@tacos el gringo

must be sunday...

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pie taster

friday night i made a meyer lemon meringue pie, shown above. this is a recipe i remember my mom making and everybody loving. those meyer lemons made it sweet and tart to perfection...so much so the mister ate half of it friday, and then the remaining quarter saturday morning!

all that work for so little pie!

meyer's lemon meringue pie

crust

20 finely crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

combine ingredients in pie pan.

press with the back of a spoon to fit pie pan

bake at 350° for 10 minutes

set aside

filling

fine grated rind of 2 lemons

1 cup fresh lemon juice

4 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

beat egg yolks until smooth and lemon colored

fold in condensed milk

add lemon juice and rind.

blend til smooth

pour into pie crust

meringue

4 egg whites chilled in chilled mixing bowl

8 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
dash of salt

combine sugar, salt and cream of tarter

whip egg whites 

add sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time just before peaks begin to form.

whip thoroughly after each addition

whip til stiff

top filling with meringue.

spread with spatula or back of spoon to form peaks.

bake on top rack of oven at 350° til top browns, 10-15 minutes.

iron chef america

dont miss local burger monger and top chef alumnus  chef spike on tonight's episode of iron chef america. i am a big fan of his good stuff eatery on capitol hill (could not believe it wasn't open last sunday), so i hope he kicks iron chef simon's butt!

you had me at hello, cupcake

share the best (and worst) pick up lines you ever heard- or said-at hello cupcake on line and get free cake in honor of valentine's day. my favorite one entered into the competition is from ophelia, who heard “I know milk does a body good, but dang girl, how much did you drink?" sweet.

top chef washington, dc

ok: dc has risen to the top of the proverbial 'food chain' as far as american cities go these days: everybody wants to be come here, be seen here, make their mark here. so why not have top chef dc?, asks chef spike. you can participate in the lobby-ing for top chef washington, dc.: suggest possible locations, ingredients, events, elimination challenges and guest judges at capital spice, and possibly win top chef prizes and shiz. hurry up though: you only have til 10:00 pm tomorrow to do it-right before the top chef finale-so get creative and be decisive!

fish story

went with the mister to buy fishing stuff at rw sport shop and take photos for my fake fishing blog...they have cool stuff there, including an abundant-and neatly organized- fish spice selection. who knew?
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hello, cupcake!

i made cupcakes today: first time ever! they turned out great: there are 2 of 12 left. i tried some fun flavors. i made lemon cake with lime frosting; fresh strawberry with strawberry icing; caramel with chocolate, and toffee with toffee frosting. delicious. please dont tell my friend penny, though: she owns hello cupcake at dupont circle and makes the best cupcakes, ever. much lighter and fluffier than this novice can bake with the yummiest icings around!

bethesda central farm market

the bethesda central farm market is all the buzz! with a thursday afternoon set up on bethesda lane and a sunday morning location on elm street, this new farmer's market aims to satisfy your culinary cravings. over 20 farmers, producers and vendors sell fresh produce, meat, poultry, cheese, bread, prepared foods, seafood, baked goods, and more. parking is free! (i'm headed there today, 3-7!)

national goat cheese month

did i just read that august is national goat cheese month? i am going to honor this celebration of yummy-ness by eating goat cheese everyday...oops: i already do that...i guess i should eat twice as much so i can feel the festivity of it all! local cheesemakers include firefly farms, cherry glen goat cheese company, south mountain creamery and apple tree goat dairy. visit cowgirl creamery, whole foods or the new bethesda central farm market for more options. delicious! cool photo from alexanderromero's photo stream on flickr.

eastern market grand reopening!

eastern market has been alive and kicking since the fire destroyed the old building in april 2007: it never really missed a beat, with food vendors housed in a temporary structure and everyone else in the street and on the sidewalks. but the old building has been completely restored to it's original beauty and will officially re-opened by mayor fenty today @ 10:00 am! go buy some fresh raviolis: i know i will!