#4: Visit Richmond

Precious little Molly :)

Saturday we made a trip to Richmond (#4 Visit Richmond) to visit some friends and their adorable daughter. We had such a great time hanging out and doing a little sight-seeing around the city. Plus, I inadvertently was able to cross five things off the Summer to-do list.

Lunch at Legend Brewing Company (#40 Visit a Brewery) where I tried a couple of the Pale Ales and a veggie burger with fried brussel sprouts. Not only is the beer delicious, but they had a terrific vegetarian menu and can make any burger into a meatless one!

We took a little "hike" out to Belle Isle (#66 Go Hiking), which I actually visited a few back with my sister. It was Mike's first time to the Richmond hot spot, and isn't quite convinced this would replace our weekend beach days if we lived in Richmond... I agree, but it's a pretty close second!

Then we treated ourselves to Slurpees (#22 Get a Slurpee). Sugar Free Peach Mango? Yes, please!

On Sunday we packed a little picnic lunch and headed to Maymont Park. I can't believe I had never been, or even heard of this 100-acre park. It has luscious gardens ( #47 Botanical Gardens), a petting zoo, a small wildlife preserve (with bears, eagles and foxes!), a mansion which you can tour and tons of land to just enjoy the outdoors.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Music/NRP Monday

I've been addicted to NRP lately. I've been spending a lot of time in my office preparing for my upcoming craft show and have found that NPR is great background noise. Just look at the pile of popcorn I made this morning... It's only the beginning :)

#81: New Deli

Bagel Works in Virginia Beach. Delicious. Cheap. Locally-owned.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#33: Quenna's Raw & Vegan

I've heard about Quenna's lots of times, but because of it's location out in Oceanview I've never actually tried the raw- and vegan-friendly restaurant. I was expecting more of a sandwich bar with counter-service, but was welcomed by a host and waitstaff. I actually got my order to-go since I was in the process of running 100 errands, but they were speeding with my picks: stuffed tomatoes and a rockin' cran smoothie. The smoothie was probably one of the best I've ever had. Seriously. The tomatoes threw me off a bit with the grated seaweed, but was actually a great salty compliment to the hearty vegan stuffing.

My bill was $15, which seems a little pricey for a quick lunch, but it's such a unique place and a must-stop for anyone with a meat-restrictive diet. The next time I'm out in Oceanview, I'll be sure to stop back for another flavorful (and healthy) smoothie!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#92: Make Popcicles

I only tried a couple different varieties of this because, honestly, it wasn't so fun. I'd suggest making your own popcicle contraption instead of investing any money in one. Or, just buy a box from the grocery!

Round 1: Mint Fruit Pops

For this I tried a contraption I bought from the Dollar Tree. Good thing it was only a $1. Once the fruit froze in the molds, the handles easily popped out but left mixture. I had to pry it out with a knife and shove it back onto the stick. The good news was the recipe was quite tasty.

What you need:
1 cup strawberries and blackberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice
small hand of fresh mint leaves

What you do:
1. Place everything in a food processor and give a few pulses. I left mine a little chunky, but you can blend to your desired consistency.
2. Pour into your popsicle molds and freeze for about 4 hours.

Round 2: Frozen Pudding Pops

I highly recommend this method of popcicle-making. I bought mini paper cups and popcicle sticks from the dollar store. Tip: If you're using pudding, the sticks will stand up pretty well on their own. If you're using something with a thinner consistency you can stick a dab of peanut butter, a piece of fruit or even a vegetable on the end of the popcicle stick to make it stand straight up while your mixture is freezing.

What you need:
1 box instant pudding mix, I used banana
1 yogurt, I used strawberry (or a different flavor of pudding)
mixed nuts
peanut butter

What you do:
1. Mix the pudding according to the directions and let set.
2. Crush the nuts in a food processor.
3. Create your pops by layering the different flavors, add the nuts between the layers and on top. And don't forget to add your scoop of peanut butter to your popcicle stick, it's definitely a treat on your first bite!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#8: Mermaid Winery

One of Ghent's latest additions is Mermaid Winery. A winery in Ghent? It's an urban winery. So they actually have some grapes vines outside on their patio area (with lots of great outdoor seating) and make a few varieties of their own.

We made a girl's night (#36) of some wine flights, a few bottles and some tasty food. I had the hummus plate and all three were fantastic. What I like most about the place is it doesn't have that stuffy wine bar kind of feel. There is a bar and lounge area and separate dining area, but the restaurant feels very alive and open. We'll definitely be making several trips back.

 

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#34: Bake a Fancy Cake

It may not look that fancy, but it sure tasted fancy! I put my blackberries from last week to good use in a cake I made on Sunday for a cookout. I cheated a little and bought box cake (butter pecan flavor), but added a handful of mashed berries to the batter.


I found an AMAZING recipe for icing online and I may never use another icing recipe again! It's simple: 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 8 oz cream cheese. I used light cream cheese and threw in a couple blackberries instead of the lemon juice. I'm happy to report the cake was a huge success and quite a seasonal treat! #34, so long!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Music Monday

 Happy Monday!

#79: Photo an Hour

I wanted to do a photo-an-hour project for the Summer list. None of my days are really too exciting so I decided to capture my average Saturday (not spent at the beach). It was quite eventful for the 92 Days of Summer list since I was able to cross off four items. What a day!

 10 a.m. Breakfast and checking email

11 a.m. Picking up the CSA from the 5 Points Farmer's Market and buying a little birthday present for Mike's mom (from a local artist, #58 on the list).

 Noon  Craft Swap at Kitsch, checking off #57 on the list

 1 p.m.  Lunch for Mike and I (BLT for me and turkey and bacon club for him)

2 p.m. Salsa from all the tomatoes I got from the Farmer's Market.

 3 p.m.  The rain arrives and I took a little catnap on the couch

 4 p.m.  Freelance work for Amerigroup... isn't that flow chart sexy?

 5-6 p.m. Daily dose of felt food cutting...

7 p.m.  Dinner from Del Vecchios, if you haven't tried it yet, order immediately!

 8-10 p.m. Million Dollar Listing: L.A. and the Orioles vs. the Indians.

11-Midnight  The felt food is coming to an end for the night.

 

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#90: Lemonade Stand

$1 for a cup of lemonade to support CHKD. A little fancier than the setup I had when I was a kid, nevertheless, I'm a happy girl.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#80: Pick Berries

Gettin' sweaty!

It's been years since I last picked berries, but the taste of locally grown produce is irresistable so I had to add it to the Summer list. To change it up a bit, I went blackberry picking at Henley Farms in Virginia Beach. What a terrific farm! The guys there were so incredibly nice, the fields are really well kept (for being a farm afterall), there is tons of great produce to pick from and best of all, their prices are great.

I went to pick the blackberries, but it's a little late in the season for that. While there are still berries to pick, the selection is getting a little wilted. I had no problem picking 2 lbs worth in less than 15 minutes. I also saw some quite interesting-looking bugs (big ones at that) and sweat off about 5 lbs (it was 98 degrees today).

Children of the Corn? Anyone?

I was also able to pick my own corn ($3 a dozen) and tomatoes ($1 per lb). Picking the corn brought back some eerie memories of "Children of the Corn" which I insisted on watching when I was 11. I quickly picked my ears and went onto the tomato vines.

I'm so excited for all my new fresh – and local – produce. I ended up with 10 ears of corn, 2.5 lbs of tomatoes and 2 lbs of blackberries for $9. I can't wait to bake with the blackberries...I'm thinking some sort of cake for the weekend....stay tuned!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Go! Tomorrow!

What are you doing tomorrow? Nothing? Perfect! Kitsch is holding The Great American Craft Swap at their shop from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bring your new or gently used crafting supplies, get some great new gear and mingle with the awesome crafting community! It's a great way to give a new life to fabric you're tired of looking at, beads you refuse to work with or scrapbook paper you've had for the past seven years...okay maybe that's just me....

I have quite a bit of supplies I've been ready to part with for a long time and am looking forward to Saturday to swap my goods for new inspirations. Come out and join the fun!

#3: Luna Maya

We finally made it! And it was delicious (just like I figured it would be). Plus, the interior design was so trendy, I felt like I took a time warp machine to NYC for dinner.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Thrifty Thursday: #60 Make Granola Bars

Today seems to be quite a food day here at the blog. But I found this recipe for "super easy no bake granola bars" which included ingredients most people would have around their house. Sounded like a great way to cross #60 off the list. Seven hours later I'm still not 100% convinced with this recipe. Although I accidentally bought rolled oats, so that's where my problem probably lies. I suppose if I followed directions, I'd have better luck...Here's what you do:

Combine 2 cups quick cooking oats and 1 cup Life cereal and set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup honey and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the sugar mixture over the cereals and stir well, making sure everything is coated. Grease a baking dish and press the granola into the sheet. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or raisins (or both :) and gently press them into the batter.

After four hours mine weren't sticking together so I put them in the fridge for an hour or so. They harden up enough to cut them into bars. I'm keeping them in the fridge so they stay together.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Stuffed Shells

I distinctly remember stuffed shells from my childhood. I don't know why for sure, I don't remember having them often but maybe it's because my mom's were so delicious! Last time I was at the grocery, I bought a box of the jumbo shells and decided to make up my own recipe. For some reason I thought making the dish would be so tedious, like lasagna, but it's just the opposite. This will definitely be a go-to dish for the future, although next time I think I'm going to double the recipe and freeze half of them :)

What you need:

8-10 jumbo pasta shells
3 cups marinara sauce (either homemade or store bought work just fine)
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup eggplant, diced
5-10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your pick)
salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

What you do:

1. Prepare the pasta shells according to the directions. Strain water and set aside.

2. Saute the eggplant, garlic, green pepper and onion on medium heat until tender. Turn off heat and mix in the cottage cheese.

3. In a glass baking dish, pour a thin layer of the sauce.

4. Stuff your shells by spooning the mixture into the opening and then forcing them to close a bit.

5. Repeat until all the shells have been filled.

 

6. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells, completely covering them.

 

7. Sprinkle on your cheese and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted.