Audrey and Jon - Travel. Food. Love. Life.

Food Hacking Link roundup

Jon — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:31:04 +0000

Making flavored (smoked, sweetened) salts: http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/holiday-handbook/2011/12/3-delici...

Dry-age your steak at home: http://lifehacker.com/5865849/dry+age-steak-at-home-for-steakhouse+quali...

Ice cube trays and nigiri: http://lifehacker.com/5859069/make-nigiri-sushi-quickly-in-an-ice-cube-tray

Shuck Local - the business behind a good Rappahannock Oyster: http://www.welovedc.com/2011/12/15/we-love-food-rappahannock-river-oyste...

Thailand Theasers

Jon — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:51:12 +0000

Some photos from our Thailand trip!

Food Links: Bacon Hacking, Beer Politics, More Politics

Jon — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:17:24 +0000

Eight bacon "hacks" : http://lifehacker.com/5837068/8-essential-bacon-hacks (best hack: bacon cups). OK, one more bacon hack: homemade bacon salt: http://lifehacker.com/5838933/make-your-own-bacon-salt . OK, last bacon hack, a Cooks Illustrated method for using bacon paste (their term, not mine) to help chicken kabobs: http://www.101cookingfortwo.com/2011/04/bacon-coated-chicken-kabobs.html

Another fun hack (or a disaster) - sous-vide cooking salmon in your sink: http://lifehacker.com/5830856/cook-salmon-sous+vide-in-your-kitchen-sink...

4-day Cabin Plan

Audrey — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:23:13 +0000

Jon and I have found a great rental "cabin" about 1.5 hours outside of DC (not giving our secret away!). We go there about once or twice a year to unplug and relax. We invariably have a great time.

Each time we go, we plan a menu and bring everything we need to execute it. To help with future planning, here's the menu and basic shopping list we used this time.

Lunch D1 (optional): Stop at Ashby Inn

Dinner D1: Grilled fish with grilled sides and salad

The Georgian

Jon — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:33:57 +0000

In DC, we are at the peak weeks for stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums. If it's a drupe, it's in season. For those of us with generally laughable growing seasons, this is pretty exciting. So, well, we might have gone a bit overboard in buying the past few weeks. We bought Marvin out of apricots the first week he had them to make jam for the winter, and keep ending up with, well, more peaches and nectarines than most sane people would try to tackle in a week.

A Tasty Breakfast

Jon — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:28:18 +0000

We came to the realization that if we want to preserve treats from this summer for the winter, then we need space to do that. We've done pretty well on our house-canned goods, but lacking a Freezer of Unusual Size (I don't think they exist), this meant we had to find uses for some items stored away in there currently.

Menu for the week of June 26

Jon — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:20:44 +0000

Sun: grilled whole rainbow trout, stuffed with lemon and rosemary, brushed with garlic scape pesto, with quinoa, grilled squash, and side salad of purslane and seabeans.

Mon : artesenal pizza w/salad on top
Tues: Gnocci in a brown butter sauce and side veg
Wed : Composed Salad w/ tuna
Thus: H St. / Art Walk
Fri : Baguette slices with heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, cured meats, cheese, olives, pickled mushrooms...

Paris Restaurants

Jon — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:54:45 +0000

Jon's uncle is an art historian, and spends a lot of time in Paris. Thus, he also has a list of favorite nearby restaurants which the whole family has been curating and improving over the years. Here are some of our favorites from when we spent New Year's in Paris:

For the Record: Komi 5/28

Audrey — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 09:58:54 +0000

1. House-made brioche with smoked trout roe and greek yogurt
2. Cured salmon with squid ink toast and raw pacific mexican whitefish with green tomato
3. Raw scallops two ways - with coconut milk and with crumbled pistachios
4. Burrata with asparagus and lemon breadcrumbs
5. Egg ravioli with ramps and dried tuna flakes
6. One-bite spanakopita
7. Smoked fois gras with pea purée
8. House-made half smoke with spicy tomato chutney, half sour pickle and beer
9. Warm date stuffed with marscspone topped w olive oil and sea salt

Spring Menu: Week of May 21

Jon — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:22:33 +0000

Sunday night: grass-fed steak from Canales meats in Eastern Market

Monday: Fiddlehead fern salad with baked potato