Pumpkin Soup

The other day my boyfriend and I were discussing how little pumpkin is used (particularly in the canned form) after Thanksgiving. I personally love the flavor of pumpkin and think it can be used well after the holidays, in both sweet and savory dishes. In fact, recently my friend had a Top Chef pumpkin competition where all invitees were asked to bring an appetizer, main course, or dessert using pumpkin – and the results were quite interesting! Not only were there such things as pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin cheesecake, but there were such surprises as a pumpkin pie cake, a pumpkin chili, and most delectable to me – roasted pumpkin with a garlic yogurt sauce, a recipe that I have made for a dinner party after tasting it at the competition – delicious! (Note: For the pumpkin challenge, I made Martha Stewart’s pumpkin bread pudding with a dulce de leche sauce – it also turned out quite well.)

I have never really cooked with pumpkin in a savory way, minus recreating the roasted pumpkin, but my boyfriend (who is also quite creative in the kitchen) and I decided we could take on the challenge and created a dish from scratch using the canned pumpkin left in the cupboard.

Our results are below:

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
2 sausages (Johnsonville brats work best)
1 cup spinach
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup skim or 1% milk
Dash of whole milk (depending on level of thickness)
Fresh chopped sage, about 3 leaves

Directions
1. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. When the pan is hot, add chopped or broken sage leaves (about 3 or 4) and 3 minced garlic cloves.
3. Reduce heat to medium-high and add diced onion, cook until soft and translucent.
4. Next, take both sausages and slit lengthways, peeling off the casing. Once off, cut the sausages lengthways and dice into 1/4 inch cubes; add to pan.
5. Once sausage is cooked all the way through, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.
6. Next, add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan (wiping down excess oil before use) and heat to medium-high.
7. When the pan is heated, add 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin and 3 cups 1% milk; stir to combine.
8. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and add sausage and onion mixture and 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans; stir to combine and simmer.
9. Add a dash of whole milk and 1 cup of spinach, simmer for at least 5 minutes before serving.
10. Serve with a French baguette and Enjoy!

While I know that soup may not be the most creative of dishes, I will say that the flavors melded nicely together and with the addition of the sausage, it was quite hearty. Upon tasting it, I was immediately filled with warmth and memories of Thanksgiving! It perfectly complimented the insanely cold weather and gave us the opportunity to further prolong the holiday season. Enjoy!

The Bloody Mary

Happy New Year! As we move into 2012, I am assuming that most if not all of you waited until today 2 January to start your New Year’s Resolutions. As one of my friends said, you cannot expect to even think about eating healthy or working out the day after you’ve rung in the New Year. In fact, I am assuming that many of you did not head to bed until well after 2012 started, as was the case with me. I spent New Year’s Day curled up under my favorite blanket watching movies, leaving only to partake in my favorite meal of the day: brunch! While I was not hungover, there was little to no chance I felt like doing much of anything or imbibing any of the drinks I consumed from the night before – so where do you go when you have eliminated champagne/sparkling wine, gin and tonics, wine, port, and beer? The obvious choice was not only the perfect cure for the previous night out, but the perfect brunch drink: the Bloody Mary. It tasted delicious – it was the perfect mix of spice and pepper, with a little dash of the hair of the dog.

The Bloody Mary is not only one of my favorite drinks (if made properly), but probably one of the most complicated drinks. The drink has an endless amount of components and each person has a different idea of how it should be made: spicy or sweet, vodka or gin, pickle or celery, old bay or salt rimmed, etc. There are an endless array of recipes and concoctions for this drink.

I am very picky about my Bloody Mary–it must be spicy, have some sour element from a pickle or an olive, have a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and always must include the obligatory celery stalk. My recipe is below:

Kate’s Bloody Mary’s

1. Fill a pint glass with ice and add 2 to 3 ounces of vodka (Absolut is my preference)

2. Next, add a dash of celery salt, two dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of olive juice, and hot sauce and ground pepper (to taste–depending on how spicy you want your drink)

3. Add tomato juice (I use either spicy V8 or Mr. and Mrs. T’s Spicy Bloody Mary mix). Using a spoon, stir until drink is properly mixed

4. Add a celery stalk and olive. Finish off the drink with ground pepper and a dash or two of hot sauce (to taste) and garnish with a lime

As I finish this post, I think it is worth commenting on a couple of places I have been to recently that have surprised me in their Bloody Mary making:

*The Heights in DC: This restaurant actually has a proper/interesting make-your-own Bloody Mary menu. The menu can be found using this link: http://www.theheightsdc.com/menu.html and clicking on “Bloody Mary.” I chose to have an Absolut Bloody Mary with very spicy tomato juice, wasabi, lime wedge, celery stalk, dill pickle, and an olive – It was absolutely delicious!

*Village East in London: This is one of my favorite spots in London. I have eaten their brunch, lunch, dinner, and have just gone for cocktails – all reliable and good food or drinks. I recently tried the Village Mary for brunch (http://www.villageeast.co.uk/#menus/), just tomato juice, vodka, and lemon and was surprised at how “clean” and understated the drink tasted. While I do not think it would be my go-to Bloody Mary, it will be something that I would not mind having once in awhile.

*Cafe Deluxe in DC: While I know this is a chain restaurant, the location on Wisconsin Avenue in DC is my favorite (http://cafedeluxe.com/locations.htm). They make a consistently good Bloody Mary and it has become my go-to brunch and more importantly Bloody Mary restaurant. I would recommend going in the summer and eating outside under the umbrellas.

Hope everyone had a relaxing New Year’s Day and enjoyed a Bloody Mary or two! If anyone has any recipes to share, or restaurants to recommend, I am all ears and always up for trying something new. Happy 2012!

Zengo in DC

My best friend phoned me a couple of weeks ago to say she had a Groupon for $50 at Zengo and asked if I would join. I said yes for three reasons: 1) I have been working an insane amount lately; 2) This would be my first evening outing with her in several months; and 3) I have always had mixed feelings about the restaurant—never sure if I love it or hate it. This dinner would be the deciding factor – I would be paying more attention to everything for my blog and therefore would be able to make a more sound judgment. Let’s just say the experience, which is detailed below, has left me completely confused and unsure whether I liked the food or not.

We started with cocktails – I have always enjoyed the Mango Mojito, but decided for reasons unknown to start with a Lychee Martini (mistake number one). The Lychee Martini at Zengo had too much lychee juice and was overwhelmingly sweet. Lesson learned. Luckily, we spent some time studying the menu and I was able to correct my cocktail choice. Ahh, the Mango Mojito – something Zengo does very well.

Next, we chose our appetizers: Sea of Cortez Bay Scallop Ceviche, which consists of Thai Sweet Chili / Lime / Avocado / Peanut / Mint / Crispy Shallot and Shrimp-Shiitake Potstickers, which had Won Bok Cabbage / Chili Serrano. They were both delicious – the freshness of the ceviche balanced the bit of oil on the potstickers, creating a lovely appetizer pairing. The meal started wonderfully and continued on that path with the Angry Zengo sushi and Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps that we chose for our main course. The Angry Zengo is my favorite dish and is made up of Yellowfin Tuna / Wasabi Tobiko / Cucumber / Avocado / Sesame-Chipotle Rouille. Both the ceviche and the sushi were refreshing and very enjoyable. The Thai Lettuce Wraps had Chorizo / Peanut / Cilantro / Tamarind and the balance was perfect – not oily at all and very fresh – we should have ended or meal there.

We decided at this point that maybe we were still a little hungry and decided to order the Volcano sushi (Salmon / Blue Crab / Chipotle Aioli) and Fingerling Potatoes & Cotija Cheese. Things could not have ended in a worse way. The Fingerling Potatoes were extremely greasy, and in fact there was a pool of oil on the plate. The potatoes were not done properly and the cheese was covered in oil as well. The Volcano sushi was worse – it tasted as if someone had pre-chewed the salmon and rolled it up in rice, slathering on some aioli and then finishing it off but putting it under the broiler. Needless to say, it was awful and these feelings were only compounded by the situation that followed: My best friend told the waiter the sushi tasted like baby food and the Angry Zengo was far better; his response was “you can buy a tuna sushi roll on the street outside this restaurant out of the back of a car, the Volcano on the other hand, that’s real sushi.” All I have to say is, if that is real sushi, I will reserve my palate for things finer than regurgitated salmon with some aioli smeared over top.

As you can see, I am still left thoroughly confused and while I will always go back for the Mango Mojitos and Angry Zengo sushi – I will be hesitant to try any new dishes.

My final rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) for the Mojitos, Ceviche, and Angry Zengo, 1 star (out of 5) for the Volcano sushi and potatoes.

For more information: http://www.richardsandoval.com/zengodc/index.php

The Old Fashioned Manhattan

I thought since it is the holidays, that my first post back should be about Christmas night cocktails this year. After a wonderful morning of opening presents, my Mom’s Christmas quiche, Bloody Marys, and of course the obligatory nap, my Mom, Dad, Aunt, and myself reconvened at my parent’s house for dinner. As my Mom and Dad worked to prepare the feast, I pondered what cocktail I wanted to imbibe. I was only sort of interested in the idea of a martini and perked up a little more when I thought about the French Kiss, but something about the two drinks was not completely piquing my interest. Then suddenly it came to me: a Manhattan! My Father always keeps a well stocked bar, but I had never asked for a Manhattan, so it was with some trepidation that I requested one. Much to my delight, he had the makings for the drink–but with some variations: 1) Bourbon instead of Whisky; 2) Old Fashioned glass instead of a martini glass (no one felt like getting out the shaker); 3) ice instead of straight up; and 4) orange rind instead of cherries. A little skeptical, my Dad set about making this concoction (recipe below) and served it up. I immediately deemed it not only drinkable, but delicious–in fact it was so good my Mom abandoned her wine in favor of this new found cocktail treat.

After the fuss had died down, the cocktail sparked a bit of a debate–is this really a Manhattan or is it in fact an Old Fashioned? The Manhattan is traditionally served straight up in a martini glass and is made up of 50ml Rye or Canadian Whisky, 20ml Sweet Red Vermouth, Dash Angostura Bitters, and a Maraschino Cherry for garnish. The Old Fashioned, on the other hand, is served over ice in an aptly named Old Fashioned glass and is concocted of 40ml Bourbon, Scotch, or Rye Whisky, 1 Sugar Cube, 2 Dashed Angostura Bitters, and is finished off with a splash of water. Upon learning this we realized that what we had created was a mix of the two cocktails and simply dubbed our new concoction “The Old Fashioned Manhattan” –seemed aptly named given that it melded the best parts of the two drink recipes into a new cocktail.

The Old Fashioned Manhattan

1. Fill an Old Fashioned glass 3/4 with ice cubes

2. Next add 1 1/2 shots (3oz.) Bourbon (Evan Williams Bourbon works best), 2 drops Angostura Bitters, and 1 tablespoon Sweet Red Vermouth; stir

3. Next cut a small wedge of orange, removing the flesh from the rind drop it into the drink

4. Run the peel around the edge of the glass and drop into the drink

5. Stir and serve

Hopefully you all will enjoy my newly discovered cocktail treat. I must say that it is perfect for the holiday season and/or when it is cold outside. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Note: Sorry for the hiatus dear readers–work and life got a bit busy, but not to fear, I am back with several post ideas for the coming weeks, some of which will be spent in London.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas

I love Mexican food, probably a little too much if I am honest. Taco salad is my absolute favorite (a recipe that will be in my cookbook), but second to that is now my quesadilla recipe. I came up with it recently because I have 1) been insanely busy at work; and 2) I have had two separate dinner parties for vegetarians and needed something quick and easy. I came up with the recipe on my way home from the craziest day—I had several meetings after 4:00pm, which lasted until 7:00pm and my guest was due at 8:00pm. As I was driving to the grocery store, praying I made it home before my guest arrived, I was racking my brain for an easy, go-to recipe and, of course Mexican popped into my head. My taco salad was out of the question because it is made with ground turkey, but vegetable quesadillas came to my mind instantly and the recipe unfolded as if I had made it 1,000 times before. A little nervous–I generally don’t like to make things from scratch for the first time at a dinner party, but I was running out of time. I got to the grocery store; purchased the ingredients, some corona lights, and a couple of bottles of wine; and rushed home to prepare my Mexican fiesta.

I think this recipe is best served with chips and salsa as the appetizer, but feel free to also add a queso dip or guacamole. Also, I suggest serving them with Micheladas, margaritas (a future post), or white wine. As a side note you can also serve the quesadillas as an appetizer – just follow the directions below, but instead of folding the tortillas in half, place the toppings on a tortilla like a pizza, putting a second tortilla on top, and finishing them off in the oven. Using a pizza cutter, slice the tortillas into four sections and serve.

Vegetarian Quesadillas

Ingredients
3 Peppers (I buy the tricolor pack, which contains a green, yellow, and red pepper)
1 small Vidalia onion
1 package mushrooms (I buy the pre-sliced package to make it easy)
1 tablespoon butter*
2 teaspoons olive oil*
Pam Cooking Spray (I use the olive oil flavored spray)
1 avocado
4 plum tomatoes
1 package shredded cheese (I use Lucerne Mexican Four Cheese Blend, which includes a blend of Medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero and Queso Quesadilla Cheeses)
1 package flour tortillas, I use about 5 to 7 tortillas (I have found Piñata Flour Tortillas are the best brand for this recipe)
Light sour cream (optional)
Hot Sauce (I use both Original Cholula Hot Sauce and Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce) (optional)
Salsa (My favorite is Tostitos Chunky Salsa, Medium) (optional)
Sliced Jalapenos (optional)

*(NOTE: I use both butter and olive oil when cooking—butter for the flavor and olive oil because it heats quickly and evenly)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut the peppers and onion lengthwise into strips (about the size of your index finger).
3. Next, put the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat with olive oil and butter.
4. Place the onions and pepper in the heated skillet and sauté until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. While the peppers and onions are cooking, place a small skillet on the stove, sprayed lightly with Pam Cooking Spray, over medium-high heat and warm the tortillas—about 2 to 3 minutes per side. (NOTE: Use cooking spray as needed when cooking the rest of the tortillas).
6. Next, take a baking dish and place a tortilla in the bottom. On one half, place a desired amount of peppers and onions (about ½ cup to ¾ cup) and top with cheese (about ¼ cup).
7. Once ingredients have been added, fold the tortilla in half, pressing lightly to seal. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. As noted above, I find it usually makes 5 to 7 quesadillas, depending on how much of the onion and pepper mixture is used per tortilla.
8. Once all the tortillas have been filled and folded, place the baking dish in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes (until cheese has melted).
9. While the quesadillas are cooking, chop the tomatoes and avocado.
10. To serve, transfer a quesadilla onto a plate and top with a generous amount of diced tomatoes and avocado. I then serve jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, and hot sauce on the side for my guest(s) to add individually.
11. ENJOY!

Todd Gray’s Muse at the Corcoran in DC

I am not a bargain girl, don’t get me wrong if there is money to be saved or a sale to take advantage of, I will be right there, but I will not seek it out, mostly because I am not interested in exerting the effort. I am not the girl standing outside the store because there is going to be a one hour sale in 10 minutes and we all need to line up. No, generally I am the girl that happens on the sale at checkout thanking her lucky stars that she can now afford to buy the dress AND go out to dinner that night. That said I am obsessed with Groupons, Living Socials, and whatever else is luring me to buy some exciting activity or meal. It requires no effort, just clicking on an email that is sent to your computer. The newest to my list: Gilt City. I had never heard of it before until my coworker asked me if I saw that Todd Gray was doing a Market Brunch Muse at the Corcoran—and the opening of his newest endeavor was being sponsored by Gilt City. She had me at food—I am a food-aholic, especially when it comes to new and different dishes or restaurants, so I was immediately interested, plus I have always loved the Corcoran museum. The deal: $40 for a buffet brunch at the Corcoran (menu below), a meet-and-greet with Todd Gray, executive chef at Equinox in DC, a bloody mary or mimosa, and admission to the museum. I signed up and lured my parents to go with me—they are usually game for all things prance, food, and museum.

Market Brunch at Muse Menu

Tuscan Farro Salad (Brussels Sprouts, Red Onion and Parsley)
Path Valley Roasted Beet Salad (Danish Blue Cheese, Beets, Spiced Pecans)
Market Arugula Greens with Roasted Butternut Squash (Barlett Pear, Toasted Walnut, Apple Vinaigrette)
Seasonal Quiche Selection
Baked Vegetable Frittata (Zucchini, Baby Spinach, Fontina Cheese)
Virginia Sausage
Brussels-Style Waffles (Cinnamon Maple Syrup, Whipped Vanilla Cream)
Deviled and Pickled Farm Eggs
Trickling Springs Yogurt (Granola, Early Autumn Berries)
Artisanal Cheeses (Goat Cheese and Crostini)
Tom’s Buttermilk Scones (Dried Mission Figs, Caramelized Sugar)
Mini-Vegetarian and Egg Quiches

Sunday, October 23 was our brunch—all of us dressed in our finest attire and headed off to DC and the Corcoran. It could not have been a more beautiful day—sun shining, cool breeze. We got there early and walked to the White House, which reminded me why I asked my parents to do this—we rarely come into DC all together and of course, because I had not seen them in a while. So with a bright blue sky behind us we headed into the Corcoran with hungry stomachs and to judge Todd Gray’s Muse. Where do I start…I wanted to blog about this shortly after we came home, but was at a loss for words, mostly because I think I left the museum not knowing what I was feeling about the Gilt City deal and more surprisingly the brunch itself. Don’t get me wrong it was a wonderful afternoon with my parents, full of laughter and fun, but I was just unsure about the whole culinary experience. Instead of giving you a play-by-play, I will do a top 10 and a bottom 10 (in no particular order) to illustrate my confusion.

Top 10 Things at The Muse

1. It is at the Corcoran, which I think is one of the most beautiful museums in DC.

2. Todd Gray chose the menu—it is always fun to see what a celebrity chef prepares.

3. My parents were in fine form and we laughed and chatted the whole brunch—a very enjoyable day overall.

4. The bloody mary’s, which my Mom and I had, were made to perfection—spicy and delicious.

5. For the mimosa, which my Dad had, they actually give you a small bottle of champagne, which makes the $8 price tag a little easier to swallow (no pun intended!).

6. All the food comes from the White House farmer’s market and was so unbelievably fresh, particularly the fruit and the sausage.

7. The salad with the Brussels Sprouts was amazing. It had a great mixture and balance of flavors and both my parents and I really enjoyed it. I might try to recreate it with my own spin for a later post.

8. I had never had pickled deviled eggs—an experience definitely worth repeating, as they are delicious.

9. The frittata was excellent. I have never had one combined with zucchini and squash, but the flavors really came together nicely and it tasted very fall-like to me.

10. It was a new and different experience and fun to combine brunch with a walk around the exhibits in the museum, which on that particular day can only be described as “interesting.”

Bottom 10 Things at The Muse

1. The singer was so awful and her voice so boisterous, that it was physically jarring to hear her hit the high notes (and I use hit loosely).

2. Staff seemed a bit disorganized and in fact the waitress asked my parents and I, as we arrived for our 1230pm seating, what time the next seating was—1230pm or 100pm?

3. There was both goat cheese and blue cheese present at the brunch—which I know for most people is a bonus, but I just cannot stomach either one, no matter how many times I have tried to like them, so that unfortunately precluded me from trying two of the dishes.

4. Todd Gray never appeared—we think we figured out who he was at one point, but there was no meeting or talk as the Guilt City deal had promised and actually no one even mentioned his name.

5. The quiche was virtually inedible—it was watery, the eggs were undercooked and the crust was so thick it overpowered whatever other flavors were there.

6. They did not bring the mini quiches out until the end and at first only brought them to select tables before placing the tray on the main buffet—once people were mostly done eating.

7. While the food overall was excellent, I think it would have tasted better in smaller quantities, not in buffet portion sizes.

8. There were not enough tables so many groups (not ours) had to be split apart and sit separately or sit with people they did not know.

9. There was no order to the way things were done and there was no announcement about the food or the event itself.

10. I was so full by the end of the brunch that I was not able to try the yogurt, which looked divine—in hindsight I should have started the meal with it, sprinkled with the seasonal berries.

Overall the afternoon was a lot of fun and it was a great excuse for my family to get together and spend a really enjoyable day in DC. It would be interesting to go back and see how a typical Sunday brunch is at the Muse—it is not buffet style generally—perhaps a post for the future. If you go, or have gone, let me know. I would be interested to see if any changes have been made since the opening and how the menu, which varies on what is in season at various farmers markets, has been shaped.

My final rating: 2 ½ stars (out of 5)

For more information visit: http://toddgraysmuse.com

The Mid-Morning (or Anytime) Michelada

I woke up early this morning, around 730am and was instantly productive—cleaning my apartment, doing the laundry—basic Saturday chores. By 1100am, however, I was starving and ready for lunch. I went to the fridge and found a left over vegetable quesadilla from my dinner party the other night and thought I would have a Mexican lunch. As I was pulling out all the fixings (sour cream, hot sauce, salsa) and warming the quesadilla I noticed a Corona Light staring back at me. Hmmm, I thought, that would really compliment my lunch and be a refreshing treat, but as I looked at the time, 1100am seemed a bit too early for a beer. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy morning and lunch time drinking—I am obsessed with bloody marys at brunch and having a glass of wine or pint of beer at lunch is always a treat (mind you the latter two drinks are generally enjoyed around or after noon).

I tried to reason with myself, but I just could not pull the beer out of the fridge at 1100am. But wait! About a month ago I was watching the Food Network and looked on curiously as Marcela Valladolid made her version of a Michelada—beer with lime juice and salt. I thought to myself that a Michelada sounded a bit more appropriate at 1100am, than say, just a straight beer. I didn’t feel like turning on my computer, so I thought I would wing it and try to make my own version of it (recipe below).

The Michelada

1. Wet the rim of a glass by dipping it in a shallow plate filled with water. Next take the glass and dip it in a plate filled with salt (make sure there is enough salt to coat the rim).

2. Fill the glass with ice—be generous.

3. Put in ¼ cup of lime juice (note: I just used store bought lime juice, but fresh squeezed might taste better).

4. Add about ½ of a Corona (or any other light beer).

5. Stir, serve, and enjoy!

Much to my surprise, it was delicious and refreshing and complimented my quesadilla perfectly. While I was drinking it, I realized it would also be the perfect cocktail to enjoy outside on a nice, hot summer day. Regardless, I didn’t feel the least bit bad about having a beer so early in the day, although by the time I actually sat down to enjoy it, it was about 1130am, close enough to noon, right?