mame11

yes! It has to be refrigerated. I don't know how long it will keep but I just read the can... :-)

So, while I was in New York I picked up something the Thai store said was Tamarind Paste but on the can it said Tamarind Concentrate. Regardless I powered through the recipe. It does not taste the same or nearly as good as what I get at Thai restaurants. I think Pad Thai will have to remain a comfort dish I get at a restaurant. Sigh. ETA: I wish I had read the Chez Pim posting before I tried again tonight. Maybe I'll try again another day... ETA Again: Um, it seems one of the ingredients I used was not safe as I didn't realize Fish Sauce has to be refrigerated. Live and learn and realize I need to take a food safety class.

Wow! Whoopie Pies? That's cool. My muffins seem fine, a little dense. Somehow my muffins are always dense. What kind of filling did you make for the pies?ETA: Woke this AM and remade the muffins. Found an oatmeal pumpkin recipe to which I added chocolate chips. However, I added too much baking powder this time but they are definitely lighter than my first batch. Had to run them out to friends before they completely cooled but they smelled and looked good. Again used oatmeal because I wanted the texture and the grains. I'll report back and post the recipe if my friends provide a positive review.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins. Using a recipe that turned out not to call for pumpkin, and having to add the baking soda after I mixed everything, I am anxious to see how they turn out. And am prepared to make another batch. Sigh.

I need a blog.

I've learned something in Washington that I never realized... a lot of people, including chefs, who get media attention have publicists. In the food world sometimes there are official outside publicists, and sometimes its a member of the restaurant staff or even a spouse or sibling of the chef or owner. Also, it seems more and more chefs are competing on shows to launch their careers. Sadly it seems to work. Just my $.02 cents.

thanks Ol Iron... I look forward to stocking my bourbon bar. And hopefully never needing a piece of furniture to do so!

I would go to Rockefeller Center for a late afternoon skating session followed by dinner at one of the restaurants, even the cafe, that overlooks the rink. I suspect they'll be open.

I am new to the world of whiskey. I've recently discovered bourbon (because before I had a yummy drink at Bourbon the spirit did not exist). Last night I had some jack daniels drink with orange juice at Marvin, and last week had a Manhattan for the first time. I am very interested in learning more about the genre/species of spirits considered whiskey. Other than going on a bender and tasting every kind imaginable, how can I learn more?

No, they don't. They have a history of going after people who use the name in a way that is confusingly similar to their use of the name (i.e. a sports bar) or when used to make unauthorized merchandise. Just because the NFL has rights in the mark SUPER BOWL for use on an athletic event (and related products and services) does not give them rights to the name against all users and uses. An owner of a trademark only has rights in the mark to the extent that a consumer can be confused as to the source of the goods or services, or if an endorsement could be implied. Here, it's an Asian noodle shop unrelated to football (from what I can tell). It would be a very unreasonable consumer who could be confused as to the source of the goods or assume that the NFL somehow endorses the restaurant.

JMac... I don't think the NFL will send a cease & desist against an Asian restaurant that serves noodle soups in a bowl. Unless there is some sports theme I don't know about, the likelihood that a consumer will be confused as to the source of the goods or services, or that there is an implied endorsement, is quite low,. (note, this is not legal advice nor should it be considered such. It's my opinion and that's it.) Here is why I checked this thread: is this restaurant metro accessible? If so, I might have to go tonight!

To clarify my "shame" statement... it's the bakers and prepared food vendors to which I was referring. Produce in DC is very impressive. In fact, I spent a great deal of time in LA this summer and at the markets around the area. While the diversity of produce was amazing, I thought the quality in DC was better. So... to edit my post in retrospect, I wish there were more bakers and prepared food vendors at the markets in DC instead of one or two at each market.

I have a chess pie in the oven. It looks much more promising than my first attempt. I also have made a batch of chocolate chip cookies to take to a baseball tournament. After my pizza making last night, I have to say my apartment smells wonderful!

A quick two day trip to New York where my lunch meeting was at the renamed Houston's in midtown which was as good as Houston's always have been (most consistent restaurant across the board). Attended an event at the Boat House in Central Park. My first time at the venue/restaurant. I wonder how the food at the restaurant is because it would be worth a visit for the view alone. Had a break between meetings and jumped off the subway at Union Square to walk through the green market. It puts the DC markets to shame with the diversity of vendors. Discovered after a long walk that Zabar's closes at 7:30 during the week. Who knew? (an aside, during my walk I stopped at Jacques Torres to buy some treats. I wish I hadn't opened the chocolate covered cornflakes this morning because they might not make it through the day. )

What a wonderful way to spend what seemed to be the first day of fall. I am convinced that I didn't eat that much over the course of the day but I am probably deluding myself. There were so many favorites, including the incredible pate en croute with pickled veggies. The MDT pate was delicious as well as the chopped chicken liver, er pate. The ribs were superb this year, and the crispy bacon I snagged from the bacon explosion was yummy (and the only bacon in evidence at the picnic... the trend is declared over!) The red beans and rice were authentic and delicious. The Thai curry soup was a decadent treat. My favorite side among the great sides was the rice salad and I hope the person who brought it will post the recipe as I could see recreating it soon. Oh and the veggie torte. Oh and the braised carrots, eggplant thing and homemade sour dough bread. Desserts? Really? Where do I begin... the GoodEats Cake/Pie/Cake was really good. The carrot cake was divine. The brownies were literally a chocolate explosion, and really good. The mama's torte (in English, in Italian it sounds as pretty as the dish) was an eye opener on how to bake with fruit. Everything else was really good too. If we kept score, I'd say the food at this picnic was the best! But we don't keep score we just mark the days until the next picnic. Thanks Leleboo for taking the task on this year. It was a great day!

are you really making that cake/pie hybrid? WOW!

I'm bringing pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Really, they are mostly pumpkin. I'll probably make a batch of plain chocolate chip cookies too... okay, I've already made the dough and it's resting in the refrigerator in anticipation of being sliced for the DR picnic eating pleasure. There are a lot of cookies being baked tonight. Soon I'll prep the coleslaw. (Oh, no pie. I wasn't in the pie baking mood tonight...)

Never did I expect to drink bourbon. I don't think I could drink it straight still but Bourbon has introduced me to many a cocktail I would have normally eschewed in favor of something ginny or vodkaey. This summer at the Glover Park it was the most delicious cocktail that had balsamic vinegar and bourbon, tonight in A-M it was a bourbons, bitters and simple syrup concoction. Every time I have eaten at Bourbon I have greatly enjoyed the food. The sliders are perfect little hamburgers. It is reasonably priced good food. My friends and I ended up at Bourbon tonight by accident. We had intended on having a decadent happy hour at New Heights only to discover the entire restaurant was closed until 7:30. On a Friday night. No note on the door, nothing on the website. I don't think I'll choose it for a similar evening ever again... a short walk to Bourbon was not a terrible thing. ETA: maybe it's better than good. The chicken nuggets were declared by all at the table to be the best they had had. They were hearty little bites of white meat handily fried in a well spiced batter. The red apron mortodela (don't blame me for spelling pre caffeine) on a pretzel roll was a hearty treat. The sliders were great, well cooked and nicely flavored.

at my niece's elementary school in georgia nothing that requires a knife can be brought as a treat... um.

Oatmeal with a chopped and baked empire apple. Just what I needed for the last day of a busy week.

I'm thinking of a crudite platter. I'd like to make a chess pie too. I'll see how the weekend goes and what they have at the farmers' markets. thanks to those organizing.

peanuts... set to boil. probably started too late in the day. it'll be a long night!

I know! I thought it was going to be an after hours event both days and was surprised that it was an all day event. One thought, though, is that would be a great area for a permanent food trailer court like they have in Austin and other places.

One of the farmers at 14th&U gave me an idea for okra that has served me well this year since I kept buying it and forgetting about it! Toss the smaller pieces in a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt of some kind. Lay them individually on a cookie sheet and roast them in a pre-heated oven until they become browned and crispy (IIRC about 30-45 minutes). Eat like potato chips. Yum. (I think the only thing you can do with the really long pieces is slice and stew... but I could be wrong about that.)

On this chilly day, I made a pseudo soup out of pantry items: frozen black beans, sauteed fresh corn from Garners and frozen spinach. It wasn't soup in the traditional sense but it's fortified me for the frosty weather. (yes, I know it's not cold enough for a frost but wasn't it 90 degrees 2 weeks ago?)