Blogging from Baltimore

Hello world, I’m finally back in blogging action! I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post, and even more so, how much has gone on between then and now. I barely know where to begin!

Lots of changes for my Shepherd dog and I. Is it really only February?! The last month alone has been enough of a whirlwind to last me for the rest of the year. I’ve desperately wanted to get back to blogging, and more specifically, cooking and writing. I've desperately missed both of these in my life and have vowed to do much more cooking and writing this year.

Of the many changes that abound in my life as of late, the biggest came when Bax and I bid DC ado after almost 4 years and moved to a Fed Hill in Baltimore, a city that has always been like a second home to me and that I’m beyond thrilled to finally be residing in. Moving out of DC brought lots more space (we literally tripled our living quarters) and returned me to a life of driving and car ownership. We've only been in our new life for a little under a week and still words cannot express how much I’m loving having walls around my bedroom, a washer and dryer in my abode, and the ability to drive myself to the grocery store. Never will I ever live in a studio apartment, have to keep a roll of quarters on hand for laundry, or schlep my groceries to and from market on foot again.  I learned a lot from these experiences, but mostly they made me appreciate some of the simple pleasures in life that I had previously taken for granted. 

There is so much that I love about my new apartment I feel like I'm betraying parts of it if I favor some rooms or spaces more than others, but there are definitely some stars in our midst. First, the giant wooden beam that runs from floor to 15 foot ceiling just outside the kitchen. I'm a sucker for refurbished buildings and exposed wood and brick. Since beginning my city life, it's been a long standing dream of mine to reside in an old factory (I also love a good factory tour, so the mash-up is kind of perfect). In DC that wasn't really an option, so imagine my excitement upon finding an old factory to reside in in Baltimore...with a little exposed wood on the side. Yes, I was giddier than a child on Christmas. 

I'd initially looked at a unit in the building that had the original wood floors (something else I love) and while the competition was stiff for that one, not getting it led me to discover the place I now call home. Unfortunately, when I found my abode it had this heinous hotel-like carpet engulfing it. Carpet is nice at times, but similar to summer, I prefer it in small doses. Seeing potential in my beloved beam, I was able to talk the building manager into removing the carpet throughout most of the apartment (it now only remains in the bedroom), thus making the place look infinitely better and really bringing the beam to life. There have been too many boxes to allow for proper photography up until this point, but once I get the place a little more together I will give beam his time in the spotlight.

In addition to beam, the kitchen is another of my favorite things. Despite how tiny my DC studio was, its kitchen was surprisingly spacious and a place I loved to be. It was actually because of how much I loved my DC kitchen that I decided to teach myself how to cook so that I could put it to good use. I made lots of wonderful things in there that made a lot of people very happy and hope to do the same in my new kitchen. 

Since everything is bigger in Baltimore, so too is my kitchen. It's the only room in the house that's really together at this point, which is due both to the fact that I hate working in a messy kitchen and that I got another round of fun kitchen tools for Christmas that I was excited to finally unwrap and play with. While my DC kitchen was great, it wasn't very open. My new kitchen has a bar top counter and overlooks the living room and the home office I've erected for myself so I can watch TV or talk to guests while I practice my craft....now I just need to get all these boxes unpacked so I can actually have people over.

While there is a lot that I love about my new life and plethora of space, there is one thing I'm still struggling with: my commute. My office is in Bethesda, and while I work from home two days a week, I still have to spend the other three days traveling 2 hrs each way to and from Bethesda via both Marc and Metro. It's a lot of trains and a lot of time, during which I can only take solace in the fact that I'm able to work (thanks to noise canceling headphones) or sleep to help pass the time, two things I wouldn't be able to do if I was driving and sitting in traffic. In addition to the time spent commuting, I also start the days that I go into the office insanely early (like 4:30 early) because I insist on working out before work because I'm too exhausted to even think about doing so after work. In fact, I'm so tired after work that I pretty much just want to curl up and go to sleep, and most definitely don't want to spend a lot of time making dinner. Enter: easy guacamole.

I promise, I usually have more well balanced meals than a bowl of guacamole, but today felt especially draining and sometimes you just need a good, comfort, go-to meal that's both quick and delicious. I'd picked up a couple avocados at market over the weekend because my oven wasn't working when I first moved in and I wanted to have some things on hand that I could either make in the microwave or that didn't require cooking at all. One of the avocados was ripe to perfection today and I couldn't wait to dive in. Guacamole is definitely one of my favorite grown up comfort foods. Nothing makes me happier than sitting with a bowl of fresh guac...except maybe pizza and wine, both of which I could consume on the daily and not grow tired of them. This recipe is super simple and really just involves throwing a bunch of stuff in a bowl and letting the mixing magic take over. It's one of the few recipes where I don't measure anything, which is how I one day hope to cook all my meals. But for now, it's just guac.

Easy Peasy Guacamole 

Ingredients

• 1 medium avocado, ripe
• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onion
• Cilantro
• Garlic salt
• Lime juice

Another bonus to making guac tonight-I got to break out the new guac bowl Sister gifted me for Christmas

Directions

1. Slice avocado in half, length wise, and remove pit with a knife. Scoop out insides into bowl.
2. Mash avocado in bowl with mortar or fork.
3. Add onion, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and stir until combined.
4. Add garlic salt and lime juice to taste. 
5. Serve with your favorite chips and enjoy! 

I miss it already