Blog Hoppin'

I just found this on twitter and I'm super excited, now that I'm cookin'!

Erin Hutton, of Community Cucina, is starting a new blog hop that will be a community challenge. Participants are asked to make something new, using at least one ingredient that is grown or produced within 100 miles of home.

Since there are a million farmer's market's in DC, this shouldn't be too hard!

The dishes can be original creations, or borrowed recipes and we just link the resulting posts to her original creating a blog hop!

My only question is, do wine cocktails count?

To participate or to read the Blog Hop, check out the link below:

Community Challenge Blog Hop

GLEEful Baked Eggs

Tuesday night was the season finale of Glee so my good friend Estelle and I decided to get together, cook a great meal, and glue ourselves to the TV for an hour. Estelle is a patisserier in the making and she's been spending loads of time searching blogs for new things to bake (and share!). Recently, she discovered the trendy and insanely enviable world of La Tartine Gourmand, written by French expat Beatrice Peltre. Peltre's blog is chock-full of gorgeous photos of her food and family, as well as some seriously tempting recipes.

So while Glee was a big disappointment (original songs? UGH!), dinner was fantastic. I can highly recommend Bea's site as well as her recipe for Baked Eggs, found here. We found that it was perfect with some over-toasted French bread and an extra sprinkle or two of Parmesan cheese. Because of the size of our ramekins, two eggs would have been better to completely cover the other ingredients and really fill the dish out. Having two eggs may also keep you from eating two whole servings like we did...

The cheese and creme covered asparagus was definitely the star in this dish, so you could do without the watercress. I think this could be made with almost any seasonal veggies... I think I will try tomato and shallots next.

Let me know if you make it and give Bea a shout out if you like it!

Eat. Write. Retreat. (post-report)

What. A. Weekend.

This past weekend, I attended my first food bloggers event here in DC. From Friday to Sunday, we ate and drank like kings and laughed and learned like kids. I met some amazing new people and discovered a confidence I didn't know I had.

In a session on writing, the prolific Monica Bhide shared her story inspired me to work as hard at my craft as a pianist or triathlete. She stressed the importance of using all of the five senses to describe food, and to not neglect the story. Monica also talked about finding and writing with your own voice.

I started out scared to put my name, let alone my photo on this blog. My need for anonymity was really fear that if people saw me, if they knew who I was, they would have no interest in what I had to say. Well this weekend I met people who said, "Oh, Girl Born Hungry? I've been reading your blog!". And get this... they were happy to meet me! ALSO, if the story is just as important as the food, then sharing my story will only help people get me and why I love food so dang much!

In a panel discussion on going beyond the blog, the ever inspiring Shauna James Ahern asked us all why we keep a blog. For some it was about their love of food, others wanted a book deal; In that moment I realized that for me, blogging about food is the beginning of a new life. A life in which I do what I love and not just what will pay the rent. A life where I am a writer. That realization almost knocked me on the floor! I am a writer!

I want to offer my sincerest thanks to the event organizers Robyn Webb and Casey Benedict. This retreat was life changing for me and it lit a fire under me to give my all to this work. Thank you both so much.

Here are some photos that I took along the way... I know they won't qualify for any awards, but they'll give you taste of what I was tasting!

Clean plate club

I couldn't get my camera out fast enough!


My top 3 from "Cocktails and Confections":

Deconstructed "Banana Split"

Super tangy "Hibiscus Margarita". The smoked lime salt was a crunchy surprise.

" Don't mess with my tutu" Deliciously tart cherry mousse with super sweet cotton candy.


'tis art!

My group's attempt at food styling (shot by Renee Comet!)


Lunch at McCormicks & Schmicks

1st course: Anchovy and roasted beets

2nd Course: Wild Alaskan Halibut with Maitake, Enoki and Cremini mushrooms, swiss chard, baby bok choy, and a miso sauce. Wow.

3rd Course: Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake

Cooking Course at CulinAerie

The ingredients


The Chef (with Lara and Dan busy in the background)



Capitol Hill Food Tour

1st stop: Anglo-Indian
Some of the best naan I've ever had...

2nd Stop: SOUL FOOD. This is from Levi's Port Cafe on 8th St, SE. I made sure to get the name because I WILL be back for more. That mac n'cheese is worth going under the bridge to the "other side of the tracks". Expect a full review to come...

3rd stop: comida Salvadoreno. I was entirely too full to enjoy this, but it looked good.