Hopped up on Sudafed for a brush with greatness...

Holly, Me, Keller and Michelle

Yep, that's right I am on at least 4 different medications for a sinus infection but does that stop me from meeting the man considered by most to be the top chef in America....ah no. My fellow foodies jumped at the chance to join me. Armed with our giant cookbooks we met Chef Keller. My highlight of the night...Keller complimenting me on my "beautiful necklace" and asking me if I ever get sick of people complimenting it...my response "Absolutely not! Every girl loves a compliment." He laughed and I was in heaven. I wish I had been witty enough to respond with an offer to trade the necklace for a dinner at French Laundry.

So, now I am the proud owner of signed copy of this beauty.

I can't wait to get started. Michelle has me beat. She has already attempted 2 recipes from the book...and we just picked it up. As soon as my taste buds fully return I'm on it!

Michelle and Holly are great friends to have when your hungry. They know all the best places to eat in the D.C. area. Whether you want Peruvian or bubble tea, you want it, they have the perfect place. We ended up at a restaurant that would best be described as an Asian strip mall in the middle of Maryland. I loved the fact that we were the only non-Asians in the place and the ladies have the menu memorized. We passed on the delicacies of pig intestines and went for fresh spinach sauteed simply with large garlic cloves, chow mien with homemade noodles, soybean encrusted swordfish and an another fish dish that could best be described as fried fish (but light as a feather and not greasy) in an amazing ginger sauce.

So with a stuffed belly and a NyQuil haze I am off to bed with visions of food dancing in my head...

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Michael and I have a great Sunday morning ritual. It's not a cereal morning, nor is it an Activia day (during the week they are fair game). Sunday morning I like to actually make something tasty and delicious. This morning we had one of our favorites.

Magic Crescent Rolls with a Perfectly Poached Egg

Perfectly Poached Eggs are kind of my specialty. Don't get me wrong, I know my way around the kitchen...and I think most people would vouch for me. But ask me to scramble or fry an egg and I am lost. The secret is to poaching an egg is the right tools and timing. Michael and I love, love, love our egg poacher. It's this great little pan with 4 inserts for eggs. I like to get the water to a low boil, plop the egg inserts in, place the lid on top, and cook for 3 minutes. After the three minutes your eggs should be more watery than solid, like REALLY jiggly (kind of the way my thighs feel at the moment). I then turn off the heat, leaving the lid still in place, and let the eggs rest for about 3 additional minutes. Voila! Perfectly Poached Eggs!

And if you are looking for an amazing quick and easy breakfast roll, look no further than Magic Crescent Rolls. My mom used to make these for breakfast while we were on summer vacation at the beach. They truly taste heavenly and are really easy to pop in the oven while cooking eggs and bacon.

Magic Crescent Rolls

For the Rolls:

1/8 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 TB All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 can (8oz.) Refrigerated Crescent Rolls
8 large Marshmallows
2 TB melted Butter

For the Glaze:

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp milk (depending on desired consistency)


Preheat oven to 375. Spray 8 muffin cups with non-stick spray. In a small bowl mix granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

Separate dough into 8 triangles. For each roll, take one marshmallow, dip in melted butter and roll in sugar mixture.

Place the marshmallow at the smallest end of the triangle and roll to opposite end. Completely cover marshmallow with dough, pinching dough together to form a seal. Dip one end of roll in remaining butter and place butter side down into prepared muffin cup.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. You will definitely want to place either a cookie sheet or aluminum foil on shelf under muffin tin. It doesn't matter how firmly you pinch, they are going to ooze.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until you reach desired consistency. Drizzle over rolls. And serve warm! Bon Apetit!

The quest for the sexy one-piece

Michael and I are taking a little road-trip this weekend. All the way to Fredericksburg, VA! We are going to pack up the bug, put the top down and take a little "scouting" excursion.

The weather here has been amazing but sadly (like usual) the clouds are rolling in for the weekend. Put we won't let that put a rain on our parade (sorry, corny I know). I am really looking forward to grilling out and enjoying whatever sun I can get. And I am going to need all of the sun I can get...we are heading to the beach for Memorial Day Weekend!

We decided to postpone our anniversary whirlwind trip to NYC. You may find this stupid, but I really didn't want to go after I couldn't get a reservation at Le-Bernardin. So, we are doing the next best thing...spending the weekend with Michael's family in North Carolina! We've gone from big city rush to rest and relaxation...sounds good to me!

So, after a little bit of rambling, this leads me to a question....is it weird that I REALLY want a cute one-piece bathing suit? Michael thinks it's the oddest thing ever (a little too mommyish?). But I truly think there is a one-piece out there that is sexy.

P.S I am sooo on my way to go "borrow" more flowers from our community landscaping.

Menu Monday (just a little late)

In typical Lacey fashion I am posting this topic just a little late...just a day!! Introducing Menu Monday...

Sunday: Leftovers from Jen and Brandon's visit
Monday: Something I like to call throw everything in a crock pot and see if it works....um it didn't
Tuesday: Lemon-and-Olive Chicken
Wednesday: Michael's Famous Chicken Parmesan
Thursday: Smoky Shrimp and Grits
Friday: Take-out or leftovers
Saturday: out and about in Fredericksburg

Back on the Bloggin' Bandwagon

Wow...I have really let my THREE followers down (thank you Michael, Reema and Sarah). It's been way to long since my last posting.

Michael and I have been ridiculously busy. I went back to work for a full week and he took a trip across the pond to England. I swear there will be pictures to follow (England, Reema's visit, Tennessee, etc.).

I am also planning on following a popular trend and posting our weekly menu. I hope this does two things. One I will actually post regularly (especially if we like the meal); and two I will have a better record of what we are eating.

We also hosted our first visit with a toddler in our home. Brandon, Jen, and little Connor made a trip down from Pittsburgh for the weekend. We had a great time! We definitely learned a few things this weekend (little ears will repeat things, beautiful weather means a VERY crowded zoo, and sharp corners lead to bumps and bruises).

Here's a few pics from the weekend.

Connor after a little bump into the guest bathroom cabinet. I feel really bad. We heard him crying and figured it was just Jen trying to get him to go to bed. Whoops...
Oh yeah, check out that beautiful new headboard courtesy of moi!

Michael gets in on the band-aid action.

Aren't these beautiful?? Jen and I "borrowed" the gorgeous peonies, peach and pink roses from throughout our complex. I figure our condo fees paid for them...

Are you watching???

I know I have soooo many things to blog about (redecorating, Reema's visit and our crazy wine tour shenanigans, finally heading back to work, the list goes on and on...) but while I am thinking about it...has anyone else been watching Parenthood? I freaking love this show!! It is so well cast. And the movie is one of my all time favorites, yet NBC didn't ruin it at all! The cast features Peter Krause (loved him in Six Feet Under and this time he gets to be happy, well occasionally), Craig T. Nelson (who didn't love Coach?) and soooo many more. Whoa, not sure what is up with all of the exclamation points...

But anyways, while Michael is away, I will continue my mini-marathon. The theme song is just perfect. Here's a peek.

Could you ask for anything more?

This is happiness...

Wine: something cheap Book: Garlic and Sapphires (The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise)

A Friday evening, 75 degrees and only the sound of birds chirping to interrupt my reading. Well that's not exactly true...I do have the 90's music channel playing (hey, when was the last time you heard the Spice Girls...confession: I caught myself singing along).

And so, I am ready to begin my first weekend without crutches after 8 LONG weeks. A glass of cheap white wine (that may have been opened for to long but who cares), a porch swing and a great book.

Uh oh...Sorry, excuse me, but I believe they are playing my song...