Food and How you Cook/Eat it (2009-2012)

[comish4lif]

i hate that the fact ledo doesn't deliver.  random i know, but damn that place would make so much more bank if they delivered.

The Ledo on Rte 1 in Alexandria delivers. But we're just out of their zone...

[hammondsnats]

yeah the ones in bethesda i don't think deliver.

but ya know i had a weird craving for domino's bread bowl (never had one before), it was actually pretty damn decent.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Salty requested the family tsimmis recipe:

Here you go:

2 Cans sweet potatoes (Yams)

I LB sliced frozen carrots

2 sticks Kishke

Cup of maple syrup

 

In a bowl mix yams(with juice),carrots and Kishke (sliced about ½ inch thick)

Put in casserole dish and pour the liquid over it. Cover with foil and cook for about 45 minutes then take foil off and let juice cook down and thicken (about 15-30 minutes)

I would suppose you could add prunes to it or more fruit.  My family isn't into fruit too much.  trick with the kishke is to put some on top of the casserole and some on the bottom.  The bottom ones really sop up the juice and thicken it while the top ones crisp a bit for  different texture.

[imref]

my mom made noodle kugel, stuffed cabbage, kasha varnishkas and potato latkes, and she bought kishke/stuffed derma, but we never had tsimmi.  I'll have to ask her why?

In NoVa I've only ever found kishke at Chutzpah's in Fairfax.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Kasha varnishkas ... yum. 

Jack Abramoff had a kosher restaurant at the place where Fogo de Chao is now on 11th and Penn, and used to grab lunch there once every couple of weeks and load up and get my fix of good stuff. 

[tomterp]

my mom made noodle kugel, stuffed cabbage, kasha varnishkas and potato latkes, and she bought kishke/stuffed derma, but we never had tsimmi.  I'll have to ask her why?

In NoVa I've only ever found kishke at Chutzpah's in Fairfax.

They have excellent bagels too.

Speaking of bagels, Manhattan Bagels in Greenbrier has gone belly up.  THey weren't top tier but it was the most convenient place to us with a large selection.

Also pretty good is John's Bagel Bakery, Centreville Crest Lane in Centreville

[HalfSmokes]

Has anybody else tried Shane's Rib Shack? surprisingly good (and authentic) bbq for a strip mall chain

[lastobjective]

Has anybody else tried Shane's Rib Shack? surprisingly good (and authentic) bbq for a strip mall chain

Never heard of it, but it looks like the only locations nearby are in Laurel and Alexandria so I don't expect to visit anytime soon. Sounds good though!

[imref]

They have excellent bagels too.

And chopped liver!

[saltydad]

"Kasha varnishkas ... yum." I think kasha varnishkas is one of the undiscovered gems of Jewish cuisine- undiscovered by our non-MOT friends, that is. So simple to make, and so delicious. Apparently there are 2 ways to enjoy it, with gravy and without. I'm a gravy man. When I worked in Manhattan at 34th and Park, there was a little Orthodox carryout deli close by. An order of kasha varnishkas from them was heaven, and anybody entering my office was overcome by the delicious aroma!

http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Philip-Lopates-Kasha-Varnishkes

[imref]

gravy here too, very easy to make and very nutritious.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I  hate all gravy.

[Nathan]

I  hate all gravy.

GTFO of my country, commie!

[imref]

I  hate all gravy.

I learned to make it myself, I don't hate it anymore.  And, a good gravy is really really easy to make. 

[tomterp]

I  hate all gravy.

More for me.

Sausage gravy on biscuits and home fries, ummmhhhhhh....

[Nathan]

More for me.

Sausage gravy on biscuits a spoon and home fries, ummmhhhhhh....

That works too

[lastobjective]

Making my own oven mitts  had some yarn I needed to get rid of and it was perfect for something like this. Currently I'm "felting" one, meaning that using heat and agitation I'm getting the knit fabric to shrink and stiffen, making them soft and heat resistant. I don't own any oven mitts right now so I'm so happy that I can get one without having to pay an extra cent.

I'll post my project after it's successful. I was hoping to finish it tonight but I ended up giving myself a blister from agitating too much 

[Nathan]

Making my own oven mitts  had some yarn I needed to get rid of and it was perfect for something like this. Currently I'm "felting" one, meaning that using heat and agitation I'm getting the knit fabric to shrink and stiffen, making them soft and heat resistant. I don't own any oven mitts right now so I'm so happy that I can get one without having to pay an extra cent.

I'll post my project after it's successful. I was hoping to finish it tonight but I ended up giving myself a blister from agitating too much 

I hate it when that happens

[lastobjective]

it's kind of related to cooking!

To make up I have a nice, simple Butternut Squash Soup recipe, made it tonight and I love it! I always enjoy making it when I'm feeling cold or just not as good as I want to feel. Makes great leftovers and freezes awesomely.

Butternut Squash Soup. Serves 4-5.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hr
Blending: 5 minutes

- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 medium butternut squash, cubed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium potato (optional)
- Enough water to cover the vegetables
- Chicken bouillon, enough for the water (Optional: replace water & bouillon with chicken broth)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp celery seed
- 1/3 tsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Ritz crackers (or any crackers you prefer)

1. Melt butter in large pot on medium-high. Fry squash, onion, carrot, celery, and potato (optional) for 5 minutes.
2. Cover vegetables in water, add all spices. Set on high until soup reaches a boil, then cover and simmer (med-low heat) for 50 minutes.
3. After soup is finished cooking, remove bay leaf and start adding soup to blender or food processor. Transferred processed soup to bowl or other container. Remove water before blending if soup is getting too thin.
4. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm with crackers.

[Nathan]

The only time I've ever had butternut squash is in a Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli frozen dinner.

[lastobjective]

Well if you enjoy cooking and you like squash I'd suggest giving it a try. I'd consider it a vegetarian chicken noodle soup- it's just so warm and calming. Of course then you'd have to sub out the chicken broth but that's easy.

[imref]

i use a recipe that starts with roasting the squash until tender, along with garlic and onion, then pureeing everything in a blender, adding chicken stock and some ground nutmeg, and cooking it until it reaches your desired consistency.  It really is a great soup.

[lastobjective]

Sounds awesome, imref. There are other versions where you can add nutmeg or cinnamon, probably just replace that for the basil in my recipe.

[blue911]

i use a recipe that starts with roasting the squash until tender, along with garlic and onion, then pureeing everything in a blender, adding chicken stock and some ground nutmeg, and cooking it until it reaches your desired consistency.  It really is a great soup.

Sounds like the carrot soup recipe I use.  Only I add ginger.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

More for me.

Sausage gravy on biscuits and home fries, ummmhhhhhh....

I always go for the cream chipped beef rather the sausage gravy.