Foodies and Food Network fans have a chance to meet and eat with New York City restaurateur, author and television personality Donatella Arpaia at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town on Sunday, May 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
 
The event begins on the H Lounge Stage, where Donatella will speak about her journey to becoming a chef, give recipe tips and answer questions.  Attendees can enter their names in a raffle for a chance to win one of 10 Donatella Cooks cookbooks.
 
Following the presentation, guests will be invited to the Skybox Sports Bar to mingle with Donatella and purchase appetizers from Donatella Cooks prepared by the Chefs at Hollywood Casino.  Selections include cucumber soup with crab, yogurt and dill shooter, and Mama’s meatballs. Guests who order one of the featured appetizers will receive a recipe card to be signed by Donatella.
 
The talk is free and open to the public, however guests must pay for food selections.
 
Donatella is one of the most influential women in the world of food, business and entertaining. The New York Post named her one of the “most powerful women” in Manhattan, and Zagat called her “hostess with the mostest.”
 
The restaurateur opened her first New York City restaurant Bellini, inspired by her childhood summers spent in Italy with family and food, in 1998. She soon opened three more highly acclaimed restaurants including Donatella, DBar and Kefi.
 
Donatella is also well known as a head judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and Next Iron Chef. She is featured as a regular contributor on the Today Show. In 2010, Donatella penned Donatella Cooks, a guide to cooking and entertaining with flair.

I am so excited to be hosting the Summer Block Party at South Moon Under at the new Mosaic District store on May 16! We hosted a Summer Block Party last year at the Reston Town Center store and it was a BLAST! If you've never been - make sure you arrive early - South Moon Under will be giving away SWAG BAGS to the first 50 guests in line. Hope to see you all there! xo

The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City invites moms to take a night off and celebrate national Mom’s Nite Out on Thursday, May 9 from 5-8 p.m. Focused on rewarding and recognizing the women who always put others before themselves, Mom’s Nite Out is a chance for mothers to treat themselves to a night of pampering, shopping and prize giveaways from stores and other community organizations. 
                          
Activities include:
 ·   A FREE swag bag stuffed with goodies from participating retailers for the first 100 guests to check in at the registration table on Metro Level along with chances to spin the prize wheel.
 ·   Fashion shows, presented by District Fete, will take place at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the ground level in front of Nordstrom; featured looks from Macy’s and other retailers.
 ·   A Jamaica Tourism Lounge will be set up on the Metro Level with light bites and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, authentic hair braiding, chair massages and steel drum band performances.
 ·   Bare Minerals Go Bare Tour will be set up outside of Brookstone offering makeovers, samples and special deals on Bare Minerals products.
 ·   Aly Jacobs and the Mix 103.7 FM team will be on site, and Aly will emcee portions of the Mom’s Nite Out programming.
·   Madame Tussauds will be on site with a Leonardo DiCaprio wax figure for photo opportunities.

The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, 1100 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202.  Mom’s Nite Out is free and open to the public.  Mom’s Nite Out is presented by Covidien and Jamaica Tourism.  For more information on the event, please visit the event Facebook page.

Join the Book Hill neighborhood of Georgetown as the shops celebrate the annual Georgetown French Market!

Superb shopping complimented by the scent of fresh coffee and the sounds of strolling musicians immerse the Book Hill neighborhood of Georgetown every spring with the 10th annual Georgetown French Market coming up at the end of April.  The 2013 Georgetown French Market will be held Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 from 10am to 5pm.  

This event takes place along upper Wisconsin Avenue, NW, between P Street and Reservoir Road, and features over 35 Georgetown boutiques, antique shops, restaurants and galleries offering savings up to 75% off designer goods, art and antique home furnishings. Whimsical mimes, strolling musicians, arts & crafts with Alliance Francais and live art demo by Art Soiree will offer fun and entertainment for the whole family. Click here for a full list of participating stores and their fabulous offers.

Head out for this year's Arlington Earth Week Community Fair featuring the Green Living Expo on Sunday, April 21, 2013, noon-4:30 p.m. at George Mason University's Arlington Campus.

The fair will feature eco-friendly exhibits showcasing ways to live a more green lifestyle, including energy conservation, sustainable food and eco-friendly transportation and more! Plus Mason's programs will include several exciting features such as: 
    •the Operation Rain Barrel Competition and Silent Auction
    •the Arlington Green Patriot Award
    •Food, fun and a visit from our green and fuzzy "Gunston"!

The fair will be held on the plaza in front of Mason's eco-friendly building, Founders Hall with additional space inside our state-of-the-art Multipurpose Room. The event will be FREE to attend, open to the entire Arlington community and a great way to celebrate Earth Day 2013.

Pre-Register for the Green Living Expo at the Earth Week Community Fair Today!
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged to expedite the check-in process. Pre-register today and receive a free raffle ticket and a giveaway at the registration desk.

Enterprising moms and local writers, Claudine Kurp, Amy Suski, and Micaela Williamson have combined their talents to create a new must-have book for area parents, Kid Trips Northern Virginia Edition.

This local guide is a wealth of information featuring museums and historic sites, parks and playgrounds, skating, water parks, nature centers, arts, birthday parties, restaurants, and so much more. Families will also love the insider tips, “Kid Trips Top Picks,” ample seasonal guide, and final chapter, “Family Fun Across the Potomac,” highlighting many key attractions in Maryland and Washington DC. Kid Trips Northern Virginia Edition is the most inclusive and thorough book for Northern Virginia families ever published.

“It is our hope that this book becomes an indispensable resource that area families come back to again and again throughout their parenting years,” says author Micaela Williamson. She adds, “I have lived in Northern Virginia for a decade and didn’t even know some of the places in this book existed. It was fun to learn and discover as we researched the book too.”

The authors collectively boast impressive credentials and writing experience. After spending fifteen years in corporate America, Claudine Kurp founded the website DC Metro Mom which includes over 700 blogs and a list of over 4,000 vendors. Previously working as an attorney, Amy Suski switched over to blogging and professional editing and is the co-founder of DC Metro Mom. Micaela Williamson created the award winning blog, Super NoVA Mommy and writes family feature articles for Northern Virginia Magazine.

Kid Trips Northern Virginia Edition is now available for purchase in paperback and ebook format at Amazon.com and Smashwords.

Visit www.GoKidTrips.com for more information. Follow on Facebook facebook.com/GoKidTrips and Twitter twitter.com/GoKidTrips!

I often find myself in a dilemma: I'm hungry and I don't feel like cooking...  but I don't want to go out to eat because Lord knows how many calories are coming out of a restaurant's serving window. A few months ago, I solved that problem by finding one of my new favorite spots to nosh: Zoes Kitchen. The food is healthy and delicious - literally just an extension of my own kitchen. It's easy and  guilt-free eating out when you know there is no fryer or microwave in the kitchen!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to host a tasting event at the new Zoes Kitchen In Reston. Zoes Kitchen is a Mediterranean-inspired fast food restaurant with signature dishes that the whole family can enjoy. Along with local bloggers, foodies, and friends - we tried just about everything on the menu!

Jason, the GM, brought out a selection of the most popular menu items: grilled chicken, steak, and shrimp kabobs, salads, chicken rollups, hummus, and even gluten-free options. Zoes Kitchen touts the freshness and quality of their food - and the product delivered on that promise (all the way down to the warm, fresh chocolate chip cookies!).

We are always looking for laid back (aka kid-friendly) restaurants with outdoor seating, so we'll definitely head back when the weather is nicer to enjoy the patio.  Check out the pics below of yesterday's tasting event... (my stomach is growling just looking at these!) 

Thanks to everyone who came out to the event! If you missed it, you can follow the tweets & pics: #ZoesKitchenReston.

2nd Thursday of each month • 6-9pm • Free

Browse open studios and galleries, interact with artists, and enjoy refreshments at this free event held on the second Thursday of each month at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Enjoy special programming and exhibition receptions throughout the year. Drop by on your way to dinner, or make an evening of it!

Visit the Torpedo Factory's website for more information.

Woodbridge, VA will be awarded five thousand (13 oz.) jars of free Nutella hazelnut spread and a visit from the Nutella Breakfast Tour Truck this December as winners of the nationwide Nutella Tour City Challenge. 
The truck will be making one last stop in the winning city to spread the love at Potomac Mills on December 23 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., just in time for the holidays.                               

The Nutella Breakfast Tour Truck visited 12 cities across the country from September to December encouraging fans to tweet their favorite way to wake up with Nutella.  Woodbridge, VA posted the most eligible tweets, winning the top prize, a special visit from the Nutella Breakfast Tour Truck filled with free Nutella.

Local residents are invited to come out to celebrate the holidays and claim their free jar of Nutella while supplies last. Fans can also take a picture next to the giant inflatable Nutella® jar, enjoy festive music and spread some holiday cheer. For more information and Official Rules for the Nutella Tour City Challenge, visit the Nutella USA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NutellaUSA

Early Sunday morning, I hosted the Sensory-Friendly Santa event at Fair Oaks Mall. The event could not have been possible with out the gracious support of Fair Oaks Mall (thanks, Ed!). The children and families were so wonderful!

Thank you to Corner Bakery, Sears, and Dunkin Donuts for helping make the event possible. There was such a great turn out - I hope that we can make it an annual event. Special thank you to Valerie Bey Photography for donating your time to photograph the event.