Troy made a wonderful BBQ sauce and some delicious (but dangerous) watermelon drinks with rum and white wine.
 | ||
| Troy making dangerous drinks |
 |
| Sarah and Jaimee |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Fourth Fun
Nothing says 4th of July like a BBQ, friends and fireworks. This year we were happy to enjoy all of these things. Thanks to Steve and Aurie for hosting!
Troy made a wonderful BBQ sauce and some delicious (but dangerous) watermelon drinks with rum and white wine.
Ian (who is 4) provided the main entertainment for the night (besides the fireworks). He impressed us with his vocabulary and demonstrated the versatility of a massage brush. He used it in a seemingly endless guessing game and as a dance prop!
The party was also a going away celebration for our friend Sarah. She arrived in C-Ville the same year as we did. Unfortunately for us, she's returning to Canada this week. We'll miss Sarah. I'll especially miss her enthusiasm for dancing and singing karaoke. Parties definitely won't be the same without her!
Troy made a wonderful BBQ sauce and some delicious (but dangerous) watermelon drinks with rum and white wine.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A Brew Ridge Birthday
You probably already know that Troy and I are beer lovers. This region is known for having lots of wineries but in recent years, more and more local breweries are cropping up. We have often ventured to the Blue Mountain Brewery as it's only a short drive from Charlottesville. My birthday was a good excuse to venture a bit further to check out the rest of what has been dubbed the Brew Ridge Trail. Our friends Steve and Aurie volunteered to drive, which was sweet.
We started out at Wild Wolf Brewing Company in Nellysford. Right now, they have a home brew shop and a place to buy growlers for a great price. If you buy a growler, they let you taste the beer. We were pretty impressed with the quality of their beer. Their Alpha Ale features some of the delicious, West coast hops that I love. Their Strawberry Schwarzcake is really good too--it has some serious strawberry flavor, but isn't too sweet. I also enjoyed their Belgian wit (something I don't say often about that style when attempted in the U.S.).
This fall Wild Wolf is opening a brewpub/restaurant and they hired the sous chef from a place called Staunton Grocery, which is well known around here for its food. We'll be happy to have an excuse to go back!
Next we ventured to the Devil's Backbone Brewery. It's a nice building but more reminiscent of a hunting lodge in Montana (with elk and deer heads on the walls) than what you'd expect to find in rural Virginia. The food was tasty (I had a pulled pork sandwich) but the beer was mediocre. I feel like they're trying to do too many beers and they don't really do any of them well. Still, it's always fun to do tastings.
After DBB, the plan was to go to Paul's Creek to cool off and try out the natural rock slide. Unfortunately, the water level was too low. But we still enjoyed the scenery. We even saw a little turtle.
We finished up with the Blue Mountain Brewery, where Sarah, Dave and Laura met up with us. It was a beautiful evening on their patio overlooking the mountains. And their beer and pizza are always incredible. They have an ÜberPils on tap as well as their Mandolin--a Belgian-style beer that actually tastes Belgian!
We were pretty exhausted by the end of the evening, but we topped off the night with a decadent cake that Troy had made for me--buttermilk-chocolate with chocolate ganache, cherry butter cream icing, and blueberry-pomegranite glaze. It was divine!
Good beer, food and friends, what more can you ask for on your birthday?
We started out at Wild Wolf Brewing Company in Nellysford. Right now, they have a home brew shop and a place to buy growlers for a great price. If you buy a growler, they let you taste the beer. We were pretty impressed with the quality of their beer. Their Alpha Ale features some of the delicious, West coast hops that I love. Their Strawberry Schwarzcake is really good too--it has some serious strawberry flavor, but isn't too sweet. I also enjoyed their Belgian wit (something I don't say often about that style when attempted in the U.S.).
This fall Wild Wolf is opening a brewpub/restaurant and they hired the sous chef from a place called Staunton Grocery, which is well known around here for its food. We'll be happy to have an excuse to go back!
Next we ventured to the Devil's Backbone Brewery. It's a nice building but more reminiscent of a hunting lodge in Montana (with elk and deer heads on the walls) than what you'd expect to find in rural Virginia. The food was tasty (I had a pulled pork sandwich) but the beer was mediocre. I feel like they're trying to do too many beers and they don't really do any of them well. Still, it's always fun to do tastings.
 |
| They made me wear the goofy headband |
We finished up with the Blue Mountain Brewery, where Sarah, Dave and Laura met up with us. It was a beautiful evening on their patio overlooking the mountains. And their beer and pizza are always incredible. They have an ÜberPils on tap as well as their Mandolin--a Belgian-style beer that actually tastes Belgian!
We were pretty exhausted by the end of the evening, but we topped off the night with a decadent cake that Troy had made for me--buttermilk-chocolate with chocolate ganache, cherry butter cream icing, and blueberry-pomegranite glaze. It was divine!
Good beer, food and friends, what more can you ask for on your birthday?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A new niece!
Our new niece was born June 20, two weeks early! Taylor Cole Cash is tiny but she's healthy and happy.
We're really looking forward to going home to MN in July to meet Taylor and see firsthand how much Ria has grown!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Coffee snob
Many of you already know what a serious coffee drinker Troy is.
Belgium was tough because their version of coffee is nothing like ours. When you order koffie there, it's served in a tiny cup. It's more like espresso than American coffee. But at least it usually comes with a cookie or a delicious piece of Belgian chocolate!
After a while, Troy found a place in Ghent that roasted regularly. He brought a filter and carafe to Logos, making coffee there every day. Everyone soon became big fans!
Northern Minnesota was even tougher than Ghent. The closest coffee roaster to our hometown is an hour away.
When we returned to Charlottesville, Troy was happy to have his beloved Shenandoah Joe again. But living without freshly roasted coffee for a while got him thinking.
I would probably already have classified Troy as a coffee snob. He's disgusted with me when I grind extra coffee to save myself time later. Apparently, ground coffee needs to be brewed within 2 hours for optimum flavor.
Well, the stakes have recently gotten even higher. He's now started roasting his own. He buys it green and uses a whirley popper (stovetop popcorn maker) over our propane burner outside. I have to admit, it's pretty cool and it is saving us money now that the price of coffee has gone up again.
Plus, he's having fun.
And ... it's good!!
He's perfecting his method and thinking about starting a small batch coffee roasting business with bicycle delivery. Any other coffee snobs out there?
Belgium was tough because their version of coffee is nothing like ours. When you order koffie there, it's served in a tiny cup. It's more like espresso than American coffee. But at least it usually comes with a cookie or a delicious piece of Belgian chocolate!
After a while, Troy found a place in Ghent that roasted regularly. He brought a filter and carafe to Logos, making coffee there every day. Everyone soon became big fans!
Northern Minnesota was even tougher than Ghent. The closest coffee roaster to our hometown is an hour away.
When we returned to Charlottesville, Troy was happy to have his beloved Shenandoah Joe again. But living without freshly roasted coffee for a while got him thinking.
I would probably already have classified Troy as a coffee snob. He's disgusted with me when I grind extra coffee to save myself time later. Apparently, ground coffee needs to be brewed within 2 hours for optimum flavor.
Well, the stakes have recently gotten even higher. He's now started roasting his own. He buys it green and uses a whirley popper (stovetop popcorn maker) over our propane burner outside. I have to admit, it's pretty cool and it is saving us money now that the price of coffee has gone up again.
Plus, he's having fun.
And ... it's good!!
He's perfecting his method and thinking about starting a small batch coffee roasting business with bicycle delivery. Any other coffee snobs out there?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Are we done moving yet?
We just moved back to our old neighborhood in Charlottesville. I'm looking forward to being closer to a number of our friends and within (safe) walking distance to some restaurants. Our last place was convenient to shopping but not at all walkable. Living in Ghent made factors like living in a neighborhood that is walkable and bikeable even more important to us.
I have now moved at least a dozen times in my life. It never really gets any easier. This time we decided not to ask any of our friends for help with the move. Our last couple of moves in Charlottesville were horrible. We had a crew of incredible friends who stuck it out for some long days with us. Incredible. But we didn't want to put our friends through that again.
We hired a few college kids to help us with this move, and it was amazing how fast that truck got loaded. We also have pared down lately, since the robots now have their own place. We probably we were better prepared this time too.
We've been cleaning out the old place and slowly unpacking what we can--living in disarray.There has been a bit of a stressful saga with our old place as well, since it got foreclosed on. I'll be anxious to have that all over with.
In any case, I think we are going to like living in our new place. Despite the chaos, one member of our household has already completely adjusted. She has claimed her spot under the skylight for long naps every day. I wasn't the only one excited about getting out of a basement apartment!
I have now moved at least a dozen times in my life. It never really gets any easier. This time we decided not to ask any of our friends for help with the move. Our last couple of moves in Charlottesville were horrible. We had a crew of incredible friends who stuck it out for some long days with us. Incredible. But we didn't want to put our friends through that again.
We hired a few college kids to help us with this move, and it was amazing how fast that truck got loaded. We also have pared down lately, since the robots now have their own place. We probably we were better prepared this time too.
We've been cleaning out the old place and slowly unpacking what we can--living in disarray.There has been a bit of a stressful saga with our old place as well, since it got foreclosed on. I'll be anxious to have that all over with.
In any case, I think we are going to like living in our new place. Despite the chaos, one member of our household has already completely adjusted. She has claimed her spot under the skylight for long naps every day. I wasn't the only one excited about getting out of a basement apartment!
Friday, June 3, 2011
The doctors are in!
We recently had the chance to see a number of folks that we have known for the past 5 years graduate with their PhD's from U.Va. There were lots of fun graduation festivities and it was really great to see people who have moved away but returned for the ceremony.
It was also a bittersweet weekend. We've had such a nice community of friends here in Charlottesville. But it's a strange time to be returning to the area, since many of our friends are now leaving or looking for jobs elsewhere. College towns are wonderful in so many ways but the transient nature of places like this can also be slightly depressing. Oh well, I look forward to seeing where everyone ends up. Maybe we'll have to plan a road trip sometime to visit them all!
 |
| 4 of the 5 graduates - Lee, Wendy, Loren and Alli |
 |
| Many of the musgrads! |
 |
| Yay! Congrats for the grads! |
It was also a bittersweet weekend. We've had such a nice community of friends here in Charlottesville. But it's a strange time to be returning to the area, since many of our friends are now leaving or looking for jobs elsewhere. College towns are wonderful in so many ways but the transient nature of places like this can also be slightly depressing. Oh well, I look forward to seeing where everyone ends up. Maybe we'll have to plan a road trip sometime to visit them all!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Steal this glass!
Courtney, a friend of mine since grade school, came to visit us recently.
We had a great time during her visit. It was a good excuse to get out to one of our favorite places--the Blue Mountain Brewery--for the first time since being back in C-Ville. They have a great way incentive to get people there on Thursdays as it's "steal this glass" night. The cool thing is that you get to walk off with a glass for every beer you drink. Between the 3 of us, there were 6!
They have some wonderful beers (and pizza) at Blue Mountain. I'm a big fan of the Full Nelson, it's really hoppy and refreshing. But they have a seasonal kölsch right now that is also impressive, it reminded me of the traditional beers we had last year in Köln.
Isn't it wonderful how with old friends you can pick up right where you left off?
We had a great time during her visit. It was a good excuse to get out to one of our favorite places--the Blue Mountain Brewery--for the first time since being back in C-Ville. They have a great way incentive to get people there on Thursdays as it's "steal this glass" night. The cool thing is that you get to walk off with a glass for every beer you drink. Between the 3 of us, there were 6!
They have some wonderful beers (and pizza) at Blue Mountain. I'm a big fan of the Full Nelson, it's really hoppy and refreshing. But they have a seasonal kölsch right now that is also impressive, it reminded me of the traditional beers we had last year in Köln.
 |
| Courts and me trying not to get caught stealing |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)