Soup Season

Soup season is upon us - cool, fall weather perfect for enjoying a warm soup with bread, cheese and a glass of wine for dinner.  So I've decided to share one of my favorite soup recipes - Potato Leek Soup.  This version uses bacon (of course there is meat in the recipe, would you expect any thing less from moi?) and heavy cream -- just in case you needed some fat content.  

To give credit where credit is due, my recipe is adapted based on this recipe for Creamy Potato Leek Soup II on Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
8 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into big chunks
4 cups chicken stock
2 leeks, sliced and chopped
1 pound of bacon
1 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste


Preparation 
1. Peel and dice potatoes in large chunks
2. Place potatoes in a pot with the chicken stock, boil potatoes until tender (about 20 minutes)

I like bigger potato chunks so that when they cook and break apart you still have some good sized potatoes

3. While the potatoes are cooking, dice bacon and cook in a large skillet until browned (dicing the bacon makes it cook faster)

Yumm... bacon!  You can leave this out if you are vegetarian

4.  While the bacon is cooking, slice and chop the leeks

Cut the white and green parts

5.  When the bacon is nice and crispy, remove bacon with slotted spoon.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.  Add the leeks to the bacon drippings and cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.

Stir often!

6.  At this point, your potatoes should be done.  Check for tenderness.  Then grab your potato masher (or a fork) and break about 1/2 the potatoes in the pot to create a creamy texture in your soup.

Masher + Potatoes = Creamy Soup Base

7.  Add the leeks and bacon to the pot with the potatoes and chicken stock.  Stir and then pour in 1 cup of heavy cream.

Delicious cream

8. Let the soup warm over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the flavors blend.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
 
9. Serve immediately!  Or you can cool and freeze to enjoy later.

Big chunks and little chunks!

Meat and More Meat!

If you read my blog, you have probably come to realize that I really enjoy meat a great deal.  It doesn't even have to be real meat.  My favorite snack is a Slim Jim with a slurpee - and I think of Slim Jims as meat.  I like jerky.  I love scrapple.  And I will choose a hot dog over a hamburger any time.  I think it's because I grew up in New Jersey. Or I just have random taste buds.  Either way, I could never be a vegetarian willingly.

This past weekend, we enjoyed a great deal of meat dining on Korean barbeque at Hee Been in Annandale.  For those of you who don't live in the DC area (or don't venture down to the suburbs), Annandale is the home of great Korean restaurants (Little River Turnpike to be exact).  Sure, you can go to Woo Lae Oak in Tyson's, but come on, that's not the real deal.  

If you have never had Korean BBQ, you should know that it's awesome.  You select different types of meat and they cook it on a grill at your table.  And then they bring all kinds of side dishes like kimchi, roasted seaweed, and pickled vegetables.  When the meat is cooked, you make little Korean burritos of meat, sauces, and rice wrapped in lettuce.  I am sure it's an acquired taste for some (especially the kimchi) but it is really good and everyone should try it once.  

At Hee Been they have a whole buffet of sushi and Korean BBQ (among other things) but we focused on the Korean BBQ.  I started off with some Miso soup and then we got to cookin'!

Look at all that meat cooking!

We got lots of side dishes like kimchi, cucumber kimchi, seaweed, lettuce and other things I can't recall.  At a buffet it's sort of nice to get one of everything.  And then we cooked up bulgogi (thinly sliced beef) and I think I grabbed galbig (marinated short ribs).  

Add extra sauce and make it spicy!

Delicious as always!  Our Korean BBQ dinner hit the spot, nice and spicy.  We were definitely full when we left and I had no room for dessert.  As an extra bonus, it looked like they were setting up for karaoke.  We had to leave and missed the show (every hour counts when you have a babysitter, people!) but I guarantee there was some Gangnam Style.

 

Hippie Central: DC Green Festival

Check out my post over at Capital Cooking from the DC Green Festival.  

The scent of patchouli was in the air, tofu was being served by the pound, and I wore elephant dung around my neck.  It was all I could do not to start a drum circle...

Frieten and Falafels

I have been fortunate enough to travel to Amsterdam twice (once while in college and again on a side trip after attending my friend's wedding in England) and the food there is delicious.  I remember eating a lot of street food including a good amount of frites (similar to french fries) with a mayonnaise dipping sauce.  So when I saw the write up for Amsterdam Falafelshop in the Post's Washington 40 Essential Eats, I vowed to make a special trip up to Adams Morgan just to try it out.  

I will go to Adams Morgan and attempt to find parking, just for you Amsterdam Falafelshop

Like most locations in Adams Morgan, the shop is tiny with about 5 tables and a few bar stools to eat at (with a cool counter design made of 'menus' from the various coffeeshops in Amsterdam).  The menu is simple - they offer frieten and falafels.  You basically can order a large or a small falafel sandwich (small = 3 falafel balls, large = 5 falafel balls) and frieten (Belgian french fries).  I really like places that only offer two to four things on their menu because chances are, they do those menu items really well and aren't distracted by trying to do too much in terms of selection.  

They even take Euros!  But what about the guilder?  Hmm...

I got the small falafel sandwich and my husband and I split an order of frieten.  Amsterdam Falafelshop has an extensive topping bar to select different accompaniments for your sandwich.  They have all kinds of toppings including yogurt dill sauce, hummus, red cabbage, pickled beets and fried eggplant.  

So many choices and only one sandwich to work with...  Nooooo!

There is a special technique involved to be able to smash down the falafel balls and load up on the maximum amount toppings.  I have not mastered it yet, but I feel that with some practice, I could get pretty good.  For my sandwich, I added the yogurt dill sauce, jalapeno cilantro, and some tomato/onion mixture.   

The toppings make every sandwich different than the last

My falafel sandwich was fantastic.  The falafels were so good - crispy and spicy with definite flavor of cardamom.  And the toppings were the perfect additions.  Halfway through my sandwich I ran low on toppings.  You know that means - a trip back to the topping bar!  This time I opted for the garlic sauce and the red cabbage.  The special treat for my lunch were the frieten.  

Even served in the paper cone like they do in Amsterdam

The frieten were golden and lightly salted - yum!  And the mayonnaise dip was expertly crafted - creamy and smooth (very different than American mayonnaise which can be bitter and is not the same when dipping frieten).  As an added bonus, they provided the wooden picks to spear your fry and dip!
  
It was well worth the wait to find the time to get up to Adams Morgan for lunch at Amsterdam Falafelshop.  I would love to go again and try different combinations of toppings.  If only parking weren't so difficult!  Maybe there is an Amsterdam Falafelshop food truck in the makings?  

Oktoberfest Beer

Today is the first day of October and the last week of Oktoberfest -- a 16-day festival celebrating beer in Germany.  In honor of Oktoberfest, we held a little Oktoberfest beer taste test competition this past weekend (and we had some extra time on Friday to go to Total Wine). 

Since this was not my idea, I got to relax as my husband prepped the competitors for the main event.  Bonus.  There were six beers entered in the race: 

• Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Marzen
• Spaten Oktoberfestbier Ur-Marzen
• Paulaner Oktoberest-Marzen
• Weihenstephaner Oktoberfestbier
• Harpoon Octoberfest Beer
• Dominion Octoberfest Maerzen

Reminded me a little bit like the "waterfall" drinking game from college

Almost all of the Oktoberfest beers had the dark amber hue, but the German beers were definitely darker than the American versions.  The obvious outlier was the Weihenstepahner, which was light honeyed color.  We both tried each beer, starting with the Hacker-Pschorr. 

The first three beers tasted very similar (the Hacker-Pschorr, Spaten, and Paulaner) - malty and smooth.  The Wiehenstephaner was really light and smooth, didn't feel as heavy as the other three.  As an extra bonus, it had this awesome picture on the six pack box.

Had I known this was what nun life was like, I might have chosen a different "path"

The other two were the American Oktoberfest-style beers.  I am no beer connoisseur, but these beers paled in comparison to the German brewed beers in terms of flavor and smoothness.  The Harpoon was decent, I would drink it if I were in a bar and it was on tap.  But the Dominion beer was pitiful.  It was like they just added more malt and slapped on the "Oktoberfest" label.

Finished everything else, except for the lonely poor-tasting Dominion

So, I went back to try my hand again at the three German Oktoberfest beers that were the amber color to discern a difference.  This time, I noticed a slight difference in the Spaten.  It took me a while to put my finger on it, but there was a different malt flavor that lingered after you drank the Spaten.  It was a little sweet.  And that did it for me, I declared an Oktoberfest beer winner -- the Spaten!

Winner, winner, pork and kraut dinner!

My husband was okay with my declaration of the winner, but he really liked the Weihenstephaner.  I think it had to do with the "woman in a uniform."  Turns out, he's not so picky when it's in the fridge and the game is on.

Enjoy the last week of celebrating Oktoberfest with some delicious beer!

 

Guess Who's Back? Sawatdee Thai in Arlington!

Today is a day of celebration!  My favorite Thai restaurant in Arlington, Sawatdee Thai, is back open for business after renovations.  I have been going to lunch at Sawatdee Thai for over 10 years, ever since my original office building was located in Courthouse.  That's some commitment.  

Many Thai places have come and go in the Arlington area including Tara Thai, Sala Thai (now where a huge high-rise apartment complex is being built), and Thai at Corner.  I have tried them all, but Sawatdee Thai always wins out as my favorite. It's like a time honored tradition.  

So when they closed this summer for renovations, I was heart-broken.  I was like a lost puppy wandering around the streets of Arlington craving curry and larb gai.  But low and behold, the renovations are complete and Sawatdee Thai has opened its freshly painted doors to patrons.  YAY!!!  I crave Thai food generally every week and now my Thai restaurant is back!  

I went for lunch the other day and it is lookin' good.  They redesigned the bar and the seating, but the layout is still the same.  And more importantly, the food is still outstanding.  I ordered my usual - Gang-Dang (the red curry chicken).  Oh spicy, delicious curry chicken, how I've missed you!

there you are, you've been hiding you naughty curry

The menu has generally the same items as before, but new pictures and design.  Fine with me, why mess with a good thing. 

Lunch, as always, was yum -- great spicy Thai food.  I am so glad Sawatdee Thai remained true to its core, offering the same great food with an updated dining experience.  Good things should never change...



   

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake

It is starting to feel like Fall here in the Washington, DC area (thank goodness, I think the sweltering heat is behind us) and I love to celebrate fall with apples.  They are fresh, crunchy and delicious.  A perfect healthy treat for my son's snack time and super easy to pack.

In addition to snacking on apples, I also like to use apples as the base for a number of dishes including cakes.  Now, I will admit, I am not a great baker.  In fact, any time I see the words "level with a knife" for measuring flour, I get the shakes.  So, a few years ago I found this recipe for an Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake in Cooking Light magazine and it was super easy to make so now I make it all the time.  I thought I would share it with you so you can enjoy some apple cake and celebrate Fall!  PS.  I modified it to include real apple chunks....

Ingredients 
Cake:

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats 
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces) 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 apple 
• 3/4 cup chunky applesauce 
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 large eggs 
• Cooking spray  

Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter 
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted 

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 

2. Combine oats and 1 cup hot water in a small bowl; set aside (BOWL 1). 

3. Peel, core and dice apple into 1/2 inch pieces.  

4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking soda, and salt (BOWL 2).  

5. Combine 1 1/3 cups sugar, apple pieces, applesauce, 1/3 cup honey, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 1 minute (BOWL 3).  

Three bowls come together in one great cake!

6. Add oat mixture to the sugar mixture (BOWL 3); beat at low speed until well blended. Add half of flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat well. Add remaining flour mixture; beat well.  

7. Spoon batter into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place dish on a wire rack.  

Throw me in the oven...

8. To prepare frosting, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly, stirring constantly. Stir in almonds. Quickly pour frosting over cake; spread evenly using a rubber spatula. 

9. Preheat broiler. 

10. Broil cake 1 minute or until frosting is bubbly and golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with whipped topping; sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired.

The frosting really makes the cake (and I didn't have almonds)

It all comes together in a yummy apple cake with a sweet frosting - a great, simple dessert made with Fall fruit!