Rainbow Birthday Cake!

A few weeks ago was my nephew's first birthday and my sister and I thought it would be fun to make a rainbow cake. It started out in our minds pretty simple of just separating the batter into different pans and putting food coloring in each one. I have to say it did not turn out that easy, but still totally worth it. We basically had a full ROYGBIV cake (minus the indigo). And it looked completely awesome when we cut into it. I was slightly creeped out by consuming all that food coloring and eating unnaturally bright food, but a few weeks later I still seem to be fine.

We used a basic yellow cake recipe and tripled it for all the layers. Then had to bake 2 layers per shift because that was all we could fit. My sister made a basic buttercream frosting and did all the layering with frosting separating each color. Now if only my nephew were old enough to appreciate all the work!

A full slice of ROYGBIV Cake.

He may not appreciate the work that went into the cake, but I do think he enjoyed eating it. Even if half of it ended up on him.

Buying Local: Hill's Kitchen

Paying a visit to Hill's Kitchen this weekend reminded me of why I love this neighborhood cooking store so much. I'm telling you every time I stop in there the owner, Leah, as well as any of the staff have always been so helpful.

Full disclosure I am not much of a cook, though I blame that more on my single status than anything else. But I do love to look around cooking stores. And Hill's Kitchen is the best place to do that. Every time I've gone in the staff has been so knowledgeable in helping me select gifts or find items for myself. And there is nothing like supporting a local business. I just love the neighborhood feel of people knowing each other every time I stop by.

Something else unique to Hill's Kitchen are their DC cookie cutters. The owner has decided to have a special DC cookie cutter made for every year that she is open. Last year it was a cookie cutter in the shape of the district. And this year she just got in cookie cutters in the shape of the Capitol Building. Super fun for your district themed cut-out cookies.

Another bonus is that they have inexpensive cooking classes in their upstairs kitchen. My roommate recently did a pie making class and absolutely loved it. Usually the cost ranges from $35-$55 and they cover everything from Knife Skills to how to make a Thanksgiving feast. The cost definitely doesn't break the bank and it is a great weekend activity to do with a friend or loved one.

Hill's Kitchen is located right across from the Eastern Market metro stop on D street, SE. I highly suggest you stop by for your own cooking needs, gifts for others, or just to check it out!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Dalboz17

Its been a super rough week for me with all kinds of drams going on. So when my good friend over at DCSheke alerted me that the pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks, my spirits seriously soared. I am not sure I've expressed on here yet how deep my love for fall runs. Its actually pretty notorious among my various groups of friends. Fall is my absolute favorite season. Because I mean seriously, what is there not to love about Fall?!

During my favorite season I have fall themed food, fall themed activities, and fall themed outfits. No I don't wear teacher sweaters with felt leaves sewn all over it, you wish. I just pair together colors and fabrics that remind me of fall. My friends probably roll their eyes at me behind my back, but I love alerting them when I have a favorite fall themed outfit on. Even past boyfriends have given me pumpkins in lieu of flowers, knowing the true way into my heart.

So needless to say Fall makes me so very happy. And I'm sure you will be hearing lots more about it over the next few months. Exciting, I know. But in the meantime celebrate the unofficial start of fall (officially fall starts September 22nd) by grabbing a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks! Its like a steaming hot yummy cup of fall! And who wouldn't want to drink that?

Taylor Gourmet Deli in Dwell

Monday night I finally had my first taste of Taylor Deli on H Street, NE. I had heard great things about it since it had opened and I'm not exactly sure what took me so long to get myself down to H and 12th. But I'm glad I finally did. The sandwiches are absolutely amazing and the sleek modern interior with a glass garage door adds to the experience. I highly recommend any of the chicken cutlet sandwiches, especially the one with gorgonzola cheese and roasted red peppers. Absolutely delicious.

But the point of this post is actually not to praise their food (though it is darn good), but to talk about their article in the most recent issue of Dwell. They had the issue sitting out on the counter but while waiting for my food I was only able to skim the first couple paragraphs. Even so, those first couple paragraphs were stuck in my head all the way home until I could finish the article online.

What struck me the most was how well written and researched it was. I feel like usually design magazines gloss things over, but this was not the case for the Taylor Deli article. You could tell the writer actually spent time on H street, NE, really experiencing it. They didn't write it off as a great hipster DC neighborhood, but they also didn't write it off as run-down and unsafe place to be. I felt like the author really got to know H street and painted a honest, down to earth picture.

On the design side of the article I appreciated seeing refurbished apartments that the two owners designed above their deli. Hearing about their creative processes of cutting corners yet still making it unique. Can you believe in the picture below they got the green cabinets from Ikea and the tile back splash off EBay! So very creative, economical and still stylish.

Check out the article on Dwell right here for good writing, an interesting perspective on H street and amazingly sleek design. Then get your butt over to Taylor Deli and try one of their chicken cutlet sandwiches.

Photographs by João Canziani

Lollipop Pies

Mmmmm I could seriously go for a lollipop pie right now. I mean seriously what are they going to think of next! I dare somebody in DC to open a lollipop pie bakery to combat the cupcake craze!!

Use your leftover buns

Ngoc Minh Ngo

Happy Memorial Day!  I'll be on the road all day driving back from North Carolina.  Hopefully in time to fit in one more cookout before the end of the holiday weekend.  So because they never sell the same amount of hamburgers and buns.  And there always seem to be extra buns after a cookout.  Here are seven ways to use leftover buns.  Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

I'm hungry and want to go home and bake!

I REALLY want to make these doughnut muffins right now.  They look so delicious!  If it is a muffin AND a doughnut....is it appropriate for breakfast?  Or is it dessert?  Or how about both?!

I also really want to make this chocolate cake covered in Reeses cups.  I might have to request this as my birthday cake in a few weeks.

Can you tell I'm starving for desserts right now!

Celebrate with friends!

Between the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo, there is a lot to celebrate this week.  I love any excuse to have a get together with friends and make good food.  Besides having potluck house parties is the recession friendly way to have fun these days.   So I gathered a few recipes from my favorite party blog Hostess with the Mostess.   She always has really unique and fun ideas for parties and recipes.

Cinco de Mayo Appetizers and Main Dishes from the Food Network via Hostess with the Mostess

Margarita Ice Pops

Delicious Mint Julep Cupcakes!

And for a little party inspiration, celebrate Cinco de Mayo outside with lots of bright blankets and beautiful garland strung from trees. Photograph from Absolutely Beautiful Things.

Also if you do want to go out for Cinco de Mayo around DC, my friend Katie over at We Love DC has a great roundup of restaurants offering specials.

Free Scoop at Ben and Jerry's!

Noeluap

I'm sure you've already heard by now that it is free scoop day at Ben and Jerry's.  But just in case you didn't get the message, head on down to your nearest scoop shop and get your first taste of summer.  There are four participating stores in DC, so it is the perfect excuse to break away from work.

Chronicles of a Kitchen Klutz: Homemade Pizza

A few weeks ago my friend Katie and I decided to have a homemade pizza night.  It was fun, delicious, and an economical night in!  My friends and I have been trying to do more planned nights in lately to save money.    

Originally we were going to make my homemade pizza dough, but for a lack of energy and time we picked up fresh dough at Harris Teeter.  Buying fresh dough is a great way to go and it was around the same price as the prepackaged pillsbury dough.

 

We didn't really care about the shape of the pizza so we rolled it out as much as it would stay.

Katie had the brilliant idea of putting wilted spinach on the pizza, so we threw some oil in a pan over medium heat and cooked the spinach until it was nice and soft.

We used basic tomato sauce but added some garlic powder and italian seasonings for flavor.  

Then we topped it with clumps of ricotta cheese, spinach, pine nuts, mozzarella, and a little bit of pecorino grated on top.

The finished product was absolutely delicious and much better than any frozen pizza or delivery service!  And half the fun was in hanging out and cooking together.

Along with our pizza we made a simple caprese salad with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and drizzled balsamic oil.  Such an easy and delicious meal!

The Pleasure is All Mine: Selfish Food for Modern Life

I need this cookbook.

"With The Pleasure is All Mine, anyone can enjoy a Steak au Poivre with Frites, Three-Cheese Ravioli, Coconut Fish Curry with Homemade Naan Bread, or a Wild Blueberry Free-Form Tart without the expense and hassle of restaurants or fussy dinner guests. The 100 uncomplicated, exquisite recipes in this collection are simple to prepare and require no fancy equipment. With just a skillet, bowl, knife, and a few perfect ingredients, Pirret makes great solo dining effortless-and she offers inspired wine and cocktail pairings, too, to make dinner complete. Edgy and bursting with personality, The Pleasure is All Mine is also filled with a wealth of devilishly entertaining stories based on her experiences living in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London."

I am always struggling with reducing recipes and usually the recipes that are made for one are pretty boring.  Amazing single recipes combined with stories of living around the world, this book is right up my alley!

Play with your food!

I love playing with my food and these fun items give me even more reason to!  Now if only I could figure out where to purchase them in the U.S.....or spoke french so I could understand the website better!

Chronicles of a Kitchen Klutz: Pork Chops

So I have to admit, Monday night was the first time I had ever cooked pork chops.  Seriously.  And I'm not sure why I avoided the meat before, because it turned out to be really easy and delicious!  

I had asked my friend Katie for suggestions of quick meals to make and she recommended Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze from Kayln's Kitchen blog.  I adjusted my recipe a little bit for the ingredients I had, so feel free to follow my version or Kayln's.

4 boneless pork chops

Fresh ground salt and pepper

Montreal Seasoning

2 T olive oil

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

First I trimmed as much fat off the pork chops as possible.  The knives I used were awful, so towards the end I gave up and resolved to cutting it off while eating.

Then I covered both sides of the pork chops with fresh ground salt, pepper, and montreal seasoning.  I didn't use an exact measurement, just sort of rubbed it on.

Next I heated the olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes before adding the Pork chops.  I cooked the pork chops until they are brown on both sides and cooked all the way through.  This took about 10 minutes.

After the pork chops were cooked, I placed them on a plate and added the vinegar and sugar to the pan.  Lowering the heat slightly, I stirred for a few minutes until the liquid thickened.  Then I added the pork chops back in the pan and cooked for another 4 minutes.

I served my pork chops with olive oil and garlic couscous and the only mistake I made was pouring too much of the left over sauce on top.  Nonetheless it was still delicious and I made it in under an hour!  Which is a huge feat for me since I still stumble around the kitchen when cooking.  Turner had also made a bet with me that I couldn't finish it in under an hour so that provided me plenty of motivation as well.

(Turner insisted I use a photograph he took of me during the cooking process)

Learning to Cook: Chronicles of a Kitchen Klutz

So I know I am not as much of a klutz in the kitchen when it comes to baking, but I couldn't resist sharing a new trick I learned.  

I love making my favorite homemade Coconut Chocolate Chip cookies.  I usually refrigerate half my dough and bake half my dough.  Being a single girl, I can't be eating whole batches of cookies.  And it works out because I usually then have dough on hand to make homemade cookies when friends come over.  The one problem is that it refrigerates into one big mass of cookie dough that is difficult to spoon or shape.  

I found this trick in a cooking magazine over the weekend (sorry I don't remember which one).  

After making the dough you shape it into balls on a cookie sheet.  Just like you were getting ready to put them in the oven.

You then place them in the freezer for an hour.  (Please ignore the mess that is my freezer)

After an hour they are then perfectly shaped balls that you can put together in a ziplock bag and place back in the freezer.

Then you can pull out even just a couple when you want to make cookies.  It is just like having those store bought already shaped cookies in your fridge, but better because they are homemade!  So easy! 

Learning to Cook: Chronicles of a Kitchen Klutz

I'll be the first to admit I am not much of a cook.  I can bake a mean cookie or brownie, but ask me to do a meal and I become a bit of a klutz in the kitchen.  But I am honestly trying.  I dream of the day that I can just whip something up from the ingredients in the fridge.  When I can experiment with flavors and know exactly what ingredients to substitute without googling it.  

Turner has started a nice little incentive with me that if I pick out the recipe at the beginning of the week, he will get the ingredients and I'll cook it.  I'm looking forward to trying new recipes and hopefully becoming more comfortable in the kitchen.  I decided to start chronicling my cooking successes and failures once in a while on here.  This will keep me going with my personal cooking project and I'll be able to track my progress.  And maybe this will offer a little bit of inspiration for my fellow kitchen klutzes out there.

Wednesday night was the first week of my cooking challenge.  It was also one of the first times I completely strayed from a recipe and it turned out amazing!  Because of time issues, Turner did step in and help me with this one.

We started out with an extremely bland simple stir fry recipe but added red peppers, carrots, and ginger.  Instead of Peanut oil, which we couldn't find at the store, we used a stir fry sauce watered down with olive oil.  

I made an additional honey peanut sauce recipe, which was amazing and gave it an extra kick.  Instead of rice vinegar (which we also didn't have on hand) I used fresh lime juice.  I'm learning so much about substitutes!  We served everything on top of general stir fry noodles from the chinese aisle of the grocery store.  

There was so much adding and substituting, I'm not sure if we could recreate it again.  But it has definitely given me more confidence to stop being so rigid with the measuring cup and ingredient list and just start playing with my food!  

While I ran out to get a few extra ingredients, Turner was in charge of chopping up the veggies.  When I got home, this is what he had created for me.  Such beautiful presentation!

Turner stirring everything up.

The final product (before the noodles)