From the monthly archives:

April 2010

Peanut Buttery & Jelly Necklace

by Chad on April 30, 2010

When I first saw this Peanut Butter & Jelly Necklace on Etsy, I thought it would be the perfect birthday present for my wife. I could write on the card that I am the peanut butter and she is the jelly, I would get points for creativity and thoughtfulness. I mean, who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly? I love PB&J, I love my wife, I figured it was the perfect gift. I ordered the gift a few weeks ago, even though my wife’s birthday is not until mid-May. The necklace came in yesterday, and I was so excited that it came in, I gave it to my wife early.

I didn’t get quite the reaction I was looking for. She agreed it was “unique”, and thoughtful, but I got the old “Oh yeah, I will wear it sometime soon…….”, which is what you say when your mother gets you a shirt that looks like it came out of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat for your birthday, and you can’t return it because she bought it at an outlet. I guess she doesn’t want to walk around with a PB&J Sandwich on her neck, I probably should have gone with Tiffany’s or Diamonds (not very original in my opinion). She wanted me to wear that peanut butter half, which I obviously can’t do. If she won’t wear it, I am going to turn them into the most awesome cufflinks ever.

We have a poll over on the side bar. Please vote, and let us know what you think about the necklace. If you have any ideas for what I should now get my wife for her birthday, please let us know in the comment section.

If you want to get your own totally awesome PB&J Best Friends necklace, you can buy it here

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Frittata Friday

by Britt on April 30, 2010

In my opinion frittatas are way underappreciated and I am making it my mission to make more people love them.

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In order to spread the frittata gospel, I made 4 different frittatas and brought them into the office for my co-workers (see menu below.)

Frittata Friday at the Office Menu:

Sundried tomato with goat cheese and basil
Feta, spinach, tomato, and onion
Buffalo & chorizo fennel sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, spinach, and feta
Prosciutto, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and Romano cheese

Why love the frittata?
What isn’t there to love about this delicious Italian dish? First of all you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are relatively inexpensive to make (all you really need is eggs, cheese and veggies.) They are easy, healthy, and quick to make. Plus, it is really hard to mess them up (bachelors and husbands who only grill take note.)

[click to continue…]

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Bethesda Restaurant News

by Chad on April 29, 2010

Here is the scoop on the Bethesda Restaurant scene, from our Bethesda Correspondent - Lindsey

According to donrockwell.com, Austin Grill in Bethesda closed and will be replaced by American Tap Room. This is their second location, the first is in Reston Town Center. I was hoping for something a bit more interesting (Cava – are you still looking for a space in Bethesda?) but will reserve judgement until it opens.

Bistro Provence finally opened on Fairmont Ave. Initial reports are good, which is not a surprise with Yannick Cam, former owner and chef of Le Paradou, in the kitchen. I’m planning on going in the next few weeks so standby for a detailed report.

Construction seems to be moving along at the old Levante’s space to welcome The Mussel Bar by RW (that’s Robert Wiedmaier, from Brasserie Beck and others). Hopefully it will be open in time to take full advantage of the sidewalk dining on Woodmont Ave.

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A gift from the carb gods

by Britt on April 28, 2010

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This weekend I am running the Pittsburgh ½ marathon and it got me thinking about carb-loading Pittsburgh style. As a native of the “burgh” I was thinking they should totally have pierogie parties instead of pasta parties. I really can’t believe the group organizing the race hasn’t thought of this! I mean this is the same city that has people dressed as giant pierogies chasing each other around their professional baseball stadium!

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This is just one of the reasons I should move back home!

So, in honor of the race this weekend and my beloved hometown, I’m encouraging all of you to get out there and try out this fantastic Polish delicacy, the pierogie.

In order for you to avoid any embarrassing mishaps (I’ve only met 3 people in the DC area who have either eaten them or pronounced them correctly) here is your guide to ordering and eating them:

Pronunciation: “Pa-rogue-E”
General components: Yes, it is a pasta pocket filled with mashed potatoes. For those of you with carb-phobia, don’t make that face, they are delicious.
Variations: Mashed potatoes with cheese, sauerkraut, onions and on the rare occasion, meat.
Suggested serving styles: Boiled with butter and salt, fried with butter and onion and topped with sour cream, baked in a crazy casserole and the Italian hybrid version smothered in marinara.

Here are a few places in the area that serve pierogies. Domku Cafe and The Kielbasa Factory.

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Books are delicious.

by Missy on April 27, 2010

The first rule of book club: you do not talk about book club…. Hmm, does blogging about it count?

Okay, my book club is not clandestine or exclusive enough to warrant this decree. This isn’t like Fight Club….no dark basements, fist-fights, or shirtless Brad Pitt. Although a shirtless Brad Pitt at book club would probably make our evenings more interesting. We aren’t that “hardcore,” but we do have some unofficial, easy-to-follow guidelines:

You must participate in 30-40 minutes of catching up/gossip before actually discussing the book.
You must complement the hostess on her amazing home decorating skills.
You must consume a healthy amount of wine or other appropriate seasonal alcoholic beverage.
You must contribute to the refreshments by bringing a delicious food item and/or alcohol.

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Last night's lovely spread

Can you see why I LOVE this book club?? 2 out of 4 rules demand that you eat/drink. During last night’s meeting, our hostess Bianca served grilled bites of steak, succulent shrimp skewers, a colorful, fresh veggie tray, and a crisp salad. Other member contributions— such as spiced pecans and homemade double chocolate cookies—complemented the bountiful spread. [click to continue…]

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May Events – Mother’s Day & Taste of Arlington

by Chad on April 27, 2010

Just before you know it, its going to be Mother’s Day (May 9th). This year, don’t be the one hunting down the aisle at CVS looking for a card and flowers at the last second. Get your mother something nice. Something she will cherish. I highly recommend ordering her a TasteBook.

Last year, I secretly stole all of my mothers favorite recipe cards, cookbook recipes, and clippings from newspapers, and compiled them into a single bound cookbook that had all of our ‘family’ recipes. I liked the book so much, I bought one for myself, AND my mother in law. As an added bonus TasteBook links in to Epicurious and Food Network, so it is super easy to import your favorite online recipes. An added bonus, in future years, you can print more recipes for her to add to the cookbook. Its the gift that keeps on giving. This is not an ad, I don’t get paid by TasteBook, I just think they have an awesome product.

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On May 16th, its Taste of Arlington. Delicious food from dozens of great restaurants, you get to eat outside and it’s dog friendly. Add a trip to Home Depot afterwards, and it is the perfect little Sunday. You can get discounted tickets over at WTD. When you go to Taste of Arlington, make sure you stop by Sangam and meet Ed, he might be the friendliest restaurant owner you will ever meet. I am really hoping that Carlye serves their crab cakes again, and last year I fell in love with the Ribs at Restaurant 3. Don’t miss it.

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Sunday Italian Dinner

by Britt on April 26, 2010

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Still steaming from their one hour marinara bath!

Last Sunday we had a group of friends over for a big Italian dinner. This was my first ever attempt at making homemade meatballs and sauce and man were they good!

I am lucky enough to have married into an Italian family so I combined the family recipe with a few added twists. While it was labor intensive (frying 4 lbs of meatballs takes longer than you think) it was totally worth it to make everything from scratch. Our friends also brought lots of delicious sides on the menu below. I’ve included the marinara and meatball recipes below.

On the menu…

Tuscan white bean dip with rosemary, roasted garlic and lemon
Toasted bruschetta
Caesar salad with homemade dressing
Garlic bread
Spaghetti with homemade marinara, beef and pork fried meatballs
Approximately 12 bottles of wine!
Oversized cupcakes for dessert… not exactly Italian but still delicious

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My handy assistant chef

Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled
1 cup of warm water
1 cup olive oil for frying

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Step one

Combine beef and pork in a large bowl with the garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add about 3/4 to 1 cup of water to the mixture. The mixture should be moist but still hold its shape when rolled into meatballs. Shape into meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches until brown and crispy. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

Place cooked meatballs into Marinara Sauce and cook for 15 more minutes.

Marinara Sauce (Modified from my brother-in-law’s recipe)
1 (28 ounce) can of whole tomatoes chopped and drained
2 (15 ounce) cans of pureed tomatoes.
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion chopped and sauté them in the olive oil also (until translucent)
3 tablespoons of freshly chopped basil
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped thyme

Saute garlic and onions with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, basil, and thyme

Let the sauce simmer on a medium to low heat (there should be a little bubbling going on- keep eyeing it!) Keep tasting the sauce to see if you need to add more salt and pepper throughout the time the sauce is cooking. The flavor and thickness will develop overtime. Don’t forget to stir it periodically.

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Brunch bliss

by Missy on April 25, 2010

Brunch is the best. There is just no other way to put it. Brunch is a magical place where you can sip champagne (with a splash of OJ) in sweats with your unwashed, post Saturday night hair hidden underneath your favorite college ballcap OR (for the non-hungover crowd) in your Sunday best. The dichotomy of what people wear to brunch is also seen in what is ordered. It’s always a tough decision for me…breakfast or lunch?? Should I get the burger or the eggs benedict?!!

“Where do you brunch?” is a common question in the DC area. While many people are loyal to a particular spot, I definitely like to try new places. This morning, my friends and I brunched at The Overwood in Alexandria. It was a post race brunch, so we all felt indulgent (btw – I find this is the best brunch scenario). We all opted for savory breakfasts. I got the crab cakes benedict: perfectly poached eggs, jumbo lump crab cakes (could have been bigger) and a generous portion of crispy brown home fries. I was secretly coveting my friend Katie’s fried green tomato w/taso ham benedict. I’ll be getting that next time. Here are some of my other favorite area brunches:

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Dim Sum: Brunch doesn't always have to be bacon & eggs!

Dim Sum @ Mark’s Duck House, Falls Church, VA. Get there at 11 AM to beat the crowds.
Inventive alternatives to the brunch beverage standards like pear-infused gin fizz or the King Street lemonade @ Vermilion, Alexandria, VA
Homemade bagels and cream cheese (available only on Sunday’s) @ 2 Amy’s, DC
Spicy bloody marys that are hot enough for my husband @ Hank’s Oyster Bar in DC or Alexandria, VA
Homemade doughnuts at the Tabard Inn, DC

Hungry for more brunch advice? Check out a great DC-based blog called Brunch in the City. I love their guide to bottomless brunch drinks.

Happy brunching! ~Missy

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Happy Earth Day: Galileo’s Wisdom on Wine

by Missy on April 22, 2010

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Someday, I'll be Chardonnay!

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that wine doesn’t originate from Trader Joe’s or the cellar of your favorite bistro. Galileo’s poetic wisdom reminds us that wine begins with the elements…with grape vines rooted in the earth. And it’s nurtured by the sun, water, and hardworking farmers and winemakers we never get to thank. I think this reflection is quite fitting as we celebrate Earth Day, when we are reminded to give thanks to Mother Nature’s awe-inspiring bounty.

There are many opportunities to worship the fruit of the vine with these late April wine-events, starting tonight!

Green Hour @ The Phillips Collection. April 22^nd. 5-8 PM. FoodArts offers local, organic wines, beers and spring fresh cocktail. $1 of each drink will be donated towards Earth Day Network.
St. Michael’s Wine Fest. St. Michael’s, MD. April 23^rd.
Tasting of 40 top wines from California @ Dean & Deluca, DC. April 24th & 25th. 1-4PM. Cheese and charcuterie will be available, as well as the opportunity to order the wines for your own collection. $45 per person, RSVP to graham.isaac@deandeluca.com
Wine Dinner featuring Sarah’s Vineyard @ Bazin’s on Church, Vienna, VA. April 26th. 6:30 PM Hor d’oeuvres, 7:15 Dinner. $100 per person excluding tax and gratuity (seating is limited). For reservations call, 703.255.7212.
Ferrari-Carano Winemaker Dinner @ Blue Duck Tavern, DC. April 28^th & 29^th. 7:00 PM. Guests can enjoy a five-course dinner from Blue Duck’s Chef de Cuisine Michael Santoro paired with the finest vintages from Ferrari-Carano. For reservations, call 202.419.6675.
Winemaker dinner with Williams Selyem @ Charlie Palmer Steak, DC. April 29^th. Rare five-course winemaker dinner with Williams Selyem Winery featuring winemaker Bob Cabral and owner John Dyson. $195 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. For reservations, 202.547.8100 or reservations@charliepalmer.com.

Cheers and Happy Earth Day! ~Missy

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Sip in Style

by Missy on April 21, 2010

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Just another day at the office

It’s 5:00 PM somewhere!

Ah, the mantra of ragged professionals who slip out of the office on a Friday afternoon just a tad before quittin’ time and head to the bar. That first sip of a satisfying cocktail at the end of a long work week is pure heaven. When I’m at a happy hour savoring a cosmopolitan, I sometimes think about one of my favorite shows, Mad Men (made wildly famous by another one of my favorites, Kater Gordon). As portrayed in the show, guzzling a martini or seven throughout the work day was standard. Can you imagine? I would have face planted before noon!

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If you love a good cocktail and prefer to sip in style, I would highly recommend stopping by The Hour in Old Town Alexandria. This boutique specializes in one-of-a-kind vintage chic barware, glassware and trays inspired by the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is a fabulous place for a hostess or bridal gift, or stocking your own cabinet in preparation for your throw-back spring garden party. The Hour hosts its own cocktail parties in partnership with Brabo, most recently celebrating Tax Day!

Stop by The Hour and grab what you need to enjoy these 60s inspired drinks: