Sister Sister

My beautiful, kind hearted, amazing sister came down to visit me for the long weekend. It was a little last minute in the planning, and if you know me at all I love to have a plan and the further in advanced the better. But sometimes it is nice to just go with the flow. And Tara is the perfect person to flow with! After arriving early Saturday morning, the two Goldsmith sisters headed off on our first adventure, breakfast in Eastern Market. After some strolling about we decided on Le Pain Quotidien, which I kept pronouncing as quotient. But no worries Tara was there to correct me. She does after all live with Christine who is fluent in French. We each enjoyed some soft boiled eggs with toast, fresh berries, and a delightful chai tea. My favorite discovery was the Praline spread, which dare I say is even better then Nutella. Give it a try some time and tell me you don't love it. Next, I introduced Tara to the coolest little bookshop that is literally wall to wall books. Then in true DC fashion it was time for a museum, the Newseum to be exact.

I had never been to the Newseum in the four years I have lived here (to be fair I think it just reopened last year) and I know Tara has an uncanny love for NPR. So, I thought this could be fun learning about the media and maybe even enjoying some interactive fun. Shout out to Kristen for the recommendation! My two favorite exhibits by far were the Katrina and 9/11 exhibits. They were raw, honest, and brought you back to the exact moments you first heard of those horrendous tragedies. If it weren't for all of the people around my tears would have been much more pronounced. I was truly moved by the heroic stories of those that were on the front lines. If you are in DC, I highly recommend you check it out! And since this is a food blog, onto lunch, falafel at the Amsterdam Falafel House in Adams Morgan. I love this delicious fried treat and the best part about Amsterdam is you get to put on all of your toppings yourself and as much as you would like. My favorite, the pickled turnips mmmmmm. The rest of our day consisted of a lot of lounging and a few movies.
Sunday we made our way to the beautiful little city Annapolis. Tara was determined to go somewhere she had never been this winter break, and Annapolis is so close it seemed like a good idea. Upon arrival, Tara made the comment that she couldn't believe how quiet it was there. It was an ideal Sunday morning, if just a little chilly, to walk around enjoy the sweet salty sea air and the colonial style of downtown Annapolis. We of course had to make a stop at one of my favorite shops, Annapolis Pottery, and I of course had to make a purchase. After a little more walking and window shopping we made our to lunch at Middleton's Tavern. It uncannily reminded me of The Chowder Pot Pub and The Rhumbline which brought me back to home. We enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch accompanied by some delicious pickled Bloody Mary's. It wouldn't be a Sunday lunch with some Mary's. And to end our trip in Annapolis a quick hello to a fellow Southold native, Sheila!
I really thought I was going to plan a nice dinner and try something new while Tara was visiting but sometimes you just need to raid the pantry for dinner. So to share here is what we enjoyed:
Soup (Pacific Natural Foods)
Tara--Carrot Ginger
Renee--Red Pepper and Tomato
If you have never tried these you should there delicious and healthy!
Sides
Shoestring French Fries
Edmame--we had to have at least one vegetable on the table
French Bread toasted with ketchup and the only thing homemade on the table courtesy of the guest chef Tara, garlic and lemon aioli
Baked Chips and Holy Guacamole (by far my favorite non-homemade guacamole out there
No main entree as Tara is a vegetarian and I eat mostly vegetarian and there was already an insane amount of food for just two people.

But perhaps the most important item of this meal was the

 Bedell 2008 Cabernet Franc that served as an accompaniment. 

This is by far the best Cab Franc I have ever tasted. It is full of spicy notes with a delicious bouquet that warms the soul.  Hopefully I can pick up another bottle the next time I head through the North Fork because one was just not enough. I had been saving this for a special occasion and what better time then a little sister sister time. 

I am my own sweet Valentine

So my Valentine's Day consisted of a trip to the dentist and a girls night in. 

My friend Sarah joined me for dinner and a movie. On the menu, Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Onions over farfalle pasta, whole wheat baguette garlic bread, and for dessert chocolate covered strawberries. We kept the Valentine's theme going with a lot of red! The chicken sausage was delicious, it was roasted red pepper and garlic flavored. This was a very easy, fairly quick recipe. Note to self: the pasta takes the longest, so put the water on right away. This is pretty much what I put together: 

Chicken Sausage and Peppers over Pasta

3/4 of a box Whole Wheat Farfalle Pasta

4 Chicken Sausage Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic flavor

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell  pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 32 oz. can whole tomatoes and their juices

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed on box. Slice the chicken sausage and brown in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. In the same pan add onions, green peppers, and red peppers, 1 tbsp. olive oil and saute for about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes or until peppers soft and onions slightly caramelized. Add tomatoes and crushed red peppers. Using a spatula or wooden spoon break the whole tomatoes down (you can use diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes if you prefer, I like the texture of the whole tomatoes). Allow vegetables to simmer about 5 minutes, then add sausage and cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste. 

Some additions per next time, suggestions compliments of Sarah :) -- grated parmesan cheese, fresh spinach

Chocolate covered strawberries must be the easiest dessert to put together. They were just the right amount of sweet after a slightly spicy dinner. Using a double boiler, just melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and dip the strawberries in to cover them with chocolate. I inserted a toothpick into the top of the strawberry to make it easier to dip. Then place the dipped strawberries on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Enjoy! I had some extra chocolate so I dipped pretzels into the remaining chocolate for a little sweet snack the next day. After the strawberries, we watched the movie "Catfish" which was not at all what I expected. It kept me interested the entire time, I would definitely recommend it! 

Any suggestions for my next post?! Leave a comment :) 

Is it Spring Yet?

So, I'm pretty sure a missed a week of new recipes. Forgive me?? To make up for it I'm trying something that I have always wanted to but never had the guts to...

I spent a fabulous night out with friends on Friday. Enjoyed a rousing round of karaoke, and yes Sir Mix A Lot was involved. There may have been some dancing at Mr. Day's Bar and a egg and cheese bagel to recover. And then Saturday afternoon came.....my first sickness of the winter weather. I came down with a horrible cold that has lasted through today. My voice still slightly resembles that of a frog. Hence no new recipes. I spent Saturday through Monday in a fog of sleep interrupted with fits of coughing, sneezing, and sniffling. I felt like one of those pathetic Tylenol Flu commercials. Therefore, cooking was pretty much out of the question. I was lucky that I could boil the water for my ramen noodles. So now that I am back to work and feeling much better a trip to the grocery store was necessary for some fresh ingredients to stock the fridge. And what did I come across? But some beautiful artichokes. I have always wanted to try and steam an artichoke to dip into a little melted butter. I, however, have always been intimidated by the shape of artichokes. I just didn't know how they would cook up. Also, I never grew up eating them really. I think I may have had the jarred version but never fresh artichokes. I'm a sucker for the baby frozen artichokes (fabulous in risotto). They are super easy just defrost and use. So, since it is 2011, I went for the challenge with these beauties.

I turned on my new favorite pandora station, Florence + the Machine and got started. But who do I turn to when I'm not sure exactly how to cook something?? Well, Mom first of course. But, she could not help. So, I went to the second best person, Mark Bittman. My friend Kim got me this great cookbook "How to Cook Everything", by Mark Bittman and it has been a life saver. This book is literally cooking for dummies without the dummy. Literally, anything you think you don't know how to cook Mr. Bittman can help you step by step. And there it was, a "Basic Steamed Artichokes" recipe waiting there for me. Here it is:

2 Large artichokes

Salt and Pepper

1. Using kitchen shears or scissors trim the tops of the leaves. Cut 1/4 inch off the stem and cut 1/2 off the top of the artichoke.

2. Place the artichokes in a large pot with about 1 inch of water (enough to steam without drying out the bottom of the pot). Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes. (it took me about 25 minutes) You know they are done when the outer leaves pop off easily. 

3. Drain them upside down for a minute. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

I served them with a little lemon butter (melted butter with lemon zest and juice). I accompanied the artichokes with a chicken piccata (Giada DiLaurentis has a great recipe in her Everday Italian cookbook) and a sweet potato.

Thoughts on the artichoke?? A lot of work for not a lot of gratification. I was thoroughly delighted with the outcome as far as how well I cooked it. But honestly for all the work I put into cutting, trimming, and steaming it I wouldn't repeat this often. That said the lemony chicken and lemon dipping sauce did remind me of Spring! It also reminded me of my trip to Monterey this past September driving past the miles of artichoke farms. Artichokes grow above the ground and are these big bushy plants with little artichokes that pop up like flowers. Ahhh, good memories. I'm excited to be heading back to beautiful California next month for a conference in San Fran! Maybe I will try something new, Dim Sum anyone?? Definitely looking forward to some warmer weather.

Who knew that this is what the inside of an artichoke looked like?