It’s beginning to look a lot like…work…

Well, its admittedly been a bit slow here of late. I’m afraid the holidays definitely killed most of my free time over the past couple of weeks. What the hell, ya know what? I’m going to talk about something that’s always been a tradition in my family: cookies and Christmas. Sure, this was going to be about how work is back in full swing now that the holidays are nearly over, but to hell with that! Cookies taste much better than work!

Now, I grew up in a family where Christmas was a HUGE holiday. Every December mom would crank out several types of cookies: gingerbread, linzer sables, hazlenut and coconut maranges, divinity, and some hazlenut cresent cookie (the name always slips my mind). Well, last year was my first year on my own and I decided to cut some corners on Christmas spending by baking cookies for gifts. It turns out that for $200 I gave gifts to TONS of friends and family that wouldn’t have otherwise gotten gifts and still had TONS of leftovers.

Ok, so what did I make my first year out? Black forest, brown eyes susans, chai tea chewies, checkerboard, cranberry pistachio biscotti, shortbreads, lavender shortbread, linzer sables, peanut butter, molasses cringles, rangers, rugalach, windmill, and mexican wedding cake cookies. FOURTEEN different cookies, and some in multiple batches. I basically made doughs for a weekend and spend three afternoons/evenings after work baking.  Being an engineer, here’s how it went down:

1.) Create spreadsheet of all ingredients needed to make all cookies including amounts. (Note: I should have made a worksheet for each recipe, but I was a n00b. Doing so would give more flexibility to making multiples of only some types of cookies.)
2.) Purchase needed quantities of all items.
3.) Figure out how you ended up with so much extra after finishing your last dough. (“Oh, I’ll need more of this because I know I’ll make multiple batches…”)

Now my method to doughs was fairly simple, just follow the directions, scoop out on cellophane, wrap, throw in fridge, rinse bowl, repeat. You’ll get the gist of what order to throw ingredients together after a few batches and really just get into a rhythm. The only tip I have here is if you have a KitchenAid is to make sure you scrape around the middle hump in the bowl very well. The mixer blade just doesn’t reach it well.

Other tips:

• Refrigerate the doughs overnight as this gives the flour time to absorb the moisture  and really prepare the dough for baking. (This is the real secret to making chocolate chip cookies AMAZING btw.) (Also, I didn’t refrigerate the shortbreads or biscotti.)
• Use parchment paper NOT wax paper. Wax paper leaves wax on your cookies and is NOT reusable. Parchment is silicone coated (like a silpat) and reuseable. DO NOT USE COOKING SPRAY!
• Bake cookies on BACK of cookie sheet. Flip’m over and it’ll allow for much more even baking of your cookies.
• Pull parcment onto cookie racks or thickly layered towels when you pull them from the oven. This allows the cookies to not have burned bottoms and lets them cook and set-up evenly.

Ready to bake your own? It’s not difficult! Follow these steps, practice a couple of doughs, and POOF! You’ll have cookies people thought you could only get from a store! Remember, these NOTHING you can’t do in your kitchen with a bit of determination and fun!

Also, leave your fav. holiday recipe in the comments. I’d love to see what’s tradition around your house!

POLLO!!!

Something many people from outside the DC area might not be acquainted with is seeing pollo places all over the place. Yes, pollo as in chicken. Peruvian rotisserie chicken to be more precise. Fryers are coated in a Peruvian rub and roasted over a charcoal fire until they’re like a little piece of heaven on earth. Who knows, you might see a Pollo Factory, El Pollo Rico, Super Pollo, King Pollo, etc. and it’s all nearly the same…nearly.

All pollo places serve up chicken as 1/4 or 1/2 chickens. For a 1/4 you can usually ask for white or dark, while you get both on a 1/2.  The pollo then comes with two sides and while they can vary almost everyone has yuca, fries, beans, and rice. All are good, and I definitely recommend the yuca as one side for pollo virgins. I also recommend you try the green and white sauces! White = mayo-based sauce and green = ground peppers. Some prefer one or the other and others prefer to mix, I’m a green sauce guy myself! YUM!

Since moving here I’ve become a pollo snob. Working in close proximity to one of the best pollo places in the region has me looking down my nose at the likes of others. There are two de facto  pollo places where you can always score AWESOME pollo:

Pollo Factory – Sterling, VA
El Pollo Rico – Arlington, VA

Both of these fine establishments serve up delicious, juicy, succulent chicken every single time. Along with the main course you’ll also find their sides are very well done. Both have excellent yuca and fries (for those who are pansies like me…yuca just isn’t my thing).

I’ve found one other place that others have yet to try. It’s in the Ballston area and called Super Pollo. It’s equally as juicy and tasty as the others, but they also have more of a variety to compliment on the side. I’ve only eaten here once thus far, but the pollo was excellent. The yuca didn’t look impressive, but the fries were fine and they had a much wider selection of sides. I’ll definitely be back, so we’ll see how it holds up!

If you hit up DC then you MUST add Peruvian chicken to your list of ethnic foods! I always try to sneak it in when friends visit. Delicious, super affordable, and it’s POLLO!

Mmmm… Highway 9 Wine, Load It Up and Truck It!

Usually when I have friends visit we end up hitting some wineries for good wine and good times. My favorite thing to do is hit Hwy 9 through Purcellville, VA for 3-4 wineries that are conveniently located along a small stretch of this road. I normally begin the tour at Breaux Winery, the largest in the state. I can’t help loving Breaux, the Cajun name, occasional gumbo, and crawfish on the label pretty much sold me before the win touched my lips. Of course, afterward I was in love.

Breaux boasts a wide assortment of wine including reds, whites, a blush, and even an Italian red (rare in this French dominated market). A $10 tasting fee gets you in on 4-5 dry whites, 5-6 reds, and 2-3 weet whites. You really cannot beat this deal as they either break even or lose money on these (money is made on actual wine purchases in this business). I have a few wines I favor here, including the steel fermented Chardonnay and 2002 Merlot Reserve (my favorite). They take care to pull off a great local wine, the Viognier, and though it’s not cold enough to do naturally they bottle an excellent ice-style wine. I am a bit miffed as I don’t believe they have a Meritage wine any longer, though I may have just overlooked it on my last visit.

Art!

Speaking of which, I am a bit disappointed that they don’t have as educated a staff as I prefer to encounter. They seem to lack a complete understanding of their selections and are unable to throw out small tidbits that I love hearing during my tastings. I think the size of the operation has led it down a path of becoming less personal and I hope they’re able to rein that in as it is my favorite winery to visit. On a final good note though, they have several bottles that are quite affordable and always have something on sale. Mmm…Jolie Blonde sounds good right about now…

Next I travel back down towards US 7 a bit to Doukenie. This winery is much smaller and has a great staff (along with a reasonable $5 tasting). I’ve been several times and no matter who does the tasting they always seem to be quite knowledgeable about the wine, winery, and very personable. On my last visit we had the luck of getting a personal chef that was great fun in discussion wine, pairings, and banter in general. Most notable at this winery is the raspberry Merlot. It’s a delicious dessert wine and amazing with a dark chocolate (I always have a bottle on hand in case a special occasion arises). This is a great winery to kick back and enjoy a loaf of fresh bread and any of the selections of cheese they carry (I recommend the oregano cheddar, excellent with a red wine).

Finally it’s on to Corcoran, and this place is a bit further off the beaten path…down a couple of dirt roads

OooOOOoo These vines bring such wonderful drink!

even! Housed in an 18th century farm house, this winery is located in the middle of some gorgeous rolling hills. With a pond down a short path, this winery is perfect on a gorgeous day to relax and enjoy the outdoors. While none of their wines stand out in my mind as excellent, they are all good in their own right. The tasting here is also $5 as there are only 6 or so wines to taste. I do have to give them credit for having the best tasting oyster crackers though, and I always look forward to munching on a few before I leave!

I’ve been to other wineries, but I’d prefer to visit again before returning. These three are great for a daytrip from DC, including a stop at Vintage 50 on the trip home. Could you really beat a day like that? I doubt it.