The recipe for leftover holiday turkey...

In spite of my adventurous spirit dining out, when it comes to packing a lunch for work, I am notoriously picky. I don't like anything soggy and abhor the microwave. This leaves a limited range of possibilities. To avoid a soggy sandwich, I used to pack bread, lunch meat, dressing, cheese and lettuce separately and make a sandwich in the kitchenette. But this was a lot of effort, and when lunch rolled around, it seemed like so much work to put together a sandwich. After that, there was the apple, cheese, and crackers meal. But I only liked the apple sliced freshly and it turns out that coworkers get a bit skittish when you have a giant knife and cutting board at your desk. So recently I've settled on bringing cereal. It's fast and easy; the looks I get are still strange, but not quite as fearful as when I was slicing apples.

Lately, the cereal solution has been getting old. It wasn't until I was looking for a creative way to make use of Thanksgiving turkey leftovers (have I mentioned I'm also picky about leftovers?) that would trick me into not noticing their leftover qualities, that I found a way to also solve my lunch conundrum. Simply Recipes had a delicious-looking Turkey Curry recipe. I made the curry with apples and, on a bed of greens, it is the perfect lunch to take to work. The cilantro adds a fragrant quality to the curry that I love. Next time I think I'll add almonds, the salad needs a bit of a crunch to round it out.

Columbus Good Eats

This afternoon my sister and I went to Short North for lunch at Betty's. The food was very good and they had a nice beer selection. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. The best part of lunch was dessert. We went to Jeni's for ice cream:


I tried the Riesling Poached Pear at the North Market on a previous visit and couldn't wait to return. Today I sampled Bourbon Buttered Pecan, Black Current Sorbet, and Scandinavian Winter Spices (cardamom, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg) - all amazing flavors, but I decided to go with a waffle cone of Queen City Cayenne (condensed milk chocolate Cincinnati-style with cayenne and cinnamon). Phenomenal.

Merry Christmas!

I am in Ohio for Christmas with my family and stopped by one of my favorite places: Dorothy Lane Market. It is the home of Killer Brownies, among other brilliant creations and puts Whole Foods to shame. I picked up some Boston Stoker coffee, another local specialty. After sampling several new blends, I went with Highlander Grogg which is perfect for the holidays, I'm looking forward to starting Christmas day with good coffee!

New Hot Spot: The Passenger

Last week, I checked out the Passenger, a new bar next to the Convention Center. It's owned by Derek and Tom Brown and specializes in quality beers and hand-crafted cocktails. My friends and I just told our waitress the base spirit we wanted and the flavor. I was impressed with the results. The atmosphere was dive bar-ish and chill. This might be my new favorite place...

Christmas Desserts: The Odyssey Continues

Last week I had no idea what I was in for when I started Phase Two of the bourbon ball process. This involved melting chocolate on a double boiler (I constructed my own by placing a glass mixing bowl over a simmering sauce pot) and covering the bourbon ball in chocolate. It sounds deceptively easy. But I assure you, it was not. My recipe recommended refrigerating the bourbon ball filling, but giving how quickly it melted in the chocolate, I think freezing it might have helped. I also suggest letting the chocolate cool down a bit as well. My first few bourbon balls were disasters:

Things got progressively better, but they still did not resemble the perfect candies my grandma made or the pictures in recipe books. They looked more like a chocolate Jabba the Hut, encasing everything in sight with chocolate:


I had nightmares of the bourbon ball eating everything in its path until it started to take over DC and moved up the coast.

The final batch turned out somewhat normal looking, though they were still melting on the spot in spite of having spent some time in the freezer.

I had better luck with the Buckeyes. They were more cooperative and generally easier to make. In the time it took to make three bourbon balls, I could make ten buckeyes and with half the mess. What's not to love?

The morning of the potluck, I was convinced that the buckeyes would be the hit of the party and the bourbon balls were not worth the hassle. Why not just order some? So I was shocked when the bourbon balls turned out to be the hit of the party, overshadowing the more attractive Buckeyes.

I'm still a far way from the perfect candy I envision, but I think the bourbon balls deserve another go and one day they will taste fantastic AND not resemble little chocolate monsters!

For your reference, here is how I modified the original recipe I worked from:

Kentucky Bourbon Balls – My recipe
Filling:
2 ¼ sticks of butter
3 ½ cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of bourbon flavored vanilla
Bourbon to taste (at least 5-15 tablespoons of Maker’s Mark)

Let butter melt and whip it with the powdered sugar. Add Maker’s Mark and mix once again. Place in fridge for an hour.

Make filling into about one inch balls, stick a tooth pick into each ball, and freeze overnight.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler. Once chocolate has melted, remove from fire and let cool a bit (but not too long as it needs to be liquid enough to allow you to dip the bourbon balls). Dip the bourbon balls in chocolate and let cool for a minute or two before pulling out the toothpick; if the bourbon balls are not cool enough, they will disintegrate when you take the toothpick out. Place a pecan on top of the ball to conceal the toothpick mark and decorate. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Need some Christmas spirit?

Every now and then there comes a Christmas that just you just don't feel. Maybe you miss the Charlie Brown Christmas special, your winter coat is stolen, or you have a traumatic experience where you are subjected to the cheesiest holiday music until you think your head will explode - worse yet, all of these things happen to you. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

If you have unlimited funds, get on the next flight to Germany - they know how to celebrate Christmas better than anywhere else. Nearly every town has a Christmas market called a Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindlesmarkt; it's an open-air market in the city center. The Weihnachtsmarkt is the epitome of Christmas with a Nativity Scene, decorations, toys, gifts, and performances. But the best part of the market is its food and drink stands. They have everything from beer and Bratwurst to warm drinks and Christmas cookies.

For those of us without unlimited funds, there is an alternative - Glühwein. I first discovered this warm mulled wine at the Weihnachtsmarkts. Now, the holiday season just doesn't seem complete without it. Glühwein tastes like Christmas, and I'm happy to report that now Christmas is available at Trader Joe's and World Market. It's almost like being back in the Germany...almost.

Christmas Desserts: The Odyssey Begins

Christmas is all about desserts. Growing up, my grandma would make an array of cookies, fudge, Kris Kringle bars, hay stacks, and other holiday goodies for family, friends, and neighbors. Then she would make an extra batch of each "just in case." Just in case an unexpected friend, stranded motorist, or postman stopped by the house. It may seem odd that anyone would feel the need to prepare for an unexpected visitor popping in, but to my grandma this was a very real possibility and to ignore it would have mortifying consequences. What if someone stopped by and she didn't have any Christmas cookies for them? What would they think? Certainly their Christmas would be a little bit bleaker, and how would she live with herself then? I'm fairly certain a complete stranger could knock on her door at Christmas time and they would walk away with a tin of candies. Throughout December, cookies and candies would cover every flat surface in the kitchen and dining room, sometimes even taking over parts of the living room. There was no escape. The "just in case" cookies and candies were rarely needed, but that did not stop them from disappearing by Christmas day. Given this tradition, it's hard for me to fathom a Christmas without a massive sugar overdose.

This year is no different. When I signed up for the Christmas potluck at work, I knew I would bring a dessert, the only question was which dessert. My Derby Pie went over well at my work's Thanksgiving potluck, so expectations were high. After a lot of consideration, I decided to make Kentucky Bourbon Balls and (Ohio) Buckeyes, both Christmas candies from my childhood.

The Bourbon Balls require prep a few days ahead of time, so I got started tonight. I'm a little worried because I misread the filling recipe and had to double it (1 1/4 cup of whipped butter and 3 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar) to avoid disaster. And I'm not sure I got the right amount of bourbon, I added to taste...but I really like bourbon, so I hope it's not overpowering. I also added bourbon vanilla extract, just in case there wasn't enough bourbon and sugar flavor. Now I am waiting out the hour the filling has to set before I can roll it into balls and refrigerate overnight.

Fortunately, Buckeyes are a bit easier to make and there is no way I can miss with the best flavor combination ever: peanut butter and chocolate .

Calling all cupcake addicts!

Get a $50 gift card to the Red Velvet Cupcakery today!

Calling all beer snobs...

Recently, I checked out two new meccas for beer aficionados: Againn and ChurchKey.

Againn is DC's newest gastropub. The service is friendly, and the variety of beer, scotch, and bourbon is impressive. The menu opts for traditional British pub fare - fish and chips, pies and stews. Though unassuming, their dishes are excellent.

ChurchKey has an amazing beer selection and unpretentious food, like tater tots and fried mac 'n cheese. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun - I can't wait to go back!

Sydney - Quay

It's hard to imagine anything dwarfing the Sydney skyline, but that is exactly what Quay's food does. Directly across the Harbour from the Opera House, the restaurant offers stunning city views that are hard to ignore. Until the first course arrives.

Quay's signature menu was a bit intimidating. I was skeptical about dishes like sea pearls made of sashimi tuna, aquaculture caviar, sea scallop, smoked eel, octopus mud crab, abalone. The only thing I knew about sea pearls was that they had a frou frou name, and the combination of raw fish would either be amazing or terrible. I was relieved that they looked appetizing and was astonished by how good they tasted. The texture was just right, and the flavor combinations were clever.

It only got better from there. The best dish of the night was dessert. It was an ambitious mousse that skillfully combined eight different kinds of chocolate. The subtle differences of the chocolates melded together into the most divine dessert I have ever had.

By far, Quay was my favorite restaurant of the trip. Chef Peter Gilmore created imaginative dishes, setting the bar high and never disappointing.

Best Stuffing in the World

As I start a new, painfully full week, I am wishing it were Thanksgiving Day again and I were still eating the most amazing stuffing ever:


The genius behind the stuffing? My friend Doug. He makes the croutons from scratch. Brilliant

A Thanksgiving Thought

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to explore my love of food at home, fancy restaurants, hole-in-the-wall diners, cupcake boutiques, wine shops, specialty cheese shops, etc. But many people are not so fortunate and struggle just to put food on the table. So at Thanksgiving, I like to make an extra effort to help those less fortunate by donating canned goods at local food drives and contributing to food banks, like Feeding America. Bread for the City also has a cool holiday campaign where you can donate a meal to a family:

'Tis the season for pies

I'm momentarily interrupting my never-ending Australia food write-up to focus on Thanksgiving, the most important holiday of the year. Thanksgiving is at the heart of every foodie, and pie is at the heart of every Thanksgiving. Without pie at Thanksgiving, a foodie may aimlessly eat through the entire holiday season never finding satisfaction, no matter how magical a Christmas cookie or beautiful the buffet. Something is missing. Pie.

Fortunately, you can find pie everywhere this time of year. My pie pick for the season is Dangerously Delicious. It offers every pie you've ever dreamed of from sweet to savory, including Pumpkin, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chess, Strawberry, Steak Mushroom Onion and Gruyere, and Sausage Tomato Fennel.

The shop opens early next month. In the meantime, for information on how to order a Thanksgiving pie, go to http://www.dailycandy.com/all-cities/article/77271/Dangerously-Delicious-DCs-Early-Holiday-Orders.

Sydney - Bar Roundup

Though the best drink of the trip was at Jimmy Liks, here are some other stand-out Sydney bars with great drinks:

The Victoria Room - A Victorian atmosphere with a twist. Addictive drinks made with real sugar cane.

Lotus Bar - Every city seems to have a Lotus Bar, so I expected drinks equally as generic. I was pleasantly surprised by the well-made drinks, creative cocktail menu, and friendly bartender.

The Argyle - Good drinks in an awesome space.

Sydney - Jimmy Liks

King's Cross is Sydney's red light district, where hardly anything is understated. I heard Jimmy Liks' bold Asian flavors were no exception, so I was shocked when I saw its unassuming entrance. Could this be the right place?

Inside, the decor was modern and simple, with lighting that gave a cozy warmth to the dining room.

I already knew I wanted to try as much as possible. The tasting menu promised a challenge with its eight different dishes with copious amounts of rice:

Oyster with Nahm Jim
Chicken Betel Leaf with Smoked Eggplant Chili & Eschalot Relish
Salt & Pepper Baby Squid with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Poached Chicken Crab Salad with Leomongrass Coconut Mint & Thai Basil
Crispy Pork Hock with Tamarind & Tamarillo Sauce & Bahm Plah Prik
Aunty Tao's Grilled Chicken with Peanut & Kaffir Lime Dipping Sauce
Vietnamese Braised Waguy Beef with Thai Basil Vietnamese Mint & Chili Lime Dressing
Steamed Gailan with Ginger & Yellow Bean

All of the dishes were impressive, skillfully blending dramatic spices with the featured ingredient. I felt like a kid at Christmas as I made my way through each new concoction. The Poached Chicken Crab Salad with Leomongrass Coconut Mint & Thai Basil was heavenly, the spices were savory but did not overwhelm the crisp, fresh salad - I could have eaten it forever.

The drinks were the best I had on the trip. (I will post later with a quick overview of my favorite Sydney bars, but in the meantime take my word, Jimmy Liks had some tough drink competition.) I tried two teas: Ho Chi and Thai. I didn't think it could get any better than the Thai Tea with fresh lychees, lime vodka sake, and lychee liqueur topped with lemongrass tea, until I tried the Ho Chi Tea. Its green apple and mint smashed with bison grass vodka absinthe and topped with blackcurrant tea were absolutely incredible. I would fly back to Sydney right now just to get one if I could.

Jimmy Liks was not the most critically acclaimed restaurant on the itinerary, nor was it the fanciest, but it was refreshing to go to a restaurant with the confidence and skill to let the food speak for itself.

Canberra - Ginger Room

I am a big history nerd, especially when it comes to politics. So when I heard there was a restaurant in Canberra's Old Parliament House, I geeked out. From 1927 until 1988, the Australian Parliament was based out of the Old Parliament House, then known as the Provisional Parliament House, since it accommodated Parliament while the government built a permanent Parliament House. 61 years later, the Parliament finally moved to the new Parliament House. The Old Parliament House became a venue for cultural events and home to The Ginger Room restaurant.

The Ginger Room restored the Parliament members' private dining room. The restaurant remained faithful to the art deco room while incorporating modern accents and views of the New Parliament House. The menu offered contemporary food with Asian and French influences. To make the most of this impressive menu, I opted for the degustation with matching wines, it included:

Prawn Wantons with Shiitake Mushrooms

Tomato and Basil Croquettes

Kangaroo Fillet with Pear and Parsnip Purée and Red Currant Glaze

Selection of Cheeses

Red Wine Poached Pear with Cinnamon Spiced Doughnuts

The food was good, but did not live up to its artful presentation. The wantons and croquettes were bland and unmemorable. I was wary of kangaroo dish, hesitant to eat an animal so tied to the country's identity that it is on the Australian Coat of Arms. But, with the kangaroo population burgeoning and my curiosity getting the better of me, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Sadly, the kangaroo was not nearly as thrilling as I imagined. The seasoning was nice, but did not bring out the flavors of the meat as well as it could have. I was left wondering if kangaroo fillet was as unexciting as my 100th kangaroo siting (they really are everywhere).

The menu's strengths were the cheese plate and dessert. Diners could chose several cheeses from The Ginger Room's well-stocked cheese cart. (I was impressed that they had a cheese cart - it is a brilliant concept I haven't encountered often enough.) I have a weakness for doughnuts, so I knew I would love dessert. But the poached pear was surprising, momentarily distracting me from my cinnamon doughnut rampage. This may sound unimpressive, but it is no small feat - when I am in the midst of a doughnut rampage, I have a laser-like focus that is rarely deterred.

The historic setting distinguished The Ginger Room, not the food. The menu's concept was clever, but its execution was lacking.

Blue Mountains - Darley's Restaurant

The Blue Mountains in New South Wales are majestic, with their sandstone plateaus covered by gum trees (eucalyptus to those of us in the States), deep gorges, and rain forests. The mountains got their name from the gum tree oil that seeps into the air, covering the ridges with a blue haze.

Darley's Restaurant overlooks the Jameson Valley from the Blue Mountains. A historic home houses the restaurant, and it still has the original fire places and stained glassed windows. Executive Chef, Hugh Whitehouse, features fresh, local food in his seasonal menus. The wine list is expansive, offering local and international wines. The Sydney Morning Herald awarded Darley's its 2009 Good Food Award for 'Regional Restaurant of the Year.'

Clearly this is a restaurant I needed to try.

After ordering a Pinot Noir from Orange, a town about 100 miles west, I took a closer look at the menu. Oddly, it referred to appetizers as "entrees" and entrees as "mains." I didn't care what the menu called each course, everything looked delicious. After long consideration, I settled on thee following three courses:

Entrée -Tortellini of local Jannei goat’s cheese, prawns, tea soaked raisins, pine nuts, brown butter, perorino. This was my favorite dish of the night, it was perfectly indulgent and rich.

Main -Cowra spring lamb - apple wood smoked, carrot puree, cassoulet of borlotti beans, Herbs de Provence, spring garlic, sourdough crumbs. The lamb was tender, but too smoked; it overwhelmed the other flavors. I was disappointed because I had such high hopes for this dish.

Desserts -Indulgence of white chocolate, rose and strawberries. I'll admit, I am a chocolate snob and rarely chose white chocolate, so I was crestfallen that this was the only chocolate option on the menu. Though it would not have had a chance against a chocolate coconut Georgetown cupcake, this dish pleasantly surprised me. The strawberries were fresh and sweet, and the white chocolate ganache was a very nice complement to them.

In all, Darley's didn't quite live up to the hype. The food was good, but not phenomenal. At times the menu was overly ambitious without delivering. I would be interested to revisit the restaurant at another time of year to see if a different seasonal menu lived up to the restaurant's potential.

Canberra - Debacle, Italian and Sons, and Knightsbridge

After nearly 24 hours of travel, I was greeted by chaos in the Sydney airport. The dust storm the day before shut the airport down, and there was hell to pay Thursday morning when it reopened. My connecting flight should have gotten me to Canberra in time for a hearty breakfast, but instead I languished in Customs while my plane took off.

I arrived in Canberra famished, but right in time for lunch. James knew of a casual lunch place, Debacle, with an amazing beer selection. I tried beers from Perth - Little Creatures Pale and Bright Ales were both excellent but the Beez Neez stole the show. It had a hint of honey that enhanced its taste, but didn't overwhelm with its sweetness. We ordered the mezze platter - my favorites were the Spanish Chorizo, Samosa (the cucumber yogurt was fantastic), and Arancini Balls (the most addictive fried balls of rice and cheese I've encountered).

Later that evening we headed to a new and oddly named restaurant, Italian and Sons. In spite of the name, the atmosphere was cozy and the food was delicious. I had the spinach ravioli with burnt sage butter, and it was exquisite. The wine selection was good as well and I was surprised the Sicilian red we chose went so well with my meal.

We stopped by Knightsbridge Penthouse for post-dinner drinks. I was shocked to see a mint julep on the menu! (Before to moving to DC, it was nearly impossible to find a mint julep outside of Louisville.) Better yet, the bartender thought it was cool I was from Kentucky! AND the drink was well made. My trip was off to a good start.

Tim Tams

I heard about Tim Tams long before I booked my ticket to Australia. I can't honestly say I traveled halfway around the world for those cookies alone, but they certainly gave me hope during the 15 hour flight to Sydney.

I was not disappointed.

Words don't do justice to their chocolaty goodness, you just have to try them. How might you do that when they are not sold in American stores? I was wondering the same thing myself in the midst of a painful Tim Tam withdrawal which not even Sausalito cookies could shake.

It's times like these when I love the internet...until I remember Twitter. I was able to google Tim Tams and found out that they will be hitting U.S. shelves seasonally in ten days!!! You can even track the Tim Tam boat's progress. Brilliant.

Now everyone knows where I will be next Sunday morning...camping out at Target waiting for them to open.

Sad News

Ben Ali, the founder of Ben's Chili Bowl, a landmark D.C. eatery that has fed presidents, celebrities and the common folks of city, died last night of congestive heart failure at his home in Washington. He was 82.

Ben's Chili Bowl is one of my favorite places in the city, and Ben Ali's perserverance and spirit are insipiring. It's a great loss to his family and our community.

Australia Food Blog to Follow...

Tomorrow I am leaving for a two week vacation in Australia! I'm looking forward to lots of good food and promise to write a long entry when I get back.

New September Flavors at Georgetown Cupcake!

The weather this week has been a gorgeous preview of fall. The pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks and now Georgetown Cupcake is getting us into the fall spirit with their September flavors!

Caramel apple cupcakes with dulce de leche cores and vanilla cream cheese frosting are available Wednesday - Saturday.

Cinnamon cupcakes are available on Sundays and Tuesdays.

I can't wait for my next trip!

Cupcake Eating Contest and Other Foody Fun at Columbia Heights Day

This Saturday is Columbia Heights Day. The most exciting event for cupcake addicts is a Sticky Fingers sponsored cupcake eating contest at 3:30 to 4:15.

Other exciting food deals include:

• Wonderland Ballroom: Happy Hour all day
  
• Red Rocks Pizzeria: Happy Hour all day
  
• CommonWealth Gastropub: $5 Columbia Heights Cocktail & Food Sampling on the field
  
• Tonic: $4 Yeungling & $0.50 wings (minimum 6)
  
• Pete’s Apizza: $5 Pint & Slice
  
• Room 11: Food Sampling on the field & Frozen Drinks on the patio
  
• Rita’s Water Ice: Buy One Get One Free
  
• Tivoli North: A sampling of taquerias and papuserias on the field

Free cupcake day at Hello Cupcake!

Hello Cupcake is celebrating its birthday tomorrow with free cupcakes!

Why I'm leaning toward beer at happy hour...

I love wine, so Keith Wallace's expose on winemaking made an impression, especially this part:

Sometimes wineries go too far in their quest to make the best wine possible, and end up doing something patently illegal. In 2004, winemakers at the KWV winery in South Africa were caught adding vegetable flavorings to several of their Sauvignon Blancs. The idea was to give them varietally correct aromas of green pepper and grass. They were successful: The wines racked up several awards before the fraud was discovered.

He goes on to detail the disturbing and dangerous lengths to which some wineries go. Apparently the best way to avoid this is to buy higher-end European wines, as Europe has more stringent standards for winemaking than the U.S. or Australia.

Or you could just switch to beer...

DC Restaurant Week: August 24-30

Things are pretty hectic right now, so I might not make it out to this great event, but here's the info for those of you with more exciting lives:

Destination DC and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington are proud to present the 15th Washington, DC Restaurant Week from August 24-30,2009.

Lunch: $20.09 for a three-course fixed-price meal Dinner: $35.09 for a three-course fixed-price meal Beverages, gratuity and tax are not included.

Cupcake News

On Monday morning, I came into my cube and found a coworker had left me a news clipping about a 1,224 pound cupcake. Alas, the snack pimping phenomenon is not dead.

Disturbing Food Trend: Brain Cupcakes

Knowing about my cupcake obsession, a coworker sent me a link to brain cupcakes. These are the most disturbing cupcakes I've ever seen. I never thought I'd come across a cupcake I would not try, but the brain cupcake is so realistic, I don't know if I could do it. Possibly the most disturbing thing I've seen since the sonogram cake.

Kora: Opening Night!

In May, when I found out that Kora would replace the disappointing Bebo Trattoria, I could not wait. I loved Farrah Olivia and was eager to see what Morou would do with Italian cuisine, which is my favorite.

As the restaurant looked more finished and buzz around the city started to grow, I turned into the foodie equivalent of a middle schooler with a crush. Every day at lunch I have forced coworkers to walk by the restaurant and stalk employees to see if it was open, and if not, when it would open. Every day I grew more impatient. So I was in ecstatic disbelief when I read the sign in the window that said tonight was opening night!

Unfortunately in my food frenzy, I completely forgot my camera. This means I will have to take another trip soon to provide you with pictures. Woe is me.

Kora did not disappoint. The atmosphere was perfect. It was comfortable and modern; Kora makes much better use of the space than Bebo. The staff was friendly and competent, impressive considering it was opening night.

The wine list had an interesting selection, but only for bottles. I expect that wine lists will have a better selections for bottles than by-the-glass wines, but only three choices for a glass of white? That is just sad.

The food was excellent. The bread was amazing. I tried shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta with sage butter, and my friend Anne got the crab cannelloni. Both were phenomenal. The shells melted in my mouth and the sage butter was a perfect complement, providing flavor but not overwhelming or taking away from the pasta. For dessert I ordered the chocolate pear tart and sampled some of Anne's tiramisu. The tart was topped with a light creme fraiche and lots of cinnamon. The chocolate, cinnamon, and pear were a flawless combination. The dessert was complex, but not heavy, an ideal dessert for Italian cuisine. Anne's tiramisu had a strong espresso flavor, but without being overwhelming. Overall, the food made the long anticipated wait well worth it.

Red Velvet Cupcakery

As much as I love frozen yogurt, when faced with the painful dilemma of new cupcake vs. fro yo, the cupcake will always win.

So a few weeks ago, when the Dupont Tangy Sweet started serving Red Velvet Cupcakery cupcakes, I took the opportunity to try their peanut butter cup. The salted icing was a perfect compliment to the peanut butter flavor and worked well with the chocolate cake. I liked the frosting better than any other in the city. Unfortunately the cupcake did not live up to the icing's high standard; though the chocolate cake was rich, it was dry and crumbly.

Georgetown Cupcake and Best Buns are still my favorite cupcakes in town, but I'm interested to find out if there is a difference between the Red Velvet cupcakes at Tangy Sweet and the cupcakes at their E Street bakery.

My Summer Obsession: Tart Frozen Yogurt

I am a hardcore chocoholic. I used to not even consider chocolate-free desserts worth a second glance. But a few years ago, I gave fruit a chance and realized, "Wow, this stuff isn't so bad."

Since then a whole new world has opened up. Summers in particular have never been the same. There's nothing quite as refreshing as a fruit-based dessert. Now my summers seemed to be defined by a fruit-based dessert. The fruit tart summer. The strawberry smoothie summer. And now the frozen yogurt summer.

The fro-yo craze has been around for a while, but I didn't get hooked until now. It is the perfect tangy way to end a hot summer day. I can't stop thinking about my next yogurt fix. It has almost replaced cupcakes...at least while the weather is ridiculously hot.

DC has two great fro yo shops: TangySweet and Caliyogurt. Both are great and I can't decide which I like best. I haven't developed my yogurt palate enough to distinguish the difference between the two. Nor can I tell the difference between the stores - both look like a cross between a bar and an Ikea. The main difference is that TangySweet carries Red Velvet Cupcakery cupcakes, which is pretty awesome, though unsurprisingly the cupcakes distract me from the yogurt. So part of me likes the simplicity of Caliyogurt. Either way, you can't go wrong. If you don't have either in your area, Trader Joe's has an amazing Plain Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt that is great with pomegranate seeds, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

Sonogram cakes: another reason to fear baby showers...

I'm not going to lie, baby showers scare me. I only have been to one to date and I still exhibit signs of post traumatic stress disorder.

Please don't misunderstand, I have nothing but respect for mothers-to-be and am in awe of them. Which is why I am completely baffled by how a woman who is doing something as miraculous as creating a new life would want to have her friends guess how much string it takes to encircle the circumference of her waist. It just seems to undermine the miracle of life. And the mystery candy bar melted in the diaper gives me nightmares.

I didn't think baby showers could get any scarier until my friend Sarah sent me this article about sonogram cakes. There are women out there who now want to eat their baby!!!! Why??? What insane person thought of this?

I realize the sonogram is pretty cool. I can't imagine what it would be like to see my future child for the first time. But I don't think that I would ever want to see them on something I was about to eat. And how does the child feel years later when she sees baby shower pictures and realizes that her mother ate her (kind of), and thus, to some degree forced her to eat herself??? I would be traumatized. I guarantee you that as an adult, that child will never go to a baby shower.

Tuesday is Free Pastry Day!

Tuesday isn't the best day of the week, until now:

http://www.starbucks.com/retail/print_free_pastry.html

Vanilla Bean - Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit and made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday. They turned out well, though the cake had more of an angel food texture than I would have liked.

9:30 Club Cupcakes

I finally got my 9:30 Club cupcake fix! It was well worth the wait. The cupcakes were chocolaty and rich, but not overwhelming. I thought I tasted a hint of espresso too, which was very nice. The butter cream filling was light and not too sweet. It was the perfect complement to an awesome show (Metric).

I owe you a cupcake...

or two...

I'm sorry for falling off the face of the earth! I changed jobs in June and neglected this blog to a point that is beyond sad. I really appreciate all of you who take time out of your busy life to share in my food obsession and promise that this won't happen again!

Tagliatelle with Baby Vegetables and Lemon-Parmesan Sauce

Recently, I started receiving bon appetit. The magazine has a plethora of great recipes for spring and summer. I tried the Tagliatelle recipe last weekend and was quite pleased with the result:

Sauce Prep: 30 minutes (I take forever to prep and it took me 30 minutes or less) Total: 30 minutes

The recipe suggests saving the water from boilling the pasta to add to the sauce later, but I thought this made the sauce too watery, so I'd hold off on adding the reserved pasta water unless absolutely necessary).

I paired it with a sparkling Pinot Grigio:

(Contadino Pino Grigio Vivace from Trader Joe's)

The end result was delightful...

A Brilliant Combination: 9:30 Club Cupcakes

I recently read at metrocurean that Buzz (a favorite of mine) collaborated with the 9:30 Club on a signature cupcake!

I love music and have seen some of my favorite shows at the 9:30 club, so I can't think of anything more perfect than a 9:30 Club cupcake.

Cupcakes for a Cause

Eating cupcakes for a good cause? I can't think of anything better! If you are in the DC area from May 21st until June 5th, check out this great opportunity at Georgetown Cupcake:

From May 21st- June 5th, Georgetown Cupcake will be offering a very special "Beat Breast Cancer" cupcake - a Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake with a vanilla buttercream frosting topped with a fondant pink ribbon. 100% of the sales of these cupcakes will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Available by pre-order or by walk-in purchase in the shop.You can also support TEAM GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE in the upcoming Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure on June 6th, in Washington DC. Make a donation or join our team and run/walk with the Georgetown Cupcake staff on Saturday, June 6th! Check out our team page below: http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/TR/GlobalRaceForTheCure/GlobalRace?team_id=112280&pg=team&fr_id=1140 Please help Georgetown Cupcake BEAT its goal of raising $10,000!!

Rosa Mexicano

Instead of just stuffing ourselves on margaritas and apps, some friends and I recently sat down for a whole meal at Rosa Mexicano. We started with their phenomenal guacamole dip:


I am not a big guac fan, but even I liked it.

We also got a pitcher of their Sangria Brilliante (a combination of Spanish sparkling wine, tropical fruit juices and bright raspberry liqueur) and the Sangria de Rosa Mexicano (flavors of apricot and citrus provide the perfect complement to your choice of red wine). The Brilliante was light and refreshing, while the Rosa Mexicano one was fruity and rich. In short, both were amazing...


Then I tried their chicken enchiladas:


They were very good, but I didn't like that they combined the light and dark meat. It just seemed odd.

We finished off with my favorite Mexican dessert, churros!


Their churros were very good, but not quite up to par with Ceiba's. Rosa Mexicano provided more sauces, but none of them were as distinctive as Ceiba's chocolate espresso sauce.

Overall, the food was good, but not nearly as impressive as their sangria. The atmosphere was fun and the service was good.

Cupcake Update

I finally had the opportunity to test out the Cup-a-Cake and am pleased to report that it exceeded my expectations. The cupcake in transport arrived to its final destination in perfect condition. You would never know it had survived a ride on the metro.

In other cupcake news, I tried Hello Cupcake's chocolate coconut cupcake and it was not as good as Best Buns Co. or Georgetown Cupcake. The cake part was very good, but the icing was too sweet and overpowering. As far as chocolate cupcakes go, I'd say it's a close tie between Best Buns and Georgetown Cupcake, with Georgetown edging out on quality but Best Buns coming out as the best overall value.

Hello Cupcake's Chocolate Coconut and Classic Cupcakes

Warning: Do Not Make This Pie Unless You Want A Crippling Addiciton

Derby Day is another one of my favorite days of the year. This is mainly because I grew up in Louisville and remember how much fun the Derby parades, fireworks, steamboat races, and parties were. But my fondness also comes from an undying love of Derby pie. It is the only dessert that is more addictive than cupcakes. Which is why I try to limit my Derby pie intake to the month of May. I am not exaggerating when I say that if I did not stop myself, I would continually eat this pie and never leave my house except to get more pie. At some point I would have to quit my job to devote my life to Derby pie, at which point I would rob my parents and sell their television on the street to finance my fix. At least with cupcakes I can still function normally.

I thought that Derby pie was only extremely addictive to me. And then, for the first time ever, I shared my Derby pie with friends. It was not pretty. One friend, who will remain nameless, drove over to my house and picked up some pie; she could not even wait to drive to the first stop light before she opened the container and started eating the pie with her hands while driving. I am not making this up. It is just that addictive.

Like crystal meth, Derby pie is that it is incredibly inexpensive and easy to make.

Equally critical for a proper Derby Day though not as universally addictive, are mint juleps. If you love bourbon as much as I do, this is your drink. If not, there is always the Derby pie. Mint juleps are uncommon in most bars (the Round Robin Bar and the Majestic are the only two places in the DC area that I know have them). So it's good to have a recipe at hand when Derby Day rolls around (scroll down to see the Willard's famous mint julep recipe).

Easy Cupcake Fun

As a rule, one of the best was to distract myself from stress is to bake something (this does not apply to obligatory holiday baking). The key is to find a baked good that is chocolate and not too challenging. Last week I stumbled up on the perfect (easy and impressive) recipe in my new cupcake book:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients: 3 eggs, vegetable oil (see cake mix package for specific amount), 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 package of Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix, 1 container of creamy vanilla frosting, (optional) Reese's Pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in muffin cups.
2. Prepare, bake and cool cupcakes following package directions for basic recipe. (Be sure to only fill muffin cups 3/4 full, otherwise you get jumbo cupcakes.)
3. Combine vanilla frosting and peanut butter in medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Frost cupcakes (and add Reese's Pieces if desired). This was the biggest challenge. As I spread the icing, some of the cupcakes started to tear apart (this was particularly true of the mutant jumbo cupcakes). Maybe a different chocolate cake mix would work better, or maybe I need one of those frosting bags. (Clearly I am new to the pastry making world - I have no idea what the plastic icing bag things are called or where I could find them.)

The Final Result

Even though the recipe was ridiculously easy, I got tons of complements on these cupcakes, especially the frosting.

Wrap Up of My Food Adventures in Charleston

Earlier this month I visited Charleston, SC with my friend Val. Since we tried the amazing Magnolia's Restaurant on our previous trip, we decided to try some lesser known restaurants:

Mercato
This Italian restaurant had a comfortable atmosphere and reasonable prices. It had a great wine list and our server made a good recommendation. My linguini scampi with local shrimp sauteed with fresh chilis and parsley was incredible. Unfortunately the service was terrible. The low point was when we waited forever to get refills - we actually stopped eating, stared down each passing waiter (and even a manager) and none one noticed! And it wasn't as if they were packed either.

Charleston Candy Kitchen
We stopped in here to try their free samples of fresh pralines. Needless to say, I walked out with a half pound of pralines to share with friends.

AW Shucks Seafood Restaurant
The food and service were very good here, though it was much more casual atmosphere than Mercato. I had the crab cake with their award-winning stuffed shrimp (plump shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with Carolina deviled crab, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried to perfection), it was fantastic. Of course my favorite part of the meal was their delicious pecan pie:

Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day

I love ice cream and I love freebies, so today is one of my favorite days of the year. It's free cone day at Ben and Jerry's and I can't wait!

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/

One of the many reasons I can't wait to go back to Germany...

My friend Mina brought chocolate back from Munich! It was exquisite and made me nostalgic for my Christmas in Germany. I'm not sure how certain foods can transport you to another place and make you feel at home at the same time, but the Edel-Doppelnuss has that power.

As for the Nutella, I'm pretty sure I could eat it on almost anything (minus obviously uncomplimentary things like chicken or veggies). So far I've tried it on the following:

1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Graham Crackers
4. Crepes
5. Saulsalito Cookies (This is probably one of the saddest things I've ever tried, but I love Saulsalito cookies and I love Nutella, why not try combining them?)

Things I want to try with Nutella:

1. Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting
2. Peanut Butter and Nutella Sandwich (Preferably a panini.)
3. Nilla Wafers
4. Waffles

Any other ideas?

Cupcake Overdose

I gave up cupcakes on January 1st until my half marathon on March 21st. Running 13.1 miles is nothing compared to giving up cupcakes for 80 days. Since then I have been on a week-long cupcake binge.

My parents kicked it off with the best birthday gift ever:


I LOVE the Cup-a Cake! Now I can have cupcakes on the go! I also tried the yummy red velvet cupcake mix:


Next, I checked out Best Buns Bread Co.'s cupcakes, which were a surprising standout in the Washington Post's 2008 Cupcake Wars:


This was by far the best high-quality cupcake for the dollar. $2.75 for a heavenly jumbo cupcake, who could want more? The whipped cream cheese and coconut icing worked well with the rich, fudgy cake.

In spite of my skepticism, some friends and I met at Georgetown Cupcake this Saturday to see if it could lived up to the hype. After waiting in the rain for 20 minutes, we finally got to the counter. Though we vowed to only get a chocolate coconut cupcake a piece, we walked out with this box:


Of course we had to try the chocolate ganache (it won the Cupcake Wars) and it is not physically possible for me to pass up a peanut butter chocolate cupcake.

It may not be the most cupcake for your dollar (the $2.75 cupcakes are petite but cute), but Georgetown Cupcake wins. It deserves its "best cupcake in DC" title. The chocolate coconut was fabulous. It was fudgier than Best Buns, and the frosting was superb and quite generous. The chocolate ganache was rich and creamy, but wasn't as impressive as the other two. The peanut butter chocolate blew my mind. The frosting was light, whipped and complimented the chocolate cake perfectly.

The rest of the weekend was a blur of cupcakes and friends, so this morning I walked to work reluctantly vowing to stop the cupcake madness before concerned family members commit me to rehab. So it figures that I walked into the Monday morning staff meeting and came face-to-face with:


My coworkers some how found out it was my birthday and one of them made dark chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow coconut frosting from scratch! These were professional-quality cupcakes. Perfect for early mornings, these were sweet but not too rich. They were pure genius.

I will stop the cupcake binge tomorrow, I swear...

Drinks at Restaurant Eve

Two years ago Restaurant Eve transformed my view of cocktails. Before this epiphany I saw cocktails as overly sweet or overly alcoholic, but never just right. So I avoided them in favor of something safer, like a nice glass of wine. When I finally took a chance on Restaurant Eve's drinks, I was blown away. Made with only hand-squeezed juices and house-made bitters and tonics, their concoctions were out of this world.

Recently the Washingtonian named Restaurant Eve's Todd Thrasher as the city's cocktail guru. This seemed like a good excuse to revisit an old favorite...

Here were the group's picks:

Eve's Temptation

My all-time favorite drink made with Granny Smith apples and Smirnoff apple vodka.

The Molly Delicious

My second favorite of the group, this mixes house-made apple cider, Makers Mark, and calvados. It tastes like Christmas

Lemony Laurel

The perfect drink for summer, this combines roasted lemons, bay leaves, Galliano, and Smirnoff citrus vodka.

If the drinks aren't motivation enough to head into Old Town, Restaurant Eve's cozy bar is the perfect place to relax after a stressful day, catch up with friends, or bring a date. Definitely check it out!

2 Amys and the search for the perfect dessert...

As long as I've lived in DC, people have raved about 2 Amys. It is the only pizzeria in the city that the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association has certified to make authentic Neapolitan pizza. DCists are obsessed with this place.

At the risk of jeopardizing my foodie street cred, I'll admit that until last weekend, I'd never been to 2 Amys.

Sometimes you need a good friend to push you. My friend Sarah and I have had a lot of quality DC pizza, but not 2 Amys. She reminded me that we didn't let a 30 minute drive deter us from Dewey's Pizza, why let Georgetown traffic keep us from 2 Amys?

Before long, we were seated at the window at a surprisingly non-frou frou restaurant.

As it was Sarah's birthday, it was only proper to start the festivities with a doughnut:

Light, buttery, sugary - it was extraordinary.

Then we ordered a stuffed crust Ripieno Basillico Ricotta pizza with ricotta, fresh mozzarella, grana, pesto, tomato:

One word: fantastic.

We were on a roll, so we decided to leave the guns and take the cannoli:
Should have kept the guns. If this is certified Neapolitan cannoli, Neapolitans should stick to pizza. The pastry was light and flaky (as it should be), but the filling was bitter. (It had an acrid hint of sherbet.) We were shocked to end such an amazing meal on a sour note.

But when it comes to dessert, Sarah and I don't give up easily. So we headed over to ACKC...

Is this Heaven on Earth? Possibly.

I almost broke down and had a cupcake overdose when I saw this:
But two weeks away from making it to my half marathon cupcake-free (more on that later), I had come too far to cave. I successfully distracted myself with the second best thing, a chocolate and Reese's Pieces covered pretzel (Sarah's chocolate pie is in the background):

Both desserts made up for our cannoli trauma.

ACKC has the best hot chocolates in town and my Obama peppermint hot chocolate was the perfect compliment to dessert. (DC has not gotten over naming drinks after Obama. In this case, it really wasn't necessary to use the president's name to increase sales. The drink sells itself, who doesn't love peppermint hot chocolate?)

Bottom Line: 2 Amys is well worth battling traffic unless you are only going for a good cannoli. ACKC continues to impress die-hard chocoholics. DC needs to stop naming its drinks after Obama.