It's a Dog Eat [Hot] Dog World

I love hot dogs. I have probably grown to love them more in recent years after I heard how unhealthy they are, because they're now forbidden fruit. This past weekend during a family dinner, the hot dogs made their inaugural 2014 appearance. Mid-April might seem too early to jump feet-first into BBQ season, but I did anyway. Sort of.

The "sort of" stems from a mid-February decision my parents made to get a puppy. Bentley has definitely helped fill the void left behind by our nearly 15-year-old dog Sebastian who left us on Halloween. Born on Thanksgiving, a day that I dare say is probably the pinnacle of pinnacles in the life of a foodie, Bentley already had a place in my heart. Now nearly 5 months old, he's still a monster, but less disorderly than he was at 10 weeks. Because he will eat anything deemed remotely edible (and even things inedible like his metal food bowl) we knew we would have to watch him carefully once grilling season started.

Sebastian used to lurk innocently around the yard until the grilling process ended so he could feast...on the charcoal ash. We usually remembered to keep him at bay, but the times we didn't, he'd eappear at the back door with a sooty muzzle, ready for a nap after a full sweep of the scraped-off grill bits and charcoal ash.

Since Bentley has been far more adventurous than Sebastian, we knew we would have to be mindful about preventing him from ingesting grill toxins, especially at such a young age. Most of his outdoor time involves eating every flower petal, piece of mulch, or blade of grass he can find. You'd think we were starving him. Here he is eating my parents' new azalea bush.


So with these hot dogs on Sunday, I was faced with a choice:  Grill them outside or cook them inside. Considering the Bentley hassle of grilling outside, I opted to try broiling them inside. I've had pretty good luck with toasting chicken hot dogs right on the toaster oven rack, but these were beef hot dogs with a higher fat content. In case you haven't toasted fattier hot dogs, the extra fat drips onto the toaster coils creating the makings for a good ole grease fire.

Instead, I put them on a small tray and broiled them in the oven, turning them every few minutes until they were swollen and crispy. I then added my favorite topping, baked beans mixed with grated Parmesan, as well as some coleslaw, ketchup and whole grain mustard.

It was salty, crispy, crunchy, cold, hot, sweet, soft--it was my everything. I can't wait to have another one, but I want the next one to be grilled. And, I certainly hope Bentley's foraging habits don't drive a wedge between me and that dream.

Maybe the perfect solution is to grill him a hot dog, too, so we can enjoy them together. Dog + hot dog = happy. Me + hot dog = happy. Everyone's happy! It's a dog eat dog world out there, but if it was a dog eat hot dog world, then maybe we'd all be in a better place.

Adventures into Southeast Asia

As many of you know, I am headed to Southeast Asia later this year to visit good friends of mine who will soon move there for a couple of years. It has always been a dream of mine to visit SE Asia, but lack of substantial vacation time, life timing and lack of cash flow were always barriers. Well, as sad as I am to see two fun people leave the states for greener pastures in Malaysia, that means I get to go visit them!

Joining me on my trip--which will involve visits to Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand--are a close college friend and her coworker. In preparation for what will be my first-ever adult trip (adult as in, longer than 3-4 days and involving a passport), I have been researching accommodations, activities, food, flights--everything. I love handling the logistical aspects of vacation and can easily get mired in the weeds of details, details, details. In my downtime from planning, I have been sure to eat my fair share of Asian cuisine to prepare myself for 15 days of culinary bliss.

My latest exploits were at newly-opened Zensai Sushi in downtown Silver Spring, MD. While I would've normally gravitated towards pad thai, sushi, lo mein and a variety of curries, I decided to try something different off the noodle menu.

Called Chiang Mai Noodles, this dish featured a duo of crispy and soft egg noodles with chicken, onion, scallion, sour cabbage and bean sprout in spicy yellow Thai herb with turmeric and coconut milk. It was as good as it sounds! The chicken was tender and noticeably marinated with a memorable flavor. I hope noodle dishes like this are what await me in Chiang Mai. If so, it will be very hard to leave and head back to the states when the time comes. Maybe I should just buy a one-way ticket?

What I do find curious is whether these dishes I eat in the states will taste any different than food from the motherland. I recall my last international trip back in 2000 to Italy where I was initially disappointed by the cuisine since my palate was tainted by American Italian food. I really hope that I don't wish I was back in downtown Silver Spring eating this food (as wonderful as it is) when I am in Thailand. I remain hopeful that I will not be disappointed by the food--but maybe I should lower my expectations just in case?

Chasing the Elusive G

After many a failed attempt to taste one of Mike Isabella's sandwiches from his new-ish restaurant G, I had found success...twice.

The sad part of the story began in December. A couple foodie friends (doubling as running buds) and I headed over there after a Friday evening run only to feel the sting of rejection. G by day is a sandwich shop and by night, which unbeknownst to us started at the stroke of 6pm, is run as a tasting-menu restaurant. That early start meant that it stopped selling sandwiches on that day of the week at 5pm. We had planned our route to end at G as a handsome reward for our hard work. When we opened the door and trotted in, the music stopped. Our hearts sank. Were we in the right place? A well-dressed hostess and well-dressed patrons all looked up to suggest that we most certainly were not. Nothing screams "class" like sweaty running clothes.

We left, dejected but still determined to try again another time during normal sandwich hours.

---begin happy chapter---

Weeks later, I returned on a weekend afternoon, well in advance of the switchover time and found five minutes of happiness in the form of G's Italian Hero. Yes, I ate it that quickly. Made my insides sing.

The buffalo mozzarella was velvety and sweet. The cured Italian meats were spicy, seasoned and sassy. The bread...well, just look at it!

Since I don't live or work anywhere near G, it takes a dedicated plan to pay the shop a visit. This past Friday was one of those days. Since it's Lent, I observe the "no-meat" Fridays and was considering NOT going because I thought it would be too hard to abstain. Friend Laura was the best friend a friend can be and coaxed me to power through and try G's Roasted Cauliflower sandwich. She said it was a noteworthy one that had been written about in reviews as their signature item. Who knew...cauliflower? Delicious cauliflower sandwich? Never thought I would find those three words thrown together.

Laura suggested we just split that one sandwich since she wanted to try it and I couldn't share any meat sandwich she got anyways. A good friend, I tell you! And here is what we saw after tearing open the paper.

Toasted bread soaked with unbelievably flavorful Romesco sauce. Lightly charred cauliflower florets, tender and basking in Romesco. I wanted to bask in Romesco. The pickled veggies offered a nice twang that sent this sandwich deep beyond the friend zone with me. I think I found my soul-mate.

If only G were closer (or would open a spot in Bethesda...hint hint) then I could relive this amazing meet cute over and over again. Until next time, G. I'll be thinking of you.

Magical Joe

This past Sunday was my brother Jame's birthday and I offered to take care of the cake situation for the family celebration. His request? Ice cream cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake, and chocolate cupcakes. The boy loves him some chocolate, OK?! Last year, I attempted to make cupcakes and cake from scratch to only achieve miserable results. I am not well-skilled in the baked goods department outside of cobbler and cookies.

This year, instead of wasting money on a litany of ingredients to make a less-than-average cake, I decided to go with the box mix. But to add my own creative element, I heeded the advice of my wiser baker friends and substituted the water allotment for coffee. Coffee acts like a magician when paired with chocolate. It intensifies the chocolate flavor and brings new dimensions of taste to an otherwise ordinary chocolate dessert. I've found that lemon juice and zest and some herbs also have that same effect when paired with certain dishes.

In any event, I went across the street to my local Caribou coffee (I am  not a coffee drinker. I love the smell, hate the product. Strangely enough, I do love coffee flavored items such as ice cream and yogurt) to get my special ingredient. When it was my turn to order, I approached the barista and asked for one cup of coffee, never having ordered it before. She asked, light or dark roast. I said, what's the difference? She said, one's uh lighter and less bold than the darker one. I decided to go with the light.

I made my way back to my apartment and prepared the batter, fearing 1.25 cups of coffee would more than overpower the other ingredients. My apartment soon was swollen with the intoxicating aroma of warm chocolate goodness.

Once they cooled, I iced them with an icing bag and voila. I was done.

I transported the cupcakes over to my brother a day early and tried one just before leaving. Pretty good! I could definitely taste the coffee, but it wasn't overpowering. It was the perfect complement to the rich chocolate. I am now a believer in the power of coffee to wake up any chocolate recipe.

Nothing's fishy in here

I've started eating healthier during work night evenings, but have yet to see the results. One of my go-to items has been seared salmon and a salad. I had been in my Safeway the other week when the fish man was hollering at me to be sure to eat seafood at least twice a week. I heeded his message and have been doing so for a few of weeks now.

I used to avoid cooking fish in the past because of the overwhelming stank that would soon permeate every fiber of my apartment when the cooking process had finished. Later in the fall, I tried a series of fans, open doors and closed doors to minimize the fish order with better luck, but it still wasn't good enough. A faint smell would last at least a couple of days. But, now, I have perfected the art of eliminating odor!

I sear the fish on both sides at a very high heat in a skillet for about 2 minutes each side, then I spread a light glaze of chutney on top before popping it into my toaster oven pre-heated at 350 degrees. Cook that for 5-8 minutes and voila! Perfectly tender salmon, no fans, no open doors and zero odor.

The salad above has also become a favorite of mine. Pear, walnut, spinach/arugula, Gorgonzola crumbles and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. When I shared my cooking successes with my mom over the weekend showing her this picture, she was shocked at my portion size. I usually buy a 3/4 lb piece of salmon at the store and eat the entire thing for dinner. I feel content afterwards, not stuffed. But, apparently, I am eating for two! I didn't realize that 4oz of fish was considered one helping. Gah. Oh well.

Another "skinny" recipe "huskified"

I remember back in my earlier years accompanying my mother and brothers to nearby department store Woodies, which soon became a Macy's before being replaced by Bloomingdales. I remember the pants section of the store and distinctly recall the range of sizes and fits categorized with humorous labels such as "husky" or "loose and tall." The women's department wouldn't dare categorize the women's clothes as such. But, maybe it would've been a better way to direct me to the right rack of clothes and proper pant sizes.

In order to stop increasing my pant size, I've slowly made more of an effort to find and cook healthier recipes. But, so far, I haven't seen the results. I think it's because I continue to find myself inflating the ingredient amounts. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of cheese, I use the entire bag since the smallest size bag they sell is usually 2 cups. One cup of cheese does not go a long way!

Well on Sunday night, I decided to give a recipe from blog Skinnyms.com a try: Skinny lasagna rolls. I have never been a huge fan of lasagna because it usually tastes dry and bland to me. I find that the ricotta filling, even with lots of garlic added, just doesn't excite my taste buds whatsoever. I assumed that this recipe, which called for freshly chopped then sauteed spinach with garlic, might change my mind. Oh and I decided to add a flavorful meat sauce on top of it instead of plain marinara would seal the deal. The recipe was fun to make...and visually appealing with the bits of bright green spinach peeking out through each lasagna noodle rolled in a hay-bale-esque fashion.

Well, it wasn't as zippy as I had hoped and dreamed it would be. And no way near as healthy as it should have been. A pound and a quarter of ground beef, an extra cup of cheese, plus whole-milk ricotta must've upped the per-serving calorie count by a couple hundred. It was good, but still, it lacked zing. I think I need to mix the filling with very sharp cheese next time...maybe Pecorino Romano. Or maybe it's time to give up on any recipe related to lasagna or ricotta filling. I do recall loving a sausage and spinach (I think) lasagna that friend Julie made once during a ski trip. Maybe sausage is the key. I don't know. All that's left now is a baleful of questions and no answers. And me...husky and bothered.

Fiesta!

On Friday evening, to counteract the frigid temps and light snowfall, I decided to prepare a tex-mex feast reminiscent of summer for James and I. The other weekend we had indulged in some margaritas which made us long for the warm months yet to come filled with grilling out, summer drinks and relaxation.

This time, I took a slight departure from our regular margarita concoction (equal parts frozen limeade, corona, silver tequila and sprite) and bought some grapefruit soda to replace the sprite and limeade. For apps, I modified a refritos recipe from Emeril to make a heavenly spicy, refried bean dip. I also prepared some fresh salsa (gotta have something healthy in there!). Then for the main course, I adapted a Cooking Light recipe for Tortilla Chip Casserole. And by adapted I mean adding more cheese, more chicken and more cream sauce. Cooking Heavy. Yes.

Sadly, I wasn't as excited with the results. I thought the recipe lacked zing. It came off too blandly. I think what could help it satisfy my palate next time would be to add a spicy and spunky red salsa to the top layer before the cheese. The recipe had called for green enchilada sauce, but the one I had lacked depth of flavor. At least the grapefruit margaritas made me forget I hated it in the first place. Win.