Capers! And Chicken . . .

At the grocery store yesterday a jar of capers suddenly lept of the shelf and landed in my basket. And I love capers. So what's a girl to do? I made Chicken Piccata. It's surprisingly easy and most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen (except for the capers, unless you're me . . .) Here's what you need: 2 Chicken breasts - boneless, skinless Juice of one large lemon Salt Pepper 1/2 cup Flour 2 tsp. Paprika 2 tbs. Butter 3 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 cup Chicken stock 3 tbs. Capers I've discovered the perfect portions Chicken options at the grocery store - and I love it. The chicken tastes good and it's pre-sealed so I can just toss what I don't use into the freezer. First up - Pour the Paprika and the flour onto a plate and mix Take chicken breasts and pound until slightly flattened - I don't own a mallet, so I used the potato masher . . . Salt and Pepper chicken breasts Drag chicken breasts through flour mixture and shake loose amounts off - set aside. Now in a medium sized pan over medium heat - melt butter and olive oil. When it starts to sizzle, add chicken. Cook chicken for 3 min - Then flip and cook for another 3 min . . . Remove chicken and set aside. Put lemon juice, chicken stock, and capers into the pan. Bring to boil. Put chicken back into the pan and simmer for 5min Remove chicken Quickly whisk sauce and pour over chicken. Serve. If it doesn't seem buttery enough you can add an extra table spoon of butter to the mixture before you whisk, but I found this to be overkill. Oh, so good . . . and surprisingly fast and easy. Add a salad or a pasta to complete!

Old Town

With spring in the air (or mostly as it's been freezing the last few days) it's a great time to get out and visit Old Town Alexandria. I admit to being a little bias as it was the first place I lived when I moved out to DC. King Street is where most of the action is - lined with shops and great places to eat. That said, don't miss the Torpedo Factory - located at the very end of the street, right next to the water. The old factory has been converted into artist spaces and no only are items available to view and purchase but if your local and have the time, classes in various mediums are offered. Stop and enjoy the waterfront while your down there - there's a little park off to the side where people picnic, play volleyball, and walk dogs.

Also, don't forget to wander off the beaten path - there are loads of small shops off King St worth a look. If you enjoy looking at old historic houses, go over a block from King Street and walk up Prince - some truly great homes with rot iron gates, old door, and fantastic gardens.

Squirrely T-shirts

This past summer, as many of you will remember, my cousin got married. At the wedding, my uncle - who's a fairly laid back person - announced as he was sitting quietly, that he, "Felt a little squirrely coming on . . ." and some how, it made sense at the time. It has of course lead to a few jokes in the family. For this past Christmas, as I was getting my craft on, I put my uncle's statement to good use and made my aunt and uncle Squirrely T-shirts.

Iron on t-shirts are super easy and fun to do . . .

Go to the craft store and purchase a plain t-shirt and an iron transfer package. Print out what you want on the computer.

The big squirrel went on the back and for the front . . .

Iron that puppy (or squirrel in this case) on . . .

And voila!

Personalize t-shirts for whoever you want them for!

Hyperbolic Coral Crochet!

Back in July, I began to participate in the Hyperbolic Coral Crochet project. What exactly is that? A group of people from the DC area came together and created a coral reef - entirely out of crochet. And, not to sound too proud of myself (as I only contributed two pieces), it's pretty awesome. It's on display now at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and will be up until April - stop on in and have a peek. It's massive - don't get so side tracked by the main display that you miss the smaller set ups - including one coral reef made of beaded crocheted coral.

You'll find my name (along with many, many others) on some of the displays. And if you go to your left as you enter the exhibition and look around the first column and look down, you'll see one of my yellow pieces tucked in!

More information on this amazing exhibition - click here or for the one at the Smithsonian click here!

Happy coral hunting!