CSA, Week 1

The time has come for spring CSA.  We had a one-week delay because of the crazy rain and the hail storm(s?), but now we're on track.  On the suggestion of many trustworthy sources and consultation with our share-splitter (coworker LA) we chose Roxbury Farms.  Back in the day we had a half share, but no such thing in the Cap Reg.  I had a feeling we'd quickly fall behind on our own, so thank goodness for LA.  The plan is that we'll pick up every other week, and she the same.  If we have an insane amount of something that we think will just go bad, we'll share even when it's "our week," because we're nice like that.

Week 1:

- Lettuce lettuce lettuce!  Salad mix and a beautiful head of red lettuce.
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Summer squash
- Garlic scapes
- Kale
- Herbs!  We grabbed basil and parsley, and we have more growing on the porch :)

I'm thinking kale chips, although at first attempt I found them tasty but too thin.  They were like paper that crumbled in my hand or just disintegrated on my tongue.  Another option is a kale and chickpea or white bean soup; I've seen a lot of similar recipes floating around, and it won't be too heavy for our current weather.

Last night I sauteed up some scapes, squash, zucchini (aren't they also squash?), and spinach and threw them into a giant pasta salad with torn basil.  It's basically my favorite non-winter food. Can't wait until tomatoes are really happening.  Add some grilled tofu or sliced up Tofurkey sausage and you have a protein, vegetable, grain, and lunch is READY.  You can even make mini turkey meatballs and throw them in (we did). Eat it cold (we do), or eat it hot (also we do that). Put it on your salad.  Make it with brown rice pasta for a gluten free version.

The bok choy may turn into a variation on my aunt's family's awesome salad, or maybe a big stir fry.

Supplementing our veggies were the spoils from our strawberry picking at Indian Ladder. For the first time in my picking history, we were asked to pay before we picked.  OK!  Whatever!

We even liked the deformed ones.

Fewer Words Friday

Read words here, where my bloggy-friend Tori, aka The Shiksa in the Kitchen, has written about my grandmother's sour cream twists.  They are, hands down, my favorite homemade family treat.  I don't make them that often because they are somewhat time-consuming compared to her mandel, and, unlike with mandel, J doesn't think they can substitute every meal of the day.  Which means I eat most of them myself.  Muahahahahaaa.  

Have a great weekend!  I'm meeting my cousin's brand new baby tonight, just 5 days old.  CAN'T WAIT!

Addictive Enchiladas, Etc

Don't let this week's weather get you down.  If we have to stay inside, we might as well do something.  Cook something.  Watch bread rise.

I was reminded recently by this post about the stages of learning to cook.  I'm in a place where for new things that I'm scared of (especially meat-related) I slavishly follow the recipe, at least with the cooking technique (time, temperature, vessel).  But when it comes to just about everything else I tend to experiment.  I'm not saying it always turns out well--we've had a few dinners where instead of dessert, we end up pouring massive bowls of cereal to make up for the rest of the food we don't want to eat.  Still, the majority of our dinners include tossing in whatever is around to make a meaty, vegetable-y, saucy bowl of yum.  J has been overheard to say "Why do you always want to put fruit in anything?"  You could also replace the word "fruit" with "frozen spinach."

This week's example is enchiladas.  I'd only made enchiladas twice before, and both times I followed this recipe from CSK--the second time I took some liberty and replaced the squash with sweet potatoes. 

This week we used what we had - whole wheat tortillas, ground turkey, one jar of TJ salsa verde, one jar of TJ regular red salsa, lots of shredded cheese, black beans, and tomatoes (canned diced, drained).  We laid down some salsa verde in a 9 x 13, made little burrito-like tortillas of the turkey (browned), cheese, beans, and tomatoes, got them all snug as a bug in a rug together, then covered in the rest of both salsas and cheese.  It was gooey and delicious.  I probably could have pulled a CSK and added some beer to the salsa to give it the liquid it needed without all the zazz of salsa, but I didn't have any beer I wanted to see in the oven. 


Next up: pancakes.  I probably haven't made pancakes in 5 years, at least.  You know I prefer eggs any day, with the occasional pancake or French toast slice on the side.  But this week was J's birthday, and I thought it would be nice if after he got back from his 34 mile bike ride the man could have some homemade pancakes.

[Yeah, that's real maple syrup.  Local, too!  Eat your heart out, people from places other than here.  Other items pictured include Jake Moon apple butter, hummus (served with cucumber, not pancakes, gross!) and strawberry jam that got ignored in favor for the aforementioned apple butter.]

I used this recipe from Martha Stewart.  I used skim milk, white whole wheat flour, and I sprayed Pam on the pan between pancake batches instead of butter (really, Martha!).  Also, the batter wasn't wowing me, so I mixed in a spoonful of Nutella.  I tend to do that.  It always works.  These pancakes were super easy and quick, and they made the house smell delicious for the whole day.

This weekend was our first one at home without visitors in quite a while. We've been and will continue to travel or host almost every weekend--no complaints here, though.  I am so grateful for our friends and family descending upon Albany, and I loooove heading out of town to see them and eat eggs in other states.  We'll tell you all about it soon.  I hope you had a great weekend!

Passover 2011 and the Weekend of Feasts

How do you know it's Passover?  Well, I've literally used about 40 eggs in the past week.

Sidenote, eleven of those eggs were from Stewart's, which has the cutest sign: "Want fresher eggs?  Buy a chicken."  Maybe people will!

So it's not really a secret that I love hosting Passover.  In 2009 and 2010 you may or may not have been one of the 15-20 people crammed at my makeshift dining room table in the DC area.  You may or may not have your own little green smiling rubber frog "plague" that my mom gave you.

Last year my family decided that with the "real" seder nights on weekdays, we'd convene as a fam, original 4 + grandma + 2 husbands, on a weekend that falls during the holiday.  Last year in Boston, next year in Jerusalem Albany! 

A lot of the usual suspects reappeared--I admit this is somewhat lazy, but I have it on good authority from WaffleW that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." 

Duet of charoset, always--tradish with apples, wine, nuts (this year, pecans), some honey, and some ginger snow (I have Rachael Ray to thank for that tip, love 'er or not); second is Sephardic charoset like my grandma's, with wine, stewed dates, and orange zest.
Chicken soup with matzah balls--my dad makes the chicken soup with a whole chicken in the pressure cooker, then he picks off the meat for the soup and we add J's matzah balls.  If you're not feeling well, one bowl of this is sure to cure you. 
Salad (spinach, radishes, peppers, cucumber, nothing crazy)
Gefilte fish--not from a jar, but frozen then boiled or baked.  With lots of red horseradish
Roasted eggplant spread--I roast it with garlic for 45 minutes at 400, either whole and punctured or cut in half and face down, scoop the insides into a bowl, mash/stir with fork or pulse with an immersion blender, squeeze a lemon in it, and add salt & pepper.  Ta da!  My sister didn't like the way it looked, but I don't care because I like the way it tastes!
Brisket
Tzimmes Souffle--J enjoyed Saturday's version more than Monday (we brought it as guests) because there was less pineapple.  Other people only liked on Monday because it tasted like pineapple (and not carrot).  My grandma does not like "cooked carrots" (whatever), but she liked this.  It tastes more like carrot cake and cornbread had a baby, and I make it every year.
Roasted root vegetables--yum, great leftovers, and with the above made my table quite orange. Olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper did the trick.
Chocolate drop cookies--straight from the freezer, to die for as per yuzh.
Chocolate chip mandelbreit
Macaroons

Date charoset doesn't look like much (after all, it's basically brown), but it is amaaaaazing.  See also, most of a seder plate's components.  For a beautiful background on Passover, check out The Shiksa's explanations from last year.  Or you can Google it.  <--seriously, watch this video, it's uber cute and has some dayenu in the background.

Sister desperately clings to the hope that after this seemingly last bite, there will be another.


The next morning we somehow were hungry again.  I made two frittata-type situations--one matzah brei (eggs, crumbled matzah, cinnamon & sugar), and one with leftover root vegetables, cheese, and spinach.  Served with salad, whitefish salad, lox, charoset, matzah, and coffee, this was a brunch table to die for, and we put it together in no time at all.

Then, although it's not seasonally appropriate, we put a pumpkin baby hat on my dog niece.

Happy holidays, if you're celebrating, and if not, happy it-was-sunny-this-morning (always a reason to celebrate)!

Is It Strange To Finish A 4-Ounce Jar Of Yeast In 2 Months?

First:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVELY MOM (who does not read this blog)!!!!!!! 

So one of my loose definitely-not-a-resolution 2011 goals is to try at least one new recipe every week.  If I do 2 on one week, it does indeed count toward the next.  Just FYI.

This week was the beef tagine with butternut squash from 1/11 Cooking Light.  Mine was a bit too liquidy, so maybe next time I'd drain the tomatoes a little bit or use less broth.  It's still tasty though, and I'm looking forward to enjoying it for lunch this week.  For those wondering (as I was), tagine is a Moroccan dish and a dish.  As in, a meal named after the pot it's typically cooked in.  Last week I made up a black bean/red pepper soup with Israeli couscous that made us super happy. I'm looking forward to some Greek chicken burgers and stuffed cabbage (Jewish St. Patty's day?) in the next few weeks.

Ah yes, the title of this post.  Well, you all know I've been out of control with the crispy no-knead bread.  I recently went so far as to make J's lunch rolls out of the dough.  And every couple months I feel the need to knead with some homemade challah.  But my latest teaspoons doled out of the stuff went into Eat, Run, Read's overnight cinnamon rolls (adapted from Alton Brown).  Mollie makes a lot of cakes, and although I'm not really againstcakes, they aren't my favorite and also lack the practicality I crave.  I prefer cookies and muffins that can be made in small batches or large, and that don't lose their appeal once half of them are eaten--aka I can arrange them on a plate with some fruit and say yes, I did just make these for you guys! I totally didn't take them out of my freezer, where they have been for several weeks!  So the individual nature of the cinn rolls, the use of yeast, and my recent indulgence at MAD made these a no-brainer.

I had no time (ahem, patience) for the 30 minutes in the cold oven with the boiling water part.  Spin class-->outlet shopping and just a quick hour and a half in between to shower and eat.  I let the rolls sit out for an hour on the counter then stuck them in the cold oven before programming it to 350.  I put a small loaf pan with water underneath to provide some steam, and figured they could rise a little more while the oven warmed up.  About 38 minutes later I took them out, let them cool, and then smear/drizzled the frosting.  Eventually I stuck three in the freezer to surprise us at a later date.  Damn are these things good.  We used pecans in the filling.  I talked about adding small chopped apple and J asked me (in a very serious tone) why I always want to put fruit in everything.  Um, because it's delicious.

And although they don't involve yeast, you should make some hammies for Purim sometime soon.  It's this weekend.  Remember my tips that resulted from last year's trial and error, and you'll be golden.  Also, consider adding some grated fresh ginger to your dough.  Because like fruit, I think ginger makes everything better.

[Eat the messed up ones ASAP to spare yourself the embarrassment should any guests see them.]

Wherein I Round Up St. Patty's Recipes For You

When I read things like "Where to get Irish soda bread?" in newspapers and blogs, I can't help but think: MAKE IT YOURSELF.  After all, I've seen many recipes popping up in my Google Reader over the past week or two, as well as dozens in the past.  These are the ones I'm sharing with you; not the results from Googling "Irish soda bread recipe," although that would work too.  Try one or two, and you'll not only have the freshest loaf possible, but a pleasant smelling home to boot.

American Style Irish Soda Bread from Sweet Pea's Kitchen.

Cast Iron ISB from Endless Simmer.  Also, for dessert, Irish Brownie Bombs from Endless Simmer.

A feast from corned beef to cabbage to ISB from I Flip For Food.

ISB scones from Smitten Kitchen.

Guiness cupcakes from Modern Domestic.

Whole wheat brown soda bread from Kalyn's Kitchen.

Chocolate chip ISB from Inkpad Chocolate.

Hey Good Lookin' Whatcha Got Cookin?

Lots of good recipes happening lately, and I'm bookmarking some, trying others immediately,

Last week we enjoyed this Italian wedding soup interpretation by CSK with one of our best friends, Trader Joe's Israeli couscous. We made it the night she posted it, thanks to a vague idea of what we'd do with the two-pack totaling nearly 5 lbs of ground turkey from Sam's.  We used 1/4 of it for this soup.  Leftovers have made lunch quite enjoyable.

Later this week I'd like to make Cara's gingery edamame/eggplant stew and serve it over couscous or bulgur wheat.  Not sure if I'll double or triple the ginger yet...you know how I do.  I also want to make this flourless peanut butter cup cake--it's basically Reese's peanut butter cups, my favorite candy, turned into a cake.  Yep.  It's definitely dinner party material, because I can't be trusted alone with that thing and cold milk in my house.  Unforch one of my few friends upstate is allergic to nuts, cutting down on the people besides me who could enjoy this treat.  H/T Inkpad for sharing.  I'm waiting to hear from LB, who made Nikki's Bourbon Chocolate Pound Cake.  What in the what! [Update: LB said the cake was good, but she's not the hugest cake fan to begin with.  I am with her on that.  Our friends suggested topping it with ice cream or layering it into a trifle.  I said freeze it so it's chewy and fudgy.  MMMM.]

Sunday night we made several items a la Giada after flipping through one of my cookbooks: tomato soup (with a dollop of plain greek yogurt); roasted citrus-herb chicken (cooked like her game hens, of which there was only 1 at Hannaford--not so convenient for taking apart, anyway, but so cute); and these sugar cookie squares with red fruit preserve (raz and strawberry blend) and drizzled chocolate.  The last ones are really for work tomorrow, happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Whether it's actually cooking from a recipe or just assembling with instructions, I really like Giada.  I feel like we have the same values.  For example, we love olive oil, citrus juice, citrus zest (!!!!), fresh herbs, cannellini beans, and babies.  Her daughter is adorbz.

Crispy No Knead, obv.  It was 1/3 whole wheat because that's what we had left, and I actually finished the flour with it.  I had zero flour for about 3 days before I replenished with 3 bags.  This was the longest the dough ever fermented in the fridge, and I think it tasted even better for it. It was still fresh and spongy the next day, no toasting or zapping required.  BTW this time I wasn't too lazy to fill that gravy boat with reduced pan juices.

Chicken/herb/citrus filled craisins...mmm.

Everyone is Blogging Brownies

And since it's a snow day for many, I wanted to share all these links with you lest you decide to get into the brownie baking mood today. 

Not sure what the deal is, but everyone is blogging brownies the past week or two.  It's like that time that a bunch of bloggers did shakshuka in a short span of time, except most people actually know what brownies are. The Internet is a funny place.

Black and white brownies from Cuisine Queen

Squeaky clean fudge brownies from Cara's Cravings (GF, sugar-free, vegan).

Browned butter brownies on Doughmesstic

Red velvet cheesecake brownies from Sweet Pea's Kitchen


Brownie giveaway from Beantown Baker

Fudgy Brownies from Nikki

THE baked brownie from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Go.  Bake.  Eat.  Share.

That One Time I Cooked

I'm kidding.  We cook all the time, but quickly.  Simply.  This was simple too, but it was a lot more food than we normally make.  We had guests, so we had to step up the volume.  When we go, we go big.

Scenes from dinner, aka between prep and serve when I remembered to take pictures, with links to recipes included:

Whole chicken in the slow cooker.  So easy.  Fell of the bone.  I put leftover juices in a gravy boat, but in another life I'd have reduced it to a thicker sauce.  Doesn't he look funny all naked in the crock pot?!  It was hard to get the skin off completely, so it looks like he's wearing socks.

Roasted eggplants that I decimated for a spread made with lemon juice, garlic, and za'atar.

Crusty no-knead on the table, along with salad, the eggplant dip, and Barbera wine from Barboursville.

We also had roasted Brussels sprouts with turkey bacon and Israeli couscous with herbs and parm.

Grandma's cookies: chocolate chip mandel bread and sour cream twists.  I made the last of the twists today and cooked them longer, until more golden.  Either way they are just as I remembered, except they aren't coming to me in a tin while I'm at sleepaway camp this time around.

  and one more

They are made with a very buttery pastry dough--zero sugar on the outside, but rolled in vanilla sugar before baking.  The recipe was recently rediscovered--I hadn't made it since college--and maybe it'll end up on The Shiksa soon, if I get my mom's permission. 

There you have it.  Dinner at my house on a Saturday night, brought to you by Google searching "whole chicken crock pot," my Google Reader, and my Grandma Renee.

Crispy No Knead Bread, You Are Our Weakness

Go into the kitchen.  Slice a piece of the homemade bread you recently (last week?) defrosted, and pop it into the microwave for 20 seconds.  If it's morning, swipe a little butter across and shake some cinnamon/sugar mixture, which you happen to keep in an empty spice/herb shaker that is labeled "Oregano."  If it's evening, drizzle olive oil and pinch some salt.  Neither routes are really necessary; the bread is delicious on its own.  But it certainly feels indulgent, which we like.  You deserve it.

I'm not a baker, or even a cook.  My college roommate had a phase where she went through the Bread Bible, and while I enjoyed the outcomes (especially a fluffy buttermilk loaf), I never assisted.  But if you've been around for at least a few months, you know I love challah.  I helped bake 30-50 lbs of the stuff with a great group of gals for about 4 years, every Thursday.  It's an admittedly less social activity on my own with a mere 2.5 lbs, but it still brings me great joy.  Pumpkin challah, round challah, whatevs. 

I follow Evan Halperin's blog The Carnivore and the Vegetarian (and here on Twitter), and you should too.  Many of his recipes (wherever they may have originated) find their way into my Tags section on Google Reader---crockpot, pasta, meat, dinner, and of course bread.*  <----that is the recipe!

The first time I followed his instructions exactly, which yielded tasty results that I shared with J, Mom & Dad, and a coworker who had a birthday.  [Happy birthday!  Here's a small loaf of bread. Is that weird?]  Results are below:

Not quite as golden as Evan's.  I was happy for the first real test of my oven, though.

This time, I used half whole wheat flour and half white flour.  First I mixed the ingredients together with the paddle attachment (rather than dough hook) of my KitchenAid, only for a minute or so.

I covered it with plastic and let it rise for maybe more than 2 hours--I went to the gym, who can keep track?

When we got home I put it in the fridge, and the next evening, I took it out:

I now took it OUT of the fridge and shaped it into loaves, letting it sit an hour.  Pre-heat the oven.

After an hour I cut some notches and put those babies in the oven.

And, voila.

Requisite coaster shot.

I sawed off an edge, tasted, and can now confirm that the whole wheat is also delicious.  I baked it for about 29 minutes.  I find that bread freezes well, and when you defrost and give a slice a quick zap or toast, it's (nearly) good as new.  The moral of the story is: make Evan's bread.  Eat it.  Repeat.

*Alternative names for this post include "Semi-Organizing A Small Part Of Your Life Through Google Reader Tags."  This could be a whole subculture of posts.  I know who my most frequently tagged blogger is, but you don't...yet.

The Roundups of Roundups

 [Snow-covered road on our way to work this Monday.]

Happy New Year!  (Almost.)  Is anyone at work?  I'm not; I'm on furlough.  No one knew what that meant two years ago.

Anyhow, I've never been one for year-round-ups or New Year's resolution posts.  My last three years of end of December posts were about Chanukah at Equinox, finals and my Tassimo, and dinner at Rasika.  The past first posts of the new year were Leaving Arlington, Boulevard Woodgrill Brunch, and Postcard from LA.  It's as if I didn't even realize we were having a new year or something.

I'm not going to start rounding up my own nonsense now.  I make lists like that on other, random days of the year.  Instead, I welcome you to another kind of roundup.  The roundup of roundups.  Some are food, some are not.  Some are DC, some are elsewhere. 

DC Wrapped Dates lists a bunch of items, including most hyped DC restaurants, most underrated, best bang for your buck, etc.  I commented on my opinion.  Seems like DCWD and I could almost always eat together, just not at Northside Social.

DCLovesFood rounds up what she is calling the food of 2010: bacon.

Abbey talks about the food she ate this year that she will never forget.

Wendalicious on the trends she sees coming or expanding in 2011, including food trucks in the Capital Region--I won't hold my breath.

The Profussor's best things eaten (for the first time) in 2010, including ribs at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.

Cara picks her husband's favorite dish from each month.  3/12 are shrimp.  The man likes shrimp.  Also, readers top 12.

Annie's Eats Best of 2010 part I (I assume Part II will follow shortly), including a white pita bread I'd love to try out (h/t SS).

Endless Simmer's Top 10 New Foods of 2010.  That fried Elvis amazingness photo gets me every time.

The Atlantic's 10 Biggest Food Stories Of the Year.

Corporette recounts some of the favorite Wear To Work suggestions.

From Best Week Ever, the 10 shows of 2010 that never should have been on TV.

Mrs. Foot recaps her 2010 home projects and renovations.  My favorite is the buffet!!!

Best music of 2010, from Slate.

NYTimes 10 Best Books of 2010.

Do you have a roundup to add?  Leave it in the comments, plz.

And because you were patient and this post is otherwise devoid of photos, my favorite sandwich of 2010:

[Ernest's.  Brigantine, NJ.]

See you in 2011!

CSA Friday and What I've Been Sharing

We picked up more CSA items, this time together.  This week's bounty includes zucchini (for ERR zucchini bread, perhaps), peppers, apples, pears, Concord grapes, grape tomatoes, green beans...all things that want to be eaten muahahahh.  I am controlling myself around the squash because I know it'll keep coming week after week.  Spaghetti squash and butternut, I'm watching you!  You will be turned into a pasta substitute and a soup (M&T perhaps), respectively.  Mmm.   

What I've been sharing: My weekly recaps started in February when I had become stir-crazy and blog-crazy from the snow, and they ended right around the time Top Chef began.  Instead of confining myself to something weekly, I just want to round up some things I've shared via email, Google Reader, Twitter, and *gasp* face-to-face conversation recently.  Maybe you'll find something story-worthy in my yammering.

Pretty cranberry beans from Cara's Cravings.

I am dying to eat this goat cheese and tomato quiche from Corcoran Street Kitchen.  It's beautiful, mostly because like me, she's not shy with the parsley : )

Skirt steak salad! And also, a sock monkey. From Smitten Kitchen.

Sometimes eating makes us tired.  Puppies too.

This Crispy No-Knead bread from Evan the Carnivore looks awesome and crusty (in a good way).

Amsterdam Falafel is expanding, says Metrocurean.  I'd like to see one in Bethesda!

Quinoa got a prime nerd spot on the popular law blog Volokh Conspiracy. Then another.

What to do with all those apples (and apples, apples, and more apples )?  Pinch My Salt has a few ideas. Don't forget to pick them too!  It's nice to see that Stribling was popular this year!

I did a noodle kugel showdown between BGSK and the Shiksa by making half of each recipe for an official taste test (and by official I mean at a staff meeting).  The (legal) opinion of our team was for the Shiksa's recipe, but J liked BGSK better.  Both are delicious.  Shiksa's has a crumb topping (YUM), less butter, and adds cottage cheese to the mix.  J thinks it's too dessert-y because of the crumb topping (which could easily be left off).  Anyway, it was my first kugel ever, and I'm happy with the results.

W. Mark Felt (the fictional one, not the real one mayherestinpeace) hit up Volt's Table 21. Jealous!

Lunching in the DMV laid out the details for next week's Curbside Cookoff, maybe a chance for those of us working in outer Mongolia to try some trucks?

I recently ordered Girl Scout cookies from a coworker's daughter.  I finally took the 30 seconds to Google the answer to the age old question: why are they sometimes Samoas and sometimes Caramel deLites, but always the same and delicious?  Two bakeries, my friends.  Two bakeries that are the Official Girl Scout Cookie bakeries, and each council can pick which one they want to go with.  Certain cookie varieties and package sizes are required, and some are nearly identical due to popularity.  My favorites are Thin Mints from the freezer. Samoas/Caramel deLites are second favorite.

Other than that, recently I've eaten from Taylor Gourmet in Bethesda twice, BGR The Burger Joint once, and I haven't been to Pete's Apizza in almost 3 weeks, so obviously I'm going through withdrawal.  We're saving our appetites and pennies for a special dinner coming up.

Ah, the challah RECIPE you say??

For Evan, by request. 

I typically use my aunt's recipe that I've been enjoying for 20 some odd years.  And by my aunt's recipe, I mean, she is a person who eyeballs everything, uses a plastic cup to scoop flour out of an enormous barrel, and generally amazes me with the consistency of her food.  This recipe uses a whole 5 lb bag of flour, and I almost ALWAYS half it (using 2 eggs).  I will continue to half it until I have two ovens.  Dear That Day, when will you be here?

5 cups of warm water
1 1/2 cups of sugar
4 packets of yeast
Combine the above and let bubble (5-10 minutes).  If it doesn't bubble, your yeast is no good.

Add:
1/2 cup of oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of salt
~5 pounds of flour, added gradually.  I use my Kitchenaid with the dough hook attachment until it balls up, then I put it onto a floured surface and knead some more, adding flour until it's smooth and not super-sticky to the touch. 

Take that ball of baby challah flesh and put it in a large bowl (some lightly oil the bowl), cover it (with a damp towel or plastic wrap) and put it in a warm place.  I've let mine rise on the balcony, and also in the cabinet area above our oven--if anything else is cooking (like cookies!) it's toasty in there.  You want it to double in size, pretty much (see above).

Sometimes I let it rise for 1 hour.  Sometimes after an hour I punch it down and do another hour.  I've also just done 2 hours straight with no punching.  Do what you have time for and test it out!  Make sure your  bowl is big enough so the blob doesn't take over your kitchen.

Braid*, then egg wash (I use just egg, some use egg + water + salt) and bake--don't let it sit too long after it's been egg washed, it'll deflate and get weird.

Bake until golden on top at 350 degrees, watch the bottom so it doesn't burn.  When it's done, you will tap the bottom and it will sound hollow.  Also, if you bake challah somewhat frequently, you will burn your forearms.  It's a fact!

*Click here for some background on "taking" challah and the blessing over it. 

First half of August Links

On your left is a size small gelato that wasn't $5, even though we were barely a block from the ocean.  Maybe it wasn't artisinally handmade that morning by royalty, but it hit the spot.  My link list for you all is getting out of control, so I need to put some out there.

In the news (if you can call it that):

Speaking of the price of gelato in DC, WSJ published an Ode to the Toasted Almond Bar.  Then everybody talked about the WSJ Ode to the Toasted Almond Bar while the Times compared fancy ice creams.  Also in WSJ, Honeycrisps are (were?) hot, but what's the next apple? (h/t J). 

Slideshow of 100 things Baltimore foodies must try, from the Baltimore Sun.

Red velvet fried chicken WHAAAAT?! (from Consumerist, h/t EmGusk.)

Ramadan began at the end of last week, and J and I were wondering in awe just how people observing get through long summer days (and evenings).  This article in WSJ (love the new NY section) is about food vendors and restaurant owners/employees who observe Ramadan. 

Apparently the carrot cake at the prison on Riker's Island is pretty awesome, but it's only meant for special occasions.  See the full recipe, which by the way makes twenty-five 9.5 lb loaves.  Speaking of dessert, how about a giant chocolate chip cookie made in a cast iron skillet (from Kitchn via Inkpad).  Is that insane or what?

And if you haven't heard yet, Foggy Bottom is getting a big ol' Whole Foods.  Between TJ and WF, folks in the Fog Bot/West End area can now cobble together a decent pantry and fridge.  But the Watergate Safeway will still suck.

Virginia peach salsa from Corcoran Street Kitchen looks divine.  So does this Pizza Bianca from Sweetsonian (which I added to my Google Reader from a #ff post of somebody...not sure who).  I totally bookmarked that bad boy for brunch.

Happy Tuesday everybody!

The Most Gorgeous Day Ever?

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 [pictured: giant pitcher of Pimm's Cup, giant pickles from the Jersey Shore]

Sunday, not Saturday, of course.  Although the rain on Saturday left a pleasant temperature that was sort of a relief for us while playing host/guide to my folks.

Top Chef fans were all a buzzin' about Bryan Voltaggio Bobblehead Night--I want to see one!  Anyone planning on going to the game for this collectible??

Kojo's piece on Transforming Urban Deserts - areas without a grocery store, without access to fresh produce, etc.  

Best wine books for beginners from Serious Eats. (h/t KT).

This article in the LA Times about the First Family's dining outings made my lips curl back a little--it makes it as though before Barack Obama stopped in for a burger, Michael Landrum just had a little burger shack, as opposed to a nicely formed Ray's empire including The Steaks, The Classic/The Bar, and Hellburger (with other plans as well!).  And Komi may be hidden inasmuch as it's unpretentious in a slightly-lit townhouse, but a place that books up before 3pm 30 days in advance and is Washingtonian's #1 restaurant several years running isn't really an up-and-coming hideout.  It already came, and believe me, Komi is up.  In fact, one of my favorite things about the President's visits to our local eateries is that he's chosen places that already draw lines and crowds.  So, LA Times, thanks for the rundown of where President Obama has been, but no thanks for making it seem like those places didn't exist before he stepped inside.  OK, end of diatribe.

Recipe-wise, it was totally Cocktail Week.  Not one, but two Boozy Arnold Palmers--one at Jersey Cook and one at Corcoran Street Kitchen.  Then there's the Pimm's Cup sort of situation at Smitten Kitchen.  And of course, with these drinks, play the WMATA Drinking Game from Washingtina.  Just not on the Metro--it's not allowed, as you know.

ALSO: The grilled haloumi and tomato skewers with honey-tahini sauce looks delectable at Cara's Cravings.

Well, another week.  At the end of which will come another weekend.  Thaaaaank goodness.  Have a great one!

The Holiday Weekend Is Over Roundup

That monument shot is from 2004 (my first DC July 4), but the Atlantic City boardwalk is from yesterday.

Beach, fireworks, Gaga, and who knows what else happened?  But now we're going back to work.  You have time for just a little bit more fun, and that'll have to come from reading this post.  Sorryguys.

We're light on news this week--actually, zero.  The only news items I read over the holiday weekend were one-liners from @nytimes and even that was kept to a minimum.  Let's blog it up, mostly local: 

Roundup within a roundup?  Yes. The Iced Coffee Roundup from Serious Eats.  My favorite is still Dunkin' Donuts, and I may have to comment on that post to address my disappointment (UNDERSTATEMENT) with the iced coffee at 7-11.  The sign was beckoning to me every day, 99 cents, 99 cents.  FOR CRAP.  (h/t Never Turn Down a Cupcake).

Loving the recipe suggestions from the MCPL blog (yes, they have one, and yes, I read it).

Greener, Healthier, Wiser brings us the Dirty Dozen (as in, conventional fruits and veggies that are most chemical-laden).

Metrocurean tells us about Pleasant Pops debuting at the Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market, which I take as an excuse to tell you (and her) about my coconut sesame ginger paleta from Whole Foods Friendship Heights. 

Arugula Files at the farmer's market in Falls Church---looks amazing, I can almost smell those peaches.

I need to get to The Dirty Radish household for some Southeast Asian BBQ.

Presidents holding hams (via LMNOP).

Have a great week!  Stay hydrated--it's going to be a scorcher!!!