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!