greek deli and catering
Near where I work in D.C., there’s this place that always has a huge line out the door at lunchtime. This Thursday, I went at around 11:45 in an attempt to beat the lines and see what all the fuss was about. I still had to wait on line for a little over ten minutes, and when I got to the front of the line at Greek Deli and Catering I started to get stage fright. The owner was barking at the customers, and I knew I had to have my order ready so as to avoid his wrath. I decided to get a chicken gyro, though I really wanted to try the avgolemono soup and spanakopita as well (they also have daily specials which are apparently really good).
I have to say, I didn’t really like the gyro. First of all, the chicken was baked in a lot of liquid (maybe braised), not roasted on a spit, so it didn’t have the great, crispy texture like the gyros I’m used to. Second of all, the tzatziki had a lot of dill in it, which I am not a fan of. To add insult to injury, the salad inside the pita had tons of dill in it as well. I also didn’t appreciate the errant bay leaf in my gyro (choking hazard!). The pita was tender and fluffy, though, so I enjoyed that. Despite the mediocre gyro, I would like to try Greek Deli and Catering again to sample some of their more popular offerings.
a bat mitzvah for alice
Okay, Alice didn’t actually convert. But we did make matzoh ball soup today, and it was amazing! Matzoh ball soup isn’t hard to make but it does take a long time. Here’s how you make it.
Start with some chicken (I used 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs), one half of an onion (cut in half again so you have two quarters), one carrot, cut into thirds, one piece of celery, cut in half, a bay leaf, and some salt. Cover this all with water, and bring it up to a gentle simmer.
When it’s at a simmer, cover the pot. Skim off any scum that may form on the top periodically. We cooked the soup for a couple hours. While it’s cooking, make the matzoh balls. Just prepare the matzoh balls according to the instructions on the package. Make sure that you let the mixture rest for at least a half an hour before you cook the matzoh balls. Start cooking them thirty minutes before you want to serve the soup, that way they’ll be ready just in time for dinner.
Twenty minutes before you want to eat, strain the soup. Discard the vegetables and bay leaf, and shred the chicken meat. Then add into the soup a fresh carrot and two stalks of celery, both sliced thinly on the bias. Simmer the vegetables for twenty minutes or until tender.
Isn’t this kitchen a sweet set up? I love it! Back to the soup, though. When you’re ready to serve, assemble a bowl with a little chicken, a couple of matzoh balls, and the vegetables and broth.
How was it? Let’s check with Alice.
Suffice it to say she enjoyed her nosh.
birthday cake oreos
Birthday Cake Oreos are all the buzz lately. At an event I hosted tonight we had them, and I must say, the experience was a little perplexing. The Oreos really do taste like birthday cake (in the most synthetic, chemical way), which is bizarre because you’re expecting them to taste like Oreos.
What’s the takeaway? The idea is cute (especially the sprinkles in the filling), but regular Oreos are way better.
dried apricots
Like a little bite of summer. Perfect for a dreary winter day.
P.S. Mariani apricots are the best. Don’t get those shriveled up, brown, dried apricots, they’re tough and not at all delicious.
georgetown cupcakes
Today at a briefing I went to there were free Georgetown Cupcakes. Like anyone in the DC area with functioning ears, I’ve heard a lot about these cupcakes. So, I grabbed one to see if they were any good.
I should have spent a little more time choosing my cupcake. I was surprised to bite into the cupcake and find out it was banana bread. It wasn’t bad, but I would have rather tried a regular cupcake so that I could compare it with other cupcakes I’ve had. But, judging it solely on its own merits, this was a fine cupcake. The cake was topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, which was quite tasty and not too sweet. Based on this sample, I can conclude that Georgetown Cupcakes make good, homestyle cupcakes. Who knows if they’re worth the price or the wait; I didn’t have to sacrifice my time or money for today’s treat!
orange bloody orange
Blood oranges are so beautiful.
Yum. Second only to Cara-Cara oranges in terms of deliciousness.
chobani passion fruit greek yogurt
Passion fruit is one of my favorite fruits and Greek yogurt is my favorite kind of yogurt. Obviously, I was expecting the union of the two to be delightful.
Chobani certainly didn’t let me down. I have to say, it didn’t surpass my fave flaves, which are Fage plain Greek yogurt and Siggi’s passion fruit-pomegranate skyr, but it was still really good. I especially liked the passion fruit puree with seeds at the bottom (and normally I’m not a fruit at the bottom fan). I must say the yogurt was a bit too sweet. Maybe next time I’d cut it 50/50 with Fage plain.
Re-reading this post it seems like I’m a real yogurt snob. I guess this is what my life has come to. Oh well.
how to: make bibimbap
Bibimbap is an easy and healthy weeknight dinner. It doesn’t take long to prepare and it is so good! Here’s how you make it:
Start by preparing any assortment of vegetables.
Cook a bit of protein (Alice mixed some ground pork with some soy sauce, tapicoa starch (it’s Alice’s secret ingredient—it makes the meat more tender), sugar, and Chinese cooking wine).
Put some cooked rice in a bowl that you have lightly greased and preheated on the stove.
Start layering on the cooked vegetables and protein.
Add some thinly sliced seaweed and a dollop of gochujang (Alice thinned this out with some soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar).
Stir it up!
Bibimbap, made by Alice. So delicious! Recipe to follow.
