the arugula files

Vichyssoise Deconstructed (Potato, Leek, and Gruyere Pizza)

Last night, right before I fell into a deep sleep – around 11:40 pm – I whipped up some habenero cactus jelly.  What?  Let me explain.   When I can't fall asleep, I pretend I'm a cheftestant on Top Chef.  Absurd, I know.  I am not a chef. Not. even. close.  It doesn't matter, my cooking qualifications are irrelevant. I just need to fall asleep, people, and counting sheep doesn't cut it.  So, each night, I enter myself into a quick fire challenge, think about what I would cook, and how I would make it.  Take, for example, the recent Top Chef quick fire on cooking cactus.  I got in my PJs, crawled into bed, then went through a bunch of potential cactus dishes in my head.   I finally decided on habanero cactus jelly. Five minutes later I was a asleep.  Some times, I'll actually make the dishes I dream up; sometimes not. Habanero cactus jelly? Not.

Supermarket Peanut Butter Made to Order?

I heard a rumor that the Safeway at K and 5th has a nut butter bar where you can make nut butter according to your specifications with any type of nut you want.  Any type of nut?  Yup.  

Conquering Kale with Molly (Braised Kale with Spaghetti and Chorizo)

Last night was the first time I tried kale.  Ever.  And, holy shit, I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I have one person to thank for my  new found appreciation for kale: Molly Wizenberg.  This past week, while I was traveling from Spokane to Seattle, I picked up a copy of bon appettit in the airport.  On page 74, Molly has a lovely article called, "how I learned to love kale."  She admits, she didn't like it at first.  It grew on her. 

Any Given Sunday...Plus Inglehoffer Mustard

On any given Sunday I head to the farmer's market in Dupont Circle.  Lately, though, I've been traveling for work and busy with tedious chores, plus I had a debilitating case of the flu (No, it wasn't H1N1, but thanks, EVERYONE, for asking), so it's been a few weeks since I filled my market bag.  This week, as I headed for Dupont, I practically skipped down Connecticut Ave.  It was a beautiful morning.  The air was clean, cool, crisp; just the way I love it.  The annual introduction to fall made me want to stand on the sidewalk, take a deep breath, raise my hands slowly above my head, and greedily suck it all in.  You know the move you complete at the end of an intense aerobics class with Richard Simmons?  Yes, that's the move I'm talking about.  

Acorn Squash with Fresh Nutmeg

Never cooked squash?  Acorn squash is a good place to start.  It's simple to prepare, ultra cheap, and its subtle sweetness marries well with butter and salt.  Add some fresh nutmeg and you have discovered the art of simple food.  Are you there Alice? It's me, Mary  There are a few challenges, however.  One is that acorn squash takes it own subtle sweet time to cook.  That's for sure.   Download an episode of Mad Men before you pop this giant acorn in the oven.  You and Don Draper can wait on it together.  

Food Blogger Happy Hour: Photos

Yup, those are hard boiled eggs, encased in meat, battered, deep fried, and served with tasty dipping sauces.  Scotch eggs are what they are called, and I shared a few with some fellow bloggers at the DC food blogger happy hour last night at CommonWealth Gastro Pub in Columbia Heights.  

Reminder: Food Blogger Happy Hour, October 7

If you haven't already, please drop an RSVP in the comments, so we'll know how many people are coming.

Yes, the rumors are true: there's another food blogger happy hour planned. It looks like we'll be doing this on a regular basis (First Wednesdays!). The next happy hour will be October 7th at CommonWealth, "the people's pub" in Columbia Heights.   In case you missed it, the last food blogger happy hour was tons of fun.  Food bloggers mingled, talked shop, ate truffle fries, and put faces to URLs. In October, we'll drink beer, raise our glasses, be merry, and eat Scotch eggs like movie popcorn. 

Thanks to Capital Spice, Gradually Greener, Modern Domestic, We Love DC, and Beerspotter, for working out the details.  Let us know if you are coming by leaving a comment on any of our blogs.  And thanks to flickr user mccun934 for the photograph in the flyer.

{p.s., please feel free to post this flyer on your blog.}

Baked (But Creamy) Mac and Cheese with Sundried Tomatoes

What to do with half a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, a lonely shallot, and some leftover panko crumbs? Add pasta and cheddar cheese.   This dish was diabolically delicious--creamy, crumbly, salty, flavorful.  There's no way else to describe it, except to say it is the ultimate comfort food, which basically means you should make it once in a year, if you know what I mean.