#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Recipes

Awesome Sauce

awesome Sauce

[This is post #005 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

A couple years ago we had a Korean taco potluck at my office–Yes, I work in one of those offices where the ratio of food-to-work talk is generally 90/10. It’s fantastic.

Everyone signed up for different parts of the potluck with the usual fillings and accoutrements like bulgogi, spicy pork, tortillas, etc. I wanted to bring a sauce to top them with, but wasn’t sure what would actually be in the sauce. So, I just wrote down AWESOME SAUCE.

Not realizing that I had zero plans, co-workers began stopping by my office to inquire about this self-proclaimed sauce of awesomeness. I lied and told them I couldn’t divulge any info (’cause I didn’t have any) and that all I could tell them is that the sauce would indeed be awesome.

CUT TO:

On the day before the pot luck the mythology of the Awesome Sauce had grown so much that I started to worry that I was about to let down the entire office. I even had people calling me from The Washington Post on a daily basis. Technically it was about my cancelled subscription, but I didn’t answer all the calls, so it is entirely possible that one of the calls was a reporter calling to investigate the sauce.

By now I at least vaguely knew what I wanted the sauce to be like, but I still wasn’t sure what was going to be in it. I wanted it to be creamy, a little bit spicy, and have some sort of an Asian flair to tie into the Korean taco theme.

I considered blending a bunch of stuff up in a blender like cilantro, jalapeños, sour cream, and avocado, but then, luckily, the lazy part of my brain woke up from its daily nap and said, “Hey, why don’t you just mix central american crema and Sriracha?”

sriracha crema

Trumpets played in the background, while white doves flew past my window as the clouds parted and I was finally able to see my Awesome Sauce glowing from the heavens.

Fortunately, our extended family is not only represented by multiple Asian countries, but also a few central American places as well. So, my lazy brain soaked up some international condiments and was waiting for this very situation.

So, did it live up to its name?

It tasted like liquid awesome. Somehow it miraculously lived up to the hype. Almost every co-worker stopped me to for the recipe. Several confirmed the name was 100% accurate.

awesome sauce

The most awesome part about the sauce? It only has two ingredients and there’s no measuring involved. Central American Cream/Crema is essentially a combination of sour cream, cream cheese, and heavy cream, so it’s a rich, smooth base for your sauce. And unless you’re reading a food blog for the first time EVER, you already know what Sriracha is. Combine the two and you shall unleash ultimate condiment powers.

awesome sauce

AWESOME SAUCE RECIPE

  • 14 oz bottle of Central American Cream – You might have to go to an international supermarket to find this.
  • Sriracha

1.  Mix about half the container of cream with a few squirts of Sriracha. Taste it and adjust the Sriracha to your personal spice preference. Boom. Done. Put it on tacos, eat it with tortilla chips, or squirt into your mouf.

WARNING:  Sometimes Sriracha bottles can become a little bit pressurized, so when you open them they will explode small drops of red onto the nearest white chair.

Since everyone is awesome, let’s be email buddies:


 

awesome sauce

All of your other condiments will want to be BFFs with the sexy new guy.

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#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Travel, Videos

#DCTravelBlogger Brunch – Jaleo Crystal City

Jaleo Crystal City  

[This is post #004 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to attend a blogger meet-up, I’ve got the dirty secrets right here in this very post. Yup. It’s like General Hospital up in this crazy blogger world. Betrayal, murder, paternity tests…

Okay, aside from maybe stealing someone’s sangria, there wasn’t any soap opera drama.  And kinda hard for there to be any secrets when everything is tweeted or Instagramed the second it happens. Such is life for a blogger.

Anyway, Jessica at The Dining Traveler was kind enough to set up a brunch at Jaleo Crystal City for DC/VA/MD-based bloggers. Most of the attendees have travel blogs, but a few of us food bloggers snuck in and there were even a few fashion-focused folks as well. It was a great mix and I’m happy to have made some new friends in the local blogging community. I’ll get to Jaleo’s phenomenal food in a second, but it goes without saying that the people are what made the event successful. For fear of leaving someone out, I’m not going to attempt to list everyone, so check out the hashtag #DCTravelBlogger on Twitter or Instagram to find the folks who partook in the fun. 

It was great to share stories of gumbo, DC traffic, blog traffic, DC weather, cocktails, food, Tastemade, home ownership, New Orleans, food photography, day jobs that pay the bills, upcoming vacations, California, wine, dog hair, old phones, and #DCFoodPorn. 

Speaking of food porn…

So what’d we eat? I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Speak is probably too weak a word, as the food at Jaleo sang to us at every course. And the service was SPOT-ON. Our sangria glasses were never empty and the staff welcomed the insanity of our selfies, food pics, and blog videos. 

Jaleo Crystal City #DCTravelBlogger

‘Ferran Adrià’ liquid olives – Like a delicious science experiment in your mouf.

We were even lucky enough to get a demonstration on how the liquid olives were made by Head Chef, Domenick Torlucci:

Jaleo Crystal City #DCTravelBlogger

Smoked salmon on cristal bread with hardboiled egg, goat cheese and capers.

Jaleo Crystal City #DCTravelBlogger

Yes, we even ate our veggies…because Chef Torlucci and his team made them taste amazing.

Jaleo Paella Crystal City

Vegetable Paella – Fun Fact: This paella pan was bigger than my Mazda.

Jaleo Crystal City #DCTravelBlogger

Sweet-soaked Spanish toast with caramelized bananas and rum whipped cream.

There might have been a selfie stick involved…

And of course we made good use of said selfie stick…

Being a blogger and living on Twitter and Instagram, it’s easy to forget that there are REAL people behind all the pictures and tweets. It was nice reminder that the pictures and stories we share online are nothing without anyone to share it with. So, Salud! to new friends and future meet-ups.

PS:  Don’t take my word for it. Check out the links below to some of the other bloggers’ experiences at the event. There are a TON of great pics, so prepare your eyes for mucho #foodporn:

Jaleo on Urbanspoon

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#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Recipes

Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs

Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs

[This is post #003 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

Pickled eggs are an odd thing. Eggs. Just swimming in an unmarked glass jar. Pickling away.

And what’s odder is that I have fond memories of eating them when I was a kid. I remember going to a this small general store, and picking out pink eggs from a jar on the counter. And yes, there was also a jar of thick dill pickles on one side and a horror-film level creepy jar of pigs feet on the other.

The reason that’s odd (at least to me), is that I grew up in a decent sized suburban area. Not a small town. We didn’t have fishing holes and there was no Aunt Bee to make you lemonade. It wasn’t Mayberry by any stretch (although this general store was directly across the street from a police station…). For some reason though, this little general store existed in our community. I don’t remember getting pickled eggs from anywhere else, so had it not been for this one little seemingly misplaced store located in suburbia, I’d have zero memories of pickled eggs.

Reminiscing about pickled eggs from a general store? Oh, so this is what it feels like to be old.

Anyway, I had mostly forgotten about all those briney eggs I had eaten as a kid. At some point or another that store shut down, so I was pretty much accepting of the fact that I’d probably never get to taste them again. For most of my adult life, I hadn’t really thought much about those eggs.

But then something happened…

Last year, Tina started seeing beet-pickled deviled eggs pop up on blogs and social media.  Always wanting to make our food look prettier (and being a beet-junkie), she was adamant about trying them.  I’m more of a “deviled egg purist” and not a huge fan of beets, so I wasn’t very excited. And at this point I wasn’t thinking about my previous love affair with pickled eggs as a child.

Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs

After tasting the the first beet-pickled deviled egg, I was instantly reminded of the giant jar of floating eggs at the general store. I could see myself sitting in the backseat of my parent’s Datsun, cramming my mouf with the tangy pink eggs. They were delicious then, and these pink deviled eggs are delicious now.

Since then, the beet-pickled deviled eggs have made their way into our regular rotation of egg-making. We’ve finally set on a recipe that seems to work well every time and is a nice change of pace from classic deviled eggs. They’re tangy, creamy, eggy, and a little bit spicy. And as a bonus, you don’t have to reach into a giant jar to eat them. Score one for sanitation!

RECIPE: BEET-PICKLED DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients:

  • 2 15 oz Can Sliced Beets
  • 1 Cup Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Dozen Hard Boiled Extra Large Eggs
  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise – It has to be Hellmann’s brand, no deviation allowed (trust me, we’ve tried and it makes a huge difference)
  • 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
  • 1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Chives for garnish

Directions:

1.  Make Hard-Boiled Eggs. By now you should know how to do that, but no worries if you don’t. Check out our classic deviled egg post for tips!

2. Mix the vinegar, beets, and sugar in a resealable mixing bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Place eggs in pickled beet mixture ensuring they are completely covered. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. For best results, stir halfway through.

4. Remove eggs from pickled beet mixture and allow to dry slightly. Slice the eggs in half, lengthwise and place the yolks in a separate bowl.

5.  Mash the yolks up with a  spoon until you have a fine powder, or until your arm goes numb. We like a smooth, well-blended filling without any “pockets” of dry yolk. Stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, and Sriracha until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6.  Use a pastry bag/piping tip and fill each egg up to perfection.

7.  Garnish with chives.

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#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Reviews, Travel, Videos

When in Sacramento…Drink Wine!

Skinner Vineyards

[This is post #002 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

Before I go on any trip, I typically have at least 701 restaurants mapped out to visit. However, since this was a work trip, I wasn’t quite sure how much free time I’d have. I could have done some research anyway, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up for nothing. So, I landed in Sacramento with my boss, zero plans and no expectations.

It ended up working out well, since my boss is a wine aficionado in the truest sense of the word. He had some nearby wineries mapped out on his to-taste list, so I tagged along. In hindsight, I probably should have taken a wine tasting class, since I’m about as opposite as can be from a wine aficionado. I’m sure we were quite the odd couple:  He sniffed, inquired about production levels and varietals, while my input was limited to…”{grunting sound} Me likey.”

We visited about a half dozen wineries during our limited free time and luckily ended up finding some decent restaurants, too. Below are a few of my favorites, but first a quick disclaimer:  Most of the spots below are near Sacramento, but only one is actually in the city, so be prepared to travel a bit.

1. Klinker Brick Winery (Lodi, CA)

Klinker Brick Winery

I really loved the casual atmosphere of this winery. It’d be a great place to hang out on their patio, sip some wine, play some corn-hole, and just enjoy that fresh California breeze. And the name, Klinker Brick, is just fun to say. How can you not have a good time at a place called Klinker Brick?! Oh, the wine. Right. The wine highlights for me included their Albariño, Petite Syrah, and Farrah Syrah. Truth be told, I don’t think I had ever heard of Albariño before. Either way, me likey.

2. Jessie’s Grove Winery (Lodi, CA)

Jessie’s Grove Winery Ice House

The dessert wines at Jessie’s Grove were brilliant. Give me a dark chocolate bar, a bottle of their Sweet Perfection and I’d be set for the evening. (BTW – It’s hard to concentrate right now because I’m blasting “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield. And YES, I am singing along and replacing “girl” with “grove.”) Aside from wine and chocolate, I was struck by the history of the vinyard, which stretched back to the late 1800s. Some of the original vines that were planted in 1888 are still used for production in their wines today. You’re not just drinking wine here, you’re traveling back in time and tasting history. But since there were no blogs back then, I recommend traveling back to present time as fast as possible.

3.  The Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery (Lodi, CA)    The Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery on Urbanspoon

The Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery

The name is a little misleading, as I saw no foxes dancing, but that was quickly reconciled by the fact that The Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery bakes its own bread. Honestly, if you bake your own bread, it almost doesn’t matter what you put between it.  Tried a Tri-tip Green Chili Melt and surprisingly, the highlight wasn’t the green chili, tri-tip, or the melty-cheese. It was cheddar-jalapeno bread so fresh I could taste the field the wheat was harvested from. (Now that’s how you hyperbole the heck out of  sandwich!) Also, they give you a cookie with every order! It’s the little things that can make me happy and in this case it was a snicker doodle. I recommend stopping at this place for lunch in preparation for a day of wine tasting in Lodi. Create that solid bread foundation in your stomach for which the wine can fall upon.

4. Ella Dining Room & Bar  (Downtown Sacramento)     Ella Dining Room and Bar on Urbanspoon

Ella Dining Room & Bar

Ella Dining Room & Bar is the kind of place that I would’ve planned to go to, had I been aware of its existence. First of all, the restaurant is adorned with shutters on the walls, imported from somewhere like Hungary. Why? Who knows, but it looked cool as heck. I tried their signature cocktail, The Real Gin and Tonic, and was not disappointed. I was so not disappointed that I had two more. And then there was the fried chicken, which was guaranteed to be moist because it was sous vide before being fried. I also have to admit that although it was a nice restaurant and I was with work folks (including my boss and our company President), that did not stop me from ordering said fried chicken and eating it with my bare hands. #NoShame. Oh, and the housemade hot sauce was the bomb.com/yummy.php.

5. Skinner Vineyards (Somerset, CA)

Let’s not beat around the grape vines:  Enjoyed a stellar 2012 Grenache, Estate wine, but the highlight of this place was the VIEW. We could have been drinking rainwater out of red solo cups and I would’ve still had a great time. You can’t tell from the video, but snow-capped mountain tops were even visible! Made the mistake of going to Skinner Vineyards as our last stop before the airport. Almost didn’t get on the plane… If you’re heading to Lake Tahoe from Sacramento, take a couple hours out of your trip and stop here to sip the wine and take in the scenery.

—

As much as I love the other cities of California (you know, the ones that start with ‘San’ or ‘Los’), I wouldn’t mind going back to Sacramento. I actually do have unfinished business. There’s a restaurant called Bacon and Butter that I didn’t get a chance to try. Yes, BACON and BUTTER. Need I say more?

Like what you see? Then let’s be email buddies:


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