try this tuesday: the passing of time edition

Ready to hear something everyone else is saying today?

I can't believe it's November.

Like, wasn't it just July? or March, for that matter? Ah, the passing of time. I remember being in Kindergarten and thinking (very distinctly): "I have been in Kindergarten for.ev.er." And when I was a Sophomore in high school realizing I was not yet half way through high school, and it really bummed me out (I didn't enjoy high school). Two+ years seemed like eternity to me at age 15, and now it's practically the blink of an eye. (We've now been in Virginia for two years.) And now here I am wondering what the next two years will bring, and . . . I've come full circle to my last post. I spend a lot of mental energy on the passing of time. Can you tell?
Um. Anyway. I've been out of town a lot lately, which is making me feel slightly disconnected from the real world, but it's also really fun. Sam and I are headed to NYC this weekend, and a handful of weeks later, Bria and I are headed to Utah for a week. This year is practically over, and it's freaking me out. In the meantime, I have food to keep me grounded. or something. This is the food I'm obsessed with lately:

This salad will knock your socks off. I keep making it expecting the novelty to wear off, and it has yet to do anything but please me to no end.

Whole Foods brand crumbled blue cheese. In a salad, on slices of fresh pear, or just snitched from the fridge-- I just can't get enough.

This bbq sauce is . . . interesting. Sam and Bria l.o.v.e. it, but I am not wild about the Asian undertones (perhaps I'll omit or reduce the hoisin sauce next time?). It does however, make dinner a cinch. My freezer is packed full of small portions of the sauce, and my favorite quick dinner lately is a slew of oven roasted veggies, black beans, brown rice, and a scoop of this sauce all mixed together.

And because I know you just want more sugary things the day after Halloween on the brink of the holiday season: I dare you to make this carmel sauce and not attempt to drink it straight.

Wisconsin Wins

In August I was in a bit of a rut. It was too hot and humid to go anywhere, and I was more than a little tired of staying inside. I needed something to look forward to on the calendar to get me through the last hot weeks of summer, so I made good on a promise to visit Matt and Elisa in Wisconsin. I found a screamin' deal on plane tickets, and scheduled the visit for mid-October. Sure enough, it made those last weeks of summer fly by.

There were tornado warnings in DC the night I took off, and we were stuck on the tarmac for almost 2 hours before we were finally given the green light. Once in the air, we encountered some fairly terrifying turbulence. I've been on my share of bumpy flights, but nothing like this. Passengers were screaming, my neighbor offered to hold my hand, and it took a lot of self-control to keep my compsure (and, let's be honest, I'm not sure I succeeded). It resolved itself after several minutes, but it took the rest of the flight for my heart rate to return to normal.

 

Once I landed and met up with my welcome committee (Elisa, Matt, and Amanda), it was a non-stop party. There was a lot of Wisconsin-wooing, since they all work for a kind of incredible company in Madison, with mind-blowing facilities. (Hence the awesome pictures of me while taking a tour of the campus: on that rocking horse above and fighting Matt in the Dragon's Lair while he was on a conference call below.)

It was only fitting to eat a lot of amazing food, since the idea for this blog was born out of weekly dinners with Matt and Elisa when we all lived in Provo-- our friendship always revolved around food. Of note was the dinner at Graze, in downtown Madison. A soft pretzel served with a local soft cheese spread and three house mustards that changed my opinion of mustard. (from strong dislike to obsessive adoration.)

A cheese board which I failed to picture because we were all to eager to eat it, but which I devoured with my eyes closed (I didn't want any excess sensory stimulation to muddle the experience). A soft brie-like cheese with an ash rind, a cow-sheep-goat cheese that was my fave, a 10-year aged cheddar, and a blue cheese, all accompanied by a rustic house bread and apple butter rounded out my favorite-ever appetizer. I knew I should have taken the cheese list home just to remember the specifics of these show-stoppers.
Our entrees were all delightful, with Elisa's being the star. A gnocchi dish with butternut squash, brussels sprouts, goat cheese, sage (and more), in an aged balsamic brown butter.

Sunday was my last full day, so it was perfect to have a large meal with Matt, Elisa, Amanda, Kjerstin, and James. I felt so nostalgic cooking with everyone-- just like the good ol' days in Provo (though missing Katherine heartily!). I don't think any of us imagined we would be cooking together in Matt's apartment in Madison four years later. Our lives are all so different from what they were back then (and different from what we thought they would be now, I think). In whose kitchen and in what state will we be cooking dinner in another four years? ok. Enough navel gazing...
Matt really took charge on Sunday night and fed us well: two roasted chickens (with potatoes, carrots, and onions), acorn squash roasted with butter and brown sugar and stuffed with an incredible sausage stuffing. Kjerstin treated us to some delightful brussels sprouts, and I made a salad with craisins, candied pecans, pears, blue cheese, and a maple vinaigrette.

After gorging ourselves silly, we sat around chatting, sharing youtube videos, and watching the most recent Parks & Rec episode for the fourth time (treat yo self!), while eating M&E's pots de creme.

I flew home the next afternoon feeling so rejuvenated and happy. I was eager to see Sam and Bria, but really just wished they could come up to Madison to join in on the fun. I absolutely adored Wisconsin and could not have asked for better food (cheese!), better company, or a better autumn getaway.

Bethesda Delight / Bold Bite

Sometimes we wonder if we chose the right spot to live. I had some serious anxiety about balancing cost, size, DC-proximity, quality, public transportation when we were apartment hunting, but, for the most part, we did ok. I like to daydream and pretend that living on the hill would be practical for us, and sometimes I even entertain thoughts of apartments with more than 200 square feet per person. And, in all honesty, we often laugh about the fact that we probably should have chosen Maryland over Virginia, since Sam's contracts have been split between DC and MD (and never VA). 

But regardless of living on the opposite end of the metropolitan area, we have come to love Bethesda. Sam worked there for about a year (he's back in DC now), and it's one of my favorite spots. The neighborhoods are old and super posh, and the drive to Sam's office led us past schools such as Holton-Arms (boasting Julia Louis-Dreyfus as an alumnus-- did you know she's a billionaire heiress?). And besides a significantly less-crowded Georgetown Cupcake, there are plenty of restaurants to try, like Bold Bite.
(Should I be embarrassed that we went out to eat specifically for hot dogs so soon after our hot dog binge? [Because this was in August-- just over a month after the contest.] Well, no! I am not embarrassed! I have never hidden my love for hot dogs!)
Well, I'll tell you this much: I had an all-natural beef frank with ketchup, mayo(!), shredded cabbage, diced onions, and crunchy potato sticks, and it rocked. Sure, maybe after that and tons of fries my arteries were significantly more clogged and my blood sugar spiked, but it was oh, so worth it.

(guys, what is it about hot dogs? why do I love them so much?)

promises, promises

I don't know, guys. This ol' blog is sure struggling stay alive. But despite it being four years since I graduated college, there is still something about the  start of a new school year that makes me want to buckle down and get things done. I apparently never keep my blog promises though, so I am not promising anything. (Because then, when I do come back here, y'all will be super excited-- I just KNOW it!)In the meantime, last week was my sixth wedding anniversary. And Sam and I went out on a real live date, and let me tell you, those are very few and very far between. We went over to Shirlington to finally see Midnight in Paris, and I loved it with all my heart. I am so glad I knew nothing about the plot. It was such a lovely surprise. I kind of want to own it so I can watch it again and again. And now I have been researching plane tickets to Paris all week. (Purely hypothetical at this point.) (Also, random tidbit: did you know I studied French for seven years? C'est vrai.)
After the movie, we wandered over to Thai Shirlington, a place introduced to me by one of my all-time favorite people, Amanda. Even at 9 pm the weather was fantastic, so we sat outside to enjoy our Thai feast.
There was coconut shrimp, tofu musaman, and green curry. All delicious and wonderful. 

 

And then for dessert there was stuffed roti dough. Sam saw the mysterious thing on the menu and wanted to be adventurous. Something about a taro root jam stuffed into deep fried roti dough topped with taro root ice cream and and taro root chip. It was fun and cool, and I would totally get it again, but Sam testifies that it changed his life. It made him a better person, and I almost thought he would begin glowing or crying tears of pure gold he loved it so much. Moral of the story: I love marriage. I love Paris. I love Thai food. Yum.

Try This Tuesday/ Back from the Dead

I promise to return shortly with so many posts about all the crazy indulgent foods I've been eating this summer, which is why I have one very key recipe to share with you. For dinner last night (ok, and leftovers for dinner tonight, too), we ate vegan stuffed shells. It's all been a little much-- the burgers, the pies, the hot dogs, the cheesesteaks, the ice cream-- and a wholesome, vegan meal was so incredibly necessary. If anyone else can relate to my summertime gluttony then please let me know-- the buddy system may be in order to finding equilibrium again. The No Red Meat policy is back in full effect, and for the first time, I'm thinking of taking a break from dairy. I would cry if it weren't for those shells that tasted really cheesy. Actually, no. I will probably still cry.

Move Over, Joey Chestnut

*caution: do not read directly before or after eating.

I am now going to tell you about something a bit gross. It involves a lot of hot dogs.
You may be aware that on the 4th of July, in addition to being Sam's birthday, is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island. Sam has always had a fascination with competitive eating, so we decided to attempt an at-home eat-along this year.
Without thinking, I had created an awesome birthday breakfast, all ready to eat just two hours before the contest. No matter. We pressed forward. We boiled up a bunch of dogs and prepped the eating station.
The contest lasts for ten minutes, during which time you eat as many hot dogs (and buns) as possible. If you, ahem, toss your cookies, you are disqualified. We set some goals-- Sam: 10 Courtney: 2. And then we began.
I started slowly and finished slowly. Two hot dogs was definitely gross, but I didn't feel in any danger of my stomach exploding. I took the rest of the time to bask in my achievement and document Sam's journey.
Most competitive hot dog-eaters dip their dogs in water to help them move on down the gullet. (Nathan's Runner-up, Patrick Bertoletti, dips his in fruit punch.) If the whole thing weren't nauseating already, the thought of eating a soggy hot dog bun is enough to make me dry heave.

And just like that it was over. I chowed down my two with ease. Bria ate 1.5 (we didn't encourage speed with her, since we weren't keen on doing the heimlich). Sam dominated with a hefty SIX hot dogs. To say we all felt a bit disgusting is an understatement. I'm not sure I'll be able to eat a hot dog for another year or so.
But now let's ponder the reigning champion, Joey Chestnut, who pounded 62 hot dogs in ten minutes. SIXTY-TWO.

I'm sorry for ruining your appetite.

The Cake

Several weeks ago, I emailed Sam a list of possible cake options for his 4th of July birthday. He took a couple days to decide, but predictably went with The Cake that Shouldn't Be Called Cake-- a white cake with a sweetened sour cream filling and sour whipped cream topping with chocolate shavings.The only difference from this cake and the ones I've made before is I made the actual cake from scratch, rather than from a box-- obviously it only made it more delicious. We had a couple friends over for cake, ice cream, and You Don't Know Jack to help Sam ring in the big 2-9. The gathering was probably more for me than for Sam, but it doesn't feel very practical to make a huge cake for three people (especially when one of those three can't even eat a whole piece).The remaining cake stayed in the fridge for another two days while we sneaked bites here and there until the whipped cream was past its prime. I've really gotta learn how to make things smaller. Throwing away 1/3 of a cake just makes my heart hurt.Also, having a birthday on a holiday means this isn't the only dessert we were eating all weekend. Maybe I just need to learn how to stuff more sugary things in my stomach without passing out. Yes. That is a much better aspiration.