My friends and I are visiting Sevilla, Spain for the weekend. People normally think of flamenco dancing when they think of this area. I also just learned this is where the opera “Carmen” is set. The city is beautiful, very different than Valencia. They seem to have a lot more “sights” to see, like museums, cathedrals and plazas. While I like it here, I kind of feel like Valencia is my home.

So the best part, the food! Today we went on a free walking tour with people from out hostel, Sevilla Inn (which is amazing!) I have never been in a hostel before and couldn’t ask for a better experience. So the walking tour was great, we saw so much of the city, but afterward are guide took us to a restaurant and it turned out wonderful! For €7 you get 2 main dishes and a drink. I ordered a Salmorejo, which is a thicker gazpacho and then Carrillada de Iberico, which was pork with potatoes.

This soup was amazing. It’s a nice 80°F here, if not hotter, so having a nice cold gazpacho was perfect. There was a swirl of a garlic sauce on top of it main tomato base, and it tasted like there were onions and calamari in it to. I want to go back to the restaurant for more! My other dish was very good too, but my gazpacho was just amazing. The Carrillada consisted of potatoes and braised pork in a mushroom cream sauce, almost like a stroganoff sauce. But the finished touch were these little purple flower, bean sprout things they put on top. I have no idea what they were, but the fragrance and texture they added to the dish made it memorable in a very good way.

My drink of choice was sangria. Now, sangria is supposed to be the drink of Spain, but I haven’t had a good one, until today. It was sweet and fruity with lots of apples! The apples are always my favorite part.

Overall, it was a perfect lunch. I honestly want to make that Salmorejo for myself…right now. It was just that good. Now I can’t wait for dinner! Flamenco and great food, what more could I ask for?

I’m going to get right into it….paella. The beautiful, wonderful, amazing food that Valencia is known for. It is a bight yellow rice that sticks together wonderfully in an amazing sauce. I have no idea what’s in the sauce but ill try to describe it. You take a bite and your mouth is filled with a slightly sour, citrus taste, but it mellows out with the rice. It slowly turns into a olive oil flavor, almost buttery. There are also butter beans and green beans to give it some more texture and variety. And then the meat they put in it is fantastic. I know some of you might not like to hear this but….it is rabbit. I have never had rabbit before today(I think) and I honestly can’t wait to have it again! Overall it tastes a lot like chicken but the first taste you get it a little different. It’s hard to describe, but I promise it’s amazing.

Everything that I have had in Spain so far has amazed me and its only my second day! I will keep everyone updated on the taste adventure. Maybe it will look so good you will come to Spain and visit…

This fall, I will be going to SPAIN for 3 months for school and I couldn’t be more excited! I will be staying in Valencia, the third most populous city in Spain. They are the originators of paella (YES!) and they are on the located on the coast so lots of seafood. I don’t think I had ever had traditional Spanish food, but there was one place in DC that I knew would be the best place to try it. – Jaleo. Chef José Andrés is someone I admire for his amazing cooking skills and the way he truly cares about others which you can see with his involvement with the DC Central Kitchen. He is an amazing chef, and I am so happy that I live close to his restaurants.

I have been wanting to go to Jaleo forever now! After work one day, I finally got the chance. I am an intern so I don’t have much money, but they have a great Happy Hour menu! I ordered the Jaleo Classic Sangria, with extra apples. It was fruity and light, with no overpowering alcohol flavor. I’m not a big drinker anyways, so I hate when that happens. For the tapas, I ordered the Patatas Bravas, the Calamares a la Romana, and the Datiles con tocino.

Now I can’t decide which one was my favorite, because I absolutely LOVED every one. The calamares were really good, but I am a big fan of the tentacle part and I wish I could have ordered only tentacles. They always taste better to me.

The patatas bravas was a wonderful mixture of tomato and garlicky mayonnaise. It reminded me of a tomato-cream sauce, just separated. The only downside was I wanted more!

The datiles….oh the datiles. I am a big bacon fan and for Superbowl this year, I made something I think were sort of like this dish, bacon wrapped apricots. I loved those, so I thought I would have to love these. Salty and sweet, there is no better flavor mixture. But wait…I am wrong. Salty and sweet….then fried. Yup, right there. They were amazing, and I will be going back again…I’m going to aim for today.

I had such a wonderful time eating wonderful food, and drinking the fantastic sangria. Our bartender was great too, very funny and would always ask if we wanted another. My next José Andrés restaurant on the list is Zatinya. I love small plates because I love to try everything, so it’s a perfect place to go.

So it was a really hot day. I mean excruciatingly hot. Standing outside really didn’t sound fun, but getting something that screams “summer” did. I went to the Red Hook Lobster Pound Food Truck today using my trusty Food Truck Fiesta app and it was fantastic!

The menu is small but the simplicity is what makes it so good.  They have the Connecticut Style Lobster roll which is butter drizzled and the one I got, the Maine style which has mayonnaise. Yum…I seriously have an obsession with mayonnaise….but that’s for another post! So I ordered it, took 2 minutes to get it and look at the most beautiful lobster concoction that I was so lucky to receive…

The chunks of lobster were so big and so fresh! I feel like I ate an entire lobster. It tasted like they had just cracked open the lobsters this morning. The meet was tender and sweet, and the mayo was light enough to taste it but not take away from the great lobster flavor.

And Ive read a couple posts about this yummy roll, and no one ever mentions the pickle!!! The pickle was almost as good at the roll! I have loved picked ever since I was little and I cant even eat the regular dills that come are in the store that look like they are from a toxic power plant because they are such a neon green color. But the pickle, oh that pickle, was so good. I don’t think it was a normal dill, or maybe it was just a better version. So if you do ever get this, do not forget to think of the great pickle!

So it is kind of expensive… $15 a pop. There is no way I would ever buy this everyday, but if you want a nice, summer treat, go for it! Its like eating a whole lobster without having to put all the work into opening it yourself!

So another day this summer while I am interning, I will be sure to stop and have another one because they are Oh So Good!

So if you are from the DC area (and have a seafood love like I do) I hope you have heard of the Wharf Fish Market off of Maine Street. It is the most amazing experience you will ever have if you do. Here is just a tiny example of why…

Oh yes my friends. That is is the amazing bouquet of oceanic treats that you can have. And this is only of the the stalls! There are 6 of them!!! So many places for all kinds of food. They have every fish you can imagine, more crabs than you can eat, beautiful, big lobster, shrimp (fried or steamed) and even a place for friend chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and boiled corn on the cob. For me, this is what part of my heaven would look like

My favorite seafood would have to be steamed crabs. The sweet and succulent meat has no comparison. A lot of work goes into a small bit of meat, but it is more than worth it. When they are steamed, putting some old bay with them gives them a sour spiciness that only enhances the flavor.

Now I want to show you what I was lucky enough to have this day.

It was all wonderful and tasty in its own way. The crabs of course, were my favorite. The meat came out in big chunks, the kind that made you silently squeal because you got to have a big bite. The oysters were salty and a sour with the lemon. The cocktail sauce complemented them perfectly. The fried shrimp were breaded goodness, crispy! The corn…well the corn was sub par. It was a bit early for corn anyways.

If you can, going to the Wharf Seafood Market is a fun and unique trip. There is so much to look at and some many different things to try. Everyone should go, and try something new.

Om nom nom...

Hey Everyone!!! A good friend of mine, Max, has made something speical and has decided to share it with us! He is the one who made the Domo heading for the page, so he has always been helping. Enjoy! I know I am!

Strange…this is my first culinary contribution to CNN! but it feels like I’ve been involved for a while now. Probably because Avy likes to bring the leftovers of her little experiments to the library and I usually find a way to snag a taste. Regardless, it’s an honor and a privilege to finally get to share one of my dishes with CNN!.

Today, we will be making Sun-Dried Two-Tomato Pesto Linguine. Sounds kinda fancy for CNN!, don’t it? Well, allow me to explain the inspiration behind this dish. It is one that my college dining hall attempted to make but never really nailed. It tasted like, well, cafeteria food. Bless their souls, though. They had the best of intentions.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 box linguine
• 1 medium-sized tomato
• 2 tbsp. pesto
• 3-4 sun-dried tomato halves
• Olive oil (amounts differ, just keep the bottle close at all times!)
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Stove and granite countertops not included.

Got all that? HERE WE GO!!!

Boil water in a medium saucepan on high. PASTA RULE NUMERO UNO: salt and oil your water. Adding a pinch of salt to your water before it boils enhances the taste of the pasta and promotes an "al dente" texture. Adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil at the same time keeps the pasta from sticking and also makes it taste better. Don't question it, just do it.

Boil until desired texture is achieved. While you wait, why not prepare some of the other ingredients?

Remember that 'mater? Grab it and chunk it like so.

Time to cut up the sun-dried tomatoes. Before...

...and after!

Don't forget about your noods! Drain, don't rinse, keep 'em hot until you need 'em.

Return the pan to the stove, turn the heat down to low-medium. Pour in enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.

Stir in your pesto...should start to sizzle.

Pour in your tomatoes. All of them.

Next comes the garlic salt.

Stir. Simmer. Sizzle.

Grab your pasta and toss it in the pan. Some people don't like to add the pasta to the sauce while it's cooking. I would only ever not do this if I were cooking for someone who didn't want sauce. Today, however, we want sauce.

Toss the pasta and sauce and let it sit for a few minutes in the pan. The pasta will begin to soak up the flavors of the sauce and will also get hotter.

And finally, to add in the one thing that makes any pasta dish that much better...the cheese. Throw it right in the pan and use however much you want. Don't forget to toss it up a little bit so that the cheese isn't in one gooey mass.

Bam. Eat 'dat up, foo!

That’s all there is to it. Really simple, but tastes like it took an Italian chef all day to make. Not really, but as far as quick meals are concerned, it’s a good’n! Enjoy, and I will see you next time Avy lets me play on CNN!.

One last thing before I go. If I could offer one tip to any pasta freak such as myself, it would be to use more pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Together. In the same bed. When the strong and nutty pesto impregnates the rich and sweet sun-dried tomato, a beautiful culinary child is born. Proof, you say? Have you tasted what you just made yet?

Now onto the really good stuff. After a Lindemans Framboise filled night, we all needed some good food. We went a place called Todd Conner’s, also in Fells Point. Our waiter was fantastic, he got our drinks (which consisted of mimosa’s and bloody marys) out very quickly. A note on the Bloody Mary’s, if you know the Baltimore area, you know they love their. So it tasted like there was Old Bay, and even some oyster juice in them. I also need to note that they were spicy ans tasty, and I will be going back for another one soon!

The food was the best part. I got a wonderful Chesapeake Eggs, which is crab eggs Benedict. Oh my, was it yummy! I’m a stickler for Eggs Benedict because I love them so much. I made sure to ask our waiter if it was good, and he promised me it was; he did not lie! The hollandaise sauce was thinner than normal, but they give you a very good helping of it. The crab was sweet and generous, and at the end I had more crab left then anything else. They also give you potatoes, and they taste amazing with the sauce. And my biggest pet peeve with this dish, is normally the eggs are always overcooked, but they were perfectly runny. Yum!

Chesapeake Eggs

My friend got my second choice, the Chef’s Recipe Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. They have the most unique, and best sausage gravy I’ve ever had. It had a kick to it, and they didn’t use normal biscuits, but I think they were corn bread biscuits. The mixture of salt and sweet was absolutely intoxicating. So good!

Chef's Recipe Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

My other friend got a brunch classic, French Toast, but Vanilla and Brown Sugar French Toast. In the mornings, I’m not a big sweet person, but she loved it! I took a bite, and it was a very tasty french toast, but just not my favorite thing.

Vanilla and Brown Sugar French Toast

Now a lot of the food blogs I love rate the restaurants they go to, and I like the idea of it, and easy way to see how I would grade it. So I give Todd Conner’s an A+ for brunch! We had a great server, great drinks, and great food. I cannot wait to go back there, and try their dinner menu. I hope you all get a chance to try it out.

I had a fantastic 21st Birthday!!! It was on mothers day, but I shared the celebration with my mom. And I got some really good food for dinner…but it was absolutely amazing!

The boyfriend took me to O’Connells in Old Town, Alexandria. Everywhere else was closed at 10pm on a Sunday, an I’m glad it was! I ordered an appetizer as dinner, and wow! It was good! I got the Beer Battered Bangers. They are deep fried sausages with a curry dipping sauce. Sounds weird, right? They are different, but just plain old good!

Sorry for the bad picture, I’m using my phone. But don’t let the bad picture fool you, so yummy!

I hope that if any of you come across a dish that sounds a little weird or different, you should try it! Honestly, you might not like it, but then again, it might be the best thing you’ve ever had! Take a chance on crazy food!

I will be back again soon, hopefully with another different food.

Weird, right? But they really do taste amazing!

So today, I was feeling a little China-sick, so I thought I would make my own stir-fry becuase when I got back from China, I went and bought every Chinese ingrediant I could find.  So here is my take on a Chinese Chicken-Vegtable Stir-Fry! Make some sticky rice or rice noodles to serve with it!

Chinese Chicken-Vegetable Stir-Fry!

• 1 chicken breast – Cut into slices
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
• Squirt of Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 stalks of Bok Choy
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thick slices
• handful of water chestnuts
• handful of bamboo shoots
• 1/2 a lime

1. Cut the chicken breast into strips and place them all in a bowl.
2. Pour half the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, and a small squirt of Sriracha sauce in the bowl. Stir it all together so the chicken is coated. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
3. Take the unused oyster sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar and stir together to use for later.
4. Chop the ginger and garlic.
5. Cut the carrots into thick slices. Cut the bok choy into thick strips.
6. Heat a frying pan to medium heat and add the sesame oil.
7. Saute the ginger and garlic.
8. Add the chicken and cook until done, about 2 and a half minutes on each side. Keep stirring it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
9. When the chicken is done, move it to a bowl to keep it warm.
10. Add the sliced carrots and a tablespoon of the extra sauce.
11. Saute that for a minute, then add the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.
12. Saute for another minute then add the bok choy.
13. Saute for one more minute, then add the chicken back into it. Pour the rest of the sauce over the mixture.
14. Stir that all together so everything it coated, squeeze a bit of lime over top and serve with sticky rice or rice noodles!

I hope you all enjoy the stir-fry. Let me know how it turns out!

By the way, I never knew what bamboo shoots and water chestnuts were, so this is what they look like.

Bamboo Shoots

Water Chestnuts

]]> http://collegenomnoms.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/stir-fry-it-up/feed/ 0 avriellesuleiman lotus-root-2 IMG_4839 OT382083S la_choy_water_chestnuts_10_can__26438 http://collegenomnoms.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/cookie-monster-loves-cookies/ http://collegenomnoms.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/cookie-monster-loves-cookies/#comments Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:08:21 +0000 avriellesuleiman http://collegenomnoms.wordpress.com/?p=73 ]]> Birthday Celebrations can bring out the kid in all of us. Sometimes there’s pizza, always cake, and great friends. I’ve always been one to bake cakes, but just normal flat sheet cakes. This time, I wanted to try something new. I decided to make a four layer birthday cake for a very special someone whose nickname is Cookie Monster!

Cookie Monster

I just used two box cake mixes (Chocolate fudge and white cake mix), and followed their directions with 8 inch pans.

For the icing, I made cream cheese icing. Now let me tell you, it was difficult!!! My mom gave me a hand mixer that is not very good, so it pretty much just got all the ingredients all over the walls. In the end, I just mixed it by hand.

Cookie Monster Cake

• 2 cake mixes of your choice
• 4 8 oz packages of cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla
• 2 sticks of the butter
• Blue, red and yellow food dye,

 

1. I made the icing in advance, it saves a lot of time. Start by softening the cream cheese and the butter.
2. You can soften both of them by heating them in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time, and keep checking it to make sure that it doesn’t melt.
3. Once they are softened use a hand mixer (or fork in my case) and cream it together.
4. Add the vanilla and mix together.
5. Put enough icing away for the white eye part.
6. Put an even smaller amount in a small bowl and put equal amounts of blue, red and yellow dye in and stir it all up. You should get a dark greyish-black color.
7. Now take the rest of the icing and just put blue food coloring in it. Stir it up until it’s the blue color you want.
8. You can store all of the icing in the fridge until you use it.
9. Make the cakes how the recipe says on the box, just use 8 in circle pans. that’ll make four different cakes.
10. When they are done, let them cool for two hours, our put them into the fridge to cool.
11. Take a plate or a platter (Wherever you plan on leaving your cake) and take some of the blue icing and put a dab in the middle of the plate so the cake will stay put.
12. Cut the tops of each cake off so they are flat.
13. Put your first layer on the plate and spread a layer of icing on the top.
14. Keep doing that with each layer.
15. Take a toothpick and outline the face of Cookie Monster on the cake. Use a long knife and cut off the excess cake.
16. Spread a very thin layer all over the cake. This is your crumb coat.
17. Put it into the fridge to harden for a couple of hours.
18. Spread a generous layer of blue frosting all over the cake. Here is a tutorial on frosting that helped me.
19. Now take your white frosting and put it into a plastic bag. Cut a tip off the bag, and squeeze out the frosting to make the white part of the eyes.
20. Do the same with the black frosting.
21. You just made a four layer Cookie Monster Cake!

It was delicious!!!