Thank you!
Hello friends. It has finally cooled down for the day and I am going to enjoy this day as much as possible since I think it is going to heat up again tomorrow. I have the air conditioner turned off for the day and the windows thrown open to let the cool air in. I usually open the door to my apartment as well to let in a bit of a cross breeze but there was a fire in my building this morning. I was just going to sit down to have my smoothie when the fire alarm went off so I had to walk down eleven flights of stairs to get out. The fire was on the 10th floor and the smoke was so thick that I couldn’t even see down the hallway. (There are glass doors at either end of the hallways in my building so I can see onto each floor as I go down.) Fun fact: the fire fighters seem to turn the water off in the building while they are there. I know this because I needed to use the toilet when I got back to my apartment and when I flush after it sounds like a bomb is going off. The joys of a low flush toilet… After this morning’s excitement, I am hoping to have at least part of a weekend that is quiet. Onto my menus for this week:
Today: My take-out lunch today is a meatball sandwich from a nearby deli. I will have a salad for dinner using the spring mix and beets from my CSA.
Saturday: I think it is going to warm up today. I was hoping it was going to stay cool today since there is a Thai food festival on which is outdoors. I will have to remember my suncreen and sunhat. The building that the food carts are in front of will be open since they have demonstrations all day - I recall seeing some Thai dancing when I went there last year. So if I need a reprieve from the heat I have somewhere to take shelter. Last year i bought a fizzy lychee drink which I am hoping to find again this year. It was very refreshing and made a nice drink to have before I headed home. Dinner will be another spring mix beet salad.
Sunday: I have no plans. I might go on a museum visit if I am feeling ambitious or maybe I will just stay at home and do laundry and maybe read a book. I will have a rice noodle salad with shrimp and asparagus from the Cooking Light website. I really miss that website and magazine… The closest match to the recipe is here.
Monday: Off to sketching class. I will have dal and rice when I get home.
Tuesday: Risotto with leeks and sundried tomatoes.
Wednesday: Hamburger casserole.
Thursday: Pasta tbd. I will probably stir fry whatever veggies need finishing up and call it a day. Thursdays are CSA pickup day so I will probably want to make room in my fridge for another batch of veggies.
Have a nice week everyone!
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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga once we get back tomorrow. It’s been a lovely few weeks of meals cooked with family or eaten out. Shout out to the SK cherry and burrata dish that found its way onto our tables in various forms (nectarine and macadamia nuts!) to make the most of CA stone fruit.
Plans for when we’re home, assuming I have the energy to shop for food when we get home tomorrow afternoon…
Sunday: Swordfish and nectarine skewers from the Joy of Cooking, rice pilaf, maybe cookies
Monday: TBD
Tuesday: Grilled cashew chicken, sides TBD
Wednesday: Scrounge
Thursday: Pork and green bean stir-fry, rice
Friday: Scrounge to clean up the fridge before another short trip!
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Let’s see… cooking for 2 adults in PA. Tomato season has just begun and I plan on taking advantage of it more than I did last year. Seeing a lot of zukes and corn pop up at the local FMs as well as peaches, but I’ve never had any luck with peaches here. My dude’s been promising to make frozen banana dessert with coconut whipped cream, but I don’t know when that is happening. As soon as it does, it will be dessert for most of our meals 
Tonight/Fri: tomato salad with local heirlooms, shallots, parsley simply dressed with Greek olive oil & just a splash of RWV, grilled BLSL halal chicken thighs in a NYT marinade, grilled zuke planks with feta, sumac, fresh parsley
Saturday: we might be going out, as one of my gal pals has a trio gig downtown, so dinner’s a big ? ATM
Sunday: sticking to our “Thai food Sunday” tradition, either turkey laab or pad kra pao with the Thai purple basil I got at the FM (no holy basil to be found & yes I know it’s not the same), jasmine rice, stir-fried bok choy
Monday: picking up our brand-new Vespa 
, might host a low-key potluck / backyard Q with dogs & burgers for our friends
Tuesday: burrata Caprese, some sort of zucchini pasta
Wednesday: grilled fish (Norwegian salmon or swordfish or Arctic char) and xoriatiki
Thursday: I have a gig, so TBD
Friday: there’s a townie takeover at a local bar we never visit, but their bbq is supposed to be good.
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Oh, hey! Always good to see someone else heading to Comic-Con on here! Looks like the weather will be very San Diego that weekend. We usually end up at Puesto and Blind Burro for a few meals. Maybe we’ll try something different this year. Wishing you smooth travels and a great time at the con!
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I didn’t know Puesto had so many outlets till just now!
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Very interesting recipe — I wonder how much of the cashew paste adheres after grilling. Have you made it before?
We like both those places! Looking forward to the very San Diego weather, too. You have a great time at Comic-Con, too!
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Hi everyone! Today is our anniversary, but I’ve come down with a bug that is making the rounds. Hoping to rally in time for our dinner reservation, but we will do carry out as a back up plan if not. Off next week to DC, just the 2 of us - haven’t had a just us trip in ages! Here is what we ate this week:
Mon: fish stick tacos with spicy slaw and lime crema (cheater’s version of M. Clark recipe)
Tues: creamy mushroom fettuccine (RecipeTin eats), salad
Wed: spicy chicken with lime and cashews (J. Turshen, and SO good and easy), rice, cucumber salad
Thurs: tomato, white bean, fennel stew with shrimp and scallops (more Turshen, COTM if you want to play along), baguette
Fri: carry out
Sat (tonight): either our favorite French spot or carry out
Sun: LLD cooking. We can make a pretty good guess what it will be.
Mon: kimchi avocado toasts with fried eggs, more Turshen, and easy, quick clean up, and no leftovers. Perfect for the night before a trip.
We’ll be eating at our usual favorites while in DC, plus actually trying a new place! And we’ll be going to the men’s semifinals at the CitiOpen tennis tournament. I am so excited about this!
Have a great week!
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Bummer about the bug on your special day, but hope you make up for it on your upcoming trip!
Happy anni & fun & delish travels
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Happy anniversary!
(And bah crummy bug – be gone!)
Look forward to hearing about your DC favorites here or elsewhere (iirc Le Diplomate is a regular haunt, but I’m curious where else you return). Have a wonderful trip!
Last week’s eats sound delicious – those fish stick tacos give me another idea for the fish sticks I sometimes buy for Nigella’s version of fish bhorta, because there are always some left over.
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Thank you both!
Yes, Le Diplomat always gets a visit, as does Zaytinya. Jaleo and La Piquette come next. The new (forus) spot is Revelers Hour.
I absolutely love that fish fingers bhorta recipe. Need to make that soon.
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I love Zaytinya too. I didn’t know they had expanded the concept so much (5 total now) – would you believe I still haven’t been to the nyc location (I think I’m secretly worried it will tarnish my DC memories if something falls short).
The La Piquette menu looks familiar, and it’s near where a friend lives, so entirely possible I went but don’t recall, lol – and if not, easy access next time. Revelers Hour looks fantastic! Will have to remember for next time.
Do you have a favorite Ethiopian / Eritrean spot? I find most trips are too short to fit everything I want to eat (no matter how long they are, hahaha).
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From reports, this one sounds so intriguing. I don’t have access to the original recipe, and can’t find it on the internet. I’m guessing the sauce goes something like this?:
2 Parts Soy Sauce
1 Part Fish Sauce
1 Part Honey
Chili sauce to taste
Zest of lime
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Happy anniversary, hope you recover in time, and enjoy the trip to your old hometown.
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Here it is (I have a whole pile of recipe links for COTM that I haven’t gotten to posting yet, if you need any others)
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I went to one of his restaurants outside of DC and it wasn’t the same for me, so maybe you’re making the right call. Lulu went to jaleo in Las Vegas and loved it (it’s her favorite of our DC stops), so maybe not.
My favorite Ethiopian places have all closed as 18th St. has become somewhat more upscale. I miss that food so much.
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Let me add (thanks saregama for the link) that this recipe seems to be very forgiving. I didn’t have a full tablespoon of fish sauce so just added a bit more soy. I probably used more zest than necessary. It was great, and I think will work if you’re in the ballpark.
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Thank you!
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We went to Zatinya in Miami Beach and also really liked it!! So it seems like the concept is translating well across locations.
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