the arugula files

Making Whoopie Pies

Last Saturday I made whoopie pies with my friends Olga and Jenna.  Jenna is a professional baker.  She made the cupcakes for our wedding and she understands lots of things I'm clueless about, like the difference between Italian buttercream and Swiss buttercream.  So when I added whoopie pies to my culinary resolutions list, it made sense to hook up with Jenna over egg whites and butter.  We made chocolate whoopie pies from Baked Explorations.  The recipe is here.

Meyer Lemon Cake (Plus Friends with Lemon Trees)

I once had a lemon tree.  I was living in a sunny studio apartment on 16th Street.  It didn't produce one lemon, but I gave it a try. 

Do you have a lemon tree in your apartment or yard?  If so, I'm completely envious.  Also, let's be friends.  Instead of "friends with benefits," we'll be "friends with lemon trees."  Of course, I don't have a lemon tree.  So maybe instead you could become known as my friend with the lemon tree.  "So, I was saying to so and so, you know her, my friend with the lemon tree..."  I like the sound of that.

Blood Orange Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

I used to think salad was boring.  More boring than watching the Super Bowl.  That changed when I started making dressing from scratch and adding "star" ingredients.  I love fruity salads.  In the winter, it's mostly apples or pears. Now that citrus is abundant, oranges or grapefruit. This salad features the seasonal object of my culinary affection: blood oranges.  As Emeril says, BAM, the citrus flavor gives you a big punch in the taste buds.  

Pizza Cipolla (Or how to Turn a Few Onions into An Extraodinary Dinner)

 

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, let me say that this pizza is the best I've ever made.  Evah.  The smell, wafting through my kitchen, made my stomach growl almost as loud as the applause for this speech.  Before you're all: onions and pizza?  Big deal.  Please note that there's also cream involved (and thyme).  And, of course, using a mandoline to thinly slice the onions allows the cream and thyme to permeate the onions completely.  Add a crispy crust, FULL of FLAVOR, and each creamy, sweet bite overfilled me with such delight that I almost lost culinary consciousness. (Ok, maybe that was hyperbolic).   All I’m saying is try it.

Golden Beets

These are sitting on my counter, waiting for a recipe.  Ideas?

How to Throw a Mid-Mod Dinner Party

The mid-century modern house we bought last spring has led to all things vintage.  I love hunting around thrift stores, picking up sea foam Russel Wright pieces, and egg yolk yellow fondue sets.  To celebrate Christmas mid-mod style,  Marcus and I threw a little mid-mod dinner party.  A few photos and tips for you to get ready for the Mad Men premiere, whenever that might be.

Litestars: Worth a Try (BYO Salt)

How does downtown DC feel about Mark Bittman’s “revolutionary eating” or Michael Pollan’s mantra, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”?  If the lack of a line at Litestars, the newish healthful lunch place on 18^th and L Streets is any indicator, then the answer to that question is not so much with the health food, please. 

Litestars is near my office, so I’ve eaten there a few times for lunch.  The large "modern bistro"  is usually empty and the eagerness of the staff—the look on their faces when a customer, any customer, walks in the door—makes me uncomfortable.  I feel bad rejecting an offer of samples, especially from someone eager to please, so despite the fact that I’ve only been a few times, I’ve sampled 80 percent of the menu.  January 3^rd, the first day back at work after gluttonous holidays, I thought maybe the resolution crowd would show, hankering for a light lunch with a side of health.  No bananas.  It was the same: a few people at tables eating lunch, but still no line. 

So what of the food?  With few exceptions, I would say it’s good “every day” eating.  Not a place to go if you are starved for a 1500-calorie Chipotle burrito and not a place for emotional eating (try Vapiano's cabonara with campenelle for that one), but a great place to go if you are looking for a little vegan before six o’clock.

I recommend the onion (410 calories) or turkey tartlet (350 calories), both are made with whole-wheat crusts and neither really deserves the word tart in their description.  A tartlet is a thin shell that is not flaky or buttery; words usually used to describe tarts.  Despite this, the onion tartlet packs the most flavor and offers a light, creamy bite.  The turkey is hearty and good for those seeking protein.  From the salad selection I’m partial to the tangy, chewy wheat berry salad.  Quinoa with beans, jalapeños, and pineapples deserves an honorable mention. 

The soups are tasty as well, but remember to BYOS---bring your own salt—because Litestars doesn’t offer any, save for a “salt substitute” I couldn’t bring myself to try.  This is where I think Litestars takes it too far.  Take my salt away and I might turn into Sarah Palin and declare war on broccoli.

I'm worried about Litestars.  Will it last long?  I hope so.  It fills a much-needed healthy "fast food" niche.  It has my vote, at least on meatless Mondays or when I’m trying to get a gold star from Mark Bittman. 

Food Blogger Happy Hour: January 5 @ Lyon Hall

I'm giving up alcohol for the month of January.  {Audible gasp}.  I know, right?  Come keep me company at the food blogger happy hour.  I'll be the one with cranberry and soda, listening to everything you say.

Thanks to Modern Domestic and Little Lady Cook for hosting this month's happy hour.  They picked a great location.  Lyon Hall's menu looks tasty.

RSVP here, please.