Frosting Fiasco

Is there anyone who can eat a Georgetown Cupcake neatly?  Certainly not me.  Stacks of little miniature cupcakes are served at seemingly every fancy party I go to, and they always look cute and dainty.

But I invariably pick up the variety that has frosting injected inside (perhaps via this device?).  I take one bite, and frosting is simultaneously exploding and imploding and probably all over my chin.  Maybe my nose too?  Then I have to reach for the napkin while trying to hold onto the rapidly disintegrating crumbs of the cupcake, which seemed like a two-bite endeavor but now feels like more of a meal.  Do I keep eating this and continue making a huge mess?  Or do I throw it away?  But is that admitting defeat?  And has anyone noticed this sorry spectacle?

These are the things I worry about while all the other guests are refilling their drinks, ha.

Honey Pig

We went to Honey Pig in Annandale a few weeks ago, and though I had been there before, it was my first visit without Debie there to order in Korean for me.  I'd never even touched a menu on previous occasions.  We were left to own devices this time, as a bunch of white people, and I think it turned out to be fairly successful.  Except, armed with a tip from the ever helpful Debie, I tried to order bokumbap and things went off the rails.  The waitress looked very confused by my request and finally told me it was "menu impossible."

Something must've been lost in translation. We got some sort of rice dish in the end, and all was well.  Good friends, good conversation and sizzling meat. 

Joe's Birthday Party

I love to read food blogs, so when Joe told me that he and his good friend Andy planned to host a joint birthday party, I finally had an opportunity to make all the fun party food that would be strange for me to cook for myself.

Like chocolate-covered potato chips.  I found the recipe from the very fun blog Spoon Fork Bacon.  Just what America needs right?  Greasy salty chips covered in sugar.  Eh, it's a party, I say.

I hand-dipped every single potato chip from a family size bag of Wavy Lays into a vat of milk chocolate.  "These are bespoke potato chips," Joe said. It took a very long time.  Once I started, I couldn't stop, and covered every available flat surface with potato chips on wax paper.

The ones photographed on Spoon Fork Bacon are eerily perfect.  My chips were lumpier because I had a hard time getting the perfect amount of chocolate on each chip.  But dang, they tasted good anyway.  If there is ever a situation to use the word "dang," I think it should be when describing chocolate-covered potato chips.

Behind the potato chips, you'll see dulce de leche sandwich cookies via Joy the Baker, who is the cutest person ever, at least judging from her blog.  I love her, and the rest of the recipes I cooked are from her website.  This party was brought to you by Joy the Baker.

These cookies might not look like much, but they are the best I've ever made.  I've made three batches this year, by popular request.  It's easy too.  A can of dulce de leche serves as the filling, with some sea salt sprinkled on top.  I'm very into the salty/sweet combination.

I also made baked brie lollipops. Joy's baked brie look prettier than mine, but I was just happy they didn't explode in the oven, as some commenters mentioned.  I was using Joe's oven, so no skin off my nose if they did.  Haha.  No that was easy too.  I convinced Prudence to come to the party by saying that I would serve "fancy Hot Pockets on a stick."  I think that would be my food truck concept as well.

Alex made a sign advertising my mixology skills.  Not sure why "special" is in quotes.  Is he humoring me?  I made another Joy the Baker recipe, rosemary lime cocktails.  These are so good.  I have a heavy hand with the vodka too.  Prudence said that I would be distracted, talking to someone, meanwhile the vodka bottle is going "glug, glug, glug."

Someone bought in mini-pies from the new Pie Sisters in Georgetown.  Georgetown Cupcake, will this put a crack in your empire?

The birthday boys blow out the candles.   [Not pictured, the awesome friends who made the trek in the cold to help us celebrate].

I wore my party dress meant for a six-year-old for this special occasion.  The print has little horseys, bunnies and teddy bears on it.

I don't wear this dress very often.  I tried to wear it to the office, but I felt like the bunnies might make it less than professional.  I still love it though, it's from a stall at an amazing flea market in London.   So I've only worn it a handful of times, and one time I was wearing it, waiting for the bus and a girl walks by wearing the exact same dress I was wearing.  What?  I'd expect that for a F21 sweater, but what a coincidence.

Happy birthday, Joe!  So looking forward to spending your 31st year together!

Brunch at Mandu

Sorry for neglecting the blog. Seems the busier I am doing fun things that would be interesting to write about, the less time I have to write about them.  I also signed up for the alternative work week schedule at work, in which you work 9 hours Monday through Thursday, then get half-day Fridays.  Seemed awesome, right?  I thought it would give me more time to write and blog and run errands and do the things I like to do.  But so far I've only been able to actually leave at noon once.  That one time was glorious, though.

Does anyone else work alternative work schedules?  Have you had better luck at sticking to your schedule without seeming like you are a slacker?

Anyway, hope you are all ready for the weekend.  Here's my foodie recommendation for your Saturday or Sunday...

Like any good city dweller, I love brunch.  But it can be such an over-priced yuppie endeavor, can't it?  When I read about the brunch plate at Mandu, a Korean restaurant on K Street at City Vista, and I thought it would be fun to try a departure from the usual waffles, eggs benedict, what have you.

$12 gets you Mandu's set brunch plate: gimbap, a Korean omelet, chive pancakes,  Korean-style hash browns and marinated meat or veggies and tofu.

That's a lot of food.  Plus it comes with dessert.  All this, and gelato too?

As You Are Gearing Up For Thanksgiving...

"Pie is the American synonym of prosperity, and its varying contents the calendar of the changing seasons.  Pie is the food of the heroic.  No pie-eating people can ever be permanently vanquished."

- 1902 New York Times editorial, via Parade Magazine

I read that and never felt more patriotic.  Maybe pie can unite us once again. Happy baking everyone.

Rasika At Long Last

I told Joe we ought to do something to celebrate our one year anniversary, and all month, I nagged him gently reminded him that he should plan something to celebrate. We decided that Friday, August 26 would be the anniversary date.

Every few days, I would ask him "Have you planned something yet? You haven't? Why not? [Minor screeching]" Rinse. Repeat.

Then on Thursday of this past week, over chimichangas and pupusas at El Reconcito in Columbia Heights, I said casually, "I'm going to the movies with my friend tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" Joe said, with a worried look on his face. "You're going to the movies tomorrow? On Friday?"

Me: "Yes, tomorrow. Why?"

[Five second pause]

Ohhhhh... that whole thing. The anniversary thingy.

So I interrogated him about planning a date for a month, then I forgot about the whole thing completely and made other plans. Sounds about right.

None of it mattered in the end. I got to see "One Day"* on Friday with my friends.

And thanks to Hurricane Irene, we snagged a last minute reservation to Rasika on Saturday - I've wanted to eat there for years! Even though the streets in Penn Quarter were empty, the restaurant was almost completely full. I ordered the cucumber cocktail, crispy spinach, mango shrimp and black cod. The waiter asked if I had been there before and I said no. He then called me out on my Internet research. Yes, I was holding the menu with one hand and skimming Yelp reviews on my iPhone in the other.

I was so excited to eat that I started spooning my appetizers onto my plate before I even removed the napkin. I looked down to see mango shrimp sitting neatly on the napkin. Good God! Who does that? How is that even possible? I swear, you can not take me anywhere! In my defense, they were the same color, but really.

How lucky am I that my date thought that was endearing instead of incredibly embarrassing for both of us, which it is. Ha. I am lucky.

*As someone who adored the novel, I had reservations about the casting of this movie. Ann Hathway as Emma? But she pulled it off! And I am saying right now, she should be the heir to Julia Roberts' romcom crown. Very charming. By the end, they were absolutely the Emma and Dexter in the book. And even though I knew what would happen, I still teared up at the ending. I had to compose myself during the credits. Call me sentimental, but I really liked the film. Go see it and read the book too...