i heart nomz

I love eating breakfast for dinner! I was craving a bagel...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:12:56 -0400

I love eating breakfast for dinner! I was craving a bagel sandwich ever since I had one over the weekend. I attempted to recreate the one I got from the GW Deli, and the one I made was actually way better! This sandwich consists of turkey bacon, two fried eggs, and raspberry jelly on an everything bagel. SO GOOD!

What’s better than a Five Guys burger? Not much. Every now...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 18:15:47 -0400

What’s better than a Five Guys burger? Not much. Every now and then you just NEED a burger and some fries. Although there are some close contenders, nothing compares to the quality and deliciousness of Five Guys. I’m kind of obsessed. Did you know that this chain was named after the founder and his 4 sons? How cool!

This past weekend I got a chance to visit the beautiful cherry...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:22:00 -0400

This past weekend I got a chance to visit the beautiful cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin. This time of year in DC is my absolute favorite. It seems like the city comes to life and there’s so much beauty to explore! On Friday we hung out by the cherry blossoms, and although I was a bit disappointed that we missed peak bloom, the sites were breathtakingly beautiful. We walked all around the circumference of the Tidal Basin and hung out with Jefferson. The sunset was gorgeous! Saturday was full of fun and Japanese culture. We watched the parade, and as always, I was so impressed with the marching bands. The fun continued as we went to the Japanese festival. I loved seeing the mix of people dressed in traditional Japanese clothing and those dressed up as their favorite Manga character. Some highlights from the festival include sushi sampling, watching the cherry blossom princesses pigging out, tying a wish to a wishing tree, learning about a Japanese card game called Karuta, watching a Japanese artist paint talismans, watching a J-Pop band perform, and tons of entertaining people watching. On Sunday we went out for a run along the Georgetown waterfront and grabbed delicious lattes from Baked and Wired. This weekend really made me fall in love with DC all over again.

Sometimes when I like a certain meal I become obsessed with it...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:21:52 -0400

Sometimes when I like a certain meal I become obsessed with it and eat it day after day. Recently I’ve been really into egg salad sandwiches. Besides the fact that they’re delicious, I really think all that protein helps me power through my day. GW has an amazing deli that I go to every now and then, appropriately called the GW Deli. It doesn’t seem to have a website, but it has a massive following. The line is usually out the door and for good reason! Their sandwiches are worth the wait. I had an Honest Tea as well. I love that it’s “just a tad sweet”, and I’m pretty sure our discussions about the company in business school has made me fall even more in love with their drinks. I almost felt like I was having a picnic since the weather was so lovely. Hurray for Spring!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/gw-delicatessen-washington

Working and going to school next to a Whole Foods requires major...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:33:00 -0400

Working and going to school next to a Whole Foods requires major self control. Even though I could hit up its buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it can be so expensive! I try to limit my visits to WF, but sometimes I just can’t resist. It has one of the best breakfast buffets, and I love sampling all of the dishes. I usually get the french toast and warm maple syrup, but I went there right before they switched to the lunch menu, so it was slim pickings. My advise, forgo sleeping in on the weekends and check out the breakfast buffet!

I just got back from an amazing trip to Orlando, Flordia, and...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:07:00 -0400

Food truck festival eats! First three dishes from @curbsidechef. Peanut butter Nutella cupcake from @StayCalmCupcake.

Scenes from sunny Orlando, Florida.

I just got back from an amazing trip to Orlando, Flordia, and I’m having trouble adjusting to the freezing cold weather and gray skies. I think I may have a case of the post-vacation blues. I had about a week off from school for Spring Break and decided to take a few days off from work to go to Florida. The weather was amazing and the food was awesome. We spent our time hanging out at a few theme parks; Aquatica (twice!), Universal Studios, and Sea World. We spent a total of 12 hours at Universal Studios, and it went by in a flash. I finally tried the infamous Butterbeer from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Believe the hype people. It was THE BEST drink I ever had, and no, there’s no alcohol in it. I tried one frozen and one cold. It was so delicious I had to go back for seconds. The theme park foods were okay, nothing too special, but we did get lucky because there was a food truck festival in the parking lot of our hotel. There was also a BBQ convention, a Salvation Army Youth Foundation meeting, and MegaCon 2013 going on at the same time. A lot of people watching went down. This was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on and I’m longing for that Florida sunshine and laid back vibe.

I have to admit, since the weather started getting bitterly...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:59:00 -0400

I have to admit, since the weather started getting bitterly cold, I haven’t run outside that much. On Sunday the weather was gorgeous and I finally took a break from the treadmill and went outdoors. The sunshine and the beautiful views definitely got my endorphins going. I saw some really interesting things along the way. Please tell me this tangle of branches looks like a bull’s head to you too? Maybe I just have a big imagination. This trail goes right along the Potomac River and I really enjoyed looking out on the water at the birds, kayakers, and hikers. Some people were even fishing! In the third picture you can see the Washington Monument in the background. Pretty! I worked up a big appetite and went to one of my favorite spots in Georgetown. Booeymonger never disappoints. I got their Tuna Turner (haha) sandwich with potato wedges on the side. I don’t know if I was super hungry or what, but this was the best sandwich I’ve ever had. I tend to say that about everything I eat, so I’m not sure how much that’s worth. Either way, you should definitely stop by when you’re in the neighborhood.

http://www.booeymonger.com

My Spring Break officially started this past Saturday and the...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:47:11 -0400

My Spring Break officially started this past Saturday and the weather could not have been more perfect. It’s been so cold and gray lately that all I’ve wanted to do is stay inside. It looks like I’ll be coming out of my hibernation now that Spring is near! After doing some errands in the morning, we headed to Old Town, Alexandria for a sunshine stroll and some lunch. As soon as we walked by Eamonns Dublin Chipper, we knew we had to have some fish and chips. This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Old Town, actually, in the whole DMV. I love the eclectic decor. Just look at that exposed brick wall, hardwood floors, and fancy chandeliers. The menu is pretty simple, your basic cod and catfish fry with some chips. They must use the freshest ingredients because the flavors are so wonderful. They also have delicious sauces for dipping. I think the classic tartar is my favorite. Another thing I love about this place is the european sodas and candy. I had some sort of pineapple/grapefruit soda. It was as awesome as it sounds. Afterwards I got a salted caramel chocolate cake pop and latte from Starbucks and hung out by the waterfront. I love watching the seagulls glide around the glistening water. So peaceful! This was the perfect way to spend a lovely Saturday afternoon, and I can’t wait to go back.

http://www.eamonnsdublinchipper.com

Pizza has always been one of my absolute favorite foods. As I...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:31:17 -0500

Pizza has always been one of my absolute favorite foods. As I got older, my body couldn’t handle dairy, so I had to cut back. No fun! The other day I decided to make a cheeseless pizza to satisfy my craving. I got a pizza kit from Costco that came with dough and sauce. I topped it off with mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, and olives. After taking it out of the oven, I added slices of avocado on top. It was so good, and I didn’t even miss the cheese (that much). I had some leftover for lunch the next day and added some chopped up turkey sausage to it. The crust was thinner than I prefer, but overall this dish is a winner!

Heeeey. I tend to stalk the Panera tag a bit for some odd reason, but I work at one in Maryland. You were wondering about the salmon. It comes frozen and is supposed to be thawed in a walk-in cooler with other things for about 12 hours I believe. When it's thawed, it's brought up to the line and stored in another cooler with other ingredients to be used for the food. Not sure why it was colder than you expected, though. Might have been very recently thawed.

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:30:15 -0500

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question!

Yesterday I had some delicious BBQ from Rocklands. The pulled...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:26:45 -0500

Yesterday I had some delicious BBQ from Rocklands. The pulled chicken, beans, coleslaw, chips, and salsa were really good, but the best part of this lunch was dessert. You can tell by looking at this cookie that it’s no ordinary run of the mill cookie. I wasn’t able to confirm this, but I’m 99% sure that it’s a crushed Oreo chocolate chip cookie. Doesn’t it sound like the best thing ever? Well it is. I’m going to attempt to bake these cookies myself once finals are over. Wish me luck.

http://www.rocklands.com

I needed a place where I could work on a freelance design...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 12:00:28 -0500

I needed a place where I could work on a freelance design project and get some food. Panera is perfect for that. Hurray for free wifi! I got their new salmon salad with a side of chicken noodle soup. The salmon was a lot colder than I was expecting. I wonder where they keep the fish/how they prepare it. I’m usually iffy about eating fish at places like this, but I needed brain food to help me get into work mode. It did the trick! I really liked the dressing and the chicken noodle soup was perfect.

I was so excited for the Oscars last Sunday and wanted to make...

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:44:43 -0500

I was so excited for the Oscars last Sunday and wanted to make it extra special with some delicious sushi from Hana Tokyo. I hate to say it, but I wasn’t too impressed with the shrimp tempura. We got two orders of them because they’re usually my favorite. It seemed like there was more fried batter than shrimp. I guess you can’t win them all! Despite the underwhelming shrimp, I enjoyed this dish. Oh, and I fell asleep halfway through the Oscars. D’oh!

http://hanatokyo.com/

My sweet baby loves pancakes! Fred’s eyes are definitely...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 01:06:07 -0500

My sweet baby loves pancakes! Fred’s eyes are definitely bigger than his stomach, but he just can’t resist. #parrotproblems

Yesterday I went over to my cousin’s place for a...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:09:08 -0500

Yesterday I went over to my cousin’s place for a housewarming get together. Whenever we have family gatherings we take a potluck approach to the food. Everyone brought a delicious dish to share. I brought a yummy red velvet cake from Costco. You can’t go wrong with a dessert from Costco! It was so nice to spend time with family members that I haven’t seen in a while. I may be bias, but my mom’s potato turnovers (bolani) stole the show. Delicious!

I knew where I wanted to go for Valentine’s Day about two...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:48:43 -0500

I knew where I wanted to go for Valentine’s Day about two months ago. To say that I was looking forward to this dinner is an understatement. I’ve been to Pesce in DC once before and couldn’t stop thinking about the place. The restaurant specializes in fresh, local seafood. I was a bit disappointed that the seared tuna wasn’t on the menu but was thrilled with what I ordered. We started off with the tuna tartar before we moved on to the entrees. I got the scallops which were out of this world. The texture was spot on and the crisp flavorful crust was divine. They were topped on a sweet potato puree, brussels sprouts, and sliced radishes. The salmon was cooked to perfection and the crispy kale stole the show for me. Dessert was warm bread pudding with an apple compote and vanilla ice cream. I can tell I’m going to be dreaming about this meal for a while. I couldn’t have asked for a better Valentine’s Day dinner. <3

http://www.pescedc.com/home.html

After a super long study session over the weekend, I needed some...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:41:00 -0500

After a super long study session over the weekend, I needed some good food and fast. Burger Tap & Shake is a fairly new burger joint in Foggy Bottom and they have an amazing menu. Their burgers might even be better than Five Guys, and that’s saying a lot! I usually order the High Thigh which is made out of ground chicken. They have this amazingly delicious sauce called AP sauce that I like to pour all over my burger and fries. If you’re ever in the neighborhood and craving a burger you should try this place out. SO GOOD.

http://www.burgertapshake.com/burgertap.html

On Sunday morning I ran a 5k, and set a PR!, in the freezing...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:16:45 -0500

On Sunday morning I ran a 5k, and set a PR!, in the freezing cold weather. The race organizers handed out adorable commemorative blankets with embroidered monkeys and the race’s name on them. It was so cold outside, so I wrapped myself in two blankets! Afterwards I needed something warm to eat, so we headed over to Tasteful Delight for some delicious chicken noodle soup and Chinese food. This is the perfect comfort food for me. A piping hot bowl of soup, fried spring roll, and an orange soda on the side. This meal hit the spot!

http://www.tastefuldelight.com

I keep reading about these two ingredient pancakes all over the...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:38:37 -0500

I keep reading about these two ingredient pancakes all over the internet and decided to try them for myself. All you need is one banana and two eggs. Mix them together and prepare them just like regular pancakes. I added a little bit of pumpkin pie spice to it. I was super skeptical but these were amazing! They surprisingly didn’t have a strong banana flavor, which I was worried about. I topped them off with some honey and sunflower seed butter. Perfect breakfast!

I think getting a Costco membership was one of the smartest...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:30:26 -0500

I think getting a Costco membership was one of the smartest decisions I’ve made in my adult life. They have the BEST pastries. I know this apple turnover looks a little burnt (probably because it is), but it was insanely good. It tasted like warm, sweet apple pie. I kept saying how I wish there was vanilla ice cream on top. Next time. The soy latte on the side made this a perfect snack.