Happy Birthday Peyton!

This is definitely a week full of Birthdays for some of my favorite people...

I have the most amazing Sister in Law. How lucky am I to have acquired a SIL on my wedding day who I already considered a friend. We have so much in common beyond the obvious stuff like being married to brothers. I feel like our phone conversations and emails could go on forever! We had a pretty long talk yesterday and I definitely needed it :) She has been such a supportive friend and I don't know what I would do without her. She came to DC a few days before our wedding and was such a huge help. She kept this high strung bride sane and never once complained about my constant mention of the possibility of rain on our wedding day!
Peyton and her husband are by far one of our favorite couples to hang out with. Good thing they are family too! I just wish we weren't so far apart. They moved to California soon after their wedding and it makes getting together much more difficult. But that just makes VABeau and I even more excited for the few times a year that we actually all get together. I'm still secretly hoping for the day when we live closer to each other and can raise our future babies together, haha ;)

Whether we are on opposite coasts or in the same town, I am so lucky to have her in my life. She has such amazing taste (you should see the awesome outfits this girl can put together!), tons of class, and a pretty amazing blog! Peyton-you have no idea how much I appreciate you always listening, your amazing advice, and friendship. I hope you have a fabulous Birthday!
-VABelle

Happy Birthday Caren!

Caren is one of my oldest and closest friends. We go wayyy back....

Caren and I after one of many dance recitals we were in together growing up

Our Birthdays are only 3 days apart so we had several joint parties since we shared most of the same friends growing up. There was the classic skating rink joint party in elementary school and the coolest 13th Birthday Party ever! Our parents rented out the Country Club for a dance, it was pretty amazing and included cookie cakes :)

With my beautiful bridesmaid

We have shared so many memories over the years and I am so happy that our friendship has lasted for all of our 26 years. I know that there are many more years ahead of us and our friendship. I am so lucky to have her as a friend. She has always been there for me when I have needed her the most and I appreciate that so much. Caren is an amazing woman with so much to offer and deserves nothing but the best!
Caren-I hope you have an amazing Birthday today, you deserve it!
-VABelle

This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house work together and have their lives taped to find out what happens....

When people stop being polite and start getting real...The Real World DC!
I loved the Real World in high school and watched it religiously. For a girl still living at home with her parents, I was intrigued by the lifestyles of people in their early 20s living on their own. I was convinced that that was how normal young adults acted and how life was really like when you moved out on your own. Boy was I wrong! My Real World obsession ended soon after I started college and found out what the "real world" was really like.

However, I have anxiously awaited the premiere of The Real World DC. Did it really have to take 26 seasons for the show to finally make it to our nation's capital? I was so excited to watch a show that took place where we lived. I thought it would be fun to see them go out to the bars we go out to in Dupont and Georgetown and see our city's awesome sights on display every Wednesday night. My excitement for the show intensified after a night out in Dupont with VABeau. We were on our way to Russia House (a bar the real world cast frequented) and were passed by a guy with a huge video camera. He was following a few members of the cast who were just ahead of us. When we passed them we finally figured out that they were part of the infamous DC cast. We tried to play it cool and avoid them. However, I have heard several rumors that the cast has not had the most warm welcome from most DC residents. There's even an "anti-real world DC blog."

The house in Dupont-I do like all of the political decor. They even have an oval office!

When the premiere finally aired at 10pm one Wednesday night a few weeks ago, I was pretty disappointed. Granted, it was my first time watching in at least 4 years. Since the last time I watched, I have experienced the "real world" in DC so I was a little critical of how unrealistic the show really is. I had just finished telling VABeau how I thought neither of us would ever be chosen for the show because we aren't outrageous enough or even opinionated enough to make it interesting. That's when he replied, "Honey, no offense, but you are not even eligible for the show, you are too old!" Unfortunately, he was right. I am no longer in my early 20s and thus too old to be on the show or even watch it. Still, we watch every Wednesday. We claim it's only to see where they go in our town. But deep down I know we keep tuning in for the ridiculous drama despite the fact that we constantly put down the cast for being immature and overly dramatic.
-VABelle

Happy 23rd Birthday Brennan!

Today is my brother's Birthday. My life changed for the better 23 years ago today. Despite the 3 years between us we were incredibly close growing up. If neither of us had a play date planned we were usually each other's companions for the day building forts in the woods next to our house, playing in the creek, bringing our GI Joe's and Barbies together, you name it. I am lucky to call such an amazing guy my brother and having him in my life helped make me the person I am today. All of our lives we have complimented each other so well because we are polar opposites. There is the obvious difference, he is the lighter skinned, lighter haired version of the Manning's and I am the darker skinned darker haired version. In addition, he is the life of the party and the guy everyone wants to call a friend and I am the often shy one who needs her "alone" time. He is the more patient, calm one, while his sister is known to be the very short tempered one. In short, he knows me better than I know myself sometimes and if anyone could warn VABeau about what he was getting himself into, it's Brennan. I know VABeau is so happy to have gained him as a BIL a few months ago. He has always been so supportive of us and our relationship. I am so happy he was a big part of our wedding day.
I respect Brennan more than he knows and for so many reasons. He has so many characteristics that I admire and often aspire to. Great things are in his future and I know the girl he ends up with one day will be a very lucky girl. He will treat her like a princess. He grew up just down the hallway from one of the biggest princesses I know so he has a lot of practice ;)Happy Birthday Brennan, I hope you have a great day!
Love, VABelle

Recipe-Belgian Beef and Beer Stew

Yet another reason I will miss football season............
From Cooking Light December 2009

• 3 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (we used pre-cut stew meat)
  
• 2 cups chopped onion, about 2 onions
  
• 5 cups sliced cremini mushrooms, about 12 ounces
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle amber beer
• 2 cups (1/2-inch-thick) slices carrot
  
• 1 3/4 cups (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
  
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings; set aside. Add half of beef to drippings in pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.

2. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic; sauté 4 minutes or until half of liquid evaporates. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add bacon, beef, carrot, and remaining ingredients to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

What our stew looked like-sorry no beautiful pictures in a bowl like Cooking Light, we are far too impatient!

Not sure if you have noticed, but our new Le Creuset dutch oven is popping up in recipe posts pretty often. We use it all of the time! I am so happy we ended up getting the 71/4 quart one. It seemed huge at the time but we use it all of the time for huge stews, curry, soups, you name it!

The Belgian Beer VABeau picked out-It's a medium strength Belgian amber ale

The bottle was huge so we had some left to pair with our stew, yum!

This stew is amazing! I decided to post this recipe in lieu of Menu Monday because we have so much leftover this may very well constitute our menu for the week. We made it for the Colts game Sunday (Superbowl bound baby/Peyton Manning is incredible!) and it was perfect. So hearty and full of flavor. I have a hard time believing it actually came from my Cooking Light Magazine. I will admit, VABeau and I almost skipped over this delicious recipe out of our fear of parsnips. See, neither of us can recall ever having parsnips and when we saw what they looked like at the grocery we were ready to toss this recipe out the window (I know, how can we even consider ourselves truly adventurous eaters and drinkers). Luckily the recipe prevailed and the parsnips were fine. In fact, they cooked down so much over the two hours that it was almost like eating tiny pieces of potato. I definitely recommend this recipe and am looking forward to another dose of leftover stew tonight.

-VABelle

How have I been missing out on this?

Last night VABeau and I joined some friends for a concert at The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA (about 8 miles from our apartment in Arlington). Neither of us had even heard of this awesome venue near our home. Boy have we been missing out! Most of the concerts on the weekends at this venue are cover bands. Horrible picture quality of the crowd and faux Bruce

Last night we saw Bruce in the USA, an amazing Bruce Springsteen cover band. We had a blast! For a couple of hours last night I forgot that I was approaching my late twenties and instead was transported to my college days when we danced to mediocre cover bands at frat parties. Bruce in the USA definitely did not disappoint and was much better than the cover bands of my college days. With cheap beers in hand, we danced and sang all night. VABeau and Neil

Trey getting into the Bruce spiritI cannot wait to go back. Some future concerts at the State I am looking forward to include: The Legwarmers-February 19th and 20th-"DCs Biggest 80s Retro Dance Party" I love 80s music and apparently most people dress in ridiculous 80s clothes. Sounds like the recipe for an amazing night!

Satisfaction-A Rolling Stones Cover Band-February 26th

Ticket prices vary somewhat but we paid $18 each for the show last night. That's not much more than a night at the movies and the drinks are super cheap. If you decide to check out one of the many super fun concerts at The State Theatre don't forget to hit up the ATM beforehand. Most of the bars are cash only. Hope y'all had a great weekend!
-VABelle

My Birthday Wish List

My 26th Birthday is a little over a week away. For the past 25 years I have anxiously awaited February 1st. I love Birthdays (especially mine!) Unfortunately, this is the first year that I am having a pretty difficult time getting excited for my Birthday. The only real reason I can come up with is the fact that I am entering my LATE twenties. It may also be related to already celebrating one of the most exciting moments of my life in October-our wedding! After an amazing wedding weekend, a Birthday just cannot measure up. Even though my outlook on Birthdays has changed somewhat, my outlook on wish lists definitely has not changed. Below are some of my Birthday wishes (warning:it's a pretty random list):

I loooove a good pedicure. I used to get them pretty regularly before getting engaged. However, with wedding planning and now trying to save more $$$, my beloved pedicures have been put on hold. With warmer weather coming I decided the perfect gift would be gift certificates for a few pedicures. That way I can keep my feet looking pretty (which is definitely needed with all of the running I have been doing-hello HUGE callouses!) without making me feel guilty for spending the money on a spa treatment.JCrew Ruffles and Roses Tissue Tank

JCrew Tulle Tiered Blouse

A VABelle wish list is not complete without a few JCrew items.

My current makeup bag is full of a hodgepodge of items I pick up at either CVS or Target. For years I have been wanting to sit down at a makeup counter at Nordstroms and finally have an official consultation. I would love to have a better idea of how to apply makeup and what colors look good on me. My current makeup counter of choice is Bobbi Brown. One of my few "nice" makeup items is a BB shimmer brick and I love it. I cannot wait to try out more of her stuff. This may have to be a gift to myself or a gift from VABeau (as in he will join me and pay for the few items I am convinced to buy)Running Tights-Luluemon run spirit tights

Under Armour Endure Sports Bras

Luluemon Cool Racer back Tank

Luluemon Groove Crop

I'm really enjoying my 1/2 marathon training and hope to keep up my running even after the race. This means I could use some more running clothes. The pictures above are of running things I found at a store near our apartment but I would honestly be happy with anything at this point. I desperately need some winter running tights at the moment. I have been running 3-4 times a week with only one pair of cold weather tights-yikes!

The Game of Things

My SIL, Peyton raved about this game on her blog. Since I consider myself to be the board game queen (if I can actually find someone to play with) I have to have this game! It sounds like so much fun.

VABeau, always being so very practical, gave me a bottle of this cleaner soon after he proposed. I love it so much, I have already used up my first bottle less than a year after having getting ring. I use it all of the time to clean my rings and give them a little extra sparkle. I especially feel the need to use it after a night of work at the hospital. There is no telling what my rings carry home with them after a night in L&D.

Making this list has helped already. Gifts always make a Birthday much more exciting :)
-VABelle

Ann Taylor Loft Deals

I am in love with Loft. Their clothes are so classic that they last for years and can be worn in so many different ways. I also have noticed that this season they are incorporating more trendy styles into their collection which makes me even more excited to peruse their new stuff! I consider myself pretty fortunate(cursed) to have a Loft within a couple of blocks of my apartment. It is almost too easy to wander down the street to try on some of their stuff which is exactly what I did earlier this week. Imagine my excitement when I found out that I happened to pick the perfect day/week to visit my beloved Loft :)
I think this is such an amazing deal and it applies to anything (even sale items!) Here are some of my favorite things I saw in the store. I was a very good girl and only purchased a few :)

Striped Zig Zag Top-Medium Melange Grey $34.50

Open Front Tab Detail Cardigan-Rosette $34.99

Shirred V-Neck Cardigan-Black $24.99
A perfect cardigan that goes with everything!

Ink Dot Print Shorts-$34.99
These shorts make me even more excited for Spring. I can already picture these with a white button-up shirt.

Full Length Leggings-$24.50
My all time favorite leggings come from Loft. They are so comfortable and fit really well.

Cascading Ruffle Shell- $24.99
Love this shirt and the color.

Turquoise/Clear Stone Multi-Strand Necklace-$49.50

Another reason I am ready for warmer weather. This necklace reminds me of Greece and it will make even the most boring outfit fun!
Hurry to your nearest Loft or www.anntaylorloft.com
-VABelle

Menu Monday (and Some TJ Favorites)

First a picture from my dinner at Carlyle in Shirlington last Monday. Like I promised, we split their amazing Calamari-yum! The food was great but my one complaint was the constant pressure from the servers. Can't they see that we don't get together very often and have tons to talk about? No I have not decided what I want, I haven't even looked at the menu, now please leave me alone so I can hear about my friend's wedding dress shopping trip...thank you! Despite the constant interruptions from our waitresses, we covered a lot of ground and I had so much fun catching up with these lovely ladies. We're planning a couples night with our boys soon which I am so excited about.

Horrible picture quality! With Kristin and Morgan in Shirlington :)

Menu

We were fortunate this weekend to have time to make a trip to Trader Joe's. With a Whole Foods and Harris Teeter so close to our apartment, we rarely get motivated to drive the 10 miles to the nearest Trader Joe's. But when we do, we are rarely disappointed. TJ has so many foods that making cooking easy, fast, and healthy. This week's menu will include a lot of my TJ favorites.

Monday

*Chicken Curry-see recipe/ingredients below
*Naan
Tuesday
*Left over Chicken Curry
*Naan
Wednesday
*Dijon Croque Monsieur (From January 20120 Cooking Light)
*Soup
*Salad
Thursday
*Shrimp Fra Diavolo (From January 2010 Cooking Light)
This meal was originally planned for last Friday but VABeau and I opted for an delicious meal full of seafood and good drinks at Boulevard Wood Grill in Clarendon. I'm pretty excited to try this pasta dish so it's planned for this week too.
Friday
*Beef stir fry in our wok-one of my favorite meals to cook together on the weekends.
Saturday
Hopefully taking advantage of one of the extended Restaurant Week deals. My vote is for Firefly in DC.
Trader Joe's Chicken Curry
(This is a recipe I created so please ignore the unusual descriptions and wording)

• 1 Jar of Curry Simmer Sauce

The secret ingredient!

• Trader Joe's marinated Chicken Strips cut into cubes (found in the refrigerated section)
  
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 1 large white onion, cut into medium chunks
  
• 1 cup of dry rice

Buying a bag of dry rice like this one from TJ is so worth it, it lasts forever!
Combine the Chicken, simmer sauce, and peppers in a large saute pan. Let simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. For even more flavor, let simmer on low for at least an hour. The longer the curry simmers, the more flavorful the chicken and peppers will be. Serve over cooked rice.I love TJ's Naan! You put it in the oven for 2 minutes and end up with a delicious compliment to any curry dish.

Did I mention how much I love Trader Joe's and their easy to prepare food? Getting to stock up on decent wine for $3 a bottle doesn't hurt either. Any other TJ lovers out there? What are your favorite TJ items?
-VABelle