Excellent Kick

It is likely that you've heard about the big snow storm that hit Washington in the last 48 hours.

And in case you didn't, just flip on the news and watch for about 30 seconds and you'll get the full picture...and then you'll consider moving to a cave somewhere in a warmer climate to avoid snow ever again. (I'm going to Florida to thaw out and lounge on the beach wearing my 1950s inspired black and white polka dot bathing suit next weekend.)

My blizzard preparations involved:

• A trip to Whole Foods (that actually closed for a period of time while I was there because the number of people in the store was violating fire codes) to buy ingredients to make homemade macaroni and cheese
  
• The acquisition of several rolls of quarters so I could do laundry when stuck at home all weekend
• A quick conversation with my sister to develop a contingency plan regarding Olivia's birthday celebrations if we couldn't be together in person (we opted to sing Happy Birthday over Skype)

What I did not prepare for was a visit from my friends Meredith S.H. and Adam G.! You have heard about Adam and Mer before (Meredith is the daughter of my dad's bizzaro world Midwestern twin and is one of my best friends from my home away from home state of Minnesota) and they are two of my very favorite people.

Around 1:30, I got a call from Mer telling me to look out my window. And there they were--clad in full Nordic ski wear (Mer was on the Nordic ski team in high school) standing in the middle of my street. So I invited them up for mac and cheese. So far, not so unusual (except for the skiing around DC part, but it is Adam and Mer so I didn't think anything of it).


This is where the unusual part comes in... Have I ever told you about my roommates? Abra L.W. and Jon F.? Well, they were both writers for one of America's most esteemed college newspapers, The Justice, at Brandeis University. Today, in addition to making me laugh, wearing hooded sweatshirts, and challenging me to games of Cranium, Jon is a writer for the Washington City Paper (I'm sure it was tough to transition from writing for The Justice but he seems to have made the switch quite successfully).

So as Mer and Adam and I were playing the apartment and recapping their morning of skiing around the District, Jon decided to interview them for a City Paper article, "Snowpocalypse Skiing Conditions: Excellent Kick, Great Glide." I think my favorite part of the experience was Adam's use of his Garcia messaging training (he laid out his comments in three points). The resulting article is quite fabulous (especially my photo credit).

In addition to the ski adventure being captured on the City Desk Blog, Mer and Adam also created a video (featuring me, playing the role of "BFF") of their day snow exploring. I love how free time due to a snow storm really allows us to let our creative documentarian abilities loose.

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Blizzard Birthday

Dearest Livvy,

Today is your first birthday! Mother Nature decided to celebrate by creating the biggest snow storm anyone in Washington has ever seen, and frankly, I think something this dramatic, beautiful, and exciting is a perfect way to celebrate you and the first year of your dramatic, beautiful, and exciting life.

I remember when your Aunt Rebecca called me at work to tell me "it was time." (It seems like maybe a few months ago, but in no way an entire year ago!) We had been on the phone talking about several other things only moments before...then my phone rang again and I knew it. You were on your way and I couldn't wait to meet you! I left my office (after giving out the pink bubble gum "it's a girl" cigars to all my colleagues) and hopped into a cab. I needed to head home before going to the hospital to grab my camera (obviously!) and lenses and a more comfortable pair of shoes. No way was I going to welcome you into the world without happy feet.

We got to the hospital, checked in on your Mom and Dad...and then we waited. I befriended the other people in the waiting room (who were expecting the arrival of their second grandchild, a little boy).


Once we learned he had been delivered, we knew you were well on your way to arrival and we felt like we couldn't wait any longer. I tried to pass the time by recording funny videos of Aunt Rebecca.

Then, in the middle of what was maybe my 15th recording of the day, we got the news! Here's what the video looks like:


I think my favorite part of the video is the place where I tell Auntie Reb to "keep it on" so we could capture all of the moments of your arrival on camera.

We heard from the doctor that you were healthy and fabulous (I already knew you would be) and then we waited a little longer to finally meet you. We were so excited that you had arrived after nine months of waiting, we forgot to even ask your parents what they had decided to name you! When we found out, this is what Auntie Reb wrote about your name:

My little niece Olivia Abigail R. was born on Friday, February 6 under the (almost) full moon at 4:57pm - she weighs 8 lbs. and 5 ounces and is beautiful and warm and soft and perfect. Her name means "olive tree" and her middle name is after my strong and loving grandpa, Abraham.

I love watching you grow and learn and am so proud of you everyday! Here is a little recap of the last 12 months in photos:

February
You are born! We get to know you, learn about you, wrap you up in very tight bundles, and love you. We celebrated your first Valentine's Day with Great Grandma Gladys together!


March
We took a trip to cousin Matt's Bar Mitzvah in New York and you got to meet other members of our family. You fell asleep on me during the reception and I have never been happier. We also officially gave you your Hebrew name during your naming ceremony and unveiled new lyrics to a song Grandpa Peter and Grandma Lois wrote about you, "Liv Liv the Lima Bean."


April
You got to meet lots of my friends, and one of my favorite photos of the two of us was taken! We also organized your first official photo shoot against a soft and fuzzy purple blanket and I was very proud of the results.


May
We celebrated MY birthday together (thanks for coming to the Crafternoon, by the way) and you got to meet Great Grandma Edith. We took a picture of all four generations together (I know Gram shows it off to all her bridge friends--she is so proud of you).


June
We celebrated your Dad's first Father's Day and took photos of our entire family by my apartment. You were such a good sport that day (and even color coordinated your outfit to the larger color scheme).


July
I spent an entire day with you and documented your first experience with solid food (squash)! You swam in the pool and showed off your stylish bathing suit and excellent swimming skills.


August
We went on vacation to West Virginia together and perfected the "NASA game" from Auntie Reb's arms into your Mom's hands.


September
You learned how to sit up on your own which created several new photo possibilities! I came over to document this development and remember leaving and thinking how quickly you were growing and how proud I was to be your aunt...


October
You hosted a party for all your baby friends for Halloween (which I sadly had to miss because I was recovering from Swine Flu) but it was well documented over on your friend Aerin B.'s blog. (That's you in the lobster costume, which I bought for you as soon as you were born.)


November
Your first Thanksgiving! I took one of my most favorite photos of you during this gathering.


December
We celebrated Chanukkah together (in yet another snow storm) and Auntie Reb gave you a children's membership to the Nantucket Historical Association. I gave you Chanukkah finger puppets and a wooden menorah.


January
We spent New Year's Day together and took tons and tons of pretty photos. You showed me your new found ability to clap and we played peak-a-boo.


February
Here we are, a full 12 months later. I look forward to celebrating with you and cheering you on as you continue to grow and explore (not to mention being there to photograph you every step of the way).

Love,
Auntie Em

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On Location...in Brookline

...or, Winter Picnic: Part 2

Before I got on the Bolt Bus in DC to make my way to New York and Boston, I put a little shout out on Facebook letting my friends to the North that I would be in their cities! I am so glad I did because I received the nicest note from my friend Dena S.:

I am very excited for you to come to Boston and for my fair city to be featured in your blog. Before anything else, let me get something out of the way...I would like to profess basically my obsession with your photography. I cannot say enough how constantly impressed I am with all of the pictures you put up on your blog and Flickr. If you don't hear that from me often it is just because I don't to seem too stalkerish but I seriously tell Elissa all the time what awesome talent I think you have and you are definitely my favorite photographer there is.

I have even shown Jay many of your pictures you have put online and said to him how much I would love if some day there was an opportunity that we could get you to take our picture. That said, and feel free to say NO, but I wanted to ask if when you are here you would be willing to take some pictures of me and Jay? Not even like a real photo shoot, but just a few pictures would be so amazing? PLEASE do not hesitate to say you don't have enough time or you are not up for this! I will totally understand. I wasn't sure even if I should ask you but I checked with Elissa and she said I should at least ask.

I was so flattered when I saw Dena's e-mail--I remember forwarding it all around to all my friends because I was honored to have a photography stalker from afar. THANKS DENA!

So, needless to say, I jumped at the chance to photograph such willing subjects. Dena and her lovely husband, Jay (who was mentions in the e-mail), picked me up at the bus when I arrived in Boston and we headed to their adorable apartment in Brookline. By the time I got to Beantown, the sun was setting so outside shots were tough...but I am very pleased with the results of our time together.






At the end of the shoot, we were waiting for the photos to upload, and Dena revealed some of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies she had just baked (this is the second time I was photographing something and the subjects prepared cookies for us to snack on--amazing)! So, we decided to play around with a few photos in the kitchen too. I love how they came out.


And when the shoot was over, we met up with Katie R. (formerly Katie P.) at Zaftig's! Stay tuned for a blog post about my food adventures while in the land of the Red Sox.

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Urban Photo Shoot Craziness

...or Winter Picnic: Part 1

So I am having one of those situations where I have so many things I want to share with you, but seem to have an inversely proportional number of free minutes to do so. I have decided this is a good problem to have (consider the converse, shanda!) but it is still a problem and one I am trying to deal with.

One of the ways I am trying to deal with said problem is to post things that are little shorter but perhaps just as fun for you to read and enjoy. You see, I took this four day trip up the East Coast full of blog-worthy visits to restaurants and quality time with some of my favorite former Washingtonians (who have now relocated to cities like New York and Boston) and I have been kept up at night thinking about how I will recap all the fun that was had in this space. Okay, not really kept up at night...but I have surely not figured out a way to do the trip justice in blog format. So my solution is to blog about highlights and organize them all in a series.

This post will be part one in the series which I am calling "Winter Picnic." I'm going with this name for the series for two reasons:

1. The other day it was really lovely out. Maybe like 50s in January... (Global warming...eek.) ...and I had a winter picnic with my colleague and friend Alex M. outside our office building at a little table on the sidewalk featuring delicious wraps from the Juice Joint! Alex labeled the bag that our dinners came in "Alex and Emily's Winter Picnic."
2. I love the idea of winter picnics. My mom used to read the BEST book to me called Winter Picnic when I was little and I have very fond associations with the concept and the book.

Okay, so now that you know where the title of the series is coming from, I can begin with the first post!

While in New York, I stayed with my friend Cara F. in her fabulous Upper West Side apartment. We snacked on Levain Bakery cookies (obviously) and ate at a really great Greek restaurant (more about this in another Winter Picnic series installment). While on our way from the Greek place to the dessert place (Cafe Lalo, featured in You've Got Mail), we decided to do an impromptu urban photo shoot.

One of my favorite aspects of the shoot is that I had never met Cara's friends from college, Shannon R. and Andrea D., before dinner. And they were SUCH willing photo shoot participants. (Shannon even changed her Facebook pic to one of the results, always a good sign.) Here are some favorites...

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EG + Zappos = <3

Hello my little baby sized cowboy boot socks,

Before I begin today's juicy post, I thought it would be appropriate to take a moment and remind you where I was (perhaps, with many of you) last year on this date... I was wearing five layers and two pairs of gloves and standing on the frozen National Mall for the "We Are One" concert kicking off a weekend of Inauguration events. In case you:

• Weren't there...
• Were there but can't seem to remember the events of January 18 because you were so cold...
• Were there and had such a good time, you want to relive the experience...

...you can enjoy MY recap of the 2009 Inauguration weekend festivities through my throw back blog post, Obamaland Diaries. (I am happy to reenact the Obama call and response next time I see you, if you wish.)

Okay, so now that you've enjoyed my amateur videography skills, you are ready to hear about the real subject of today's post.

I really really love Zappos.com. I tell you this for several reasons...

Efficient and Pleasant
I am an almost exclusively online shopper. And I find a quick trip to Zappos.com during my lunch break to be a very efficient and pleasant shopping experience. And I know you online shopping naysayers are sitting there shaking your heads about the value of "trying things on." Well, that brings me to my second point...

FREE Round Trip Shipping
The free shipping and handling (this includes return shipping) that Zappos offers makes returns super easy. So, why not just try shoes on in the comfort of your home (and perhaps with the outfit you've purchased them to go with) and if they don't fit, just send 'em back. Zappos is so quick with the refund credits on your credit card...often there is no record of the purchase on your card at all. As if the purchase never happened. POOF.

Searchability and Selection
When you're searching for something specific (perhaps a brown sling back in a black tie appropriate fabric), Zappos makes the sorting of their vast selection easy and quick. This also goes for wide widths too (I was blessed with wide feet which means that those cute flats you suggested I get from Banana Republic may fit my pinky toe and that's about it...).

And did you know that Zappos also sells clothing and purses and accessories? I found my most favorite handbag (please don't say "purse," makes me feel uncomfortable, in the same category as the word "panties") on Zappos and get so many compliments on it (including a compliment from mom of Julie F., Sara F., who even ended up buying the bag in black for herself! Best!). I felt comfortable buying it on Zappos because the site featured the cutest little video of one of their employees wearing the bag and showing off its features. (One of the features is the "strap garage" as my friend Greg M. calls it. This means that there is a shoulder strap that can be hooked on the underside of the bag and it turns into a tote with shorter straps. FANCY PANTS.)

Customer Service
The customer service that Zappos provides is unmatched. They call themselves "a service company that happens to sell shoes" and I believe it. I have two examples of their remarkable customer service:

One sad day, I received a beautiful pair of black wide calf boots in the mail from Zappos (this was not the sad part of the day). I wore them to photograph my friends Hanaa and Rali getting engaged (where one photo was snapped as evidence of this miracle purchase) and when I returned home, I noticed that all three of the decorative covered buttons at the top of the boots had fallen off. I told you it was a sad day. So I typed a quick e-mail to my friends at Zappos customer service. The response I got was so quick and thorough. It read...

Hello Emily,

Thank you for contacting the Zappos.com Customer Loyalty Team. I hope you are having a wonderful day so far. I am very sorry to hear about the Ros Hommerson boots you received. This is not indicative of the high quality of service and products we strive to provide our customers.

You are more than welcome to return the boots for a full refund. For your convenience, I've taken the liberty of emailing you a free UPS return label. Please keep in mind that you will receive two emails regarding your return; one will be the return confirmation and the other will have the label as a PDF attachment...

...Now that you are a VIP member you will now receive expedited credits for your return (within 4 days of us receiving the item in the warehouse)! Once your order has been refunded, depending on your bank or credit card company, it may take up to 2-10 business days for the credit to post.

Below is a coupon code for $25.00 off of your next order with Zappos.com:

g783df029qsZ

You can use this coupon on your next order at Zappos.com anytime within the next 90 days...

Please accept this as an apology for any inconvenience, and do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything we can do to be of further assistance. We are available 24/7 for your convenience.

We are constantly striving to improve our service. If there is anything more we can do for you, or if we could improve your experience, please do not hesitate to let us know. We are always here for you - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We are a service company that just happens to sell...shoes, bags, clothing, and accessories. 1-800-ZAPPOS-1 (1-800-927-7671) or 702-943-7677.

Thank you,

Mary T.
Customer Loyalty Representative
Zappos.com
Powered by Service!

Thank you Mary T.! I think my favorite part of the e-mail was that the PDF of the return shipping label was already waiting for me in my in-box by the time I got back to it. And the $25 coupon was just an extra amazing bonus.

The second moment that Zappos customer service wowed me happened only a few weeks ago. I ordered a new pair of brown Dansko clogs (I inherited a pair of these amazingly comfortable shoes from Jill S. about two years ago and it was time for me to actually purchase a pair of my own). According to the UPS website, the clogs had been delivered to my apartment building at 11:33 AM on December 31. Alas, several days went by and the shoes had yet to surface. I e-mailed my apartment building e-mail list, questioned my roommates...nothing. So I waited a few more days.

I was worried about calling Zappos because, the truth is, the box was most likely dropped off and someone (who was perhaps in need of a pair of free and comfortable Dansko clogs) swiped 'em from my building's lobby (uncool). And this is so not Zappos' problem--they did their job. And UPS did too. But I called Zappos anyway, and explained the situation. And without any arm twisting or raising my voice or anything, the customer service representative I spoke with had a new pair of clogs being shipped to my office. No problem! The shoes arrived in two days and I was a happy camper.

So there you have it. Stop by Zappos.com and have a look around...then report back on your success stories! I hope to (one day) make it down to Louisville, KY with my friend Shira G. who grew up there...right around the corner from the Zappos OUTLET. Obviously that experience will be very well documented.

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I can be bought.

I can be bought.

I am not proud of it, but when it comes to changing my opinion about a new swanky restaurant on 14th street that had not once, not twice, but three times been too cool to find a table for me (read: was too popular to even have a reservation available on three separate occasions of trying to get in there), I can be bought with a seat at the chef's counter and complimentary crispy polenta balls.

I was all prepared to write Birch and Barley off as a restaurant that was just too cool for me. I don't stay up late, rarely wear uncomfortable shoes (except for the new purple suede platform pumps I have been schlepping around DC in my bag to change into when I arrive at my destination), and don't like spicy food. I don't believe restaurants should be so exclusive that I can't even get a reservation. But then I gave B&B a fourth try--with Beth K. and Neil S. in tow. And the lovely host told us that the chef's counter was available. As we sat down, a complimentary plate of crispy polenta balls was placed in front of us...and with that, B&B began making its way into my heart.

Our meal was fantastic. I think the combination of Neil (who is sometimes even more enthusiastic about things like a seat at the chef's counter than me), the excellent beer list (and Beth K.'s ability to always successfully advise on good beer choices), and really delicious food made the evening so memorable.

Bread "Basket"
The best part of the food at B&B was the selection of breads, butter, and a really tangy and grainy mustard we enjoyed before our appetizers were served. (I am highly skeptical of mustard, especially yellow mustard. Yellow mustard is a sandwich deal breaker in my opinion. But this mustard was so grainy and good. Nowhere near yellow mustard, and therefore spectacular.) The soft pretzel component of this course was just so good...especially with the light wheat beer I was drinking (BK, do you remember what it was called because I don't). It is clear that B&B's pastry chef (Tiffany MacIsaac) knows what she's doing. While we dined, we watched Tiffany individually wrap small squares of house made caramel (which we later learned were made with bacon fat...up there with the chocolate covered bacon from CoCo Sala) on the other side of the chef's counter. And at the end of our meal, even got a chance to sample one...


Entree
I had the port glazed fig flatbread and the beet salad (who doesn't LOVE a beet salad?). The salad had caramelized pistachios in it which added a lovely crunch. We watched as the flatbread pizzas were made directly in front of us--so when mine arrived I felt like we were already best friends. The gorgonzola, prosciutto, and figs that topped my pizza were the best salty/sweet combination a chef's counter diner could ask for.

New Friend + Gluten Free Pizza
Because we were sitting within three feet of the chef making the pizzas, I obviously tried to strike up a conversation. I would have liked a little less pizza making and a little more chatting (but then again he was working so I can't blame him for minimizing the chit chat time). During our (brief) conversation, I did learn the following things:

1) He was from New Jersey and spent two years as a student at GW (hail to the buff and blue!)
2) After deciding GW wasn't the place for him, he transferred to the Art Institute in (pardon the expression) "Rosslyn"
3) B&B has many gluten free options on their menu...and some of the flatbread pizzas can be made gluten free and are very popular menu items

I asked our waiter for more information about this gluten free situation and she told me that the "gluten free community has a very strong web presence and when a restaurant serves something that is delicious and gluten free, news spreads fast." I obviously thought of fellow food blogger (and former Hillel employee), Sarah G., who writes about her gluten free culinary adventures at Gluten-Free Grazer. I made sure to document the preparation of the gluten free pizza and frantically send Sarah a twitter message giving her a play-by-play of the discovery.


Dessert Decisions
The dessert choice was really challenging. After our amazing bread basket moment, I knew the desserts were going to be memorable and I wanted to make an informed decision. So I asked to see the dessert menu before ordering my entree (this is why I like to research restaurant menus before I arrive--I like to know the dessert options when choosing what else I will order because these decisions are so closely related and often influence each other). Sadly, I can't find the B&B dessert menu on their website, but I ended up ordering something that contained three of the house made bacon caramel items, a house made marshmallow, and an updated take on the hostess cupcake. It was good (not as good as the soft pretzel/mustard combo--but VERY good). Neil chose a sticky toffee pudding and poached pear which was excellent.

So, Birch and Barley, you have really made a place for yourself in my heart (and in my stomach, and now on my blog). I look forward to returning to B&B's upstairs bar, Churchkey, on a weekday evening when I know it won't be super crowded. I happen to know they serve fried mac and cheese cubes...

ALSO: B&B and Churchkey are both owned by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group which also owns Buzz Bakery (a key stop on my hypothetical cupcake crawl) and Tallula (where I just went for Restaurant Week on Friday). Keep your eyes peeled for another post about how the NRG is basically taking over my life...

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You Gotta Have (Work) Friends

When I graduated from college, I remember feeling nervous about how I would make new friends now that my days of keg parties and all nighters were over. (NOTE: I never actually pulled an all nighter and first hosted a keg party after college had ended.) If only 26-year-old Emily could have been in touch with 22-year-old Emily to allay my fears. Not only did I meet some of my best friends during my first job after college (cue comments from Hillel friends here), but I made some really fantastic friends during my second job after college, too.

This is where Beth S. comes in. On my first day at the job I currently have, I remember meeting Beth and deciding we could possibly be friends. I was still unsure how I would survive without sharing cubicle walls with Reuben P., Julie F., and Abbey O. (who was then Abbey G.) and the prospect of a new work friend was very exciting and reassuring. On day three of the job, as we dined on Juice Joint wraps in our office conference room, I remember thinking to myself, "I am so lucky that Beth works here! And that skirt she is wearing is really fabulous. We are definitely going to be friends." I forget when we went from colleagues to colleagues AND friends (perhaps it was the time we were eating ice cream cones and some of my ice cream dripped inside my blackberry and I made her swear she wouldn't tell our IT person if/when the blackberry stopped working as a result)...

I feel confident in saying we are actually friends now (and no longer colleagues which makes me sad). Do you ever stop to think how much time you spend with your co-workers? It is your work friends who you need to reinforce good outfit choices (they see your full range of outfits so they are the best judges of your personal style) and help you navigate challenging or sometimes scary professional interactions. And if you, like me, have your Zappos.com purchases shipped to your office (remind me to tell you about how amazing Zappos is another time), you really need your work friends there as you open the box to share in the joy that is a new pair of shoes.

Not only are Beth and I now actually friends (ice cream in blackberry incident behind us), but Beth got married (I got to go to the wedding which was AMAZING--I'll never forget the cookie table) and her lovely husband is my friend too (hi Chris!). It gets better...As I got to know Beth and Chris, I had a feeling that they would get along really well with my sister. Their mutual love of Vermont (Chris is from Vermont and Rebecca's favorite state is Vermont), tartan (Chris wore a kilt with his family's tartan on it at his wedding, Rebecca aced the unit on tartans in 2nd grade), good beer (please note the "Drink Vermont Beer" bottle opener featured on Beth and Chris's fridge), local food (especially Shelburne Farms), and raw milk cheese were the first conversation topics I brainstormed.

When the four of us actually spent time together, the friendship blossomed immediately. And now the relationship has reached a place where Beth and Rebecca G. actually have plans to make cheese, independent of me (a time when all friendship match makers must step back and simply bask in the joy of their excellent work)! I will, however, happily sample the cheese.



Fast forward to December 2009. Beth, Chris, Rebecca G., and I have frequent dinners together! And at our last dinner, we dined on some delicious home made pasta with lamb and lots of garlic. Beth is a FANTASTIC cook and one of my favorite things about working with her was hearing about the delicious things she had cooked for dinner the night before--and now that we no longer work together, I am honored to experience her fantastic dinners on occasion. And when that is not possible and I need my Beth food fix, I just visit her blog (Miss Mango Hands)... Here is Beth's post about our meal together.

You may ask, "What does Miss Mango Hands have to do with delicious food and well-dressed Vermont loving friends?" Well, Beth and Chris are big Phish fans (they even followed the band on tour to several cities this fall) and the title of the blog is a quote from a Phish song (which we even listened to while dining)! I just made the roasted vegetable pizza that Beth featured on her blog for a dinner party I hosted last night and it was highly successful. When tomatoes are back in season, I will surely make it again.

So, thanks to Beth for proving that good friends can be made once college ends... and for correcting my grammatical errors in a kind but thorough way, being my shoe purchase cheerleader, fashion inspiration, and one of the most excellent cooks and food bloggers I know.

PS--Please note how cute Beth's yellow dress is in the beer photo! Apparently it is from Shake Your Booty on 18th Street and not even featured on the designer's website...just goes to show what an excellent shopper Beth is!

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