What are you craving?

When I saw this post on Slashfood, I couldn't wait to post about it on Live to Eat. While I'm a big fan of Allrecipes.com because of the ability to search for recipes by multiple ingredients, Cookthink offers a whole new spin on the recipe search. The new "what are you craving?" tool allows you to search not just by what ingredients you want to use, but also according to what you're craving based on the ingredient, dish, cuisine and mood - could it be any more prefect for a pregnant woman?

I thought I'd give this a test drive since I've been thinking about how to prepare that whole fryer I have thawing for dinner tonight. I did a quick search for a chicken dish prepared on the grill that's "mind-boggling." So what did Cookthink have in mind? Well there were a lot of results to choose from but some of my delicious options included:

Yogurt-Mint Chicken
Spicy Grilled Whole Chicken
Red Curry Chicken Breasts
Roast Chicken with Sweet Plum Sauce

My only disappointment is that not all of my results were for "grilled" chicken (though I'm sure all of the recipes meet the "mind-boggling" requisite). Some were sauteed, while others were pan-seared, etc. But all in all, the recipes look delicious and have me craving some juicy chicken - this might just be my new favorite kitchen tool!

A Weekend in the Virginia Countryside

My husband and I recently spent a weekend in the Shenandoah Valley, just an hour away from our home in Vienna. It was a perfect weekend getaway - the weather was amazing and it was a short drive that resulted in a beautiful change of scenery and some time to relax. The easy drive was especially nice given the price of gas these days and it enabled us to spend a little more on the food!

Along the way, we stopped for lunch in Leesburg. We decided to try The Lightfoot Restaurant and were pleasantly surprised to find that they not only have beautiful indoor dining

but also a quiet patio for outdoor dining. With the nice weather, we opted to sit outside, despite the awesome interior. Many items seemed to have a subtle Asian influence but for the most part the menu offered traditional American-style dishes. Everything on it looked exciting and as it turns out, the food was delicious.

We started with fried green tomatoes topped with jalapeño cheddar cheese, sautéed shrimp and a Szechwan chili cream. Following the appetizers, I had the Chinatown Salad- loaded with fresh veggies, chicken and crispy Chinese noodles, it was the perfect summertime lunch. My husband indulged a little more (I'll admit, I was a bit jealous) and had the BLT&C sandwich - smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato and provolone cheese. So simple yet I couldn't have made it better in my own kitchen. Other entrees that were hard to resist include a Chesapeake crab and ham Reuben sandwich, a meatloaf sandwich with red Thai curry mayo and crisp onions, and a grilled cheese of the day. I'm looking forward to my next stop in Leesburg!

After another pit stop (this time at the Tastee Freeze in Berryville), we checked in at the french country inn, Villa la Campagnette, in White Post, VA before heading off to its sister (and original) inn, L'Auberge Provencale, for dinner. A visit to the inn and restaurant has often been compared to a visit to Provence in France. I haven't been to Provence but I already like White Post, VA better because I don't have to actually travel to France to enjoy the beauty - what could be better than that?

In addition to the amazing view of the Shenandoah Valley, L'Auberge is also a four-diamond award-winning restaurant (note: jackets are required for men... something unbeknownst to us until we got there). Not only is much of the food locally grown in Virginia, but many of the herbs and vegetables on one's plate can actually be found growing less than 20 yards from the inn. Talk about fresh. The dinner was a prix fixe meal and though pricey, we did not leave unsatisfied. The food was perfect and was truly a special treat that will from henceforth be reserved only for very special occasions (read: we can't afford to go more than once every five years).

The most pleasant surprise of the weekend, however, was the breakfast we awoke to at the Villa. After our decadent meal the night before, I wasn't sure I could actually fit more food into my stomach but alas, I managed. Also prepared at the L'Auberge restaurant, we were served this elegant meal poolside amidst beautiful gardens. The meal included quail sausage, an "eggroll" omelet with fresh vegetables inside, tender potatoes, cafe aulait, fresh squeezed orange juice and a variety of breads with the best raspberry jam I've ever had. (Seriously, I could have eaten this jam right out of the jar - I suspect it was also a local product.) We left the inn at noon and didn't eat again until the evening.

All in all, we had a wonderful stay in the Shenandoah Valley despite the fact that I couldn't drink copious amounts of Virginia (or French) wine while sitting on the front porch of L'Auberge or near the pool at the Villa. I certainly won't forget the food and from now on, I will be driving less so I can save my pennies for another visit to the countryside!

Making Bread...

Has never been so entertaining! Check out this posting on the Accidental Hedonist... I think it's an excellent tutorial on making bread from scratch.

Pleased to enjoy!

Wacky About Watermelon

Maybe it's the hormones or maybe it's the 100 degree weather we've been having, but I've been wacky about watermelon lately. Although I do hate cutting the fruit, it's been well worth the effort - I've been blessed with one juicy and sweet melon after another.

However, last weekend house guests brought over a not-so-sweet melon that left me wondering what to do with the 5 pounds of pink flesh that weren't so enticing to eat. After a little experimentation, I found that watermelonade is the perfect use for that under-ripe watermelon.

The basic recipe for making this refreshing concoction:

In a blender, puree 4 cups of cut melon with the juice from 2 juicy lemons and a spoonful of sugar. Add more sugar to taste (depending on just how under-ripe your melon is) and blend. Pour through a sieve to separate the pulp and seeds and serve over ice. YUM!

According to the Farmer's Almanac, there are a few ways to tell if a watermelon is ripe:

1. Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow, it's ripe. This is difficult for less-gifted ears.
2. Look at the color on the top. The watermelon is ripe when there is little contrast between the stripes.
3. Look at the color on the bottom. A green watermelon will have a white bottom; a ripe melon will have a cream- or yellow-colored bottom.

Apparently I'm not the only watermelon fanatic out there - check these sites for more watermelonriffic recipes and information:

Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade
Agua Fresca
Grilled Watermelon
Other Watermelon Wonders