carrot french fries

The last several months were spent eating a glorious diet that consisted of fat and simple carbs (bagels with cream cheese, cookies, crackers,cake, waffles with peanut butter and dinners from the vending machine at work)....and a few steaks. NOTHING has been blog-worthy...

I slept more than 50% of the day this weekend and was still tired. Combine that with my failed attempts to start running again in the past week, and I concluded that I must be suffering from a terrible disease...or my abysmal eating habits have caught up with me.

So I went to the grocery store and bought vegetables and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Today, I had high hopes and bought a GIANT carrot at lunch (half pound!). I promptly decided I couldn't possibly eat it like that... So, I made carrot french fries for dinner! And it was actually good - tasted like sweet potato fries :) To make: Slice the carrot into fry-shapes, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, seasoned salt and pepper and baked it at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

I also ate salad. A dinner of fresh vegetables! I feel better already, but I give this 3 days til I'm back at the snack machine....

Bob's Shabu Shabu 88

I went to Bob's Shabu Shabu 88 in Rockville a few weeks ago. It's apparently owned by the owners of Bob's Noodle 66 down the road (which was featured in a stunning review).

What's shabu shabu? Chinese hot pot - kind of like fondue! Basically, you get some RAW MEAT!, vegetables and pot of hot broth put in front of you and a selection of ~15 DIPPING SAUCES and you're set! I do not look excited in this picture because I'm almost done and about to burst! Trust me, its good!

How it works? You pick your meat (or there's a vegetarian option with an extra plate of veggies). The server will bring out a pot of hot broth for each person and put it on the burner in front of you. You cook the food! Then you can dip it in the dipping sauces, eat as a soup, or ADD DIPPING SAUCE TO THE SOUP :-O

It's good and way cheaper than fondue at the melting pot :) Each entree ran about $15, depending on what meat got. I got beef :D They had combinations and crazy things like tripe (STOMACH). I was full. Go there.

316 N Washington St
Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 294-5888

Sweet Potato Gratin

Am I happy? Of course I'm happy! It was THANKSGIVING my favorite day of the year! The other week we had a pre-Thanksgiving potluck and it was awesome! Everyone brought a traditional Thanksgiving dish. I signed up for sweet potatoes :D

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website, but they've since deleted it....good thing I printed it!

Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves 10

2 tsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Barbados molasses
2 large eggs
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1/2 small red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quartcasserole dish with the butter. Whisk cream, molasses, eggs,salt, pepper, and thyme in a bowl. Added sweet potatoes and onions and toss to coat. Pour into the buttered casserole so that they're mostly covered with sauce. Place in the over and bake for 45 minutes or until custard is set. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes or so before serving.

Notes: I don't know what Barbados molasses is, but I just used regular molasses. I added a quarter stick of butter to the sauce :D And I used half a sweet onion, not red :D

It turned out well - recipe recommended!

Ray's Hell Burger

Tried for round 2 at Ray's the Steaks tonight, but the wait was almost 2 hours! So, we headed down the strip mall to Ray's Hell Burger. Wow!

We walked in and didn't really know what was going on, but a man who seemed like he could have been the owner told us how it worked: order at the counter, then take a number and grab a table and a server will bring you your food :) Burgers came a few different ways - plain, rolled in peppercorns, cajun-seasoned. And they had lots of toppings - very wide variety of cheeses, gauc, veggies. There was a list of about 10 suggested combinations, but I just opted for my own: a plain grilled burger with blue cheese, roasted garlic and sherried, sauteed mushrooms. It also came with lettuce and tomato.

There was also a list of sides: corn on the cob, coleslaw, mac and cheese, chips.....that's all I can remember. I got mac and cheese :D We also got a pitcher of rootbeer.

I hate it when a menu brags that their burgers are loaded with TEN OUNCES OF BEEF WAHAHAHAHA MEAT MEAT ALMOST AN ENTIRE COW MEAT MEAT MOO!!!!!!!!!1 But that's all Ray's had, so that's what I got. Our food came in about 5-10 minutes, I think. It was much faster than expected. And it was spectacular!! The burger was huge, dripping delicious juices and perfectly seasoned. It had an amazing flavor and I managed to eat it without hesitation until I was nine ounces in. But I finished it ALL :D I like a lot of bread (and hence hate 10 OUNCES OF BEEF), but I think the bun was strong enough to stand up to all the meat and juices dropping out of it. It was a great experience. I loved the mac and cheese! Reminded me mac and cheese I ate in Pennsylvania as a kid. I've been trying to recreate it ever since, but mine always sucks. I sampled a friend's coleslaw. I thought it was unremarkable.

There's hot chocolate for free on your way out, but it was empty, so we went to ACKC in Del Ray for some hot chocolate. Was tonight a little over the top? Probably :D

Ok, Ray's Hellburger - it's really good! Go there! There was no one waiting to sit when we got there around 6:30, but filled up pretty quickly after that. It's cheap too. I forget how cheap, but even the topped burgers run about $8, which especially considering the quality is a really good deal! Sides were less than $2. :D 1713 Wilson Blvd, Arlington

Taste of Bethesda!

This Saturday marks the best food day of the year (after Thanksgiving): TASTE OF BETHESDA!!!


It's happening this Saturday, October 4 from 11am to 4pm in downtown Bethesda. Tons of restaurants in Bethesda set up shop in the street and sell samples of their delicious foods for 1-4 tickets. Tickets are $1.25 and admission is free :D

I've gone the last two years and I can vouch for its awesomeness. There's lots of variety, lots of deliciousness and it's pretty cheap too :D

Don't miss it!

I'll also mention Art on the Avenue, a street festival in on Mount Vernon Ave in Del Ray is also happening on Saturday. The website doesn't really describe the food available, but I remember from last year the restaurants of Del Ray set up on the street selling their delicious food too :) I also remember that the Del Ray cookoff is judged during the festival, but I don't know any details.

Busy day on Saturday!!

Ray's the Steaks, Arlington

I've been fantasizing about going to Ray's the Steaks for a really long time. Recently, it got worse and I couldn't stop thinking about it...so the date was set and off we all went.
We went on a Sunday which means the menu is a three course prix fixe menu called "A Place at the Table": a certain amount of money from each meal goes to charity. I like charity, but I liked that I FORCED to order all three courses even more :D We got there at 6 and waited about 20 minutes for a table - not bad compared to the hour long wait I was expecting.

When we sat down we were given some rosemary focaccia (I think: there was definitely olive oil and definitely rosemary, at least) and spiced cashews. I also ordered a glass of their cheapest red wine :D

Course 1: We all had the sherried crab bisque. There were three other salad choices. We made the right decision, the crab bisque was amaaaaazing.

Course 2: The price of the meal depended on the cut of meat you chose. There were three tiers: $25, $33 and $38 (at least I think it was $38....). I got the rib eye with horseradish cream on the side, cooked medium rare. It WAS medium rare, and it was glorious. I tasted the other three steaks at the table: a hangar steak, a blackened rib eye, and something else with a the most delicious flavorful mushroom sauce ever. Meat heaven. There was also creamed spinach and mashed potatoes served family style :D Wow.

Course 3: DESSERT!! The choices were: dark, milk or white chocolate mouse, cheesecake, key lime pie, or snickers pie. I got cheesecake (I really needed something heavy after all that...). It was great. I tasted both the milk and dark chocolate mouse as well, and they were also fantastic :D I think I might get one of them next time!

Ray's the Steaks does live up live up to the hype. It was a fantastic meal and the price was amazing (and charitable on top of it!). I'll be back for sure! You should probably go too (unless you're a vegetarian). It's located at 1725 Wilson Blvd, Arlington - between Rosslyn and Courthouse, in a strip mall.

Lavender Moon Cupcakery

A new cupcake shop just opened in Old Town and I was there to investigate :D The shop just opened last Friday, according to the owner, so there was little inside besides a simple case holding the cupcakes and a mini fridge with drinks.

I demanded that the owner describe all the cupcakes to me because they were unlabeled, and she did! It was awesome. Then we each picked a cupcake: I got the banana cream pie cupcake: a banana cupcake, with a pudding filling and whipped cream and a caramelized banana on top! He got a Mexican chocolate cupcake! white cake with a cinnamon chocolate pudding filling and a fluffy chocolate frosting on top!

While we were sitting outside, the cupcake lady brought us another!!! She said she wasn't going to sell them all. It made my day! Chocolate lavender: chocolate cake, and chocolate lavender :D

The cupcakes were all moist, the frosting fluffy! If I had to pick a favorite of my cupcakes in the area, I'd say these were the ones because of the moist cakes and lots of frosting (that's light and not too overpowering). Also, they have unique flavors :)

There's a new stop on Tour de Cupcake next year!! Lavender Moon Cupcakery is at 116 South Royal St in Old Town Alexandria. There's no website, but from what I've read they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I would definitely give this place a try :D

Generous George's

Last night, I went to Generous George's Pizza and Pasta on Duke St in Alexandria. We ordered cheesy garlic bread and a large pepperoni pizza with half pineapple. The garlic bread was mediocre. The pizza was amazing! The crust was crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Also, they put a TON of pineapple on it :D
I've also had their "pasta pies" which is a pizza crust topped with enough pasta for three meals!
Dinner was $10.50 a person for three of us, including tip. We had two pieces of pizza leftover (and I got to take them home!)
Generous George's is at 3006 Duke St in Alexandria. Go there and get some pizza.

Pound Cake

Tonight, Betsy and I made pound cake, and it was delicious!

Modifications? Butter instead of shortening, lemon juice and rind instead of lemon extract (in a non exact amount) and 2 9-inch round pans instead of a loaf pan (didn't have any!). Also, we put a lemon glaze on it: butter, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and milk :D

Mmmmm....we ate almost a whole cake!!

On a side note, I also made Back to Nature Macaroni and Cheese (bug shaped)....and it was awesome! I recommend it :D

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese

When I stop posting, its because I developed an obsession with a processed food that I can't stop eating. This time it's Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It's just so good! And cheap and fast and delicious!

Making the noodles with some sort of special shape is critical, the regular tube noodles just aren't the same.

Sometimes I sprinkle dill on top to add to the deliciousness :D