Hungry Times Two

Who turned on the damn furnace? Whew, it is way too hot way too early here in the D.C. nether-region. Despite temps inching towards the 90 degree Fahrenheit mark, we made it to Charlottesville this weekend for some fun! Thanks to the perusing of this C-ville blogger , our trip was peppered with tasty experiences all weekend long. After a short and traffic-free two-hour drive, we pulled into the parking garage in downtown Charlottesville just in time for the last hour or so of their kickin' farmers market. We ambled around to see the market vendors selling everything from jam to jewelry, and all in between some pretty swell looking produce. Scott couldn't resist the strawberries, so we snagged a quart of them for lunch. We decided to grab some lunch from a downtown spot and drive west to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah Nat'l Park. Luckily, Baggby's on the downtown pedestrian mall had some delectable-sounding sandwiches, so Scott scored the Cold Grinder and I chose ...

Holy Moses, a three day weekend is just a few hours away. I got a little giddy while enjoying my less-crowded-than-usual commute this morning, and then I reminded myself why we have Monday off in the first place. Respect to our military and those who have served. Scott and I hit the road tomorrow for Charlottesville, where we'll rendezvous with two college friends and roam around the Shenandoahs. For food recommendations, I'm relying on this C-ville blogger for some tips. Some places we plan to hit up: Starr Hill Brewery , the Bluegrass Grill , and this yogurt joint that supposedly is crazy good. We hope that whatever your plans are this weekend that you have fun and taste something wonderful!

I just saw this and thought - now THIS is funny! Marmite is the UK's origin of Australia's Vegemite - a truly bitter, yet somehow pleasing substance of yeast extract that's pretty good when spread with butter on toast.

So much for going kosher on Friday. Yesterday's post mentioned the grand "opening" of the food truck Sixth & Rye. This afternoon I went across the street to their spot at Sixth & I and well, the line was about 100+ people deep. So I did the next best thing: found a BLT (and added avocado - a BLAT?) from the ol' reliable Cafe Phillips for lunch. It's the anti-kosher thing to do. Oh, the irony. It tasted delicious...crispy, bacony, greasy... so not kosher. In case of rapture this weekend, I'm glad I ate the bacon. Happy Friday, everyone!

NPR's Mandelit Del Barco examines the future of the food truck craze in this report from yesterday's All Things Considered. The latest one to hit my metropolitan area is Sixth & Rye , "DC's first Kosher Deli on wheels." A coworker alerted me to this new offering, so we're planning on checking out their debut round around the 'hood tomorrow. Israeli couscous salad or the Kosher Meal deal sounds like buttah to me...not to mention a Black and White cookie for dessert! My first introduction to the food truck trend was Nashville's Mas Tacos , which has now bloomed into a bricks & mortar operation. Here in DC I have tried Sauca . I think it's a fun notion, but as a friend pointed out this weekend, when you're selling $18 lobster rolls to the DC masses out of a four wheeled vehicle, give us a break. It's grub from a truck... spare us from the high and mighty prices. Have you found the food trucks to be worthy of acclaim? Got a f...

It's a solid week for home cooked meals at the Adams family wee apartment: Sunday, I baked this Lemon Loaf Cake , subbing in Greek yogurt for sour cream. I also whipped up some tuna salad in advance for quick lunches this week and made this white bean dip from Giada De Laurentiis (I don't watch her show, but her recipes are featured in the 2007 Food and Wine compilation cookbook I love.) The tip is a nice change from hummus - creamier and not as "earthy" tasting, if that makes sense. For Sunday dinner, I made these Moroccan Meatballs with Eggs , as a good friend recently gifted me with her leftover Rachel Ray magazines. Man, those babies are packed with recipes...it's almost too much for the eyes! The lamb meatballs were fantastically flavorful, but the eggs didn't set for me as they suggested, so I warmed the bowls in the oven to get them to soft-cook. It didn't really work but we ate them anyway, runny yolks and eggs whites and all, and we're b...

There's the bottle of Incantate red wine on my sideboard, the Venetian mask resting on top of my dresser, a few Euro coins mixed in my jewelry box,  and a linen wrap dangling from my closet door knob -- nice little reminders of an unforgettable trip to Italy My bags may be unpacked and I may have returned to work and the day-to-day routine, but much of my heart and thoughts remain dedicated to the fine occupation that is travel. A co-worker told me before I left for two weeks in Italy with my mother that she loves travel for the perspective, to know that there are other places out there, with customs, languages and landscapes that are so different. I found that in two weeks, traveling tested me - my routine, my expectations, my tolerance for crowds and noise, my tastebuds -- and I loved it. First admission: this trip was on a tour with 31 strangers and my mom, via the Globus tour group. We ate together, took ...

In January I proposed a few ambition s I'd like to take on in the culinary wonderland this year. Thus far I have 1) roasted a chicken, 2) eaten less crap, and 3) traveled to Italy. (Still need to blog this...ugh, my bad.) On my to-do list: 1) Buy the skillet (but only after we move...another sore spot) and 2) fry up a chicken, 3) fix a real curry, 4) Get schooled on wine, and 5) entertaining more. A real proper curry may be the next thing I try. I am also adding "pickling vegetables" to the list. Pickled cocktail okra, anyone? I just made myself hungry. Yum...lunchtime.

A sandwich may seem like a humble everyday food, but it's the Walt Whitman of the kitchen: it contains multitudes. The options for what you can slap, press, and spread between two slices of bread are endless -- and they're all compiled in the entertaining, comprehensive, and mouth-wateringly-photographed The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches by food blogger Susan Russo .   The 299-page book features "recipes, history, and trivia for everything between sliced bread" -- and includes a handy ingredient index so you can plan the perfect sandwich with Nutella, cucumbers, cookies, pears, Halibut, and whatever else you might have on hand in the fridge, larder, pantry or bread box. There's a sandwich for every meal - from breakfast to dessert - and from a variety of food cultures, from the Bahn Mi of Vietnam to the Chip Butty of Britain, the Hot Brown of Kentucky, the Torta of Mexico, and Tuna Nicoise of France. And the good ol' USA is represented with the Ham Sandwi...

Working on a new feature: book reviews! I borrowed the following copy from Goodreads, a fun little app I use on Facebook. This book review is short and sweet... coming soon: a cookbook (of sorts) review! The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir by Josh Kilmer-Purcell My rating: 3 of 5 stars A fun commute read...didn't want to get off the Metro, so you know it's entertaining. Love Kilmer-Purcell's humor - he peppers his accounts of farming and homesteading with remembrances of his drag queen days. It overkills in the topics of he and his partners' financial situation, the Martha Stewart connection, and their need for perfectionism. I would have rather him go into more detail on the farming, gardening, and soap making. But all in all, a nice light read about taking on a big-ass farm, baby goats, zombie flies, and all! View all my reviews

So I took a little two-week trip to Italy and came back only slightly jet-lagged and over-carbed last Friday. I have missed blogging, so I aim to bring you a post or two on my Italy escapades soon. In the meantime, how about a little taste of bourbon for this Kentucky Derby weekend? Last night Scott and I enjoyed a preview of the Early Times Julep Mix from our lovely friends down the street. They host an annual shindig for the Derby, and this will be our second appearance at the bourbon-soaked fete. (We brought our mint plant in case we needed to make a minty simple syrup, but luckily, convenience saved the day.) Since too much of a good thing can be wonderful, I plan on making these Bourbon Balls and an appetizer (to be determined, but Blue Cheese Cheesecake is looking like a solid contender, as is Kentucky Greengrass from the excellent Cordon Bluegrass cookbook gifted to us by two dear Adams family members that recently passed away. Scott's Uncle Bruce and gran...

Many thanks to my step-dad for sending this link ! Who knew you can run a car off bourbon? Of course, even during Prohibition, there was indeed " medicinal bourbon " (check out photo a mid-page, honest to God!).