In Search of Herbs and Finding Susan by Martha

Nancy joined me today for my annual trip to T. DeBaggio's herb farm. This business was started many years ago on 10th Street in Arlington by Tom DeBaggio, one of the world's experts in the science of herbs. Tom was stricken by Altzheimer's several years ago and his son Francesco now runs the business and moved the operation to Chantilly.

There are thousands of plants, herbs, flowers and vegetables with hundreds of varieties. I counted twenty different kinds of peppers today, sweet and hot. I always buy my tomato plants from DeBaggio and each year experiment with a new variety. Last year it was a black cherry plant that turned out to be the star of the garden. This year I picked up a yellow paste tomato plant that comes with a promise of being great for salsas. My oregano from last year shows no signs of life, so I bought a replacement. Picked up Alpine strawberries that are supposed to bear small sweet fruit throughout the summer. In honor of Eliza, I have a epozate plant which has a warning of being a nuisance, so it's going into a pot.

From DeBaggio's, we headed to Ray's Hell Burgers for lunch. This hole in the wall, with no sign outside and seating for probably no more than 40 got some national attention couple of weeks ago when President Obama and VP Biden stopped by for a burger. Even though there's usually a line to get in the door, it's probably the most efficiently run place in town. Tops 15 minutes from the door to sitting down at your table with a simply yummy burger. This was my third trip to Ray's and is probably the only place I'll ever eat burgers. The menu is simple ... Nancy and I decided to split a burger topped with Amish cave cheddar, mushrooms and raw onions. The burger arrives on a great seeded bun, accompanied by a piece of fruit. There's no fries at Ray's, but you don't miss them.

The biggest surprise for Nancy and I was waiting in line for us .... Susan ... standing not two feet from me. She has ordered, what else, a burger with fois gras.

What a great way to spend a sunny day ...

And Yet Another Super Delicious Meal! by Ingrid

About Susan's Entree Course
Susan outdid herself with the scallops and carrot and chipotle reduction, which she served with black rice. For a starter, she chose a fabulous beet salad with goat cheese. Everything was better than perfect!

About the Vegetable Salad
To go with the carrot and chipotle reduction, I thought that Rick Bayless’ Mixed Vegetables with Lime Dressing would be a great match for the reduction, and it was. You pick and choose from several lists of veggies, decide which ones you’d like to include, and then cut up the appropriate amount. I would say that I was quite liberal with the ingredients and added more than the recipe indicated. I included carrots, beets, blanched green beans, defrosted peas, radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Instead of using a thick slide of red onion as part of the garnish, I diced some red onion – about a half a cup and included it with the veggies. The presentation is quite nice with the lettuce leaves lining the plate and serving as a bowl for the veggies, which after being tossed with the vinaigrette, are mounded in the middle then topped decoratively with the egg slices and Mexican queso fresco.

I used the “baby” carrots and since the slices were thin, I did not blanch the carrots. I used canned beets, which worked out well, but fresh is always better and will roast them the next time I make this dish.

So, check out the link for the recipe!

www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=39

Arugula that gives and gives by Martha

I seeded arugula this fall which provided me with greens all winter long. Now I have these beautiful blossoms to add to salads, fish, etc. They will soon reseed, but right now are a bright spot in the garden.