snow...and the quester.

we woke up to some beautiful snow this morning.

 

it was a nice surprise because living in this area, you never know what is going to happen when the meteorologist tells you it is going to snow.

case in point: march's snowquester.

i honestly thought any hopes of snow were over but i enjoyed today's little snowfall. it was pretty, driving in it wasn't bad, and it never turned yucky brown. BUT it is the end of march and i am definitely ready for some warm weather!

here are some of fifi and theo's first pictures in the snow from earlier in march. they love the snow, fifi eats it and theo just goes crazy running around in it.

yikes! it's march.

and this is my first blog post for 2013...

you must understand as i have been crazy busy with life.

in january, D and i went to visit my cousin and best (guy) friend in hawaii.

we spent two weekends in honolulu and then flew over to maui during the week while everyone was busy at work.

a few photos and the rest here:

me & the boys at pipe.

hiking koko head trail with my cuz.

sunrise at halaekala crater.

whale watching outrigger canoe tour.

black sand beach on the road to hana.

snorkeling with sea turtles at black rock beach.

shave ice in lahaina.

we bought a gopro before our trip and made a little home video (with a surprise at the end)!

Hawaii 2013 from Christiane Vo on Vimeo.

and now you know why i am so busy ;)

happy birthday taylor!

i can't get over how amazing this cake turned out. taylor and i have been dreaming about this cake since last year.

i have come to realize that i use twitter as a 'call for help'. last year around this time, after several unsuccessful attempts at finding someone to make this ombre cake that i had seen all over the internet, i sent out 'the tweet'. my super talented sorority sister at sweets by e! wrote back and said, "i can make it for you"!

AH!

a year later, i contacted her and together we designed this double ombre cake. it was four layers of vanilla and strawberry cake with buttercream frosting. ombre on the inside AND on the outside. it was better than anything i had ever imagined.

we celebrated taylor's birthday at plaka grill and then went back to her place for cake!

we blew out the candles together as birthday triplets: dec 16, dec 31, jan 5. 

follow sweets by e! on facebook and check out her creations. they are truly one of a kind. i can't wait to get my next cake!

christmas morning.

i hope everyone had a very merry christmas!

this year was a ton of fun because it was fifi and theo's first christmas and it was the first time we had a real (albeit mini) tree in over 15 years.

i found dachshund wrapping paper at the paper source! obsessed.

no peeking fifi!

it's amazing how they have a bajillion toys yet they always want to play with the SAME toy at the SAME time.

my dad is a jokester. he got D and i crocs to walk the dogs but wrapped mine in a lanvin box. how rude!

candy cane cookies.

every december i am so busy between holiday parties and birthday celebrations. this year, i tried to keep things low key and minimal. just enough birthday celebrations to count them on one hand.

my friend lauren has hosted a cookie exchange for the past three years. i have missed ALL of them due to a bajillion birthday celebrations that got in the way. but this year, i am glad to say i am going and am very excited because it is my first cookie exchange!

soooo....

i went a little over the top and took a personal day yesterday to bake. nothing fancy, it just took a while because i only have one cookie sheet.

i was inspired by these chocolate chip nutella cookies. i am not a fan of the chocolate on chocolate so i decided to do just a classic chocolate chip with a dash of candy cane.

i used a melon baller to get the perfect sized scoop.

packed a few for my coworkers and friends.

and of course, i ate too much dough and felt terrible the rest of the day.

i can't wait to see what kind of goodies i get tonight!

merry christmas from fifi & theo.

a little note from fifi and theo:

we helped put up the christmas tree...

and we went to visit santa...

"who is this man?!" -theo

"let go of meeeeeee!!!" - theo

so far, i'd say it's a good first christmas for us.

even though santa is a scary scary man, we can't wait to see what santa brings (he wrote down what we wanted in his notebook!). maybe some sweaters and treats?? we have been sooo good (fifi hasn't had any accidents all week)!

we wish you and your furry friends a happy and safe holiday season.

love,

tiane fifi and theo

birthday at the inn.

i had an amazing birthday dinner at the inn at little washington this year.

the inn is so incredibly charming, the food was superb, and the service was impeccable.

we did the ten couse gastronaut tasting menu:

a personalized birthday menu.

pork belly and their spin on 'chips & dip'.

my favorite: truffle dusted popcorn.

a shot of white bean soup.

a tin of sin: american osetra caviar with peekytoe crab and cucumber rillette.

lemon-lime lobster largesse: chilled maine lobster with caramelized endive and citrus-sake gelee.

new england day boat scallop sauteed with curried cauliflower, sultanas, and garlic chips.

north pacific cod in an asian inspired broth perfumed with ginger.

pappardelle pasta with chanterelle mushrooms, blenheim apricots, and ribbons of country ham.

pan seared duck breast with wild rice pilaf, seared foie gras, and poached asian pear.

and last but not least, my birthday cake: warm chocolate bread budding and almond ice cream perfumed with black truffle.

and little snacks for the ride home.

it was definitely one of the best dining experiences i have ever had. i used to think truffles were overrated, that is until i was eating chunks of truffles in some of these dishes. i NEED to somehow recreate that truffle popcorn.

everyone loved dinner (especially my dad and D who had the wine pairing). it was so fun to celebrate my birthday at the inn with my most favorite people in my life (of course it would have been better if fifi and theo were there).

acting like he won wimbledon or something...

cheese cow!

thanks for all of the birthday wishes! here's to a great year :)