Weekend Wrapup: Gone Country

My mom and I went to visit her friends in Hume, Virginia, this past weekend. It was another impromptu travel weekend for me and it was lovely!

View from Phillip Carter tasting room.

After waiting out the storm Friday night, we made the two-hour trek early Saturday to get there in time to fit in some wine tasting, antiquing, and polo watching. I haven't really spent much time in Virginia, which is surprising since I've lived in Maryland for much of my life. A little time in Arlington and some time recently in Charlottesville, but I have pretty much neglected Virginia's countryside...up until now!

Viney pathway to Chateau O'Brien Winery.

Hume, which I use liberally to mean all of the surrounding towns nearby since even some of our friends' "neighbors" live 45 minutes away,  is country. This means that there are tons of wineries dotting the landscape. There are Blue Ridge Mountains, luscious green lawns, and horse farms as far as the eye can see.

Mom and Sean at Chateau O'Brien.

I think if Hume was near a large body of water, this would be my perfect home. I loved the quietness of the country and the quaintness of the towns. Each neighborhood had its own main street with antique stores and soda shops. Clean convertibles and muddied Jeeps traced the curving roads. Ivy crawled up buildings and flags flapped in the breeze. It was glorious!

Antique store in The Plains, Virginia.

These pictures are just from the first half of our first day visiting Hume. We spent the first hour or so sipping wines at Phillip Carter and Chateau O'Brien wineries. Since our hosts aren't huge wine fans, we headed to El Agave for lunch and then a few antique stores instead. I have to say, walking through antique stores with an interior designer is interesting. I tried to listen to what he said, but honestly I think it comes down to what you like. After a few hours of tooling around, we headed home to take a nap before heading out to the polo match. Our first ever!

Main Street in The Plains, Virginia. Bathroom stop!

Next up: Our Saturday evening.

How did you spend your not-so-hot weekend?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Weekend Recap: Sisters' Weekend

When my sister and her husband lived in Manhattan and I lived in Pittsburgh or Maryland, I visited them a few times every year. People would ask me all the time if I knew this bar or that restaurant, and the answer was almost always a resounding "no" because when Jen and I get together, we do little other than talk and laugh. So that is exactly what we did when she came to visit me this past weekend. 

We did a quick catch-up Friday night, but went to sleep pretty soon after she arrived (it was after midnight unfortunately). Saturday morning we were up early to meet up with our parents. They drove up from Annapolis to have breakfast with us at Kooper's Tavern in Fells Point. The weather was beautiful, so Jen and I walked along the water on the promenade to meet up with them.  Breakfast was delicious and the 'rents got us started on cocktails at 9 a.m. Gotta love that kind of start to the day! Here's us on the promenade where Dad, per usual, decided he could live here...anywhere near the water is heaven for that guy ;)

Mom, me, Dad, Jen. The original 4.

After breakfast, Jen and I headed back to my apartment to change for the afternoon: hiking at Oregon Ridge and wine tasting at Basignani Winery. What an awesome way to spend some time with my sister! Outside, under the sunshine, sipping on wine. We may or may not have run across a black snake on one of the paths whereby I immediately turned around and ran for cover. Apparently I'm afraid of snakes. And apparently it's every woman for herself when it comes to survival. Pushing my sister out of my way may not have been the nicest thing to do, in hindsight ;)

View from Basignani Winery. Heaven on earth.

Saturday night we were going to go out for dinner and drinks, but it seemed that Jen caught the cold her little ones had last week. It could have been a huge bummer, and I'm very sorry that she didn't feel well ("prickly" was the term she used for her symptoms), but we stayed home in our sweats and did some more catching up. When you don't get to spend serious alone time with someone for a few years, there's a LOT of catching up to do! Honestly, I think we got to have more quality time together inside my cave of an apartment, watching "50/50," eating Oreos, and drinking tea, than we ever could have at a restaurant or bar. I highly recommend sleep overs :)

Red Door Spa at the Village Cross Keys.

Sunday morning, we got up early for breakfast and for the coup de grace of the weekend: a trip to the spa! This past week was Spa Week, which means $50 services at spas that would normally cost twice that much. Jen and I got on the waiting list for the Red Door Spa near Loyola. Luckily, I got the call last week that we were in! They didn't have a Spa Week massage, so we decided to try something new...frankly, this is the perfect time to try something a little different since I wouldn't have been too terribly disappointed with spending $50 on a crappy experience. However, this was anything but crappy! O.M.G. Our stress melter exfoliation and wrap was amazing. Truly unique. 

The technician first rubbed me down with these rough gloves. Yes, I paid good money to get roughed up and patted down...Guess I could just have asked a local cop for that! And then she lathered me up in lemon-scented oil and wrapped a plastic sheet around me for 15 minutes. It was heaven. I felt like a plastic-wrapped burrito, but it felt so decadent. A little slippery and warm, and after 15 minutes I was really ready to be unwrapped, but overall a very relaxing experience.

Jen had to leave immediately after the stress melter to go sit in rainy traffic on 95. I hope the melter helped her at least start from a lower boiling point than she would have started without it! Traffic can be quite the pressure cooker. So to cheer myself up after she left, I dropped by my friends' house with Eddie's sandwiches and then went home to watch TV, read a smutty book, and cook homemade mac and cheese.

My bechamel sauce. It's taken me years to figure this out!

It was a deliciously great weekend. Exactly what I needed, little of what I was expecting, but perfect all the same. Comfort food. Comforting sister. Comfortable clothes. Best kind of weekend :)

Anyone else enjoy the sun or hunker down in the rain? Best of both worlds this weekend, for realsies!

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Ooh, Heaven is a Place on Earth

After two hours of walking around Susquehanna State Park this past Sunday (we're both of the nature is our church variety), Verity and I were ready for some adult beverages and a chair. We'd staked out Mt. Felix Estate Vineyard before meeting up, which meant although we were tired, hungry, and cranky, we knew that happiness was merely at the end of a short dirt road! If for any reason you find yourself anywhere near northern Maryland or southern Pennsylvania, I beseech you to visit Mt. Felix winery!

We hunkered down in the tasting room, which is off to the side of the Manor Home, a beautiful home that was built in the 1830s and acts as part hotel today. The home and tasting room sat on a stretch of land where their Chambourcin grapes grow, dairy cows graze, and neighbors mill. The tasting room itself was a tiny room that could fit five people at the bar. One picture-frame window, surrounded by dozens of Mt. Felix wines, faced the open sky and sliver of water where the Susquehanna meets the Chesapeake. It was wonderfully quaint and comfortable. 

The wines at Mt. Felix aren't just grape-based, so the experience was truly unique. One wine required a little slice of lime, another required a bite of chocolate. Seriously? Chocolate? What doesn't say "I'm having fun" like a little wine and chocolate? It's like the Brad and Angelina of the food and drink combo. There was another unique wine, but I won't divulge that one until after this weekend with my mom and sister. Don't want to spoil the surprise!

Verity and I will definitely be back, especially since it happens to be exactly in the middle between me (in Baltimore) and her (in Lancaster). A little bit warmer and we'll be parked outside on the patio, sipping on a bottle of wine, noshing on a homemade picnic, and catching up on our busy lives. This is why I love wine...it just begs for a good ol' fashioned stoop sitting type of atmosphere. Relaxed. Warm. Happy.

Manor House at Mt. Felix.

Tasting room and view of the Bay.

Room with a view.

Conversation nook.

Backyard patio.

Verity and her goods. I LOVE it!

Dairy cow pasture next door.

Love,

Stephanie Marie

PS. Excuse the creepy ghost-like lack of hand on Verity. She does in fact have a right hand. I think the new feature on my iPhone decided it wasn't one of the aspects of the three shots it combines to create the "best" photo. I think the addition of her right hand would be "best" ;)

Weekend Recap: March 2-4

1. I drove down to Hollywood, Md., to visit with my friend Teresa and her family. (This is the view of Solomons Island on my way home.) We went to the firehouse's annual spring luncheon for fried oysters, Maryland-stuffed ham, green beans, coleslaw, tuna salad, and sweet potatoes. I went a few years ago with my parents, and it was amazing yet again! My parents decided that spending their wedding anniversary at the firehouse wasn't really what they wanted this year ;)

2. Saturday night, I helped Michelle finish off her save-the-date cards. A few glasses of wine later and I was a happy girl! We figured a trip to a local bar would be a good end to all the hard work we did.

3. Sunday morning I woke up and had a yogurt parfait. I got this idea from Suzie who used to make them all the time. One of my favorite things about moving around so much and staying with so many people is all the different foods that I'm introduced to. I never would have thought to make,my own parfait if it hadn't been for practically living with Suzie for a few months last year!

4. Simone, Adam, and I headed to Boordy Vineyards for Chowderfest. We got three chowder tastings and six wine tastings for $15. Can't beat that! Somehow between our arrival and departure, we reverted back to winter! How did that happen?! It was fun to visit a new winery regardless; I'm definitely keeping this place on my 30th birthday list!

This weekend was all about eating. I mean, frequently my life has a lot of food anecdotes and memories, but this weekend started and ended with some pretty special meals. How was your weekend? Any food adventures to write home about?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

My World is on Fire

I didn't mean for this to turn into a food blog, but a. I have to eat...like every day...like at least three times every day. Ugh :) and b. I'm trying to enjoy cooking more since it's something I have to do for the rest of my life. I'm using it to get creative and it's making me happy to try new things. Anyway, not sure why I feel like I have to justify the food pictures, but DEAL! And go home tonight and make these two dishes!

1. Shrimp in a white wine butter sauce. Um, yum. A little EVOO and butter to saute garlic and unions, add some white wine, mushrooms, tomatoes, and shrimp. Pinch of parsley. Top over angel hair pasta. Wha-la! I'm so proud of myself! Side question for you cooks: When am I supposed to throw the shrimp in? I think I may have put them in too early, but I was afraid of putting raw shrimp in with cooked veggies. Any thoughts?

2. Homemade hot cocoa! Seriously, this was so easy. It was a little too chocolately, if you can believe that. But I made half of Nigella's recipe and still had leftovers. I also left out the rum. I'm not a huge fan of alcohol in my drinks unless it's an alcoholic drink. Does that make sense? Anyway delish!

Shrimp pasta, hot cocoa, 1 freelance essay submitted, 1 pro bono essay edited, Bachelor, shower. I'm on FIRE! I even had time to run to the grocery store to get the final fixings for my meal. Yesterday was a good, full day.

Love,

Stephanie Marie

PS. Did anyone else notice that the girls on the Bachelor always need to have a scapegoat? I'm not saying I like either Blakely or Courtney, but why do groups of women always have to act like a pack of hyenas? Sometimes that show is too much for me to handle.

Weekend Wrap-Up: New Years Eve Weekend!

1. Sparkling wine at the Trump winery in Charlottesville, Virginia. I drove down to visit my friend Tosha and her boyfriend Bryan. We had a great time wine tasting before the NYE festivities. May have been the best NYE ever!

2. PICNIC at the Trump winery. Reason #2 this was the best NYE ever. Love me some pic-a-nic-as.

3. I moved! This is my (messy) kitchen. Isn't it big?! I moved everything from Michelle and Ray's place on Monday, since I had off for the new year. I'm planning on moving the rest this coming Sunday. Cross your fingers! I'm a big fan of moving in stages.

4. These are gifts from Michelle and Simone. I think people know I like tea ;) Love the moss green tea kettle and accessories!

How was your NYE? Was it the BEST NIGHT EVER? ;)

Love,

Stephanie Marie