39 Days of Lent

Beautiful menus with expertly written descriptions. I read it before going in, during and after. I actually want to read it again now.

There are officially 40 days of Lent. 40 days where Catholics take time out to look at their sinful selves and repent by cutting out things they love – like chocolate and dirty martinis and cursing and eating out and bacon.

I just named all of the things my sinful self loves but you get the idea.

Because the Beatz usually never tells me what he gives up for Lent aka he doesn’t give anything up but refuses to admit it to me, my sister and I agreed to join forces and become vegan for 40 days.

That is until her husband gave me and my husband Valentine’s day reservations to  Range – the hot new Voltaggio restaurant in Chevy Chase Pavilion. When Voltaggio calls you sometimes have to put that Lenten sacrifice on the back burner for the good of your foodie brothers and sisters who don’t have reservations with kimchi pasta bathed in uni foam.

39 days of Lent is just as good as 40 right? Right.

Behold the makeshift harmony and the mother-in-law. Red drinks to celebrate Valentine’s Day! My drink, the makeshift harmony, won. Hands down. Mr. Beatz was unconvinced.

 

My reason for coming. Kimchi pasta in uni foam. Mr. B disliked it, I thought he was cray and happily took his share. My sister and I plan to return just for this dish alone.

 

Luscious, fatty, delicious bone marrow, sweet carmelized onion on crostini. Epic.

We feel that Jesus would understand and if he had the opportunity to eat bone marrow on crostini, he totally would have gone for it. I thought this was the most amazing dish. Mr. Beatz felt differently. His favorite dish of the night was my third favorite. Will we ever get this right?

Yellowfin tuna with jasmine rice cracker. We both loved this dish and how delicate and refreshing it was how pretty it looked on its plate. Voltaggio is an artist!

This weekend my sister told me that I need to be more judicious in my use of the word amazing but I disagree, especially when I talk about the dishes here at Volt. Volt was amazing.

Everything served to me was, in all honesty, varying forms of amazing.

Cornbread and bacon jam. Jam was incredible. We took most of this home and I ate it for the next two days. Strange to have it served towards the end of the meal, I think it was forgotten in the kitchen but my stomach remembers it fondly – even now.

One of Mr. B’s favorites, pork rillette on toast points with apple sauce. Sweet, meaty and buttery in a bite. I enjoyed it but would have made room for more uni pasta or marrow.

Fork tender lamb. What else can you say about this dish? It was exquisite.

The only dessert I could squeeze in despite my plans otherwise. Earl gray and toasted almond and a malted sesame truffle. The malted sesame knocked the other guy out of the water. Like a whopper with a nutty essence, I want it again and again and again despite the price tag – $3!!

My promise is that I will now become the best vegan for the next 39 days. Ok make it 38 because I “accidentally” ordered a wonton soup with pork – on a Friday no less, the day you are definitely supposed to be eating bad fish sandwiches from McDonalds.

My very handsome Valentine and his dessert aka coffee. I won’t judge. I won’t.

Let’s get real though, Jesus wouldn’t want me to be wasteful. Right?

Vegan Bowl

There is a slight learning curve you have to jump over before your mind and then your belly can become accustomed to the idea that you won’t be having chicken wings at a Superbowl party. There won’t be cold cuts or ribs. There won’t be a seven layer dip.

There will be vegetables. Lots of them. Oh and beans. Lots of those too.

I’ll say I had my doubts and Mr. Beatz had some serious reservations but when we got the invite, I knew that life is all about experiences. And really, why not share some vegetables and beans with new friends?

That’s tofu. Who knew a cream sauce could start with a block of soy? Not this girl.

How else can you really get to know someone unless you are full to the brim with fiber and you really aren’t quite sure where the bathroom could be in your friend’s home? Now that’s an experience my friends.

When I got the invite from my homey for life, HDTV aka Vegan Though You’re Not, my outlook was that this could be a culinary adventure. I challenged myself to create a cheesy sauce with no cheese, no milk, no butter. Things got cray, real quick.

My adventure began with tofu and a 1.5 hour expedition to find nutritional yeast at the Whole Foods in Clarendon where 75% of the time was spent trying to get into the parking lot.

Nutritional yeast aka Nooch is my new favorite product. It makes everything taste like cheese.

Ingredients acquired, I had three hours to become an expert vegan chef.

I’ll say this, it was fun to watch this stuff come together.

Courtesy of Emily Malone at the Daily Garnish, here is my broccoli and pasta cheese bake before it took an oven nap. My only complaint about my final product? I needed more faux cheese sauce!!

A mixture of really good things. Pasta, broccoli, faux cheese sauce and a pretty bowl I bought ages ago for $2 at Target.

And because I was lazy – a boxed vegan chocolate chip cookie that I was not a fan of but my vegan friends loved.

And some raspberry syrup with agave to put in our Hoegaarden because we are fancy.

All that and not an ounce of anything related to or coming from an animal. Pretty fantastic.

There is a common misconception that vegans don’t eat well or maybe that’s what was running through my head pre-party. Would I leave hungry?

The answer was a resounding no.

Look at our spread!

Half of it didn’t even make the glamour shot above. We ate vegan chili, soy chicken wings with delicious buffalo sauce made with Earth Balance and Frank’s Hot Sauce, French onion dip, my pasta, two desserts and ..oh beer. Beer is very vegan.

I left full and happy and inspired to cook more vegan meals.

Mr. Beatz might need more convincing but I think the fact that he only ate like 6 real chicken wings at our second Superbowl party stop for the night might mean he’s on his way to becoming a full on veg-head.

Maybe.

The Night I Met Alice Waters

Listen, it’s not everyday this foodie dons on a little black dress, explores the world of red lips and brings out the armposing. Sike, the armposing goes everywhere, who am I kidding!

The point is I don’t do fancy events that often but a few Saturdays ago I was lucky enough to score a ticket to Sips and Suppers 2013 thanks to my brother-in-law who has the connects into that fancy shmancy world of pinky finger in the air events.

Or at least that’s what I was expecting. Surprisingly this event was really casual – fancy brother-in-law went in jeans and hipsters came dressed as….well, hipsters. An eclectic crowd plus a glorious foodie theme park of flavors and celebrity chef sightings made me happy, very happy.

This young man was making a cocktail with cider. I wasn’t a fan of it but I was totally a fan of his style.

Each participating restaurant had a table set up with their food creations and one or two of their chefs or mixologists hard at work to feed and hydrate the masses. It felt like one of the challenges on Top Chef and I paid close attention to those who were slacking on their macking. You won’t get any names from me though, I hope to still eat at their restaurants one day.

My sister and I were not shy about asking for seconds of all the good stuff. You only live once, seize the donuts day right?

Here are some of the highlights:

Jamon Iberico! Runs for about $150 per pound so that piece we ate must be like $4. So good that the Beatz asked me to take a picture of him with it. It was a breakthrough moment in our years together aka that NEVER happens!

This was actually my favorite of the night. That silky, earthy mousse over the crunch of the pork skin cracker and the final tang of the pickled onion was so spot on delicious. I ate 3 and I’m not sorry.

We loved all the meat apparently. These cones of duck confit were rich and salty and garlicky at the same time. Won’t tell you how many of these I ate.

I knew I would love anything Zaytinya would offer and this did not dissapoint. Also it provided some much needed vegetables for the night. This was steamed kale wrapped over a grain salad and tzatziki sauce base. Amazing.

I was so full that by dessert I had to choose wisely and this was the best choice there was – a candied ginger and orange cream eclair. I wish I had room for more than just one.

My favorite cocktail of the night with my favorite people. A dark and stormy made with kombucha! Loved the guys at Capital Kombucha who served us, they were engaging and smiled even though we were the last people in their line. Spicy, sweet and enough bitter to make me happy.

And then suddenly in the midst of the commotion and the lines and all the did-you taste-thats, there was a buzzing at the podium. I left my group and put myself in the center and listened as Joan Nathan, queen of Jewish cooking, introduced the woman of the hour- Alice Waters.

Look at girlfriend rockin’ a floor length animal print vest. You better work it Joan.

For those who don’t know her, Alice Waters is one of the pioneers of the farm to table concept and the woman behind Chez Panisse in Berkley, California. She is a restaurateur, activist, writer and strong proponent of organic food and the first woman to win a James Beard award for Best Chef in 1992. (Totally Googled that.)

I will eat her restaurant some day!

Alice talked about the need to bring organic food into schools and how “fast food eating is fast food thinking.” She had some really remarkable stuff to say in just about 5 minutes. I could listen to her all day.

So I did what I thought was totally normal and stalked her for a chance to say hello and shake her hand. As my sister and I came up and said what an inspiration she was, she said: “You are an inspiration. You need to be a part of the next food revolution.”
We hugged it out a little bit. So we’re all like totally BFFs now, just so you know.

I wonder if this guy is willing to get started on that revolution with me? I’m pretty sure he’s just thinking about the jamon iberico.

Oui Oui Sortie

Chef Martin Ticar, Executive Chef at Mon Ami Gabi and our instructor for the morning.

That translates roughly to “yes, yes, exit” and 90% of the words I know in French. My poor romance language skills did not stop me from accepting an invitation from one of my friends at work attend a French cooking class at Mon Ami Gabi in Reston . When she emailed me earlier in the week I read the menu and decided that driving 45 minutes away at 9am on a weekend to spend $50 on a cooking class was THE best thing to do with my time for the following reasons:

I’m a married woman now and I have to learn to cook things so that Mr. Beatz can choose to have pizza or McDonald’s over my perfectly flattened souffle.

If I had a complaint it would be that this was served without bread and the only acceptable vehicle for cleaning this bowl properly. The soup was so delicate and rich and so crazy good. I missed it the next day.

The menu presented in the ad for the class sounded complicated but approachable. Start talking to me about a bain de mare and I get this nagging itch on my forearms, like I’ve suddenly discovered I’m wearing a wool sweater and that I’m allergic, all in one go. The menu talked about a crock pot dish which is basically a lazy cook’s way of looking like a culinary genius when all they did is chop stuff and then watch tv.

No knife needed, this was fatty and fall apart tender meat. And that root mash, oh man, that root mash. The perfect bite of bitter green, creamy, sweet mash and tender, salted meat. (I’m drooling.)

Also I really love hanging out with my friend Kathy. She is our Martha Stewart at work, responsible for all things that take thought, planning and class. One time we all went on a drunk bus to the casinos in Maryland and she brought lined wicker baskets for her cheese plate. She also brought something to measure the vodka she put in her adult beverage when the rest of us just made sure the liquid in our cup was more white than red. I kind of want to be her when I grow up.

My plate didn’t last very long.

After having to beg my way through two tolls because it was too early to think about details and ATMs at 9am (really surprised the cops didn’t get involved), I arrived with a cup of coffee in hand, ready to chop some veggies and to deal with the nervousness that comes with handling raw meat in front of strangers. (Not my favorite!)

It came as a surprise when I walked in and saw a room full of people in front of dinner plates and mimosas and one chef’s station at the front of the room.

I found Kathy in the back and we quickly figured out that this was a live cooking demo and that all we had to do was pay attention and eat. It’s like we won the food lottery.

House pinot noir and a pear bellini. Yes, at the same time. Don’t judge.

In two hours we listened as our chef prepared a butternut squash soup, crock pot short ribs on a root vegetable mash and an awesome dessert cheese plate with a red wine pairing.

Three mimosas, one generous glass of red and all those amazing plates of food above, I was one, full and slightly inebriated lady who did what any normal person would do in this predicament, I went shopping for things I did not need.

Wine, cheese, fruit compote and raisin toast – how all meals should end.

I would highly recommend checking out these classes at Mon Ami Gabi, it was worth every penny and back at home, while trying to distract Mr. Beatz  from the shopping bags in my hand, I talked about the mimosas and wine and how I didn’t chop one thing and of course his response was, a predictable,”If I had known there were drinks, I would have come.”

He’s such a croque-monsieur. There goes the rest of the 10%.

The Best Gift Ever

Dad played with his fart book for most of the day. He got an iPad, a Keurig coffee maker and this. Guess what was his favorite by far?

Remember going back to school after Christmas vacation and comparing gifts with your friends? Who got a bike or god forbid, a sweater? Who was the lucky bee-yatch who got the Easy Bake Oven and couldn’t stop talking about her first batch of gross cupcakes cooked by a g-d lightbulb? (I still want one, FYI.)

I miss that. I really, really want someone to ask me about my immersion blender my sister got me and my awesome new earrings from Greece that my mom haggled over for hours while my dad watched donkeys poop without hesitation on the sidewalks.

Patrick Danger is so surprised that his mother got something from Jcrew. She makes that face everytime.

I also want to brag about the time Mr. Beatz and I got to spend with my mom and dad. I’ve talked about this with a few of my friends who all seem to agree that we’ve moved on from the time when hanging out with mom and dad was way uncool. Now it’s all I ever want to do. When did they become such awesome rock stars in space (or Maryland, whatever)?

Our Christmas morning breakfast table with jamon iberico, prosciutto, eggs, bread and countless types of cheese. Rockstars, I tell ya!

In the past few years I’ve realized that calling my mom 6 out of 7 days is totally normal. If she misses a day, I give her crap. If I miss a day, we spend at least an hour over the phone catching up on what we missed in 24 hours.

Usually the call goes like this –

Mom: “Did you take your vitamins?”

Me: “Yes, mom.” (A lie, for damn sure. I never take vitamins. Sorry mom.)

Mom: “Have you taken care of your credit card debt?”

Me: “Of course Mom!” (I lived in New York City, went to a really cheap grad school called NYU for 4 years, pretending to be a “writer,” how true can that really be? Sorry mom.)

Mom: “Did you workout today?”

Me: “I did two workouts in a row!” (There’s a higher chance that I saw two unicorns dancing the mambo in an endless field of sunflowers. Mom, sorry, again.)

Mom: “Good. Have you seen that new sweater in the Jcrew catalog, I think you and your sister should take a look at page 12, top right. It’s cute, I think you need it for work….” (This takes up the last half of the conversation, unless she starts in on 401K first.)

Right before she asked me to clean my windows so Patrick could see through it better.

Over the holiday break it felt so special to have a whole week where these conversations happened in person, with home cooked food and with my new husband. We scheduled day trips to Monticello and a local tour of D.C. eateries. But best of all we spent lots of time at the dinner table, eating my mom’s food and sharing family stories. It is a week that I think a lot about now that we’re back to the daily grind and I’m now responsible for feeding myself …and sometimes my husband.

The beginnings of a pear clafoutis (cla-foo-tee) that I made for my dad. Not better than my bread pudding, he says, but close. That means this recipe is a keeper!

I wonder often how  grownups do it. How they get up each day and get dressed and go to meetings and have decent conversations with loved ones at the end of the day. I’ll be honest, yesterday the Beatz and I spent more time looking at our Ipads and cell phones than spending anytime talking to each other. Full sentences are impossible sometimes when there’s Pinterest!

But then I see my mom and dad who drive in to work together everyday and then turn around and still want to drive back home together. They eat dinner at the same table every night and they even workout together. Often, they laugh.

Who knew Jefferson knew so much about root beer? This was good stuff and I wanted to remember sharing it with my dad and Mr. Beatz!

My VIPs, leading the way. Otherwise, I’d be lost.

It is a good reminder that this life is better when you keep it simple. I’ll be honest, I love my immersion blender, I plan to make many a great meals with it, but my best Christmas present was the time I spent with my parents talking about budgets and diets and how to keep the bathroom clean. They know a few things, those two crazy kids.

Happy New Year!

First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. with Mom and Dad and Patrick Danger.

I thought I’d keep to my New Year’s resolution to do everything on time by writing my first blog post of 2013 on January 10th. The dedication, I tell ya.

Because I’m being good and also keeping to the diet I had planned, here are some of the highlights of my latest go at a clean eating, all veggies and fruit, little to no carb diet. You’ll be so proud ya’ll!

Burgers and fries on January 1 at Elevation Burger in Falls Church.        You all might guess why this was necessary.

Peanut Butter Pie at Boulevard Woodgrill in Arlington.

I love pie. I loved this one a lot.

Beer, lots of beer, in various cities with various friends. One to note, but not pictured here, is the Winter Solstice by Anderson Valley, that tasted like cinnamon and nutmeg and all things that are good about winter beers! Yum!

Love a good Hoe…garden. Maybe in 2013 I will grow up.

Pizza, always, Pizza. This one is from Arturo’s on Houston (HOUSE-TON, get it right!)

Nothing beats a slice of NY pie. Didn’t I tell you I love pie? I’m an equal opportunity pie lovah!

Mac n’ Cheese from Ulysses on Stone Street in the Financial District. Please note ratio of green things on the plate to cheesy things. Yum.

Whenever I brunch in New York, I feel like Carrie Bradshaw but with less shoes and less girlfriends and more husbands and well…you know, at least I’m in the same city. You feel me?

I can safely say that after Christmas with my family, a crazy New Years Eve party, time spent with one of my dearest friends, an impromptu trip to the best city in the world – New York, of course – AND a meet up with my foodie sister from another mister (Hi Nadine!), the Beatz and I have welcomed the New Year with open arms, full bellies and lots of big dreams for a happy, successful and bountiful 2013.

I can’t wait to see what this year brings to us!

Time flies…

when you’re busy pretending you don’t have a blog to update. Thank heavens for cell phones with relatively good picture quality that will help remind you what you’ve been up to other than updating said blog.

The Beatz and I spent two weekends in Alabama with his family and one weekend reminding ourselves that maybe our condo might like to be cleaned more than every two weeks. We also just discovered Downton Abbey but that’s another blog post.

Our past few weeks in picture/caption form. I like this form. It’s easy and you have to read less. You feel me?

We celebrated the life of Mr. Beatz’s grandmother Dora Banks. Here are only a quarter of her grandchildren. Good genes!

Windows to the orginial house where my mother-in-law lived. I was blessed to meet all of my husband’s family. And feeling extra lucky to see what a history of love our kids will inherit.

We packed a church with all of Ms. Dora’s family and afterwards the kind ladies of the congregation cooked us lunch! Look at this spread. My heart was already full and soon after my stomach was too!

On Monday, December 3rd, we said goodbye to this special girl- the first dog I ever loved. This is Merci keeping watch over her one and only love, my cousin Matt. This was a few Christmases ago in Hilton Head, South Carolina – a special time and lots of good memories.

Dinner with the girls in the middle of the week was a special treat. My scallop and parsnip puree dish at Carlyle made it extra special. Lots of flavor packed into this dish. It’s on special right now and not on the regular menu so get it while you can.

Four girls at a table. Please believe there was dessert! My sis and I split this puddle of chocolate love – flourless chocolate waffle with coffee gelato. Oh my.

The only thing that could top that great dinner? Seeing Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre with my divas! Take 1 and Take 2.

December is almost over and I have yet to do any shopping and have no idea what to make for my first holiday at home with a husband. What’s cooking in your kitchen this month?