Beet Street Gardens: Good Food, Safe Space

My friend Virginia first told me about Beet Street Gardens a couple of weeks ago. It's the brainchild of Katie Aldworth who combined her love of community gardening and helping people.

Katie's raising funds to start three gardens, with trainings and workshops at three DC area organizations, including one that works with sex workers, a shelter for homeless teen mothers and a domestic violence shelter.



From March to October of 2010, Beet Street will teach, plant, maintain, and harvest sustainable food-producing gardens, and host workshops on gardening, food, health, nutrition, and cooking.

Katie has five days left to reach her fundraising goal. You can help make Beet Street Gardens happen - either with a donation, as a volunteer, or as a fan on Facebook.

I love that you can donate as little as $1.00, but that the more you give, the more you get involved! A donation of $100 gets you a cookbook with recipes from the people the garden helps. A donation of $1,000 gets you a dinner party for up to six using harvest from the gardens catered by Katie and a representative from one of the participating organizations.

You dig? Donate.

Note: Funds raised will go to seed starting equipment, soil tests, building materials, tools, compost, soil, seeds, plants, compost bins, materials for workshops and cooking sessions, canning and preserving supplies. Any funds raised above goal will go toward stipends and/or toward murals at the gardens!

*** UPDATE: Beet Street Gardens hit it's fundraising goal and we'll be sending updates on their progress as Katie reports. She's also gotten a request from a mental health organization for a 4th garden, so contributions are still being accepted. ***

Cleveland: Greenhouse Tavern by Jonathon Sawyer

When you talk nationally-known, celebrity chefs in Cleveland, Ohio, Michael Symon is the man. But Jonathon Sawyer, Symon's former Lola chef is an up and comer that I've been hearing a lot of buzz about - even as far away as Washington, DC.

I had a few hours downtime around lunch today in downtown Cleveland. I set off on foot planning to visit Symon's Lola (I previously raved about his burger/brats/beer mecca, B Spot.) But, just a few doors over was Sawyer's Greenhouse Tavern. I approached and checked out both menus in the window and apprised the lunchtime vibe.

I picked Greenhouse Tavern, partly to try something new, partly to get a head start on tasting a talented new chef, partly because the menu had a good selection of vegetarian, vegan, fish and meat, partly because it was locally sourced... but mainly, I fell in love with the front dining nook where being a single gal at lunchtime, sporting a camera to take food pics seemed perfectly suited.



I decided to be adventurous and to explore the vegetarian side of the menu. My first course was the simple French Breakfast Radishes with butter and salt. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed the crunch of the radishes combined with the pat of salty butter on top. I paired it with a glass of Sparkling Rose.


Next up, I had the Vegetarian Entree which was a Farro (a grain kind of like quinoa) cooked risotto style with white wine, parmesan cheese and artichoke hearts. It was hearty, winter heaven topped with a small bed of shaved celery salad and Italian parsley. I may or may not have licked the bowl and talked the hostess into spilling a few recipe secrets so that I can attempt this at home:


At this point, I knew a blog post was going to happen. It was simply one of the best meals I've had in weeks, maybe months. It's definitely the best vegetarian meal I've had. [NOTE: If he does make it onto Top Chef, when you see Natalie Portman or Zooey Deschanel walk in the room, it's time to fear Sawyer.]

Sooooo... I *had* to try dessert, right? The hostess led me to her favorite, the Caramel & Chocolate Pot de Creme, which definitely didn't disappoint. The crunch sea salt on top kept it from being overpowered by sweetness... and my perfectly prepared cappuccino sealed the deal:


I still want to try Symon's Lola (maybe for dinner...) but folks, when in Cleveland, you gotta also taste you some Sawyer.

PS. Seriously, one day, I will have a bathroom throne with a view like this:


PSS. Follow @TheGreenhouse and Jonathon's wife Amelia Sawyer at @chefswidow on Twitter.

Challenge: Black Trumpet Mushrooms

As you may recall, I had been delinquent in visiting my farmers markets and developing new skills by challenging myself to cook something I've never tried. I blame winter. Crawling out of a warm bed to walk around a cold outdoor farmers market isn't always on the top of my list. But if the farmers can wake up, stock the truck and drive into the city, surely I can roll out of my apartment building.

This week, I took the challenge of "The Mushroom Lady" at the Arlington Farmers Market. She sold me her seasonal black trumpet mushrooms which looked gorgeous and she swore they taste like earthy butter. When I mentioned pasta, she directed me to the fresh pasta vendor for some fresh tagliatelle. (She also directed me to the fish vendor for rockfish, but that will have to be another day as life and work got in the way.)

One of my favorite Twitter foodie pals suggested that I cook the fresh pasta risotto style and I'm so glad I discovered this method. The pasta was so much more flavorful than just boiling in water.


ROOKIE TIP: The mushrooms, well, they were perfect, but I was not. I could have given them a little more of a pat down, so I ended up with some grit, but I learned and next time will do better. One tip I learned also was to not wash them with water. Apparently, the way to go is dusting them with your hands or a damp towel.

Black Trumpet Mushrooms & Parmesan Tagliatelle Cooked Risotto Style
I made the portion just for me for dinner, so consider that if you need to make for a full table of guests.

Ingredients
- handful of cleaned black trumpet mushrooms
- two handfuls of fresh pasta (any kind would work, but I used a wide flat noodle called tagliatelle.)
- 1 clove diced garlic
- 1 cup vegetable broth (heated)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
- olive oil

1. In a heated sauce pan, drizzle olive oil and cook garlic until they start browning but don't burn.
2. Add pasta and coat with the olive oil.
3. Pour in half cup of wine. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring.
4. Every two minutes, add 1/4 cup of vegetable broth to the pasta. Keep stirring.
5. Add mushrooms and cheese. Stir. Continue stirring until liquid is absorbed and pasta is ready to serve.

Enjoy!


The final product, a hearty winter pasta using fresh, seasonal black trumpet mushrooms.

Today's Farmers Market Haul

Arlington Farmers Market: Croissant, Cranberry Orange Muffin, Sunflower Bread and Black Bottom Cupcakes from Atwater Bakery of Baltimore, MD, Tagliatelle from Cavanna Pasta of Richmond, VA, Black Trumpet Mushrooms from WestGrove, PA, Bloody Mary Mix and an apple from Toigo Orchards in PA,

It's time for a new Market Challenge... by decree of the Mushroom Lady my assignment is Black Trumpet Mushrooms! She insisted they are amazing with pasta... like BUTTAH. And also, she insisted that I walk right back over to Buster's Seafood tent and get a rockfish filet to go with it. So, game on. Send me any tips, recipes or ideas and I'll report back on the results.

PS. I'm EXCITED! Spring is around the corner.

DC Moments: Hey, Lama...

Actual Caption: President Barack Obama meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House, Feb. 18, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

My Dream Caption: ....And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Next DC Food Blogger Happy Hour: March 3

Do you have a food blog, want to start a food blog or want to meet the people behind your favorite food blogs in DC? Come out to Vinoteca and join us for the March 3rd DC Food Blogger Happy Hour!



Fan & RVSP on the DC Food Bloggers Facebook Page ... and we'll see you at Vinoteca!

Hosted by: Arugula Files, Beer Spotter, Biscuits and Such, Capital Cooking, Capital Spice, Common Man Eats, Dining in DC, Gradually Greener, Modern Domestic, Thrifty DC Cook & We Love DC

Bruschetta in the Blizzard

Dateline: Alexandria, VA Scene: Apartment, two fiercely independent people who usually like each other a lot trapped for the 5th day in 800 square feet. Time: Dinner

He wants: Totino's Pizza from the Shell station.

She wants: Something less packaged and involving vegetables.

The compromise: Bruschetta



Ingredients:
- Grape tomatoes (diced)
- Sliced baguette (we used an Asiago French bread)
- Sea salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil in bottom of the pan. Lay slices of bread flat on the oil. Layer the diced tomatoes on top of the bread. (If you have them on hand, you could add extra diced veggies or spices... we're in a blizzard and the grocery stores are ransacked, so we kept it simple.) Drizzle with olive oil and grind sea salt and pepper over the top. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, until slightly crispy.

Fudge Challenge: To Fluff or Not to Fluff... That is the Question...

On New Year's Day as we sat watching bowl games, the BF casually says, "You know, since you're learning all of this cooking, you should learn to make fudge." "Fudge?" I say. "Well, it was my favorite thing that my grandmother made," he replied. And, thus was born a new challenge. (He also wants me to learn to do fried chicken, but that's another post as anyone who knows my aversion to touching raw chicken will tell you.)

I wasn't sure where to start. Did I need a candy thermometer? (Yes.) Would a straight off the box recipe be what he sought, or would some fancy big name chef do the job? Per usual, I Googled, tweeted and came up with a menagerie of contenders.

There seem to be two camps: Those who use Marshmallow Fluff and those who do not.

For my first attempt, I used @nikki_d's fabulously simple fudge recipe and it was great. He loved it... so much so that I had to swipe half of the results and take them into the office so that he didn't eat it til he puked. Nikki's recipe is so simple you could tweet it, and I think I did. You melt 16 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler (If you are me, this is two sauce pans precariously held.) Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of salt. Whip in one can of sweetened condensed milk. Pour into pan and chill for two hours. slice and eat!

One tip that seems to be ubiquitous is that if you line the pan with foil, it's much easier to remove.

While that was good and satisfied his craving, he called in his Grandma's recipe from his mom and it just so happened to be in the Fluff camp. It also came to be that Grandma's super secret fudge recipe is also on the back of the Jet-Puffed Marshmalllow Fluff jar... but hey, who's judging... most of our family recipes probably are too! True to form, I tweaked a bit, but here it goes:

Melt one and a half sticks of butter in a large sauce pan with 3 cups of sugar and 5 oz evaporated milk (about a half cup). Stir constantly and bring to a rolling boil on medium heat. Boil for about four minutes or until candy thermometer reads 234 degrees F (I wonder at this point 1) how I actually own a candy thermometer and 2) who decided 234 degrees... kind of a random number) - while continuing to stir constantly so that it doesn't burn. Remove from heat.



Add in one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (the actual recipe calls for 12 squares of Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate but I used Ghirardelli chips) and one and a half cups of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Fluff. I'm sure it works with other brands of Fluff, but who am I to muck around with Grandma's secret recipe.



At this point, you add in one teaspoon of vanilla and any fixins (nuts, etc)... we're fudge purists so ours are straight chocolate. One FloridaGirl signature I added was to grind sea salt over the top. I love a salty-sweet combo.

Pour immediately into a prepared pan lined with foil (9x9) and let stand at room temperature for four hours or until completely cooled. Hint: If you set on your balcony in 29 degrees it sets pretty quickly. Cut into 1 inch squares... or if you are my BF, while I'm asleep, cut into 3 inch square and eat half. Store what's left at room temperature.

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

With the blizzard of 2010 entering night two, we were in full hunker down mode. Which means we'd been laying around, watching movies, and eating... A LOT. But I couldn't let gluttony bring me down... I had ingredients in the fridge... and I was bored... really bored. Next up on my blizzard blogathon was Vidalia's Mac-n-Cheese. Vidalia's a fantastic restaurant here in Washington, DC that serves high end Southern food for expense account budgets - or barfly splurgers like me.

For those of you who know me, you're probably thinking, really, you're going to attempt *Vidalia's* mac-n-cheese... maybe you should try Kraft's? But blizzards beget boredom and baking ambition. True to form though, there were going to be a few tweaks to the recipe. 1) I have no blender 2) I have no cheesecloth and 3) Whole Foods P Street had never heard of goat cheese curds. But it's noodles and cheese... how bad could I mess it up!

For this recipe, one of the most important things is to get all of your ingredients measured out for the sauce before you start making it because it needs constant stirring for 20 minutes. So measure it out and lay it out next to your stove top:



I started veering from the recipe by making the elbow pasta first and putting it aside. One less step to deal with while you're trying to get the most important part - the mornay sauce - done.

To start the mornay sauce, you melt 4 oz of butter in a sauce pan and add 2 tablespoons of sliced garlic and 1 cup of diced sweet onions (I used shallots because I had them on hand) until they become translucent. Then sift in 1/2 cup of unbleached flour, while constantly stirring to ensure that nothing sticks or burns. That's the toughest part. If you made it this far, you're in the clear. Next up add 1 pint of half and half and 1 quart of heavy cream to the sauce pan and stir. At this point, not having cheesecloth to make a sachet, I just added a pinch of bay leaves, rosemary and thyme to the sauce and continued stirring for a total of 20 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat for 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooling down, add 1 and a half cups of grated white cheddar (you can also use goat cheddar, but I couldn't find it at the grocery store) and 1 cup goat cheese (or goat cheese curd, again which I couldn't find) and stir into the sauce. [Take a moment here to pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.]



Season with salt, pepper. The Vidalia recipe called for additional seasonings of mustard powder, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper, but I didn't have those so I used a spicy cajun seasoning that I had on hand and it was fine. I didn't blend or sieve like the recipe called for either, just whisked and kept stirring until it was all combined.



Combine the cooked elbow pasta in a large mixing bowl with the cheese sauce and any additional ingredients - I used prosciutto, but you could also use lobster, crab, truffles, ham or bacon.



Thouroughly combine and pour into a large baking dish. Top with crushed 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers and bake for 30 minutes. Make yourself a glass of wine to celebrate... the next step is enjoying the deliciousness!



Remove and serve. Sit back and let your family, friends or even your internal monologue tell you what an amazing cook you are!



Full Vidalia recipe here. Make reservations at Vidalia here.

Blizzard Brunch: Croissant & Chocolate Bread Pudding

Make this. Make this ASAP. It is one of those dishes that sends not only your taste buds, but all of your emotions into a frenzy... one of those dishes that makes your guests gasp, "This is the best thing I have ever put in my mouth!!!"... one of those dishes that people talk about for years to come and ask you the recipe for...

I read about Croissant & Chocolate Bread Pudding on Real Simple's website and it sounded hearty for a snowed in brunch. But I was unprepared for how amazing the first bite was.

To start out you buy or bake 6 croissants. Shred them into pieces. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg & a little ground salt and whisk together. Fold in the croissant pieces along with 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate chips ( I used Ghirardelli).



Pour the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish (I actually used a 3 qt sauce pan.)


Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes - until a fork comes out clean.



If you're like me, you won't be able to wait for it to cool because the smell is too compelling. Scoop yourself a serving & enjoy right away... or, fine, you could let it cool and serve it to guests.

Full recipe on RealSimple.com here.

PS. I am not messing around. This rivals my Jalapeno Cheese Grits that everyone dies for. Make. It. Now.

Blizzard Baby Back Ribs & Grilled Parmesan Potatoes

When stocking up for Washington, DC's anticipated 2-3 feet of snow, there was a near yuppie riot at the local Whole Foods. I'm talking lines outside... one in and one out... but racks of ribs were on sale and I had grand ideas about fun food to make, so in I went. In anticipation, I had tweeted looking for recipes and stumbled upon SavoryReviews.com's "BBQ Sans BBQing" concept. By immersing the ribs in liquid smoke, spices and beer at a low heat, the blogger promised that I could achieve BBQ right in my oven.

I was shocked at how well it worked! The meat was falling off the bone and the sauce had carmelized on the outside of the ribs. We accompanied it with Parmesan Potatoes (recipe below) made in our grill pan placed in the oven as well.



BBQ Recipe Here.

Parmesan Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of small round potatoes
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- shredded parmesan cheese

1. Set pot to boil. Wash potatoes and puncture each with fork. Place potatoes in boiling water until cooked almost all of the way through (about 5-6 minutes). Remove from water, drain and set aside to cool.
2. Drizzle olive oil on grill pan. Cut potatoes in half and place face down on grill pan. Sprinkle with ground salt and pepper.
3. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the potatoes face up. Sprinkle tops with shredded parmesan cheese. Place back in oven until cheese has melted on top.
4. Serve.

Recipes for a Snowed In Weekend

I'm culling the Internet for inspiration and a massive grocery store run for this weekend's predicted 12-18 inches of snow in DC. I know I won't make *all* of these, but I had to share some of the more insanely delicious looking ones in case some of you do (and report back!)

Breakfast Quinoa by Alejandra Owens at One Bite at a Time, inspired by Martha Stewart
I've become semi obsessed with quinoa, but I've only had it in savories for lunch or dinner. Dying to try this sweet breakfast version.


Local DC restaurant Vidalia's Mac n Cheese
I haven't been to Vidalia in quite a while, but one thing I recall they do *really* well is the mac n cheese. Thanks to Washingtonian magazine for getting the chef to spill the recipe.

Greek Nachos by VanillaKitchen.Blogspot.com
I suspect if shut indoors for 3 days, I'm going to ingest my body weight in Tostitos and cheddar. This looks like a great option to switch things up come Superbowl Sunday.

My Giada deLaurentis inspired Butternut Squash & Vanilla Risotto
Hearty, enjoyable to make, cheesy and sweet at the same time. You won't be disappointed.

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella by Michael Chiarello
After all of the heavy stuff, it might be nice to have a winter bread salad option to lighten things up.

Arugula, Bacon & Gruyere Bread Pudding by Gourmet Magazine. I've had this made by @skinshoos and can verify it's an amazing savory for breakfast or lunch.

Papardelle alla Carbonera by Lisa Fountain of What Lolita Eats
This one comes my Boston based fellow Floridian expat blogger Lisa. The photo sold me before I even looked at the recipe. Also love that it runs with that breakfast for dinner vibe that snow weekends call for...


This indoor Baby Back Ribs recipe from SavoryReviews.com
The man loves the ribs. We have no grill. Probably unsafe to drive to Chilis. And, Whole Foods has baby back ribs on sale. Voila!

Almost No Knead Rustic Bread (also known as Crack Bread for it's addicting qualities) at AdventuresInShaw.com inspired by Cooks Illustrated
Everyone swears by this bread. This could be the weekend I try it out.

Croissant & Chocolate Bread Pudding by Real Simple Magazine
This piqued my interest on the heels of the amazing Chocolate Almond Croissant that I had a Bouchon in Vegas last week.

Baked Eggs by PeteBakes.com
I'm a sucker for anything you can bake and serve in cute ramekins.

Sweet Potato Bacon Biscuits by Emeril Lagasse
Emeril, you had my boy at bacon and me at sweet.

Shrimp & Corn Chowder by Real Simple Magazine
I ripped this one out of the magazine on a flight a few weeks ago. Looks filling, but up my non-meat eating alley.

These hot chocolate recipes from Jenna Huntsberger at Modern Domestic
A variety of warm, chocolatey to warm you up on the cold days.

A Floridian's Guide to Surviving Snow

I've lived in DC for 10 years now... *gasp*... a full-on decade. Here are a few things I've learned over the years to pass on to fellow Floridians who find themselves living "up north"...

1. Wellies are the new flip flop.
They are cute, easy, comfy & typically the best ones are simple and plastic. No matter what the weather throws your way, toss on your wellies and tromp through it as easily as you would a sandy beach.

WINTER WIN:

Pic via The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style

WINTER FAIL (But I still do it for pedicures):


2. If your car is parked outside in a snowstorm, brush the snow off before it gets wet and hardens.
I'm notorious for hibernating or playing in the snow and ignoring as it accumulates on my rig. By the time I have to head to the office, I typically find myself brushing snow off and scraping my windshield which has now hardened like Magic Shell. Toss on the wellies, some gloves and your warmest jacket and do it while it's still soft, pretty and fluffy.

Actual pic of my car during Washington, DC's December #snOMG

3. Always have your camera handy. Your fellow Floridians back home love them some #snowporn. (Use fun hashtags on Twitter, like #snOMG, #snowgasm, #snowpacalyse to share the experience)
Snap pics and send them to your friends and family back home who are enamored by the white stuff. They love seeing them - even if it's just shots of your feet or your neighborhood parking lot. And, if you live somewhere as photogenic as Washington, DC, don't hesitate to veer out of that traffic jam, park and snap gorgeous shots. Here are a few from Tuesday's snow covered landscapes on the National Mall.

Geese flying by The Washington Monument



Trees in front of The Washington Monument... it's back there, I promise...


The White House

4. Enjoy it! Lord willing, we'll all be living back at the beach one day and we can tell tall tales about our crazy experiences to people who have never left the state!

DC: Zola Wine & Kitchen

In case you aren't aware, today is National Tater Tot Day... and as a tater tot aficianado, I needed a fix. Zola Wine & Kitchen's Goat Cheese Tater Tots (always on the menu) are light and fluffy... almost like a creamy mashed potato cloud encased in a crunchy exterior. I accompanied mine with the Sweet Potato and Lobster Soup with a dollop of Crème Fraiche (a daily special) which was warm and hearty for a 20 something degree day.


My fellow foodie, @frijolita, chose the other daily special, a Roast Lamb Quesadilla with Red Pepper Pico and Whipped Goat Boursin which she pronounced delicious.


Confession: The first photo I snapped when we walked in Zola Wine & Kitchen today was of these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. We *had* to split one... especially when the cute chef insisted that he bring it to us at the table so that we didn't have to wait in line again. *Swoon*


If you're in the neighborhood check it out. They also offer a wine store and cooking classes... which I need to take advantage of since my blogs are leaning *way* more restaurant review than farmers market challenge these days.