DC Safeway Guide

Now that's good stuff:

The Definitive DC Safeway Guide

Mrs. Kasey Goes to Washington

Even a lifelong resident can see her town in a different light once in a while. Today I went to the Hill, for work, and did very Hill-type things. It's funny as we watch the primaries go down and we brace ourselves for the State of the Union tonight. (You'll be watching, right? I know, I am a dork.)

But when you climb the marble steps to enter the Capitol, it's hard to be cynical. I watched actual bipartisanship today and that's amazing to me because you'd tend to think it almost never happens. As a polisci dork, it's a little hard not to pee myself walking the halls of government. Each little coffee nook or corridor has a cluster of people figuring something out. Large, heavy doors shield meetings going on in privacy... secrecy. 

Winter at the River

I always chuckle when our friends say they'll come visit the river "when the weather is nice". Even when it's cold out it's still an oasis to me.

Strike TV Vol 2: Sexy Geek

With the writers on strike it's time to dig deep to find watchable television. Or, I suppose I could read a book or a blog or finish the pink knitted thing I've been working on since last summer.

Criminal Minds is an obsession we picked up last fall. Well, Jac was an early late adopter and I joined in at the beginning of the season or the end of last. We've got a new episode tonight and that means I get to see my geek team. I'm even more into the show now that Mandy Patinkin isn't skulking it up. They are all experts who reprise the silly "You know this but I'm going to say it and then you're going to add a detail that shows you know it but that lets us teach the audience what we know" kind of dialogue so popular on CSI and House. 

The stories are uber gory, the killers are all the worst of the worst. But I barely notice the actual plot. It's all about the nerdness one-upness happening with "the team". Also "the team" is pretty. Mmm sexy geeks, what is better? Dr. Reed is the standout genius among the geniuses, but he's not the smartest one on the team. Reed's a good geek crush. Jac has mastered an impersonation of Dr. Reed that kicks in a couple hours before the show starts. Good stuff people.

Strike TV Vol 1: Pretty Dumb

Oh how can I not yet have told you about the extraordinary program Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants? Just when I thought reality tv couldn't get any more unwatchable, when I thought it was such an indignity, when I thought I couldn't endure one more pregnant pause and cut to commercial break... Along came Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants. Here's the premise: 20-something girls and their moms compete in a variety of fairly traditional pageant activities with a twist and each week the episode culminates in a dramatic desashing ceremony.

And people, you have no idea, oh the drama. I had no idea people so shallow could make theatrics so deep. They don't all seem that painfully vacuous, there are glimmers of humanity. But mostly, y'all, it's one big mascara and mousse driven dorm drama. The judges are Carson Kressley and two others you'd have to Google to know who the hell they are. This show is all about the reaction shot. 

And the queens of the reaction shot are the baddest girls in the whole darn pageant. Originally calling themselves the "Redhead Bombshells" they include a woman who looks like Katharine Helmond (it's okay you can Google, but she's Mona from Who's the Boss) only now, and only if she had gone to Mexico for cheap, bad, full-body plastic surgery. I'm sorry, it's true, I'm just sayin'.  And the daughter looks like the younger sister of my freshman roommate only fugly. And they think everyone else on the planet is incredibly inferior. Ah, the irony. 

Really though, what does it for me, what makes this one reality show utterly craptastic, is the fact that the producers don't seem to be baiting them, the episodes are pretty action packed so it feels like they have to work to cram in all the pregnant pauses and bitchy bits. The tv boards call for Emmys for the casting and musical selection on this show and I heartily agree. 

Next Wednesday is the finals, a mother-daughter team will be crowned and win the sucksational title and $100,000.  I sure hope its the Dream Gals and not the Sincere Sexy Redheads.

Real Deal Mac n' Cheese

As I continue my journey through the land of comforting dinners for cozy nights, how can I resist some homemade mac n' cheese. If I blogged it every time I made it this blog would have to change titles, but tonight's cheesy goodness was right on the mark - just noodles, real cheese, half & half, a bit of butter, salt, pepper and paprika. The brussels sprouts are right up there on my list of things that I can't confess t making this often, but tonight I sauteed them then put on a cover and let them steam until tender - not soft. Delicious.

Rolling Silverware

Oh what a spectacular world Gregnog takes us into in I Am A Host at The Olive Garden. His cartoon series about, well, you can read.

Sunday Supper on the Spicy Side

Tonight I made a variation on Elise's wonderful Turkey Chili. This was no miss. Yum. It did a great job easing the storage problem in our city mini pantry and we have about four servings left. I made corn muffins to go with it and they had that pleasing little crispness on the outside and cake-like texture inside. This is the perfect match for the frigid cold that settled into DC this weekend.

Naturally my mind has turned to snow and the intense desire the snow-lover starts to feel when flurries get precipitously close. Where is my snow??? DC's weather is a total tease anyway, sometimes a season will just not happen -- it'll be some hybrid of the seasons before and after. Sometimes it'll just be insanely hot and rainy or cold and windy. I'm not pleading for a record snow every year, but lo that morning when my alarm goes off and they announce the Federal government is closed and Jac and I sip hot drinks while peering out at Lexi the wonder dog frolicking in the snow, oh, that is such a day. But we get our cold days separate from our wet days lately. Pffft. So for now the soup and stew madness will just have to keep the snow dream alive.

Swing Batter Batter

We haven't even finished dinner and I'm declaring this a swing and a miss. When I looked at the picture for this recipe on MarthaStewart.com it seemed pretty straightforward, another autumnal squash type soup. I peeled, chopped and tossed...But the flavors that emerged on the other side of the recipe were complex and intense and I'm not sure I mean that in a good way. The recipe is available on her website under Roasted Autumn Vegetable Soup. I tend to think the soup would have made a great dip for veggie lovers like me. Peering over at Jac dutifully eating the vegetable bowl olympics is enough to convince me to keep the leftovers out of the freezer.

Doubly Delectable Gadget

We went to the grocery store Friday night and I was delighted to find the julienne peeler my Amazon wish list has been coveting for a couple of years. I was giddy that it was only $3.99. We brought our purchases out into the blistering cold and set out for a weekend of other stuff. This morning when I reached for the peeler it was nowhere to be found. That meant a good hour of poking around the kitchen and car and suspicions that one or the other of us could have sleep walked and hidden the peeler somewhere. 

So I drove back to the busy - mobbed actually - Harris Teeter and once again circle four levels of the parking garage cursing innovation, man, cars, concrete, cold, the brevity of Sundays... And I got another, or the first peeler courtesy of the store manager.

But oh my what pretty little julienne strips this peeler makes. It tends to make a girl turn over her kitchen looking for anything that can be elegantly shredded.

Carte Blanche

Right before Christmas one of the heavy rotation news stories of the day was how evil gift cards are. Gift cards let retailers show profit in one year and cost in another. Recipients often forget where they put the cards or just generally fail to use them. Gasp, you might give someone a gift card to a place they can't stand.

But our weekend started out just right when we packed up our little gift card and headed for Ruth's Chris in Crystal City. We definitely got the vibe that tourists staying in nearby hotels come to this spot for a pretend local dining experience. Everything was decadent. We watched the planes land and take off at National Airport. Dinner was delicious and set the right tone for a relaxing three day weekend, but the sweetest part may have been slipping that gift card into the check wallet. Free! Almost free anyway. What could be finer?

Step Away from the Tinsel

Sure, we all love the holidays. I, for one, would say that Christmas rocks. Deck those halls, go ahead. Rock around the Christmas tree, what have you. But, um, it's January 18th. It is time to put the Christmas lights away.There are people on our street who never take their lights down. But at some point they at least stop turning them on. I've called you all here to discuss the alarming rate with which the Christmas lighting is becoming MLK Day and Valentine's lighting. What goes through your head each night fellow Arlingtonians when you plug those lights in? Is there even a faint pain of realization? Do you eat the leftover turkey two weeks after Thanksgiving? 

The lights are one thing. Admittedly they're a pretty big thing because I'm all for clinging desperately to the past, but when you put that new calendar up, it's time for those lights to be coming down. So yeah, then, we saw the Queen of the Christmas Clingers tonight. We were in an elevator. A man and woman who work together got on. And then I looked at her sweater. It was a red Christmas sweater embellished with overflowing Christmas stockings and trees. (Carson Kressley dramatically recreates above.)

Ma'am.

January eighteenth.

Wondering on Winter

I was going to call this post Wall to Wall Work Wednesday but I have seriously got to lay off with the days in the title deal or the Bloggigentia are gonna get after me.

But I am wondering and hoping we'll get a little hint of winter around here (DC) soon. Naturally the one day I have to trek out to a meeting out of town is the day we might get a little snow. I am a snow lover. Snowdays combine so many things I love: news news news, people to make fun of ("Bob the roads out here are pretty treacherous and officials are advising if you don't have to go out that you stay off the roads and give the trucks time to do their jobs."), staying home, cooking (a necessary activity when nesting), and of course the sight of Lexminda the Brave (the dog) shoving her preciously groomed muzzle in the snow and wiggling around like it was some kind of fantastic doggie drug.

Knit night is scheduled for next Tuesday and I am going to be there if I have to haul a whole ER along with me (but let's all hope that doesn't happen. [Boy, I am feeling very parenthetical today.] ) In fact, I think I may just have to cook something to take along with me as a peace offering to my knitting group since I have missed the last oh-I-dunno six monthly meetings!

I Could Get Used to This

Something is in a weird alignment in the universe when I have two, dare I say, pleasant Mondays in a row. That might have me liking Sundays again. We've actually had a couple nice Sundays in a row followed by some of the most sane, unharried Mondays I can recall.

At long, long last today the third and final phase of The Root Canal That Would Not End was completed. (You know your life has been interesting lately when a "good day" includes a visit to the dentist that involves drilling. And a somewhat violent reaction to taking antibiotics on an empty stomach. Oh, and a $43 tank of gas for a subcompact car.) A client added more work (and money) to a project - a welcome addition. And yet again I made it in and out of a grocery store without wanting to strangle anyone. Inconceivable!

I think I may even, I mean not to stir the evil spirits or anything, may even make it to the neighborhood knit night.

Sundays are for Soup

When I saw the Red Lentil Soup recipe (from the NYT) and beautiful pictures at The Kitchn I knew I'd found this weekend's soup. Jac encouraged not only the red lentils, but also a back up bag of regular lentils for use another day. The soup is delicious, well worth making and definitely and something I'll want to have more of for lunch tomorrow.

24 Hours Without Onions

Well it's Sunday we better start making some onions.

We Are Here for the Cheese Please

In addition to the onions, the French Onion Soup, and well, all the soups, I've been plying Jac with quite a bit of cheese lately. When fondue AND raclette doesn't satisfy your yen for cheese, it's time to branch out, search for more cheese and more types of cheese. Since DCFoodies cannot stop talking about (22 posts people) this little spot in Del Ray called Cheesetique, I constructed an elaborate ruse to get Jac to the other side of Alexandria all so that a little stop at this shop would be "on our way". 

With one foot through the door, we knew we'd entered a little cheese paradise. I asked if it might be okay to take a picture or two for my blog and they were happy to oblige. Actually, the people there were effusively obliging. (I may have wondered, "Can I live here?") I looked over the shelves of sauces, jams, wines and crackers designed to accompany the cheese that occupied several large glass cases. They offered samples of cheese and then we were happy to oblige. 

I think goat cheese can be wildly hit or miss, sometimes it's super tart and tangy and other times it's more like ricotta. But Cheesetique was sampling a Honey Goat Cheese that was perfect in every way. Jac found his favorite Drunken Goat Cheese and some cheeses with fiesty names he knew he'd enjoy. They had cheese with caramelized onions. Like they came to our house and said, "Hmm, how could we make these people eat more cheese... Ah ha! We'll put the onions in the cheese. They cannot resist that." And they were right. 

Un Ananas Ne Lache Pas

Life-changing unpaid product endorsement of the week:

I have been a germ scoffer all my life. Just as preachers' daughters run wild, the germophobe's daughter is bound to believe in the 5, 10, or 15 second rule. But when you actually know that a crazy ass mutating supergerm is alive and well on your very own self, well, then, friends, token handwashing becomes dedicated handwashing. That is where the joy of Method foaming handwashes come in. Less time lathering more time cleaning! And I must say, to complete the utter infomercialness of this post, that my hands have an unheard of mid-winter silkiness. Madge, I'm soaking in it!

Pucker Up for Dessert

When you have as much soup as we did this week, having a cold, tart and creamy slice of key lime pie is just right for the Spring-like days that have crept into our January. This key lime pie is straight from the label of Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice. It is a pucker inducing pie that wakes up winter lips.

Wicked Cool Wednesday

Well, thanks to yet another allergic reaction to a medication meant to cure me of the heinous superbug, I spent the day at home today. As my face shrunk down from Giant Tomato Head to normal I got major stuff done on my To Do lists work and home. We had a visit from the Orkin man who dared crawl under our freaky front porch to discover and seal off the spot where he thinks those dastardly mice may have entered our house. Hopefully they'll all head back to Disney where they belong now. I also got the first day of enjoyment out of Jac's bathroom plumbing handiwork. He installed a new faucet yesterday. For far longer than I'd like to admit I have gotten up every morning and stared at a green ewey blob that lived in the faucet handle - always swearing to take the time to clean whatever it is out. It was waay waay down on my actual cleaning to do list - but Jac gave us the upgrade and now we have a gleaming chrome non-greening faucet. Klass-y!

Anyway, so potato leek soup was on the menu at home tonight, but when I got to cooking I realized that potato + leek didn't have enough ingredients to keep Jac from wondering where the entree was, so I added copious amounts of the asparagus I'd gotten for tomorrow. Yummy goodness. We get bonus points for using the second part of the baguette I got on Monday. And caramelized leeks are seriously right up there with the greatest culinary innovations. 

Mellow Monday

Today ended up being surprisingly pleasant. I tackled the toughest task on my work To Do list and it went down exceptionally well. Sure, I'm headed back to the doctor tomorrow for Mo' MRSA, Mo' MRSA. But whatev, tomorrow is another day. Today's all about the unexpected pleasure of an unharried Monday. I even went to the grocery store and I don't think I wanted to kill anyone there either. Will the madness never end? Oh, but the 70 degrees in January thing - I'm never gonna be happy about that. Whew. The knitting will make a return soon though, promise.

Sunday Simmers

It's going to be warm this week. January is not a time for warm sunny days. So today I had to sneak in a couple cool winter things under the wire before we all have to break out our winter white flip flops. Yes, I made French Onion Soup again. It couldn't be helped, when we got back from the river on Sunday I discovered I had three bags of onions. Nothing uses up a mountain of onions like a day of sauteeing and caramelization. I also had lovely gingerbread from Whole Foods and some lemon curd from Trader Joe's that wanted to be together in delectable harmony on our dessert plates. Yum. This also means that both of our houses are now stocked with their own bottles of Vermouth so watch out - French Onion Soup could be back at any moment!

Like Bonafide Cityfolk

We had a totally urban and suburban day today. It was almost refreshing. We did just spend 10 or 11 days in the country soaking up peace and quiet. I was nearly ready to be surrounded by humanity. Glad I got that out of my system.

Jac and I love to eat at restaurants at odd times. Last weekend we walked into a restaurant 8 minutes after they opened. Today we went to Mike's American Grill in Springfield just a little while after they opened. Mike's and all of the Great American Restaurants chain have the most wonderful bread baskets. Then we headed to a comic book store for Jac and wandered into Trader Joe's. I stocked up on frozen things because it's amazing how few frozen vegetables there are to be found in a normal grocery store. 

We went to Best Buy and the iPhone saved the day again. I tend to, you know, want to kill everyone around me in a store. The conversations can be astounding. The slow ass moving like an iceberg down the aisle can be infuriating. But today, I put the iPhone ipod on shuffle and rocked out to the lunacy that is the Bailey's Crossroads Best Buy on a Saturday afternoon. I didn't want to kill anyone. I barely noticed them. It was luscious. For once Jac had to come find me to tell me it was time to leave instead of the other way around. I heart iPhone.

Later, a couple friends texted and asked us to join them at McGinty's in Silver Spring. Shockingly, our slack asses were up to it. Another friend was able to join us. The friends brought friends. We were like social and stuff. Amazing.

Let's Do the Timewarp Again!

Just 11 years ago I was working at Ruby Tuesday. There were a lot of things on the menu I wouldn't go near, but we had this sandwich - the chicken fajita sandwich - and it was like crack on a plate. It was the perfect thing to order when you hadn't made enough cash for fajitas. Or when fajitas sounded good but there really needed to be some French fries involved. For ages after it was taken off the menu people would request it.

Tonight I let the peppers and onions saute for ages on the stove basically unattended while Jac and I gorged on celebrity gossip on tv. I made the chicken the super secret Ruby's way and was transported back in time to the life of the Saturday double shift and being told, "If you got time to lean, you got time to clean." 

A Good Moronblogging

We haven't had a good moronblogging around here for quite some time. There have been many, oh so many candidates, but I was all caught up with the goodwill of the holidays and crap. And my people, I have to tell you, this day that silliness ends.

I went to Harris Teeter near the Pentagon. Here is something I do not understand - why the hell are people not at work at 3pm? I mean I know why I am not at work, but how can legions of people all be in the grocery store at 3pm? 

The iPhone should really have come with a tripod and video camera if I am to document all the lunacy and idiocy encountered in a single day. But it didn't, so I must choose the creme de la them to share. I managed to find the slow line at Harris Teeter. I am VERY good at this. I think they help me by exclusively hiring people who slept through the last stop on the metro. I peered past #2 in line up to the register and wondered if it was the checker or the bagger who was making this foraging exercise last well into my late 30's. But it was neither. It was Nelly Nitwit the Moronshopper who had to stop and review the price that rang up for each item she was purchasing. Now I could have leaned forward and explained to her that not 10 feet away there were self-checkout registers that she might have used that would have given her all the price check satisfaction one woman could handle, but I took a deep breath and then pursued multiple angles to shoot around #2 in line to get Nelly in all her price cynical glory.

Who Doesn't Like Fried Dough?

Um, so, best website I've seen all year: Fried Doughs of the World

Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinner

There is something so relaxing about coming home to dinner waiting in the kitchen. On my first day back to work after the holidays I got up early enough to toss the ingredients for pot roast into the crock pot before racing out the door.

When I walked in after work I was enveloped by the smell of dinner well done and the comfort of knowing I had an extra free hour tonight. I never would have made pot roast before I met and married Jac. Truthfully I'd be just as happy with pot veggies but when the main course crumbles with a spoon and the carrots taste like they were infused with sugar something has gone very very right in this house.

Naan is Good

Forty-five minutes ago I was in the Apple store so it's a little amazing to me that there's homemade dinner in front of me now. Naan with rice and Thai chicken. Yum. I have the next two dinners planned and purchased - which makes it a little easier on the brain to go back to work tomorrow.