Oct 5, 2010

Simple Sesame Noodles

On Mondays I'm usually feeling either still full from the weekend ("Diet starts on Monday!") or not motivated to cook anything too complicated. I was recently browsing one of my go-to recipe websites, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and under her section of favorites, I came across a recipe for Simple Sesame Noodles, which was the perfect Monday night dish.

It looked easy, delicious, and most importantly -- I already had all the ingredients I needed:
  • Spaghetti noodles (this recipe is probably better with an Asian-style noodle, but trust me, the spaghetti will do!)
  • 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced (I used only one and it was plenty, but it's up to you!)
  • 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil (ok I lied, I didn't have this ingredient, but I subbed in Sriracha, which is probably even better!)
  • 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
  • 4 whole Green Onions, sliced thin
All I did was mix all the ingredients together (minus the green onions and spaghetti), then after the spaghetti was cooked, I poured the sauce over top, gave it a good mix, then topped it all off with the green onions and a couple extra squirts of Sriracha. Also, since I happened to have some broccoli on hand, I steamed some up and added it to the spaghetti before the sauce went in. It added some nice veggie crunch and made the dish seem more like a complete meal.

I really dig the soy sauce-sugar-rice vinegar-sesame oil, which I've used before in other recipes, but never with noodles. I actually have some unused sauce left over, which I can easily use as a marinade for fish or meat, or to make this dish again! 

Sep 27, 2010

Chili & Football!

Though most of last week was still quite summery with temps in the '90s, when I found out it would be in the low '70s and rainy on Sunday, I thought that was enough of a weather change to make my favorite fall/football meal -- chili!

To make things more exciting, the Colts game was actually aired locally, so we set up both our TVs in the living room to convert our place into a sports bar. Great idea, right?

Our sports bar set up

Also, puppy Reilly -- in her new Redskins gear -- made her first visit to our place to enjoy the afternoon (and eat hot dogs for the first time!)


While in the past I've used our crockpot to prepare this chili recipe, I a) woke up too late for the 6 hours of slow cooking it would require, and b) wanted to use the beautiful Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart round dutch oven (in Caribbean teal!) that John got me for my birthday.

I went with Paula Deen's Taco Soup recipe which has always been tasty and involves some nice shortcuts (e.g. Taco seasoning!) that don't sacrifice any flavor or deliciousness.

Huan brought up hot dog supplies and also some pâté chaud (courtesy of My Chau!) to complete the Sunday feast. We ate the chili out of a bowl, with Fritos, for our late lunch/snack portion of the day, then for dinner we finished off the chili on hot dogs.

... and on a dog!

Despite another disappointing Redskins loss, it was a nice afternoon of football and food... two of my favorite things!

More images available on Flickr.

Aug 31, 2010

My Chau's Baby Back Ribs

One of the great parts about living close to my parents is that my mom always wants to send me home with tons of food, whether leftovers or ingredients for future dishes. As a Costco shopper, she usually has tons of things in bulk that she's more than happy to share with me. This past weekend, in addition to random necessities like crushed red pepper and garlic, she gave me a rack of ribs in a marinade, ready for cooking. How could I turn it down?

As ribs go, these aren't your traditional American BBQ ribs; rather, the use of fish sauce (nuoc mam) makes this a Vietnamese recipe and it is mmm mmm good!

The marinade is prepared as follows (recipe courtesy of My Chau):
  • dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in 1 cup warm water
  • add 1/3 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam - Squid brand preferred) and 2 tbsp of chopped lemongrass
  • adjust marinade sauce to your taste (add sugar, water or nuoc mam as needed)
  • add ribs to marinade and leave overnight
  • in the morning, flip the rib over to marinate the other sid
  • before cooking, take ribs out of fridge to allow them to reach room temperature
  • cook the ribs for one hour at 350 degrees in the oven (flip the rib rack over halfway through cooking)
  • after an hour, turn the broiler on and broil about 10 minutes or until the ribs have a nice warm brown color

Once the ribs have cooled, slice them up and enjoy with your favorite sides!* The ribs were perfectly cooked: the edges were crisp, but the meat came easily off the bone. This was a perfect Sunday night dinner and I'll be sure to make it again! Thanks, mom!


My Chau's lemongrass baby back ribs

*my favorite sides would usually consist of white rice or some other carb, but we had some veggies on hand and I decided to be good and eat those instead!

Aug 30, 2010

It Must Be Love

Today marks the official start of the U.S. Open, one of my favorite sporting events ever. The tournament always coincides with Labor Day weekend, and while I haven't made my way up to Flushing Meadows in a few years, at one time it was a family tradition to travel up to New York to catch a few of the live matches. More recently I've been spectating from the couch, but even then, I have plenty of fond memories of watching (or even live-gchatting the matches, as is often the case) this tournament with my family, an avid group of tennis fans.

This year, the NY Times has led into the Open with some great coverage of the men and women's game and some great player profiles. I don't know about you, but I'm rooting for Rafa to get his first Open win this year to complete his career Grand Slam.

Finally, I hate to admit it, but I'm a total sucker for the "It Must Be Love" promo videos they've been showing. I get chills every time I see one! Such a cheeseball.

Aug 29, 2010

Rebel Heroes (Banh Mi food truck)

Rebel Heroes appeared on the scene back in April when I first posted about the food truck frenzy taking over the city. Their tag line, "revolutionizing the sub with our Banh Mi food truck" definitely intrigued me, and I was curious as to how it would measure up to a $2.50 Banh Mi from Eden Center. However, I never followed Rebel Heroes on Twitter because they were based out of Arlington and never came into DC (so what if I'm a city snob?).

Rebel Heroes food truck

Last week, when I was in Clarendon taking my sad MacBook to the Genius Bar, I finally had the chance. Even though my stomach was feeling a little off and I wasn't quite hungry for dinner, as soon as I saw the truck parked, I knew I'd have to make a stop.

The Rebel Heroes menu is divided into two sections: The Old Guard (which includes traditional banh mi offerings, such as roast pork, pork meatball, and chicken), and The Rebels, which are based off banh mi but updated either with different ingredients (as I understand, the main update is the addition of swiss cheese) or preparation (some of the sandwiches can be pressed).

Rebel Heroes menu (pardon the glare)

Naturally, I went for what seemed most traditional - the roast pork banh mi from The Old Guard menu, for $5.50. The service, while friendly, did seem to be a little chaotic, but it could have been due to the fact that they were about to close up shop in addition to trying to be quick/rush the food. It turns out I got the second to last sandwich of the evening, so no matter the issues, I was happy to walk away with something to try.

The sandwich itself, while not identical to what you'd find at Eden, was very satisfying and delicious. The combination of the house mayo, cilantro, jalapenos and pickled veggies really came together nicely. I especially enjoyed the addition of scallions, which added extra flavor and crunch to the sandwich. The only thing that seemed lacking was that I could barely taste the meat. The pork was sliced very thinly and there wasn't much in the sandwich, so the meat itself took a back seat to all the supporting ingredients.

IMG_4205

I'd be curious to try one of the "Rebel" varieties to see how the basics of banh mi translate to other sandwich varieties. While nothing beats the bang-for-your-buck banh mi from a traditional Vietnamese mom and pop shop, if Rebel Heroes was parked downtown, I could definitely see myself rotating it into my regular set of lunch options.

Aug 26, 2010

We, the Pizza

I'd been pretty excited to try former Top Cheftestant Spike's new pizza joint since I heard it was coming to town, but I also wanted to wait out the hype that comes with any new DC opening (and with "celebrity" chefs in particular). Last night I finally made the trip to the Hill to give his pizza pies a shot.

Upon walking into We, the Pizza, I felt like I could have been in Good Stuff Eatery (which is directly next door). The decor and arrangement and feel is nearly identical. However, the ground floor of We, the Pizza felt hotter than it was outside - perhaps due to the multitude of pizza ovens they have set up. And after finishing the meal upstairs and coming back down to leave, it seemed as though something had been burning because the whole ground floor was smoky and hot.. not ideal.

The good news was, there was hardly a line at all so my dining pals and I ordered immediately. Since I'd reviewed the menu prior to arriving (duh), I already knew what I wanted to try.

I ordered two slices on my inaugural visit: the White Pizza (Today’s ricotta, fontina, roasted garlic, Parmesan, mozz, sea salt, olive oil, fresh Italian parsley) and the Roasted Potato and Pancetta Pie (Roasted local spuds, pancetta, caramelized onions, our tomato sauce, mozz, fresh rosemary). Each came in at $4 a slice, which seemed a little steep, given they weren't astronomically large and that they priced a basic Pepperoni slice (which John picked) at the same rate.

Things didn't start off great when, upon taking the first bite of his Pepperoni slice, John said, "This tastes like Alberto's," which is a late-night basement pizza joint that serves up similarly priced slices (but at least twice the size). I mean, we love Alberto's, but I think We, the Pizza was going for more sophistication.


We, the Pizza

The potato pie was nothing to write home about. Given it was the first potato pizza I'd ever eaten, I was expecting to be blown away by the flavor, and I felt it lacking in salt or seasoning, which was surprising given that's precisely what you'd expect from pancetta. The only thing that really jumped out was the rosemary, which appeared in sporadically huge chunks and was thus overpowering to the point that I had to take some off the slice.

IMG_4195


The white pizza was probably the best of the night. I'm a sucker for that salty, garlicky flavor, and this one really hit the spot. The only complaint I have about it was that by the time I got to it, it was about room temperature. As someone who likes my food piping hot, I felt like they could have reheated the pizzas in the oven for a tad longer. I'd rather have the possibility of burning the roof of my mouth from that first bite than eating lukewarm food.

IMG_4197

All told, the pizzas were good, not great, and while most of my issues are minor (pizza not hot enough, no ice in the soda fountain, smoky kitchen area), they add up to just a mediocre experience. It seems like We, the Pizza has a bit of an identity crisis - in its attempt to serve up simple, New York-style slices while also trying to be slightly "gourmet," it gets stuck somewhere in the middle. If I lived on the Hill I could see myself stopping in for a random slice when in search of a quick dinner, but I'm not sure I'll be so quick to travel across town for it again.

Aug 18, 2010

Rainy Day Rec: Ray LaMontagne

For the past week, I've been streaming Ray LaMontagne's latest album, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise, courtesy of NPR's wonderful First Listen. The album was officially released yesterday, and I finally got around to downloading it from eMusic tonight. The first song I played? "New York City's Killing Me," my current favorite -- and the perfect rainy Wednesday tune for winding down. Now, putting my feet up and pouring a glass of wine... Happy hump day, everyone!

http://www.ihopeyourearsbleed.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Ray-Lamontagne-and-the-Pariah-Dogs-God-Willin-the-Creek-Dont-Rise-300x300.jpg

Aug 4, 2010

New Music: Arcade Fire

Yesterday marked the release of Arcade Fire's third full-length album, The Suburbs. So far I've only given it a couple distracted listens, but it seems to be worth the attention/critical acclaim it's already received.


At 16 tracks, the album is a wee on the long side, but luckily, the music is much more Arcade Fire lite compared to their previous work, so it doesn't get as overwhelming as you might expect. The arrangements are less heavy-handed, not every song feels like it's trying to achieve epic status, and generally, it's a lot more poppy and fun -- very suitable as a summer release. The abundance of male/female harmonies and synthesizers add to the accessibility of this album. I'm not sure it's their best effort (though it would be tough to top or even compare it to Funeral), but still a great release from a band that's released some of the best music this decade.

Plus, Amazon is offering the full MP3 download at only $3.99, and eMusic is offering it as a "deal" (only 12 credits for the full 16-track album), so there's no reason not to give it a shot!

Happy listening and happy summer, all.

Jul 28, 2010

Pâté Chaud (Vietnamese Meat Pies)

I apologize for my recent disappearance from the blog. After returning from Vietnam I had back-to-back wedding weekends that kept me away and also left me too tired to do much cooking. I'm returning now with one of my favorite comfort snacks that always reminds me of home...

It'd been a while since I'd enjoyed my last Pâté Chaud, which is essentially a buttery puff pastry filled with pork and vegetables. I'm usually able to fulfill my cravings by making a quick visit to my parents' house -- my Mom is known in our family for having the best pâté chaud -- but she just left town for a little over a week, so it was a good chance for me to try to make my own delicious batch at home.

While every family, restaurant or café has their own version of pâté chaud that includes different techniques and ingredients, I'm going to share the version I grew up with and love the most.

Let's start with the ingredients*:
  • ground pork (about a pound)
  • peas & carrots (I used about half of a frozen 16 oz. bag, thawed)
  • one small yellow onion (or half of a medium-sized one), diced
  • puff pastry sheets (I use one box of Pepperidge Farm brand, which includes 2 big sheets)
  • salt & pepper
  • Maggi seasoning (this is a household staple ingredient and is essentially like liquid salt - it makes everything taste better)
  • one egg, beaten for egg wash
Start by taking your puff pastry out of the freezer to thaw. The box says this takes about 40 minutes, so prepare accordingly -- apparently the secret to delicious pâté chaud is allowing the pastry to fully thaw so that it bakes to crispy and flaky perfection.

puff pastry sheets, thawing

While the pastry thaws, prepare the meat filling. Add the peas, carrots and onion to the ground pork. Season generously with salt, pepper and Maggi.

ground pork with peas, carrots and onion

Once the pastry is thawed, it's time to build your pâté chaud. This is the part I got to participate in as a kid, so I always enjoy it. Use a pizza slicer to cut the pastry into even rectangles, about 3.5" x 4" in size. You can also make circles, triangles, or whatever shape you like, but Momma My Chau always made rectangles for us. Just remember whatever size or shape you cut, you need to allow some extra pastry on the outside edge in order to seal down the filling.

Scoop out a little ball of meat onto the center of your base pastry, then cover it with a pastry on top. Use a fork to mash down the edges of the two pastries so that they close and seals tightly over the meat. Once you have all your pâté chaud prepared, it's time for one last important step. Brush the tops of each pastry with your beaten egg, careful not to make a drippy mess everywhere.

brush the tops with egg wash

Finally, stick your baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the tops are a beautiful golden brown. Try to resist the temptation to eat these as soon as they come out of the oven, because they will be H-O-T. (I've burned the roof of my mouth a few times in my life when I just couldn't wait.)

a lovely golden crust

Growing up, this was always a breakfast snack or appetizer treat. Since I was making it for dinner this week to fulfill my craving, I made a side salad of roasted asparagus, tomato and corn, served cold. Kinda random, but I thought I needed some veggies to balance my 2 (3? 4? I'll never tell!) pâté chaud meal.

added a side of veggies just so i could call it a meal...

*The listed ingredients ended up making 9 meat pies, with a decent amount of meat filling left after I ran out of pastry. I ended up cooking the leftover meat and turning it into a tasty tomato-based pasta sauce. Quite delicious!


More images available on Flickr.

Jul 11, 2010

Vietnam Recap

By now you've probably noticed that I didn't get a chance to update the blog while on vacation in Vietnam. It was an exciting, memorable and jam-packed adventure that left little downtime for updates. But now that I'm back and have been able to decompress and (mostly) recover from the jet lag, it's time for the official recap.

June 21-24: Saigon/Mekong Delta
We began our journey in the south, arriving in Vietnam's most populous city. Saigon (formally known as Ho Chi Minh City) is busy, crowded and noisy at almost all hours of the day. Once the sun rises, you can hear the sounds of horns honking and motorbike traffic. In a city of over 9 million people, almost half the population runs on motorbikes. While there are road signs, traffic lights and marked lanes, the road rules -- or lack thereof -- in Vietnam are basically "anything goes," which makes crossing the street no easy task. As taxi passengers and pedestrians, we had no shortage of close calls to keep us on our toes.


On our second full day, we took a short trip out of Saigon to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an intricate 75-mile network of underground tunnels and bunkers used by the Viet Cong during the war. Parts of the tunnels have been greatly expanded to accomodate tourists' bodies, and we had the chance to crawl through a 50-meter section which proved both a little scary and also exhausting. Our visit here was one of several interesting history lessons we'd get from the Vietnamese government perspective, depicting the American military forces in less-than-stellar light.

On our last full day in Saigon, we took another trip outside the city to visit the Mekong Delta, the region where the Mekong River empties out into the South China Sea. From the town of Cai Be, we took a small boat and toured the river, passing by the floating market with people selling and exchanging various goods, and making stops to see how rice paper, caramel candy, salt, and other local products are made.


June 25-28: Hoi An
After wrapping up our tour of the South, we boarded a short flight to Da Nang, in the central region of the country, where upon arrival we drove a short way to the coastal city of Hoi An, which is one of my favorite destinations in Vietnam.

Hoi An has a very small-town feel and it offers a nice, quiet change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Saigon. The town was a prominent shipping and trading port for Chinese and Japanese merchants in the 16th-17th centuries, and the architecture today still reflects these ancient foreign influences, giving it an old world charm. Add in the traditional colorful paper lanterns that light the streets at night, and the typical Hoi An scene almost feels like it's out of an amusement park. Beautiful, but somewhat surreal.

We spent most of our time at the beach; our ocean-front rooms at the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort were pretty spectacular and gave us perfect views of the incredible sunrise over the water. On our second day we took a day trip to snorkel and scuba off the Cham Islands (courtesy of Rainbow Divers in Hoi An), a small series of islands about 10 miles offshore. Our group spotted lots of fun creatures in the sea, including pufferfish, stonefish, and barracudas.


We also took a morning visit to the My Son Sanctuary, an area of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples built by the Champa people between the 4th and 14th centuries. At the time of discovery by the French in the late 19th century, there were around 70 structures. During the war, bombs fell in the My Son region, destroying many of the buildings and leaving only around 25 standing in various states of ruin today.


June 29-30, July 6: Hanoi
Our next in-country flight took us to Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, in the northern region of the country. Hanoi is the country's second-biggest city (after Saigon), and while it's still crowded and buzzing with  motorbikes, the feel of the city itself feels more organized and developed than its southern counterpart. However, from a personal standpoint, the country itself feels a little less warm and hospitable than Saigon.

At visits to museums and other tourist attractions we faced less friendly people and -- at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in particular -- very, very serious guards. With the strict dress code, no-talking, no arms-crossed policies (among other rules and restrictions), there is a lot of ceremony that goes into the visit to see the embalmed former President's body for only a few seconds. We also visited the "Hanoi Hilton," or the Hoa Lo Prison, where John McCain spent part of his time as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down over Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi.

We also spent a decent amount of time walking around and doing souvenir shopping in the city, close to Hoan Kiem Lake, one of the Hanoi's scenic attractions and a well-known meeting point in the center of the city.


July 1-2: Sapa
Our stay in Hanoi was brief, as we ventured farther north to Sapa, located in the northernmost region of Vietnam, only miles from the China border. This was the one destination on the trip where my family had always wanted to visit, but hadn't gotten a chance to, so we were all pretty excited to get the chance to check it out. The overnight train was an experience in itself -- four of us packed tightly to a room with bunks that barely fit John's 6'+ frame, the train car shaking turbulently enough that I thought we might derail multiple times throughout the night, and being disrupted by loud Vietnamese voices shouting in the hallway and an attempt by some people to enter our bunk.  Needless to say, we were  happy to arrive at our next destination.

Nestled in the mountains and thus significantly cooler than any other place we'd been, Sapa was a nice change of pace in regard to temperature, terrain, and lifestyle. Known for its tiered rice paddies that cover miles upon miles of the region's mountainous landscape, Sapa is among the most picturesque places I've ever visited, anywhere.


My first surprise came at how easily and closely we were able to interact with the Hmong people, who make up the largest portion of the ethnic minority groups in the region. I thought access to them would be limited, but then I remembered we were the foreigners coming into their territory, so almost immediately we were swarmed by locals who wanted to get to know more about us while trying to sell us their handicrafts.


One of the most amazing and unexpected experiences we had in Sapa was hiking down from the top of the mountain, about 7km down to a Hmong village. It had rained in the morning, which left the terrain muddy, slick and treacherous. There were a handful of slips and falls among our group, but luckily nothing major. We were followed and guided for the duration of the trip by a group of Hmong women, for whom we became extremely grateful. While we awkwardly trudged our way through muddy slopes and creeks and around rice paddies and corn fields, the women -- some with babies strapped to their backs -- casually made their way down in what appeared to be non-gripping plastic sandals, offering a hand or pointing out where we should step to avoid further accidents. It was the by the far an eye-opening experience that gave us the closest view into the daily lives of the local people, and the long and adventurous trek we made with them was both memorable and priceless.

July 3-5: Ha Long Bay
After another overnight train ride back to Hanoi from Sapa, we hopped on the bus again for a 3-hour drive to Ha Long Bay, our last major stop on our long journey through the country. Ha Long Bay is known for its series of nearly 2,000 small islands of various shapes and sizes dotting the water. While a bit of research will tell you more about the 500-million-year evolution of the limestone rock formations (the area was originally mainland that was later flooded before undergoing a series of tectonic plate movements, erosion, and sea movement leaving it in its current state), most people will tell you about the legend of Ha Long (literally meaning "Descending Dragon").


The story goes that long ago, when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help them defend their land. The dragons descended upon Ha Long Bay, spitting out jewels and jade, which, upon making contact with the sea, turned into the islands and islets to form a strong fortress against the invaders. The dragons ultimately fell in love with the area and decided to stay, thus creating "Ha Long Bay" as we know it.


We spent two nights and three days aboard a Bhaya cruise boat on the Bay. This was the first time I'd done an overnight trip (versus a day trip) on Ha Long Bay, which turned out to be well worth it. Aside from the usual stops into various tourist-friendly caves, we were able to really experience and explore the area on our own. Our group of 13 was able to board a smaller boat that took us to remote spots on the Bay and we kayaked our way into secret lagoons and through tiny tunnels. It was another moment that felt surreal and the whole day was definitely one of my trip highlights.



As you might imagine, despite all the fun we were pretty pooped from living out of a suitcase during our 16-day South-to-North Vietnam tour. It was definitely a long day of travel back home, and heading back to work the following day was no picnic, but it was all worth it for an amazing vacation with a great group of people. And now, a special shout-out to my parents, and especially my mom, for organizing every last detail and arranging a perfect itinerary for such a huge group! Can't wait for the next time...

For more photos/video, see my Vietnam 2010 photo collection on Flickr.

Jun 18, 2010

Time for Vacay!

After much anticipation and lots of superwoman planning by my wonderful mom, I am off to Vietnam Sunday for a long vacation with my family. If you're lucky, you'll get some brief updates from the other side of the world. If not, expect a full report when I return! Happy summer, everyone! I'll see you in a few weeks...

Jun 13, 2010

Sunday night lazy dinner: Homemade Pizza Company

Back in January, when Homemade Pizza Company opened a new location just around the corner on 14th Street, I was intrigued though I knew nothing about it. But when I mentioned the take-and-bake pizza joint to a couple of friends, they said they swore by it and would travel all the way from Capitol Hill to the Mass. Ave. location just to get their fix. Once I tried my first slice, I understood why.

The concept of Homemade Pizza Co. is unique -- they prepare the pizza with fresh and natural ingredients, then you take it home and pop it in the oven. Most of Homemade Pizza Co.'s critics don't have bad things to say about the taste of the pizza, but about the fact that you shouldn't have to pay so much for pizza that you have to cook yourself at home. While that point may be valid, for about $14 for a large (after you consider the $3-$5 coupons that are almost always available via e-mail subscription), this is leaps and bounds better than any delivery pizza that will cost you the same, if not more. (While the Logan Circle location doesn't deliver yet, since it's literally a two minute walk from my place, going to pick it up is a quicker option anyway.)

Tonight, after browsing the menu and seeing the current seasonal option, Sunday night dinner was decided. The "Backyard Griller" description sounded delicious: The fire-cooked tastes of BBQ Chicken with hickory-smoked bacon, sweet Vidalia onions and the subtle kick of Thai chilies on an olive oil base. We'd enjoyed previous experiences with the traditional BBQ Chicken pizza, but adding spicy thai chili peppers and bacon sounded like an exciting new take on an old favorite.



The online ordering system is user-friendly and links up directly to a personal account, which tracks all your previous orders that apply to future coupons/free pizzas.  The staff at our neighborhood Homemade Pizza Co. have always been extremely friendly and helpful, so for that alone, I'll keep coming back.

One of the things I love best about Homemade Pizza Co. is how the dough cooks. The crust has a perfect crunch, and the rest of the pizza is doughy but crisp enough that it doesn't flop or lose all its ingredients when you pick it up. Plus, it tastes fresh and not at all greasy compared to other available options.



John (Mr. "I've never met a pizza I didn't like") and I were very pleased with our decision to order  the seasonal special. When I first glanced at the uncooked pizza, I worried that the spice of the thai chilies would overwhelm everything else, but it turns out it was just the right amount -- enough for a kick but not tongue-numbing, flavor-killing spice. The bacon -- which is usually a center stage ingredient -- actually seemed to play second fiddle to the BBQ chicken and sweet onions, but when I had a good bacony bite, it was a nice surprise of crispy pork flavor.



When I'm feeling too lazy to cook, Homemade Pizza Co. is a great go-to for an easy but delicious Sunday night meal!

More images on Flickr.

Jun 9, 2010

John's Spicy Lamb Burgers!

Upon arriving home from a long day of travel back from Georgia, John surprised me with an amazing homecooked dinner - Spicy Lamb Burgers. Surprise describes both the fact that I didn't know whether/what he was going to cook, and also that lamb would probably have been my last guess for what he'd prepare! Anyway, I definitely can't and won't complain about his recent foray back into the meat world.

The meal was delicious... the burger patties were full of lots of flavor (given the variation of ingredients/seasoning added, it was no surprise) and subtle spice. We stuffed the patties into a pita, along with some romaine hearts and sliced tomatoes for some crisp and coolness, and finished it off with some feta cheese.

The burgers didn't need any sauce or dressing, as they were quite juicy and flavorful on their own. Paired with a cold summer beer, this was the perfect meal to come home to. I can't wait to see what else John has up his sleeve!



More images on Flickr.

Jun 8, 2010

Southern Comfort

Last week I spent some time in Athens, Georgia visiting my one-and-only original college roommate and her lovely family. I roadtripped down with my other college buds, making a stop in Charlotte, N.C. on the way. Charlotte is a terrific little city. In many ways - at least downtown - it looks like it was built yesterday, with modern skyscrapers and wide, clean sidewalks. That said, it still gives off a warm vibe, offering plenty of charm and cute streets, perfect for strolling.



Athens was also a delight. Despite moments of immense heat and humidity, we had a great time walking around UGA, downtown Athens and visiting the Terrapin Brewery, which may have been the trip highlight. For just $10, you get a souvenir pint glass and 8 drink tickets, each worth a 4 oz. sample (which really turned out to be more like 8 oz.) of one of many delicious Terrapin brews. We brought a nice little picnic of bread, cheese and other delicious goodies and had a fabulous time!



It sounds silly, but one of the best parts of the visit was that every restaurant (both in Charlotte and Athens) separated our checks, without us even requesting it. Talk about Southern hospitality!

All in all, it was really great to spend some quality time with a group with whom I share so many great college memories. It'd been too long since we were all together. Can't wait to do it again!

Jun 1, 2010

Happy Birthday, Auddie!!

Happy 17th Birthday to my wonderful sister, Auddie. It's hard to believe she was once actually my "little" sister (as evidenced by the photo below from '93) but today could probably kick my butt. It's crazy how time flies.

Auddie, I'm proud of the mature, funny and charming person you have become! Plus, you are a great personal shopper and anytime-eating buddy. What more could I ask for? Happy Birthday!





May 31, 2010

Ted's Bulletin

I'd been wanting to check out Ted's Bulletin since I read about it on some food blogs a few months ago. Recently it's felt like if a new restaurant wasn't opening in my neighborhood on 14th St., it was opening somewhere on the Hill. This casual, upscale diner is the latest addition to Barracks Row, on 8th St., SE.


I finally got the chance to check out the new restaurant on Sunday evening of Memorial Day Weekend. Upon entry, I was immediately charmed. The art-deco accents, which were taken from an old Philadelphia Convention Center, transported you back in time. The first area you see is the bar -- where plenty of folks had popped in for traditional (or "adult" -- with booze) milkshakes or other old-timey beverages, like a can of Schlitz.  There are a couple small TVs hanging in this area of the restaurant, outfitted to look like retro sets with bunny ear antennas, playing old movies (in this case, it was "Some Like It Hot," which very much pleased my company, the Cangany siblings, who have a soft spot in their hearts for this movie).



Past the bar is the dining area, which is a relatively small space filled with cozy booths. This room boasted a faux-film reel projector that also played "Some Like It Hot" on a bigger wall. The room had a large skylight, which was great while the sun was still out, but the room got fairly dark by later in the evening (which explains my lack of food photos).




For dinner, I ordered the meatloaf, something I'm always drawn to, mostly because I didn't ever have traditional American meatloaf until I was in college so there's still a bit of novelty value when I see it on a menu. The serving size was generous - two large meat patties, probably 3/4" high. The meat itself was tasty - it had a nice spice and flavor accents from a mixture of onion and red peppers, all topped with a classic ketchup glaze. For my sides, I ordered the mac 'n cheese (deliciously creamy) and brussel sprouts with blue cheese & bacon. Both were solid sides to accompany my plate o' meat.

My two diningmates both ordered Ted's famous grilled cheese & tomato soup, because you have to try something that's called famous in a restaurant that's been open less than a month. Also, grilled cheese & tomato soup is delicious.  This one didn't disappoint. The toast was thick, but not greasy, and the tomato soup was slightly creamy and incredibly flavorful (in fact it reminded me a lot of the tomato soup I get from the prepared foods section at Whole Foods...).

We ended the meal by sharing a strawberry milkshake. It was standard, but delicious. Thick enough to spoon, if you wanted to, but liquidy enough to drink through a straw. And in true diner fashion, we were given the entire shaker filled with the leftovers, so it was a huge portion and I was sufficiently stuffed.

All in all, Ted's Bulletin is a nice dining experience - if only for the decor/atmosphere. The food was good, but not outstanding, and it seems like the service still has a few kinks to work out. Upon being seated, rather than being told about daily specials, or recommendations, which one might expect, we were told what they were out of (a handful of entrees) and no longer even offered (the roast chicken, which was still on the menu). Also, many of the blogs I read talked up Ted's "breakfast served all day," which is also prominently stated on the menu, yet the first thing I was told by the hostess was that this was not the case. 

Our server -- when posed with the question about what kind of cheese was in the grilled cheese -- answered with, "I uhhh, yeah, I think it's American blended with something." When he realized he should probably check, he came back to tell us it was, in fact, only American cheese.

Much of this seems like basic new restaurant service stuff, so one can only hope within a few months Ted's will have worked out all these details -- or at least updated their menu to reflect any changes! I'm not sure I'd travel back to the Hill for any particular menu item, but if I lived in the area, I'm sure I'd make more frequent stops into Ted's for a quick bite or to grab a shake.

More images on Flickr.

May 26, 2010

Vietnamese Stuffed Tomatoes (Tomates Farcie/Cà Chua Nhồi Thịt)

One of my favorite meals growing up was my mom's stuffed tomatoes (more commonly referred to as "Cà Farcie" in our household).  The dish, while Vietnamese, is inspired by France's longstanding influence and relationship with the country (hence "Tomates Farcie"). Usually this is something I eat when going home for a casual family dinner, but this week I finally decided to make it myself!

Shopping for the ingredients was very simple: about a pound of ground pork, 3 beefsteak tomatoes (you could probably use vine-ripe or other tomatoes, but I liked beefsteak for their size, which made them easier to stuff), and one yellow onion. All the seasoning I already had in my pantry: salt, black pepper, nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) and sugar (this is Kim's tip - to offset the tartness of the tomato!).

First, dice the onion into small pieces and add it to the pork in a large bowl. Then season the meat with salt and pepper. If you like, you can add other ingredients to the meat at this step -- other recipes/versions of this dish include cellophane noodles, mushrooms and other seasoning.

Next, halve the tomatoes and remove everything inside, leaving only their shells. Set the filling (seeds, juice, chunks of tomato) aside to use for the sauce.

Fill the tomato halves with the seasoned meat. Heat a large skillet with oil, then cook the tomatoes, meat-side down, over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes until meat is browned.

As the stuffed tomatoes are cooking, heat the tomato filling in a pot over low heat until the tomato chunks become soft. Depending on how saucy you like your food, you can add a can of tomato sauce (or whole tomatoes, if you prefer a chunkier sauce) at this stage. Add salt, pepper, about a teaspoon of sugar and a few dashes of nuoc mam to the sauce and season to taste.

Flip the stuffed tomatoes once they're cooked, then pour the sauce over them and simmer everything over low heat for another 10 minutes or so.


Serve over white rice* and be sure to scoop enough sauce! For maximum deliciousness, break the stuffed tomato up into bite sized pieces and mix it well with the rice. Trust me, it's worth it.




*The white rice isn't really in line with my healthy eating, but for a dish like this, you really can't skip it. In fact, I scarfed down two bowls before I knew it... oops.

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May 24, 2010

Congrats to the new grad!


My family spent this past weekend in beautiful Charlottesville to celebrate my brother's graduation from Darden. I love going back to UVA. To me, it's like a little slice of paradise. The quick 2-hour drive down from DC always allows me time to reminisce, and strolling around town always brings back great college memories. I even managed to sneak in two of my favorites -- breakfast from Bodo's and an Ednam sandwich from Bellair Market -- to complete the visit.

Though the weekend's forecast was not ideal, somehow the ridiculous downpour that persisted much of the weekend managed to dodge the lovely graduation ceremony as well as a beautiful post-graduation gathering at DelFosse Winery on Sunday night. Sometimes I think it's so funny how weather works out that way.. like it knows when you need to it be sunny and dry, if even for a moment.

It was a busy but wonderful weekend with family and a great celebration of Huan's new bright and shiny MBA! Congrats, bro.

May 20, 2010

The New Pornographers love D.C.!

I was delighted to read in a recent Pitchfork interview that A.C. Newman of the New Pornographers considers our nation's capital his favorite city to play. Sometimes I feel like D.C. and the surrounding region gets a bad rap for its musical fanhood since well, our music scene is not New York's or various other cooler, hipper places. Plus, we have horrible venues with horrible names like Nissan Pavilion Jiffy Lube Live.

So the fact that our city got a special shout out definitely warmed my heart and made me love the New Pornographers a little more today.

I had the pleasure of seeing the band play at the 9:30 Club a couple years ago, with Okkervil River as the opening act. Not a bad lineup, if you ask me. I've never been a diehard NP fan and have actually always thought their members did better things as part of side or solo projects than as a band (for example, I love everything Dan Bejar/Destroyer has done far more than any New Pornographers album) . That said, they always have those handful of songs that stay stuck in my head. And, their power pop is a great soundtrack for summer. Ironically enough, one of my favorite New Pornographers song is not really power pop at all. It's a lovely ballad with a weird and quirky video. I know I should be probably be talking about their new album, "Together," but too bad, I'm plugging "Challengers" instead.


(Image courtesy of Glide Magazine)

May 17, 2010

Sunday night comfort food: Spaghetti Carbonara

I've recently committed myself to improving my diet and exercising more, which so far has been working out pretty well (despite the fact that I was feeling the burn after a fairly easy 2-mile run with Molly this morning). However, Sunday nights -- and the weekend in general -- are usually an excuse to fall off the wagon, so I've stuck with hearty and satisfying recipes for Sunday night comfort food dinners. After all, diet starts Monday, right?

This week I decided to make a recipe that Kim sent me a while back -- Tyler Florence's Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Ingredients-wise, I followed the recipe exactly. However, on Kim's suggestion, part of the process was altered in order to account for the egg -- the very essence of a carbonara -- and to prevent the possibility of the dish turning into scrambled egg pasta.

Basically, it went like this: Set up your pot of boiling water for the pasta. As you're waiting for it to heat up, cook the bacon til it's crisp, then add the garlic and set it aside (off the heat). Meanwhile, once the pasta is in the pot, set up the egg mixture -- 2 beaten eggs mixed with the parmesan cheese. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the bacon mixture and mix well.  Finally, add the egg slurry to the pasta.  By now, the food will still be hot, but the pan itself should have cooled enough so that the egg won't scramble.

Finally, season with salt and black pepper and garnish with fresh parsley.  While the process/timing initially intimidated me (after all, Tyler calls this an "intermediate" recipe! Haha), this was actually an easy meal to prepare. It was my first stab at carbonara and I'll definitely be making this again!


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May 14, 2010

Happy Birthday, Avery!

Happy 3rd Birthday to my adorable cousin/niece, Avery!

Seems like only yesterday she was a just a little baby...Here's a quick and amateurish (gotta love MS Paint) photo flashback. The always-fashionable Avery really started a trend with her Lincoln Log hat. How time flies!

May 13, 2010

John's Famous* Honey Whole Wheat Bread

John received a Cuisinart bread machine for Christmas, and we've since been trying to create the perfect loaf. I have aspirations to make real homemade bread, but the "set it and forget it" setup of this machine makes it pretty convenient and tough to turn down.


However, it's taken some trial and error to get the bread right. I know what you're thinking - if it's set it and forget it, what's there to learn? Well, for starters, the "optional" step of removing the kneading paddle mid-way through the process should be considered mandatory, otherwise it's impossible to remove or cut around once the loaf has solidified.  Secondly, slicing the bread is like an art. Use a knife too dull and you won't put a dent in the crust; use one that's too sharp (or serrated) will shred your bread up into chunks more suitable for dipping in olive oil than for constructing a sandwich. 

Anyway, the loaf that John prepared recently was the best yet. While the slices weren't perfect, the loaf turned out in a good shape, the bread itself was cooked uniformly, and it kept fairly moist versus some drier loaves we'd ended up with in the past. However, keeping the bread from drying out after a couple days has proved difficult. So what's the secret to perfect bread machine bread? I wish I knew! Anyone have tips or tricks for the perfect loaf, every time?

  
*This bread is probably only famous in our household.

May 11, 2010

Stream It: New Band of Horses

Great news! Band of Horses yesterday advertised via Twitter that their new album, Infinite Arms, is available to stream via the band's own streaming webpage before its official May 18 release.

Infinite Arms is the band's third full-length album, but their first major length debut (Columbia Records), so it should be interesting to see what they've come up with and whether they've lived up to the promise of their first two Sub Pop albums, both of which I loved almost equally. For anyone who loves the echoes and reverb of My Morning Jacket or the hooks and guitars of the Shins will enjoy these guys. Much of it is lush and dreamy, and even if hearing "Funeral" will always make me think of that Ford Edge commercial, I'll forgive these guys because I love their music. Enjoy!

May 10, 2010

Happy Mother's Day/The Liberty Tree

I celebrated Mother's Day by treating my wonderful mom and the family to an early dinner at The Liberty Tree, which opened just recently on H St, NE.  It's a homey, casual and surprisingly small restaurant started by two guys who have roots in New England (including the former executive chef of Matchbox). As someone with a weakness for lobster rolls, this place was on the top of my list of new restaurants to try and I'd been excited to check it out since I first read about it.



We started off by ordering a bottle of the Trinity Oaks Pinot Noir. Liberty Tree has a pretty long list of wines, each available at the same rate by the glass ($8) or the bottle ($30). We picked the Trinity Oaks for its footnote that said for every bottle ordered, a tree would be planted. The wine itself was nothing to write home about, but at least the world will get another tree out of it!



The good thing about dining with a larger group (there were 5 of us) is that you can try so many different things, whether it's shared appetizers or exchanging entree bites. We began the meal with four starters: smoked whitefish spread, pigs in a blanket (Auddie's choice :p), littleneck clams in a butter sauce, and fried calamari.

The smoked whitefish was quite delicious -- not too fishy or salty -- and served with crispy crostinis. The pigs in a blanket didn't quite match the kind my mom made for us growing up -- the pastry was less flaky and the meat seemed a little too charred. However, the spicy and slightly sweet mustard it was served with made for a delicious combo. The littleneck clams were a tasty treat and I wished I'd had more bread to sop up the savory butter sauce that appeared to have red pepper flakes for some added kick. The calamari was pretty standard, though we found some of the pieces to be a little soggy rather than crispy and crunchy.

Onto the entrees! I obviously had to get the lobster roll. When I found out "market price" was only $15, I was pleasantly surprised, but when the roll arrived at my table, it made more sense. It seemed slightly smaller than other lobster rolls I've gotten before, though I suppose for the price, it was a respectable portion. The lobster itself was delicious -- large chunks not overly mayo'd and paired perfectly with a buttery bun. The housemade hand-cut fries were crisp and complemented the dish well.



My mom ordered the lobster and scallop pot pie, which was fairly creamy and rich, but with a decent portion of seafood (versus vegetable/other filler). It was a good dish for a few bites, but I think the whole portion may have been a little heavy for one person.

My dad chose the roasted cod on my recommendation. I'd read some good reviews about it, and when it came out, it looked great! Unfortunately, it seemed the cook had a heavy hand with the salt because it was little too salty, for all our tastes. It seemed to be a dish that on most nights is a hit, but wasn't executed perfectly this time around.



John tried out one of the restaurant's non-seafood items with the eggplant lasagna. It was an interesting dish, conceptually -- no actual pasta noodles, simply the eggplant layered with cheese, mushrooms and basil. The tomato sauce could have used a little extra flavor or kick and seemed a little bland up against the rest of the dish's ingredients.

Finally, Auddie had the fried cod sandwich. It was very large as sandwiches go, essentially two big pieces of cod layered between a soft bun. Paired with just the right amount of tartar sauce, a bite of this sandwich really hit the spot for me.



Though everyone was pretty stuffed, we decided to end the meal with a shared dessert of the seasonal fruit crisp - pear & apple, served with vanilla ice cream. A nice ending to a filling meal and a great mother's day celebration!

While Liberty Bell didn't fully live up to all of my expectations (which, admittedly, were high), it was still solid fare in a nice atmosphere and a place I'd recommend if you're ever in the H Street area.

I'll end with another Happy's Mother Day wish to my super mom and all the other moms out there!



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