Food.Fun.Stuff: Restaurant Week Turn Out Low?

Looks like folks aren't showing out for D.C.'s Restaurant Week. WP* Going Out Guru, Julia Beizer, has been checking out the scene this week and has found that restaurants are totally empty...but they're not filled to capacity either like in past years. Remember when you couldn't get a reservation for restaurant week if you waited too late (*Late being the week before Restaurant Week)?!? Unusual. If you are still interested and can get a table (*which it looks like you won't have a problem with...), we've heard great things about Vidalia, Il Mulino and Zaytinya's lunch (*The Garides Me Anitho** melts in your mouth). Check out more of Julia's observations here.

*WP=Washington Post

**Garides Me Anitho=Sauteed shrimp, dill, shallots, mustard and lemon juice

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Champagne Festival

Champagne is our absolute favorite beverage...honestly, we would drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if we could. It's no wonder we are excited about the 2009 Tour de Champagne DC which will feature over 20 champagne houses and the perfect cuisines to match from local chefs.

The Where: Ritz Carlton (West End)
The When: November 6, 2009, 7 pm-10 pm
The Money: $90, Early Bird until September 10, 2009...after is $115
More Info?: Check here

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Win Some New Boots

New Giveaway! We are loving giving away some of the best treats out there but now there is a giveaway for your feet:-) Whoogaboots has a competition going on where you can enter to win a new pair of ugg boots. FYI (*and we didn't know this either): ugg boots are a style of boots. In other words, the ugg boots we're used to seeing are actually made by a company called "UGG Australia" and Whooga has created a style of boots called ugg. Hope this doesn't confuse you but this shouldn't: FREE. You enter, you have the possibility of winning some free warm, winter boots, sounds like a no-brainer. Just click the link at the bottom of this post and enter, Good Luck!

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Death of Good Customer Service

For some reason the beat of "Death of Autotune" keeps going through our head as we think of the subject of our next post: The Death of Good Customer Service. In the past couple of months we have watched as customer service especially here in the District has deteriorated. Let us take you on a journey into three different scenarios:

Scenario #1: We recently ventured out for a friends birthday to a spot that we have raved about in past times (*The name of the restaurant will remain anonymous). We made it clear from the time we made the reservation weeks in advance until the final bill was brought to the table that this was a b-day celebration. Now here's the catch, our friend did not want dessert at the end of the meal but we wanted some acknowledgement of the b-day celebration (*Translation: Something with a candle in it). When we went to inquire about what could be done, the servers sarcastically responded "Well, it's a lot of peoples birthday in here tonight, we don't do anything special for that" (*Maybe we're being overly sensitive, you be the judge). We advised them that because our friend didn't want anything for dessert, we didn't want to purchase a whole dessert just so she could blow a candle out. The server simply looked at me, slightly rolled her eyes in frustration and said "So what do you want me to do?? Do you want dessert or not??" As a foodie, JKGF never (*Repeat: NEVER) leaves a restaurant without tipping, but on this night we had to do it.

Maybe it's because we had just celebrated a b-day celebration a few weeks ago at a New York restaurant who, after our honoree decided they did not want dessert, brought out three tiny cubes of cheesecake with a candle. Really, how much does it cost a restaurant to acknowledge a birthday with a candle?? Let's break this down people: The cost of having something small on hand for b-day celebrations + guests are happy, pleased, taking pictures of the b-day person and recommends this restaurant to a friend for another b-day celebration= more business vs. The cost of having something small on hand for b-day celebrations - nothing on hand, wait staff having an off night with plenty of attitude= guests who won't return and the restaurant loses business.

We know this is a long rant, but we had to vent. It is time for restaurants all around to make customer service a priority, a top priority and for every patron, every time. Sometimes things can happen in the kitchen: You add a little more salt than necessary, the meat is crispier than the customer cares for, etc. but customer service and the attitudes of waitstaff should be the one thing that is consistent everytime, for every visitor, on every occasion. Brasserie Beck of DC could teach a class on this! They have exceptional service even when their food doesn't make the cut, they can rest at night saying "Hey, no one can say we were jerks".

Scenario #2: We won't go down this list again, just check this post. Does this seem like good customer service to you??

Restaurants let's get it together, we only want a win for both sides: Good service=Patrons enjoy themselves=More business and more profits...sounds like a plan.

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Sou'Wester to Open...oh and Wine!

This and that:

>Sou'Wester opens next month- The Mandarin Oriental is expanding its horizons to its newest restaurant concept, Sou'Wester, which connotes sou'wester (*the quick change in direction and the burst of new energy). Executive Chef Eric Ziebold and Chef de Cuisine Rachael Harriman will head up the team delivering traditional as well as new twists on classic dishes. Some of the headliners: Chicken and Dumplings (*Good stuff, this is actually a rare menu item in the District...), Sauteed Perch with Old Bay Chowder and Maryland Blue Crab with Mango and Avocado (*for the lunch menu). The sweets department won't be lacking at the hands of Pastry Chef Amanda Cook (*whom created desserts at CityZen for over three years). Chef Cook will focus on delicacies such as Fried Apple Pie and homey Carrot Cakes. The restaurants boasts a relaxed atmosphere where patrons can take in views of the Potomac while dining. We welcome this change to the Mandarin Oriental and are interested to see if it will take some of the bold steps that its name connotates...

>Wine Festival!- There has not been a good one of these in awhile. The Commonwealth Wine & Polo Event will be going on at the Great Meadow from September 12-13, 2009. Patrons will experience over 250 Virginia artisan wines, fine art, "fancy" food (*whatever that means...), culinary seminars and international polo. This will be the 24th Annual Commonwealth Cup (*U.S. faces Great Britain in competition). More info here.

Picture source

Johnna's Pick of the Week: The Tabard Inn (D.C.)

The rumors were true. The Tabard Inn is one of the best places in D.C. for brunch. After hearing about the Sunday brunch here, we decided it was time for us to make our way over to Dupont. It was a bit difficult to find at first and we probably would have given up the hunt, but the foodie in us wouldn't let us. We found it tucked inside Hotel Tabard Inn and as we followed the signs to the restaurant entrance we felt like we were walking through someones home. The Tabard Inn has such a cozy, vintage feel that makes you feel like your invading someones domain when you visit.

We were seated in what felt like we were yet again in someones huge dining room that they happened to open up to the public. It felt good. We started with the fried donuts and whipped cream. We honestly could have eaten about 10 of these and at $1.50 this was a strong possibility but we paced ourselves. Good idea because what followed was worth waiting for. Of course we got the poached eggs (*If this is your first time reading JKGF, you will learn quickly how much we love poached eggs) which were the topping for the corn beef hash drizzled with béarnaise sauce. The corn beef was not something you would find in a can but we can't say that it matched up to some of the best corned beef hash we've had (*Elmo's Diner of Durham has our vote on this one...). We had quite an appetite and were a little rambunctious in our selections so we tacked on a side of the grits with fontina cheese. Smart move for our taste buds, bad move for our stomachs (*We could have bursted after a meal like this...).

Did we mention we tried the applewood smoked bacon and waffles?? We were sharing all this food, we promise. The bacon reminded us of turkey bacon versus the down home pork bacon with all the gristle and fat, which was probably a good thing. The Limosa was a good way to start the day...we love anything that involves Champagne and lemons in the morning. After practically being rolled out of The Tabard Inn, our palates were pleased with what Brunch DC considers one of the top brunches in D.C. Will we return? Yes, but this time we're getting two donuts and an extra side of whipped cream, please.

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Free Cupcakes, Please

Free cupcakes today! D.C. is the only place we know that still gives away freebies during a recession. Today, Hello Cupcake celebrates its one year anniversary by giving away free cupcakes to all patrons, while supplies last. Throughout the day there will be giveaways and freebies for all those that stop in on the celebration. Try and get there as early as you can because cupcake and free in the same sentence could be trouble;-)

The Where: Hello Cupcake, 1351 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. (202) 861-2253
The When: Today, August 25, 2009
The Money: FREE
The Metro: Dupont Circle (Red Line)

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: On the Go...

Fast and furious day JKGF readers!! Today has been one of the most hectic Monday's in our lives, but we're taking it in stride. We could not go a whole Monday without updating you on the To Do's of the week, so here we go:

>DC Restaurant Week starts today and will continue until Sunday...you know the drill; $20 lunches and $35 dinners. Make your reservations at http://www.opentable.com/...

>Who knew?? Etete delivers! That made our whole week when we found out the Ethiopian food haven now delivers until about 10 pm, 7 days a week practically anywhere in D.C. All that access to some of the best Ethiopian food in the District...we don't know how our bank account or fitness plan is going to survive it...

>Agraria Farmers & Fishers is now open: The sister restaurant to Founding Farmers, Agraria is now open on the Georgetown waterfront (*ooo a good reason to head out that way alongside the nice breeze). They are participating in restaurant week and boast hand-crafted cocktails and an authentic Tiki Bar menu (*Yum). In tune with it's older counterpart, the restaurant will feature sustainably-caught seafood, antibiotic and hormone-free meats and poultry, small plates to be shared and American Farmhouse pizzas. Sounds delish and we love any reason to visit the Harbour/G-town Waterfront, especially when there's good food involved.

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: D.C. Restaurant Week & A Festival

To Do List:

>Next week is our favorite sale of the year: Restaurant Week. It's the one week where restaurants that have $50 entrees will be on sale for those of us who cringe at $30 entrees on the menu. For one week, patrons can dine for lunch @ $20.09 and $35.09 a pop at various restaurants around the District. The usual suspects such as The Bombay Club make the list alongside some newbies such as Eatonville. Make your reservations @ OpenTable. We just helped New York wrap their's up last week @ Atlantic Grill (*Pretty good choice when your on the Upper East Side and want to be a little more vocal than usual...Translation: good for groups or loud talkers...).

The When: August 24-30, 2009

>Art in the Garden Festival- Having an overnight guest in town sure makes you take a real look around the city to see what's unique and different happening in and around the District. That's probably how we stumbled across this culinary arts festival that will be taking place @ the U.S. Botanic Garden this weekend. The festival seeks to show the role that plants play in food but with a more artful eye. Visitors can sample recipes and explore the culinary arts.

The Where: U.S. Botanic Garden
The When: Saturday, August 22, 2009, 10 am- 3 pm
The Money: FREE

Food.Fun.Stuff: Trying to Stay Cool...

Chili, cheese and french fries are a bad idea when the temperature is 91 degrees outside.* We didn't get this concept until we experienced it ourselves. After basically wasting $10 on a lunch that turned into a nightmare for our stomach (*with the factor of the heat), we got to thinking about places that would keep us cool in this destructive heat. Going through our roledex of restaurants, eateries and the likes, we decided these five would meet our needs at least for the coming weekend which promises days like today.

>Dolcezza- We love gelato! Especially from this little Argentianian gelato shop in Bethesda. We make it our business to sample a new flavor each time we go and have totally fallen for the vanilla bean.

>TangySweet- We must admit we had a bit of a crush on Pinkberry when we first tasted this frozen yogurt in LaLaLand, but now the District has its own version. We also like the fact that they moved some of those cupcakes from Red Velvet into the building. Yogurt and cake.

>Alero's Margerita's- Alcohol is probably the worst idea when in the combination with heavy food and intense heat, but Alero's happy hour is worth taking a chance on the wild side. We love how they have a long happy hour and the drinks are potent but masked well with the icey margerita flavors. They have an indoors part, stay cool in the AC or try to beat the heat in their outdoor seating.

>Peacock Cafe- Shade. That's what we like about this tree-lined block that houses Peacock Cafe. Their brunch is pretty decent and after a night of hanging out, it is a great option for trying to stay low-key.

>Ketchup- The National Harbor's newest member to the restaurant team, Ketchup, makes its way all the way from the West Coast (*Dolce Group venture). With water comes a breeze (*or some sense of coolness, isn't that why we like the beach??) and that's why the National Harbor is a good place for us to venture this weekend.

In need of some gelato now...or maybe some frozen yogurt...dunno, but it's going to be someplace cool that shuns heat:-)

*We are leaving out the name of the restaurant that we had this unfortunate experience from...trying to keep it positive!

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Winner!

"We Are the Champions!!!" That song seems to float through our head every time we think about winning. Today, we have more winners at JKGF courtesy the Old Bay Bloody Mary Giveaway that took place a couple of weeks ago. Basically, we asked our readers to submit their ideas for good Bloody Mary's with Old Bay in the recipe. We decided on one of our readers from New York City who submitted a basic but cool twist on an old fashioned favorite:


1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 dash celery salt
1 dash hot sauce
1 dash black pepper
Tomato Juice
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. pure horseradish
1/2 oz. lemon juice
2 shrimp cocktails (for garnish)
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
Pickles spear (for garnish)

In a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, the hot sauce, pepper, celery salt, horseradish and 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning; shake well. Strain into a highball glass. Coat the shrimp cocktail with the remaining Old Bay seasoning (1 tsp.) and garnish glass with shrimp and pickles spear. Serve.

Thank you New York reader! We love this recipe, it incorporates just the right amount of Old Bay without overdoing it. Any thoughts??

*Thanks to all who participated, we will be having a few more giveaways coming up in the near future, stay reading!

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: The Marathon & Spy's

It's Thursday! Don't know if your excitement matches ours on this Thursday morning, but for us, Thursday means the weekend is here. Tonight there are a few things that you might want to get into as a pre-game to the weekend:

>The Georgetown's Lululemon Athletica will be the location of the Team in Training discussing the in's and out's of running a Women's Half Marathon. The marathon will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (*You know how we feel about a good cause, so we won't say it again) and will be a good learning experience for those interested in running this marathon (*or any marathon for that matter...).

The Where: Georgetown's Lululemon Athletica, 3265 M st., NW Washington, D.C.
The When: Tonight @ 6:30 pm
The Low Down: Cocktails and dessert (*enough said.) and FREE (*more than enough said.)
More Info?: RSVP @ (703) 399-2942

>The International Spy Museum is doing their bid in the tributes to Julia Child. Tonight, the museum will be hosting a cocktail reception at Zola Wine & Kitchen paying tribute to the life of Julia Child. Cooking demonstrations, Julia Child-inspired goodies and cocktails will be enjoyed by patrons.

The Where: Zola Wine & Kitchen, 505 9th. st, NW Washington, D.C.
The When: Tonight @ 6 pm
More Info?: Contact SPY Guest Services @ (202) 654-0964 from 9 am-5 pm
The Money: $55 for a ticket
The Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown (Red, Green & Yellow Lines)

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Top Chef+Vegas=DVR

Top Chef starts tonight. For us this is probably the most exciting season based on its newfound location...Vegas baby! Finally, TV is the seeing the sex appeal of food and cooking...isn't it sexy when you find out your significant other can cook really well?? Ok so we're getting sidetracked, back to Top Chef. So this seasons head judge will be chef-owner of the Craft restaurants, Tom Colicchio, alongside James Beard Award winner, Padma Lakshmi. There's a $100,000 cash prize at the end of the road and nothing but raw cooking talent...don't forget to DVR it.

Picture source

Recipe: Spinach Omelet

Spinach Omelet

2 eggs
1 cup baby spinach leaves (torn in half)
1 1/2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 garlic (minced)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp. butter (for coating pan)

In a bowl, beat the eggs, and stir in the baby spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. In a skillet coated with butter over medium heat, cook the egg mixture about 3 minutes, until partially set. Flip with a spatula, and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: We have not made breakfast in forever and a day so it's time for us to give up the Starbucks fix and start cooking in our own kitchen in the mornings. Omelets are such an enticing way to start the morning, they give you the boast of energy and filling that you need throughout the day. In combination with spinach, you can't lose. We suggest pairing with some fresh fruit and tall glass of OJ (*Translation: orange juice:-).

Picture source

Drinks on Me: Jolly Rancher Martini (Alcoholic)

Jolly Rancher Martini

1 part vodka
1 part ice (crushed works best, but cubed is fine)
10-15 jolly ranchers (we used cherry flavor, but use your favorite)

In a blender, combine vodka, ice and jolly ranchers. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes, or until ice and jolly ranchers are completely crushed.

*Johnna's tip: Jolly Ranchers have to be one of our top five favorite candies of all time. That's why we were so excited to find this on Savvy Events Blog yesterday, what a nifty combination: jolly rancher and vodka! Please make sure the jolly ranchers are totally crushed before you try to serve them up, we do not want anyone choking on what's supposed to be a good time;-)

Picture source

Johnna's Pick of the Week: Eatonville (D.C.)

Let's take a trip down to Eatonville. The new 14th st. eatery, Eatonville, has won our attention. After celebrating a birthday there, we had the opportunity to see and taste what the comfort food haven had to offer. We've always liked Busboys and Poets (*same owners as Eatonville & across the street...) with it's simple dishes, but only recommended this spot when people came to us for something super casual or needed somewhere with wireless access. Eatonville, on the other hand, gets our review for celebrations, casual dinners on the town or just to go and eat good food alone.

We ventured here on a Friday night with YSL pump look-a-likes and did not feel under dressed one bit. Everyone was sporting whatever they were out on the town for; drinks, drinks and dancing or just to conversate with old friends. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and led to our seat which was planted under some pretty eccentric art images. The whole place is decorated in art murals and kinda takes you on a roller coaster ride in the mind. It adds to the whole effect of this restaurant based on Zora Neale Hurston's home town. As we all know (*or for those that don't know...), Zora Neale Hurston was an African-American folklorist and author during the Harlem Renaissance, so the decorations on the wall were right in line with her story telling.

The food. The best part. We started with the hush puppies, the cheddar tart and the fried green tomatoes. The hush puppies took a different turn than what we expected and it was a turn for the best: they were a unique stuffing of rock shrimp and leek fondue with creole sauce. We honestly could've ate 10 of these, luckily they only serve one huge hush puppy as an appetizer. The cheddar tart was pretty interesting with Vidalia onions, tomato and white cheddar being the base of the dish. The fried green tomatoes needed no sauce on the side, the batter was at just the right sweetness in combination with the juice of the tomato.

For the entrees, we decided on the crab burger and the Cajun mushroom loaf. Good choices. The crab burger was pretty good, though the bread could have been better, it didn't totally fail as a burger. We would suggest a softer bun with a little more creativity where every other restaurant in D.C. has a crab or lobster burger floating around on its menu. The Cajun mushroom loaf was a cool twist on the typical meatloaf, but for vegetarians. We wrapped things up with some of the most delicious bread pudding on this side of 14th st.

Eatonville is on our new list of the top five places to recommend to visitors to the District (*This list changes frequently with new restaurants popping up in the DMV often...). We recommend it so much so we're headed back for a friends b-day celebration in the coming up weeks...now what should we order this time?? The Oyster Po Boy or the Etoufee??

P.S. The service gets a star too, the waitress was very attentive and on this rare occasion in the District we didn't feel like they were paying us to come eat, rather the other way around:-)

Picture source

Recipe: Quick Coleslaw

Quick Coleslaw

1 medium cabbage (shredded)
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sweet salad cube pickles
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup prepared mustard
1 tbsp. celery seed
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; stir and chill for 2-4 hours; Serve.

*Johnna's tip: 1, 2, 3, done. This recipe is just a matter of having all the ingredients in your kitchen, no real cooking involved. We are realizing coleslaw is such a great garnish to foods like burgers, hot dogs, etc. after disliking coleslaw for so long. It honestly just depends on how you season your slaw, bland slaw is a bummer.

*Johnna's tip, tip: Use red cabbage, we love this as a substitute for the regular cabbage.

Picture source

Drinks on Me: Summertime Tea (Non-Alcoholic)

Summertime Tea

4 cups boiled water
6 small tea bags
1 cup sugar
1 small can frozen orange juice
1 small can frozen lemonade
1 small can pineapple juice
10 cup cold water

Let the water, tea bags and sugar set until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the orange juice, lemonade, pineapple juice and cold water. Stir well; serve.

*Johnna's tip: It's 94 degrees today and humid. A cold, cold, cold drink is definitely in order. This makes about a gallon so you have enough to last you a through a few days of this official heat wave. Garnish with fresh pineapple slices or lemons, Enjoy!

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: World's Largest Cupcake

1,224 lbs., 800 eggs, 200 lbs. flour, 200 lbs. sugar and 12 hours baking time...what is all this?? This is what is now the World's Largest Cupcake. The 1,224 lb. cupcake was unveiled Saturday in Michigan which is 8 times the size of the previous record holder. Ryan Abood, owner of Gourmetgiftbaskets.com, is responsible for this gigantic creation. People could get a piece of the cupcake for a small donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization (*We love a good cause!). We think it's humanly impossible to consume such a cupcake but if one did try his/her luck, they would be taking in an estimated 2 million calories (*That's right, 2 mil).

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Hatch Chili Peppers Come to D.C.

Anybody in the mood for something spicy?? Well for the next two weeks in the District, if spice is your thing you should get to the nearest Wegman's. Hatch chili peppers are said to be some of the best grown peppers in the U.S. and are usually only sold at gourmet stores or online. Bonnie Benwick of the Washington Post has reported that they will be found @ Wegmans, starting Wednesday for the next two weeks, at the price of $1.99 per pound. The closest Wegman's for District residents are out in Virginia with a few locations in the Fairfax area and one in Woodbridge. This is worth the drive because word of mouth is Wegman's is an excellent source for fresh produce.

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: The Return of Happy Monday

Happy Monday went on a hiatus for a minute, but it's back. After a couple of stressful weeks, happy hour is right up our alley and we felt the need to continue with the tradition we had begun with posting about various happy hours on Mondays. Today's happy hour is one without alcohol (*Don't look so down:-). This happy hour is pretty sweet with burgers and all. Where are we talking about?? Z Burger Tenleytown. Z Burger has started a Monday happy hour (*We told you about this a few weeks ago) and it is from 2 pm-6 pm with $1 milkshakes. For those with a sweet tooth and a need to escape the increasingly high temperatures, Z Burgers milkshake happy hour would be a good stop on your way home. We are slowly making our way down the list of milkshakes here and so far we suggest: Birthday Cake (Our favorite!), Vanilla and Grape (An acquired taste, but we like it).

The Where: Z Burger Tenleytown, 4321 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20016
The When: Today or any other Monday from 2 pm-6 pm
The Metro: AU/Tenleytown (Red Line)
The Money: $1 Milkshakes

Picture source

Recipe: Pot Roast

Pot Roast

4 lb. beef rump roast
1/4 salt pork
1 clove garlic
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
2 onions (sliced)
2 carrots (sliced)
1 stalk celery (diced)
1 sprig parsley (chopped)
1 bay leaf
1 pinch thyme
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup tomato puree

Cut deep gashes in roast and insert strips of salt pork. Rub roast with garlic, salt and pepper. Place meat in a covered roasting pan with remaining ingredients. Roast at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours until meat is tender. Add in water if necessary. Serve with potatoes, carrots and peas. Strained liquid can be used as gravy. Enjoy!

*Johnna's tip: We are still smiling. Why? Yesterday, we went to see Julie & Julia and loved it! For a foodie it was a joy to see two people who found a love for food and used it as a mechanism for achieving their happiness. In one of the scenes, Julie, prepared a French Pot Roast similar to the recipe above that made our mouths drop, it looked soo delicious. We decided to replicate and make our own version of the comforting dish. If you haven't seen this movie, you must go...it is not only funny but its extremely heartwarming and makes you feel good leaving the theater...kinda the way you feel after you've had a good, fulfilling meal;-)

Picture source

Drinks on Me: Bailey's Twist (Alcoholic)

Bailey's Twist

2 oz. Baileys Irish Creme
2 oz. Amaretto
Ice Cubes

In a cocktail shaker, combine ingredients over ice; shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and Enjoy!

*Johnna's tip: We've been experimenting with Bailey's over the weekend trying to concoct the perfect creamy based recipe. Baileys is one of those alcohols that makes you feel like your not really drinking alcohol because it's masked by that milky texture but don't be fooled. After a couple of glasses of this stuff, you will immediately know that this is not to be played with.

Picture source

Recipe: Feta Spread

Feta Spread

1 (4 oz.) pkg. crumbled garlic and herb Feta Cheese
1 (8 oz.) pkg. reduced fat cream cheese
1 tbsp. milk
5 dashes of freshly ground black pepper
3 cups vegetable dippers

Combine cream cheese, Feta cheese, milk and pepper in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is well combined and at the desired spreading consistency. Cover and chill for 4-6 hours. Serve with vegetable dippers.

*Johnna's tip: Great snack idea. Pair with your favorite crackers or even use as a spread for bagels.

Picture source

Drinks on Me: Classic Bloody Mary (Alcoholic)

Classic Bloody Mary

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
Hot Pepper sauce (to taste)
Old Bay Seasoning (to taste)
1 celery stick (for garnish)
1 lemon wedge (for garnish)

Combine the vodka, the tomato juice, the lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, the Hot Pepper sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, 1 cup ice cubes, and salt and pepper to taste, shake the mixture well, and strain it into a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish the Bloody Mary with the celery stick and the lemon wedge.

*Johnna's tip: Vodka would do us good right about now. It has been a stressful week outside of JKGF (*This always makes us feel good!) and we are need of cocktails. The first thought that came to our head was a Bloody Mary especially since we just wrapped up the JKGF Old Bay Seasoning Giveaway. We got some cool and not so cool recipe submissions for Bloody Mary's infused with Old Bay Seasonings. We will be sharing our findings soon...still debating who really took a step off the beaten path...

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Trying Not to Spill My Merlot...

Wines all around!

>Capitol Cooking Show host, Lauren DeSantis, will be hosting the First Annual Mediterranean Wines Festival and Classes on September 30 from 6:30-9pm at the Whitemore House (*Located @ 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036) in Dupont Circle. DeSantis will teach a class demonstrating the structures of this flavorful diet while using Mediterranean staples such as olive oil, herbs and wine. Guests will have the opportunity to taste over 30 wines from 11 different countries accompanied by light Mediterranean mezzes and tapas such as grape leaves, falafel, spanakopita, sambousik, cured olives, hummus as well as Mediterranean desserts such as baklava (*Sounds like a plan;-). Get more details here.

>Cork is hosting a complimentary wine tasting on Sunday, August 16, 2009. French wine for all that RSVP and attend!

The Where: Cork Wine Bar, 1720 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. (202) 265-CORK
The When: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 3 pm-4:30 pm
More Info?: You Must RSVP @ info@corkdc.com by August 14, 2009 (*Space is limited) and you must be 21 or older with a valid ID.
Some Low Down Info: Cork is opening a new wine store and neighborhood market, Cork Market & Tasting Room, right down the street @ 1805 14th st. (*Next to Home Rule). It's slated for Fall 2009.

Picture source

Food.Fun.Stuff: Tim Tam's Are Back

Tim Tam cookies are back! (*LoL @ how excited we get for food...ohh the simple things in life...) Well anywho, Tim Tam cookies are coming back into the U.S. market from October to March. The Pepperidge Farm cookies are introducing a new Classic Dark Tim Tam cookie in addition to the caramel and chocolate creme flavors already out there. Check out how their making their way from down under (*Translation: Australia) here. We actually liked these cookies when they were here about a year ago, which is unusual considering sweets aren't our thing. These go good with a warm cup of coffee in the morning or for just when you have a sweet tooth and some milk to wash it down with.

Picture source

Recipe: Shrimp Skewered

Shrimp Skewered

2 lb. shrimp (Peeled and deveined)
1 lb. bacon (half slices)
2 cans pineapple chunks

Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat broiler or grill. Combine the sauce ingredients and marinate shrimp in mixture for 1 hour. On a skewer, alternate the shrimp, pineapple and bacon (*1/2 slice should be folded). Broil or grill until bacon is crisp. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: The last days of summer. August is really living up to its reputation of being the hottest month of the year. With so much heat rising in the city, it might be better to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Pulling out the grill is a great idea and you might want to throw some veggies on the skewers too alongside the shrimp. Pair with a simple salad and some nice cold coladas.

Picture source