Capitals Hockey Game and Meal of the Week

Capitals Hockey Game
On Sunday, December 15th, I attended a Capitals Hockey game with the Capital Area Iowa Club (CAIC).  This was the first Caps game and NHL game.  The game started at 3:00 PM.  The opponent was the Philadelphia Flyers.  Our seats were in the upper deck in the last row on the end of the ice where the Capitals shot once.  Along with our tickets we received $15 worth of credit to use at the concession stands.  The Caps won in a shootout after coming back from a 4-1 deficit in the 3rd period.  The game was fun and I was glad I went.  I was able to meet some people who are apart of the CAIC.  Also evidently a fan got hit the head with a puck opening a gash in her head.  She did not seek medical attention until after the game.  You can read about it here.

My View at the Caps Game

Meal of the Week
This week I made French Dip sandwiches for the meal of the week.  Jon had one.  He thought the meal was was the best meal he has had that was made by me.  It was probably the simplest meal I have made.  A whole chopped onion was put in a crock pot with a beef roast.  Then a mixture of water and a seasoning packet was poured over the roast and onion.  After cooking for 8 hours on low the meat was ready to be cut and put on hoagie rolls.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures.

Government Closed

Government Closed
The government closed on Tuesday, December 10th due to inclement weather (i.e. snow and rain).  I was disappointed I was not able to go into work on today.  There were two events at work I was looking forward to at work on December 10th: 1) Technology Center (TC) 1700 Holiday Party 2) Helping new examiners (about 1 month of experience) with a few of their applications.  The TC 1700 Holiday party is a party right after the workday with catered food from Qdoba.  I had to pay $20 for a ticket to the TC 1700 Holiday Party.  The TC 1700 Holiday Party also allows an opportunity for me to meet and mingle with people I know and don't know in TC 1700.  On Monday, December 10th, my SPE (i.e. my direct boss) asked me and another examiner if we would be willing to help two new examiners with a few of their applications.   I felt honored that my SPE asked me to carry out the assignment.  I accepted.  We would look at claims in the applications and develop a search strategy with the new examiners for each application. Hopefully both the TC 1700 Holiday Party and helping new examiner with a few of their cases are rescheduled at times I am able to participate.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia
On Friday, December 6th I trudged along to an Amtrak station close to my house.  At the Amtrak station would be a train that would take me to the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia.  I have never riden an Amtrak train before.  It was enjoyable.  As passenger, I could look at the country and cities of Baltimore and Wilmington, DE.  The train took about 3 hours to get to Philadelphia.  I did not too to much the first day other than checking into the hotel and get a Philly Cheesesteak with cheese whiz.

Saturday was the big travel day.  First I went on a tour of Independence Hall at 9 AM with about 6 other tourists.  I saw the place where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were drafted.  Next I saw the Liberty Bell with the crack.  Awe and excitement came over me at both of the cities when I thought about where I was standing were the same places as some the greatest men in American history.  The last stop in that area of Philadelphia was the Benjamin Franklin Museum.

By this point, I was starting to get hungry.  So of course I go to Reading Terminal Market.  The Reading Terminal Market is an enclosed market.  Over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, ice cream, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods.  The Pennsylvania Dutch have a fair number of stores in the market.  The Reading Terminal Market has been a filming location for Trading Places and National Treasure.  I ate at DiNic's Beef and Pork, which was featured on Travel Channel shows Man v. Food and Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America.  I also had a dessert of ice cream from Bassett's.  Bassett's is America's oldest ice cream company.

Now that I was full, I was ready to embark on the next leg of my journey.  I made my way to the Philadelphia Art Museum via the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  Before I arrived at the Philadelphia Art Museum, I noticed a peculiar attraction that I did not know was present in Philadelphia.  The peculiar attraction was a Rodin Museum.  The Rodin Museum was beautiful.  My favorite sculpture present made by the father of modern sculpting was "The Thinker".  The only reason I know about Rodin is the movie "Midnight in Paris".  Eventually I made it the Philadelphia Art Museum.  No, I did not go to see the art.  I went to see the Rocky Statue.  When I was there there were people playing Rocky music on a loud speaker.  Evidently people were running from Rocky's row house to the top of the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum like in a Rocky movie.  These runners ran about 31 miles.  An article about the run can be found here.  Most of the rest of the time I watched college football at a bar and in my room.  I did not want to be out late at night in an unfamiliar, dangerous city with nobody I know within a reasonable distance.  On Sunday morning, I got on my Amtrak train.  I was able to make it back to DC before the big ice storm hit the east coast.

Alexandria Amtrak Station

Amtrak Train

Amtrak Train

Philadelphia

Philadelphia 30th Street Station

Philadelphia Subway

View from my Hotel Room

Philly Cheesesteak

Jim's on 4th and South

Philadelphia City Hall

Foundation of a House where 2 Presidents Stayed 

Independence Hall

Building by Independence Hall

Independence Hall

Independence Hall

Independence Hall

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell

Inscription on the Liberty Bell

Christ Church Cemetery

Benjamin Franklin's Grave

Constitution Hall

Independence Hall

DiNic's Sandwich

Rodin's The Thinker

Philadelphia from Steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum Along Benjamin Franklin Parkway

People Completing a Tribute Run to Rocky

Me at the Rocky Statue 

Me and the Rocky Statue

Thanksgiving, Iowa vs. Nebraska Game Watch, and Meals of the Week

Thanksgiving
I spent Thanksgiving with a family from Bethany Lutheran Church.  In order for me to not come empty handed, I brought a few bottles Sauvignon Blanc wine and chocolate pudding.  The food was delicious!  There was turkey stuffing, corn casserole, kale, butter beans, green beans, homemade cranberries, and garlic mashed potatoes.  This is the first time I can remember having turkey on Thanksgiving.  Growing up I would go with my family to Bishops where I would not get the turkey for some reason.  Then for dinner we would have ham.  When the turkey was covered in gravy it tasted pretty good to me!  The butter beans were good too!  I think it helped that the butter bean were cooked in bacon grease and covered with big pieces of bacon.  While the group was not eating we were working getting the food ready, cleaning up, talking with one another, and watching football.

Iowa vs. Nebraska Game Watch
On Friday, November 29th, I went to the Capital Area Iowa Club to watch the Iowa vs. Nebraska game at Crystal City Sports Pub.  It was a lot of fun watching the Hawks win and meeting fellow friends of the University of Iowa in DC!  Chances are good for Iowa to be the 4th best team in the Big Ten and go to the Outback Bowl against an SEC school.  It will be sweet to put the people in the SEC down a peg or two.

Meals of the Week (Chicken Cordon Blue, Chocolate Fudge, and Rocky Mountain Fondue)
With the extra time I have available, I was able to make a few dishes.  First I made Chicken Cordon Blue.  I flattened chicken breast with a soup ladle.  We do not have a meat mallet.  The chicken was probably not as flat as it should be for cooking.  The flattened chicken breast was folded with ham and mozzarella cheese inside.  The folded flattened chicken breast was held together with tooth picks.  The folded flattened chicken breast was covered in a cream of chicken soup and milk mixture in a crock pot.  Finally bread crumbs covered everything in the crock pot.  It was delicious!

Chicken Cordon Blue

Cooked Chicken Cordon Blue

Next I mad chocolate fudge with sugar, cocoa, corn syrup, butter, and evaporated milk.  My only concern was that I did not cook the mixture long enough.  A cooking direction telling when the fudge mixture was completely was new to me.  The cooking direction said something along the line of the fudge mixture forming a small ball in cold water.  Either way there is enough sweetness that is doesn't matter.  The fudge was under cooked.  When a piece of fudge was cut from the glassware, the fudge would flow into the hole like a liquid.  It still tasted very sweet!

Fudge Before Cooking

Completed Fudge

Finally I made Rocky Road Fondue.  Marshmellows, chocolate with almonds, butter, and heavy whipping cream were mixed together and cooked in a crock pot.  It was delicious and was great over ice cream!  Unfortunately my picture of the Rocky Road Fondue did not take.