In fact, tonight she even helped with making dinner and didn’t balk at the addition of spinach to the stuffing in our stuffed pork loin and even sampled the brandied cranberry sauce I made on a whim without complaint. This is a very simple and elegant dish that only takes about an hour to prep and cook. I’ll admit, I cheated a bit and used (gasp!) a boxed stuffing mix, but when you’re under the gun for time, it’s a shortcut I’m willing to take on occasion. We topped the finished stuffed pork loin with a delicious brandied cranberry sauce that I made from scratch while we waited for everything to finish baking. To round out the meal, we made homemade yeast rolls and steamed broccoli. Yummy!

Stuffed Pork Loin

2 lb Pork loin
1 box stuffing mix plus the ingredients it calls for
1/2 C chopped fresh spinach
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 350F. Make the stuffing mix according to the instructions on the box, or substitute your own stuffing if you desire. Once the stuffing is off the heat, add a 1/2 C chopped fresh spinach. Butterfly the pork loin and pound it out with a mallet if you’re using a tough cut. Spread the prepared stuffing and spinach mixture evenly on the pork loin. Starting with one of the long sides, roll the pork loin up and secure with a wooden skewer or use kitchen twine to tie it. Heat a skillet with the EVOO and sear the stuffed pork loin on all sides. Place on a foil lined cookie tray and back in the oven for about 45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160F. Allow meat to rest 15 minutes before slicing to serve. Slice into 1″ thick servings and serve with brandied cranberry sauce.

Brandied Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of cranberries
1/2 C orange juice
1/3 C water
1/3 C brandy
1 1/2 C sugar

Wash and sort cranberries. Combine cranberries, orange juice and water in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately ten minutes. Add sugar and brandy and reduce until the sauce begins to thicken. Serve over the stuffed pork loin or with warm rolls. Brandied Cranberry Sauce will keep in the fridge for approx two weeks.

1523 17th St NW
(between N Church St & N Q St)
Washington, DC 20036
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle

Pizza 17 is a small little store with only a few tables.  Behind the counter is a wood fired oven and a few bottles of wine.  The service is friendly and everything, for the most part, tastes fresh.  The only thing I have been dissapointed with is the fungi pizza because they only use one kind of mushroom. However, I have ordered it every time I have been there so they are obviously doing something correct.  I have been there three times now and every time I go, I am amazed that it isn’t packed, because the pizza crust at Pizza 17 is amazing.

Not only is it crisp, but on the outside it is also a bit chewy.  They somehow always get the crust perfect.  I could literally sit there and eat their pizza crust all day long.  On the Fungi pizza they top the amazing bread with a ton of onions, cheese that is not flat and melted, but mixed in between the huge toppings and of course mushrooms.  On top of that they have a spicey olive oil that you can pour over top of it or dip the pizza into.  Not only does the olive oil take the pizza to the next level, but it almost becomes addictive.

Next time I go I am going to have to break away from what I know and try the pizza sliders or something else.  Until then I am giving Pizza 17 in Dupont Circle 4 out of 5 stars.  The only reason they don’t get the fifth star is because the fungi pizza should have multiple types of mushrooms to make it perfect.  I have seen some of the other pizzas being made and served and everything there looks incredible.  If you are in Washington DC and looking for good pizza, try Pizza17.

On the other hand, I also called Bistro Bistro which is one of my favorite local Italian Restaurants.  Not only did they take care of me, but the manager got on the phone, apologized and would not let me hang up until I was a happy customer again.  It is very rare to find two companies with such excellent service, especially when something goes wrong.  What was more impressive was the way that Bistro Bistro handled the situation and that is why I’d like to share some of my favorite foods from them. If you are in Washington DC and hungry for really good italian delivery, you have to order Bistro Bistro!

The crab, artichoke and spinach dip.

The Bistro Bistro crab dip is outstanding.  It is served with fresh bread and you can taste the real crab meat inside.  The spinach is a great touch and the artichokes with the crab and spinach not only complement each other with the cream sauce, but the creaminess and cheesy warm goodness combined with the delicious bread make this one of my favorite comfort foods and you can only get crab dip this good from Bistro Bistro DC.

French Onion Soup.

If you’ve ever made French Onion Soup, you know there is an art to it.  Somehow Bistro Bistro has found a way to make it not only taste great, but keep the flavors and parts cohesive while being able to deliver it.  This is one of the only places I have ever been able to order french onion soup for delivery and have it come out restaurant quality.

Crevette Coquille St. Jacques.

This amazing mix of sauteed shrimp, diver sea scallops and a tomatoe and cream sauce is an amazing appetizer that works for a meal for me.  When I dug into this dish I ended up soaking every last bit of sauce into the bread and didn’t let a bit go to waste.

Everything I have had from Bistro Bistro in Washington DC has been excellent.  I love it and my friends love it as well.  They have everything from a surf and turf to pizzas and even an amazing selection of salads, pastas and a lasagna that I go absolutely crazy for.  I highly recommend ordering from Bistro Bistro and if you are ever in Washington DC and are to lazy to go out, they are always a great option.

Crevette Coquille St. Jacques

(2)

$8.95

Jamie Oliver has a massive passion for healthy food, especially when it comes to public schools and what they serve our kids as “school lunch”. Remember Mystery Meat, creamed “corn”, and tater tots fried within an inch of their life all served on a pressed formica tray in pale shades of vomit orange, green and blue? Yeah, those school lunches.

Anyway, his show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” started in the UK in 2010 and last season focused on places here in the U.S., and his site of the same name has more than 700,000 petition supporters. The whole Food Revolution has multiple goals to change the way America eats: more cooking at home, freshly cooked meals at school, cooking in the community, inspiring and educating parents, kids and the community at large to support fresh foods and home and healthy cooking, and encouraging corporations to produce healthier foods and label them honestly as well as providing better food to employees.

Now, I had a privileged food childhood, though perhaps I didn’t appreciate it at the time. My mom planted a garden in our backyard and we had strawberries every year as well as carrots, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lemons and oranges as well as the occasional foray into watermelons and cantaloupe. Our next door neighbor had a jungle of fruit trees and shared her harvest of apples, nectarines, plums and peaches with us regularly. We went to the local farmer’s market several times a month and bought in-season produce. And then there’s the ranch…I spent several weeks nearly every summer at my grandparent’s ranch helping out, though I’m sure my uncles would say I was more underfoot than helpful, feeding the sheep, bottle feeding the calves who were twins and whose mothers had rejected them, collecting eggs, and setting irrigation pipes as well as learning family recipes at my grandmother’s side. I know where my food comes from and I’ve made sure my kids have learned the same lessons. It just astounds me that so many kids and even people in my own generation have little knowledge of how the food they put in their mouths three times a day (or more) is even made.

Jamie’s whole focus is on changing this and I wholly support the concept. Sadly, he had his own setback this week as one of his restaurants was hit in the London riots:

“sadly my restaurant in Birmingham got smashed up windows all gone whole area closed, cant open, staff and customers all safe!!thankfully jox”

Hopefully, he’ll have it back up and running in no time and can focus on the real Revolution our society desperately needs.

The nice thing about the flavored Three Olives Vodkas is that the flavors are so strong that they are almost like a cordial instead of a liquor.  You could actually put them on the rocks and they become a mixed drink on their own.  Unfortunately for them, and Nick Dellavella, the Foodie in me has to take over and create my own drinks out of the Three Olives Vodka flavors.  So here are a few fun cocktail recipes for the Three Olives “The Dewd” Lemon Lime Vodka.

Lemon, Lime and Lychee Martini. 

The Triple L isn’t only fun to say, but it is absolutely delicious.  Take a few ounces of Three Olives Lemon Lime Dude Vodka and shake it over ice.  Now pour it in a chilled martini glass and place a little bit of cane sugar in the bottom…if you want it sweeter.  Now, take some lychee nectar or juice your own lychees and squirt about one or two tablespoons worth into the martini.  (You can also put the lychee juice or nectar in the shaker if you don’t want a leveled drink).  And now top it with a lime twist and you have a fun and leechy, lemon and lime martini.

Cherry Lime Bombs. 

This one is fun for parties.  What you do is soak cherries, without the pits so no one chips a tooth, in the raspberry vodka of your choice in a cup or a bowl.  Then take lime wedges and put them in a glass or bowl and soak them in the Three Olives Lemon Lime Vodka.  Let the cherries and limes soak in the vodka for about 24 hours in the refrigerator and then about 20 minutes before your party get ready to lay them out and prep them.

Set the lime wedge facing up and take a little plastic sword, wooden cocktail umbrella or something else fun and pierce the cherry through the middle and make it so that it sits on top of the lime.  You may want to put a warning sign above the fruit that says toxic, but these little sweet and sour treats are sure to kick in to even the most seasoned drinker.  You can also use them for Margaritas and Mojitos as alcoholic garnishes.

The Three Olives Lemon Lime Mojito.

This is actually very simple.  Take your standard Mojito recipe with mint leaves, lime juice, etc… except instead of rum you can use the Three Olives Lemon Lime The Dewd Vodka.  If you need it a little more sour, squeeze an extra fresh lime into the drink.  It tastes fabulous and depending on the rum that you had used, it may be lower in calories.  This is one of my new favorite Three Olives The Dewd Vodka recipes.

Thank you again to Nick Dellavella for introducing me to this new Vodka brand that I probably never would have tried before.  Three Olives is very lucky to have him on their team and I am happy to have a new vodka to turn to if the bar doesn’t have Absolute.  Thank you again for reading.

Stueben's of Denver

Philadelphia is a city I love.  There is amazing food like soft pretzels and some great NYC styled pizza shops.  Until today I prized one little store that I am obsessed with for the famous Philly Cheesteak.  Unfortunately for them, from now on when I think of cheessteaks, only one place will come to mind, Stueben’s in Denver Colorado.  (This is one of the places that you could see on Diners, Drive ins and Dives).

Stueben’s is a little dinner styled restaurant with a fabulous bar full of fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits for the drinks.  A great look and extremely friendly staff and more importantly, creative and intelligent food at very reasonable prices.  I did find it disappointing that what was recommended to me was a cheesesteak when I asked for the most popular or famous dish, especially when there are so many creative things on the menu, but this cheesesteak put all others to shame.   So here was my meal and here is my own variation on one incredible side that you have to try if you are ever at Stueben’s in Denver Colorado.

Stueben's Moscow Mule

I sat down at the bar and you are immediately drawn to the ambiance of this dinner.  It has a classic 1970′s diner feel with a modern and country western styled twist.  I knew that I instantly had to try a drink and the only thing that would work is their world famous Moscow Mule in a tin or brass cup.  I don’t normally like ginger beer or some of the other ingredients, but on a hot Denver day, this drink is light, thirst quenching and perfect.  As I was enjoying this delicious drink, the bartender came over and helped me pick out some food.  I ended up with the cheesesteak with everything on it and a side of crispy brusslesprouts. The cheesesteak was amazing like I said, but the real winner were these amazing, salty and crispy baby cabbages flash fried to perfection.

Stueben's Crispy Brusselsprouts

Not only were they great on their own because of the salt they sprinkled on them, but when paired with a red pepper aoili, you absolutely cannot go wrong.  The problem with me eating out though is that I always want to steal the recipe and make it my own.  So as I am going crazy over these delicious crispy brusselsprouts, I instantly came up with my own variations.  Here is the Stueban’s of Denver recipe and how I would change it.

Take the brusselsprouts and flash fry them at 350 degrees in canola oil for 3o seconds.  Then sprinkle or throw them through some salt and serve.  It’s actually just that simple.  The problem for me is that I love something a little bit more, so here is how I would and will be doing it when I get home.

Take the brusselsprouts and flash fry them for 30 seconds with slab bacon chopped into cubes.  Then take it and sprinkle a little bit of coarse grain sea salt over them.  Now, instead of creating a red pepper aioli sause for dipping, I am thinking honey mixed with a little bit of a hot pepper, ancho chile or cayanne would be perfect, and also a bit of apricot preserves.  If you melt them all together you should get a spicey and sweet apricot dipping sauce that would completely taste amazing along side the salty, crispy bacon brusselsprouts.

Stueben's Denver

Stueben's Denver Bar

Stueben’s of Denver Colorado is a must see and must eat if you are ever in Denver.  I highly recommend it!

fancy little pound cake

If you’re going for a low cal, or low fat treat, move on, this isn’t it. It’s a smaller, lighter version of the original 1 pound of butter cake, but it’s by no means the perfect treat for dieters counting calories. Let’s move on to the creation of yum…

Fancy Little Pound Cake recipe:

• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Powder sugar icing

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Soften butter. In another bowl, beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds at medium speed. Gradually add super (2 teaspoons as a time) to butter and beat at medium speed for about 6 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute each. Scrape bowl often. Gently add in flour mixture, beating on low until just combined.

Grease and flour baking pan/s. Pour batter into pan and bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool for another 20 minutes. Drizzle prepared glaze and top with fresh berries.

Baking pan/s – recipe good for 1 9x5x3 inch loaf pan, or two small bundt pans and 3 3x5x2 inch load pans.

Powdered sugar icing

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons milk

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 teaspoon milk. Stir in additional milk until drizzling consistency.

Ingredients you’ll need for homemade strawberry ice cream:

• 2 cups half and half
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup strawberry syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

How to make easy homemade strawberry ice cream:

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar in half and half.
2. Thoroughly mix in remaining ingredients except strawberries.
3. Stir in strawberries.
4. Following your ice cream maker’s instruction, add mixture to complete the process.

Alternatively replace the sugar, syrup and strawberries above by making your own strawberry syrup: Combine 1 cup chopped strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and let soak overnight. Finely chop in a food processor. Then mix into ice cream mixture.

1.  Bistro Bistro in Washington DC.  Bistro Bistro offers restaurant quality good and an awesome menu.  What’s even better is they deliver everything from French Onion Soup to giant servings of Tiramisu.  Their food tastes extremely fresh and homemade, but the delivery is extremely slow.  The crab and spinach dip and mussel appetizers are excellent.  The Pizza is so-so and the steak sandwich is lacking, but everything else is great.  I highly recommend Bistro Bistro. the food is a great mix of seafood and italian and you will absolutely love it.

1727 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009

2.  Italian Pizza Kitchen on U Street.  Italian Pizza Kitchen on U street is a great place that is opened late.  Their pizza falls short because of the crust, but they use fresh, whole ingredients and take their time with the food.  They also have great pasta for their Lasagna.  Their buffalo wings are excellent 99% of the time and their Panini’s are absolutely amazing.  Be ready to be stuffed and want more when you order panninis and wings from Italian Pizza Kitchen.

1110 U St Northwest
Washington, DC 20009

3.  Thai Tanic on 14th st NW.  Thai Tanic is absolutely amazing.  There is nothing bad on the menu and the prices are incredible.  My personal favorite is #39 done medium spicy.  The appetizers are a hit or miss and will depend on your tastes, but the entrees are amazing.  It may look like a hole in the wall, but when you see the two and three hour waits on the weekends, then taste their food, you’ll quickly discover why they are a leading Thai restaurant in DC.

1326 14th Street Northwest
Washington D.C., DC 20005

4.  Alero.  Alero is way to expensive to have delivered because they use a third party vendor.  Unfortunately their Mexican and Mexican fusion food is absolutely amazing.  If you are craving Mexican and don’t mind spending a ton of extra money on delivery, (anywhere from $10 to $20 in fees), you have to order Alero.  My favorites are their nachos, chimichangas and pretty much everything else I have had there.

1301 U St NW

5.  Banana Leaves.  Banana Leaves is absolutely amazing Asian food.  You can order a variety of Asian food and all of them are amazing.  My personal favorites from their menu are their crabmeat rangoons (they are freshly made and come with an awesome spicy sauce), the brown chinese chicken fried rice (The Thai is alright as well) and the Drunken Noodles.

2020 Florida Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009

If you’re in DC and don’t feel like going out, ordering in can be tricky as the amount of decent places that deliver is extremely limited.  If you stick to any of the 5 places mentioned here, you should end up with an incredible meal that you’ll be craving again and again.

If you’re not familiar with Ree Drummond, you may know her as Pioneer Woman. She’s a fabulous food blogger about her life as a country wife and she’s got a kick ass cookbook (that reminds me of the cooking of my grandma and my own hours spent cooking with her on the ranch) and she’s got a beautiful heart to boot.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through the South last week. Well, Ree wants us all to help…simply make a comment on her blog post HERE.

For every comment between now and noon on May 6th, she’ll donate $0.25 to an organization that will directly benefit victims of the recent tornadoes in the South. That’s it. You can include a comment and the charity you’d most like to support. In addition, she’ll pick 4 entries at the end and donate $500 to the charity in the comment. As of right now, there are 16,077 comments in the thread (which means a donation of $4000!)…let’s see if we can at least double it!

Super easy, fabulous impact, only takes a moment.

You’re a foodie…I know you’ll do the right thing.

And like a good foodie…you’ll share it with all your friends!

~Karen