Golf anyone???

My husband is the type of person who is a natural at anything he attempts. Makes me proud, also annoys me to no end, mostly due to the fact that I have to consistently try over and over again to even begin to resemble a person who knows what they are doing.

He recently started playing golf again for several reasons: 1) it's the season and 2) his friends asked him to. It's that simple really. If he has the time, he'll do anything but house chores. Hey, if I had the time I'd be the same way.

On this latest golf outing the guys decided to play a round of golf, albeit a short round since it was a 9 hole course. I wished him well and off he went.

Once he had returned, after several hours, lots of sun and apparently a few beers wiser (or not), he gave me his prize golf ball from his round.

Then he proceeded to tell me that his game was "off". When I asked what he meant by "off" he responded that he "broke his ball".

Broke your ball??? What does that mean? Was this some type of expression for golf fanatics?

Nope...not even close to just an expression.


He whacked that sucker like an Italian hitman. And here was the proof.

So just in case you have ever wondered what's inside a golf ball... here you go.

Buon golfitito!

Grilled Red Wine Pork Loin

I've been experimenting with marinades a lot lately. Usually putting together a liquid and spices that I think will compliment not only each other but what meat or veggie I'm going to marinate.

Last night we were pegged to have pork loin. Couldn't think for the life of me what to do with it other than the usual garlic pork and to be honest, while it's really tasty, I get sick of eating pork loin the same way over and over again. So I got this brilliant idea from a friend who has been cooking with red wine recently and thought "hmm, red wine would be awesome". But you know me, I had to take it one step further and up the steaks (or medallions in this case).

Here's the cast of experiment choices I made.

Minced onion, sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper, perfect pinch garlic and herb seasoning, garlic powder (yes, we like garlic), montreal steak seasoning, and Shannon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Oh, and the olive oil that I forgot to put in the picture but trust me, you'll need it so that the marinade "sticks" to the meat. You could also put in a tablespoon of lemon juice which gives it a hint of citrus flavor and helps to break down the meat so it becomes tender and accepts the marinade.

I started out with two pork loins (only took a photo of one) that I trimmed all of the excess fat off.

Then I cut them into medallions making sure to try and keep them all the same size and width so they would cook properly.

After cutting them I placed them in a zip lock bag and poured about 1/2 cup of the wine, 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbsp. of olive oil along with the spices.

Seal the bag tight and then mix all the ingredients around so they blend well together and cover all the meat. Then put it in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.

***WARNING*** Do not freak out when you take the meat out and it's purple. That's just the wine coloring the meat. I purposely didn't take a photo of this step because you'd probably take one look and never come back here again or try this delicious recipe.

Once you take the pork out of the refrigerator place the medallions on your preheated grill on low and cook for about 10 minutes per side. Since grill temperatures vary you have to make sure that the pork is cooked all the way through. I don't want any sickies on my watch!

They are sooooo tasty. Trust me, if you like pork this will be a great addition to your summer grilling. I'm sure you could cut the meat in any way and since "the other white meat" is so versatile you could use different cuts as well.

Here are the specific instructions for making this recipe:

Ingredients

2 pork lions trimmed of fat (approx. 2 lbs each)
1/2 cup red wine (any type will do)
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp montreal steak seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp perfect pinch garlic and herb seasoning
2 tbsp minced onions
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1 gallon size zip lock bag

1. Trim all excess fat from pork loin.
2. Cut pork loin into medallions. Try to keep them uniform in size and width.
3. Place everything in the zip lock bag.
4. Shake bag to mix ingredients well.
5. Preheat grill to 350°.
6. Place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
7. Take pork in marinade out of refrigerator and drain all excess liquid.
8. Place pork medallions onto grill and cook 10 minutes per side or until well done.

Buon appetito!

Summer weather

It's 86 degrees at 8:02 pm. My kids and thier cousin are doing what kids do best. Playing outside...thank goodness it gives my house a break!

I can not WAIT for warmer weather to stay. Maybe my electric bill will go down too.

A party? For little old me? YAY!

A dear friend sent me a link to enter a contest giving away a catered party for 100 people by California Tortilla that was being put on for Cinco de Mayo. Since my birthday is the 4th of May I thought "wow that would be awesome".

Mind you I almost never win anything, except maybe poker and the race to get in the one bathroom in my house before anyone else in the morning. Hey, the early riser gets bathroom rights.

The contest was simple. Send an email to their marketing person telling them what wacky thing you would do to show what a big fan you are of their food. My entry was simple even though I didn't think it completely through until after I sent it in.

I would feed all the people in my office (packing a dinner filled leftover container first), then go out into the park across the street from where my office is (mind you this is 1 block from the white house and secret service are everywhere) dressed as a burrito and ringing a bell, head to toe covered in CalTort stickers and handing out the goodness that is CalTort.

Like I said, I didn't completely think it through.

Nevertheless, I got an email the next day that they liked my entry so much they are giving me a party for my office anyway as a "second place" type of prize.

I was shocked, totally, and immediately began salivating over free CalTort food. Best part is, I am not expected to dress like a burrito, although I will probably don a sombrero and poncho to say thanks.

So the party is set for May 6th. I'll post the photos and video once I get them from the great folks at CalTort.

Here is their menu, don't drool on your PC, it's harmful!

Buon appetito!

Burrito Bowls, they're what's for lunch.

I am posting a quicky lunch post because I wanted to share a fav of mine with you all.

Downtown DC has the most amazing things. One of those amazing things which have really built up a great reputation lately are the food trucks. I'm not talking roach coaches either. I'm talking serious, straight up, DCRA, health, safety and food board regulated, mobile restaurants. But more on the food trucks later.

Today I purchased my lunch from Sol Mexican Grill.

They have the freshest, tastiest burrito bowls ever. They offer chicken, carnita, steak or veggie with unlimited toppings for just $7.00 and they do not skimp on portion either. I have YET to finish one all the way to the last shred of cheese in the bowl.


This is what I got. The chicken burrito bowl with rice, black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese and green sauce which is the medium spice. They offer other toppings too which I'm sure are just as yummy but this one steals the show for me.

Sol also has tacos (3 per order) and burritos the old fashioned way, in a warm tortilla, all for $7.00 each. Guac is a little extra ($1.50) but comes free with a veggie taco, bowl or burrito and they sell sodas too! Pineapple soda, yum yum yum!

So, the next time you are in the DC area, take a look at the Food Truck Fiesta site for their Food Truck Tracker first and check out where Sol might be, or any of the other wonderful trucks.

I did a post on National Empanada Day featuring the DC Empanadas truck and you can find them through the Food Truck Tracker too. There are literally TONS of food trucks out there and I have had just about every single one of them and you won't get one complaint out of me. They all offer something different and tasty.

Maybe for Farragut Friday I'll post on Food Trucks.

Buon appetito!

National Cheese Fondue day.

First off, Happy Manic Monday to everyone out there. Second, let's get to the biz-nass that is cheese.

Today the food of the day is Cheese Fondue.

Not sure how this is actually a food, but I guess since you can consume it, it counts. Here's a site dedicated to the 411 on cheese. Side note: the 411 as in information and 4-11 because April 11th is National Cheese Day. Thought that was catchy.

Do you have any idea how much melted cheese alone the world consumes?

FUN FACT: The U.S. is the top producer of cheese in the world. Wisconsin and California (where Happy Cows come from according to Cali's latest commercial) lead the states in production. In a year, the average American consumed around 31 pounds of cheese, although cheese consumption in the US has tripled since 1970 and continues to increase. Now, that's a lot of hunkin cheese!

I'd like to focus more on getting people who have not had cheese fondue to try it. If you are not a professional chef, home cook, or even small child that can plug in a pot and fill it with cheese, (I kid, I kid), I'd suggest going to The Melting Pot. My gracious this place has awesome food, but buyer beware, melted cheese ain't cheap.

If you are however, the aforementioned foodie like myself, you can purchase a really good fondue kit for a little bit of money. Here's a great set for around $35 at Amazon.com: Rival Electric Fondue Set.

Now, I know that this isn't fondue per say, but the food portion of today is cheese. So, I'd like to share a little recipe my sister taught me (Love her to death!) for making your own homemade Cheeze-itz. No, I'm totally not kidding. They SUPER taste like cheese-itz. I adapted it a little to my taste. Just kidding guys and gals. Seriously the recipe is so easy to make and you might even have the list of ingredients at home right now because there are only TWO!

Homemade Cheeze-its

Ingredients
Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese Slices
Cayenne Pepper
Non-stick cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 375˚.
2. Cut slices of cheese to desired cracker size.
3. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
4. Place cheese on cookie sheet.
5. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper (don't over do this step, a little goes a long way).
5. Place in the oven at 375˚ for about 3 minutes, just until the cheese melts. (Since I know that oven temps vary, be sure to check frequently past the 3 minute mark).
6. Let cool and enjoy!

Since this is such a simple recipe (basically two ingredients) you could vary it any way you'd like. Try different cheeses, different spices like smoked paprika. I'm sure if you wanted to really turn up the creativity you could even make a batter and smother the crackers in the cheese and spices or add bacon, or sauces, or sea salt, and .... that's it, now I got a hanker for a hunka cheese. To the store I go!

Buon appetito!

Hooray for National Empanada Day!

Today is one of the best American Food Holidays ever made. EMPANADAS!!! It's one of my new fav foods and I am so glad that today they are getting the well deserved attention of a National Food Day.

The first time I ever had an empanada was when my mother-in-law made them for me. They were so tasty with their crispy outside and warm filling. I ate so many I thought I'd pop.

Since then my love affair with empanadas has varied from place to place. I tried Julia's Empanadas, which are good but don't compare to the yumminess that comes from the DC Empanadas Food Truck.

Below you can find their menu and photos and more information.

Beef

The Traditional – Ground sirloin, Spanish olives, hard boiled eggs, raisins, onions, and seasoning.
The Jersey Shore – Meatballs, Marinara Sauce, and Mozzarella Cheese
WMD (Weapon of Max Deliciousness) – Chili, Beans and Cheddar Cheese
June Cleaver – Ground Sirloin, Potatoes, Peas, Carrots
Executive Order – Bacon Cheeseburger with Grilled Vidalia Onions
The Royal – Beef Wellington (Filet Mignon, Pate, Mushrooms, Shallots, Red Wine Sauce)
South Street – Sliced Ribeye Steak, Wiz, Onions and Sweet Peppers

Pork

El Matador – Chorizo, Potatoes and Spices
Il Paesano – Prosciutto di Parma, Mozzarella di Bufala and Dates
Amazingly Aroi – Pork, Thai Basil, Onion, Thai Peppers, Garlic, and Spices
Lunch Box – Ham and Swiss
Divine Swine – Pulled BBQ Pork

Chicken

The Badass – Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese
Irie Mon – Jerk Chicken – Grilled chicken marinated in a spicy sauce that is traditionally served in Jamaica
La Venganza de Tio Shawn – Chipotle Chicken, Onions, Garlic, Black Beans, Monterrey Jack Cheese, Corn
The Taj Mahal – Chicken Tikka – Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and then served in a tomato cream sauce

Vegetarian

Ménage à Trois – Brie, Figs and Marcona Almonds
El Greco – Spinach, Feta Cheese and Onions
Tio Shawn – Black Beans, Rice, Monterrey Jack Cheese, Chipotle Peppers and Onions
Veggie Nirvana – Potato, Onions, Garlic, Peas, Tomato, Cilantro, and Indian Spices

Here are a few photos of their deliciousness:

This is the DC Empanada Truck.

Here we have the Il Paesano with Prosciutto di Parma, Mozzarella di Bufala. YUM!

This is the Executive Order: Bacon Cheeseburger with Grilled Vidalia Onions.

And last but not least a desert feast of Brie and Fig. O...M...Goodness! Fried heaven!

You can find LOTS of articles, reviews and other info about DC Empanadas on the net. Here are a few locations on the net to find them:

1. DC Empanadas Website


2. DC Empanadas on Twitter


3. DC Empanadas on Facebook

So, next time you come around to the DMV, make sure to check them out. Simply put, they are AWESOME, a foodies dream come true!