Cake and Kisses

Something Sweet & Melissa becomes my hero

Happy Thursdizzle! It’s almost the weekend people!

This is going to be a double wammy post - two for one deal.

So last week, Daily Candy plugged a new bakery in Cleveland park called “Something Sweet”  See plug below:

Clearly, that meant that I had to check out a new DC bakery and talk to you about it. I had high hopes when I walked up and saw the sweet pink letters “Something Sweet”

And I walked in and my hopes got higher when I saw chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate ganache:

and strawberry cupcakes….

and yes, more cupcakes- oh MY!

See those cupcakes with the little cartoon characters there on the left? That was really the most genius part of the whole store. Appealing to the kiddies never fails- when I walked in, a 5 year old blonde chick was telling her momma that she wanted the cupcake with the big green froggy on it- cha- CHING!

Now here comes the dissappointing part- ready?

Yep, the cupcakes were stale. My dear friend Emilie warned me that hers was stale the week before, but I insisted and tried them anyways. My hopes were crushed.

However, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. They managed to redeem themselves with these guys:

Peacan coffee cake, raspberry tarts, blueberry scones and chocolate chip cookies with a hint of salt just the way that god intended to have them. Don’t do the cupcake when you go- do the other. The other is way better.

Before I go- I wanted to quickly say congratulations to Melissa D’Arabian for winning the Next Food Network Star. In the beginning she reminded me of Reese Witherspoon from Election:

But I think she won me over in the second to last episode. She talked about her 10 years in the business world with her MBA and how her head was challenged, but her heart and soul was not fulfilled. Some wise words she passed on to us were: “Do not fear failure, fear success at the wrong thing”

Solid work Melissa.

Even though Jeffrey was my choice, but you managed to surprise me and I’m interested to see what your show will be like.

Like I said before- it’s almost Friday. Ta ta!

Trader Joe's Therapy

Happy Thursday everyone!

Before I get into it today, I wanted to send a quick thank you to my very talented - mentioned in the washington post-  is best friends with eddie ross - up and coming interior design superstar best friend Lauren for mentioning me in her blog post today - I love you Blue! ( http://purestylehome.blogspot.com/)

So yesterday, it was one of those insanely busy days without more than 2 minutes to breathe. And I needed some very important therapy: Trader Joes.

This is a problem, because I am trying my very best to train myself to become “cheap.” No more eating out all the time because I get home from work so late, no more 8 dollar breakfasts (coffee, redbull, fruit cup), and get ready for it- no more shopping!!! GAH! Thus, walking into this tiny little sweet and innocent looking grocery store is really pure evil. I was able to control myself from spending hundreds as I was tempted and let myself give into my 5 favorite things from Trader Joes…..

#1: Trader Joe’s Pies

Look at this little piece of heaven!!! How can you resist? Their crunch AND soft crust is irrisistable and my god- the berry choices that you get- blueberry, marionberry, strawberry, raspberry…the list goes on. TJ’s - you have inspired me to do a little pie baking this weekend.

#2: Trader Joe’s Wine Selection

I think the real beauty of their wine selection is that it is good AND cheap. The dirty little secret (that apparently is the new wave trend) is you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollar to taste a great bottle of wine.  I admit I am not a wine connoisseur, but I am starting to know what I like and what I don’t like.

Love:  DaVinci Chianti, Gabbiano Chianti, Angeline, Rose D’Anjou, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Red Zinfandel

Hate: Reisling, Chardonnay, Shiraz

I know, I know - it’s silly to generalize and I’m sure that there is some Shiraz somewhere in the world that I could grow to love, but for now- that’s my list.

Vineyard: Black Mountain
Location: Napa, California
Type: Malbec
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol Content: 12.5%

Back to Trader Joes- TRY THIS! Please. It’s my favorite wine there- I bought 4 bottles  (so much for saving!) Oh wait- each bottle was just $5!!!

#3: Trader Joe’s Dumplings

Frozen, light, flavorful, easy. Enough said.

#4: Trader Joe’s White Cheddar Corn Puffs

These guys are a combination of cheddar popcorn, rice cake lightness, and styrofoam. WHAT! Yes, it sounds gross, especially if I just used plastic to describe this taste, but I promise you won’t regret it. Popcorn, chips, rice cakes, pita- they all get old after awhile, but White Cheddar Corn Puffs will be a change you won’t regret.

#5: Trader Joe’s Beer section ( can you tell where my priorities are yet?)

I feel like a kid in a candy store when I come to this section. There are beers from all over the world. Whoever decided what kind of beer to bring to TJ’s would probably be my soul mate.  Sparkling sake? Really? What a great idea. Chimay? Always a good idea.

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday and if you are having one of those days, the weekend will be here soon enough, but Trader Joe’s is always there for you.

The Best of Washington 2009

Don’t call it a comeback- I’ve been here for …..months?

What’s up people! It has been an insane couple of weeks, but things have finally calmed down on my lunch break to drop a quick note. Last night I went had the opportunity to experience all that DC had to offer, and man DC brought out the best! My company gave us free tickets (normally $125) to the Best of Washington hosted by Washingtonian magazine. Every year, washingtonian readers vote on the best bakeries, restaurants, fast food in DC. Here’s a list of the restaurants that participated in the event and some pics from the event:

As you probably guessed, this is a food lover’s heaven. I knew the open bar was going to be fun, but my god, the samples that ranged from chilled gazpacho from Brazerie Beck to mini burgers from Matchbox or fresh crepes from Cafe Bonaparte -they were fantastic!! Hands down, my two favorites came from BLT Steak and Adour at the St Regis. The tuna tartare served on individual spoons were flavorful, light and had fantastic texture with the spattering of breadcrumbs on top. Adour’s head pastry chef had 11 hours to make hundreds of macaroons, but their melted mushy raspberry interior had me coming back for more:

My boss at my day job is a co-owner of Coco Sala (also one of the winners this year) and I made sure to tell him that these macaroons were much better than anything at Coco. He also made sure to point that out to Coco’s head chef that was standing to my left. Doh!

I also had the opportunity to meet the founding sisters of the infamous Georgetown Cupcake. Greek goddess, Katherine Kallinis, told me that she always baked and learned from her “yia yia” on the basics of baking. She was working at Gucci in NYC, but wanted to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning a bakery. She said she was the first to quit her job and start up the business. I told her that her only real competition was “Baked and Wired” and that Dupont’s cupcake shop doesn’t hold a candle to them. She also mentioned a new butter cream frosted cupcake that they tried out last month in response to people needing more buttercream, and less cream cheese! Overall, besides being quite the looker, she was very sweet and warm and genuinely appreciative of our feedback.

And last but not least- I met Teddy Folkman!! Hahahahah- yes, now I can cross this off my list of things to do before I die. He was not nearly as “douchey” in person as he was on TV and claims that they made him “the bad guy.” He said life was good after the show, he hated the pressure and actually wanted Michael to win. When I asked him about Jeffrey, he coyly smiled and said- “he’s a great guy too” He’s currently writing two cook books, one for Children and one for gourmet bar food and he’s still doing what he loves, so you have to respect the guy for that. And of course, after blushing and fumbling my words, I had to take a picture with the guy!

And that’s all I have kids. I highly recommend you take the opportunity to go to this next year, it was 150% worth it. Have a happy Thursday!

Burgers, beer cocktails and father's day

Good afternoon all,

I’m going to take a break from the food network today to talk about a big day this Sunday to celebrate the man in your life that contributed to half of your genetic code - your poppa! I was scouring the earth, hounding my friends, searching through random man websites for the age old question of - What makes a man happy? I came up with three things. Hopefully you can find a way to work this into your Family BBQ/dinner/brunch this Sunday.

#1: MEAT

Men love meat! It really is the first thing most people said when I asked them about “something that every man loves.” I’m not sure if it’s the savory flavor, the way it fills you up and leaves you completely satisfied, or the way it raises your blood pressure, but man oh man, men love meat. I’d say the top three meats that would make the cut on every man’s list- Steak (of course), bacon and burgers. I wanted to give you a solid blue cheese burger recipe from a solid superstar, none other than Ina Garten.

Of course you can substitute for any cheese,  using gourmet cheeses seems to be the trendy thing to do, but I personally will always love cheddar above all cheeses. This recipe will yield 8-10 burgers, and will be the most succulent burgers you’ve ever made!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup steak sauce (recommended: Crosse and Blackwell)
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 to 10 hamburger buns
• 8 ounces blue cheese, sliced (recommended: Danish Blue)
• Arugula and sliced tomatoes, for serving, optional

Directions

Carefully mix the meats, bread crumbs, steak sauce, eggs, salt, and pepper with the tines of a fork, but do not mash them. Lightly form hamburger patties and press lightly into shape.

Prepare a charcoal or a stove-top grill.

Cook the hamburgers for 4 minutes on 1 side, then turn and cook 3 minutes on the other side for medium-rare. Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the hamburgers to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the buns, cut side down, for 1 minute, until toasted. Place a hamburger and a slice of blue cheese in each bun, plus arugula and tomato, if desired, and serve hot.

#2 BEER

Man + Beer = happy. I figured I would take the manliest thing, and make it as feminine as possible and voila - beer cocktails! Why don’t more restaurants make these? I want beer cocktails to be the next wave in trendy drinks. Lychee martinis and bacon infused vodka- move out of the way- I want a beer cocktail. I found a couple of great recipes at www.epicurious.com that I wanted to share.

“The Happy Mich”

In small saucer, stir together salt and 1 teaspoon Pico Piquin. Rub lime wedge around rim of pilsner glass (12 or 16 ounces). Invert glass and dip part of rim into salt mixture, coating outside of glass only. Rotate to coat halfway around rim.

“The Shandy”

In a small saucepan bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and stir in zest. Cool sugar syrup to room temperature.

Transfer syrup to a small pitcher and stir in remaining 2 cups water, lemon juice, and mint. Chill lemonade until cold. (Makes about 4 1/2 cups lemonade.)

Pour 1/4 cup lemonade, or to taste, into each of 4 chilled beer glasses and top off with beer.

“The Cure”

• 2 cups ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) light lager, such as Miller High Life
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
• 5 (1-inch) pieces peeled fresh ginger cut into thin matchsticks

Fill 12-ounce cooler (or highball) glass with ice cubes. Add ginger liqueur, beer, and lemon juice and stir until combined. Garnish with ginger sticks.

So I love the idea of the beer cocktail, and I’m not so sure that I want to creat simple syrups just for a drink, so I came up with my own recipe inspired from a beer I  had at dogfish head brewery yesterday with my friend Aaron (congrats on the new car pal!) This belgian-style Golden Ale fermented with blackberries and blueberries and is dosed with real, pureed blackberries and blueberries which allow the fruit flavors and aromas to be woven into the actual taste of the beer.

“The Big Daddy”

And the final thing that all men love?

#3: TV

Yes, is there much more happiness in life than a 55 inch flat screen LCD TV? To this cartoon teenage boy in wierd blue shorts/underwear, there is not:

I will be coming home from NYC Sunday afternoon, but will look forward to spending some QT with Mr. Cuellar and the rest of the fam at dinner. Here are some pictures of Poppa Cuellar during Christmas time by himself and with my brosef.

Happy Father’s day and happy meat making!

The Next Food Network Star

Hello food lovers!

I apologize for the delay in blogging, it’s been a pretty hectic week. I don’t have much time today, but I wanted to talk to you about one of my favorite shows: The Next Food Network Star. I’ve got to say, I am not a huge fan of reality TV, all of the fighting and conflict makes me cringe a bit and why do I want to spend my time relaxing watching people fight? This just doesn’t make sense to me. (Note: Real world and Next Food Network stars are exceptions to this rule).

So we’re two weeks in and let’s get down to business, here’s a pic of the entire cast:

Yep- there’s our favorite ginger chef….none other than Mr. Bobby Flay. *sigh*

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the group. I’m dissappointed there wasn’t a latin chef in the mix as I think it’s lacking severly on the FN, but I suppose they are reserving that spot for when I apply ;0) I already have a hands down favorite and a hunch that Giada delaurentis has a small crush on him as well : Jeffrey Saad

Let me just say it now ladies : Wow! I did a little research on Mr. Saad and discovered a few things….

Jeffrey, 42 (Los Angeles, Calif.), a California Culinary Academy graduate, has more than 25 years experience as a restaurateur, food consultant, recipe developer, and chef. He enjoys cooking without borders: combining flavorful and often unexpected ingredients to achieve simple, tasty dishes in no time. The married father of two owns a real estate brokerage firm with his wife and has a second degree black belt in martial arts

Food specialty: Southwestern/Mexican, Italian, “Cooking Without Borders” (No wonder Mr. Flay loves him!)

Interests: Wine, martial Arts, travel (So you’re saying that we can tour Sonoma while doing kung fu??? Heaven!)

Favorite Food Network chef: Alton Brown (This is a little dissappointing- Sorry Nancy, Stef, Hale!)

Three people, alive or dead, whom you’d like to invite to a dinner party: Johnny Depp, Barack Obama, and my father (My favorite actor, my favorite president, his dad …we’re perfect for eachother!)

Ok, enough gushing about Mr. Saad. Let’s talk about my new favorite island girl, Jamika Pessoa:

Absolutely adorable! She is 100% herself, comfortable in front of the camera and I really just want to pinch her cheeks. She’s so sweet AND she has great flavor in her recipes - I think she will be a sneak attack finalist! Not everyone can be great, so let’s talk about who needs to be booted: Eddie Gilbert

Terrible, Terrible, Terrible! Gah! It was so painful/awkward to watch him give his presentation on his interpretation of Valentines day. He sounded SO corporate, overly serious, his food is not all that impressive, and he was just an all around lame-O. Please vote him off Bobby! I’m begging! Oh, and take Katie Cavuto with you:

Bland food, bland personality, bland chopping skills….They already have Ellie Kreiger for healthy food, and Ellie does a great job- why hire another one?

Ahh! Lunch break is over. I will continue tomorrow….happy eating till then!

Ode to Bobby Flay

Good afternoon!

I wanted to take a break from food on this Wednesday and focus on the people who make the food- the chefs, the cooks, whatever you want to call them. More specifically, a man I hold dear to my heart…none other than- Mr. Bobby Fway. I mean, Bobby Flay. Only once in a decade, or a food network hour, will you catch of a man that can cook, re-invent the southwest food genre, and really bring down the house in a throwdown. And he’s just adorable too, isn’t he ladies?

Bobby is Food Network’s golden child, they are constantly giving him shows: Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Grill It with Bobby Flay, The Next Food Network Star, Iron Chef, any seasonal special with food network stars will probably have a clip of him. Aside from becoming the next great Emeril Legasse, he owns a few restaurants including Mesa Grill in NYC:

I’ve heard mixed reviews on this place, apparently brunch is great. I tried to get an impromptu reservation for brunch on a Sunday and they wouldn’t seat us because we were more than a table of 4. SO lame. This is the second time that I’ve tried to meet Bobby Flay and failed. The first was at the SOBE wine and food festival in southbeach, literally on the beach. Unfortunately, tickets to JUST walk around were over $200, and I couldn’t ask my non-food network lover friends pay that. Like the creep that I am, I stood behind the iron fence and caught glimpses of Emeril on stage and stood about 10 feet away from Ingrid Hoffman. The guy next to me proceeded to tell me that he met Ingrid a few weeks ago at a bar in southbeach, and because he had good vibes she invited him and his friends back to her pad to smoke some chronic. I smiled, nodded and kept jumping up and down and waving at Ingrid hoping to have the courage to scream “Viva Colombia!” Some day, my time will come when our paths will cross. It is in the stars just like in Slumdog Millionaire.

So your next logical question might be: If Bobby did not opt to find and marry Alissa, who would he marry? This is your answer- Stephanie March:

I know what you’re thinking  - Who is her stylist? And what was he thinking! She’s not that pretty….ok ok, that’s a joke kids! Well, the second question was anyways.

I did have one other missed opportunity to meet Bobby. He came to DC to throwdown with a great restaurant on H Street named “Granville Moore’s.” Moules and Frites were on the menu, and this pumpkin pie head came to DC to bring it like Hayden Pannettiere. My friends, Clayton and Matt, have been trying to plan a dinner there …actually since last summer, but it just hasn’t worked out. The plan is for Monday- let’s see if we can get it together guys. Here are some pics from Bobby workin hard in DC:

Now while giving you my opinion of Bobby is fine and good, I wanted to throw some fact and real information about Mr. Flay in this post. This is what wiki told me, some of this will be repeated info:

1. He has been married and divorced twice and is currently married to an actress  on Law and Order: SVU

2. For a long time, Flay was known to hate lentils. As The New York Times reports, “An early draft of Bar Americain’s menu had a beet and goat cheese salad with lentils, but Mr. Flay rejected it before the restaurant opened. “When I go on vacation, they run specials on lentils, ” he said. In 2007, Flay stated that he had “made peace” with lentils.  (phew)

3. He dropped out of high school at age 17 after he was expelled. (what a rebel)

4. Flay received a degree in culinary arts at the French Culinary Institute and was a member of the schools first graduating class in 1984. 

5. In addition to his restaurants and cooking shows, Flay has been a master instructor and visiting chef at the French Culinary Institute.

6. In 2000, when the original Iron Chef America show traveled to New York for a special battle, he challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to battle rock crab. After the hour battle ended, Flay stood on top of his cutting board and raised his arms in premature victory. Not realizing that cutting boards and knives are sacred in Japan, he offended Morimoto who criticized his professionalism, saying Flay was “not a chef”. Flay went on to lose the battle.

7. Flay challenged Morimoto to a rematch in Morimoto’s native Japan. In this battle, at the end of the hour, Flay threw his cutting board on the floor and stood on the counter yet again to raise the roof with the audience.  this time, Flay won.

I wanted to end this blog with a hand drawn pic of Bobby, by none other than yours truly:

Ok, I did not really draw this, but isn’t it good? Until next time- “Ask yourself this - Are you ready for a throw down ?”

I am.

The Left Coast

Well hello friends!!

I am back in full force, relaxed from my totally tubular Cali trip to San Fran, San Diego and LA and ready to BLOG! Every time I hit the Left Coast, I’m always convinced that it’s where I need to be. Between the beautiful weather, the laid back scene and the easy access to the beach San Diego became my favorite place in the West. San Fran was also very very cool, but  unfortunately the weather was ultra foggy until we hit Sonoma. Let’s start there, Sonoma was amazing.

We decided to get out of the fog and cross the golden gate bridge for an adventure in wine tasting. Check out the golden gate bridge in the fog and you’ll get an appreciation for what I’m talking about:

The most bizzare thing happened as we crossed the bridge. It went from 60 degrees, cold, windy and foggy to 75 degrees, sunny and absolutely beautiful. Apparently, I’m told this happens often in San Fran because of this creepy fog.

So we drive through rolling hills with grapes galore, it was straight out of a movie I’ll call Sideways. The town center in the county of Sonoma is small, quaint and charming. There was a wine tasting spot on pretty much every corner I looked. Some tastings were $5, some free, and of course you can always buy your favorite wine and have it shipped to your house. After catching a nice buzz, Gretta (my friend Kelly’s mom) found a little sushi spot around the corner with a live jazz band out front. There were people dancing, drinking, eating sushi- this was my kind of place.

With a glass of wine in our hands, of course, we started with their signature “tuna nachos.” Our waiter boasted about getting the freshest tuna off of the coast of Scottland, mashing it up and putting it on top of this fried wonton along with a wasabi/guacamole mix, fish roe and black sesame seeds. We loved it.

Entrees included classic sushi and kobe beef :

And dessert was a chocolate souffle with fried orange rinds sprinkled with powdery sugar and of course coffee flavored creme brulee:

I hope this made you hungry, because I just got hungry looking at it again.

After watching my bud Kelly graduate from San Fran State and give a killer graduation speech, I made my way down to San Diego to visit another friend in B school - Brett. He was my initial inspiration to start this blog because of his own and made sure to show me only the best food San Diego had to offer. Fish Taco was first on the menu at the Padres game:

While this looks like I vomitted on my cardboard plate, it was actually quite good. A deep fried and lightly breaded cod sitting in a bed of cabbage, sour cream and a secret salsa on a warm tortilla. Best stadium food I’ve had to date. Who would want a dog or burger when you can have a fish taco like this? (Note: Fenway park fans do not be offended- I hear there is some killer sausage at your stadium)

Aside from fish tacos, we made a Latino dream come true and had a true BBQ Lation style. I put my money where my mouth is people! We purchased carne asada already marinated from a grocery store called “Pancho Villa” along with corn and sopas. I was a bit dissappointed in the sopas and had to resort to using them as the mexican grocery store did not have arepas. The Guac was fresh, the Pacifico beers were popping and the grill was hot.

All in all, I heart the left coast brah! (Brett taught me that)

Happy Monday ;)

The SIX Essentials to a Latino Style BBQ

Happy Tuesday people!

Memorial day weekend is just around the corner and I recently had a craving for a good ol’ Latino style BBQ. Instead of burgers and dogs, why not branch out a bit and impress your guests with how cultured and cool you are- do it up Latino style. haha…ok I’m done with convincing you - just TRY it.

There are SIX, that’s right SIX essential pieces to a classic Latino BBQ. Let’s get started with the most important one:

#1: Carne Asada

Carne Asada: Do I really need to say any more than this? Look at it! This steak is asking for you to take a big bite out of it. Preparation is simple and you can definitely put them in a marinade beforehand for 12-24 hours, but why bother? Trader Joes now does this for you- even my parents are converted. They sell a 3 pack of flank steaks in a marinade, so now all you have to do is throw them on the grill and hear them sizzle. This is THE crowd pleaser.

#2: Arepas

Arepas: And here are your carbs. These corn pankcakes will always remind me of my Tia Myriam, she makes the best ones! Check out the recipe from “whats4eats.com” below if you want to give these puppies a go, they are amazing when made from scratch and toasted with melted butter. Colombians eat with a little cheese melted on top as well. Of course, you can also purchase at any Latino specialty store and probably the Teet or TJ’s.

To make 5-19 arepas:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal and salt. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of the boiling water and mix with a wooden spoon to form a mass. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.
2. Using wetted hands, form balls of dough out of about 1/4 cup of dough and press to form a cake about 3 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. If the dough cracks at the edges, mix in a little more water and then form the cakes.
3. Heat the oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the patties, a few at a time, to form a light brown crust on one side, 5-6 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side.
4. When all the patties have been browned, transfer them to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they sound lightly hollow when tapped. Serve immediately.

#3: Chorizo:

Chorizo: Don’t get confused- this is not a hot dog! They are meatier, thicker, jucier and much tastier. Preparation is as simple as putting on the grill, there is no need for any form of spice here, they are very flavorful as is. You can wrap them inside an arepa with some guacamole like a Latino style gyro and I promise, you won’t regret it. Speaking of guacamole…

#4: Guacamole:

Guacamole: You HAVE to prepare from scratch. I’ve never had a store bought guac that is even CLOSE to home made guacamole. Guac browns so quickly because of the avacados, so make close to eating time. You can do all of the prep work the day before, and believe me there is a bit of prep work - let’s talk chopping. Check out this Alton Brown recipe (Hale, Steph, Nancy -this one is for you guys), but all I ask is that you do not leave out two very important ingredients to any Latino meal: Cilantro and Cumin. 

Makes 1 batch of Guac:

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

#5: Corn

#5: Corn or Maize is also a crowd favorite. You can buy corn on the cob on the street in Colombia with cheese and butter on it, but I prefer a sprinkle of kosher salt and some melted butter. Prep is pretty simple and it just depends on how you like it:

Peel back the husk from the corn  & remove the silk, butter & salt & pepper the corn.  Fold back the husk & tie with kitchen string.  Place corn in a large pot of ice water.  Allow to soak in ice water at least 30 minutes, a couple hours if possible.  Cook as follows:

MICROWAVE:  4 ears for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice.

BOIL:  Bring the water to a boil, add corn cover & cook for 3-5 minutes.  For sweet corn add 1 Tbsp sugar to the water.

GRILL:  Over medium-hot coals until husk are somewhat blackened turning often, about 15 minutes.

STEAM:  Covered for 8-10 minutes.

BAKED:  At 375 F for 30 minutes.

#6: Inca Kola hombre!

#6: The champagne of sodas, this yellow bubbly liquid really knows how to rot away your teeth but man, is it worth it! Oftentimes my parents would mix this with some beer to add a little kick. If you want to keep it authentic- impress your guests with some very delectable Latino beers:

And there you have it folks! You are on your way, just go buy the ingredients, play a little Carlos Vives and Juanes, break out a hammock for siestas and I think you can call yourself uno de mis hermanos!

My very first post

Greetings all!

Welcome to the world of Cake and Kisses. I’ve wanted to jump onto the blogging bandwagon for awhile now, and I can thank my dear friend, Brett, for giving me the inspiration with his new blog about bowel movements. (I’m not kidding: beapartofit.tumblr.com)

Cake and Kisses will be dedicated to writing everything good about food. Recipes that work and could be improved….favorite restaurants/bakeries….good books about food and the list goes on. By way of introduction, I am a 26 year old female living just outside of DC. I work in software by day, and a baker by night. I’ve always enjoyed food, but my true passion for it was discovered when I had some time one summer to do absolutely nothing. Sometimes, when you don’t have anywhere to go, you figure out exactly what you want to do. It started with a little of Rachel Ray’s  help. While she kills me with her pumped up enthusiasm on her food network show, her recipes are easy and great for beginners. I soon graduated to the great Ina garten and learned that the best food is the most simple that often reminds you of your grandmother’s cooking.

I wanted to start my first post as a bit of a review on cupcake madness that has taken over the US. I think the cupcake is sacred, and it really hits me at the core when this sanctity is not taken seriously. The cake has to be moist and fluffy, the frosting, in my opinion, has to be creamy, sweet and not too buttery. Flavors have to be desirable (sorry, but peanut butter and jelly just doesn’t cut it Hello Cupcake), the shop has to be warm, smell like flour and sugar, and the turnover in cupcakes has to be so much that I worry I won’t get one because they are flying off the shelves. Finally -presentation is everything and I have to feel like each one is a present. I absolutely love trying new bakeries and have been to several in DC. Let’s focus on four that stand out right now and have gotten a lot of press: Georgetown Cupcake, Hello Cupcake, Baked and Wired and Cake Love.

Georgetown Cupcake:

#1: Georgetown Cupcake: Fantastic location. There’s a line out the door, always, and for good reason. The small shop houses a fantastic and very simple display of just great looking cupcakes. The cupcake is moist and most of the frosting is cream cheese based. Even the candies that decorate the cupcake are delectable, which is a testament to their attention to detail.

Baked and Wired:

#2: Baked and Wired: Terrible location. Best cupcake I’ve had in DC to date. I would put them up there with Magnolia Bakery in New York. The cupcakes are big, moist and one even had cut up strawberries in the cake AND the frosting. They  had an interesting and very desirable selection like homemade granola and Nutella brownies. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vibe inside, it was a little too trendy and chic for what I want in a bakery, but the display was pretty adorable and a throwback to 1950s casing.

Hello Cupcake:

#3: Hello Cupcake: TERRIBLE. Everything. I’m sorry, I wanted to like it, but I just can’t. It feels like a dirty cafeteria/ 14 year old girl’s bedroom. It’s just WAY too trendy for my taste. Let’s talk cupcakes- selection was not impressive and like I mentioned before- PB & J and peppermint just doesn’t make me want to stuff my face with a cupcake. Taste? A little dry, but the frosting was ok.

Cake Love:

#4: Cake Love: I have mixed feelings here. Let me start by saying- I absolutely adore Warren Brown. I’ve met him, baked with him, and was genuinely star struck. I love his ideas, his passion, and really inspired me to make my baking website. (check him out at www.cakelove.com) I cannot however say that I adore his cupcakes. The cake itself is fantastic, he has mastered the art of baking….the frosting is just not my style. It’s incredibly buttery and not nearly sweet enough. That’s all, I can’t put it down anymore because I really do love Warren so much.

All in all, I am still in search of that perfect cupcake and a bakery that scares me enough into making me re-think opening my own. So far, I can take em all ;)

I have to hit McFaddy’s for my old roomate, Ali’s Bday. Ta ta for now and TGIF!