Butter

Have I entitled a blog post "Butter" before?  Probably.  And this certainly won't be the last time.

It's no great secret that butter is one of my favorite things.  I'm fairly certain that I #butter more than any other hashtag.  Why butter?  It tastes delicious, you can fry with it, you can make any vegetable delectable with it, there are absurd amounts of it in every good pastry...I don't even know why I'm writing this as if you need convincing.

It is also very photogenic.

3,000 grams of butter

Almost gone :(

Want some bread with your butter, Anna?

Kerrygold.  Kerrygold.  Kerrygold.

Melted with Lavender

Recognize that gold wrapper?

Melting for popcorn

DMV Food Adventures

Exploring the world through food and drink never gets old.  There is so much one can learn through a community's food.

I support the Virginia and Washington, D.C. food scene whenever I get the chance.  It is growing and improving every day.  Love your local kitchens; patronize them and help them stay in business!

1. Bakeshop, VA

A great place for sweets, coffee and catching up with a friend.

The house-made Vietnamese Iced Coffee is a MUST.

Bakeshop, VA

2. South Block, VA

Healthy breakfast, lunch and snack.  South Block is juicing company gone cafe.

Try their wraps or on-tap kombucha.

South Block, VA

 3. Souk, DC

The cutest spice shop and bakery Barrack's Row ever did see.

Probably the only place I have encountered canneles in recent history.

Souk, DC

 4. Gypsy Soul, VA

Great small plates of local, fresh food,

The Tuna tartare is clean and simple, not to mention lovely to look at.

Gypsy Soul, VA

 5. Bearnaise, DC

French cuisine in a cute building.  Eat upstairs if you can for a quieter dining experience.

Don't miss the well-priced Steak Frites.  I can still taste this perfectly seasoned steak...

Bearnaise, DC

 6. Dolcezza, DC

Gelato made in the nation's capital?  Perfection.

Try all of the flavors.

Dolcezza, VA and DC

 7.  District Doughnut, DC

If you know me, you know I love this place.  I dream about these doughnuts and all my friends ever hear about is my lastest trip to District Doughnut.

I'm partial to yeast doughnuts, but you can't go wrong here.

District Doughnut, DC

 8. Rocklands, VA

The best BBQ house in Northern Virginia.

Don't forget the barbecue sauce, piping hot out of a kettle.

Rocklands, VA

Ice Cream aka Summer

In the Henrianna Dictionary the definition of "summer" is "see ice cream."  It's a very well-regarded dictionary.

Ice cream is the guy in a romantic comedy that the girl takes for granted. She dates a bunch of other losers until she realizes that he is the one.  Truly.  I can't tell you how many times I've eaten at a restaurant and ordered the lava cake or that fancy sounding fruity thing only to wish that I'd just waited until I got home to have some dependable ice cream out of my freezer.

Let's give this perfect treat the respect it deserves.  It's easy to make at home; don't be scared.  Don't let anyone tell you that you need a fancy ice cream maker or liquid nitrogen.  Get the $60 one and call it a day.  If you do want to splurge, get yourself a super sweet Tovolo container.  *shout out to my sister and brother-in-law for spoiling me with one of those*

Back to the star of the post: ice cream. What makes good ice cream?  

1. Fat - seriously.  There is a lot of fat in good ice cream.  If you're like me, this doesn't scare you.  If you are like most of my friends, this definitely scares you.  Fat is good for you.  Embrace its goodness.  The fat comes from the cream, whole milk and eggs.  Without the right amount of fat, your ice cream will melt away into nothing and that satisfying texture will not be present.  Too much fat (i.e. using all cream and no milk) and your ice cream will leave an unpleasant film on the roof of your mouth.

2. Sugar - It goes without saying, right?  Not only does the sugar add sweetness, it also acts as anti-freeze so your ice cream stays soft.  

3. Mix-ins - chocolate chunks, caramelized nuts, marshmallows, berries etc.  These nuggets add texture and pops of flavor.  Who doesn't like some good ol' rocky road?

Now, listen to this and look at pictures of ice cream.  

Peanut Butter-Chocolate with Chocolate Chips, sweetened with Maple Syurp

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips and Candied Pecans

Chocolate-Mint 

Espresso Chip Spinning

Espresso Chip with Meringue Rocher

Blueberry Pie Perfection

If there is one dessert my dad -Henry, as in Henrianna- cannot resist, it is blueberry pie.  He usually gravitates toward fruity and pastry-heavy desserts, plus he grows blueberries, so this totally makes sense.

In the summers our family always grows blueberries and we usually have an abundance that we freeze for pies and muffins to come.

Clearly, blueberry pie is a necessity.  Kinda hard to perfect, right?  After many attempts + pastry school I finally feel confident in my berry pie making abilities.  So, I made a blueberry pie and it was eaten for or with every meal until it was gone by my dad.  I think I got it right.

My version includes honey, brown sugar, nutmeg and an all-butter crust.

Where We Go From Here

It's been almost a year since my last post and I think my schedule finally affords me time to give this blogging thing another shot.

I have ideas, aspiration, inspiration and much to share.

Soon, I will add pages with products, pricing, ingredients, information and photo galleries.

Here's a taste of my backlog of photographs and projects.


With many, many thanks to Frances Logan Photography for design and photography wonders.

Sharing Espresso Chip
photo by Frances Logan Photography

Madeleine Piping
photo by Frances Logan Photographyhttp://www.francesloganphotography.com/

Mini Chocolate Cakes
photo by Frances Logan Photography

Signature Chipwich
photo by Frances Logan Photography

Madeleines and Lemon Curd
photo by Frances Logan Photography