Gimme Some Oven

Currently

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Henry by the Fire

My campfire-loving dog, having the time of his life (along with a few dozen of my friends and their pups) at our annual HarvestFest campout this past weekend. Friends + fall + fires = the best.

Spreading the word about this Kickstarter that launched last week! It’s for our church band’s latest album — Mike Crawford and the Secret Siblings. (Shhh, I’m a secret sibling, and sing on a few tracks.?)   My friend, Mike, and the 50+ musicians in our church have been working on this album together for about four years, so we’re all excited for it to finally be released! If this sort of music is your jam, I’d totally encourage you to check it out. Because I always tell people that one of the many things that I love about our church is that we sing mostly original music. And as such, these songs — goodness, these songs — hold such a special place in my heart. Week after week, month after month, season after season, my friends and I have sung them through the best of times. And, we’ve also stood side by side with one another and sung them through tears in the worst of times. And through it all, they have been this safe place to be real with ourselves and with God, and also an incredible reminder of hope. So, anyway, I’m so excited for these songs to finally escape our little church walls and get out into the world. Because good music always makes the world a better place. (If you want a little sample, this song is one of my faves.)

Loving this new wine saver that a friend told me about. It’s a bit of an investment, but if you tend to have leftover wine, I think that this keeps it much fresher than the vacuum bottle stoppers that I used to use.

Falling more and more in love each week with This Is Us.  Oh my goodness, are you guys watching? I feel like I finally have a replacement now for Parenthood. ? Loving the characters and the storylines so far and, of course, crying the ugly cry just about every week.

Listening to the new Johnnyswim album on repeat. Goodness, those two have the most beautiful voices. (And heads up, since December is just around the corner, their Christmas album is sooooo good.)

Teaching myself how to make homemade tamales. They’ve been on my “cooking bucket list” for years, and I think I’ve just about got them mastered. Look forward to sharing a foolproof recipe with you for how to make them (plus some good tips I’ve learned!) very soon. And in the meantime, I’m happily eating tamale-testing leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. ? Do you have anything on your cooking bucket list that you’d like to try soon?

Drinking too many freaking Pumpkin Spice Lattes this year. Good grief — I’ve always avoided the craze in the past. But ever since Postmates started delivering them each morning and afternoon this autumn for free (yes, the drink and delivery are FREE – you just tip your driver a few dollars), I mayyy have accidentally gotten hooked. (P.S. If you’re not already hooked on Postmates, here’s a promo code to get $10 off your first restaurant delivery — FPRTS.)

Looking forward to a quick weekend trip to D.C. with Barclay this weekend! We’re headed there for an exciting meeting to do some brainstorming for The Wash Project. And then Barc and I are looking forward to revisiting some of our favorite restaurants and sights from our trip there last year (Oyamel, The National Portrait Gallery, and Old Ebbitt are definitely happening again!!). We’re also really hoping that we might be able to visit new African American History & Culture Smithsonian, but it sounds like tickets are super hard to come by right now — fingers crossed. If any of you D.C. lovers have any other great recommendations for places to visit, lemme know!

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21 comments on “Currently”

  1. I didn’t know that you sing!!! That’s awesome, I’ve sung with my church’s worship band for years too and it’s the best part of my week. I will check out the Kickstarter right now. AND I LOVE THIS IS US!!!!

  2. These posts are too fun! Love the links to the songs!

  3. A couple off-the-beaten-path D.C. recs from a local – The National Arboretum is beautiful if the weather is nice, Union Market for some good little bites and shopping, H Street NE (between 10th and 14th) for good bars (Biergarten Haus, Smith Commons, and Queen Vic are all great), free shows every night at 6pm at The Kennedy Center, and best Italian food (and bartender) in town is Lavagna in Eastern Market. Have fun!!

  4. Looking forward to your tamale recipe!! I’ve been craving them like crazy and finally feel like I need to just make them myself already, but most recipes are for a huge amount…

  5. Oh my gosh, love that photo of your fire-lit dog! You’re right, campfires this time of year are the best…as are pumpkin spice lattes! I’m going to have to check out this app.

  6. If you have any of the sweet tamales, you can saute them in some butter and top with maple syrup for a delightful breakfast treat! My Mexican friends always make some with pineapple mixed into the masa, then steamed. They can be for dessert, but I really love them for breakfast.

  7. If you liked Oyamel, you should def check out Jose Andres’ China Chilcano. It’s so pretty and the food is amazing!! The Aji de Gallina is to die for!
    Piggybacking on Stephanie’s comment, if you’re near Eastern Market you might as well head over to the Navy Yard too, big changes happening and Osteria Morini is the absolute best Italian in DC. The beer gardens mentioned in Stephanie’s comment are super fun but if you do head SE way, the Brig is a new beer garden with Sunday morning Beer and Yoga at 10:30am ;P
    Hope you enjoy our beautiful city again!

  8. Try to snag a table at Rose’s Luxury in Barracks Row in DC! The food is beyond amazing, and the restaurant itself is gorgeous. You do have to get there early in the day to wait in line for a table, but it is well worth it! Hope you enjoy your time here in DC! :)

  9. A few fun things to do in DC: Baked and Wired in Georgetown, Sewall-Belmont House (home of the fight for women’s suffrage), Pansaari in Dupont Circle for Chai and Indian food! Also, the riverfront is beautiful right now, I love walking and biking on the C&O canal path in Georgetown with all of the pretty leaves :)

  10. Too funny – taking a tamale cooking class in Santa Fe is on my bucket list.  Looking forward to your recipe.  

  11. God is good. All the time. :)

  12. I also love This Is Us, and thought it reminded me of good Parenthood-ish TV. I’m glad it’s not just me! Love your posts and love trying new recipes and hearing the music you mentioned. Thanks for the sharing!

  13. By the way, I just tried a new recipe for a super yummy and healthy dinner, all veggies and shrimp, served over “cauliflower rice”.  I have a lot of the chopped up cauliflower left over since I used a very large one, and wondered if you have any recipe suggestions for how else to use it up?

    • You could use it as a base for a burrito bowl, or you could always puree it and make mashed cauliflower!

  14. I love love Oyamel! The Dabney is delicious and, if you’re craving Asian Fusion, DC Noodles is a great time :)

  15. We’ve been using the Platypus Platy Preserve wine pouch, which works really well.  It preserves wine for much longer.  Congratulations on the album release, and I hope you have a great time in DC.

  16. It might sound strange but the Postal Museum has the Post Secret exhibit right now. It is based on the books and websete by Frank Warren. A little off the beaten path but definitely worth it!

  17. I’m going to be in D.C. this weekend too to visit my boyfriend!! I recommend El Centro D.F. if you’re into bottomless brunches….that’s where I’ll be on Saturday morning. ;)

  18. I am going to send out an email to my friends about This Is Us. I cried, too! It is fantastic. Now that you mention Parenthood, another show I loved and cried through, I see lots of similarities. They’re about real people and families, flaws and all.

    Can’t wait for that tamale recipe!

  19. Wow, you sing too?! You are one multi-talented lady! Can’t wait for the tamale recipes!

  20. Oh my gosh, cooking bucket list indeed, I definitely have one of those. I recently compiled a 101 Things in 1001 Days list to begin working on in the new year, and included on there in no particular order to make for the first time are: gnocchi, scallops, soft pretzels, tortillas, naan, nasi goreng, 72 hr chocolate chip cookies, traditional fruit cake, and poach the perfect egg. Phewf! :)