The Round Up: May 2024

Food:

I ordered Julius Robert’s new cookbook, The Farm Table, and made the pasta diavola with burrata and basil and it was delicious! The sauce could not be easier or more flavorful.

I got to try a new Korean spot this month in Annandale, VA, called Tosokchon and it was really good. I will definitely be returning to try more from their menu. I got to try soondae for the first time (a Korean blood sausage) and it was amazing. We also got the steam mandu, galbi tang, mandu gook and the bulgogi. There are so many other noodles, stews and hot pots I need to go back try!

I made a Gochujang Chicken Pot Pie the other day and WOAH, man, it was delicious. Think about all the good things about chicken pot pie, and then amp up the flavor x 3000.

Ceibo is a new-ish Adams Morgan restaurant we finaly got to try out and it really blew my mind. One of the best meals I have had in a while and we will definitely be going back soon. The food and drinks were different but there was not one thing I didn’t enjoy. I am so happy to have Ceibo in my neighborhood.

Of course, back to Izakaya Seki, for a pre-birthday week meal for my husband. And of course, everything was delicious. Truly one of my favorite spots in DC.

I made a delicious tortilla soup for dinner. I love warm food, and really struggle with what to eat when the weather in DC gets super hot and muggy. Tortilla soup is a good middle spot because it is soup, but it is rather refreshing and fresh. Best of both worlds!
I have a funny relationship with yogurt - sometimes I cannot get enough of it and other times it totally grosses me out. This month I was definitely on the yogurt train, but specifically the Ellenos yogurt train. They are SO good.

I made Arielle Nir Mamiye’s recipe for spanekh jibon (spinach and cheese frittata) and mejadra (rice with lentils and onions) and it was delicious. We have always made mejadra at home, as it is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, but we will definitely be adding the spanekh jibon into our rotation. It was easy, vegetarian, cheap and makes great leftovers.

Lots of birthdays of people I love are in May and that includes my husband’s birthday. He said “lemon raspberry” cake and I said, “say less” and made him this cake. I made pastry cream for the first time while making this recipe and it turned out really nice. This is a beast of a cake and took a while to make all the components, but it was worth the hard work!

I made another cake for a friend’s 30th and did Claire Saffitz’s funfetti cake and cream cheese frosting and DANG it is good. It is a very approachable recipe and the cake is actual perfection.

I made Half Baked Harvest’s Summer Coconut Chickpea Curry with Rice and Fried Halloumi and it was so good. It comes together super quick, and is seasonal veggie packed. If you are a warm food gal like me, who struggles with meals in the summer because it is too hot for warm food, you should try this. It is warm and comforting but doesn’t feel to heavy.

Drinks

I had this delightful Petit Verdot from Shirts and Skins (a VA wine) and it was lovely! I prefer a lighter red and this definitely was that!
While researching the above Petit Verdot, I found the wine website called Terrorizer and I will definitely order from them in the future, as their selection is so fun!

Other:

I have a large ~ and growing~ collection of vintage colored Pyrex and my dad surprised me and sent me these pastel nesting bowls! They are just perfect and I am excited to use them!

I picked up this candle from my favorite gift-y shop in DC, Urban Dwell. It smells SO nice and so fresh! Link to their Cultured Sake scented candle here.
I re-watched all of Sex and the City and And Just Like That in May and it was such a great re-watch.