Summer time is the best time 32


After a really busy school year, summer time could not have arrived soon enough.  So nice to have no homework to think about for two months, woohoo!  We have adjusted nicely to our new house, kids and dog all enjoying their new surroundings. Boxes still need to be unpacked and we still do not know where everything is, but we are enjoying the beautiful area we moved to.  Having a 200 acre lake, golf course, and tons of other activities across the street has been awesome.  If the weather would just stay cool and clear like today we are golden!

I need to quickly catch up on a few events I attended recently, and then I need to dive into all that I learned from my first blogging conference, Blogger Bash.  Last month we were invited to two blogger events at restaurants.  Since we love to cook, going to these events are really fun and interesting, even if I can’t eat much due to my allergies.  First, we visited the Corner Bakery in Arlington.  Ric Scicchitano, the first employee at Corner Bakery was our guest chef. IMG_6410 He was funny and informative. He created each of the new grilled flats right before our eyes on a Breville indoor grill.  The food looked and smelled incredible.  The grilled flats are reasonably priced, and only 310 calories for this Vegetarian Caprese flat! IMG_6419   All the ingredients are locally sourced and each and every sauce, topping, and ingredient is prepared fresh every day.  This is the kind of food you want to enjoy on a hot summer day.  Since I could not eat anything because of my allergies, the chef insisted on making me something safe that I could enjoy.  This chilled swiss oatmeal(muesli with yogurt and fruit) at 350 calories was a perfect pick for a hot summer breakfast. I have never tried oatmeal and yogurt mixed together with fruit before, and I was surprised at how good and refreshing it tasted. I will have to remake this at home soon! IMG_6417   After enjoying our time at the Corner Bakery we were lucky enough to have a week-long test drive with a super hot, fire red, Camaro 2SS Coupe.  This car is super fun to drive.  As a Mom it felt really strange to not be driving a minivan or Mom mobile.  The husband and teenage sons thought this car was super cool and that we should buy one immediately.  Diane also loved this car and hugged it goodbye before it was picked up.  It was so much fun stepping out of our comfort zone and enjoying the ZOOM ZOOM of  the camaro. We miss you #littlered (our nickname for this car). Image-1-1 After our fun camaro visit, we were invited to Cafe Rio in Manassas.  We had a beautiful drive there through hills and horse farms to get there.  We had a behind the scenes tour of the restaurant and we learned that all the food is prepared fresh every single day.  Diane even got to try her hand at making her own tortilla….. are you hiring Cafe Rio?

Last but definitely not least, Jake was invited to participate in a kids cooking competition with a ticket that he won from Hip Mama’s Place at Ah Love Oil in Reston.  It was really fun for him and provided a perfect experience as we dive into the world of cooking competitions and recipe creations.  I love that I am raising confident and competent chefs in my house.  It is so much fun to watch my kids create original recipes and feel at home in the kitchen.

I also have a quick giveaway for you! The Corner Bakery provided me with some Gift Certificates and I would like to share them with you.  Please leave a comment and tell me: What the best thing you did so far this summer?  Winner will be picked on August 1st and I will mail you some Corner Bakery cash.


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