Takeout Tuesday - Pumpkin Spice Milk from Greenheart

 

I was very happy to see this pumpkin spice cashew milk available at the Pike and Rose farmers' market this past weekend after seeing it on the Greenheart Juice Shop's Instagram account.  I've tried almost all of their market offerings so far and of course I love trying anything pumpkin spice flavored.  I can't really say what is different about "activated cashew milk" myself but it tasted very smooth and I wouldn't have really known that it was different from another non-dairy milk.  The pumpkin spice and maple syrup definitely stood out to me as the strongest flavors in this.  This was really tasty and a fun new way to enjoy pumpkin spice season!

Greenheart Juice - Pike Central Farm Market (Saturdays)

935 Prose Street parking lot

North Bethesda, MD 20852

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Chocolate Sprinkle Cruffin

Even though I'm not technically eating this festive Cruffin today, it seems fitting to share this fun sprinkled treat on my birthday :o)  I was happy to see a variation of Sunday Morning Bakehouse's regular Cruffins, with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles.  The Cruffin really is like a compact croissant, with a tasty sugar coating.  The extra flavor and texture from the frosting and sprinkles is so delicious, and a great option for any type of celebration! 

 

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Pastrami Croissant

A few Saturdays ago, Sunday Morning Bakehouse had a delicious special croissant for a great cause.  The Pastrami croissant has house made Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, pastrami slices, and a little pickle to top it off.  The proceeds from sales of this croissant went to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in honor of Anthony Bourdain, which was fitting with Bourdain day being a few days prior.

I loved the smooth dressing with the tender pastrami slices, and the big, flaky croissant to bring everything together.  Of course I always enjoy sweet pastries, but it's great to try savory versions like this to switch things up a bit - especially if they're going towards a great cause!

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Apple Almond Crumble Toast

I had to snap this photo quickly so it's not great, but I had to write about this delicious toast from Sunday Morning Bakehouse that I had over Memorial Day weekend!

After trying the strawberry toast over Mother's Day weekend, I was very happy to see a new flavor out at the market.  I shared this with my friends on our overnight trip to VA, and we really enjoyed the combination of the thin apple slices and crunchy crumble topping.  The whole toast could've been covered in the buttery crumble and we would've been happy, haha.  The thick croissant toast was a delicious and sturdy base for everything on top.  I'm glad I had a chance to try out this new toast flavor!

Happy Halloween - Sanrio x Tanaka Farms

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone has been enjoying pumpkin patches and candy leading up to today, haha.  

While I haven't had a chance to see Tanaka Farms in CA in person, I've seen lots of photos online about their super cute Sanrio collaborations throughout the year.  When I saw that they had an online sale, I had to pick up some cute fall items! 

The initial order that I received had the wrong tote bag inside, but they were very nice and sent me the correct tote bag really quickly.  The enamel pin is perfect for fall/pumpkin season, and the large canvas tote bag is great for weekend shopping and farmers' markets!

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Cinnamon Sugar Brioche Doughnut

I have quickly become a big fan of Sunday Morning Bakehouse's treats that are available at the Pike Central Farm market, and my recent favorite is the cinnamon sugar Brioche doughnut! 

The doughnuts are available in the cinnamon sugar version, as well a homemade jam-filled version.

I love that these are sold in paper cups to make it easier to hold while taking it home and when you're eating!

The doughnut manages to be super light and rich at the same time.  Which might sound like a bad thing, but it's literally like biting into a cinnamon sugar pillow, haha.  You're definitely getting the satisfaction of a decadent doughnut, but without a heavy feel.  It's hard to explain it clearly, but I can tell you that it's super delicious!  I look forward to enjoying more of their treats in addition to this doughnut! 

Pike & Rose - Pike Central Farm Market + Blueberry Peach Crumble Pie

Going to the Pike Central Farm Market on Saturday mornings has become a nice little weekly routine for me whenever I am home - it's so nice having a great market that I can walk to! Recently, when I received an offer to write a post about baking something using Pike Central Farm Market ingredients, I knew it would be a good opportunity to see what seasonal items that I could work with.

Before I looked at the produce though, I had to stop at Sunday Morning Bakehouse which is quickly becoming one of my favorites for pastries!  They just started selling at the Pike Central Farm Market a few weeks ago, and I love their Matcha croissants.  They have had some interesting specialty flavors too, like the Elvis croissant above with peanut butter, bananas, and bacon - so delicious!

 

After I picked up a Matcha croissant, I went over to the Twin Spring Fruit Farm stand, and decided to make something using their yellow peaches and blueberries.  The peach samples they had out were super juicy and delicious!

As part of this blog post I received coupons for free entrees at Roti, so I went and got a rice bowl for lunch after leaving the farm market.  I have only ever had their chicken rice bowls, so it was a nice change of pace to get to try their steak and garlic sauce, which were both delicious.  The pita bread that came on the side was nice and warm -  always a nice touch.  I'd definitely get the steak again next time I come here to eat!

 

After browsing recipes online, I decided to make this Brown Sugar Peach Crumble Pie from Sally's Baking Addiction using a mix of the peaches and blueberries, and Wewalka pie crust.  The recipe was very easy to follow, and using the pint of blueberries plus five small yellow peaches worked out perfectly.  I normally don't make pies, so this was a great way to get out of my baking comfort zone and try out something new.  The crumble part of this recipe is really tasty as well, and is a great mini recipe to have on hand to top muffins and other baked goods.  This crumble pie really highlights the sweetness of the blueberries and peaches, and it's the perfect way to enjoy the current offerings from the market!

Pike Central Farm Market (Saturdays 9:00AM - 1:30PM)
910 Rose Avenue
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Roti
11584 Old Georgetown Road
North Bethesda, MD 20852


Note: My Roti entree was complimentary as part of writing this blog post.  The pie ingredients were purchased separately and I was not paid for this blog post.

Pike & Rose - Pike Central Farm Market and Owen's Ordinary Brunch

One of the most exciting things about moving into my condo has been seeing the nearby Pike & Rose area get built up with more stores and restaurants.  Having the area a short walk away has been very convenient and a little dangerous money wise, haha.  When I received an offer to write a post about the Pike & Rose area, specifically the Pike Central Farm Market and brunch at Owen's Ordinary, I was excited to check out both!

I've been to the Pike Central Farm Market in the past, but since I was not in town last weekend when it started up again for the season, I was looking forward to checking out which vendors are here this year.  My friend K and I took a lap around the market to see what was available. 

 Toigo Orchards had lots of different tomatoes for sale as well as other fruits and vegetables- on this visit I picked up their organic cucumbers.

No. 1 Sons had lots of samples and told us about their methods of reducing waste and using ingredients to their fullest for their products.  One example is the Kombucha, which uses the ginger remnants left from the ones used for pickling.  I bought a container of the apple cider dill daikon, which is super tart and crunchy!

Westmoreland Produce had lots of fresh flowers and herbs, and these patio tomato plants looked like the perfect size for people with balconies!

The Farm Market Bakery had a delicious-looking lineup of breads - the sourdough might be on the list for my next visit.

The iced coffee from Zeke's has been a favorite of mine for a while - even without any cream or sweeteners, it's delicious and not bitter at all.

After the farm market we walked over to Owen's Ordinary for brunch.  They have a nice beer garden-type outdoor dining area that is mostly covered, so even when it started to rain a little bit it wasn't an issue.

Beer Garden Menu  

Brunch Menu 

 

I ordered the Fried Chicken and Bacon Cheddar Waffle with Chili-spiced Maple Syrup, and K ordered The Californian Benedict with Multigrain Bread, Avocado and Feta Mousse, Sunflower Seeds, Arugula, and House made Home Fries. We split both dishes, and it was great combination of something healthy (ish?) and definitely not healthy, haha.  First off, the bacon cheddar waffle was delicious! I would definitely want to replicate this flavor at home with my waffle maker.  We also appreciated that it was a boneless piece of fried chicken which was easy to share, and was seasoned well too.  The avocado toast was also easy to share with two poached eggs on top of the creamy avocado and Feta mousse, and the arugula added some nice peppery flavor.  We enjoyed everything on both dishes, and I want to come back to try some other brunch items soon!

After brunch, we walked around most of Pike & Rose, and browsed in a few stores like Sur La Table, REI, and Scout & Molly's.  It's nice to be able to have a variety of stores in one area, especially when the weather is nice and I can take a long walk around the neighborhood.  I can't wait for some of the other stores to open, especially Jinya Ramen, Uniqlo, and Baked Bear - even more delicious foods to try and things to check out!

Pike & Rose
11580 Old Georgetown Road
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Owen's Ordinary
11820 Trade Street
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Note: My brunch order was complimentary as part of writing this blog post.  The rest of brunch and my farm market purchases were purchased separately, and I was not paid for this blog post.

Lunchtime Links for May 16th, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Nutella filled donut holes.
• Serious Eats: New Cape Cod potato chips review. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Strawberry frozen yogurt.
• Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag. 
• The Kitchn: Mercado market bag review.

Lunchtime Links for September 6th, 2011

• The Feisty Foodie: Num Pang sandwich shop in NYC.
• Serious Eats: Eastern Market eats.
• Dwell: Taylor Gourmet's apartment.
• Jersey Shore: Recap from TVGasm.
• Big Girls Small Kitchen: Cobb salad.

Lunchtime Links for October 19th, 2010

• The Kitchn: Review of BAKED's new cookbook.
• Pioneer Woman: Corn chowder with chilies recipe.
• Haha: Farmers Market uniform.
• Serious Eats: Pumpkin cake in a jar by Cakespy.
• Cute Overload: Bulldog puppy trying to walk.

Lunchtime Links for September 27th, 2010

• metrocurean: Pumpkin whoopie pies.
• Momofuku for 2: Pastitsio recipe.
• Bakerella: Hi hat cupcakes.
• Pioneer Woman: Meatloaf recipe.
• Serious Eats: Cupcake stuffed cupcakes from Cakespy.

Buzz Bakery Cupcakes

S and I recently ventured out to Old Town Alexandria, VA for bridesmaidrial duties, but stopped in Buzz Bakery on our way back.  The cafe is super cute, with lots of treats and gift items to look at.  The whole space had a v. neighborhood-y, comfortable feel to it. 

We each got a cupcake to eat there so we could sit and enjoy the cafe a little bit.  Also, I was excited to try out another one of their cupcake offerings - I've only tried their Buzz Cupcake from the Bethesda farmers' market before. 

 

Red Velvet cupcake

I decided to go with my "baseline" cupcake flavor, the Red Velvet.  It was a good size, with a nice cupcake/frosting ratio for me.  I loved the little chocolate curls on top, which gave the cupcake a little bit of texture and upped the cute factor for me.  Overall this was a solid cupcake with great flavor, and I'd definitely get it again.   

Gluten-free Chocolate and Almond

S got the gluten-free chocolate and almond cupcake pictured above.  I thought it looked cute, but quite a lot of almonds for a not-that-big cupcake, haha.  S had this to say about the cupcake: The frosting was definitely the best part of the cupcake! It was creamy and light, perfect for a hot summer day. The cake portion of the cupcake was a tad dry, and very crumbly, which as I'm starting to learn is very common for GF cupcakes. Overall, an average cupcake - but the atmosphere at Buzz totally made up for it.

Overall, we loved the cafe itself and were happy to be able to try the place out ourselves.  If I lived in one of the apartments nearby I would totally be in there every day, haha. Such a cute little spot!

Buzz Bakery

901 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.600.2899

Tabard Inn Brunch

My friend E and I capped off a fun weekend with a stroll through the Dupont farmers' market, followed by Sunday brunch at the Tabard Inn.  You might recall my last visit there where I wouldn't shut up about the donuts.  Well, this time around I actually took photos of the other (real) food that I ate, haha.  Also, since I was the only one that wanted a donut,  I refrained from getting a full order and got just one - a perfect way to start the day!

 

Freshly fried donut with cinnamon sugar and vanilla whipped cream

Burrata Cheese, Pickled Beets, and Beet Greens with sourdough toast, lemon oil

We kept reviewing the menu to see what jumped out at us- but to be honest, I think neither of us were super hungry for heavy, really BRUNCH-esque food.  I eventually went with this interesting salad above: Burrata cheese, pickled beets, and beet greens with sourdough toast and lemon oil.  I ordered this mainly because I am obsessed with Burrata cheese and naturally gravitate towards that on any menu.  I'm actually not much of a beet fan but figured I'd try it out.  I'm glad I did- the combo of the pickled beets with the creamy cheese was delicious!  I really liked the combination of everything together in this salad- lots of different flavors and textures that worked well together. 

Tomato and bread soup

I also got an order of cold tomato and bread soup - sorry, it's not on the online menu so I don't know its "official" menu name.  But yes, you read that correctly- there was bread in the soup, making it much heartier and with more texture than a regular blended tomato soup.  I really enjoyed this soup and would absolutely order it again.  There was tons of flavor in it, considering I was expecting sort of a plain tomato soup. 

Overall, the Tabard Inn is a fantastic place for brunch- whether you're looking for the usual eggs and carbs fare, or something on the lighter side like I got (minus the donut, obviously, haha).  I hope I get a chance to head back soon!

The Restaurant at the Tabard Inn

1739 N Street NW

Washington, DC 20036

202.331.8528

The Copper Pot: Smoky Bacon and Parmesan Sauce

I picked up a jar of The Copper Pot Food Company's Smoky Bacon and Parmesan Cheese sauce from their stand at the Dupont Farmers' Market a while back. Bacon, cheese, and tomato? Count me in!
 
I used this sauce on two separate occasions. The first dinner was just the sauce, heated up, with some pasta. The smokiness of the bacon really stands out above any other flavors. I love me some bacon, but I found it a little overwhelming, even for me. Otherwise, it's a thick, really rich sauce that I enjoyed.
 
The second time around, I found it to be much more successful. I sauteed diced carrots and green pepper first, then added the sauce to simmer before adding to the cooked pasta. The carrots added a little sweetness, and both the carrots and green pepper added texture and a little mildness to balance out the strong bacon flavor.

In any event, I'm happy that I got to try this oft-praised sauce, and would like to try out some of their other products for sure. As far as this sauce, I could totally see it being a fantastic sauce for meatballs or on top of a meatloaf, yum!

Buzz Bakery at the Bethesda Farmers Market: Buzz Cupcake

 

I recently headed down to the Bethesda Farmers Market one Sunday morning, mainly to pick up my Black Tea Gelato order from Pitango Gelato (SO good!!!!!!!!!!).  Little did I know that a fabulous surprise was there as well- a Buzz Bakery stand!!  Apparently they started selling at the market a few weeks back, woohoo!  Since I was already getting a giant carton of gelato, I decided to pick up just one item from the Buzz Bakery stand.  

All of their cupcakes looked good, but the guy manning the stand recommended the Buzz cupcake, a signature item on their regular menu.  It's a cute lil thing, all fluffy and poofy-looking on top, chocolatey on the bottom.  The frosting is fantastic- light and super tasty, texture-wise v. similar to Georgetown Cupcake's cream cheese frosting.  The cake was moist and really rich, really nice along with the light frosting.  The crushed Oreos on top added a touch of texture - and I loooooove Oreos, so this was a total WIN in my book.  I would definitely get this cupcake again!  One of these days I'll have to make it to their Alexandria shop; but until then, I'm excited to try out more of their goods at the Bethesda Farmers Market!

Dupont Farmers Market Goodies

 Just wanted to share some recent finds at the Dupont Farmers Market, which runs every Sunday morning.  N recommended the ricotta cheese, which she used before for both savory and sweet dishes.  I got a small tub of the Keswick Creamery Whole Milk Ricotta, as well as a pack of Red Apron Mortadella Dogs for fun.  I figured I didn't *have* to eat these like hot dogs, and could use them like I would for sausage in a recipe.  

  

What I came up with is this easy dish right here: Rigatoni with sauteed mortadella dogs, fresh tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and whole milk ricotta.  First, I start cooking the pasta, and while that was going I cut up and sauteed the garlic and mortadella dogs.  Then I cut up and threw in the tomatoes to the pan for a few minutes.  Right before the pasta was finished cooking, I threw in handfuls of spinach to wilt in the pan.  At the v. last second I mixed in a few spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese along with some fresh cracked pepper.  So delicious!  I made the exact recipe again a few days later, I liked it so much, haha.  Not the most creative recipe, but super yummy and a good way to use up the stuff I bought!

Lunchtime Links for June 9th, 2010

• Serious Eats: 10 tips for farmers market visits.
• Modern Domestic: Chocolate hazelnut gelato recipe. 
• The Kitchn: Strawberry sangria recipe.
• Starbucks: Snickerdoodle Frappuccino, who would've thunken?
• The City: Recap from NYMag.

Pitango Gelato: Quince Sorbet

 

I haven't had a chance to make it over to Pitango Gelato in DC yet, but I'm lucky enough to have them come to me- well, at least to the Bethesda Farmers Market on Sundays, haha.  I wasn't planning on buying any gelato, but after tasting a few samples, I picked up a container of the Local Pennsylvania Quince to take home.  

I actually didn't know what Quince was, besides vaguely thinking it was like a pear.  If you're like me, then here's some more info about the Quince in case you are curious.  This sorbet is super refreshing, a little sweet, a little tart- super delicious!   It's definitely a unique flavor that I wouldn't have thought to try, but I'm really glad I did- or rather, I'm glad the Pitango seller offered it to me, haha.  If you get a chance to a) try Pitango; and/or b) try Quince sorbet, definitely give it a shot!

Lunchtime Links for May 14th, 2010

• Gossip Girl: Recap from NYMag.
• I Eat Cupcakes for Breakfast: Strawberry Cupcake recipe.
• SNL: Betty White's "Muffin" sketch, haha. 
• Giada: Crab, avocado, and mango roll recipe. 
• The Kitchn: Small kitchen/bathroom accessories.