txaggie

CALLING ALL CHEFS: If you're free tomorrow evening and can help out with a demo station at the Brainfood Grill-Off, please PM me. The demo station is informal...Feel free to make whatever you like and the guests will walk by and see what you're cooking, sample, and chat. Tickets are still available. There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms for tomorrow evening, but the Brainfood Grill-Off will happen rain or shine. The event takes place in an indoor carriage house and a tented courtyard. We expect another successful event and look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow evening.

It's not too late to buy tickets to this year's Brainfood Grill-Off. For more information about Brainfood, visit www.brain-food.org.

Please join Brainfood for a great outdoor evening of food, cocktails, wine tasting and a spirited grilling competition. Watch teams of award-winning chefs, amateur grilling afficionados and Brainfood program graduates compete for top honors and the Brainfood Skillet Award. Brainfood serves a critical need in the DC youth community. Brainfood uses food and cooking to teach life skills and healthy living to our area's youths in a safe and positive environment. 100% of ticket sales will help Brainfood to continue to offer after-school and summer institute programs, including hands-on instruction, educational field trips and guest chef demonstrations. Each pair of tickets purchased will buy food for one teen in Brainfood's summer program. This is not your average charity event - it's fun, casual, outdoors and competitive!! Brainfood Grill-Off WHEN: Thursday, June 11, 2009 from 6:30pm to 9:30 pm WHERE: Decatur House on Lafayette Square (1610 H Street, NW, Washington DC) ATTIRE: Casual What to Expect Celebrated DC chefs participating in the Grill-Off including Daniel Giusti, 1789 Restaurant; Cedric Maupillier, Central Michel Richard; Teddy Folkman (DC's own finalist on the current season of the Next Food Network Star), Granville Moore's; Jonathan Krinn & Jon Mathieson, Inox Restaurant; Shannon Overmiller, The Majestic; Glenn Babcock, Nage; Anthony Chittum, Vermilion; and Bryan Moscatello, Zola & Potenza. A repeat performance by WJLA's Leon Harris as master of ceremonies. Brainfood program graduates showing off their talents in cooking demos. One-of-a-kind auction items including a dinner party personally prepared by one of the region's finest chefs. Tickets are $75 and include dinner, open bar and auction. Buy your tickets now!

Yesterday's Red Wiggler share included 4 hot peppers 2 green bell peppers 4 cucumbers 1 bag of green beans 6 red tomatoes 1 box of tomatillos 4 zucchini/squash 1 small eggplant 2 pints of cherry tomatoes 8 heirloom tomatoes

If anyone is interested in picking blueberries, they are still plentiful at Butler's. cjsadler and I picked 10 lbs of blueberries before the heat got to us.

Today's loot from Red Wiggler Farm: Spring onions 2 kinds of turnips Beets Garlic scapes Squash Kale Mixed greens Kohlrabi Blueberries I've eaten the blueberries already.

It's not too late to buy tickets for the Grill-Off (tomorrow at 6:30-9:30pm at the Decatur House). The silent auction will include... - A 5-course wine dinner for 8 people at Zola - A magnum of Trefethen Library Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 - 4 Washington National baseball tickets (Nats vs. Phillies on Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:10pm; Section 115 Row L Seats 9-12)

I wanted to remind everyone that Brainfood's 2nd Annual Grill-Off is this Thursday, from 6:30-9:30pm, at the Decatur House, and it's not too late to buy tickets. The following is an updated list of participating restaurants, vendors and contributors: Zola, Granville Moore's, Zaytinya, Jaleo, Oyamel, Coppi's, SurReal Vodka, Grateful Palate, SYSCO, Restaurant Nora, Rasika, Mio, Comet Ping Pong, Equinox, Cafe Mozu, Sauza, Cruzan, Jim Beam, Plymouth Gin, Heineken, Winesellers LTD, Komi, Voss Norwegian Spring Water and Proof.

For the first time, I am splitting a share at a CSA (Red Wiggler in Damascus) with a friend. This week it was my turn to pick up the goods and here's what I got. arugula, onions, radishes, garlic scapes, kale and strawberries I'm looking forward to experimenting with new recipes and to seeing what kinds of fruits and veggies the season will bring!

I can't speak for Chris, who I know cooks for himself regularly on weeknights, but to post pictures of dishes I've made would mean that I'd actually have to cook, and I can't remember the last meal I cooked at home (well, other than pumpkin bread). I definitely will do more cooking in June!

The goal for our final day in Portland was to visit as many restaurants and neighborhoods that we could. On Sunday night we stayed a Bed & Breakfast in Newberg called the Avellan Inn. Breakfast (no pictures) was homemade granola and muffins (both had hazelnuts from a local farm), yogurt, fruit, cheeze blintzes with candied apples, and for dessert, strawberry rhubarb fool with whipped cream. If you have not ever stayed at a B&B, you should. It's a nice change from the usual large chain hotels. Charming, quaint, old school decor in many of them. The owners of B&Bs are often really creative with their multi-course breakfasts, and you are bound to meet some interesting characters too. The first time we stayed at B&B was in Northern California and the other guests came to breakfast dressed in period pieces from the gold rush era of the town. This time, the other guests were a young couple who work at a non-profit in South Nashville called Harvest Hands. Before lunch at Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl District, we stopped at Portland's Rose Garden. Unfortunately, only a few types of roses in bloom. I can only imagine what a spectacular site the rose garden is when the flowers have blossomed. What was in bloom in Portland and the surrounding areas were rhodedendrons. Gorgeous! Lunch at Deschutes (the brewpub has only been open for a month and was packed)...A beer sampler and burgers cjsadler's favorite beer was the Mirror Pond Pale Ale ("A classic American pale ale that uses generous quantities of Cascade hops, offering a lush floral aroma with a balanced malt body") and mine was a seasonal beer called the Cinder Cone Red ("Original and distinct, Cinder Cone Red has a rich malt flavor and a reddish color derived from caramel, malt and roasted barley. Amarillo and Tettnang hops balance the toffee flavor.")

Pictures from Sunday's dinner at the Dundee Bistro. Impeccable service, the food was cooked well and seasoned perfectly. And to top it all off, we were able to sample some of Oregon's finest strawberries (now in season) in a lovely strawberry shortcake. The meal: Hammacher Pinot Noir Rose (a good complement to the pork but not the short ribs) Pork with mushrooms and leeks and a pea risotto Braised beef short ribs with polenta, bacon and truffles Cheese plate with blueberry jam and local roasted hazelnuts (front: Midnight Moon, middle: can't remember the name but it had a little drizzle of truffle oil, back: name? but there was rosemary in the rind) Strawberry Shortcake (both the shortcake and the whipped cream had a hint of lemon)

Hi everyone - We got back from Portland and Oregon wine country this morning. Catching up on work stuff but we'll post recaps of the last 3 days of our trip tonight/tomorrow morning. Binni

Team 1 was the winner of the cooking competition. They made stuffed mushrooms, a pasta dish with chicken, and crepes. Graduation is a sad and exciting time. It's neat to see the changes that happen in our students as the school year progresses, and graduation is a time when they can show their friends, families and teachers how much they've learned at Brainfood. However, it's hard to say goodbye to our students, especially the seniors who are moving on to bigger adventures. I hope to see the kids who are not seniors in the fall, and look forward to many more exciting and fun times as a Brainfood volunteer.

This was my 4th Brainfood graduation, and by far the one with the most students, friends, and families. A great turnout, and always cool to see the support of the families of our students and other friends of Brainfood. Eight teams of 6 students each competed in an iron chef competition while the rest of the students prepared snacks for the guests. For the cooking competition, a group of 6 students had an hour and 15 minutes to make 3 dishes and completely clean their tables and any cooking materials that were used. There was a selection of miscellaneous ingredients (a potato, onions, green peppers, lettuce greens, etc.) and spices at each table: All tables also had access to the same amounts pots, pans, and other cooking tools that the groups could use to make their 3 masterpieces. While students cooked, others prepared some of their favorite dishes from this year for their friends and families to snack on: Kabobs Spanokopita Black bean and mango salsa with homemade pita chips: Skordalia, a Greek potato dip Brownies Chicken and strawberry salad (on crackers and cucumber rounds)

Brainfood's graduation was a roaring success. I'll post pictures and a recap in the morning. We leave for Portland at 8:30am tomorrow. Once we get there, the plan for tomorrow is lunch at Caprial's Bistro, dinner at Park Kitchen, coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters (some time in between meals) and exploring in the Pearl District.

An update: ABC 7/WJLA's Leon Harris will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Brainfood Grill-Off. Participating Restaurants, Vendors and Contributors will include Zola, Granville Moore's, Zaytinya, Jaleo, Oyamel, Coppi's, SurReal Vodka, Grateful Palate, SYSCO, Restaurant Nora, Rasika, and Proof. Hope to see you all there!

So, this evening is Brainfood's graduation. For those of you who have not heard about Brainfood, it is a non-profit youth development organization located in Columbia Heights and Chinatown. Using food as a tool, Brainfood builds life skills and promotes healthy living in a fun and safe environment. The program is for DC high school students, and I've been a Wednesday volunteer for over 4 years and a board member for a little over a year. As a volunteer, I help where I'm needed - cooking advice, teaching an occasional class, clean up, set-up, etc. - and I take a lot of pictures. Honey spiced cake with marzipan bees Russian food day - braised radishes and beef stroganoff Beef day - Empanadas Healthy cooking - hummus The graduation is an opportunity for the students to show their friends and family what they have learned during the school year. It's a two-part event - Open Kitchen and an Iron Chef competition. For Open Kitchen, the students have prepared a sampling of the favorite foods they've made during the year. For the Iron Chef competition, a group of students are paired with a volunteer, given a market basket of ingredients and one hour to cook 2 dishes. The groups are judged on creativity, plating, how they worked as a team (did everyone participate?), etc. It's a fun time for all! By the way, more information about our annual fundraiser, the Brainfood Grill-Off (June 12 at the Decatur House) can be found here.

Shortly, after cjsadler started volunteering at L'Academie, I also signed up to be an assistant, and like he said, we were hooked. We began cooking together, hosting dinner parties and documenting our meals with photographs and posts. We like to surround ourselves with people who enjoy food (many of whom also like to cook) and, like many of you, consider eating an experience rather than something you do to survive. But don't think we agree on all things food. I don't cook for myself (Chris does). I like cooking with others for others. On weeknights, I need a meal that turns into leftovers for lunch the next day. Chris can always have a multi-course meal for dinner. I bake cookies, cupcakes, brownies, quick breads, etc. Chris bakes desserts that require TLC. He remembers details about food and wine. I'm lucky if I remember if I liked the meal! But we both enjoy well-paced restaurant tasting menus and entertaining with friends. And dinners out often turn into a discussion about how we can recreate the dish at home. For you animal lovers out there, let me introduce you to my cats, Max and Smokey. Max Smokey Max is very much a foodie cat. Here he is trying to get into a box of Girl Scout cookies. I hope you all enjoy the blog. On the agenda for tomorrow is Brainfood's Graduation. More about that in the morning.

We need your support! Brainfood is a non-profit youth development organization with locations in the Columbia Heights and Chinatown neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Using food as a tool, Brainfood builds life skills and promotes healthy living in a fun and safe environment. Brainfood will be holding its second annual Grill-Off on Thursday, June 12, 2008, at the Decatur House (on Lafayette Square) from 6:30-9:30pm. The Grill-Off is a cooking competition. Each team (5 people plus 1 Brainfood student and 1 professional chef from a local restaurant) will receive a surprise pantry and market basket of ingredients and cooking tools and will have one hour to create a culinary masterpiece. The Grill-Off will be judged by a panel of local chefs and celebrities, restaurant owners, and Brainfood students. This year in addition to the Grill-Off competition, there will be wine tastings, signature Brainfood cocktails, a silent auction, cooking demos, and much, much more. How you can get involved in the Grill-Off: Become a sponsor (the various levels of sponsorship which include tickets to the event, ads in the program book, your company's logo on all event signage, and other benefits). Come enjoy the event as an individual ($75/ticket which includes dinner, open bar, and entertainment). Purchase your tickets now! If you're interested in becoming a corporate or individual sponsor, attending the event, or learning more about this organization, please PM me, and I will send you some additional information. Thanks! Binni Volunteer and Board Member

Friday's dinner was seared scallops and red bell pepper risotto topped with asparagus and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc to drink.

Whole Foods (4530 40th St NW, Tenley Circle) will generously donate 5% of store proceeds to Brainfood on Wednesday, April 9. Brainfood is a youth development program that uses food as the tool to teach DC high school students life skills and healthy living in a fun and safe environment. Activities include hands-on cooking classes, lectures, field trips and community service projects. Brainfood After School students will be conducting in-store cooking demos. Please stop by to say hello and pickup some of your favorite Whole Foods Market products and support Brainfood's youth at the same time. Hope to see you all on Wednesday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, legant!

A couple of weeks ago cjsadler's aunt was visiting. She loves to eat, so we made dinner for his family and her. The theme this time was Spanish tapas. To start, we had roasted red pepper and crab dip, toasts, and meatballs in a tomato sauce. Dinner, served family style, was leek and goat cheese phyllo triangles, garlic shrimp, apple and manchego salad, roasted potatoes, and chickpea and chorizo stew. Dessert was a layered almond cake with creme fraiche cheesecake. The biggest hits of the night were the crab dip, leek and goat cheese triangles, the apple and manchego salad, and the dessert.

Dinner on Wednesday (made by cjsadler) was gyros and mixed veggies. Dessert was dried cherry compote with fennel shortbread and mascarpone. The gyro recipe was from a recent issue of Cook's Illustrated. The dessert recipe was from Food and Wine this month.