Tah-Dah!!

A new look and a new post.  Its not exactly the look I wanted but the templates don't make it easy.  But at least I have a cool new logo designed by none other than the Superking himself!!  I may continue to make a few tweeks over the next few weeks but it is a new look nonetheless.

So my latest food adventure was making duck for the first time for Easter dinner with the family.  We decided to get a whole duck from the Organic Butcher of McLean and asked around for a few tips on the best way to prepare it.

We went for the simplest route...rub it down with some spices and roast it for about two hours while occasionally basting it in its own fatty juices.  This is how I usually do a turkey so I figured it would work for duck too.  And since duck is so much more fatty than turkey, it makes my job even easier.

First we give the duck a bath and pat him dry. (Actually before we gave him a bath we had to take out the innards. Luckily the gizzard was already in a pouch but the neck was still attached.  It was quite the two-person job trying to get that thing out and it was kinda gross too so no pictures of that.)

Then we give him a massage with a mixture of savory spices and herbs.  We used salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and dried basil.  It was very aromatic and made a pretty reddish color on the duck's skin.

Then we gently placed the duck onto the rack of a large roasting pan and into a 375 degree oven for about two hours. Every half hour to forty-five minutes we would baste the duck with its own juices that had dripped into the bottom of the pan.  The recipe we used actually called for basting with butter but we felt that may be too rich. Duck already has a tendency to be a little greasy so adding butter or oil will only accentuate that. However also on the final basting, we did add a light basting of a sweet chili sauce as well.

When the oven timer goes off , we gently removed the duck from the oven and let him rest about 15 minutes.  We actually cooked our duck the day before since our Easter Sunday is so busy with church and family already so as soon as the duck was finished with its little nap, we immediately wrapped him up in a cozy blanket of aluminum foil, snug as a bug in a rug for the night. 

We also harvested the fat juices and crispy bits from the bottom of the pan to be used for another food adventure!

The next day just before serving the duck, we unwrapped him, sliced up the breast meat and served it on a pretty platter along with the legs and wings as well.  We also served it with more of that sweet chili sauce on the side. I was a little worried about cooking it the day before and having it be dried out but it actually turned out to be quite flavorful.  It had a lovely crispy skin, the meat was juicy and rich without being overwhelming, and the chili sauce added a nice touch of sweetness and a little kick of spicy heat. It seemed to be a big hit with the family as well!

Wild Boar and Antelope

Nope. This isn't about a trip to the zoo nor are we going on a safari. This is about dinner.

Whenever we get the chance we take a drive over to the Organic Butcher of McLean. They have so many unique things to offer that you can't find anywhere else. We even bought a big lamb roast for our Easter dinner earlier this year from there.

Recently we visited there and purchased Wild Boar and Bacon Sausages. Brought them home and cooked them up in the frying pan and served them as sausage and pepper subs.  Chopped and lightly sauteed some green peppers and red onion and even sliced a couple jalepenos for Superking (I can't handle the hot stuff).  Melted some spicy salsa jack cheese on a toasted sub roll and sliced the cooked sausage into lovely little medallions.  Delish! Super savory, slightly gamey with a sweet smokiness of the bacon mixed in. Yumm!

On another visit we wanted to pick up some ground meat to make burgers.  "Whaddya got?" we asked the butcher. "Elk,buffalo, ostrich?"  "No," he replied. "But we do have antelope."  Wide-eyed Superking and I looked at each other.  "We'll take that!"

So he brings out a couple packages of antelope burger and we promptly take it home and fashion some nice burger pattys out of it and cook it up. Antelope is a very lean meat similar to venison. The flavor is kind of a cross between venison and beef.  It was very flavorful, also slightly gamey, yet I think we might mix it with another meat next time to give it a little more fat.  Nevertheless, I would eat it again exactly as we had it as well.

We topped our antelope burgers with some melted sharp cheddar cheese, crisp arugula, and some freshly home-made pico de gallo salsa (for another blog post). What a beautiful colorful burger it made!!

Founding Farmers

Happy Memorial Day everyone! What better way to celebrate the fallen men and women who have given their lives for our country and freedoms, than to have a great meal with family at the Founding Farmers Restaurant.  Located in the heart of our nation's capital, just a few blocks from the White House in the Foggy Bottom area of DC, this restaurant makes everything from scratch. Yes everything, even their ketchup and butter and sodas.  And all their food is obtained from local sustainable sources. Even their tables and decor are environmentally friendly, using re-purposed woods for the tables, recycled paper for the menus, and "green" paints on the walls.

cool lobby decor made from natural products, even a little reading nook filled with foodie books to peruse while you wait for your table

little pig statue over-looking the lobby

The first thing we had to order were the Bacon Lollis.  Yes bacon lollipops, essentially. Smoked thick-cut bacon on a stick that has been candied with a cinnamon brown sugar glaze.  OMG! These were unbelievable!! I could've eaten just that and been completely happy for the rest of my life.  As a matter of fact our waiter, Branden (who was a really good waiter) said sometimes his favorite meal from there were the bacon lollis and a glass of a bourbon.  Awesome.  What else can you say to that?

We also ordered Farmers Chips, Cheddar Crisps, and Dips.  The cheddar crisps were like cheesy crackers and the chips were real potato slices, both served in a copper bowl.  The three dips, all super yummy, were onion dip, pimento cheese spread, and Green Goddess dip, which I believe was avocado based. 

Left to right dips: pimento cheese, green goddess, onion

As we scarfed those all up, I enjoyed one of their house-made seasonal sodas...grapefruit soda.  It was real grapefruit juice with sparkling bubbly soda water.  Simple, yet refreshing and delicious; the perfect drink on such a hot steamy 95 degree day.

neat staircase lined with cute bird lights overhead, leading to the upstairs dining room

jars of fruit and veggies, unique decor

For my entree I opted for one of their gourmet flatbreads.  Proscuitto, fig, and marscapone on toasted ciabatta bread, served on a wooden paddle made from some local guy in Maryland.  It was the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and creamy with a little tanginess from the balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.

lower bar area (there was a smaller one upstairs)

Superking enjoyed a good ol' country farm-boy meal of fried chicken and waffles. The chicken was pan-fried southern-style to perfection...juicy and peppery with just the right amount of crisp.  The combination of the chicken with the semi-sweet waffle topped with house-churned butter and white creamy pepper gravy was strange yet beautiful.  It was served with some really cheesy mac 'n cheese and asparagus which was supposed to be double-whipped red potatoes.  But the waiter fixed it and quickly brought us a side of the potatoes as well.  Still steaming, you could see the potato skins mixed in. Delish.

cute and tiny metal carton for the pepper gravy

My in-laws joined us on this food adventure.  We thought it only fitting to bring them along since they were the ones who told us about this place.  And my father-in-law is ex-military, plus yesterday was his birthday, so happy birthday and happy memorial day to him all in one meal!

this whole side of the menu was drinks, mostly alcoholic

Mom Superking ordered the fish and chips.  The chips were served in a brown paper bag as is traditional, I've heard, in Britain. They were also supposed to come with an 8oz draught beer! But she decided to skip that.  Dad Superking decided on the Chef salad, a nice large wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with fresh veggies, including tomatoes and golden beets and even soft corn bread croutons.

sorry the fish and chips are a little blurry (trying to take it fast!)

beautiful colorful salad

The restaurant offers a breakfast/brunch menu, and at least a few of the items are served all day, including their beignets. We so badly wanted to order those but we were so stuffed from everything else! Oh well, that just means we'll have to go back. And very soon!

Superking waiting for our table, dreaming of the yummy food we're about to have

For those of you looking for more animal-friendly choices, they also offer a separate vegan menu with items such as BBQ "chicken" (which I believe is actually tofu or some soy-based product) and chocolate stout waffles. Sounds worth a try even for a bacon-and-dairy-lovin' girl like me!

Left to right: Superking, me, Mom-in-law, Dad-in-law

The Founding Farmers motto, written right on their front door is "true food and drink". Here's a quote from them about what they stand for..."The Founding Farmers name represents a combination of ideas: it is a celebration of the land and the American family farmer; it is a nod to the founding fathers of our country, many of whom owned and farmed land that surrounds Washington, D.C.; and it is a place where true, sustainably-farmed, grown, and harvested American foods are brought to our guests...It’s about growing, buying and eating food that is good – for the people that eat it, the farmers that harvest it, the animals that produce it and the world that grows it." 

God bless America and those that have fought for our freedoms!

pretty church across the street

The Organic Butcher of McLean

It always seems like I go through these periods of about two weeks without hardly any food adventures at all to write about and then BAM! I get like six within two days.  This is one of those times. Yesterday I already wrote about our trip to 2Amys pizza shop which was so yummy! But we also went somewhere else food-related that was really cool.

The Organic Butcher of McLean.  Superking and I have been wanting to go there for some time to check it out.  Now we finally had the perfect excuse to go.  Easter is tomorrow and we are having our traditional family Easter dinner at my in-laws'.  Our family usually gets a big juicy ham, which I used to just love.  I still like ham but after reading some info about Smithfield hams and other factory farmed meat companies like Smithfield, I'm very cautious about wanting to know where my ham is coming from.  The rest of the family can enjoy their ham this Easter but Superking and I wanted an organic alternative.

Superking decided on  lamb.  Organic fresh lamb from the butcher shop. Not many other people in our families eat lamb but there will be plenty to share for anyone who wants to be brave and give it a try.  And if not, more leftovers for us!!

So through the rain and cold we made our trek from 2Amys in DC to the Organic Butcher in McLean.  Its a teeny tiny place.  There's maybe 5 parking spaces out front and the back end of your car (especially if you have an SUV like us) is barely a couple feet from the road of traffic behind us.  Needless to say, its a little tricky getting in and out of there.  But its so worth the trouble.

Fresh farm-raised, organic, grass-fed meat straight off the farm right into the hands of a very skilled and knowledgeable butcher.  An amazing quality and variety of meat like you will not see in most grocery stores or anywhere else for that matter.  Just about any cut of beef, pork, poultry, veal, lamb you can imagine.  Plus house-made sausages and specialty meats like wagyu beef, sustainable seafood, and wild game such as boar, elk, buffalo, rabbit, and quail, just to name a few. Obviously they don't have all these meats all the time but whats in season and whats available from the local Virginia farms they work with.

In addition to the meats, they also sell seasonal produce, eggs, milk, cheese, ice cream, marinades and dressings, and wine, also all from local sources that are organic and hormone/antibiotic/chemical free.

Its an adorable little shop that takes you back in time to when everyone went to the butcher shop for all their meat. They boast over 80 years of experience behind the counter and can provide you with all the information you need about the meat, including the best way to cook and prepare it.

We decided to buy a bone-in leg of lamb as our ham-alternative for our Easter dinner.  The butcher gave us some advice on cooking it and even put it in a marinade for us before sealing it up.  Can't wait to cook it up and see how it turns out!  Stay tuned for that next culinary adventure...

Deer burgers (sorry Bambi!)

My hubby and I have been on a bit of a meat kick recently.  Not having had meat in a couple years, we've been wanting to try some different options.  Of course, only meat that we know where it comes from, know it was humanely treated, and was free-range, organic, all that.  A customer of Edgar's is a big deer hunter and apparently has a ton of venison just waiting around to be eaten and as offered to give us as much as we want for FREE!  It doesn't get more organic than that! So hubby brought home some deer burger and deer steaks for us to try.

Last night we broke open the deer burger along with some veggies like tomato, onion, and fresh spinach, yummy gruyere and blue cheeses, sweet BBQ sauce, and some fresh cut bacon from the farmers market.  Man were they totally yumma yumma!!

Very simple to make just pan-frying and so juicy and flavorful..Some people are somewhat afraid of eating deer, even some very avid meat-lovers we know, claiming "its too gamey!"  Most people who say that either don't know what they're talking about (they just say that because thats what they hear everyone else say) or they haven't had it prepared right, either from the processing or the cooking of it. 

These burgers were muy delisioso! The crunch of the veggies, the sharpness of the cheese, saltiness of the bacon, and the juiciness of the burger all blended together in a festival of savory flavor! And I guarantee, that if we put this burger in front of many of our meat-loving-yet-anti-deer-meat friends, they probably wouldn't have known the difference between this burger and a regular beef burger! In fact, maybe we'll try that little experiment sometime soon...hee hee hee :)