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DC Day One: Good Stuff Eatery

To read my first post on my trip to Washington D.C., click here.

I’m so excited to tell you about and show you more from my trip to Washington D.C.! When planning our trip, my mom asked everyone going what their priorities were. My one and only request? To eat at Good Stuff Eatery.

We ate there a couple of years ago while in D.C. and I have never stopped thinking about it! I could go on and on about it and my love for it, but I’ll try to keep it short. 🙂

Good Stuff takes pride in making “handmade burgers, hand-cut fries and handspun ice creamshakes.” Let me tell you, they do all of those things so, so well.

Both times I was there I ordered the ‘shroom burger and was sooo happy with it! It is a cheese stuffed, flash fried portobello mushroom cap, thrown onto a bun with onion, tomato, lettuce and Good Stuff Sauce. I’m not sure what is in the sauce but I do know that it is perfect for the burger and just so good.

The fries are hand-cut and delicious. I ordered Spike’s Village Fries which are topped with fresh thyme, rosemary and sea salt. So, so good. Especially dipped in an array of different mustards offered at the condiment bar.

And. The milkshakes. I can’t possibly tell you how good they are. Thick, creamy and so full of flavor. This time I tried the toasted marshmallow shake and the salty caramel kiss shake. They were both out of this world good but the salty caramel kiss is still in my dreams! Is that weird? 🙂 It had the perfect balance of sweet caramel and salt all swirled into a thick dreamy milkshake.

You have to try Good Stuff if you are ever in the D.C. area. Also, good news for me, I found out that a Good Stuff is opening in Philly. I can’t wait for that day!

Now that I’ve told you all about it, let me show you. Some scenes from our first evening.

The crew. Mom, Dad, John, Shawn, Erin, Greg and me.

The good stuff.

I love this photo. A celebratory beer.

Food.

Basketball watching.

Love this place.

Week in Photos

Maraschino Cherry + Vanilla Cupcakes

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If you’ve been reading my blog for the past week or so, you know I went to D.C. over spring break.

While there, we were hoping to see the famous D.C. cherry blossoms. We went during the National Cherry Blossom Festival after all. Well, the blossoms had not yet bloomed.

It was okay, though. We still had a great time and seeing the blossoms is still on our list of things to do and see.

We ate so much good food while in D.C. Sweets were consumed multiple times daily. I was not complaining about that at all.

We visited a bakery in Georgetown called Baked and Wired. It had to be my favorite sweet place we went to all weekend. The selection of sweets was impressive. The atmosphere was cool. The location was amazing. It was an all-around lovable place.

The cupcake I got? Out of this world. It was a special for the weekend — a cherry blossom cupcake.

I took one bite and couldn’t help but just devour the rest (really fast). It was undeniably good. Sweet, fluffy and full of cherry flavor. It reminded me of cherry vanilla ice cream, which I just love. I knew I had to recreate that cupcake.

I thought and thought and here is what I came up with.

This cupcake is sweet. I did not make the cupcake part itself overly sweet because I knew the icing would make up for it. The vanilla bean studded batter is made even more fantastic by chopped up maraschino cherries. I love the texture they add to the cupcake.

The buttercream icing is sweetened with maraschino cherry juice. It is sweet, smooth and delicious on top of this cupcake.

These were loved by my family, I hope that you love them too!

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcake:
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup milk (I used almond)
1/3 c. maraschino cherry juice
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups chopped maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare your cupcake pan. Place cupcake liners in pan and lightly grease, if desired.

In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to stir. Set aside.

Pour milk and cherry juice into a bowl and add seeds from vanilla bean. Mix well, to incorporate vanilla bean. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Beat very well, until light and smooth. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Next, add a little bit of the flour mixture, mix and then add a little bit of the milk mixture. I added 1/2 cup each at a time and mixed between each addition. Repeat until all ingredients are combined. Gently stir in chopped maraschino cherries.

Scoop batter into muffin liners. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the buttercream icing:
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
6 T. maraschino cherry juice
2 T. milk

Add butter and sugar to a bowl. Mix with a handheld or stand mixer until well combined, soft and light. Add cherry juice and milk, slowly until you reach a consistency and sweetness that you like. I used 6 Tbsp. cherry juice and 2 Tbsp. milk total, but adjust according to your taste.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, top with buttercream.

Enjoy!

Honey + Cinnamon Whipped Goat Cheese Dip

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On Tuesday, I talked about my love of wine and chocolate. Together, separate, any way is fine.

Today, I’m going to talk about wine and cheese. Just as I love wine and chocolate, I think wine and cheese are a perfect pair.

On my 22nd birthday, Greg and I had a very nice little wine and cheese night together. It was so much fun and is one of my very favorite memories.

I remember the two of us going to the store and choosing different types of cheese and then different types of savory + sweet spreads and then fruits and crackers to put the cheeses and spreads on. We really didn’t know what we were doing — we’re not cheese or wine experts — but we had a lot of fun doing it.

We took everything home, made it look pretty on the table, poured some wine and started to enjoy our food.

We tried all different combinations of cheese, fruit, crackers and wine. I remember snacking all throughout the night. It was the perfect birthday dinner.

This dip was inspired by that night.

I love goat cheese. And I think it goes great with fruit. Just like in this salad. So I thought, why not make it into a dip for fruit. Why not add some sweet honey and spicy cinnamon!

To like this dip, you definitely have to like goat cheese. Even with the added sweetness, it still has that tangy goat cheese flavor.

Served with fruit and crackers, this dip is delicious. Enjoying it with a glass of wine is even better.

I enjoyed eating it on its own but also garnished with some fruit jam and chopped pecans.

Honey + Cinnamon Goat Cheese Dip

2015-04-20 14:39:18

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Ingredients

10 ounces goat cheese
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup pecans, toasted + chopped
Fruit jam/preserves, if desired, for topping
Crackers + fresh fruit, for serving

Instructions

To toast the pecans, place 1/4 cup pecans in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until nuts become fragrant and slightly browned. Remove from heat and chop.
Place the goat cheese in a food processor and process for about 30 seconds, or until almost "whipped." Add the honey, cinnamon and salt and process up to another 30 seconds, until dip is light and fluffy.
Place dip in a bowl and top with fruit jam or preserves and chopped pecans. Serve with fresh fruit and crackers.
Enjoy!

Notes

I prefer this dip topped with both jam and chopped pecans. I like to serve it with honey wheat crackers and fresh strawberries, but use what you prefer.

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

DC Day One: A Train Ride + The City

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I mentioned last week that I was in D.C. for a weekend enjoying a little end of spring break getaway with friends and family.

Well, I took a bunch of photos of all different areas and things and over the next couple of weeks I will share all of the photos with you in a couple of different posts.

Today, I’m sharing with you day one.

Greg and I took the train from Philly to D.C. It was so much fun! We left from Center City Philadelphia and in two hours we were in D.C.! Our train ride consisted of tea and coffee, taking pictures out the window and Words with Friends. 🙂

Once we were in the city, we wasted no time getting where we needed to go! We took the Metro to meet up with my mom, dad and our friend John who drove to the city earlier in the day.

For the next couple of hours the five of us walked around the National Mall, taking in the sights and enjoying the absolutely beautiful day. We spent a lot of the time outside, taking pictures and enjoying the weather, but also visited the Natural History Museum. It was a great experience and I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re in D.C.