It's so Damn HOT - Milk was a Bad Choice - Pea Pesto Might Not Be...

Hi Guys, as our fellow Washingtonians know it is HOT outside. This week's temperatures are supposed to be some of the hottest of the summer, and it's so humid you don't know if you're sweating or if it's just the air sticking to you.  As much as I love the outdoors, I have decided to force myself to stay inside as much as possible to wait out the duration of this horrendous heat and humidity wave.  I figured that since you're all inside you might want to give this really simple recipe a try...

Just because you're stuck in the confines of your own (in our case) tiny apartment it doesn't mean you should be reduced to eating cheese sandwiches.  I have found that the days that MUST be spend indoors can be a great time for kitchen experimentation.  I have created pretty delicious treats from some of the ingredients in my kitchen.  One of my favorites is a pesto made from peas - this is pretty simple and also so refreshing on cold pasta, as a dip if you thicken it up a little, or as a spread on those cheese sandwiches you're eating - all you need:

 - 1 bag of frozen peas - thawed

 - Olive Oil (to taste - you control the thickness!)

 - 1 cup Basil and/or Mint (mint lightens it up just a little more)

 - 1/2 cup Parmasean cheese - I like to use the harder version of the cheese instead of grated so it can replace the texture of pinenuts in   regular pesto - pinenuts really make me unhappy

 - Blend and you are good to go! 

Comment or e-mail us some of the things you've whipped up in your kitchen from pantry-found ingredients and we will try and whip it up and let you know how it goes in a post!

Enjoy the great indoors,

E

Sauca!

I have wandered over to the Sauca (@wheresauca on twitter) truck a few times when it has graced me with its presence, and have always been impressed and very full after my meals.  I love the idea using sauces to create unique flavor blends (buffalo pulled pork is one I have put together with great results), and have wanted to head over to the restaurant location.  So over the weekend, T and I ventured into Virginia and went to Sauca on Columbia Pike.

The menu is actually about the same as the truck, which was sort of disappointing since we drove all the way out there, but we were still excited to dig into some delicious Sauca creations.  We decided to get 3 "Saucas" - we went with the Mumbai Butter Chicken, Pork Banh Mi, and Polpette Marinara.

Butter Chicken

Polpette Marinara

Pork Manh Mi

Our least favorite was the Italian style dish - not because the rice balls were not delicious, but because we didn't care for the sauce (personally). Neither of us are into olives - I only like them in my martinis and usually when they are stuffed with blue cheese or pimentos (yum!).  However, if you are an olive lover I think you may want to check the Polpette Marinara out.

As for the butter chicken and the banh mi we each claimed one as "the best."  I love Indian food, I will usually eat any meat as long as it's covered in curry so the butter chicken won my heart.  Although I am a huge fan of ultra spicy foods - it's a recessive gene in some I think - my dad and I both claim our best meal ever was a spicy rice dish in Gettysburg, PA with ghost chilis that made us cry - I thought the mild spice of the butter chicken was extremely pleasant and not lacking any additional heat.  Plus, it was so large I was able to take in a half for lunch the next day at work...awesome.  T favored the pork banh mi, with it's bold flavor and fresh julianned veggies, it was a sensational mix of flavors and textures that was hard not to love. She also was able to bring it in for lunch - 2 meals for the price of one!

I think the last thing to bring up about Sauca was the great quality of the ingredients which made the whole experience really enjoyable. From the complex sauce down to the simple, fresh pita bread, each of our purchases was unique and delicious.  Eating in-house was a great experience, but I don't think you need to venture into Virginia (unless you're already there) to experience it.  Eating off the Sauca truck will give you the same flavor experience without spending the additional cash on gas.

Love, E

T's Perspective-

I'd been wanting to try Sauca for awhile now - they have 5 trucks, which means they're doing something seriously right. The restaurant, for some reason, structurally reminded me of either an old diner or a Sonic - don't take this as a bad thing please! My favorite meal hands down was the Pork Bahn Mi. I'm such a sucker for Asian flavors and this was on par - the meat was sweet and veggies super crisp. The only complaint I could come up with was that when it came to reheating the next day the bread was a little hard and there weren't enough veggies for the leftover meat, however this was after microwaving which really doesn't do anything justice. I'm definitely going to go back and try the Buffalo and Mexican flavors but as E said, I'd probably just to the truck unless I'm feeling adventurous!

PS!

Also for your lovebirds out there...you can reserve this table for a romantic evening

Diary of a Mad Metro Rider

Well, DC, here it is. The first of my surely many to come rants about our fair public transit system. Typically I don't actually have a huge problem with the metro - it gets me where I need to go in an almost-timely fashion. I complain a fair amount, but no more than any other commuter. However this afternoon really took the cake. I left work a little early today to catch a partial ride home with E and was pretty pumped about it (we have epic car rides, and even more so now with the addition of the latest CD from Ms. Britney Spears). The line I needed even arrived as I was walking down the stairs - it was like fate. I had a magazine, my iPod - I was SET. So naturally, disaster struck.


As I entered the car that stopped in front of me I noticed the AC was out - not a huge problem as I am typically a little chilly during the day and almost welcomed the warmer air. After we left my origin the train began to stop and start at random times. If you have experienced this sensation, you know exactly what I am referring to. I've experienced motion-sickness on the metro before - never to the point of becoming a sick passenger but its gotten bad. Traveling 35-45 minutes in from my office in Maryland doesn't help. I wasn't going far this time so I closed my mag, put my head down and shut my eyes. As we continued on our way the car began to fill with humans as it typically does during rush hour. A gentleman sat down next to me and here is where it all really ended for me. He was clearly a smoker and REEKED of cigarette smoke. Now I'm not going to condemn him for smoking - clearly a personal choice etc etc etc - and I've been known to enjoy a cig or two on occasion. This, however, did not help my already nauseous feeling and impending need to projectile vom all over said individual. We were still 3 stops away from E's stop - however with the stopping and starting and stopping and starting I was really not feeling it. I actually almost got off a few early and walked but I didn't want her to have to wait for me.


Long story short, I made it to E's stop in one piece and didn't cause anyone else any unnecessary commuting delays. The moral of my rant is really that when you enter the metro you should maybe try to think of those around you, especially people like me who are more prone to motion sickness. My metro-sick is really a new development, one that I directly attribute to public transportation. And reading in cars, but that's a whole other discussion.


This really was nothing compared to the night that the metro escalator ate my shoe. BF can attest - unfortunately I deleted the picture from my phone.


Moral of the story? I need to start driving to work.


Peace, Love, and #WMATA,


T

Big Cheese Truck

My cheese addiction started many years ago at my parent's first home in the Carolinas (before our move up north).  It was mid-summer and in the middle of a massive thunder storm.  As a 3 year old nothing scared me more than thunder so my dad decided the best way to make me feel better was to make little pizzas out of English Muffins (these later became a staple in my college years - thanks dad!).  My dad sliced the muffins and I did my usual job of getting the fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce from the fridge, my dad sliced the mozz and then something magical happened - he left the room.  I was stunned and elated, I had the mozzarella all to myself.  I dominated that mozzarella.  Nothing could stop me, and from them on, I have been a cheese fanatic. 

After moving to DC, I was lucky enough to meet boyfriend, a man who shares this love of cheese with me.  After many trips to Dean & Deluca we found the best cheese....ever.  Midnight Moon, a hard goat cheese of the gods.  This brings me to today - the day i went to the Big Cheese Truck (@bigcheesetruck http://bigcheesetruck.com/) 

It's really hot out today so it took some convincing from coworkers to get me to walk a few blocks over to the truck.  

Once I got there I took a look at the board and silently freaked out when I saw a Midnight Moon sandwich.  Hell. Yes.

Someday I want to try everything on this menu

The folks working at the truck were great, and they let me go and get cash after my order since their credit card machine was down for the day (they usually do take cards).  I waited about 7 or 8 minutes and then walked very, very quickly back to my office, which made the rest of my body pretty unhappy due to the heat and the sort of uncomfortable leather straps on my espadrilles, but I was thinking only with my taste buds at that point.  In an effort to be slightly health conscious, and also to be nice, I made the biggest mistake of my day...I offered half of the sandwich to my coworker in exchange for some homemade turkey chili.  Big mistake.  

Perfection: pre-sharing disaster

To quote Guy Fieri, this sandwich was "off the chain."  The bread was great quality and the midnight moon is creamy, smooth, and tangy - and don't forget the sweet and delicious flavor of the caramelized onions.  The balance of flavor was nothing short of perfect, if I wanted to change it up maybe I would add some jam, but I don't think the extra flavor would do the Midnight Moon justice.  When I finished my half I was so excited to have more...except I had given it away.  While I am all for sharing, I think a sandwich from the Big Cheese Truck should be enjoyed solo...it's just too good not to keep to yourself.

AFTERMATH

That is how I made the best and worst decision of the day in less than an hour.  Don't be like me.

Love, E

[edit] : CYPRESS GROVE makes Midnight Moon, I did the wrong research:see the tweet below from @AfinaCheese - I am really sorry for the mix up - either way VERY excited to test out Cowgirl Creamery here in DC this weekend and very appreciative.  Thank you.


@AfinaCheese Cowgirl does not make midnight moon. It is made in The Netherlands for Cypress Grove, a Cali company.

New cheese store I am dying to check out - COWGIRL CREAMERY 
You can find them in Penn Quarter at the address below, online at http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com or on Twitter (@cowgirlcheesedc).  

Cowgirl Creamery

919 F Street NW, Penn Quarter, Washington DC
202.393.6880

Open Monday thru Saturday 

DC-365 DC Foodie Survey

Hi guys!  Please help our friends at DC-365 out by taking this super quick survey - making DC a better foodie town one person at a time....


http://district365.com/survey/


Much love,
T&E 

Just a Little About T&E

After a long talk last night, T and I decided it was time to start blogging.  After a few months in Washington, we realized that the sights, sounds, and our personal experiences in such a unique city might actually be worth sharing.  So this is it, our story, but before you start reading about us maybe you should get to know us, so here’s a bit about ourselves…

All about T & E

We became friends freshman year of high school when we were placed in the same art class.  Although many high school friendships come and go, we remained close friends throughout our  high school years and finally made it out alive (barely). We went on to separate colleges, and always talked about what our future would hold after graduation – we both decided on the same thing; we wanted politics.  In 2011 our “dream” came true, and we both were settled and employed in DC.  T’s mom almost exploded with excitement when she moved in – we made good on our pact.  We are both still getting our sea legs down here and trying to get a grip on our lives while the harsh reality of young-adulthood (read: near poverty…) sets in. Expect funny anecdotes, recipes, our near-constant fashion obsessions, and reviews of our adventures in the NOVA/DC area. We hope you like reading this as much as we enjoyed dreaming it up and writing it!