ktmoomau

Tonight was Brussels sprout and lettuce salad with homemade ranch dressing (mmm, I am going to make this more often), with bacon, chicken, carrots, tomatoes and some homemade croutons I had made previously.  I should have taken a picture it was cute!  I have been lacking in my pictures lately, of even very pretty dishes.

I dislike the micro lists at: Supra, Doi Moi, Espita Mezcaleria (I know, I know, but I HATE Mezcal).  They don't have enough options and they are all often based on what they want the consumer to like rather than what the consumer may like.  I am sure I could name others.  

Well the chicken and rice wasn't Hainan chicken and rice, but it was pretty darn good.  A huge portion of chicken that I could not eat all of in one sitting, with mustard greens and scallions, a soy ginger sauce.  The rice with chicken au jus and sauce was addictive.

Got take out of their soba noodle with seaweed, asparagus, tomatoes and avocado.  This was a really nice little vegetarian noodle dish that I would make at home.  I also got a california roll, which was standard, not anything special, not anything bad.  But the noodles while not mind blowing was a really satisfying lunch dish.  Next time I might get a cucumber roll instead for a little extra crunch in my lunch.

Hubby and I finally had a chance to try this place out.  We started out with tea with bobas, standard, but good and essential.  I had been craving one recently, I got passion fruit tea with honey boba.  I was going to get something from Roots, the duck soup looked very enticing, but they were sold out of about 3/4 of their menu by around 12:30 when we got there.  And they were so backed up they wanted me to wait ten minutes to order.  Hubby already had ordered from Balo, so I went there too.  Hubby got dan dan noodles, and egg rolls (mostly for me, but I wanted veggie and he wanted with meat, so we got with meat).  I got chao fun with chicken and chicken rice for dinner tonight which I haven't eaten yet.  The dan dan noodles were perhaps as close to Chengdu versions we had as we have found here in the DC area.  Appropriately spicy, but also kind of a low key dish.  The chow fun was a huge plate, as had an addictive sweet, but spicy take.  I should have gotten beef which is more traditional, but the basil chicken sounded good, and it was good.  The egg rolls were good, but interesting.  I think the meat is made into a mousse if I had to guess.  I really liked them, they were not your American chinese restaurant egg roll, but I think I would like veggie better.  We loved the atmosphere of the block, it reminded us of the small food court restaurants all over Singapore.  I want to go back and get that duck soup from Roots!  I didn't see any bao or buns of any type, I will have to look harder next time. Hubby and I both commented it would be amazing for it to take over the Kmart and just go crazy like some of the Singapore Food courts (not the stand alone hawker centers).  Anyway, I thought the food was good and would like to try some other things.  It was pretty busy the whole time we were there and I thought the atmosphere was fun.

So no gym this week- ugh gotta do better next week.  

Today I ate soba noodles with asparagus, tomatoes and avocado and a California roll, dark chocolate mini peanut butter cup.  

Yesterday was a turkey sandwich with spinach eaten in frenzied moments and a bag of chips (oops), dark chocolate mini peanut butter cup, and a diet coke (mother .......).

Wednesday was salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, chicken.

Between dinners and lunches I have been reducing my meat intake by a fair amount, and making it more a element and not a main part of a meal, which is one of my many somewhat small goals for the year.  Babysteps...

The past couple nights have been hectic, frenzied what is in the fridge that can be cobbled together nights.  Last night I ate mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and leftover Tom Yum soup.  And some homemade flan from my co-worker!  I plan to get it together and pick up a grocery order today.

I think I saw them at Harris Teeter in Old Town in the McCormick Organic racks.  I also think they might have them at Shoppers (mine has 4 different spice sections, so I can normally find stuff in one of them), but I would call before you go.  

16 minutes ago, legant said:

Does anyone have an opinion on (or experience with) "ugly food" companies (e.g., Imperfect Produce, Hungry Harvest)? Yes, I fell for the click-bait: I'm expecting my first box this week.

Wish I had found the TNR article before signing up. It raises some good points. However, for me, it's an affordable supplement for CSA during winter months.

Thoughts? Comments? Feedback?

Yes, also on the flip side, we REALLY need more small farmers and people to get back into farming.  We won't do that if we don't provide farmers decent profit margins to survive, which means selling more of their produce for profit.  So monetizing produce otherwise not being sold does help it just doesn't sound as sexy- we are providing a better living and profit margin for farmers so they can continue to farm is a less sexy headline than- food bank donations going down.  So I do think it is likely a complicated area.

Last night was just reheating leftovers as Hubby thought we had a HOA meeting and I was in relaxed mode from spa daying.  Tonight is probably also reheating leftovers before our different meetings.  

I didn't see another topic for the Salamander, and I didn't stay there, so I wasn't sure this post qualified for the hotels thread, but... The Spa at the Salamander is a really nice spa, especially for groups.  If you are local to the area and ask for the local discount you get 20% off your tab, and they validate your valet parking.  It is akin to Nemacolin in that most spa services come with a day pass to use the heated outdoor pool, outdoor hot tub, indoor whirlpool, steam, fancy shower thing and those nice heated chairs and relaxation room.  I got a massage and the price was in line with other places, and the local discount essentially paid for my gratuity, I didn't have Brian or Tony, but was told next time to ask for them.  We hung out in the hot tub amongst the snow, without anyone else out there. Steam room, etc.  It was a fun thing to do today while my office was closed to celebrate a friend's birthday.  I hadn't found a spa in this area comparable to Nemacolin in terms of being able to go and have all the extra amenities.  The beautiful snow made it a little more special.  I am sure they get busy on weekends and it might not be quite as relaxing.

If you are a spa guest you get 10% off meals in the wine room.  We had a late lunch there with the crispy cauliflower (kind of like orange chicken, but with fried cauliflower) good, but not close to Evening Star's.  Burrata on toast which was quite good.  And I got the farro salad, as it fit my effort to try to eat less meat, especially at lunch.  The farro salad was fairly boring, but not bad, just boring.  I am sure most people top it with a protein.  Cashews would be a nice addition.  Others got sandwiches which looked good, especially the crabcake.  I was happy they had soy or almond milk as an option with coffee before the drive home.

Anyway, one of our friends is going back out Friday, but eating in town, so I think it is at least helping some of the local restaurants.

Matt and I went to Kohinoor Dhaba on Saturday night because I had watched the Final Table episode on India and was seriously craving butter chicken.  I also got Bangian Bharta.  Hubby got chicken korma (I thought he said rogan josh, but it was definitely korma).  He had never had bangian bharta before and we both really enjoyed it.  Chicken tikka masala hit the essential craving I had been having.  We got parathas, which Matt still craves from our trip to Punjab and two types of naan.  Hubby really liked his korma, but it was very rich, I just had a small bite.  Not that mine wasn't rich, just in a different way.  On a cold snowy night, getting warm Indian food within a few minutes of our house was perfect.  This was his first trip and he was pretty excited to have this place nearby, Ballston you needed to drive a little to decent Indian, and there were ok delivery options, but most of those really weren't Indian per se.  We ordered pretty standard things, but they were good, service was nice even with the snow coming down.  

On 1/12/2019 at 8:21 PM, Josh said:

Yet another recipe from Archana Mundhe's cookbook, "The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook." Tonight was the chicken korma. I've made 5 or 6 recipes so far, and all have been really, really good.  Like really good. Butter chicken, salmon tikka masala, saag paneer...all amazing. I originally came across her butter chicken recipe on Food52, and bought the book based on the results.

Now added to my Amazon wishlist!

Last night was veggie linguine (don't tell Hubby he had no idea) with meat sauce.  

Friday night was heated frozen Phillips crabcakes from Costco (for a frozen, quickie crabcake, these really are not terrible), leftover mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  I am waiting for Hubby to get home to decide what tonight is...

4 hours ago, DaRiv18 said:

I do not think of myself as a donut connoisseur, either.  I do have some bias here, I cannot burn off the calories like I used to.  So, am more apt to condemn an oversized, tasteless donut than, say, a poorly extracted glass of kale juice.  So, if my review of Sugar Shack seemed a bit harsh, it's because not only did I dislike the donut, I also disliked myself for several hours after eating it. 

I nominate this for best post of the month.

Sometimes I am the jackass at the office that cuts the doughnut in half.

I am biased, but this is my Brother In Laws Company.  He has never done work for me, but he has done work for Hubby's good friend and they were very happy and told us as much.  He is a native and has done this most of his life, so very, very familiar with permitting. 

So we will have a seated tasting class with cheese and wine pairings first.  And then we will have a board too for mingling after- so yes, I think I will have some of those things, but I always have gherkins, fresh and dried fruit and more nuts on hand just in case.  I just wanted some snacks as even though this is more a cocktail party, I am sure most the ladies won't have eaten and likely won't eat after.

The social chair is unfortunately furloughed and has some extra time, so she said she would make a vegetable tray and ham rolls. I think chicken satay is a great idea, and vegetarian mini-quiche.  I might see if someone on the hospitality committee has one of those mini fondue pots for dark chocolate and fruit for dessert. If not I will have some dark chocolates too.

6 minutes ago, dracisk said:

Oh my goodness! I've been thinking about doing this! I'm VERY interested to know about your planning and how your gathering goes. (Can I come? Just kidding.)

It's a social event/fundraiser for the Junior Friends, and if I didn't think it might already be filled (as it is sit down and I only have so much space in my first floor), I would totally invite you!!  But I will definitely let you know how it goes!  

I couldn't find a general thread on party planning, so I decided to start one.  I saw some specific types of parties, but none fit the bill for this one, and I thought a general topic might get posts as many people here do a lot of general hosting.

My specific quest right now: I am hosting a wine and cheese tasting by the Cheese Monster.  I wanted to have some snacks to go with said tasting after the seated tasting/learning session that would go well with cheese and enhance the experience.  But I didn't want things with more cheese, which rules out a lot of my go-to party snacks.  I would prefer the items to be make ahead (although I can also pick up some things).  Things I already have crackers, salami, spinach and artichoke dip.  But I would like to make a few more substantial snacks.

Ok, I will admit, I am not a big doughnut person.  I will eat a VERY fresh Krispy Kreme from time to time.  I do love a freshly made, glazed or chocolate covered yeast, homemade amish doughnut too.  I like the whole wheat blueberry cake doughnut at Dunkin.  That's about it, except, I really like the seasonal fruit cake doughnuts at Sugar Shack.  But I admit not a doughnut connoisseur by any means.

So yesterday, to get back on track of eating a little less meat, I had Campbells corn and poblano soup, with egg strata cups made of egg, spinach, apple, brie and orange cranberry bread.  Today I had costco yakitori noodles (veggies and noodles) to which I added some slow roasted tomatoes and brussel sprouts just to beef up the veggies a bit.  Those slow roasted cherry tomatoes are great on an assortment of things, I will make more of those.  I also had about half the container of soup left from yesterday.  (Tuesday evening I ate vegetarian, so I am doing ok so far this week at my goal.)  

I also went to the gym in my office yesterday and ran for 30 minutes and lifted a few weights.  Oy, that was humiliating, I am so out of shape compared to where I was 6 months ago, oh well the process continues.  

And they wonder why ridership is down.

Those waffles do sound good and I have a lot of cornmeal!

Last night we used the leftover shredded shortribs and made tacos with slow roasted tomatoes, tomatillo salsa, mozzarella (the only cheese we have left in the fridge) and spinach.  The tortillas were really thick they were homestyle from Shoppers, I was worried that they would be too thick and griddles them to make sure they would be good.  They actually were perfect as the shortribs were very saucy and they needed this type of tortilla to hold up under the amount of liquid.

Agree, as well.

Our new Christmas tradition as I think I said in another thread has been... fajitas!  We have a lot of family that comes in and out, not a ton of time to prepare, and everyone likes tex-mex.  So we have done fajitas the past two years with great success.  The little boys do quesadillas.  Maybe I will be able to bring them over to the tamales eventually, as those are really make ahead.  

We used to do steamed shrimp and ham and assorted other things, but this was just easy and good.  I did though mention to my Aunt that she could bring back pastitsio (sp?) for Christmas Eve and I would really enjoy that.  I really miss the VERY good lasagna my Dad's first wife made at Christmas, to me that was a great dinner.