short days

making muffins on snow days 

yikes

park time!

if you love s'mores as much as i do, make these tonight.

tuna tartare tacos that were super delicious

lucy hates the cold

yummy breakfast burrito and an even better latte here

man the amount of daylight hours are really dwindling. this winter hasn't been so bad but i won't be sad to wave goodbye to these days of darkness before five.

i'm still out on maternity leave and i'm so grateful for this extra special time with my little man. it's cool spending time together and just hanging out.

at the end of this week, we're all headed to charleston for a week. i've been keeping my eye on the forecast and see some temps in the seventies. i would be so happy to ditch the coat for a second.

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hope you all had a great weekend!  

five for fall

these rainy days we've been having are making me want to just crawl back into bed and take a nap.

but there are definitely some reasons to get out of the house in the fall. i make one of these lists every season (here's winter, spring and summer), so here's my list for right now. 

photo credits: one | two | three | four | five

1. segway tour. i've done this four times now. i totally snobbed out the first time my out-of-town friend suggested we do this (i live here. why would i do that?), but i ate my words quickly after this was one of the most fun things i've done here. the segways are a blast to ride around on,  and since that first time, i've done it with a few other couples. it's seriously awesome. even if you're local.

2. rose's luxury. this recently opened place on barracks row looks interesting. it's built in a rowhouse, serves family-style meals and small plates and from the looks of it, seems super charming. 

3. dc reynolds. this place isn't new, but it's really close to where we live, they have killer bogo drink specials SIX DAYS A WEEK, a roofdeck and some awesome-sounding food. plus, i hear it's a caps bar.

4. petworth citizen. this is also really close to our house, and i'm excited to check this place out. the copper bar and somewhat more reasonably priced cocktails don't hurt either.

5. parts & labor. this place hasn't opened yet, but i can't wait to eat some delicious charcuterie from the guys behind red apron butchery. it'll be in penn quarter.

district flea

a few pictures from the district flea's debut on saturday.

the weather was absolutely perfect.

did you check it out? 

it's here until october 19.

the food was pretty awesome too.

missing the sun

yum

a whole liter of beer

seafood in georgetown

on one of our almost-daily walks

well the awesome weather from friday didn't really hold up over the weekend, but it wasn't cold so i can deal with an overcast day or two.

i did manage to have the best burger in dc, so i'll consider the weekend a win.

we also drove out to the college park ikea on friday night. i'd originally planned to make that a saturday morning trip, but we ended up going on friday around seven. i'm telling you, that's my new favorite time to go there. it was the least crowded i've ever seen that place.

time to face a new week.

let's hope it's a good one!

bring it on

photo credits: one | two | three | four (taken by me) | five

2013 is looking pretty awesome for food lovers in dc. 

it would be almost impossible to list all of ways my tastebuds are in for a treat in the new year. there's old favorites to visit, new places to try. i can't wait.

but to make this list manageable, i present to you my top five things i'm most excited about (food wise!) for the new year. 

1. a freaking donut (and fried chicken!) shop in dc. a legit one. dc's needed this for so long. 

2. bryan voltaggio's new friendship heights restaurant, range. want to see beautiful pictures of the space and the food? the president wears prada has an outstanding (and mouthwatering!) recap here.

3. the dgs delicatessen. another thing that dc's been lacking. thanks for stepping in there, guys. (anyone tried their vodka-spiked coffee yet?)

4.  going back to union market. i went a few months ago when it was still somewhat of a work in progress. i'm excited to go more frequently in 2013.

5. i have pearl dive's logo up there, but the fifth thing i'm excited about is going back to tried and true places, and for me, this includes pearl dive. their catfish po' boy may hold the title of best thing i ate all year. i had some pretty outstanding meals here, here and here also. excited to see what they've got in the works next year.

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dc's an awesome place for food lovers, isn't it? so happy to live here. 

corn and tomato

i love the absolute abundance of fresh farm markets available throughout d.c. 

and there's no better time of year for freshness than august. walk through any market and you'll see: the produce is just gorgeous. it's instagram heaven.

_ _ _

for this month's seasonal eating post, i wanted to share two super simple ways to use up all those delicious ripe tomatoes and ears of corn you picked up over the weekend.

and when you're working with such great ingredients, you don't really need to do too much.

so let's start with tomatoes.

the boy and i saw this recipe in bon appetit while traveling to florida.

the truth is that bruschetta bores me. it's always soggy, and it just feels...meh. i almost never order it if i'm out to eat.

but i really enjoyed their method, and i'm happy with how it turned out. i tweaked their original recipe a bit to suit my taste as well (is it still bruschetta if i add cheese? eh.) here's what i did:

a few tips: this really is one of those "recipes" where you can just eyeball it. i honestly don't think you can mess this one up. i don't have quantities included as part of the directions because i was pretty loose with my measurements. we used one baguette, a handful of grape tomatoes with some green zebras thrown in for color, about a clove-and-a-half of garlic, and one heaping tablespoon each of olive oil and red wine vinegar. this was more than enough for two people.

i couldn't find fresh buffalo mozzarella at the store that day (cheese snob alert!), so i just got what looked the freshest to me and dressed it up with salt, pepper, herbs and red pepper before adding it to the dish.

i usually prefer dried oregano, but i used fresh here and i liked it. sometimes fresh oregano is too strong for my taste, but since this dish doesn't have too many ingredients, i liked the punch the fresh stuff added.

_ _ _ 

now what about the corn?

i'm happy to say that after years of only being able to enjoy my precious elote when i was at a restaurant or ballgame, i've learned how to make it at home. and it's simple.

so happy.

we grilled our corn, husks and all. i'd say we left them on the grill for about 15 minutes. if you don't have a grill, you can prepare the corn in boiling water or microwave it.

for two ears of corn, we combined about 1.5 tablespoons each of mayonnaise and softened butter.

i like it spicy. we used about 1/8 teaspoon for both ears of corn. but you can use less or omit it entirely if you prefer.

lastly, a word about mayonnaise on corn: just don't think about it. i ate this corn for years, delightful in my ignorance about what it was that made it so good. when i started researching how to make it at home, i almost gagged. 

until about two years ago, you couldn't get me to even touch the outside of a jar of mayonnaise. but the boy's been helping me work through this phobia and i'm now slathering the stuff on my BLTs and adding it to ranch dips.  all i'm saying is that if you're a mayo-hater, just try it. i still can't stand the way the stuff smells, and there isn't even a hint that taste in the finished product. promise. don't be scared.

_ _ _

do you have a favorite way to enjoy late-summer produce?

i'd love to hear it!

_ _ _

looking for more seasonal eating recipes? check out the archives here.

growing cities

learn more here

another documentary, guys.

this one, called 'growing cities' is particularly interesting to me. i love all sorts of documentaries, but any one about food and sustainability always really draws me in.

my mother and grandmother are both big gardeners. i am...not. this is something i'm hoping to change over time because the idea of growing your own food just fascinates me.

when in doubt

cooking with turnips at home was a new thing for me.

but when i saw them at the market this weekend all purple and crazy looking, i thought about giving them a go.

and when in doubt?

roast it*

that's my move anyways.


i cubed, oiled, salted, and peppered these guys. then, i put them in a 425-degree oven for about 12 minutes. 

just until they got fork tender.

but hey, i hear turnips also make a mean gratin.

_ _ _

and! 

since spring and summer will be here (!) before you know it, check out some other ways to eat seasonally. 


_ _ _


*i'm kind of in a roasting rut and for next month, i'm challenging myself to attempt something new. exciting, yes?

the past few days

arganica came | more on that later

prep time

my version!

herb storage

a rainy commute

redemption

remember this?

i barely do, since i bought that groupon so long ago, but i finally redeemed it today.* i only ordered the crate for now (still have to use my $25 credit that was part of the groupon offer), but it is set to arrive this thursday. 

i'm more pumped than i probably should be about its arrival, but i can't wait to see what's in it.

_ _ _

*i do love the last minute; the groupon expires any day now.

number one

this was the best break.

i mean it.

mashed potato prep with the food mill

we only bust this device out for special occasions, but it's so worth it.

part of our market haul

mastering the art of poaching...slowly

a new-to-us neighborhood find

buying paint for a new project

how was your thanksgiving?

arganica

via groupon | how cute are their crates?!

arganica was on groupon a few months ago, and i didn't pull the trigger.

but it's back today and i decided to go for the one-month membership

what's arganica? 

here's an excerpt from their site:

"each week, arganica becomes a moveable feast delivered directly to your door. our fresh local produce comes from the best no-spray, low spray and organic growers. small family farms provide no-hormone and organic milk, cheese, eggs and fresh meats. our whole-grain breads are baked with love at small local bakeries."

i'm really looking forward to seeing what's in my crate + i'll be sure to take lots of pictures once it comes. 

sundevich

it's just about lunch time. 

let's talk sandwiches.

pic by me

the boy and i went here a few weekends back. we wanted to check out something new + this place delivered. 

i don't know another place in dc quite like it.

pic by me

i mentioned it's in an alley, right?

via google maps

so once we found the place, it was time to decide what to eat. 

i can be somewhat indecisive when it comes to new menus. not because i'm a picky eater, but because the opposite is true: i want to try everything.

pic by me

eventually though, i chose the buenos aires [skirt steak, chimichuri, red caramelized onions] + the boy tried the athens [lamb, lettuce, tomato, red onion, tzatziki]

after we ordered, we ended up swapping. i liked his better/he liked mine. love it when that works out, don't you?

pic by me | buenos aires by sundevich

the sandwiches were freaking massive. srsly, they're like a foot long. you can kiiinda see in that picture up there where it's cut in half. 

yeah. huge.

i think two people could easily split one. the baguette they use could probably be a little less chewy (my jaw was getting tired by the end!), but the meats were seasoned nicely. it would also be nice to see some more drink options here (maybe some tea?), but i was ok with my perrier.

pic by me | athens by sundevich

as a side order, we got this potato salad. it had a nice, somewhat unexpected, curry flavor to it. but i probably ate two bites. 

so stuffed.

pic by me | potato salad by sundevich

bonus?

it wasn't packed in there.

in terms of seating, there are a few high-top/family-style tables. it's pretty small on the inside, but i enjoyed their cozy little set up. you can see them preparing your food too, which i think is kinda cool.

pic by me | our table at sundevich

but one of the best things about sundevich? 

this excerpt from their site:

"as much as possible, we hope to utilize local farmers and producers in our immediate backyard. by supporting local agriculture and businesses, we hope to bring recognition to their efforts by showcasing their products."

if you're looking for something a little different than traditional sandwich shop offerings (turkey + swiss? please.), check out sundevich.

i know i'll be back.