Whole Foods Dinner: Not Your Whole Paycheck
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Last night, in a hasty desire to cook a good dinner, my boyfriend and I swung by the Whole Foods on 14th Street in D.C. on the way home from work. Though it has unarguably great products, it’s all too often that Whole Foods becomes synonymous with Whole Paycheck.
But on a mission to not spend a whole paycheck’s worth on quality groceries (as my stomach growled more vigorously as the hour crept closer to dinnertime, it was hard not to pull everything off the shelves), we roamed the store on a strict budget. And succeed we did, with dinner for two, for under $20. And it was a really good dinner.
Since hunger, not time, was on our sides, we picked out four ready-to-cook herbed and seasoned chicken thighs, a fresh (still warm, oh yes) baguette (I couldn’t help ripping off a hunk from one end of the warm baguette as we walked back to the house four blocks away), a large portobella mushroom, and fresh goat cheese. Lastly, we made an arugula salad at the salad bar. Total cost: $18.02.
That comes out to about $9 per person, and we still had two leftover pieces of chicken, and about half of the baguette and circle of goat cheese. If you doubled the salad quantity, you could easily feed four for about $5 per person.
Now, let me tell you how good this dinner was…simplicity is good.
To start, we made our salad with fresh arugula, shredded beets, jicama, zucchini, corn, and feta cheese. We made our own dressing at home with a little bit of balsamic vinegar, whole grain mustard, honey, hot sauce, olive oil, and salt and pepper. I swear I could have eaten just this salad for dinner, it was that good. There’s just something about fresh arugula, with its sharp bitter taste, mixed with the slightly sweet and tangy flavor of beets and balsamic dressing that is impossible to beat.
Arugula salad with corn, beets, jicama, zucchini and feta with homemade balsamic-honey dressing
Next, we made our crostinis by slicing up the baguette, topping each piece with a smear of goat cheese, and then adding the sauteed portobella mushroom on top. To cook the mushroom, we simply sauteed it in butter and balsamic vinegar, with a little salt and pepper, and then chopped it up and added it to the bread and cheese. We ran out of mushroom for one row of the bread slices, so we just used goat cheese and a drizzle of honey for those. Then we sprinkled all of them with some herbed basil and pepper and popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes while the chicken was baking.
Goat cheese and honey/goat cheese and portobella crostinis
The chicken was the easiest– we literally just transferred it from the saran-wrapped package to the oven. And man, did it come out ever so juicy and tender, with so much flavor from the herbs. Normally I would opt to buy plain fresh chicken and season it myself, but this package just looked so good, so easy, and was ridiculously cheap.
The whole dinner.
So, as it turns out, it is possible to shop at Whole Foods without making it your Whole Paycheck.
For Whole Foods locations near you, go here.
-Julia Harbo
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Butternut squash mac and cheese and green salad- the perfect meal!
As you may or may not know from a previous post, butternut squash is one of my very favorite things to eat during the fall. It’s sweet, warm and gives you that yummy in the tummy, good for your wholesome feeling. Its dense flesh and robust flavor work well in a variety of dishes, from sweet to savory. And yesterday I found yet another reason why this gourd reigns supreme- butternut squash mac and cheese.
I mean, how can you go wrong with either of those things? It’s comfort food times 10! Plus you’re adding more vegetables and less cheese, but I swear your kids would not be able to tell the difference.
You will need:
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 box of whole grain pasta
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of water
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups of your favorite cheese (use one kind, or mix and match!)
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon of pepper (or to taste)
a couple pinches of nutmeg
First, peel one medium sized butternut squash and cut into cubes. Toss the cubes, 2 cups of whole milk and one cup of water into a large pot with 2 cloves of garlic, a couple pinches of nutmeg and one chicken boullion cube.
coming to a boil
Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until tender. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 and cook your pasta as directed. I used a whole grain rotini, because I think it really absorbs and holds more sauce, but you can certainly use any kind you like.
Once cooked, dump your squash and milk into a food processor or blender and add the yogurt (or sour cream), salt, pepper and let ‘er rip! And please use extreme caution because the mixture will be very hot!
Dump your squash blend into a large mixing bowl and add the best part- the cheese!
Now, I used a mixture of sharp cheddar cheese and monteray jack but get creative! Use whatever kind of cheese you like! Swiss, gruyere, even blue cheese- I feel like there’s really no wrong answer here.
My squash and cheese puree
Once your pasta is cooked al dente (just shy of being done), toss it into the mixing bowl with the squash puree and give it a good stir.
Mixed with the pasta... mmm!
Oh man, I’m getting hungry just looking at the pictures again!
Mix together your parmesan and breadcrumbs- this is going to be your topping.
Once everything incorporated, pour it all into a 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle with your parmesan and breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, until the top has a nice golden brown crust.
Now bask in your heavenly creation.
The result!
This does make quite a lot, so unless you have a family of 5, you may want to think about halving the recipe. Or just have it the next day for lunch- both are good options!
So easy, healthy and absolutely delicious- it’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening! This one is definitely going in my permenant recipe collection!
– Jennie Whistler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, October 17th, 2011
In my book, there’s just nothing quite as good as Sunday brunch.
When it comes to the first meal of the day, I’m a firm believer in breakfast food. In the battle of breakfast food (cereal, eggs, pancakes) versus lunch food (sandwiches, salads, burgers) as the first thing in your mouth for the day on the weekends, I will always choose breakfast. (Disagree if you want, but I just can’t fathom putting a sandwich in my stomach without properly having breakfast first.)
It’s during the loved weekends when sleeping in late wins and you’re faced with the decision of taking the breakfast or lunch route that these dilemmas arise. So whoever invented brunch really figured out how to please both parties of both breakfast and lunch. Where else can you see such two separate entities bond over a mealtime table in such great harmony?
At Eat-Bar‘s Sunday brunch this weekend, that’s where!
Unfortunately, we missed the Big Screen Cartoon Brunch Series screening (it started at 11, a bit too early for myself after a late Saturday night), but were still able to gawk over the delicious sounding brunch menu while enjoying a bonus brunch amuse bouche of mini doughnuts with Nutella glaze.
Complimentary doughnuts with Nutella glaze? Mmm, yes please!
For me, it was a tough decision choosing between the different breakfasty options, including the sunny side up farm eggs with homemade pastrami hash, house smoked salmon, and scrambled eggs with chorizo and black beans.
I took the breakfast route (of course) and got the eggs over easy with bacon, home fries and toast.
My friend Michelle took the lunch route and got a good ol' cheddar cheeseburger.
Here you have it– breakfast and lunch, eaten together in perfect harmony for Sunday brunch!
Eat-Bar is located next to Tallula at 2671 Washington Blvd. in Arlington (open nightly beginning at 4 p.m. and Sundays for brunch, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; 703-778-9951).
For more NoVA brunch ideas, go here.
-Julia Harbo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, October 17th, 2011
This Saturday I ventured out to Rustico‘s Oktobeerfest in Alexandria. Offering over 50 different beer drafts all day, Rustico was teaming up with neighbors Buzz Bakery and Planet Wine to raise funds for their non-profit partner Arcadia.
I think it’s safe to say they earned a great amount of money this weekend.
I arrived at around 3 p.m. and after waiting in a short line received five free tickets, as promised, for showing a picture of myself standing in front of the Braddock Road Metro (they were, however, all out of the other option of a free glass Oktobeerfest beer mug and only offered the ceramic ones for purchase for $10, which I was mildly disappointed by).
Upon entering the festival area, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The space was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with beer-thirsty people; and though it was otherwise an absolutely perfect warm and sunny fall day, I began to sweat and feel like I was a cooking grain of rice jam packed among 500 others in a boiling pot. (It was at this point that my boyfriend and I agreed we’d rather have been told the festival was at capacity instead of them letting us inside.) But we’d just paid $40 in tickets and wanted some good, cold beer, dang it.
I risked punching my fellow Oktobeerfesters in the side and was able to pull my arm through the crowd and up in the air to get this picture.
With our eye immediately on the Hoptober beer labeled on a sign that I could peek a glance at between bobbing heads of people in the crowd, we went over and stood in the area of the crowd that we guessed was the line. After about 10 minutes, we watched the beer-pouring employee tear down the Hoptober sign and barely read his lips form the words “all gone.”
Since we couldn’t actually move anywhere else, it seemed like we were standing in another line to get beer from any of the other kegs (of the supposed 50+ beers on tap) and when inquiring what kind of beer it was, the woman behind me (who, with whom I shared so much skin, could have been mistaken as my siamese twin) whined “I don’t even care anymore.” When we finally got to the front of the ‘line,’ we didn’t know what kind of beer was in the keg in front of us, but the man in the Oktobeerfest t-shirt informed us that the “sour, very sour” beer would be “9 tickets each.”
Maybe I’m just missing an affinity to sour beer, but oh man, was it sour.
One of the serving tables. Sadly, they were all out of turkey legs by 3:15.
The high note of the afternoon was the short line for the mustard braised pork shoulder sandwich with red cabbage and apples. We got lucky and snagged a corner of one of the few small standing-height tables to pause for a minute with the food.
Mustard braised pork shoulder sandwich with red cabbage and apples, and our sour beer.
Hungry for more, we went towards the brat dog tent where we saw people coming from holding amazing looking dogs piled with bacon braised sauerkraut. We had been waiting in a mess of a line for about 20 minutes when the server shouted out to the hungry crowd that everyone on the left side (our side of the mob) had to be ordering the BBQ pulled pork sliders and everyone on the right side was for the brat dogs. It was then that we gave up and pushed our way through the crowd toward the exit.
On the bright side, all of the staff members were very pleasant and helpful despite the mayhem. The ticket booth bought back our unused tickets (we donated five to Arcadia) and the hostess inside Rustico, where we went to see how long a table for two in the restaurant would be (an hour, we were told, because the kitchen was backed up), was very friendly and apologetic to us.
Perhaps the good weather simply brought way more visitors than expected; perhaps we got there too late in the day. If I go back next year, I would like to see more available beer with shorter lines and about one-third of the crowd. Regardless, it was a busy day for a good cause and I’m hopeful in saying that the event must have been a success for at least some people in the crowd.
-Julia Harbo
Fall Harvest Wine Dinner at BRABO
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, October 17th, 2011
Photo by: Len DePas
Robert Wiedmaier Hosts Five-Course Fall Harvest Dinner with selected French wine pairings
BRABO by Robert Wiedmaier is hosting a five-course wine dinner prepared by Executive Chef Robert Wiedmaier and Chef de Cuisine Chris Watson this Thursday, October 20, featuring seasonal dishes inspired by the fall harvest, paired with French wines selected by sommelier David Kurka. Chefs Wiedmaier and Watson and sommelier David Kurka will lead a conversation about each course, as well as the pairings throughout the evening.
The cost for the dinner is $125 per person, excluding tax and gratuity and reservations are required so call now!
The Menu:
Amuse Bouche
Baton of Crispy Sweetbreads, Meaux Mustard Dipping Sauce
*paired with Champagne, Roederer, Brut, Collection, NV
1st Course
Ravioli of Petit Gris and Foie Gras, Parsley-Lemon Essence
*paired with Pinot Gris, Chateau D’Orschwihr, ‘Zinnkoepfle,’ Alsace, 2008
2nd Course
Roasted Diver Scallop, Sea Urchin Butter with Tobiko
*paired with Chenin Blanc, Pascal Janvier, ‘Cuvée du Silex,’ Jasnières, Loire Valley, France, 2010
3rd Course
Squab with Wild Mushroom Roulade, Cabernet and Roasted Shallot Reduction
*paired with Grenache Blend, Domaine du Pourra, Cotes du Rhone Village, ‘Séguret,’ 2006
4th Course
Veal Medallions with Salsify, Madeira and Green Peppercorn Reduction
*paired with Merlot Blend, Château Beauregard, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, 2001
Dessert
PlumTart, Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream
*paired with Sauternes,La Fleur d’Or, Bordeaux, France, 2006
Photo by: Len DePas
Critically acclaimed and award-winning Chef Robert Wiedmaier is transforming Alexandria’s dining scene with his new Old Town trifecta. Adjacent to the boutique Lorien Hotel & Spa, the elegant BRABO Restaurant, casual and lively BRABO Tasting Room and The Butcher’s Block, A Market by RW, are each distinctive reflections of Wiedmaier’s passion and award-winning talents. These spaces, created by renowned New York-designer Vicente Wolf, are as engaging as Chef Wiedmaier’s signature cuisine.
The entire team is committed to making BRABO the best dining experience in Old Town Alexandria. Gluten-free options are available for guests with food allergies, as well as vegan and vegetarian fare.
FALL HARVEST WINE DINNER AT BRABO
Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. - Space is limited. For more information or to make reservations call 703.894.3440 or visit www.facebook.com/braborestaurant or www.braborestaurant.com
BRABO by Robert Wiedmaier: 1600 King Street, Alexandria
– Jennie Whistler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, October 14th, 2011
Image: Raffalo/Shutterstock
No, really…that isn’t a disparaging phrase, it’s an honest question.
You can bite them, slice them, peel them, cook them, coat them in caramel, dip them in peanut butter…oh, yes, the list is endless.
My personal favorite way to eat an apple is plain, fresh and raw—there’s nothing better than first crunchy bite through the tough and bitter skin, making way to the sweet, juicy, slightly yellow inside. Some people eat the entire apple raw, core and seeds included (I know, but you’ll grow an apple tree in your belly!).
I’m not that extreme of an apple purist, but I do love apples, and all the things you can do with them. And what better time to enjoy apples than in the fall? That’s why I’m putting together a blog chain that will glorify the apple and all the things you can do with them, with one apple recipe per week.
The sun is shining (hopefully), the sky is blue, the air is getting crisp but not too cold, grocery stores are more stocked with apples than they’ve ever been, and all the local farmers markets and orchards are up and running. So go out there and get yourself some apples…how do you like them apples?!
This week’s recipe:
Benjamin likes them apples.
I decided to put my words to practice and went apple picking this past weekend. I went with my sister and 16-month old nephew and got some deliciously fresh and crisp Fuji apples. Trying to think of what to do with a bag of 15+ apples, we decided to make something traditionally fally (and yummy) and went with apple crisp.
Traditional Apple Crisp
From SparkRecipes
5-6 medium sized apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the apples and cinnamon and place in a 9-inch greased baking dish. For the topping, mix together the remaining ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle over the apples. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the apples are soft and the topping is golden brown.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Northern Virginia Apple Orchards (in alphabetical order):
Crooked Run Orchard (37883 East Main St., Purcellville; 540-338-6642)
Hartland Orchard (3064 Hartland Lane, Markham; 540-364-2316)
High Places Orchards (121 Winesap Lane, Flint Hill; 540-635-5537)
Hill High Farms (933 Barley Lane, Winchester; 540-667-7377)
Hollin Farms (11324 Pearlstone Lane, Delaplane; 540-592-3574)
Great Country Farms (18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont; 20135)
Graves Mountain (Graves Mountain Lodge, Route 670, Syria; 540-923-4231)
Mackintosh Fruit Farm (1608 Russell Road, Berryville; 540-955-2161)
Marker-Miller Orchards Farm (3035 Cedar Creek Grade, Winchester; 540-662-1980)
Nichols Farm (1832 Chapel Road, Middletown; 540-869-1258)
Richard’s Fruit Market (6410 Middle Road, Middletown; 540-869-1455)
Rinker Orchards (1156 Marlboro Road, Stephens City; 540-869-1499)
Stribling Orchard (11587 Poverty Hollow Lane, Markham; 540-364-3040)
Virginia Farm Market (1881 North Frederick Pike, Winchester; 540-665-8000)
-Julia Harbo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, October 14th, 2011
Image: Kzenon/Shutterstock
Guten tag once again! Your friendly weekend guide to all the best Oktoberfest celebrations is here!
You don’t want to miss out:
Oktoberfest at Döner Bistro
October 13-16. Döner Bistro is proud to host the fourth annual Oktoberfest Celebration in Leesburg under the big Fest Tent! Döner Bistro, 202 Harrison Street, Leesburg; (703)779.7880; Free
Rustico’s Oktobeerfest Celebration
October 15, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. The raucous Alexandria block party is set to outdo seasons past this year, with live music, a wine and bubbly garden, family-friendly activities, German inspired food, and of course, beer! Rustico, 827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria; (703)224.5051; Free admission, beer tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance
Visit our calendar for more events going on this weekend in your area!
– Jennie Whistler
Historic Bourbon Producer A. Smith Bowman Now Offering Distillery Tours
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Image: Alexandr Vlassyuk/Shutterstock
For those of you who don’t know, the historic A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg goes way back. Abram Smith Bowman started distilling bourbon back in the years before Prohibition and, after the repeal of Prohibition in 1927, moved to Virginia with his family to continue his bourbon distillation on what was then called Sunset Hills Farm in Fairfax County.
The distillery is now in Fredericksburg and continues to produce a variety of Bourbon whiskeys, rum, vodka and gin.
Their newest offering: distillery tours.
Open to the public, the tours will last one hour and will teach participants about distillation, barreling and bottling of bourbon. The tours will allow participants to see the museum, still house, barrel warehouse, and barrel dump and fill room, as well as sample the bourbon and other products.
Tours will run at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday-Friday or by appointment.
“We are very excited to expand our role in Virginia tourism,” Master Distiller Truman Cox of the historic family-run distillery says.
For more information, visit the distillery website at www.asmithbowman.com.
A. Smith Bowman is located at One Bowman Drive in Fredericksburg (540-373-4555).
-Julia Harbo
October is Virginia Wine Month
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Did you know that October is Virginia wine month? That means that if you’re looking for something different to do this weekend, look no further because the Virginia Wine Academy’s got you covered!
(Image: Washingtonwineacademy.org)
This Friday (and every Friday in October) they’re offering wine cruises along the Potomac where you can kick back, relax and enjoy some amazing local Virginia wines!
For $55 get 15 tastes (or combine your tastes for full glasses) of some of the best wines this state has to offer. If you’re feeling a bit peckish, there will be a wide array of snack to choose from.
Each cruise is 90 minutes and offers some of the best views of the DC skyline.
Virginia Wine Cruises on the Potomac are offered every Friday in October and depart from the SW Waterfront at 700 street.
Cruise Times:
6:30 – 8:00 PM – Boats board 15 minutes in advance and leave on time.
8:30 – 10:00 PM – Boats board 15 minutes in advance and leave on time.
NOTE: You will be scheduled on the cruise you sign up for and we will not be able accommodate late or early arrivals due to capacity of the boats. These cruises are expected to sell out.
Go here for more information or to purchase tickets.
Founded in 1999, The Washington Wine Academy is the premier wine education center in the Washington DC area and educates more than 1,000 wine enthusiasts a month.
Washington Wine Academy Education Center
1201 South Eads Street, Suite 400
Arlington
(703)971.1525
– Jennie Whistler
Experimenting in the Kitchen: Homemade Granola
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
Yesterday I felt like trying something new– homemade granola.
I’m a big cereal person and got into granola about five years ago. When I was in college I would fill up a heaping bowl of “Low-fat granola” every morning in the dining hall and eat my heart out; then I learned just how much, despite the label, unhealthy fat and sugar was actually in there.
I started looking for healthier granolas in the grocery store, and there are a lot out there, but they can add up to a lot of money spent quickly. Recently my friend told me how she started making her own granola and how much easier and more fun it is than buying it in the store. Plus, it’s much cheaper and you can’t beat the sweet, cinnamon-scented smell of fresh granola baking in the oven.
The essentials to homemade granola are quite simple. All you need are dry oats (I like to keep a big canister of Quaker Oats in my cabinet at all times), oil and sugar, or any other liquid/sweetener replacements, and whatever else you want to throw in there. I’ve seen recipes that use mixtures of canola oil and brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey and water. Typical throw-ins are any kind of dried fruit, chopped nuts, wheat germ or flax seed (if you want a healthy boost), shredded coconut, even chocolate and/or peanut butter; it’s really up to you– that’s the best part about making your own granola!
The batch I made used honey and water instead of oil, raisins and dried pineapple, fresh apples (that I picked this weekend!), chopped walnuts and almonds, and cinnamon.
Honey, Apple, Nut and Cinnamon Granola
3 cups oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts and almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/2 cup chopped fresh Fuji apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup water
On a deep baking sheet, pour out the oats and the rest of your dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon or your hands. In a separate bowl, whisk together your water and honey, then pour over the oat mixture on the baking sheet. Mix together and spread out evenly. Bake for 20-30 minutes on 300 degrees, stirring occasionally. Granola is done when it looks toasted brown and feels crunchy enough for your liking.
I enjoyed mine warm out of the oven in a bowl with almond milk. It would also be good over Greek yogurt or, heck, even plain! Store in an air-tight container to enjoy for weeks!
-Julia Harbo