The Johnson Family Dinner Event

I didn’t have the opportunity to update you all on an event…a family tradition of sorts, that my cousins and I started this year.  I have to first explain how this new family tradition started.  Thanksgiving Dinner, 2008-I come from a family of very talented cooks and caterers, so I have been spoiled all my life with good food…UNTIL THAT DAY.  Canned Greens?  Horrible!!!  Greasy and gloppy Mac-N-Cheese?  Atrocious!!!  Luckily, the turkey was pretty decent, but what was a real sin…STORE BOUGHT ROLLS, and not even the good store bought rolls.  We’re talking about the store bought rolls that cost like $1.99, and have a taste of the plastic bag that it comes in.  That’s an “abomination to the Lord himself”.  My two cousins, Stacee and April, my sister, Krystal and myself had a conference.  We decided that afternoon that we will no longer deal with mediocre food.  We also wanted to use food as a catalyst to bring the family together.  Our grandmother died in May of 2008, and she was a central figure in our family, and was a fantastic cook.  We decided that our immediate families (My mother, father and sister and my Uncle Harry, Aunt Faye and Stacee and April) will get together every three months, with a different culinary theme, and just eat and enjoy each other’s company.  We started out shortly after the New Year, 2009…and the culinary theme was Italian Food, which is one of my culinary specialties.  I made a huge lasagna (Pictured below), and my cousins made Chicken Florentine, we had terrific Italian-themed salads, garlic bread, Alicia made a fantastic cheesecake (Also pictured below), my Aunt made desserts as well (She is a helluva baker…she should make her living doing that).  My sister made punch, which is all good…because her punch has reached “legendary” status.  We ate well, played Nintendo Wii (Thus making me come to the realization that I am out of shape), and laughed and joked.  A great day.

The Spread

 

Alicia's Yummy Cheesecake

 

Three months went by, and it was time to plan another dinner event.  We had to come up with a culinary theme?  ASIAN!!!  Everybody wanted Asian, and I was certainly down for it.  In the last few months, I have been cooking and eating more Asian cuisine, and I have come to really, really love it and appreciate it for its flavor, yet simplicity.  Alicia is an Asian food “addict”, so this event really hit her “comfort zone”.  This time around, we expanded the event, and invited my father’s older sister, my Aunt Barbara, and invited my cousin, Stephanie, whose father was my Dad’s younger brother.  He passed in 1982.  Of course, Uncle Harry, Aunt Faye, Stacee and April, my parents, my sister, myself and Alicia.  We set out to create a menu.  We had an awesome menu, that brought in the flavors and cuisines from several nations including Korea, Vietnam, China, and Thailand.  Here is the menu and the people who made/cooked the items:

STARTERS:  Vietnamese Vegetarian Spring Rolls (Myself), Pork and Chive Dumplings (Alicia), and Asian-Style Meatballs (Stephanie…the meatballs weren’t photographed)

Vietnamese Veggie Spring Rolls and Pork and Chive Dumplings

SALADS & VEGETABLES:  Green Papaya Salad (April), Asian-Influenced Green Beans (Stacee), and Baby Bok Choy Noodle Salad (Aunt Faye)

Green Papaya Salad

 

Asian Green Beans

 

Baby Bok Choy Salad

SOUP:  Hot and Sour Soup (My mother….dish not photographed)

MAINS:  Red Curry Crawfish/Shrimp (Myself), Peking Duck (My father), Grilled Korean Bulgogi Skirt Steak (Myself), “Twice Cooked” Pork (My Aunt Barbara), Asian-Inspired Udon Noodle Dish (Stacee), and Lemongrass Chicken (Myself-Not Photographed)

Red Curry Crawfish/Shrimp

 

Peking Duck

 

Grilled Korean Bulgogi Skirt Steak

 

Twice Cooked Pork

 

Asian Inspired Udon Noodle Dish

 DESSERTS-Thank God for my cousin, April, because the rest of us did not keep with the Asian-theme when it came to desserts.  Although my family likes different cuisines, I don’t know if they are quite ready to part with their love of American and/or Western-European-influenced desserts.  I have admit, I am the same way.  As I stated, my cousin, April, was the exception.  She made Mango Sticky Rice, a dish we have seen on many Thai Restaurant menus, and speaking for myself, something that I have constantly passed over.  But…we are to try everything, so I did, and I am very glad I did.  This stuff was unbelieably good.  I wanted to try more and more and more and more of it, but I was too full from dinner.  It really was delicious, and I look forward to trying it the next time I venture to my favorite Thai restaurant.  Other than, my father made a bread pudding, but instead of using stale bread, he used stale cake…DAMN GOOD.  My wife to be, made a fantastic trifle using scratch-made strawberry cake, fresh strawberries, lemon curd, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream.  Just take a look below for the rest of the desserts:

April's Mango Sticky Rice....DAMN GOOD!!!

Strawberry Vanilla Trifle...one of my wife's signature desserts

 

Gene's Mango Bread Pudding

Krystal's Coconut Cake

Gene's Carrot Cake

Again, this is how my family rolls.  We have made ourselves, our stomach, and the souls of past family members proud.  This is legacy building in the making.  Enjoy and Good Day!!!

“Ignorantly Delicious”…Chaps Charcoal Restaurant

Being a “food enthusiast” is a beautiful thing.  Food is necessary for life, but the emotional impact it has makes it all the more better.  The ultimate and most natural of endorphin releases.  Today, I just had the ultimate endorphin release at Chaps Charcoal Restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland.

Outside of Baltimore, alot of people heard about this restaurant when it was featured on Food Network’s popular show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives“.  Baltimore really must be a hidden gem when it comes to good places to eat, because five or six restaurants from Baltimore have been featured on “Triple D“.  Chaps is the first of those restaurants that I have been to, and if the other restaurants didn’t exist, that would be ok…CHAPS ROCKS!!!  When it was featured on “Triple D“, Alicia…my fiance’ and myself were watching the television drueling at the sight of grilled meat…beef, pork, turkey, it didn’t matter.  ALL OF IT LOOKED DAMN GOOD, and we had to have it.  Granted, life’s little moments get in the way, and we were not able to get up to Baltimore right away (From where I live in Northern Virginia, Chaps is 70 miles from my house, according to MapQuest).  That all changed today.

Once we go to where Chaps is located, it soon became apparent that Chaps is not in the most “savory” of neighborhoods.  Across from Chaps is an adult video store, and Chaps itself is located in front of a strip club…one of many along Pulaski Highway.  Along with the nasty motels, fast food chain restaurants, and liquor stores…again, not the most savory neighborhoods.  But you know…for whatever reason, it adds to the “charm” and “mystique” of the place.  We park behind the restaurant, and go in.  We see a large, autographed poster of Guy Fieri (Host of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives“) hanging from the ceiling, in a rather “dive-ish” looking place.  A few seats…nothing special.  After taking in the atmosphere of the place, we take in the other atmosphere of the place…THE SMELL.  GRILLED FREAKIN’ MEAT, and I take a peak, and huge slabs of all kinds of meat are on this giant pit-grill apparatus.  It was beautiful.  Alicia and I looked at the menu, and made our orders.  Alicia ordered a regular pit beef sandwich, some cole slaw, and some water.  Myself…I got a pit beef-sausage combo sandwich, fries, and a sprite.  The cool thing about this place is that you can get your meat cooked however you want….Alicia got her’s medium, and myself…medium-rare.  Within five minutes our order was out.  We sat down and ate.  THE VERDICT….

After taking a few bites, Alicia and I looked at each other, as if to say, “Can you believe this sh*t!!!”  “Can you believe how utterly damn delicious this is?”  We just had confused looks on our faces.  These sandwiches were ignorantly delicious.  Alicia and I both considered ordering additional sandwiches to take home, but we decided that we would just visit again in a month’s time.  We want to make it a special trip.  Hell…Alicia and I are getting married next month, and I wouldn’t mind my first wedding meal to be at Chaps (Although I think Alicia would have an issue with that).

I noticed apartments across the street from Chaps, and I told Alicia, “I couldn’t live within 10 minutes of this place.  I would be here almost every week, and become fat and bloated.”  If you live near this place and haven’t been…shame on you.  If you have the opportunity to go there…GO!!!  This place is awesome.  Thanks Chaps for a good meal.

Chaps Charcoal Restaurant
5801 Pulaski Restaurant
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
http://www.chapspitbeef.com

Ethnic Food Weekend…Yummy!!!

I love living in Northern Virginia.  Contrary to the blogs, t.v. shows, newspapers, the Washington D.C. Culinary Scene, especially with regards to ethnic cuisine, is the VIRGINIA CULINARY SCENE.  If you want avant garde, haute cuisine, patrician-pretentious food, Washington, D.C. is your thing.  Citronelle, City Zen, and other restaurants of that vein…D.C. can keep them.  Not that I necessarily have an issue with restaurants like that.  But I grow tired of restaurants in Virginia and Maryland being encompassed as “D.C.”  D.C. is D.C., Virginia is Virginia.  And what we have in Virginia that beats D.C. by a mile, is our many and varied ethnic restaurants…primarily in Northern Virginia.  Travel to Arlington, Herndon, Falls Church, Alexandria, Chantilly, Sterling, etc., and you can find cuisines from Ethiopia, Vietnam, Chinese (Not that Americanized Crap), Burmese, Afghan, Thai (Which is becoming the new “Chinese food”, in my opinion), Ethiopian, Honduran, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Salvadoran, Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, Indian…I can go on and on and on and on (Mind you…Northern Virginia also has haute cuisine as well).

I love the fact that Northern Virginia is diverse.  I grew up in Northern Virginia, and still live there, and over the years the diversity has exploded, with each culture bringing their delicious food.  So this weekend, my fiance’, Alicia and I decided to have “Ethnic Food Weekend”.  Being that Alicia is originally from Queens, she also appreciates the wonderful delights that come with culinary diversity, and this weekend we took full advantage of it.  So we started on Friday in Ashburn, where I currently live.  We ate at a relatively new Thai Restaurant called “Bangkrak Cuisine”.  The decor and feel of the place is really contemporary…really fresh.  Service was prompt.  The food…pretty good.  I think the food at this place was a bit “Americanized” (Why is Americanized Thai always a bit too sweet?  Where is the salty, where is the bitter?), but it was pretty tasty.  Chicken Satay, a chicken coconut soup, fried calamari…all very good.  For our entrees, I had a very delicious duck dish (They said it was glazed with a bourbon sauce, which made me think that they might have copied this dish from TGIF…oh, the horror!).  Crispy on the outside, and very tender on the inside, the duck was served over grilled napa cabbage, which was outstanding.  I can’t stand cabbage, but if cabbage was prepared to me like this, I would eat it all of the time.  Alicia ordered the Tilapia Three Flavors.  The concept was good, but the execution was flawed, as they overcooked the fish.  There were few tender parts of the fish, but Alicia was struggling to finish her meal.  She liked my duck though.  Will we go back?  I think we will.  We usually go to Thai Basil, located in Chantilly, which is known throughout the region for serving up some of the best and most authentic Thai cuisine.  However, if we just want our “Thai food fix” to be satisfied quickly, Bangrak is a pretty good substitution.

On Saturday, we actually departed briefly from our ethnic food weekend, and Alicia and I joined my parents and my uncle for breakfast at IHOP.  You gotta love the pancakes.  We fast forward to later on in the afternoon, where Alicia and I headed to Falls Church, Virginia, which I believe to be the “mecca” of ethnic cuisine in all of Virginia.  We stopped by the Eden Center, which is shopping center that caters to the local Vietnamese Community.  Among the nail salons, jewelry shops, and movie stores, you have numerous restaurants…most of them Vietnamese, but a few Chinese restaurants as well.  I have been going to the Eden Center since 2004, where one of my favorite restaurants was located…”Huong Que” (Four Sisters).  I say “was located”, because Four Sisters recently moved a few miles down the road to Fairfax.  However, the same family that owns and runs Four Sisters, saved the space where the original restaurant used to be, and converted it into a Vietnamese bakery and sandwich shop, called “Song Que”.  If anybody saw the Washington, D.C. episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” a few weeks ago, this is one of the places he stopped at.  And we both stopped there to get the same thing…Banh Mi…the quintessential Vietnamese sub-like sandwich, which includes a meat, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, cilantro, and onions, a sprinkle of fish sauce, all served on a French-baguette (I guess colonialism has some good points).  I have been wanting to try this sandwich for a long time, and now I had the opportunity.  I ordered a Banh Mi with grilled pork, and Alicia ordered the same.  The “black” in me (LOL) still wanted to have a regular drink, so I ordered an orange soda, and Alicia ordered some “bubble tea”, which is a flavored tea, studded with tapioca pearls.  The Verdict-simply one of the best sandwiches of all time.  It is really, really, really tasty.  Texture, flavor, sweet from the fish sauce and a bit of sour from the onion.  Run to this place, and while you’re there, walk around the Eden Center and check out all of the other wonderful restaurants they have.  You will not be sorry.

After we ate our sandwiches, Alicia and I decided to push it a little bit.  A few miles down the road in Arlington, Virginia, Alicia and I decided to stop at the legendary El Pollo Rico (Also featured on the Washington, D.C. episode of “No Reservations”).  Alicia has been there before…I have not, although I have had Peruvian chicken.  You sit down in this place, and this place is packed, but the staff is moving at lightning speed, making sure that everybody gets their order.  The smell of this place is intoxicating…just charcoal grilled-chickens all roasting on a spit…dozens and dozens of them.  They have like five or six ovens, each with probably 50 chickens in them…it’s insane.  You can order quarter-chicken, a half-chicken, and a whole chicken…served simply with steak fries and some of their house made condiments.  Alicia ordered us a half-chicken, and within seconds of her ordering, they plopped a steaming hot half chicken on her plate, with some fries (Alicia ordered herself an Inca Cola).

The Verdict-I love this place.  I could probably eat there two or three days a week, if I lived closer to it.  The flavor of the chicken was remarkable, but what I was amazed with even more, was how moist the chicken was.  The meat could barely hold on to the bone, while at the same time being completely cooked-through.  Alicia and I, despite just eating a sandwich at the Eden Center, devoured this half-chicken.  I hope this place never, ever closes, and if I hear about it being closed, I will set up a petition, march, protest, write my Member of Congress…whatever I have to do to keep this place open, because chicken should never, ever taste that good.  After that, Alicia and I went to the movies (We saw “Taken” with Liam Neesom.  Despite the fact that he was portrayed as an American Agent, he couldn’t get rid of that Irish accent.  Aside from that fact, it was a good movie).

After the movie, we needed to eat something a bit lighter.  SUSHI!!!  So we headed to a familiar, yet favorite restaurant of our’s…Hooked on Seafood in Sterling, Virginia.  This restaurant received a very favorable review by Tom Sietsema in the Washington Post, and if you all decide to go, I think you will agree.  The seafood is treated with care and respect, and it is reflected in the cooking.  And the sushi is treated, also with the same level of attention and respect.  Alicia and I decided to go all out.  We ordered some sea urchin, some mackeral, and some toro (fatty tuna) as our nigiri plate.  For the main course…Alicia ordered the “PGA Roll” (Spicy Tuna, Strips of Tuna, Avocado, and Tempura Flakes), and I ordered the “Super Tiger Roll” (Shrimp Tempura, Tuna, Avocado and Spicy Mayo).  The sea urchin was awesome, as well as the toro.  The mackeral, my first time trying it, wasn’t pleasant.  It was very fishy, and it was unexpectedly packed with wasabi, which almost made me scream (LOL).  I won’t be trying that again.  The rolls, as always, were fantastic.  I go to this place so much, I have a V.I.P. Card, and at the end of my meal, I was given a $25 gift card.  Yummy-Yummy!!!

Sunday Morning…Alicia wasn’t feeling too hot.  I know the cure.  PHO!!!  We went to Pho 75 in Herndon, and slurped on some of the best pho in the DC Met Area.  Beef Broth, Rice Noodles, Green Onion, Cilantro, Thinly Sliced White Onion, Fatty Brisket, Flank Steak, Tripe, Soft Tendon, and Vietnamese Meatballs.  Yummy Goodness!!!  A sprinkle of Siracha, Lime, and add some fresh Thai Basil…it was fantastic, and it helped Alicia with her cold.  After we finished up our pho, right next door we went to an Arabic Grocery store.  This place is awesome.  Every spice you can think of…they have.  Every kind of rice you can think of…they have.  They have a Halal butcher in the back, butchering whole legs of lamb, goat.  They sell fresh injera bread, roti, lavash, and other Middle Eastern Breads.  I kept saying the same thing…”I have been to the mountain, and it is good” (LOL).

Diversity is awesome.  Step outside of the box once in awhile.  Eat something from another culture.  It’s nowhere as bad as you may think, and in fact…you may become an addict just like me.  I can’t wait for some more pho.  See Ya!!!

25 Random Food Thoughts, Part One

 

 

I was reading SeriousEats.Com today, and they had an article that someone wrote on another food website, discussing “25 Random Food Thoughts”.  This person just simply listed 25 things pertaining to food…everything from her definition of “comfort food”, to how she would drop anything to eat her brother’s food.  So, I decided to do my own list.  Check out what I wrote, and see if you agree or disagree.  Enjoy!!!

(1) I don’t understand why people engage in vegetarianism and veganism. To me, it’s an uneducated, shallow and pretentious attempt in being so-called “healthy” and “green”.

(2) One should not eat the cuisine or food of a culture that you are prejudiced of.

(3) I always like my steak or hamburgers cooked medium-rare…which is the proper way it should be cooked.

(4) I am a huge fan of ethnic supermarkets.

(5) If you ever want to find me, just look for me at Wegmans. I am there several times a week.

(6) I love and have a passion for cooking Italian cuisine.

(7) I didn’t try sushi until January, 2008. I LOVE IT, by the way (Check out my Facebook Profile picture of “Uni”…Sea Urchin)

(8) Although some may consider me a “food snob”…I love frozen pizzas, specifically California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas.

(9) IZZE’s and Essn Drinks (Not Essn’s energy drinks, but their regular drinks) are one of life’s great treasures. Check out their sites: http://www.drinkessn.com/ and http://www.izze.com

(10) I have not eaten pizza from Pizza Hut, Dominoes…places like that, for several years. And won’t. I don’t eat fake pizza.

(11) I had a bad experience at Clydes last week…first time ever I have had a bad experience at Clydes.

(12) I will drive long distances for good food (Ben’s Chili Bowl-NW DC; Urban BBQ-Rockville, MD; Shoreline Seafood-Crofton, MD)

(13) It speaks volumes of a person who is not willing to try any and all cuisines…usually that they lack a bit of intelligence, adventure or openess.

(14) There is a great little place right off the side of the road on Route 15, near the VA and MD line that makes the best kettlecorn on Earth. I can usually go through a bag within a day.

(15) I am not too big of a fan of chain restaurants….some, but very few.

(16) I am not a big fan of the Food Network. I used to, but I am not anymore, with the exception of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”…awesome show. Everything else…it’s like a damn sitcom.

(17) I think Cheesecake Factory is the worst damn restaurant on Earth. Why people think that is a great restaurant, is beyond me. Never trust a restaurant that makes 15 different cuisines, and serves everything in HUGE portions.

(18) In eating ethnic cuisine, ALWAYS strive for authenticity. If you eat Indian Cuisine, let the majority of the cooks be Indian. Real Mexican Tacos don’t have heaps of sour cream, cheese and tomatoes on it. And Thai food doesn’t taste so sweet that you can make candy out of it.

(19) I can’t stand ketchup, but love tomatoes, love tomato sauce, and love BBQ sauce.

(20) I can’t stand people who dump alot of condiments on their food…whether it is mustard, ketchup, steak sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce, etc. When was the last time anybody in America has really TASTED their food…the main ingredient?

(21) I have a family (Immediate and Extended) who are fantastic cooks/chefs…my late grandmother cooked for royalty, a former First Lady of the U.S., etc.

(22) You can always judge the quality of a restaurant by how clean the bathroom is (There are exceptions to this rule, however).

(23) If I could cater my own wedding, I would. I could do it better than anyone else could, but my family and future wife won’t let me.

(24) Over the past few years, I have really grown to love East Asian Cuisine…Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese (Authentic of course)…Vietnamese perhaps being my favorite. It is really, really good.

and lastly….

(25) Anything you can cook, I can cook better.

Is Obama A Foodie?

I apologize for not being as active on my food blog as I should be.  These last few months have been crazy.  Fortunately, things are normalizing, and much more  opinions will be coming.

Today, in the New York Times, there is a great article on President-Elect Obama, his taste in food, but primarily how his administration will approach policies regarding food.  I will include the link below for you to read the article.  Comment please.  Take care and Happy Holidays.

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/dining/24food.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

You Know Better…Food Guilty Pleasures

Sup Food Fans!!!  I apologize for not staying as prolific with my food blog as I should be.  I have been writing blog entry after blog entry in my personal blog on MySpace, mainly talking about the upcoming Presidential election and politics.  Food and Politics, my two passions, and lately…politics has been winning the passion tug of war.  Thank God we have less than two weeks until the conclusion of America’s most historic and craziest presidential election, and I can get back to writing about food.

I was doing some prep work this afternoon for a surprise party…my mother’s graduation party in fact.  She graduated in May, 2008, but some things “came up”, and we moved the celebration to today.  Everything came out well.  I come from a family of cooks and caterers and my cousin, Ruth, really knocked it out of the proverbial “park”.  My three other cousins helped out, as did I, and again…it turned out well.  We had beef, chicken, steamed green beans, all kinds of stuff.  But for me…when I cook or cater, cooking all of that food…I usually lose my appetite, or I can’t eat the food that was prepared (Not because it wasn’t good).  I usually have to eat something that is totally the opposite.  So I didn’t eat anything the whole night, and when I left the party, I headed home, stopped at a local grocery store, and got one of my “guilty pleasures”…a Stouffer’s Microwave Five Cheese Lasanga.  YES…the BLACK FOOD SNOB eats Stouffers (”Nothing comes closer to home”).

There are certain foods that I eat when I am just plain lazy, tired, or just really have the taste for it.  These are dishes/items that take me back to a place…a time…a particular flavor (Not necessarily the best flavor), which is why I still eat it.  I pick up these eating habits from as far back as high school and college…they just won’t go away.  They are usually not good for you.  They are processed.  These items are usually the kind of thing that I rail against.  However…they provide a psychological comfort to me, and they don’t taste that bad.  We all have these culinary guilty pleasures…I am going to share mine, and if you see this blog entry, write back and share some of your’s.

(1) Velveeta Shells and Cheese
(2) Pepperidge Farm or Marie Callendar’s Chicken Pot Pie
(3) Stouffers Microwave Meat, Cheese, and/or Sausage Lasagna
(4) California Pizza Kitchen Frozen Pizza
(5) Stouffers Pizza
(6) TGIF Microwave Chicken and Steak Quesadilla Rolls
(7) Chef Boyardee Ravioli
(8) Taco Bell Meximelts
(9) Wendy’s Crispy Nuggets
(10) Wegmens Brand Pot Stickers
(11) Grocery Store Made “Krab” Dip…that stuff is awesome, for whatever reason.
(12) Safeway Brand Crab/Corn Chowder
(13) I forgot the brand…but the chicken cordon bleu…DEELISH!!!
(14) Stouffers Escalloped Noodles…truly one of my favorites
(15) McDonalds Cheeseburgers
(16) McDonalds Sausage Egg McMuffins
(17) Slim Jims
(18) 7-11 Hot Dogs…they’re good, what can I say.
(19) White Cheese Popcorn
(20) Clam Dip (I make it homeade), with a great salty potato chip, and the coldest Mountain Dew possible.

Canja…Off The Hook Comfort Food

This entry is dedicated to my good friend/little sister, Christina Childs.  Christina’s family is from the island country of Cape Verde, which is located off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.  For more detailed information on the country, click on these links:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cv.html and/or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Verde .

In learning about her heritage, I immediately wanted to know what kind of food people from her country ate.  After doing some research, and of course, talking to Christina, I found out the signature dishes of Cape Verde, and last night, I made one of them….CANJA.  If I only knew how good it was, I would have made this years before.  It is culinary crack cocaine.  It is a simple, one-pot dish consisting of rice, chicken, onions, and spices…that’s it.  But the flavor is unbelievable.  With the definition of “Comfort Food” in the dictionary, there is a “See Also ‘Canja’”, right next to it.  After making it last night, I called Christina to tell her to thank her parents from being from Cape Verde, then having her, and then for us coming together so I can make this dish.  This is an awesome cold weather dish.  A great dish when you don’t want to do any kind of elaborate cooking.  A great dish for potlucks.  A good dish for when you have a cold.  Anyways…here is the recipe.

CANJA

1 large chicken, cut up in small pieces (*I used four drumsticks and a boned-in thigh.  Christina says her mom uses chicken wings)
2½ quart boiling water
1¼ cup of rice, washed (Use a sturdy rice)
3 good-size onions, 2 sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
½ tsp. of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
10 cloves

Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Leave overnight to blend seasonings well. Saute sliced onions in butter until golden, then add chicken pieces until browned. Add boiling water, the third onion studded with cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and rice. Cook in large kettle until chicken is tended and rice cooked thoroughly. Mixture should be neither too thick nor too runny. When done, remove onion with the clovers and serve piping hot.

The good thing about canja is you could add a lot of stuff to it.  The next time I make it, I am going to add fresh herbs to it, such as rosemary and thyme.  Maybe add some peppers to it.  Either way, this stuff is the bomb.  ENJOY!!!

Good BBQ in Ashburn, Virginia??? Is It Possible!!!

I am fortunate (Or unfortunate depending on your perspective) to live in the wealthiest county in the nation…Loudoun County, Virginia.  Lovely place.  I live in Ashburn, Virginia, which is literally a “stone throw” away from Washington-Dulles International Airport.  Most of the people around here, are into the “showy kinds” of food, or organic and local food (Mainly so they can tell you that they buy only organic and local food…in some pretentious statement of wealth), or they eat ethnic foods (Which I certainly have no problem with).  However, it is good to have a restaurant that reflects the culinary virtues of America, more specifically the South.  No other food exemplifies southern cuisine like BBQ.  In Ashburn, there is a bbq “joint” called Carolina Brothers, and they have some damn fine bbq.  However, like most bbq places, it’s a “joint” rather than a restaurant.  A place where they actually cook the food right outside of the place in barrel grills/smokers…the place in question, an old general store right near the Washington and Old Dominion Bike Trail.  Now Ashburn, actually has a bbq restuarant…a brand new joint that just opened up a few weeks ago, called Bluz Brothers Bar-B-Que and Grill.

I went there a few days ago to pick up a menu, just to see what was on it.  A very simple menu…not long or extensive.  Six starters, some chili, a soup of the day, and three salads, ribs, rib combos, brisket, pulled pork, and even fish dishes.  They also have many of the classic side dishes associated with bbq restaurants, such as potato salad, mac-n-cheese, baked beans, etc.  But I was immediately attracted to the burgers and sandwiches they had, and one burger in particular.  But I’ll get back to that in a minute.  Tonight, I decided to go there for dinner, and I have to say…damn good job.

The nice waitress comes to me, takes my drink order (Mountain Dew), and comes back with my drink, and a plate of food…which I didn’t order.  It wasn’t exactly a plate of food, but a complimentary order of their HOMEADE potato chips.  Yes sportfans…they make their own potato chips, lightly seasoned, fried to perfection, and served with a wonderful dill/spiced cream dipping sauce.  No boring ass peanuts or stale saltines to snack on before dinner…they give you homeade chips.  I was excited already.  After I devoured my plate of chips, the waitress came back for my order, and I knew exactly what I was going to get.

I told you that a few days ago I got the menu to check out, and I saw on the menu a burger that really spoke to my sensibilities.  The “Bluz Ultimate All In Burger”…this is an awesome creation.  An 8 ounce patty, with melted cheddar cheese, fried onion straws, bbq sauce, and here’s the kicker….PULLED PORK.  Yes my pork and beef fans…pulled pork served on a burger (Can you hear the angels sing).  Personally, I think this dish was created after a night of smoking weed.  I can imagine a long day of menu planning before the restaurant was opened, and the owner, mangers, chef, and cooks were all smoking some weed.  They had a lot of leftover food in the kitchen, and got the munchies.  “Dude…I’m fuckin’ hungry…what do we have to eat?”  “I don’t know man, I’ll find out what’s in the kitchen”.  All they had in the kitchen was leftover pulled pork, a few hamburger patties, cheese, some onion straws leftover.  They just threw all of that shit on the burger, and BOOM…one of the great sandwiches was born.  The burger was cooked well, although I do wonder if the burger was frozen or fresh (I believe it was fresh, but the mushiness of the meat, made me wonder).  Either way, it was cooked well, and tasted decent.  The onion straws were very tasty…more like tempura onion straws than traditional onion straws, but again…very tasty.  Then the pulled pork….whoever cooked the pork, put their feet, toes, hands, and perhaps some earwax in it…very, very good.  Also have to give them props for their grilling of the bun, not just on the inside, but also on the outside.  A perfectly grilled bun, in my opinion, is hard to accomplish, but they did it well.  I got this meal with a side of sweet potato fries.  I have had better sweet potato fries, but they were above average.  They needed to be fried a little longer, and a little bit more seasoning.  Essentially…a very good night.  On a scale of “one” to “ten”, “one” being complete and utter crap, and “ten” being so good I want to cuss…I will give it a “7″.  Granted, I have to go back a few times to see how good the ribs are, and how good the sides are (Most bbq joints, in my opinion, make horrible sides).

I talked to the manager and owner afterwards, showing them my support for this restaurant.  The owner looks to be 25 years old, but seems to have everything together, and is already looking ahead to open other bbq restaurants.  I told him not to do it…keep the restaurant unique, perfect the craft, and then have people come from all over to eat at the restaurant.  Whether he follows my advice or not…hey, he can do what he wants.  For the time being though…Bluz Brothers Bar-B-Que and Grill is a great local restaurant, and I look forward to going back real soon.

Bluz Brothers Bar-B-Que and Grill
43150 Broadlands Center Plaza, Suite 194
Broadlands, Virginia 20148
(703) 858-9499

The Big Mac Meal-AN OUTRAGE

 

I wrote this in my personal blog, and now I am posting this on this blog.  I am that pissed…well…kind of.  Enjoy, and let me know what you all think (I apologize for the small font.  I copied and pasted this from my personal blog.

THE BIG MAC MEAL-AN OUTRAGE

 

 

I don’t know if this is a sign of the times…food prices continuing to climb as a result of fuel costs going up and up….OR….if it is just time moving on, and items naturally inflating over a period of time.  I am officially one of those people who can say, “I remember when ________________ (Add your item) was $____.___ (Add your cost) back in the day.”  Today, I really was reminded by this when going to McDonalds.

Yeah…I know…I know.  “Marc…you’re a foodie.  You don’t eat stuff like that.”  “Marc…you’re a hypocrite.  Always telling us to eat well, and we find out that you are still going to McDonalds.”  Well…you all certainly have a right to your opinion about my food choices.  I think people who eat “foie gras” or “caviar” are strange.  Ain’t nothing sexy about eating an intentionally fattened (I know that is not a word) goose liver or salty ass fish eggs of a sturgeon.  I don’t care if you are a homeless guy, a middle-class working stiff, or a blue blood rolling along in the rarified air of wealth…WE ALL HAVE EATEN AND CONTINUE TO EAT AT MCDONALDS.  It’s part of our collective culinary DNA…it’s almost hereditary.  Filet O’Fish, Quarter Pounder With Cheese, Fried Apple Pie, Chicken McNuggets…these items are not just McDonalds items, they are mainstays in the American Culinary Lexicon, like it or not. 

But the grandaddy of all McDonalds items is the Big Mac.  We all know the Big Mac song…”Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.”  We have all attempted to try to make it at home…it never seems to work out.  The lettuce is flimsy.  We all know the special sauce is nothing but relish, mayo, and ketchup mixed together, and they always put too much of it on the sandwich.  The two buns, and that weird “half bun” in the middle.  The processed yellowish-orange cheese.  The finely chopped, unfortunately not fresh onions.  And last, but not least…the two grayish-brown patties.  I don’t eat at McDonalds much anymore, but when I do…I have to have a Big Mac.  It’s not all that great, but it’s comforting, familiar, filling…it’s Americana boxed in a recycable container.  Pair it with a nice icy-cold Coke (McDonalds does something to their coke to make it taste better.  I think they put crack in it) and some of the greatest fries on the planet…and you have The Big Mac Meal…AKA “Combo Meal 1″.

Well…to my surprise and outrage, I went to McDonalds this evening.  It was late, I didn’t feel like cooking, and I had only $5.00 on me.  I pull up to the drive-thru, and I saw “Combo Meal 1″…the Big Mac Meal…$4.99!!!  Yes…it is not a typo.  $4-F*CKIN’ 99!!!  What kind of mess is that?  It’s un-American.  Forget Congress bailing out Lehman Brothers and AIG…they need to pass supplemental appropriations to subsidize McDonalds to bring down the cost of a Big Mac Meal.  Next thing you know, they will assess a $1.00 “drive-thru charge”, just to use the drive-thru.  If you get the sandwich, by itself…it’s $3.19!!!  At this point, if McCain said he could lower the costs of a 1 Meal, I may vote for him (Actually not…hyperbole is a wonderful literary device…LOL).  Like I said, I don’t go to Mickey D’s often, but with prices like that, McDonalds may move into the category of Michelin Star-prices.  Big Macs will be like cocaine…sold on the streets in secret…contraband to be prized. 

These are hard times.  You have to take out a loan to get gas.  Your mortgage ain’t worth a damn.  You may have to trade in your child for a pint of milk.  Lastly, you have to prostitute yourself for a 1.  I’m blame O.J. Simpson for all of this (((Laughing…anything bad in the world, I blame O.J. for it))).  I hope we see happy times soon.  We all deserve to eat a Big Mac.

Reflections of a Soul Food Weekend

Sup Family…I haven’t posted in awhile, and I apologize.  Between being sick, dealing with some issues, and being outraged over McCain picking Palin, I just haven’t been as focused as I should be.  UNTIL NOW!!!  I had a soul food weekend, and I have to say, it wasn’t necessarily the best soul food.  I won’t get into all of the aspects why it wasn’t, instead focusing my attention on the food.

This weekend was the 135th “Homecoming” Service for my church, which is located in Northern Virginia, minutes from downtown D.C.  I love this church.  The minister and first lady are genuine servants of the Lord, and people of character.  The membership is made up of very caring, bright and loving people, and we all want to worship the Lord according to his Word (And to those who are reading this entry and think I am going to be sermonizing, I am not…I am setting the scene).  Homecoming Services are always big events for churches, especially African American churches, and of course when we celebrate anything of significance, food is an essential part of it.  Homecoming is also a day-long event, consisting of a morning service (Attendance is usually way up), then lunch/dinner, then an afternoon service, and perhaps another dinner service (Or keep leftovers warmed for others who may be hungry and want something to eat).  We had two visiting churches celebrate with us, in addition to our church, so alot of food needed to be prepared.

I recently joined the culinary ministry at my church, bringing my skills and expertise to the table.  I love to cook…I really love to prep.  Chopping, Peeling, Shredding…I get off on that stuff.  To me, the better you are in prep, the better cook one will be.  However, I am not the person in charge of the culinary ministry, so I have to listen to whomever recommends whatever.  The menu was already decided upon, and it was a lengthy menu of soul food staples (I go to a good ole fashioned Southern Baptist Church, with a membership that is predominantly African American.  I wish church was more integrated, but that is another blog entry altogether).  The menu consisted of:  (1) Ham, (2) Baked Salmon, (3) Fried Chicken, (4) Kale, (5) Braised Cabbage, (6) Cooked Green Beans, (7) Baked Mac-N-Cheese, (8) Corn Pudding, and (9) Mushroom Rice Pilaf.  We served rolls that were bought from the store, and we heated them up.  Dessert was provided by church members, who brought in numerous and delicious cookies, cakes and pies.

I went home tired, and a bit sore, but worse, I left disappointed.  It is safe to say that “soul food” is not the most nutritious cuisine, but it is that way mainly because of circumstance.  African Americans had to buy food they could afford, and create a filet mignon out of salami…and we are the masters of it, which is why African American Cuisine is so beloved.  But we are in a new day…a new time.  African Americans are economically better off.  Because of this, it has provided us to be better educated and to be exposed to alot more, as a result, maybe it’s time to re-think how we prepare our beloved cuisine.  (1) Butter doesn’t needed to be added to everything.  To see baked salmon, swimming in butter, was disheartening.  It was my job to prepare the salmon.  I cut the salmon into pieces, and seasoned them with a store-bought “seafood seasoning” that I was directed to use.  I then added a very small trace of vegetable oil to the fish, so the seasoning can adhere to the fish.  I then observed later on, that someone added butter, lots of it, on the fish.  Totally unnecessary.  (2) Pork doesn’t needed to be added to everything.  Although I don’t like green beans, I know many people appreciate a nice seasoned dose of green beans.  Once again, there are different ways of doing things.  They used smoked turkey for the greens, why not use it for the beans?  (3) Mac-N-Cheese…always one of my favorite dishes.  When I go to one of my family functions, and I don’t see it, I get upset.  That being said, we can move beyond the same preparation and same boring flavors of Mac-N-Cheese.  Now this is an emotional discussion, because many people are passionate about Mac-N-Cheese.  Some people like the usage of processed cheese.  Some people like the usage of 200 different kinds of cheese and loads of butter.  I know for me…I think creating a compound cheese sauce, using a bechemel is the best way to make Mac-N-Cheese.  Smoother texture, and you can even flavor the bechemel (I put garlic and/or onion in mine).  Use different cheese…grueyere, gouda, parmesean, ricotta.  An aged cheese like parmesean works because it is already salty, thus you don’t have to add more salt.  Add herbs…I even add a few tablespoons of dijon mustard.  Wake up the palette.  (4) Where was the olive oil?  I didn’t see it once.

Soul Food needs renovation.  African Americans suffer from every horrible disease on Earth much more than anybody else, and it is evident at my church, where many of the members suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.  I want them to be around for awhile, and while they are on Earth, I want them to not just eat healthier (I am in no way a health nut), but also eat better…fresher ingredients, seasonal vegetables, a wide variety of things, and maybe fuse different things together, to create new soul food classic, or update the ones we already have and love.  If you all feel the same, let me know.  In the meantime, “I’m Marc Johnson, and I support this blog entry”…(((Laughing))).