use your own favorite recipe or if I am feeling lazy I use the Betty Crocker mix…yeah last night was one of those)
Mini muffin pan

Roll the cookie dough into about 1 inch round balls and then put one in each hole in the muffin pan. Cook at 375 for about 15 minutes. While they are cooking unwrap the peanut butter cups. As soon as the cookies are done remove them from the oven and immediately place a peanut butter cup in the center and press down. I usually let them cool in the pan for awhile before trying to get them out. The next step is to try not to eat any if you are taking them somewhere :-)

Last Hurrah.....

Starting today I am back on my calorie counting diet so Ryan and I decided to hit the eating hard this weekend because we won't be able to for awhile. Friday was pizza (my favorite) and then Saturday we went to Annapolis to try this place I saw on Man vs. Food called Chick and Ruths Delly. We both ordered a milkshake and corn beef sandwiches. They were both super yummy but the shake was beyond amazing. I got the vanilla peanut butter cup and could probably have downed 10 more! I didn't take any pictures because the place was super crowded and I was on sensory overload….so basically I forgot. Oh and someone was doing this challenge they have where you eat a 1.5 pound sandwich and 6 pound milkshake in an hour. I didn't see it happening because they were upstairs but it was pure craziness. There were also a ton of midshipmen since we were near the Naval Academy in their Navy whites…..it made me wish Ryan wore his more often. One of his cousins is graduating in May so hopefully he will wear it to that. Gotta love a guy in uniform….especially the Navy one!

Anyway…on Sunday I woke up and made donuts with homemade icing. I had never made icing (yeah I don't know why) so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out just as good as the stuff we buy. It was all super yummy. For a late lunch we went to a burger place I had been wanting to try at the National Harbor called Elevation Burger. We both got a burger and milkshake (yes I went on kind of a milkshake binge). I thought it was the best burger I had ever had but Ryan thought that Five Guys is better. We walked around the area a little and I took some pictures of this crazy guy thing that is coming out of the sand. It is actually really cool.

This was Ryan's burger....mine was a bit smaller!

So….now I don't get to eat like I have the past….well…..4 months. I will miss all the cupcakes, milkshakes, and tons of pizza. I will however slip a Dr. Pepper in every once in awhile.

Here's to 26.....

For my birthday evening I decided to try out some new places in DC. Our first stop was pizza at 7th Hill Pizza on Capitol Hill. The pizza was amazing and they are all named for areas around DC. After stuffing ourselves with food we headed over to Georgetown Cupcake. I have been hearing about this place pretty much since I moved here but we haven't ever tried it out. It is supposed to be "THE" cupcake place in the area. I will say that I was not at all disappointed.

I would have loved to have one of each but Ryan wouldn't let me....probably for the best.

I would like to say that two of these were for Ryan and one was for me but we all know that is not how it went down. I will definitely be going back…..often.

- ACK

The Big City......

As kind of a pre-birthday trip Ryan and I went to NYC this past weekend. We decided to try out the whole bus thing and it was actually pretty smooth sailing. We probably didn't spend any more money then if we had driven because of all the tolls. Plus it was pretty cool driving through the city on a double decker bus! The trip was a little over 4 hours with the a stop in Philly. Problem is we didn't get home until 11:30 pm last night and still had to metro to our apartment. After we unpacked and ate some McDonald's chicken nuggets (I know I know….lame but it was the closest place that was till open) it was after 1:00 before we went to bed. I am definitely going to need a Chai Tea Latte this morning :-)

I don't know how but this trip turned out to mainly be about eating. I had looked up and found on blogs some of the best places around nyc….problem is they were all over the city. We chose the subway for our mode of transportation and it got old….fast. On average we switched lines/trains three times per trip. If I EVER complain about the DC metro again…..I should be slapped. The DC train system is a bazillion times easier/cleaner/more reliable. We ended up taking a taxi twice on the last day because there was so much track maintenance we weren't really sure how to get back to our hotel. Oh and one time we got to the platform just to realize we were on the wrong side. Problem was there wasn't a way to get to the other side without leaving and then swiping your card again to re-enter. Besides this being a total pain the fare cards can't be used within 15 minutes of when you last swiped it. So…..we had to just ride the train in the wrong direction to a stop that would let us transfer to the other direction without leaving the station. Craziness!!!!!!

We did do a little more then just eat. We went up in the Empire State Building, saw The Magic Flute (in German) at the Metropolitan Opera, and visited the Natural History Museum. It was a fast trip but we plan on going back a couple more times while we are out here especially since the bus is so easy.

Here are some pictures (sorry about the quality they are from my phone) from the sights and of course the food!
 

The Subway

Empire State Building

View from the top of the Empire State Building

Brooklyn Bridge

Me in front of the Metropolitan Opera

Times Square

And now for the Food.....

Sandwich from Kat'z Deli -- the counter guy gave me a lot extra!

R Man's bacon wrapped hot dog from Crif's Dogs

Best NYC pizza - Grimaldi's

Line outside of Grimaldi's at 3 pm

Go Navy!

Burger courtesy of Shake Shack....there was a long line there too. 

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery....yes we each had two...we couldn't resist

Last meal in NYC right before we board the bus -- too bad it wasn't bacon wrapped.

Ryan and the Marathon.....

So I meant to post these pictures awhile back....but I guess I got busy and then kind of forgot....oops!  A couple of weekends ago R man decided to run his first marathon.  I left the apartment with plenty of time so I could snag a couple pictures of him crossing the finish line.  The place was packed but I patiently (well as patient as I get) waited for a spot along the front to open up and then held my ground for 45 + minutes with my camera ready.  Thankfully I was able to get some pictures....though I realize they are not the best.  At least it proves he did it and that I was there cheering him on! 

Lookin good.....

That is him closest to the finish line in the white shirt.

I should have taken a picture of me too.  I was so proud!  He finished in 3 hours and 30 minutes.  I thought it was an excellent time considering that is the farthest he had ever ran.  He was not as impressed with the time and has vowed to get it closer to 3 hours next time.  Oh and next time is in October....he has already signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon. 

I shall be prepared to throw some bows at the next one too!

Flat Stanley.....

Flat Stanley came to visit me this past week so Ryan and I decided to show him some of the DC sights. The weather was perfect and parking wasn't too bad.

Metro

White House

Cherry Blossoms

Lincoln Memorial

My favorite one - the Capitol

Outside.....

(View from my window at work)

It is a beautiful day outside.....if only I were out there.