Polska and Mrs. T's Pierogi and Chocolate

Mrs. T's pierogi come from Pennsylvania and Polska pierogi come from California. We always liked Mrs. T's - especially the potato with feta and spinach. My husband also adds onions to the mix and they are delicious! Of course, nothing could ever replace my mom's original hand made and time consuming pierogi that we always had at Christmas. But while we were at Safeway, I noticed another brand called Polska foods. The saurkraut, cabbage, and mushroom item looked quite promising - and it was. My husband added a bit of ham bits to that mix. Because they were so good, we got another package along with the potato and cheese version. Why am I dreaming of pierogi? Today, we went out to lunch with a good friend who just returned from a trip to Poland, Italy and England. And she brought with her a Polish chocolate/orange treat as a keepsake for us. Because it is written in Polish, I can't read the brand. All I can say is that they too were delicious. It's hard to believe Polish was my first language. That sure didn't last very long. But the craving to eat polish food luckily never disappeared. Thank goodness for frozen food because it's tough to find a polish restaurant here in DC. Milwaukee and Chicago were much different - but we don't live there anymore. 

Exposed - the Secret Life of Roots at the US Botanical Garden

It's always a good time to stop at the US Botanical Garden on a Monday morning. And so we did - to see the new exhibit "Exposed - the secret life of roots." Before we reached the roots area, we quickly ran through the orchids and succulents sections. Passing by the pools of water surrounded by citrus trees, the Christmas trains exhibit area has been replaced with two huge walls of roots. It is a sight to behold. Most of the roots were taller than us - a lot taller. It reminded me - in height anyway - of the red ant tunnels that my FSU biology professor has written, photographed, and casted so much about. On the exit glass door facing the Capitol Building are decals of vegetables that represent what soon will be growing in the gardens outside all around the building itself. Or maybe they serve as reminders about what to think about growing in your own garden. This is one of my favorite places to visit as the seasons change because there is always something different to see. It's so bright and pleasant, but a little warm when you're still wearing winter coats. After our stop here we headed out to the Mall and back to our favorite breakfast spot. It's a nice way to start the week and sure beats going to work.