Yay

There is a blogger app! Hopefully I will be able to blog more often now.

Conversion Complete

Well the Ditzels are officially Apple converts. We have made the transition with his and her ipod touches, to a MacBook Pro then a iMac and most recently we both purchased the iPhone 4S. I never thought I would go from being a PC and BlackBerry user but I am so glad we made the switch.

Some of my photography

I know some time ago I said I would share some photos from my new hobby. Well here are a few that I have taken in the last 7 months.

This is one of my first shots of our cherry tree.

This is my goddaughter...isn't she beautiful. I love her red her and she was such a good sport this day in the park

Here are few more random shots.

I am still trying to figure out what all the buttons and settings are on my Nikon but it has been fun learning so far.

Football...woohooo!

I couldn't have been more excited last week when the NFL owners and the NFLPA came to an agreement. As a fan, it did bother me that it took 4 months for the two sides to come to an agreement but I guess that's what happens when millionaires and billionaires can't agree who gets a bigger slice of the pie.

I know, I know it wasn't all about money but who are they kidding, 95% of the last 4 months of talks and arbitration was about the mighty dollar. I kept hearing from Roger Goodell that they were doing such and such "for the fans"....Hmmm, here's an idea, how about not taking 4 months to come to an agreement for the fans.

Now that I have that off my chest and feel at piece with the NFL. It is time to start thinking about my 2 fantasy football teams. With free agency and all the trades in the last few days, I have no idea what this season will hold for me. Luckily I am not one to over-think my teams so I should be able to draft a solid team either way.

On August 6th the Ravens will be having a training camp practice at M&T Bank Stadium. We plan to attend and I am anxious to see how we look since our first pre-season game is August 11th against the Eagles. I trust that Ozzie will make a few more signings before the August 4th deadline that will complete our 2011 roster. Here's hoping that we re-sign Derrick Mason!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL ?

Dinner and a mission. The Dogwood in Hampden

After another great recommendation it was time to try The Dogwood in Hampden. We were having dinner with the Jones' that evening so we were able to share our foodie adventure with good friends.

It's not to often that you find restaurants that have a mission but The Dogwood is whole heartedly invested in individuals going through a struggle. Most of the people who work there have been through or are going through a personal struggle. Dogwood hires these individuals and teaches them a skill that they may not of considered and it helps these people realize that it's not to late to turn your life around.

Now let me introduce you to the deliciousness of The Dogwood.

Let's start with appetizers. Each couple had their own order of chips and dip. This is not your ordinary chips and dip. TD's version is fresh made Old Bay potato chips with a fresh herbed organic yogurt dip. I literally could not stop eating the chips and dip. The chips we so crunchy and had just enough Old Bay and then dip was so fresh and reminded me of the most delicious onion style dip you could imagine.

Ron also had this very refreshing signature cocktail called The Dogwood(citrus-infused organic Prairie Vodka, Coin- treau, splash of Campari, house-made simple syrup, pomegranate juice, splash of fresh lemon juice, topped with Prosecco, garnished with a cucumber round and a lemon twist, served over ice, sangria-style in a wine glass).

After we enjoyed our chips and dip it was time for dinner. I am warning you that the next few photos will have you salivating if you aren't already.

Mrs. Jones and Mr. Ditzel both chose the Ancho braised grass-fed short ribs(green chile cornbread with sage, spicy braising jus BBQ, garlic sautéed greens and market vegetables )

I went with the pan-roasted Duroc pork porterhouse (rined with rosemary, thyme and brown sugar, served with mashed sweet potato & plantain, grilled pineapple-cherry salsa).

Mr. Jones decided on the MD crab cakes. 

We also ordered some sides al carte. The Ditzels went with Pommes Dauphine (organic potato puffs- French Tater-Tots, roasted chili aioli).

The Jones' decided on an order of Mac n Bleu (artisan blue cheese, farfalle, ginger breadcrumbs).

Everyone really enjoyed their dinner and I am pretty sure I could eat those french tater tots every single day of my life. 

Next up was dessert. Ron went with Chocolate de pot Creme and the Jones' split a piece of carrot cake.

After looking at all these pictures are you ready for your dining experience at The Dogwood ? We promise you won't regret it!

www.dogwoodbaltimore.com/

I have been completely converted

Converted to what you say, Apple products. It started a few years back when the iPod was the best selling mp3 back in the early years of the 21st century. Since then I have become the owner of an iPod touch and a MacBook Pro. Both items I may have a small obsession with. I have partially converted Ron and he is 90% on board with getting rid of our Dell desktop and purchasing the 27"iMac. I am also patiently awaiting the release of the iPhone 5 which rumor has it will be out September 2011.

Since Ron gave me my MacBook for Christmas in 2010. I cringe at the thought of having to go into our office and use the Dell. I am now part of the Apple/Mac world and there is no turning back.

Check out this article I read on CNN a while ago.

Domestic Delights

Just thought I would share some photos of delights that have been ordered.

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Icing.

Coconut and Pineapple Cupcakes w/ Coconut Cream Cheese Icing and Toasted Coconut

A Platter with Fudge Brownies, Mini Black Bottoms and Peanut butter Balls.

This is what the inside of the peanut butter balls looks like. 

Our 3rd anniversary at Woodberry Kitchen.

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary we decided to try Woodberry Kitchen. I had heard nothing but good things about WBK so my high expectations would be met.  WBK is well known for using mostly if not all local product and with their slogan of "From farm to table" you can expect the freshest ingredients. So let's get into the nitty gritty.

We decided on 2 appetizers to start the meal. The deviled eggs came highly recommended by my friend Britney so that was a no brainer. We also went with a sizzling marvesta shrimp. The deviled eggs were the best we have ever had and the shaved ham just put them over the top. The shrimp were a close second to the eggs. We could really taste the fire roasted flavor. Ron also had one of their signature drinks called a Hampden Shandy. A Hampden shandy was described to us by our server as a beer sangria

Now on to the entree selection. I went with the liberty delight dry-aged tavern steak and Ron selected one of the supper specials of the evening with pork chops which came with the most delicious zucchini stuffing. While talking to our server about our entrees he let me know that WBK butchers their own meat and the tavern steak is aged for 30 days. I must add that when we sat down a sample of their fire roasted green beans were sent to the table. They were amazing so we ordered a side to split with our dinner. They put an amazing butter sauce on the green beans that had me speechless. 

Of course you get dessert on your anniversary, right? Ron had their chocolate pudding and I went for the CMP with a honey macchiato. WOW, WOW, WOW. The chocolate pudding was so creamy and decadent. My CMP which was layers of malted ice cream, chocolate sauce, wet peanuts and marshmallow fluff. The macchiato was delicious but definitely smaller than I expected. LOL

All in all we were blown away by our meal and can't wait to go back. I think between the atmosphere and the food you can't go wrong heading to Woodberry Kitchen.

http://www.woodberrykitchen.com/

Domestic Delights has an identity.

Thanks to my brother in-law my logo is complete. It's perfect and Chris completely understood the look I was going for.

A true gem in Baltimore

So I am sure you all know how much we love to try food at places we have never been before. Since we had taken off the Friday before Memorial Day we decided to go and have breakfast at Miss Shirley's Cafe in Roland Park.  I think we were more influenced by the detailed description we were given about their monkey bread...Thanks Sammy :) So let's get started.

Yes we went for breakfast but it was breakfast on the Friday of a holiday weekend. So Ron, Chris and I all started with a breakfast cocktail. Ron had a Sweet Peach Tea Tini( sweet peach tea, citrus vodka, garnished with lemon, mint and a rock candy swizzle stick). Chris had a Spicy Shirley (Stoli Citrus, green tomato slices, pickled okra, pepper, celery, peppadew, lemon, lime with a MD touch of an Old Bay rim)...this thing looked so insane. I went for a Pink Lemonade with the Blues (strawberry lemonade and stoli blueberry vodka, garnished with blueberries, strawberries, lemon and a rock candy swizzle stick and a sugared rim. Oh Miss Shirley you make a mean lemonade with the blues and the rock candy swizzle just upped the ante.

Since we had heard so much about the monkey bread we decided to split some between the 3 of us. Well, it lived up to the hype and I am pretty sure this stuff should be illegal. 

For our main meals Ron went more traditional with bacon, eggs and hash browns. Chris and I on the other hand went for a less than classic approach. I had benne seed chicken and waffles( benne seed boneless chicken breast pieces and a honey mustard drizzle on white cheddar- green onion waffles with peppadew- jalapeno butter).  Chris had their sunrise benedict (poached eggs and homemade slow roasted Carolina pulled pork or corn bread rounds with collard greens with tasso ham and cajun hollandaise sauce).  All three meals were great and I can't wait to go back and try more meals in the very near future. 

Please do yourself a favor and make the trip to Miss Shirley. They have 2 locations one in Roland Park and one downtown at the Inner Harbor. I promise you won't regret it.

http://missshirleys.com

Dining at Devon in Hershey

Back on May 21st we went to visit some from friends in York, PA. We had planned to drive about 30 minutes away from York to Devon in Hershey for dinner. I had previously previewed their menu online and was looking forward to our meal at a new place.

Devon is mainly a seafood restaurant but there are plenty of other options on the menu as well. So let's get started on our night at Devon.

In true Ditzel fashion, Ron and I both began the evening with a cocktail. No surprises there right ? I had the Asian Pear; which is Asian pear sake, square one vodka, jasmine, fresh-squeezed lemon and an edible hibiscus flower.  

Can you same delicious ??? I wish there was a place in MD that made this drink because it was great.

Ron had a Caribbean Hard Lemonade which is Cruzan, guava and mango rums, Malibu rum, pineapple, fresh squeezed lemonade and a Firelfy Sweet Tea vodka float. This cocktail was also very tasty and it made me think of being on vacation and spending days on a caribbean resort drinking poolside.

Next up was appetizers. The Jones' split an order of little neck clams which were served in a pool of white wine garlic sauce with a side of garlic bread. 

I went with a shrimp tempura roll and Ron decided on chipotle grilled shrimp which came over a bed of corn and black bean relish and pico de gallo.

Now for dinner. The Jones' recommend the seafood mixed grill. I figured since I was at a place known for their seafood I would give it a try. We had duplicate meals at our table. Mr. Ditzel and Mrs. Jones had the crab cakes and Mr. Jones and myself had the seafood mixed grill. Since I am not a big fan of scallops I requested extra shrimp. The Jones' also added a side of lobster mac & cheese to round out the meal. Everything was as good as I expected the seafood was really fresh and and was not over seasoned so you could appreciate each item for what it was.

Overall we were very pleased with every part of the meal. I would definitely go back to try some other meals and drinks on the menu. If you are at Hershey park you should definitely stop next door at Devon.

http://devonseafood.com

Support

As the days go on and I make a new advance into my idea of what Domestic Delights should be. I find myself bouncing ideas off of my support core. These few people give me great ideas and honest feedback and for that I am appreciative. So Ron, Britney, Tracy and Katina you're the best.

In other news my friends Britney and Katina are staring their own event planning companies. You can definitely look forward to me putting a spotlight on their businesses. Keep your eyes peeled for A Sweet Affair and Blue Lily Events. Don't forget where you heard it first.

Coming Soon........

My very own dessert company.....Domestic Delights. Keep your eye out for the menu.

A view of lovely St. Thomas :)

A few shots of beautiful St. Thomas

This is a shot from our balcony at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort on Bolongo Bay. I would not mind waking up to this view everyday.

These shots were taken at Magens beach. This is a must go beach and it has been rated one of the best beaches in the world.

These were taken in St. Johns right on the bay. St. Johns is a 20 minutes ferry ride from St. Thomas. In the first picture you can see St. Thomas in the background.

These 4 were taken at a restaurant called Mafolie. It was perfect; open air, great weather and great views of St. Thomas. The second picture is us with the newlyweds.

Oh how we miss you St. Thomas!