Sister is in DC!

My sister is here in DC with me for the week! We've been having a ball so far, and we've got our fingers crossed that this gloomy, drizzly weather decides to clear up. Here are a couple pictures from the last few days:

Allison checks out the Senate buildings

Early birthday breakfast-- doughnuts!

Hanging out at Gravelly Point, having a picnic dinner.

Girl in the city!

Me. Capitol. Happiness.

Me. Capitol. Goofiness. Blindingly pink shorts.

Jefferson Memorial by night

Love always,
E

Ryan Lochte takes on the Hill

"Jeah!" Monday!

Ryan Lochte was on the Hill this evening, advocating to eradicate Muscular Dystrophy, specifically Duchenne, through Parent Project MD.  I was working late, trucking through some stuff, and realized that if I didn't get down there, I'd miss the reception.

I'll admit, after all the media buzz about him during and after the Olympics (some nice, some less-than-flattering), I was curious as to how he'd appear in person.  Was he going to have wings on his shoes?  A grill in his mouth?  Would he say "Rocksss" and make my entire week?

The answer to all of those above questions is "no." Someone told him to wear a suit, run a comb through his hair, and be professional.  And my oh my, does that man follow directions well.  Or maybe he knew to do all of those things himself.  He is an adult, after all.  For all of the well-earned hype over shirtless Ryan Lochte, I'm going to give it to him... a fully clothed Ryan Lochte is an extraordinarily handsome man.

He also has an assistant who intimidates the crap out of me, which is not an easy feat.

When I walked into the reception late with my friend Macy, I didn't even see him at first. He turned out to be across the room doing an excellent job doing what he does.  His assistant was making it clear that it was time for him to head out the door, and there I was thinking, "You know, if there is one person I should ask for a picture with, it's probably him." (And not even because he's delightful to look at but because I swim, and it just was exciting to see him.)

So, I walked up to get a picture and waited because two other girls were also exercising the flashes on their cameras. As I waited, the assistant gave me this look like-- don't even or I will seriously eat your soul. At that point, pissing off the lady was not worth a cell phone picture to me. But then he stopped outside the door on his way out to sign some piece of paper or something, and I thought, all right already! Now or never!

"Hey, Ryan...?"

That's what I say when I'm literally following Ryan Lochte out of a reception. How embarrassing. Never in my years have I requested a picture with a celebrity when they weren't doing pictures, and neverrrr have I practically chased one down. I'm uncomfortable meeting celebrities.  I get all weird knowing that they know that I know who they are even though we've never met.  I'd rather be on a level playing field when meeting someone.

He was kind enough to spare some time to take a picture with me before he went around the corner, down the hall, and away to wherever it is that Ryan Lochte goes on a Monday night in DC. Probably the airport.

I wasn't cool and didn't make an impression in any way, shape, or form, which is another weird thing about meeting celebrities.  I mean, here I am waxing poetic in a blog post (yikes) about ten seconds of my day, and for him I'm the upteenth picture of the day.

However, he was not at the reception to be everyone's photo prop for the evening, and he certainly wasn't there to worry about getting pictures with staffers. He was there to bring attention to Muscular Dystrophy.  And so, because he turned around and took a picture with me, I will stress again that he was here for a very serious and good cause-- eradicating Duchenne.

I went back up to my office and finished up some work. I had time for a short swim tonight, so I left and headed to the pool.  In the second lane was a man with muscular dystrophy, using swimming as a way to stay as strong and fit as he can.  It seemed fitting for today.

The picture. Ryan Lochte. Me. Assistant to the right.



Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. It is one of nine types of muscular dystrophy.

As of 2011, most therapies for DMD are supportive in nature, but research to develop truly disease-modifying therapies is under way.

Learn more.

Salted Caramel Mocha cupcakes

When I first returned from Germany, I was SO excited to be able to bake again. You'd think that in Germany I'd have been a baking fool, seeing as how the country is full of delicious baked goods and daily life usually involves cake and coffee. Imagine a long-term stay hotel room with a kitchenette, and that's basically what my little home was like. I spent the year oven-less and only got to bake on a few occasions at Anja's house (see: this post).  Once settled back into my house in DC, I got down to business. After all, I had a cupcake-loving man to bake for and one year of ideas to test out.

The first batch I made were inspired by Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha latte.  It's delightful, and I felt it was not out of my league to whip up a couple.  Of course, this meant I had to do research.  I sat at my local Sbux, drank the hot beverage, sweat because it was warm outside, and wrote down the essences I wanted to capture.  After a trip to the grocery, the baking began.

My old apron from my Starbucks days. Seemed appropriate.

In the days when the oven clock worked and I could bake in Fahrenheit! When the power came back on after Hurricane Sandy, the clock was out and it only functioned in Celsius. What?!

I used my chocolate cake recipe and dabbled with instant espresso for a nice mocha flavor

Caramelized sugar to make toppers.

The future toppers, cooling.

Carved out the centers and put a bit of fleur de sal in each

Made a batch of caramel for filling and drizzling over the frosting

Added some of the caramel to mascarpone and filled the cupcakes

Made a chocolate ganache-like frosting, drizzled with caramel, added a few flakes of fleur de sal, and topped with the caramelized sugar pieces

It was delightful.

Overall, I give my creation a 4 out of 5. They were really tasty, but the standard mocha cupcakes I've made in the past top these salted caramel ones.

Advent season on Capitol Hill

Here are a couple snapshots from my phone from the Christmas season on Capitol Hill.  It was chilly here this December, but welcomed weather for the season.  It seemed as though every window had a lighted tree in it this year.  While work kept me particularly busy, I did manage to squeeze in time to make a few batches of cookies, walk down to the Capitol Christmas tree, admire the lights around the neighborhood, hang lights in my kitchen, and enjoy memories from last year's Christmas in Germany-- such as the incense snowman pictured below.  I even made it to the White House to admire the decorations within.

Through the lens: Dresden

When in Dresden, see what the Dresdeners rebuilt.

I was really impressed with Dresden. It was renown for being absolutely beautiful before it was bombed to smithereens in WWII. Then, it fell in East German territory which meant that it was part of the GDR and therefore under communist rule until 1990. Through funding from the German government as well as all over the world, Dresden has spent the last twenty years making a large effort to rebuild what once made it so stunning. But they have also embraced their history, and that is evident, too. Very worth a stop. And if you go, don't forget to swing through the Neustadt as well as the better known Altstadt. It doesn't look like much, but it's full of gems.

Nice is nice

The Côte d'Azul this weekend was absolutely lovely. Check it out!

Nice sure was nice. I will definitely be making a return trip.