What I Baked for Dessert :: Cranberry-Orange Scones

Our immediate neighborhood is adopting a Village concept to help elderly residents age in place. Part of that includes sponsoring neighborhood get-togethers (for all ages) like a weekly walking group and occasional reading group, seasonal get-togethers, and a game night. The newest addition is a baking class taught by one of the residents. I immediately signed up when I saw it on our listserv because I want to learn more tips and tricks to improve my baking skills.

The first class was held over the weekend and we baked cranberry-orange scones. They were surprisingly easy to make but I'm so glad I had an experienced baker showing us the way. You really don't have to work the dough very much and I was close to doing so when she intervened, "Stop, stop, stop!"

I'm off to buy buttermilk and a bench scraper on Monday so I can make some more at home! I'm thinking of also making blueberry-lemon scones for the grown-ups and plain scones with coarse sugar on top for my daughter.

[picture taken by my across-the-street neighbor Bob who was my baking partner this week]

What I Read for Fun :: Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy

Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
written by Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis, illustrated by Brooke Allen, colored by Maarta Laiho, lettered by Aubrey Aiese
BOOM! Studios, 128 pages
upper middle grade/YA, graphic novel, fantasy, adventure

What I Ate for Lunch :: Oakville Grill & Wine Bar

I forgot to take a picture of my burger, but it was hardly memorable so it doesn't matter. (The burger my husband concocted last week was far superior. And I asked for Cheddar cheese, not American -- I know the difference!) A lot of people at my table ordered salads and those looked pretty good, especially the shrimp and scallops ones. Oh yes, we also shared the Ahi Tuna Carpaccio appetizer, which was pretty decent.

The apple pie a la mode was better; it wasn't too sweet and had a nice caramelized flavor to it. But it's huge and I think the portion is too large (and expensive -- $8) for lunch. (I couldn't finish the last couple of bites, which is unusual for me.)

It's a perfectly serviceable restaurant but I'm too cheap to want to come back. I'd rather go to a more hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Wheaton, but that's a personal preference. I will say the service was good and our server was friendly and attentive.

Oakville  Grill & Wine Bar
10257 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

What I Ate for Lunch :: Saffron Indian Cuisine

The year-end lunch for my women's club cooking groups was at Saffron Indian Cuisine in Falls Church. We had the lunch buffet but I'm not sure how much it is because we paid a set price as a group (and the price isn't on the website).

There was a nice selection and I got super full just trying a bite or two of most of the dishes. I particularly liked the Karara Palak Chaat, which is batter-fried spinach with a mango chutney; the Mulligatawny soup made with yellow lentils; and the goat Kadai (the goat is tossed in a wok with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, and Garam Masala). Our group also ordered shrimp curry and Kulcha (cheese/paneer-stuffed naan), which aren't part of the buffet.

I thought it was all pretty good, but the flavor was probably enhanced the company and the fun I was having talking to my friends.

Saffron Indian Cuisine
1077 West Broad Street
Falls Church, Virginia 22046

What I Read for Fun :: Maddy Kettle

Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch
by Eric Orchard
Top Shelf Productions, 96 pages
middle grade, graphic novel, fantasy, adventure

What I Read for Fun :: The Loch Ness Punster

43 Old Cemetery Road, Book Seven: The Loch Ness Punster
by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 135 pages
younger middle grade, epistolary, fantasy/ghost

What We Ate for Dinner :: Frankly ... Pizza!

I've had Frankly ... Pizza! on my to-try list for awhile since seeing it mentioned online last year. But, frankly (ha! see what I did there?), I'm not a huge pizza fan. So it took a mention in this month's Washingtonian Magazine '100 Places to Eat Great Cheap' article to get us there.

It was Sunday evening (around 6:45) of Memorial Day Weekend so it was kind of packed. I'm not sure how busy it normally is, but I imagine there's usually a wait because it's a small place. We waited outside for less than 20 minutes but had to wait another 20-25 minutes before our food came. But, again, it was busy and they bake each pizza in their wood-fired oven, which isn't that big. We sipped one of their yummy homemade sodas (Cherry Fizz | $3.50) while we waited.

We dove right in when the pizzas arrived and they were pretty darn good. Our favorite was the Spinach White Pizza (mozzarella, fresh garlic, caramelized onions, spinach, Gruyere, lemon, Romano | $13), but the other pizzas we ordered were good too (Pepperoni | $13.50, Garlic with extra house-made sausage | $13, and Mushroom | $14).

The staff was really friendly and the restaurant had a true neighborhood vibe to it, which I like. But I'm torn because we ended up spending close to $70 (with tax and tip) for a pizza dinner. And on our budget, that's a luxury. I'm afraid we won't be able to indulge too often at Frankly ... Pizza! but we certainly recommend it for those of you in the area.

Frankly ... Pizza!
10417 Armory Avenue
Kensington, MD 20895

What I Read for Fun :: The War That Saved My Life

The War That Saved My Life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Dial Books for Young Readers, 320 pages
middle grade, historical fiction, realistic fiction

What I Made for Dinner :: Cheeseburgers

Making burgers at home is so easy and usually better (and cheaper) than getting it at a restaurant. My husband mixed up ground beef (85%) with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, thyme, ground black pepper, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and mustard powder. He grilled the burgers on our barbecue, of course.

For the toppings, I cooked some bacon, sauteed onions (in the bacon grease), cut up some vegetables (lettuce, Campari tomatoes, and avocado), and fried up an egg (for me). We used mild cheddar cheese instead of American cheese.

What I Read for Fun :: Last of the Sandwalkers

Last of the Sandwalkers
by Jay Hosler
First Second, 320 pages
middle grade, graphic novel, science

What I Read for Fun :: Hansel & Gretel

Hansel & Gretel
retold by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti
TOON Books, 56 pages
fairy tale, illustrated book, middle grade

What I Read for Fun :: Lost in NYC

Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure
by Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio García Sánchez
TOON Books, 52 pages
younger middle grade, graphic novel, history

What I Read for Fun :: Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press, 182 pages
middle grade, realistic fiction, Newbery Honor Book

What I Read for Fun :: Honey

Honey
by Sarah Weeks
Scholastic Press, 160 pages
middle grade, realistic fiction

What I Read for Fun :: District Comics

District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC
edited by Matt Dembicki
Fulcrum Publishing, 256 pages
nonfiction, history, graphic novel, upper middle grade to YA

What I Made for Dinner :: Chicken Baked in White Wine, Olive Oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano

http://www.alexandracooks.com/2010/09/22/chicken-legs-baked-with-white-wine-olive-oil-making-the-most-of-a-whole-chicken-part-two/

What I Read for Fun :: Aphrodite, Goddess of Love

Olympians #6: Aphrodite, Goddess of Love
by George O'Connor
First Second Books, 80 pages
middle grade graphic novel, Greek mythology

What I Read for Fun :: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
by Mindy Kaling
Three Rivers Press, 222 pages
memoir, essays, nonfiction

What I Read for Fun :: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
by Karen Joy Fowler
Marian Wood Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons, 320 pages
fiction

What I Read for Fun :: Where You Go Is Not Who'll You Be

Where You Go Is Not Who'll You Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania
by Frank Bruni
Grand Central Publishing, 224 pages
nonfiction

What I Ate for Breakfast :: Strawberry Castella

[I had my sister & mom bring back this seasonal strawberry castella from Mujirushi in Japan (aka Muji in the US).]

What I Made for Dinner :: Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

I'm in one of the cooking groups for my women's club, and a couple of months back we learned some dishes from New Orleans. The gumbo recipe we used was based on this recipe from Emeril Lagasse, with a few tweaks.

Since then, I've been craving gumbo and I decided to make it this weekend before the weather warms up too much. I tweaked it further because the dish would've been pretty expensive to make otherwise. I omitted a whole bunch of the seafood, lessened the amount of shrimp, and swapped the chorizo for andouille. And my understanding is that it's sacrilegious to use both okra and filé powder, but I did anyway because the amount of okra I used wasn't enough to thicken the gumbo to the consistency I like, and the filé imparts a nice earthy aroma.

But one of the things I want to mention here is that it is hard to use whole wheat (WW) flour to make a roux! Usually, when you make a roux with bleached all-purpose (AP) flour, you can use color to gauge its "doneness." But with WW, it's brown almost immediately and you have to go by time and smell, which can be difficult. I felt like I was screwing up the roux because I had no clue when it was done. Besides the fact that I think I added too much oil and it looked too liquidy to me. In the end, I added more flour, soaked up most of the oil with multiple paper towels, and used less than half of the remaining chocolate-colored roux. I tasted it a bit (and it is not tasty!) to make sure it wasn't too burnt, and then proceeded with the recipe. Next time, I'm sticking to AP.

In the end, though, the dish tasted great and I'm so glad we have leftovers!