Labor Day Crab Crackin’

Well, I’ve managed to finally contract that nasty summer cold that I’ve spent weeks avoiding. And right before starting my new job. Hopefully a little Dayquil will do the trick and I’ll sail through this week without incident.

We stayed in DC this Labor Day weekend, hanging out with friends and doing something most of us have never done before: Eating crabs.

If I weren’t nearing a snotted zombie-like state, I might go into great detail about how unclean and gross it was. Instead, I’ll direct you to this Flickr set, where you can see it in all its Old Bay-covered, don’t-forget-to scoop-out-the-guts glory. To get you started, here are a couple of photos:

Our three pounds of crabs

Me and my first (crab)

It was alive 10 minutes ago

Crab penis. (Male genitals are shaped like the Washington Monument; females are shaped like the Capitol.) You have to pry off the penis to get inside to the meat. I know, I know. Completely vile.

After crab cracking, we headed to a nearby pub to watch more college football (how about them Hawkeyes!) and spent the rest of the weekend winding down.

What did you all do with your long weekend?

In the Kitchen

I’m sort obsessed with the idea of cooking. I say I’m obsessed with the idea of it because since I moved to DC and started working, I’ve lacked the time for it. Thus, D and I usually end up grabbing something that’s made for us, whether it’s been prepared by his chef or the Thai place next door.

But now that I won’t be dealing with a lengthy commute to Alexandria, I’m hoping to get back in the kitchen, at least twice per week. (I know that seems like nothing at all, but there are other obstacles to over come such as getting to the grocery store in the city, whose house we’re staying at, etc.)

Anyway, after a busy weekend, we’ve decided to go to the store tonight and get all the fixin’s for a good dinner (thinking tofu stir-fry with jasmine rice). I thumbed through my books for some dinner ideas before visiting a couple food-focused blogs for inspiration; if you like food and are always looking for new, healthy recipes to try, add these to your list of resources:

The Little Calorie: My old friend/classmate Jessie authors this blog, which is full of recipies and tips for healthy eating. Her Things You Have On Hand department is particularly helpful for using up stuff in your kitchen. Jessie also writes, markets and sells cookbooks, so the girl knows good food!

Love and Olive Oil: A food blog by cooking couple, Lindsay & Taylor. The dishes are mouthwatering and diverse—they make everything from vegan cupcakes to sumptuous baby back ribs.

What are your go-to food resources? And how do you find (or make) the time to get in the kitchen every night?

Elephant Dreams

What a fun night.

For dinner we (my family) went to a favorite local restaurant, Cu. Cu is a great restaurant with an eclectic cuisine and chock full of art by Bosnian graffiti artist, Paco Rosic.

Fittingly, after dinner, we went down the street to Paco’s restaurant/bar/gallery, Galleria de Paco for drinks. Galleria de Paco has garnered praise across the U.S. for Paco’s spray painted rendition of the Sistine Chapel. It was pretty incredible.

GdP is also the first restaurant in Iowa to serve (and promptly advertise) Absinthe on the menu. My dad tried a Green Fairy (the famed Absinthe drink) tonight, and it was pretty solid. (Video of the drink and photos to come.) Also solid was the art, the food, and of course, the company.  Paco himself was also enjoying a night out at the gallery, and it was nice to see the artist at play.

I’m off to bed for now, but not before I check on my dad to see if he’s hallucinating.

A Crime Against Nature

I am so creeped out by this.

My Secret for Fountain Drinks

I don’t drink a lot of soda. If I do, it’s gotta be diet (unless I’m hungover, then Coke Classic it is) and it usually comes from a fountain. But, if you’re like me, you’re not quite satisfied with most diet sodas (Diet Dr. Pepper being the exception, but few establisments have it on tap).

Which is why I developed this method:

I fill the majority (at least 3/4) up with diet soda. Then I fill the remaining cup space (usually just a splash) with the full-calorie counterpart.

The result: Nearly calorie-free soda that tastes like the real thing. Because I’m not so nuts that I can’t handle a few calories in my bev. This method works especially well with the following:

Coke/Diet Coke
Pepsi/Diet Pepsi
Coke/Vanilla Coke
Pepsi/Cherry Pepsi

Like I said, I’m not a huge pop connoisseur,  so I’m sure there are a handful more good combos (I haven’t tried this with the clear sodas, mostly because I don’t really like them). Give it a whirl, I’m telling you it will change your life!

A Request

Could someone please create a low-calorie bagel? They are one of my favorites foods, especially in the wintertime with soup, and 300 calories a pop (without the cream cheese) just seems ridiculous. And please don’t come at me with any of that mini-bagel tomfoolery. It’s just not the same.

The Italian Feast

I keep meaning to brag about what a great dinner I had this past Saturday, but work and life keep getting in the way. But since I have a minute, I have to tell you all about this crazy good dinner party I went to last Saturday, hosted by my besty MRP and his lovely wife CZ.

The food and drink for Saturday’s soirée were of the Northern Italian persuasion, and all the recipes came from, Made in Italy: Food and Stories by Giorgio Locatelli.

The five-course meal included a lovely antipasto (with meat from Denver’s own Marczyk’s), a delicious chickpea soup (zuppa di ceci e pancetta), ravioli with a surprisingly good pheasant stuffing (ravioli de fagiano), a main course of sea bass in Vernaccia with an amazing artichoke puree (branzino alla Vernaccia), and a refreshing lemon soufflé (served in the lemon rind!) with a side of homemade Earl Grey Tea ice cream (souffle di riso carnaroli al limone e gelato al te).

Y’all, it was the shit. No two ways about it. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed food so much. In fact, if these two opened a restaurant next to my favorite Italian restaurant in DC, they’d give Dino’s a run for their money. Which was quite a surprise for me, because while I knew MRP and CZ enjoyed cooking together, I had no idea how truly awesome they are in the kitchen.

And, bonus, cooking together all day is a serious teambuilding event. CZ later said she and MRP had hashed out many o’ things in the kitchen, and I can see how that would be effective and cathartic. The benefits of all these things are quite awesome, especially for those of us they invite over to partake in such an event!

Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos of the food, or of the fantastic company. Although looking back I think we could’ve gotten some good shots as we ate, played $10,000 Pyramid, and happened upon CZ having a sleep in the laundry room.

If you or someone you know loves to cook, I recommend picking up Locatelli’s cookbook. It’s a huge book full of fun stories and a myriad of recipes. It’s too advanced for me yet, but now I’m in the mood to hone my culinary skills.

A big high-calorie thanks to my friends for a fun night and a full belly!

So, This is the New Year

Let’s call a spade a spade: New Year’s Day should really be renamed National Hangover Recovery Day, and our favorite greasy breakfast sit-downs should still be open, as should just about everything else except our offices.

I’m decidedly feeling more tired than hungover, but that’s neither here nor there. The mentality is that I probably won’t do much today. And I don’t feel bad about it.

ANYWAY, last night some of us enjoyed a low-key New Year at Brandy and Sean’s, where gifts were given, food was eaten, and many drinks were had. We even busted it out Jenga (for Boozers) and had a gay old time.

A few party photos after the jump. And if you’re looking for the famed dip I brought to the party last night, click through to get the recipe, too.