spax

DOWN TO MUNCH & DO IT YOURSELF & THE DMV

[spaxson]

[spaxson]

Ramona Flowers

[spaxson]

DTM: Peach Raspberry Pie (pi day pie iv)

Another year, another excuse to make a pie for celebratory reasons.

Ingredients

store bought pie crust or make your own if you’re fancy

1 bag of frozen peaches or  ~6 large peaches

2 tsp lemon juice

2 1/2 tbsp corn starch

9 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

salt

2 cups of frozen or fresh raspberries

1 egg & water for an egg wash

Instructions

Lay the pie crust on your pan. Set the oven to 425 F.

If you are using frozen peaches, put them in the microwave for ~2 minutes or thaw before. Toss peaches into a large mixing bowl with lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar.

Set aside for 20 minutes.

While you wait on the peaches place your raspberries in a medium mixing bowl and toss with 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp sugar.

You can also score the pie crust with a for while you wait and cut up your top crust into thick lines for the lattice. Don’t forget to leave some dough to create your pi!

When the peaches time has come, keep 1/2 cup of the peach juice and discard the rest. With the frozen peaches I had about 1 cup produced so I didn’t need to discard.

Toss peaches with 2 tbsp cornstarch, the ginger, and a pinch of salt.

Fill the crust with 1/2 of your peach bowl, 1/2 of your raspberries, rest of the peaches, and then the raspberries again.

Cover your fruit with your chosen pie top. If you are doing lattice work, good luck! I just looked at a picture and did it, but there is probably a better way to do it.

Put your pi pieces on top!

The recipe suggested to chill the pie in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, but because I used frozen fruit I did not follow that instruction.

Brush the top crust with an egg wash (1 egg & 2 tbsp water)

Sprinkle with sanding sugar or regular sugar.

Place pie on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 45-60 or until you get a golden brown crust.

Remove and let it cool before you slice so you get prettier pieces.

TA DA happy pi day nerds

[spaxson]

DTM: One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken (& more!)

Only a few friends will remember this dish I drunkenly made in college after a night out at Fat’s. Well here it is again.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp butter

italian seasoning

1 cup of uncooked brown rice

2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth

juice of 1 lemon

salt & pepper

Instructions

Melt butter in medium heat in a pot or large pan that has a lid.

Season chicken with salt, pepper, italian seasoning. 

Brown it in the butter for 1-2 minutes on each side. Don’t cook all the way through. Set aside on a plate. 

Add rice, broth, lemon juice, and italian seasoning to the pot/pan you used.

Place chicken back in there. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 20-25 min.

TA DA really easy and satisfying dish that you can garnish with fresh parsley, cilantro, and/or cut lemons. 

& more!

Baked cauliflower with cheese sprinkled on top: olive oil drizzle, salt and pepper, cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Cooked spinach: Throw spinach in with butter or olive oil.

Sweet carrots: Boil carrots until tender. Drain and put back in the pot. Melt butter and add maple syrup or brown sugar.

[spaxson]

DC IV

Maybe these places are doing delivery or take out during this time!

-Hot N Juicy Crawfish is located on Connecticut Ave. and across from the Woodley Park metro. Really friendly staff! We got crawfish po boy and the “get your feet wet” bag full of shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, potatoes, and crawdaddies.

-Duke’s Counter has a location in Foggy Bottom and Woodley Park. Hallie and I went there for brunch though we were SO CLOSE to lunch time. I think we ended up getting the posh b.l.t.a. and the bacon and egg sarnie. Good food but odd service that day.

-He needs some milk (bar). Got cereal milk ice cream with corn flakes and a confetti cookie. Highly recommend the crack pie too. Warning: may be followed by birds if you’re dropping the corn flakes everywhere.

-Met up with Anthony after his classes at the GCDC Grilled Cheese Bar. Everything looked SO GOOD and I don’t remember which grilled cheeses we got but it went great with the tomato soup.

[spaxson]

Down To Munch

One Pan Salmon & Veggies

Tortellini Soup

[spaxson]

DTM: Garbage Plate

A little taste of Rochester for our superbowl food. What a wild dish, we watched binging with babish to figure out what to do.

Ingredients

Meat

1-2 diced onions

1 pound ground beef/turkey

4 ounces tomato paste

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Home Fries

3 potatoes

1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

salt, pepper, pepprika

Macaroni Salad I would prep this before you get into it, saves a little time!

Noodles

Carrots

Celery

Onion

Peppers

Garlic powder

Salt & pepper

Mayonnaise

(Dijon) Mustard (tbh forgot if we were fancy or regular)

Other

Zweigle hot dogs preferred BUT we used bratwurst from trader joe’s

Ketchup

Yellow mustard

Paper plates

Instructions

Cook your pasta for the macaroni salad. 

While your pasta cooks, cut up your veggies! 

Throw them in with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder when the pasta is done.

Add 2 spoonfuls of mayo & 1 tbsp of mustard. Set aside.

For the meat you’ll want to saute the onions first.

Then in a separate pan brown your meat, stir and make sure it’s cooked all the way through.

Add tomato paste, ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and stir it all together.

Throw the onions back into the mix.

Add 1/2-1 cup of water to deglaze.

Add salt and pepper and set aside.

Okay home fries. Dice your potatoes. You can either peel or leave them as is.

Pan fry them for a bit in vegetable or olive oil.

When they get to a good crisp, throw them into the oven at 425 for 10 minutes OR hit them with the broiler.

Cut your hot dogs butterfly style and cook them in a pan with some oil. 

On a paper plate add the macaroni salad on one half, the home fries on the other, place the hot dogs on top, and then meat!

Cover with as much ketchup and mustard as you’d like.

TA DA you are trash.

[spaxson]

DTM: Macaroni Salad

Made macaroni salad for a garbage plate!

Ingredients

Noodles (elbow preferred)

Carrots

Celery

Onion

Peppers

Garlic powder

Salt & pepper

Mayonnaise

(Dijon) Mustard (tbh forgot if we were fancy or regular)

Instructions

Cook your pasta.

While your pasta cooks, cut up your veggies! Throw them in with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder when the pasta is done.

Add 2 spoonfuls of mayo & 1 tbsp of mustard.

TA DA macaroni salad. Great for picnics or garbage plates!

[spaxson]

DTM: Avocado & Tomato Bagel

Before I gave up bread, every weekend I would jazz up a bagel from Bagels Etc, a local shop run by cute old korean ladies.

Ingredients

Bagel

Tomatoes, either cherry or slice of a whole tomato

An avocado (tHaAanks)

Shredded cheese

Optional: onions, everything bagel seasoning

Oven with a broiler

Instructions

Slice your veggies. Cut the avocado and mash it to make it easy to spread on the bagel.

Toast your bagel in a toaster or toaster oven.

Add your fixings and put your bagel on a baking pan. Place it on top of another baking dish with some depth so it’s close to the broiler.

Turn your broiler on and let the bagel cook for only a few minutes. Keep an eye on it!

TA DA quick, easy, satisfying breakfast.

[spaxson]

DTM: Charcuterie Board

What’s more romantic than stuffing your face with cheese and meat with your SO? In this board we got 2 different salamis, 3 cheeses, a variety pack of crackers, dried apricots, olives, and an eggplant spread from Trader Joe’s. Paired with some TJ red wine. Below is what you can include:

Ingredients

Cheese: You’ll want some type of contrast. Either texture (soft/hard) or taste (mild/sharp/smoked). Brie (if you’re feeling yourself), cheddar, havarti, mozzarella, gouda

Meat: Salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, sopressata

Carb: I like to get a variety pack of crackers or indulge in a french baguette.

Fruit: Either fresh or dried. GRAPES, apple slices, and dried apricot usually pair well.

Olives: I’m not an olive lady so I have no advice on what to get besides what your heart and stomach desire

Condiments(?): You can serve charcuterie with a spread, jam, and/or mustard.

[spaxson]

Philadelphia, PA

Weekend getaway! Here’s a list of the places I visited:

Jinxed, a thrift store with multiple locations in Philadelphia

Barnes Foundation, art museum

Fare Restaurant

Dimsum and Noodle, chinese place that let us BYOB

La Colombe, the og coffeeshop

Free Library of Philadelphia

The Walnut Street Theatre, the oldest theatre in America

Top Tomato Bar and Kitchen

Reading Terminal Market

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January Bullet Journal

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DTM: Tortellini Soup

I think about this soup often. Quick & fun to make with friends in the cold months. 

Ingredients

Italian sausage (3-4 links)

1 chopped onion

~6 cloves of minced garlic

About 2 cans or 1 box of broth. I use reduced sodium chicken broth.

1 3/4 cups water

1 can diced tomatoes

Pack of refrigerated cheese tortellini

Pack of baby spinach

Dried or fresh basil

Salt & pepper

Red pepper flakes

Olive oil

Instructions

In your soup pot, cook your sausage and onions. Add the garlic.

Add broth, water, tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Add tortellini. Bring to a boil. Cook time is 5-8 minutes. 

Reduce the heat and add the spinach, basil, pepper, & pepper flakes. Cook until spinach is wilted.

TA DA add some parmesan to this soup and you have a meal to warm your heart and soul. 

[spaxson]

DTM: Candied Nuts

**Specifically pecans. Another delayed holiday post. So easy to make and ADDICTIVE.

Ingredients

1 egg white

1 tbsp water

10 oz pecans (I think I used 2 bags)

1 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp cinammon

1/2 tsp salt

Aluminum foil (easy cleanup) 

At least 1 big bowl

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 F

Line a baking sheet with foil. You can spray with nonstick spray. I did not.

Mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl (dry mix).

Beat water and egg white in a mixer for ~2-3 min until light and frothy. This is your egg wash.

Add pecans to egg mixture and coat evenly. Either stir or toss around. Then add your dry mix and do the same thing.

Spread pecans in a single layer on the sheet.

Bake for 45-60 min. Flip with a spatula every 15 minutes. Let it cool when done.

TA DA deez nuts (sorry not sorry) are ready to wow all your friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances.

[spaxson]

DTM: Gingerbread Cookies

A very delayed holiday baking post! I followed this recipe to fight the war on Christmas! Just kidding, happy holidaze.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 salt

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 ground cloves

6 tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 tsp vanilla

Mixer

Parchment paper

2 bowls

Instructions

In one bowl (dry ingredients) whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

In another bowl, use your mixer to beat the egg, butter, and brown sugar together. Then add the molasses and vanilla.

Stir in your dry ingredients and mix well.

Wrap your dough in plastic and let sit at room temp for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

I would place sections of the dough on a lightly floured surface. This is mainly to make rolling out more manageable in my small counter space.

Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin. Use the flour to avoid sticking.

Roll dough to ~1/4-inch thick.

Cut out your cookies! I used cookie cutters, mason jar lids, and some free styling.

Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.

Bake for 7-10 minutes. Less time = soft, more time = crisp.

TA DA these are great for all your holiday parties and heartfelt gifts. 

[spaxson]

DTM: Instant Pot Vegetable Soup

This is my go to meal prep! I used this recipe as a basis, but I think there’s a lot of room to freestyle with soup. I like to freeze a cup of it for when I don’t have the time or energy to cook.

Ingredients

3 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

~ 4 cloves of garlic, minced. I’m a little lazy and just have a jar of minced garlic and scoop out 2 spoonfuls.

1 medium onion

5 yukon potatoes

4 celery stalks

4 carrots

1 can of of diced tomatoes

Dried oregano

Dried thyme

Parsley

2 bay leaves

Instructions

Chop all your veggies. 

Add everything to your instant pot. You want the liquid mix to cover the veggies. You gotta feel out your liquid & seasoning proportions based on how many veggies you put in.

Set the manual setting to 10 minutes at high pressure. Make sure the knob is set to seal. When it’s done, let the steam out. 

TA DA a bountiful vegetable soup to last you the week or save ya some time in the future. 

[spaxson]

DTM: CALIFORNIA

Smorgasburg, LA

- Bolo (@eatbolo) had this amazing chicken sandwich with one of the best buttery buns I’ve ever bit into.

- Out of all the fun & funky flavors at Wanderlust Creamery, I chose the Sticky Rice & Mango ice cream.

- The Base is the place for hippie dippie juice drinks in cute reusable mason jars. The Blackberry Charcoal was the perfect refresher.

Anaheim Packing District

- Fanfare waffle is a game changer to the hotdog scene. Went with 1 savory and 1 sweet order. 

- Anti-gravity noodles from 206 BCE are all for the insta. I don’t get the appeal though the food is good!

- Bagel with lox from a coffeeshop Jordan & Fiori enjoy :)