On the birthday of one Adam (my brother) I am posting an ode to another Adam: Adam’s Steak Rub.  Not that my brother isn’t all that he is quite the Adam.  It’s just that this other Adam is fairly essential to my cooking, and not available in very many places.  I first came across this essential commodity where all essentially great things seem to be able to be acquired, the SF Ferry Building.  I bought it mainly for the name, one for the aforementioned Adam and one for me.  I used it on all sorts of things, steaks, chicken, pork loin and other meats.  It is a really, really good all-purpose rub.  Now I am out, and very distraught.  Thank goodness for online ordering.  This stuff turns normal meat into a really great piece of meat with very little work.  I don’t know why it is so much better than normal meat seasoning, or something I have made myself, but it is.  So if you run across it buy it!  Or order it from their handy, dandy online store….

(And if you follow them on facebook there are sometimes specials.)

Well this was supposed to be published on my brother’s birthday… so much for technology.  Oh well, better late than never.

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When I was little I had an Amish nanny.  My Mom would drop me off at her house in the morning as she dashed to work with seconds to spare.  Ida would brush and braid my hair, get me into clothes and feed me breakfast.  Then we would be off to do some tasks of the day.

Ida had a daughter of her own, Glenda, she was younger than I.  She was a bit of a trouble maker, but in the best way, the way that you know someone has character.  And together I am sure we made quite the duo.  We would go with Ida everywhere she went the two of us bobbling along behind her.  Often Ida would put us in a little wagon attached to a small tractor of some sort to take us to a back farm to pick fruits or vegetables.  We would bump along jiggling over the ruts and paths until we reached a particular field.

Glenda and I were good at picking vegetables, our little bodies so much closer to the ground, so fresh and new that we didn’t even feel the hours of being hunched over.  Although I am sure our patience at times waned.   Strawberry picking was Glenda and I’s favorite.  They would be so fresh and crisp right off the vine, and so pretty glistening in the sun.  We would spend a few hours going down row after row picking sweet, red berries and putting them into mouths and pales.

On the bumpy ride back, Glenda and I would sneak strawberries as Ida drove back along the bumpy fields and farm paths that connected one parcel to another. Our clothes stained pink, just like our guilty mouths, the tell tale sign of our indulgences.  Ida would yell from the tractor, “Don’t eat all those strawberries!”  We would giggle.  I now try to picture her “serious” face that she would give us to try to convince us not to give into temptation.  I am sure it was hard to suppress the laughter that would come from looking back, seeing two little bundles bobbing along in that wagon eating strawberries and laughing.  And then seeing us at the end, covered in pink stains.  I am sure it ached to hold in how funny that must have been.  Ida has a wonderful sense of humor and a laugh that is easy and joyful.

I know we didn’t eat all the strawberries, as there were plenty for freezing, making into pies, and eating sugared and syrupy for dessert, but my did our dresses look like it.  It’s hard to fathom how sweet those strawberries were, warmed by the sun, so fresh and new in life, never seeing a plastic carton, just bursting with color and flavor.  And in Garrett County you waited so long for them to finally appear, and then they went so fast it was like a burst of exuberance.  A burst of our giggling youth summed up in a taste that came and went too fast.

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Very excited to have won the Kilman Washingtonian Food Chat writing challenge yesterday, and get a copy of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything: The Basics.  See my entry here.

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People always comment that Max has an extraordinary soft and white coat.  Part of that is the Bichon/Maltese mix, and that I keep him brushed.  The other part is Buddy Wash.  I found it at my local pet store when he was little.  I use not just the shampoo, but also conditioner, which is a good conditioner.  If you have a dog with a longer coat the conditioner is really important, it helps brush them out after and keep their coat from drying out.  Max gets a bath often- he likes to swim, romp and none of that fairs well with pure white, but Buddy Wash returns him to good as new.

It keeps him cute, white and soft.  It also is natural and safe.  And it smells so good, of course I am a lavender fiend.

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I love my DSLR.  I don’t love many camera bags.  Even the cute ones look, well like camera or diaper bags.  I have found a couple on Etsy that are pretty cute, but why buy another bag when you could buy an insert, for less money, that will fit into: oh say a Louis Vuitton tote, or a simple leather bag, or whatever your favorite tote or shoulder bag is, or one that you like, but isn’t your everyday bag anymore.  Thanks to Darby Mack you can!  (She also has the cutest camera bags on Etsy.)

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With absolutely everyone, their Mother and Brother having stainless steel appliances it is fairly important to find a great cleaning product.  Especially for those stovetops which are well used.  Inevitably there is oil, cooked on tomato sauce, and other things lurking on my stove top that just don’t want to come off with a quick spray and wipe.  For these jobs I really like Bar Keeper’s Friend.

I personally like the powder which I think works better for caked on things, but there is a liquid I am now trying out because my regular source didn’t have the powder, it works well too, but takes a little more time for really messy things.  Bar Keeper’s Friend works on stainless steel, cooper, ceramic, porcelain, etc.  It removes rust, minerals, and other stains without harming some delicate surfaces, like your stainless steel stove top, knives or Le Crueset dutch oven.  While I haven’t found it at my local Wegman’s or Giant, they claim to sell at those places, but William Sonoma and Bed, Bath and Beyond seem to always carry it, so just keep your eye out for it at most hardware, home or grocery stores.  This is one of my favorite all purpose cleaners, especially for things that need a good scrub that you generally are not supposed to scrub.

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I love me some food gadgets and cookware.  I don’t need many of them because basically I am a home cook that barely has enough time between work and other obligations to cook dinner most nights and throw some parties when I can.  AND the two bedroom condo with limited cabinetry really keeps me in check.  If I had a kitchen the size of my Mother in Laws, oh man, I’d go nuts.  I would have so many awesome wonders of food geekery.

BUT today I did buy some new things to make life a little better in the kitchen from a very reliable source I have touted in the past Cutlery and More.  First up was the isi Stainless Steel Creative Whip, for whip cream, mousse, foam, sauces and other fun projects.  I am especially interested in recreating some Ferran Adria recipes from his cookbook The Family Meal (which is a spectacular cookbook).  For the small price difference I went with the 1 pint.  I really can’t wait for this to arrive!  And of all the whip makers I could find in the usual places this was the best deal I found at $93.95.

 I got the Calaphon Unison Slide Nonstick Skillet set for $59.95, 8 and 10 inch respectively.  These will replace my well worn skillets that have fared well, but are now not meeting the challenges put in front of them.  Reviews on these have said they are very sturdy and reliable which is good, they will be worn hard in this house.

A while back the lid to our steamer pot broke, when thinking about replacing it, I decided instead to get this silicone steamer insert.  There was also a metal oxo good grips brand one, and although that brand normally has excellent gadgets, the silicone won’t scratch my pans, is adjustable and should be very durable, all at $10.95, and it should take up very little room in my pantry and is cheaper than lid or pot replacement.  Next up was a sturdy bread knife.  I have a beautiful one from Simon Pierce, but it is a bit complicated and our relationship just hasn’t gelled.  It isn’t your normal knife and is just a bit funky.  So I ordered a simple but durable Henkel’s Gourmet Bread Knife, I could probably have found something cheaper, but at $24.95 it isn’t too expensive and should be really durable.

And any order over $49 gets free UPS Ground Shipping, so… it should all arrive within 2-5 business days.  I am very excited!  I can’t wait to make lots of desserts, with my whipper, from The Family Meal and test them out on Hubby for a future party!

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Saturday night we dined with seven friends.  A couple were steak and potato types, while others preferred lighter cuisine.  Charlie Palmer has a nice mix of both offering steak and venison, while also featuring chicken and fish options.  On cold nights like that, valet is just essential.  We walked inside and were warmly greeted by friends at the bar.  The hostess checked our coats for us, checked us in, and offered to take us to our table, even though one in the party was stuck in traffic.  Upon being seated we were warmly greeted, drink orders were placed and drinks arrived shortly thereafter.  Our server graciously inquired whether we wanted to order anything before the last guest arrived.  We went ahead and ordered appetizers.  A selection of nice crusty bread was served, as well as, an amuse bouche of turnip soup.

I ordered a selection of oysters, they were all fresh and briny, they came with a wonderful sorbet of “cocktail sauce” with was cool and very pleasant with the oysters, old bay crackers and lemon.  Hubby had a beautiful shrimp and chorizo dish that was bright with color and flavor.  Our guest arrived shortly after our appetizer, a drink brought to him within moments.  All orchestrated without a problem or fuss. We were very pleasantly surprised to see Mountfair Vineyards represented on the wine list, one of our new favorites in Virginia.  We ordered a bottle for the table.

Dinner orders were taken.  I had a beautiful petit filet done to a perfect medium rare.  On a very modern and pretty stainless steel lazy susan in the middle of the table were placed our sides: hen of the woods mushrooms, fingerling potatoes with pancetta, asparagus, béarnaise sauce, twice baked potatoes.  All of the sides were very good.  I have a particular soft spot for the hen of the woods mushrooms- fresh and meaty, without much fuss just allowing their simple flavor to shine through.  I also was very happy they had a potato option without cream on the list of sides.

We ended the night with coffee and dessert.  Service was so good, it was like a carefully orchestrated ballet, you saw the steps, but it was a smooth performance as a whole that really impressed you.  I have dined there at other times and it seemed the service Saturday night was really a step above.  It was so nice to have a leisurely meal with great friends and be able to enjoy their company in such a beautiful setting, with ease.   There are a lot of new, fancy restaurants in DC, but sometimes when you go back to old standbys you remember exactly why they were old standbys.  And this is probably the best food in DC with a view.

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