I have been a member of the monthly coffee club, which is far from a great cup of coffee,. Its a bitter, shallow flavored, commercial grind that claims to be good to the last drop (yeah right).  It is a good source of caffeine and cheap, but that’s only pros.  So I stopped paying and drinking the stuff.

Recently, I was reading a post on a friend’s blog about making the perfect cup of coffee. I felt inspired by his “ingredients” to the perfect cup, the atmosphere, the grind, and the separation from the day to day interruptions. It was all about the coffee and nothing else.  The one ingredient that caught my attention in his post was the link to something called the Aeropress. I checked it out, wow, this simple device claims to produce one of the best cups of expresso / american coffee that is very smooth and full of flavor.

I decided to buy one, since I still missed my cup or two at work during the day.  I piggy backed on a ThinkGeek order my co-worker was making and got my Aeropress.  I tried it out this evening using a full body and light roast bean from Wegmans, but I ground it a lot finer than I would for my normal drip coffee machine.  I made enough for one espresso.  It was very simple to make. I added hot water to the final pressed espresso to make a full cup of american coffee.  I took a good smell of the final product, wow very aromatic.  I took a sip and was taken back by how much different this single cup tasted compared to the same brew produced by my drip machine.  Not bitter at all, very smooth and very flavorful!  

So I am definitely pleased with my Aeropress purchase and look forward to my coffee experiences produced by this simple contraption from a company that makes frisbees (yes frisbees).  Thanks Hans for the inspiring post about making the perfect cup of coffee!

Anyhow, Casey and I have been enjoying the summer.  We went to Alexandria, VA this weekend for a bachelor and bachelorette party.  It was fun.  The party/gathering was at Dave and Busters.  We had never been to a Dave and Busters, but it is basically a Chucky Cheese for adults.  We had a good time.  

Casey and I did dinner at P.F. Changs which was right around the corner from Dave and Busters.  Casey loves P.F. Changs because it is the only Chinese food that Casey can eat that is gluten free (normal soy sauce is bad news).  We shared a bottle of riesling wine, some chicken lettuce wraps, and both of us had Ginger Chicken Broccoli entrees.  

After Dave and Busters, the group decided it was time to venture into the city for some fun.  We all headed to a little bar called the Madhatter.  It was a small bar, but a favorite of the bachelor and bachelorette.  Casey and I left the bar at around 1:30am and caught a ride on the Metro back to our hotel.  The Metro ride was interesting since neither of us had ever ridden the Metro by ourselves.  We managed to figure the ticket machine, hopped on the train, and made one switch to a different line, and finally got back to our hotel. woohoo.

I will try to post more frequently, or maybe not since it is summertime.

Kyra and my mom spent a lot of time here at our house, but they also visited with GG and took Hailey out and about with them.  My dad stopped over on Thursday to see Paulie.

While our guests were here I made sure to keep their bellies full with yummy food.  I cooked breakfast, but I mostly took care of the dinners (Gluten-Free of course).  Some of the things I cooked included homemade pizza, an apple pork tenderloin dinner, rosemary balsamic chicken kabobs w/ mac n cheese, and apple crisp for desert.  Below are a few of the photos.

All in all, I think Kyra, Paulie, and mom had a great time and we sure hope they come visit again soon.

Links/recipies for the foods shown above are listed here:

• Pork Tenderloin with Apples
• Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
• Gluten Free Apple Crisp (Book: Gluten Free Baking Classics)
• Rosemary Balsamic Chicken Kabobs (Wegmans prepared or by their marinade)

Casey and I at Zolas

At Zolas, we both enjoyed a 2007 bottle of Amayna’s Sauvignon Blanc.  Casey enjoyed her dinner which included a salad of Apples and Dried Cranberies and grilled Chilean Salmon.  I enjoyed a dinner which included the same salad and a jamacian jerk pork tenderloin.  For desert, I had the pumpkin cheese cake dumplings and Casey had the Crème brûlée sampler.  Yummy.  Zolas is a great place to enjoy great and uniquely prepared food.

After dinner, we caught up with some of my co-workers (Andy and Tom) and enjoyed drinks at Champs. 

Happy New Year!

Does anyone have any favorite Apps I should check out/purchase?  If so, comment this post.

Update:  It shipped today (Monday Dec 29th) from China. According to FedEx, it should be in my hands on New Years Eve.

Santa Left Lots of Gifts, click the image above to view the gallery.

Christmas day events…

Opening Santa’s Presents

Of course, first we opened Santa’s gifts.

Lunch

I took my grandmother out for Christmas lunch at Toftree’s.  They had a nice buffet consisting of breakfast and lunch foods.  Her and I had a great time and really enjoyed everything they had to offer.

Grandma Presents

Casey, Hailey, Tyler, and I went to my grandmother’s house so we could exchange gifts with her.  The kids had a great time and really enjoyed their gifts from GG (great grandmother).

Casey’s Parents Dinner and Presents

Casey, Hailey, Tyler, and I went over to Casey’s parents for a wonderful dinner (Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Corn, and Cheese Cake).  After dinner, we exchanged gifts.  We all went over to Casey’s aunt and uncle’s house to visit.