How Good is Your Salsa?

 

In case the practically suffocating humidity didn’t tip you off, D.C. is in the full grips of Summer now.  But the trade off of sweating through my professional clothes walking to work (seriously, I do not look pretty when I finally make it to my office) is the vast amount of fresh fruits and vegetables available at local farmers markets.  The folks over at FreshFarm Market are putting on their Annual Salsa Contest to help us figure out what the heck to do with all of it. 

 

I only just received this information yesterday, so take note that the deadline for this contest is TOMORROW!

 

Annual Salsa Contest at H Street FRESHFARM Market.

August 2^nd 9:30-12.

H Street Market is at 624 H Street NE, in the parking lot.

 

Rules (Lillian cannot go outside…oh, sorry that was a “Raw” flashback):

 

·Your salsa must be homemade (we can spot that Old El Paso stuff from a mile away)

·Most of your ingredients must come from the H Street Market (except things like limes, orange juice, mango)

·Your salsa can’t be so hot that it makes people cry

 

FRESHFARM Markets will provide the tortilla chips on the day of the event.  Prizes will be awarded for the top three salsas!

Sign-up to submit a salsa at info@freshfarmmarkets.org by July 31^st

So Sorry…

I know a number of you have come to my site in search of the latest Daring Baker’s challenge (and my usually disastrous tales that come from it) but a very hectic life and sadness have gotten the best of me this July.  Hence the lack of posting lately, for which I am truly sorry.  The good news:  my dear friend Daphne is now a DC resident (and my neighbor) and I am finally shaking off the cooking inertia that set in after the Diva’s passing. 

The bad news:  I am currently sans my beloved Canon.  The pop-up flash wasn’t working, making it impossible to take pictures in low lighting in automatic mode.  Fortunately, for the first time ever, I opted to purchase a warranty when I originally bought my camera.  So now it’s been shipped to the Canon gods for repair.  But apparently the Canon gods are super slow, as it will take up to 6 weeks for me to get it back.  Daphne has been kind enough to offer me her point and shoot in the mean time, so you may notice a slight difference in photo quality for a while.  BUT, I am back and I definitely plan on hanging out in my kitchen this upcoming weekend (for the first time in a LONG time), so stay tuned!  In the meantime, head on over to the Daring Baker’s blogroll to see what some of my fellow DBers did this July!  And I promise I will be back to my usual DB shenanigans in August…snafus, idiotic decisions and all!

Traditional Irish Soda Bread…And a Lazy Man’s Coconut Beans & Rice

I’ll admit it: my apartment is a mess, I haven’t cooked in days (boiling angel hair pasta and then adding sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese doesn’t count…does it?) and I have been tucked into bed by 7 pm five out of the last seven nights. So when I was thinking about what to eat for dinner Friday night, imagine my surprise when the urge to actually do a bit of baking hit me. Mind you, I didn’t want to do anything elaborate…and I didn’t want to go to the grocery store (did I mention I haven’t done any grocery shopping in almost two weeks), so I had to think of something that didn’t require a lot of butter…or sugar…or chocolate…or whole milk. That’s when I remembered an Irish soda bread Food Rockzman had made for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner I was lucky enough to attend. He had mentioned how easy it was to make, so I took a gander at the recipe…and decided I had to find something even easier.

My Dear Diva

It is with an unbelievably heavy heart that I write this post.  On Monday, my beloved Squeaker (known on here as The Diva) was put to sleep to ease the suffering she was going through.  She was not just my cat, but my absolute buddy through thick and thin.  She was there for every single moment of my adult life and helped me through some very low points.  I am at a loss for words that can adequately express what she meant to me but a very dear friend of mine sent me an email after learning of Diva’s passing.  Hopefully he won’t mind that I shared his words with you:

“Sadness and mourning allow us time to reflect on what has passed in our lives. Although I did not know your cat, I know you. If you’re anything like me, animals help maintain our sense of balance. Anyone who has loved their pet knows how important they are to keep a measure of sanity in a sometimes insane world. For a very long time, Squeaker gave you a sense of certainty and the amazing gift of unqualified love, that much I know. Now that that certainty is gone, you might feel off-balance. You will persevere.”

“Our love for our animals is painful in the end, that much is true. I know when I lost my dogs and my cat, I felt as if a piece of me had died too. For the longest time I couldn’t think of them without crying. It hurts, they are family. When no one else is there, they are there. Nothing is more valuable than the happiness they give. I’m sure Squeaker was no exception. The pain may seem unbearable now, but in the future you may temper that sadness with the shear volume of love your cat gave you. The happiness you two experienced will never be replaced. You can call yourself lucky that you had love without question. Nothing will ever replace your friend, but the memories of love, companionship, and happiness will live on in her place.”

And Now It’s Time For a Brief Intermission…

As much as I love writing this blog and chronicling my kitchen and DC adventures, I need a bit of a break. The Diva is sick…very sick and right now she needs me. So for the next week, I’m going to spend time with her, take care of her and do my best to make her comfortable and happy. While I am sure I will cook during this time, I know I will not feel much like writing or shooting the fruits of the kitchen labor. Fear not, I will be back in a week’s time, apron dusted with flour and my little kitchen buzzing with food. So don’t travel too far away from my blog or forget about Shaw Girl. In the meantime, stop and smell the flowers and if you have a pet, give them a big hug…and that is a direct order from the Diva!

Walnut Coffee Ice Cream…Or Ode to Joy 2

I must start this post with a disclaimer: this entire ice cream recipe was the brain child of Joy the Baker. I take absolutely zero credit for this wonderful dish, so heap all the compliments on her. It all started when Joy read on my blog that I was in a funk. Being the wonderful person that she is, she immediately sent me a care package! Someone I have never actually met cared enough to take time out of her very busy day to send me something that she knew would make me smile. And it really, truly did…

Chicken Pinata…Or Rosemary and Lemon Chicken with Capers

Someone (who shall remain nameless but they know who they are) bitched that I didn’t IMMEDIATELY post about what I served with the rosemary garlic new potatoes. Normally I ignore such whining, but given the fact that this person defends our national security, I decided to acquiesce.

So dear readers, I present to you Chicken Pi-nata. This isn’t completely chicken piccata because there isn’t any breading, I didn’t saute it and I added rosemary. But the butter, lemon and capers really give this dish a piccata feel. Hence the name…clever, huh?