A side dish for shrimp quesadillas, or other dishes for that matter!

Warm spinach, pepper, and onion salad.

I promised you I'd give you a couple pointers for a side dish to serve with your easy shrimp quesadillas, so here it is! I purposefully made the quesadillas without traditional fillings like veggies, onions, or pico de gallo so I could focus the side dishes on these items instead. That way, you and your potential dinner guests can truly use them on the side, or you have the option of putting them inside your quesadilla for more flavor in every bite.

First, a spinach salad that comines fresh spinach with more traditional sides for Mexican dishes like peppers and onions. This dish is easy and quick like the quesadillas, so this entire meal can be ready in about 25 minutes.

I sliced up green, red, and yellow peppers and a red onion and put them in a large sautee pan and drizzled it with olive oil, letting it simmer for about 6 or 7 minutes, until everything was getting a little brown. I then added a bunch of spinach and a bit more olive oil. (You need a lot of spinach to make it a big presence in a side dish, as sauteeing it wilts it down significantly.) I added garlic salt and a little cayenne to add some kick, and let it simmer all together, mixing every now and again until it reached the right level of brown.

If the salad finishes cooking before your quesadillas, cover it until they're done so that you can serve a warm, filling, and flavorful salad: perfect for this transition time between winter and spring! And if you have leftovers, mix them into eggs for a fantastic scramble in the a.m.  Twice is just as nice.

District Kitchen: a warm welcome to Woodley Park!

District Salad & a little ginger squash on the side

Woodley Park’s restaurant scene is full of great choices from all ethnic food varieties to meet every palette where it is.  There are choices galore for all kinds of food lovers.

District Kitchen is its newest gem, and it sparkles brightly on Connecticut Avenue.  With all the bright lights of the food choices and shops lining Connecticut, District Kitchen offers a muted down feeling from the street. Its inviting by sight alone, and then you lay eyes on the somewhat up-scale, yet still un-messy menu – and you’re sold.

The ambiance is calming, despite the boisterous, menu-savvy patrons that fill the space.  It has internal brick walls, simple yet cozy tables, a plain stone floor, low lighting, and an inclusive bar that easily sweeps into the restaurant as a whole.

Amish chicken, a-la-king

My husband and I already have healthy obsessions with a few dishes: for a starter, the lamb chili, done Cincinnati style, poured atop long strands of fusilli. It’s equal parts comforting and filling, and could stand-alone paired with a glass of hearty red wine.  For entrees, we love the roasted Amish chicken, which comes with whole beech mushrooms and carrots – almost stew-like – and is served on top of grilled farm bread (an awesome touch, it makes the dish like a huge open-faced sandwich) with a hearty gravy overall. It’s fancied up Southern comfort on a plate.  Then, (drum roll, please) their cider-braised pork shank with a kohlrabi kraut, which eats like a long-grain risotto (wow), and house-made dumplings that soak up the saucy gravy that helps the meat fall right off the bone.  For reals, so tender.

If you want to add some freshness to the meaty entrée choices, the salads are all desirable, too, with seasonal vegetables and local additions that are appealing to carnivores and vegetarians alike.  We tried two: their house salad, which was fairly standard but topped with a great Dijon vinaigrette; also, the wild cress and arugula salad with black walnuts, sliced dried apples, and a bleu-cheesy dressing. This one packed a punch that was both sweet and cheesy in the right balance.

The biggest hit of the evening was the mashed gingered squash puree – truly, outstanding.  Sweet and savory with buttery flavors that met with the subtle sweetness and strength of the veggie’s natural ways of being delicious. It was an awesome side dish, but could almost pass for a sweet treat at the end of a meal, maybe sided with a port to sip on or something like that.  Worth a try, anyway.

Pork shank with kohlrabi and dumplings

Whether you pop in for one of their hearty starters and a cocktail, sip on a brew while you wait for your table, or get a bottle of wine with dinner, their bar has what you want. First of all, the bartenders are friendly, pour generously, and are excited to help you navigate the menu if you decide to dine at the bar.

How can you resist a new, cozy and delicious spot, right off the red line metro (Woodley Park), on your way home from the zoo?  Oooo, now that’s a good Valentine’s Day date waiting to happen. 

For now, DK is closed on Mondays, but they plan to eventually be open 7 days a week.  Their current hours are Tuesday-Thursday 5-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5-11pm, and Sunday 5-10pm. They are located at 2606 Connecticut Ave., NW.  I recommend a reservation at District Kitchen (uh, not the zoo) and you can do that here, through OpenTable.

Nothin's quite like when mom makes it...but this was pretty darn good.

Just like Mom makes it.

My friends Jesse & Amanda threw a rockin' dinner party, complete with Sidecar cocktails (recipes to come), a few sweaty rounds of Dance Dance Revolution, and recipes straight from Amanda's mom's arsenal.  They made these sweet and sour meatballs just like my friend Kelly, who served them as a hot appetizer on New Year's Eve.  But sided with fresh grilled asparagus and homemade, gooey mac n' cheese, it seemed like a whole new meatball.  Here's the recipe for the easy meatballs, sure to please any crowd.  Do I have the recipe for the asparagus and mac n' cheese.  Nope.  Amanda's mom is sworn to secrecy: a sign of a saucy chef.  You'll have to do your best to create the home-cooked feel.

Also try the meatballs with pasta, salad, and garlic bread.  Throw on hoagie rolls and toss on some Parmesan cheese and basil - there are oh so many ways...

Finger Foods: New Year's Eve or any other occasion

The New Year's Eve spread.

My friend Kelly threw a New Year's Eve party with a delicious finger foods spread. Kelly gets a lot of her recipe ideas off of Pinterest, of which she is a mega fan. One cool touch was that she positioned tea light candles among the food which gave it a really inviting, beautiful effect. Some of her easy but hearty recipes are below to use for your next party.

Caprese dip--  

-3 diced tomatoes (try to get all the juice and seeds out), 

-about 4 tablespoons of chopped basil, 

-and 16 oz. of Mozzarella, cubed. 

Combine the ingredients, bake in the oven for 15 minutes on 375, and then broil for another 2 minutes. 

Kelly notes that this dish HAS to be served warm...if you serve the dish at a party where guests are coming at various points during the evening, it's helpful to have a heating element underneath it to keep the cheese soft. Otherwise a perfectly delicious cheesy dish can become a bit of a pain because you'll have to keep reheating it. 

Pesto crescent rolls--again, she says, another simple dish.  

-simply spoon pre-made pesto sauce onto Crescent Rolls 

-roll them up 

-baked as directed on the tube. 

Easy. 

She also made some super tasty meatballs (not shown above unfortunately)-- Kelly says these are crazy simple.  She says that all it takes is throwing a bag of frozen turkey meatballs, a jar of grape jelly, and a 12oz. jar of chili sauce into a Crock Pot and letting it go until they are simmering, saucy, and ready to eat. She invested in a Crock Pot (only $20!) for the party - thank meaty goodness she did.

Look for Kelly's upcoming recipes for mini Strawberry Short Cake Sugar Cookies and Champagne Punch.  (You're already ready for New Year's Eve again, aren't you?)

Kelly owns a company called Belles&Beaux, through which she makes great baby's and children's clothes, burp cloths, blankets, beau ties, etc. Email me or leave a comment for more information and to get in touch with her.

Dinner with Geoff: duck, sprouts, & potatoes like you've never had 'em before

I recently went to a fabulous dinner at my friend Geoff’s place.  He always blazes tasty new trails with recipes that take work and a little risk.  He also had a cool, Southern way of serving the food – he often serves drinks in Mason jars and leaves the food in their original pots to serve in a homey, comfortable, but cool way.  For this dinner, he made duck, Yukon gold and sweet potato gratin with Gruyere, and Brussels sprouts.  Finish it off with some of his homemade spiced bourbon, and you’ve got a quite a meal.  Details below!

The duck recipe can be found here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Duck-Confit-102313  

Geoff says to ensure the duck is young, as the meat gets tough with age.  He recommends that you only use the leg & thigh sections, because the breast and wings tend to be a bit too lean.  He says it worked better for him going higher on the heat, around 250 or 275 degrees.

Potatoes:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scalloped-Yukon-Gold-and-Sweet-Potato-Gratin-with-Fresh-Herbs-350455 

Geoff notes that when cooking the potatoes, it is better to leave them covered longer, say 45 min, and then 15 uncovered to brown.  He particularly loves how the yams and Gruyere go so well together, creating a creamy and hearty taste.

For the sprouts, Geoff halved and placed the sprouts in a pan with just the littlest bit of water to steam them.  He then added a few cloves of garlic and a couple TBS of butter to sauté the sprouts a bit once the water steams off.  If you have time, he says, he likes to soak the sprouts in salted water, which seems to help them retain their green color after cooking.  Great idea!

As for wine, Geoff always says that even though you’d traditionally serve a white, he likes to serve it with red wine due to the slightly gamy flavor of the duck.

Cornbread = the ultimate comfort

What could possibly warm the heart more?

My husband eats it in a bowl so that he can drown it in butter and maple syrup.  I like to cut thick slices so I can lather it in creamy honey.  BBQ joints serve it with jalapenos, markets will prepare it with rosemary and thyme.  Can cornbread be wrong in any form?

Hint: the answer is not yes.

The picture above does not capture the moist inside and crackled outside that this recipe offered.  It was my maiden voyage in cornbread-making (yes, really - I'm not much of a baker) and it came out pretty well.  I did a variation on the back of the bag.  My variations are shown in parentheses.  It goes like this:

1 c medium grind corn meal 1 c whole wheat flour (I used pastry flour for fluff) 1/2 tsp salt 4 tsp baking powder 1 Tbsp sugar (I used honey instead!) 1 egg 1 c fat free milk (I used whole, duh)

MIx all ingredients together and bake at 475 for 20 minutes.  Do not over bake! the bag says.  Pay attention to that advice.

My wonderful Texan aunt, Dianne, gave me this variation using Jiffy mix, which let's be honest, is amazing.  She started using Jiffy (as my mom does) because of my Louisianan grandmother, Reba.

Reba and Dianne's Broccoli Cornbread

2pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix

16 oz. pkg cottage cheese

4 eggs

10 oz pkg chopped broccoli, thawed & excess liquid squeezed/disposed

3/4 c. butter

1small-medium onion, chopped

Mix all & bake 30min. @ 400 

Perfect holiday bread for neighbors and parties?  Yep!

A new twist on the Caprese

Now that's a salad.

Caprese salads are generally a side dish that proves to be a crowd pleaser at gatherings. Who can resist a great olive oil sprinkled atop fresh tomatoes and soft, thick mozerella cheese and basil?  It works in the summer or the winter, especially if you jazz it up with seasonal touches.

The above was a seasonal take. I used a mix of brown tomatoes and cherry tomatoes instead of sliced Beefsteak tomatoes, which is the traditional version in the salad. I like it this way so dinner guests can just as easily take the individual tomatoes as it is to take a slice of the Beefsteak.

Of course, I put olive oil and balsamic on top - a traditional touch that can't be missed!  The olive oil gives the smooth taste while the balsamic adds a punch of flavor that balances out well with the cheese.

And obviously, the diamond of the dish - add basil.  But! Don't be afraid to take chances with some spices: this recipe, I added the smaller flakes of dried basil, but also fresh rosemary for a bit of a different take on the traditional taste.  Dill, thyme, and garlic would also be awesomely zesty.

Feel liberal with the cheese as well.  Above, I used the mozzarella that is most easily sliced - a log of full fat mozzarella. You could also use mozzarella balls which, like the cherry tomatoes, are easy to serve more individually and offer a cool effect on how the dish is presented with different shapes and sizes in what's served.  Burrata mozzarella is a wonderful variety that is a bit more pricey but worth it for the texture and flavor. The outer "shell" is mozzarella but the inside is cheese and cream. It is rich and luscious. I've also made a "Caprese" with chunky feta.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with honey, sea salt, and sage

Sa-weet.

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite dishes because there is so much crammed in to one little tuber. It's packed with vitamins, a gorgeous color, and a wonderful hearty flavor that can be prepared in so many ways.  The saucy sweet potato is versatile: it can be mashed, sliced and baked (as above), or easily cooked in the microwave.  It's even showing up in baking flours these days.  Sweet potato pancakes? Yes, please. And, to make matters easier in preparation, sweet potatoes are fabulous with the skin on (to me, this is one of its best offerings to the taste buds), and the skin is where a lot of the vitamins work their magic.

The above dish is 8 medium sweet potatoes. While you're waiting for the oven to heat up (425 degrees), wash the potatoes thoroughly and wipe off with a dish towel to remove excess dirt (this WILL affect the flavor, trust me.)  Slice the SPs into halves or thick slivers, as above.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray, then place the SPs on the tray, orange sides up.

Throw whatever spices and oils you want on top.  This recipe is sprinkled with olive oil, cinnamon, citrus, sea salt, and honey on top for it to bake into the SPs.  The citrus salt on top gave it a tangy flavor that went well with the sage.

Cook for about 25 minutes - check at 20, you may cook them for up to 30 minutes.  When you take them out, top them with sage leaves - or, any other spice or herb you'd prefer.  The SPs are best when served hot, but they do make great leftovers or can even be mashed later or enjoyed with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Asparagus with Shallots and Garlic

Shallots & Garlic make all the difference.

An easy, go-to side dish is asparagus. Asparagus is surprisingly versatile: it comes in different sizes (lengths and thickness) and colors (white and green) - and it can be grilled, sauteed, baked, or creamed for soups.  Its leftovers do well re-heated, or, chopped into smaller pieces as salad toppings or to mix into stews, add to a casserole, etc.

Two magical flavor-packed morsels make asparagus a knock-out side dish, not just a good one: shallots and garlic.  And it should be said that shallots and garlic are like peanut butter and jelly - they are 100% reliably tasty, and they always make everything better.  Shallots and garlic pack punches of flavor that are always available, easy to handle in the kitchen, and cheap at the grocery store.

A couple rules of the road about preparing garlic: the more you cut into the garlic, the more oils are released, which gives you great flavor.  Make sure to cut the garlic length-wise first, and try to get as thin with the slices as possible. (Obviously this requires a quality knife that you're comfortable handling.)
Check out this great video on the how-tos.

The above asparagus dish also included olive oil, a dash of balsamic, one spoonful of Dijon mustard, malt vinegar sea salt, and a little pepper.  Let asparagus simmer, turning throughout, for a total of 10-12 minutes, depending on the tenderness you want. Serve hot or cold!

Romanesco: Kinda Creepy, Kinda Beautiful, Seriously Delish

Broccoli and cauliflower's strange cousin, romanesco.

A new seasonal surprise has started sneaking into area farmer's markets: romanesco. Its spiky, puzzle-like appearance shouldn't frighten you away.  For such a complex outer show, it really has an unsurprising flavor - you'll taste its likeness to its cruciferous cousins - somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower.  

Its strange structure has to do with the way the bud replicates in copies of itself, producing fractals, or self-similar patterns, in the way it blossoms.  It's one of those miracles of nature: the patterns create a logarithmic style.  But don't let the mathematics ruin your appetite.  It has a satisfying nutty flavor and the texture is fantastic when cooked -it's not as intimidating as it looks raw.  Something to keep in mind when preparing romanesco is to not overcook it. Much like broccoli and cauliflower, it can get soggy and fall apart if overdone, which then also forces its unique shape and texture to fade.

Romanesco can be served raw as crudité with a creamy dressing or hummus for dipping, or it can be baked or steamed, in any of the same style you'd prepare broccoli.

Here's a recipe if you're feeling brave for an autumnal crop with lots of character.

Boil a quart of water, adding fresh or powdered garlic, olive oil, and salt.  (While you're waiting, break the romanesco head into smaller parts.)  

When the water comes to a boil, turn heat to medium and add romanesco.

Cover for 7-10 minutes, checking for texture change in the romanesco. You want some tenderness, but also for the texture to remain.

Strain the water and serve the romanesco.

For a tasty boost, toss on some asiago cheese, butter, or add crispy bacon.

Monster Mash

Who's excited about squash and pumpkin being in season?  Hooray!  So many autumn delights can spring from these bulbous fruits (yes, they're fruits!!) - going into salads, desserts, side dishes, and sauces.

I'm not huge on mashed potatoes, so if I want to serve a side that has a similar texture and feel, I generally go with a squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato.  I excitedly bought an acorn squash last week to make a mash.  I boiled water and while it was heating up, sliced the squash in half and removing the guts and seeds.  Once the water was bubbling, I put both halves of the squash in and let it boil for 10 minutes.  Once the squash was soft, I put it in a mixing bowl (use tongs to move the squash - it holds water and is VERY hot!).  Once I got into the process, I realized I didn't have as much "bulk" as I wanted to have, so I was happy to see that I had a sweet potato in my kitchen, just waiting to be involved.  So, I softened the sweet potato in the microwave (high, 4 minutes) and added that to the mash, too, also skin-on.

With the squash and sweet both in the mixing bowl, I added salt, butter, cinnamon, honey, a little garlic powder, and in an impulsive move, some French vanilla half-and-half.  I know, it's over the top, but it was super tasty.  Then, I just mashed it all together until it had a thick whipped quality. (See ingredients below.)

Acorn squash & sweet potato mash

What I got was a savory and sweet mash, with skin-on flavor and texture.  It was salty, sweet, and creamy, and went well with other dishes.  It's fitting for steak or chicken, but also could be used as a pasta stuffing (think: ravioli) or even in a pie.

What you'll need:
Squash of choice
Sweet potatoes
Salt
Butter (I recommend Kerrygold, an Irish butter, or Smjor, an Icelandic variety)
Half-and-half
cinnamon
honey
a pinch of garlic

All Hail: KALE

I thought I didn't like kale because I had only tried sautéing it with olive oil. It turned out soggy and weird, and not tasting so great.  Unthwarted, I was determined to like the long, green, thick, leafy wonder.  Kale comes in red, purple, and green and in varieties like "curly" and "dino."  Plus, it has great nutritional value.  It has anti-inflammatory properties and is high in beta-carotene, lutein, vitamins K and C, and a fair amount of calcium.  What's not to like?

Kale is full of color and nutrients, too!

Baked and crispy

I then discovered kale chips while walking the aisle of Whole Foods.  Crispy, salty chips that also count as a serving of vegetables?  Yes, please.  I was not as excited about paying 8 bucks for a small container of chips, so I decided to experiment and make my own.  For my first trial, I picked up a beautiful stalk of green kale at the weekly Saturday morning Falls Church farmer's market. Since then, I've also tested the recipe with red and dino kale from the grocery store, and both turned out delicious. Red is my favorite.   

Kale is a hearty leafy green - it is a type of cabbage and in the same veggie family as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. It can be hard to eat raw unless shredded down to a smaller size or changed by heat. All the more reason to pop it in the oven to make a crunchy treat.

Before you start preparing the leaves to be baked, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, get to peeling the leaves. Pull the leaves off the stalk, wash them, and dry them off with a kitchen towel or a salad spinner.  (The first go 'round, washing seemed like it took forever.  Now that I've done it many times, it's quick and easy.)  I have learned over time that it’s essential to get the kale very dry before baking it. Otherwise, it stays soggy even when baked.

After drying, break the leaves up into smaller pieces. Spread the leaves out onto a baking sheet.  Sprinkle them with olive oil, or you can use an olive oil spray.  Toss on some sea salt (the big crystals gives them a nice salty crunch), powdered garlic, and cracked pepper.  Spice it up by adding different accents like cayenne pepper, flavored salt, rosemary, and other herbs.  You can even toss a sliced tomato on top and let that bake with the greens. Put it in the oven for 16-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it.

After taking it out of the oven, you can break it up more to make chips or leave it in its current size as a side dish. It makes an amazing side to any kind of meat or vegetarian protein and adds a fantastic texture to any meal. If you decide to make chips, store them in a bag or container. Before packaging, make sure the kale chips cool to maintain their crispiness. The leftovers can be great the next day as a reheated side or a cold salad. The texture changes a bit, but it's still delicious.