Archive for May, 2009

Strawberry Poppers

Posted by Rex on May 31, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Fruit, Recipes, Strawberries / 3 Comments

Yesterday, I went over to a friends house for a birthday extravaganza. I wanted to bring something that was light and refreshing. So I went to the store and strawberries were on sale for $1.99 a pound. Perfect, strawberry based dessert. Then I remembered a recipe that my friend made for my house warming party. Stuffed strawberry poppers.

Perfect one bite desserts

Perfect one bite desserts

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , ,

English Muffin Bread

Posted by Rex on May 30, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Recipes / No Comments

Earlier this week Nick over at Macheesmo made english muffins.  This reminded me of the english muffin bread that my mom buys from the local Amish Community.  The bread is light and airy and toasts beautifully.  I wanted to recreate that bread.  Here is my shot at it.

Perfect with homemade strawberry jam

Perfect with homemade strawberry jam

Unlike most bread dough’s you do not knead this one.  It is a wetter batter than most bread doughs.  Since it is a wet dough make sure to immediately wash all utensils and bowls that had the dough in it.  If you don’t it will be really hard to clean as the wet dough dries into cement.

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

What to do this weekend in DC (May 29-31)

Posted by Rex on May 29, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Cooking, Things to do in DC / No Comments

Every friday I pick the best culinary events in the DC area for my readers to enjoy.  This weekend there are some great events to attend.

Cochon 555

5 Chefs, 5 Pigs and 5 Winemakers.  Each chef will prepare a 70 lb heritage pig from head to toe for judges and the crowd.  In the end the judges and the crowd determine the winner.  The 5 chefs are Nicholas Stefanelli – Mio, Brian McBride – Blue Duck Tavern, Jamie Leeds – Commonwealth Gastropub, RJ Cooper – Vidalia and John Manolatos – Cashion’s Eat Place.

There will also be 5 winerys there pairing their wines with the chefs creations.  Winerys that are attending Patz & Hall, Pax Wine Cellears, Bonny Doon Vineyard, Arcadian Winery, Miner Family Vineyards.

It is going to be a great time.  Plus, its pork.  Who doesn’t love pork.  For tickets and more information click here.

Spike’d Sundays – (Sunday May 31)

Former “Top Chef” Spike Mendelsohn hosts this summer-long pool party, with burgers, drinks and swimming.  Located at  Best Western Capitol Skyline Hotel,  10 I St SW,  Washington, DC.  Entry is $10 and includes a Spike Burger.

Herndon Festival – (Thursday, May 28 to Sunday, May 31)

This festival includes 23 different food vendors including:

A Southern Fish Fry Fish & Chips Food Court
Bon Appetit Mediterranean Food Court
The Original Cinnamon Roasted Almonds Dessert Crepes/Roasted Nuts Lynn St
Council for the Arts of Herndon Beer and Food Cafe
D&J Concessions Turkey Leg/Sausages Lynn St
Domino’s Pizza Pizza Cafe
Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern Cajun Cafe
John the Greek Greek Lynn St
Mac Brand Foods Steak & Cheese/Corn Dog Lynn St
Mediterranean Grill Fajita/Taco Salad Food Court
Optimist Herndon Beer and Food Cafe
Papa John’s Pizza Pizza Lynn St
PopcornMan.com Kettle Corn ALynn St
Premiere Hospitality Inc. Superburger Lynn St
Robeks Fruit Smoothies Smoothies Station St
Sherri’s Fun Foods Crab Cakes Food Court
Red Hot & Blue BBQ Lynn St.
Taste of the World Asian Cafe
Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda Pop Co. Rootbeer Station St
Three Thai Sushi Thai Food Court
Rotary Club of Herndon Beer and Food Cafe
Cast Iron Concessions Funnel Cakes Lynn St
Coco Bongos

The festival is located in downtown Herdon, VA and has fireworks @9:30 on Sunday.
Click here for more information.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Posted by Rex on May 28, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Baking, Cookies, Recipes, Shortbread / No Comments

Since it has been raining here in DC it has cooled off a bit.  Yesterday morning it was 65 degrees.  Perfect to read the paper and drink my coffee before work.  The only thing missing was the perfect accompaniment to coffee.  Shortbread cookies.  So today, I made some light and fluffy shortbread cookies. 

Light and flakey shortbread the perfect accompaniment to coffee

Light and flakey shortbread the perfect accompaniment to coffee

This recipe creates one of the easiests cookies I have ever made.

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Book Review – The Joy of Pickling

Posted by Rex on May 27, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Book Reviews / No Comments


Every wednesday I review a cookbook to help weed out the good the bad and the ugly. This week I am reviewing The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich. When I first got this book I said to myself, “Am I really going to make pickles. Aren’t pickles just cucumbers and vinegar. Plus, don’t pickles take forever to make.” I had it all wrong, after reading this book I realized that I had a lot of misconceptions about pickles. Plus, what I learned about pickling turned me instantly into a pickling type of person.

Pickling can be quick
When I think of pickles I usually think of the ones that you buy in the store that come in the neon green brine. I was under the impression that they take forever to make. You need to get canning equipment, tons of salt and vinegar, and boil and let sit for months. To my surprise pickling can take as little as 10 minutes. I made burgers the other day and topped them with a quick pickle of onions and jalapenos that I found right in this book. They were the best part of the burger. No cooking or canning required. Just soaking in a brine of salt and vinegar. My first misconception was dismissed. Plus, the quick pickles were awesome.

Pickles are not just made from cucumbers
Linda has recipes for all types of vegetables, fruits, meats, fish and eggs. Who knew you could pickle meat. You can pickle beef, pig’s feet, oysters, shrimp, mussels and all types of eggs. Reading about the pickled eggs reminded me of when I was in college. During my ten year in college I spent some time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Wisconsin. Every bar had pickled eggs and now thanks to this book I can recreate the lost memories by making some eggs of my own. You can definitely pickle more than just cucumbers. My second misconception was dismissed.

Pickling is an International Affair
Pickling is done in every culture. You have Irish corned beef, Swedish Gravlax, Hungarian Summer Pickles, Chinese Fermented Daikon, Vietnamese Pickled Bean Sprouts, Korean Kimchi and numerous others. My favorite and the one that I am totally going to make is German Sauerkraut. I have been making my own brats, so why shouldn’t I make my own sauerkraut. This book has a great recipe for sauerkraut, you will be seeing a post on sauerkraut soon.

Overall
Overall this book is awesome. Buy fresh produce that is on sale and pickle it so that it keeps until you need it. There really isn’t a better book for this economy. Plus, pickles are just plane ole tasty. I forgot to mention that they have a couple of recipes for standard dill pickles. I haven’t made any yet, but I am sure that they will be 100 times better than the ones from the store.

If you would like to learn more about pickles or get any of the recipes for the pickles that I have listed above I suggest that you go out and buy this book. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Strawberry Sodas

Posted by Rex on May 26, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Drinks, Fruit, Recipes, Strawberries / 1 Comment

It was 90 degrees here in DC and I was looking for something refreshing to cut the heat.  Since it is strawberry season, I decided to make Strawberry Sodas.  Not soda as in soda pop, but sodas as in the old fashion ice cream soda that you would get a from a soda fountain.  Not as hard as you would think.  The syrup only takes 20 minutes and the assembly of the drink takes less than a minute.

Layered with freshly made strawberry syrup and vanilla ice cream.

Layered with freshly made strawberry syrup and vanilla ice cream.

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Memorial Day Cookout

Posted by Rex on May 25, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
BBQ, Bacon, Burgers, Peppers, Picnic Classics, Recipes, Spicy, beef / 5 Comments

Since today is Memorial Day I decided to create a couple of dishes that are perfect for grilling out.  I am going to make a Pepperjack and Jalapeno stuffed burger topped with a spicy mayo and a quick pickle of onions and jalapenos.  I call it my “Two Steps From Hell Burger”.  The burger is very spicy.  Since corn is in season and the local Giant has 12 ears for 1.88, I figured I would grill up some corn.  Grilling corn sounds easy but to get it right takes some work.  Most people don’t grill it for long enough, or else they grill it too long and it becomes chewy.  Neither are good eats. 

The Two Steps From Hell Burger served with Grilled Corn

The Two Steps From Hell Burger served with Grilled Corn

Continue reading…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Egg in a Hole

Posted by Rex on May 24, 2009 - Print This Post Print This Post
Breakfast, Recipes, eggs / No Comments

Welcome to Savoryreviews.com.  This is your one stop shop for cooking help, recipes and restaurant reviews.  If this is your first time, take a minute to check out our about section.  If this is or isn’t your first time, check our our new improvements.  We have added an Ask Rex Section, so that you can ask Rex questions about cooking or suggest future topics.  Further we have added a Savory Reviews forum so that not only can you ask us for help with your questions, fellow readers can add their input. 

Egg in a hole, is one of my favorite breakfast foods that you don’t see that often.  If you break the yolk it is the ultimate to go food as the egg is secured in the bread.  If you don’t break the yolk, the bread around egg soaks up the yolk when it is broken at the table.  It is the ultimate breakfast food.

Nothing beats an egg in a hole, except for egg in a hole with cheese.

Nothing beats an egg in a hole, except for egg in a hole with cheese.

It is perfect finger food and you don’t have to worry about the egg and the cheese falling all over the place like a fast food breakfast sandwich.

Continue reading…

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,