Food Photography – Some Stellar Utah Cheesecake

While on our way to Zion National Park, we made a much-needed stop in a little town called Kanab, Utah. The drive from the Grand Canyon was long; not just because of the distance but also because there was nothing to see. Just desert and plains with nary a town in sight. Brutal. When we drove into Kanab we had to stop.

While there we had a quick dinner at Grandma Tina’s (which was horrible. don’t eat there) and then visited an establishment called The Rocking V Cafe. They claimed to have an amazing Pecan Caramel Cheesecake, winner of many local awards, and I have to say it was amazing. Maybe it was the lousy pasta we just had, but the way the caramel worked with the cheesecake and the pecans adding a slight touch was a work of art.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

So, if you’re ever passing through Kanab, get the cheesecake!

Making a Local Burger

Good morning!

First off, I’d just like to draw your attention again to our new “Favorites” page, found in the navigation bar at the top of the blog, just under the logo. We’re hoping this comes in handy on nights when you just don’t know what to make for dinner or what to bring to the office the next day for treat. As always, always feel free to let us know what you think and how we can make DC easier for you to use!

onionandpepper

Now, if you follow our tweets, then you may have seen me mention that on Saturday I went to a really neat gourmet store/cafe in Charlottesville called Feast! Almost all the food is local. Feast’s mission connects “local farmers, artisan food producers and consumers by specifically sourcing and endorsing hand-made, local and seasonal foods that sustain the viability of farmland and family-owned food businesses.”

groundchuck

So Morgan and I allowed ourselves to indulge a little, and we bought some basil pesto, fancy cheese, & apples. This week I’ll be experimenting with using that cheese, called Red Dragon. Red Dragon is a creamy cheddar made from cow’s milk, containing Welsh brown ale and brown mustard seeds. There’s a bit of horseradish flavor to it; it’s definitely spicy with some good bite (read more about it here, here or here).

reddragon

I’ve praised Ray’s Hell Burger in Northern Virginia here before – and what makes them stand out is the amazing quality of their ingredients. A burger is a simple thing, but quality beef, unique cheeses and a “just right” bun really makes a difference. Morgan and I used a few slices of the Red Dragon cheese we bought, as well as a pound of local ground chuck. The result was amazing.

slice

We try not to be big beef eaters, so we figure if you’re going to make a burger, you may as well make it the best burger. I cut up some green pepper and onion, also bought at the farmer’s market – keeping with our local theme, and threw them into the patties. Check out some of your local markets soon, and get ready to taste an amazing burger!

burger

Making a Local Burger

1 pound local ground chuck
1 medium-small farmer’s market green pepper
1 medium-small farmer’s market yellow onion
small block of local cheese (something with bite, like Red Dragon)
6 hamburger buns (gasp, we didn’t go local here!)
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon Nature’s Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
dash paprika

Heat a grill pan on medium heat (we don’t have an actual grill, so if you do – go for it!). Dice green pepper and onion and set aside. Add ground chuck to a medium size bowl and combine green pepper, onion, egg and spices. Mix thoroughly with hands. When spices are fully incorporated, form into 6 medium size patties.

Add a small amount of oil to the grill pan and add patties two at a time, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side (8-10 minutes total), until desired doneness is reached. Enjoy!

New Addition – Our Favorites

Afternoon, fellow foodies. Heather and I have been brainstorming on ways to make dinnercakes even more awesome and today we implemented one of our ideas. If you look at our menu up top, you’ll see a new addition: Our Favorites. Here we’ll share some of the dishes we’re most fond of as a suggestion for when you’re not sure what to make.

If there’s anything you’d like to see on the site or maybe there’s something about it that irks you, feel free to e-mail us. We love to hear what you think. No comment is a bad comment!

Back to (Healthy) Basics – Making Vegetable Stock

Hello everyone! I’m back!

My road trip was friggin’ awesome and I had a stellar time driving through a handful of western states. I got to sample a lot of different food, see some beautiful parks and even gambled a bit in Vegas. The buffets in the casinos? Intense! Due to the fast paced nature of the trip I wasn’t able to write in as much as I would have liked, sadly, but now that I’m slowly getting back into my normal routine I’ll be sure to pass along some of the great cuisine I sampled.

Veggies

One thing I will say is that I ate pretty lousy the entire time. Vegetarian was not the theme, so now that I’m back I no longer have an excuse and am returning to less guilt-inducing food. One of the things I realized I needed for future meals was some liquid gold: vegetable stock. We’ve talked about making your own turkey stock, a guide that can pretty easily be applied to its feathery cousin the chicken, but ironically the vegetable variation has never been mentioned.

Oiled Veggies

Making vegetable stock is a pretty straight forward process and actually pretty similar to how you make any other stock: you simmer your “flavoring agents” (vegetables instead of bones) with whatever herbs and maybe spices that tickles your fancy. I like to start with a base of an onion, a couple carrots and several cloves of garlic. From there I’ll usually add something “meaty” like a turnip or potato. It’s really your masterpiece to craft. Beware adding too much of one ingredient, as it may overwhelm the others. Carrots, for example are pretty sweet and too many will give you a sweeter broth.

Roasted Veggies

If you’ve got a little extra time, roasting your vegetables prior can really bring out the flavor.

Straining Herbs

Basic Vegetable Stock
Treat this a guideline, not a recipe. You can craft it for a specific recipe or all-purpose.

1 medium onion; quartered
3 carrots; chopped
3 celery stalks; chopped
1 small turnip; peeled and chopped
7 garlic cloves; smashed
1 shallot; chopped
6 cups of water
Several sprigs of parsley
Several sprigs of rosemary
1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 400, lightly oil your vegetables and place in a roasting pan. Roast for one hour. Scrape your vegetables, getting as much of the brown bits as possible, into a large stock pot with the water and herbs. Simmer for 45 to 60 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain into a bowl, pressing out as much of the juice from the vegetables as possible (I like to use a potato ricer). Dispose of the vegetables as you are done with them let the liquid cool. Freeze into any size portions you’d like for easy use at any time! Enjoy.

Kitchen Tips – Liquid vs. Dry Measurements

Well, team… it’s been fun having you all to myself while Chef Edwin was off exploring the west coast. Unfortunately we didn’t get to make fried cheesecake, but let’s take a rain check?

I want to mention something that is probably completely elementary for some of you and may come as a shock to others – when cooking and especially baking, you need to use a different measuring cup for wet ingredients and dry ingredients.

Maybe you’ve had this debate with a friend or spouse before; I know I have! I’ve even tried using a dry measuring cup for liquids once when I was too lazy to wash the wet measuring cup (awful, I know!) – the result was not good!

If you need a little convincing, I’ve rounded up some articles that talk about the necessity of using wet with wet and dry with dry, in addition to a few discussion boards where people are battling the question out. Feel free to join in the melee!

What Is the Difference Between Wet and Dry Measuring Cups?

Liquid vs. dry measure

Liquid vs. Dry Measure Converter Tool

Dry and Liquid Measuring Equivalents

Humorous Pictures

Happy Friday!

"Not banana-y"

Remember last week’s easy, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, sugar free banana ice cream experiment? Chicagoist caught wind of the original Lifehacker article and tried it as well.

For any banana-haters out there, here’s a quote from the article:

“The nicest surprise was that it wasn’t overwhelmingly….banana-y.”

Marriage is About Compromise – Perfectly Pear Smoothie

Summer is slipping away from us, and I find myself buying up all the fresh fruit I can find. Thankfully, pears won’t be going away just yet.

perfectlypear

Pears are one of Morgan’s favorite fruits, but I don’t love the grainy, gritty sort of texture. Fortunately we’ve found that I’ll eat almost any fruit blended into smoothie form. Am I completely ridiculous? Yes.

Other things that I only like in certain forms:

  • Tomatoes & onions are great… as long as they’re not raw!
  • Raspberries are a treat… but not if it’s raspberry jam or sauce!
  • Apricot jam is amazing on thumbprint cookies… but beware handing me an apricot or dried apricots!
  • A good friend of mine, knowing that I love bananas, recently gave me some banana chips to try. Bleh! (Sorry, friend..)
  • Fig Newtons – yes! Figs & fancy cheese – no!

The moral I’m suggesting in today’s story is to not immediately pass on something you typically don’t like if it’s in a new form (Yes, I’m laughing at the irony as I type this).

And on that note, I’m determined to open Edwin’s eyes to pumpkin this fall. So please, start passing your pumpkin recipes my way now. We’ve got our work cut out for us!

Perfectly Pear Smoothie
Makes two medium size smoothies.

1 pear, core removed
3/4 cup frozen cherries
1 frozen banana
1 cup milk

Combine ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. For more thickness, add less milk – for less thickness, add more milk.

Tips and Tricks that Go a Long Way!

Here’s a cool article that Morgan unearthed today from Men’s Health:

The Great Chef Playbook – 30 little kitchen tips and tricks that make a big difference!

Food Photography – Bright Red Velvet Cake

red velvet

Pictured: Mini bright red velvet cake with cream cheese drizzle and whipped cream.

So You Went to a Farmer's Market… What Now?

With Edwin out of town on vacation and me being a full-time graduate student (ie, I don’t get labor day off!), I realize that we really let Labor Day go by yesterday without a second thought. So what did you do with your Labor Day? Did you go out of town or have a cookout?

Today I want to share an excellent link I found on NPR’s website – it’s a gorgeous collection of fruits and vegetables growing across American farms. I went to the Charlottesville farmer’s market for the first time on Saturday and it was absolutely amazing… so I have fruit and veggie stands on my mind! Click the food for a pop up of some quick facts, tips on storing and preparation, and a recipe. I know I’m eying the Alabama Peach Ice Cream.