A Capitol Fourth

So, I will admit- even though I document a lot of sweet treats, we do a really good job of not making or bringing anything sweet into our home. I rarely keep anything sugary on hand, aside from fruit or Whole Life Challenge approved "fake" sweets. However, last week I received a care package from my mom which turned my home into a sugary wonderland...and I'm definitely not complaining about it. She sent homemade goods including: blueberry muffins (with blueberries that John and I picked while we were in AL), cracklin' cornbread, Reese pretzel bars, blackberry cobbler (with blackberries she picked herself) and her famous fried apple and peach pies.

The rest of the week, I continued my yoga obsession but decided to invite a friend along. Laura, was kind enough to go along with my yoga craze and go to not one, but two classes with me during the week. After all of our hard work, we decided that we needed to reward ourselves. So, what better way to do that than by making a post workout stop by Dolcezza Gelato? It was kind of funny carrying our yoga mats in and wearing workout clothes, but you only live once-right? It was Laura's first time to visit, but she informed me that she lives next to the factory! How cool is that? So, we are going to try to plan a trip there in the near future. We both had the peppermint stracciatella, but I chose to have a tad bit of their rich dark chocolate, Valrohna chocolate amargo mixed in. It was out of this world. The rich dark chocolate mixed with the refreshing mint was quite the treat.

On Friday, John had the day off! So, we started our 4th festivities by going to Nationals Stadium for the Nats vs. Cubs game. It was a day game, which meant that we picked up Shake Shack for lunch, with a side of cheddar bacon fries from Boxed Frites. It was an all American meal spent enjoying one of America's favorite pastimes. Even though we lost, it was still a great way to kick of the day.

After the game, we sprinted home and gathered all of our picnic equipment and tore off towards the west lawn of the Capitol. Since, we don't know the next time John will be off for the 4th, we decided to go big this year and join the crowds for the Capitol Fourth celebration. The event was hosted by Tom Bergeron and featured musical acts including: Phillip Phillips, Frankie Valli, John Williams, Patti LaBelle, Jordin Sparks, Michael McDonald, Sara Evans, The Muppets, Kendall Schmidt, Kelli O'Hara, Jack Everly, National Symphony Orchestra,  Choral Arts Society of Washington, The U.S. Army Band "Perishing's Own", The U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery, The Joint Armed Forces Chorus, and the Military District of Washington. Since we arrived early, we enjoyed a picnic that included: grilled brats, red white and blue salad (watermelon, blueberries, jicama, feta, fresh mint, and a delish homemade honey based dressing), baked beans, and pasta salad. We also enjoyed some of the best seats in the house which were situated in front of the capitol and behind the sound board and the stage where Phillip Phillips & Jordin Sparks performed. John and I both enjoyed the show and the fabulous fireworks show that took place after the concert, but we both agreed that the picnic on the Capitol lawn prior to the evening's events was our favorite part.

 The next day, we went back down to the National Mall to enjoy the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival. This year's featured countries were Kenya and China. We started out in China and enjoyed watching kite flying, calligraphy, sachet making, paper cutting art, stencil block print making, needle work art, and food and music demonstrations. One of my absolute favorite exhibits was the botanic dye making. The fabrics, colors and prints were extraordinary.

We then made our way towards the Kenyan area of the festival. The bright colors, delicious aromas and loud music greeted us as we walked through the exhibits. We stopped by to watch and listen to a food demonstration and a dance exhibition before milling around to look at the hand made straw huts, jewelry, and cloth.  It was so much fun and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

After we had attended both Kenyan and Chinese food demonstrations, we had worked up an appetite. So, we boarded the Metro and went to Woodley Park to try out some foreign cuisine. After some quick research on Urbanspoon and Yelp, I came across Afghan Grill. The ratings that I saw were good and we had both never tried Afghan cuisine. So, it won the vote. The restaurant itself is situated in the middle of the Woodley Park neighborhood and a hop,skip, and a jump away from the Metro stop. The food was so flavorful and fragrant and combined unique flavors and spices together beautifully. We split two appetizers- the Kadu Buranee (sauteed pumpkin with garlic yogurt and meat sauce) and Mantoo (steamed meat dumplings topped with meat sauce). Both of our choices were very good, but I was partial to the Kadu Buranee thanks to my love of pumpkin. For our entree of choice, we split the Qabili Palao (chicken served with saffron rice and covered with sauteed sweet carrots and raisins). I would have never in a million years thought to top rice with carrots and raisins, but believe it or not-it was superb!

We then made our way one more stop up the red line to go to Cleveland Park to pick up our pottery that we made last week. John's bowl turned out great and I was pleasantly surprised with my butter dish. Once we got back into our neighborhood, our sweet teeth kicked in and we decided to take a stroll towards Adams Morgan to scout out Pleasant Pops. Back in Birmingham, John and I had an obsession with Steel City Pops. So, we had been dying to try D.C.s version of the frozen treat. Oh my goodness, believe me when I say that this place gives Steel City a run for its money. We both went Mexican themed, coincedentally, with John trying out the Chongos (Mexican sweet cream and cinnamon) and me trying the vegan Mexican chocolate. The little pops were packed with flavor and I love that the flavors change regularly based on what's in season. The shop itself is a sight to see since it also sells fresh milk in glass jugs and other local produce.  It's a must try for all who live in or visit the area. To finish off the day, John and I enjoyed some Jack's Apple Cider that we picked up at Whole Foods and enjoyed the sunset from our roof. Afterwards,we made and canned homemade pickles. Yummy!

This morning, John and I woke up, went to church, and shopped for groceries and savored the last little bit of the weekend before John headed back to work this afternoon. I am beyond thankful that I got to spend this weekend with John exploring this beautiful city on such a special holiday. It truly has been a spectacular Capitol Fourth!