foodspiration

If you are ever in DC for any reason and are a...

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:27:04 -0400

If you are ever in DC for any reason and are a vegan/vegetarian/sandwich enthusiast/bookworm/human capable of food consumption, stop at Busboys and Poets on the corner of 14th and V. This is by far my favorite spot in DC, and it only helps that it is located right by my favorite club (U St music hall). This place was just perfect, and pretty similar to what I would like to someday operate. A combination bookstore, bar, and cafe, Busboys and Poets features a menu that is pretty hip and vegetarian/vegan friendly. I ordered the tempeh panini with sweet potato fries on the side. SO good, by far one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time. I got this pomegranate lemonade alongside which was also delicious and very pretty! Definitely check this spot out!

forever-october: Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Buttercream (via...

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 10:52:28 -0400

forever-october:

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Buttercream (via Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Buttercream | NancyCreative)

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Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:32:05 -0400

Awesome marinade!

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 20:59:25 -0400

Combine 1tbsp honey, 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari, 1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar, 1 large minced garlic clove, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. I used this to marinate some chicken I put in a stir fry with brown rice, onions, carrots and mushrooms. I think it would be a good marinade for some cubed tofu too!

Kombucha! I had a craving today and went out and spent $10 on...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:31:48 -0400

Kombucha! I had a craving today and went out and spent $10 on different kinds. I’m not as big on GT’s original kombucha, but this passionberry flavor and their hibiscus one are both so good! I want to try even more, I’m collecting the bottles too to decorate my new room :) I do miss Portland kombucha though, nothing can top Townshend Tea unfortunately.

Fast easy healthy and delicious lunch

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:26:30 -0400

Or breakfast or snack, whatever. My friend kovacs taught me to make eggs in a basket recently. I’m not even a big egg person but I really like this preparation.

Ingredients: one slice of whole grain bread with circle cut out of the middle, one egg, half an avocado, a few shredded basil leaves, parmasean cheese, salt and pepper, hot sauce, butter or cooking spray

Melt two teaspoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Place the bread in the pan and crack the egg in the hole. Cook the egg to your liking. I like my yolk runny so this was quick, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Top with the avocado, parmasean, basil, salt and pepper and hot sauce. Serve

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Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:53:17 -0400

For the vegetarians in the Baltimore area, I’m sure you...

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:52:39 -0400

For the vegetarians in the Baltimore area, I’m sure you have already heard about or been to One World Cafe. This place is arguably my favorite restaurant in the city, and is situated right by Hopkins and Charles Village. Their food is affordable, delicious, and variable in terms of the kinds of cuisine (they have Italian, Mexican, classic American dishes, all kinds of Asian food…). They also know how to please the non vegetarian crowd by offering dishes like loaded nachos and classic mac and cheese. This is a picture of a tempeh reuben I got at One World last night. I would also recommend the steamed veggies with ginger baked tofu, and the mac and cheese. This place also has a bar and bakery in it too, so its not only a restaurant but awesome hang out spot.

Today I went to the Towson farmers’ market for the first...

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:31:49 -0400

Today I went to the Towson farmers’ market for the first time. It was pretty awesome! There are quite a few farmers selling a variety of seasonal produce, but there are also people selling fresh breads, honey, homemade soaps, handmade clothing and jewelry. There were even people selling their own homemade hummus, ice cream, and rice krispie treats! Prices here range from a few quarters to pretty expensive, especially for the prepared food. Pictured here are my finds: some orange cherry tomatoes ($4 pint), two small purple peppers ($0.25 each), five honey sticks each a different kind of honey ($1 total), a basil plant ($3), and two rice krispie treats ($6.50 total). I know, $6.50 for two rice krispies is ridiculous. But they are one of my favorite treats, especially homemade, and this woman makes her own marshmallows from scratch! One is topped with homemade caramel, the other has dried cranberries and.pumpkin seeds in it. Nommmm. I’ve decided that I am gonna go.to the market every week, but only bring quarters and single bills left from my tips, so I don’t go overboard and end up buying only rice krispies. This market is great, definitely check it out if you want to help support local farmers and food merchants!

So I know this isn’t the most wonderful picture. But this...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:56:07 -0400

So I know this isn’t the most wonderful picture. But this was the first thing I made in my new kitchen in my new house! Sausage stuffed mushrooms, Barefoot Contessa’s recipe tweaked just a bit. Delicioussss. I served them with zucchini I sauteed with some garlic, lemon and thyme, which I thought was a good summertime combo. A great first meal i’d say.

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Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:28:29 -0400

fattiesonly: Tropical Tuna Grilled Skewers

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:26:03 -0400

fattiesonly:

Tropical Tuna Grilled Skewers

my culinary dream come true

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:22:00 -0400

so i am extremely excited about this and i thought my food blog would be the best place to express my excitement: my favorite celebrity chef (although i hate that term, what i really mean is the chef i look up most to in terms of cooking style, presentation, and taste as well as in total personality), ina garten, aka the barefoot contessa, is coming to do book signings in maryland, my home state, at the end of october!

i can’t even explain how excited i am to meet this woman, who is basically the reason i started getting interested in cooking. when i was a freshman in high school (six years ago now…), i got mono and was basically confined to the couch for a solid two weeks. all i did during these two weeks was watch food network, including barefoot contessa. i fell in love with ina’s show for two reasons: the first being that her food 1. looks delicious, and 2. is stylistically simple, which i think makes it even more beautiful, and the second being that ina presents herself in such a way that is very different from that of other tv chefs: she doesn’t seem like she is trying to present some sort of large tv personality that overshadows the food, like rachael ray and bobby flay sometimes tend to, she’s just simply herself, softspoken and sweet but you can kinda tell she has a little sass hidden under there. also it doesn’t hurt that almost all her friends featured on the show are gay men (something we have in common….). anyway, ina garten is perfect.

when i started really getting into cooking, her cook books were the first on my list of must haves. i’ve got two so far, and i think there are maybe four or five (including her new book that’s about to come out!) that i still need. i love her recipes, and i also love that she doesn’t try to cut corners when it comes to using real, all-natural ingredients, even if it means extra calories. i just feel like she really believes that taste comes first, which is the best philosophy to have. also she loves having classy dinner parties, but not over the top with the tablescapes (as sandra lee calls them…ok so i kind of feel like i know the faces of food network a little too well).

basically, i can’t wait to meet ina!!!

This is something I do all the time to freshen up a frozen...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:40:21 -0400

This is something I do all the time to freshen up a frozen pizza: top it with fresh veggies I have on hand. I added sauteed onions and mushrooms and fresh cherry tomatoes from my friend Joelle’s garden to this pizza. Yum

Tofu scramble is definitely my specialty, I make it all the...

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:48:56 -0400

Tofu scramble is definitely my specialty, I make it all the time. It’s basically the perfect dish: quick and easy to make, provides protein, and you can change up the veggies and spices to your tastes. This is a mushroom and zucchini scramble. Three secrets to good scramble: nutritional yeast, fresh garlic, and something fresh and cool on top (cherry tomatoes, avocado, or fresh herbs would all work well).

The dankest sandwich: fried green tomatoes, candied bacon, fried...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:50:05 -0400

The dankest sandwich: fried green tomatoes, candied bacon, fried egg, cheddar cheese, avocado, fried onions. I can die happy now after this sandwich. Definitely a diet-buster but fucking amazing. Ahhh!!!

Chocolate chip blondies. I made these for a work meeting in...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:35:00 -0400

Chocolate chip blondies. I made these for a work meeting in hopes they would all get eaten, but alas…I just ate two for breakfast. #YOLO…right?

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking at home lately and have...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:57:25 -0400

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking at home lately and have been getting pretty into instagram, and since most of my photos are of food I figured I might as well start the blog up again. I usually fucking hate salads, but this one actually tastes pretty good. I used really juicy tomatoes and sweet corn from the farmers market, plus a tasty honey-citrus vinegarette and of course avocado, to make it taste good.

Farmers Market Summer Salad

Baby spinach

Chopped tomatoes

Sliced onions

Avocado chunks

Sweet corn kernels

For the dressing:

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Honey

Any citrus juice

Minced garlic

Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the vegetables. Toss and serve.

I love ma new kicks

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:37:14 -0400

I love ma new kicks

prettybalanced: French Onion Grilled Cheese Sarah would be all...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:37:06 -0500

prettybalanced:

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Sarah would be all over this