Hungry Times Two

Futons. Lamps. The unfortunately-named POÄNG chair. You thought Ikea was only about super modern/self-assembled/cheapo home furnishings? Well, " Börk , börk , börk !" to that, as the Swedish Chef would say. Above is the fare Scott and I enjoyed while perusing our local Ikea store, which is a mere 5 miles (!) up the road. Yes, that's a neon-greenish/yellow sponge cake, in a hue not seen since Members Only jackets, fanny packs, and jelly shoes ruled the fashion scene in, oh, 1986. The main course - Swedish Meatballs, served with mashed potatoes and a creamy gravy. Well, the Swedes don't know "gravy" - they call it a "sauce," bless their little Smörgåsbord -ed hearts. The plate also includes Lingonberries , which brings to mind my middle-school years of loving IHOP and always wanting the Boysenberry syrup for my pancakes. Lingonberries , Boysenberries...they taste about the same to me. Appearing to be half of a tennis ball drizzled in chocolate, ...

Scott and I decided to set aside any ambitions of getting our tiny new apartment organized yesterday and instead went out exploring D.C. for Valentine's Day. We parked our car at the College Park Metro Station near our apartment and hit the Green Line for Chinatown/Gallery Place. We were ravenous at about 2 pm, so we hit one of the first places we saw - Chinatown Garden. One visit made me wish we'd consulted the DC Ethnic Food site before hitting the town. The complimentary pot of hot tea was nice, and their steamed pork dumplings were tasty as a meal starter. I thought ordering from the "authentic" back page of their menu would be a smart option. However, our server led me astray when she recommended the salty pepper soft shell crabs after informing me my choice of shrimp and scallops was not available. "It's from Maryland. Very good," she said. I beg to differ. The crab were incredibly briny and so fried that I couldn't taste crab at all - just a ...

So Erin and I just moved to the D.C. area ( Riverdale, MD specifically) amidst uber-snow and uber-ice! Our ice trays hadn't chilled yet when, after shoveling snow and breaking up sidewalk ice with a garden shovel, I needed a drink! I came into the kitchen where Erin was making Super Bowl Chili and I saw a bottle of bourbon on our new mini-kitchen table (thanks Alison & Ryan!). "We don't have any ice yet," Erin said. "Crap," I thought to myself. Thinking .. thinking .. ah-ha! "There's plenty of damn ice outside," I thought. Five minutes after breaking off a huge set of icicles from the neighbor's house, I had a Yazoo pint glass with 5 inch long icicles chilling my bourbon and ginger ale. Who says a blizzard's a bad thing? : )

Here we are in Hyattsville, Md., staying with our gracious friends who are oh-so-hospitable, allowing us to abandon our lowly "Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn" (Say What?!...sorry, had to slip into old-school 80s rap lyrics...blame the snow) for better snowed-in digs. When you're stuck inside due to 20 plus inches of snow, what's a crew of cabin-fevered friends to do? Make lots of hot tea, enjoy a Snow Day Saturday brunch of waffles, egg casserole, hash browns and cinnamon muffins, and cleaned out the fridge for dinners of spaghetti and chili over rice. I am truly thankful I am not stranded on Interstate 81 in rural Virginia this time around. A townhouse with all the amenities - wine, cheese, and indoor plumbing - is so much more our style.