Plans deferred.

We had great plans to visit the pumpkin patch and go apple picking today -- and we still may later today -- but the Fiancé's immune system finally broke down and he caught this weeklong cold I've been carting around with me.

So what does this girl's guilty conscience do? Why, try her hand at making congee, of course. It turned out quite well for a first-timer.

I initially used the rice cooker but the rice came out, well, like rice. So I transferred it to a bigger pot and filled it with water. I then threw in two frozen fillets of tilapia and a fistful of corn and green peas, and let it cook for an additional 30 mins or so.

Can you tell I had no idea what I was doing? The porridge turned out to be delightfully yummy, with just the right consistency the second time around. It was also slightly bland, but nothing a little soy sauce and fresh black pepper couldn't fix.

While I was slaving away in the kitchen this morning, a friend whom I've worked with texted me a photo of business books. Apparently he thinks of me as a "power woman".

Little does he know that I was playing housewife-in-training this morning. What can I say? I'm a "Kim"eleon! ;)

Cooking -- with you, and for you.

I think I am one of the luckiest girls out there, as Manfriend loves to cook -- and he's a great one, at that.  On one of our earliest dates, he made me a delicious Thai-themed three-course meal, with pork spring rolls, red curry duck, and a medley of mango desserts.  I remember telling myself to wait at least a week to officially fall in love with him after that night's dinner!

Some of my favorite moments in our relationship involve us simply cooking together.  Whether it's a quick breakfast on lazy Sundays, or more elaborate recipes inspired by our foodie cravings du jour, I really love the time we spend in his (and sometimes my) kitchen.  Mind you, cooking was probably one of my least enjoyable activities before I met him -- and, admittedly, it still kind of is -- but he has been such a wonderful, patient, and humble teacher, that his enthusiasm for picking out the right spices and slicing and dicing vegetables just the right way has quietly transferred onto me over the past two years. 

Since living on my own, it has truly been a daunting task to force myself to cook for, well, myself.  To be quite honest, there are days where I am eyeing my stash of cookies and other assorted snacks and I come very, very close to qualifying them all as "dinner".  (Oh, the shame!) 

But I have also realized that the better I eat, the more energy and focus I have at work and at school.  This knowledge alone has really helped fuel my desire to eat healthy and be more careful about what I feed my body.  The fact that I am now paying my way towards a graduate degree has also reinforced my willingness to save money by cooking at home, versus eating out. 

So far, my repertoire mainly consists of chicken and vegetable soup and a variety of pastas.  I know, nothing to brag, but coming from someone who previously only knew how to make omelets and scrambled eggs, I'm excited to see what I can cook up next!

Think Fluffy Thoughts (Cakes, that is).

Knowing my love for cupcakes and anything with a cute name, Manfriend has been meaning to take me to Fluffy Thoughts Cakes for a while now. Since we were visiting my family yesterday, we used this occasion to get some baked goods for my parents and brothers to enjoy.

The bakery seems to be a well-kept secret: inconspicuously tucked away in the back of a busines building on 1320 Old Chain Bridge Road in Mclean, VA, the small store was still swarming with activity -- we smiled at a man happily holding the door for us, bright teal-colored box in hand; I eavesdropped on conversations going on in the tiny tasting room, and quietly admired the beautiful, ornate wedding cakes on display while waiting in line.

What I like about this place is 1) the wide variety of baked goods available, and 2) the staff. I couldn't make up my mind about what to get, but the young girl helping us was incredibly patient and cheerful, and not once did I feel rushed or frustrated. I ended up getting a half-dozen cupcakes for my brother's birthday, some macarons for my parents (which turned out to be a great choice since my father was entertaining an old friend from France later that night), and (of course) a red velvet cupcake to go.

The verdict: The best part of my cupcake was its frosting. Soft and buttery, it was just the right of amount of sweet and smooth. I loved the quirky vanilla finish and overall taste of the red velvet, but thought the cupcake's texture itself was a tad dry and crumbly. A little disappointing, but my mother told me the macarons were divine!

All in all, I'd say stop by this bakery if (and only if) you're in the area -- very pleasant customer service, and the cupcakes are relatively well-priced and will hit the spot if you are looking for something fun and simple.

DC Eats: The Greenhouse at the Jefferson Hotel.

I was the lucky winner of a complimentary three-course meal at the recently renovated Jefferson Hotel, courtesy of my firm during this past holiday party's raffle. I brought along Manfriend as my guest, and we had a delightfully luxurious lunch at the beautifully decorated Greenhouse. From the relaxing and romantic atmosphere to the attentive wait staff and amazing food, it was a highly enjoyable (and totally unpretentious) dining experience! The habachi ceviche, quiche du jour, and scrambled eggs with caviar, especially, were simply excellent. I am foaming at the mouth just thinking about it.

The concierge, Chris, graciously took us on a tour of the beautiful property afterwards. We got to witness some behind-the-scenes preparations for the Plume's evening opening, as well as admire some of the luxurious suites available. There were so many great historical details, including Thomas Jefferson's words inscribed on the room's window panes, and some original manuscripts displayed in the lobby.

It was the most perfect way to spend a few quiet hours together on the last day of the year. I had no idea the hotel participated in this past Restaurant Week, but I highly recommend it as one of D.C.'s best kept-secrets and top dining gems.

And one of the best parts? No one rushed me while I took my time taking photos of, well, almost everything.

***

The Jefferson Hotel

http://www.jeffersondc.com/

1200 16th Street, NW

Washington D.C., DC 20036

(202) 448-2300

Lots of sweet holiday treats.

My girlfriend D came over last week and we spent the cold, winter evening filling up the kitchen with sweet smells and girl talk. Nothing like great company and baked goods to make a girl feel all warm and fuzzy inside! It was also a great way to warm me up for my firm's holiday bake-off that Friday.

I borrowed her red velvet cookie recipe for the competition, and added some white chocolate chips to the mix. I also made some festive cupcakes as well, and even though they didn't earn me first place, I received a lot of compliments -- someone even offered to commission me to make some fun cupcakes for their young daughter's next birthday! Sweet. Ingredients and recipes found below!

Red Velvet & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 box of red velvet cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup of white chocolate chips (you can add more or less to your own liking)

Mix all of the ingredients together to make the cookie dough. Roll into small balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten down slightly, depending on the thickness you desire. Bake at 375 degrees (you may want to set the oven before you start mixing!) for 8-10 minutes until the tops crackle (or until desire doneness).

Enjoy! (Hint: I'm sure Santa will also enjoy them as an ode to his red and white outfit, *wink, wink*.)

Next came the chocolate cupcakes! All you need to do is follow the instructions provided on the back of the cake mix box. Don't forget to let the cupcakes cool off before you start decorating them!

"Polar Paws" Coconut Chocolate Cupcakes

vanilla frosting

1/2 cup of coconut flakes

large dark chocolate disks

1 bag of M&Ms

Pour the coconut flakes onto a medium-sized plate. Set all the brown M&Ms from the bag aside. Apply the vanilla frosting on desired number of chocolate cupcakes. Take each cupcake and lightly (and evenly) press the frosted side onto the coconut flakes to create the "white fur". To make the chocolate disks and M&Ms "stick" better onto the coconut, simply pat very small amounts of frosting on the back to "glue" the paws onto each cupcake.

"Candy Cane" Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Vanilla frosting

Red and green food coloring

Candy canes

Mix red and green food coloring with the vanilla frosting until the desired color is achieved. Spread evenly over the top of each cupcake. Crush up a candy cane into smaller pieces. (You may want to cover the candy with a napkin to avoid having the candy bits fly everywhere!) Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle! (You can also stick whole candy canes directly into the cupcakes for an even more festive look.)

Mmmmm, Cookie Monster cupcakes!

Despite having to wake up early the next morning for the Fannie Mae's Help the Homeless Walkathon with a few work colleagues, I spent a few hours late Friday night baking some Cookie Monster cupcakes for my baby cousin's fifth birthday on Saturday.

They turned out great, and were quite a success with the kids! I used a recipe shared by a friend, but here is a similar one I found via Cupcake Decorating Ideas.

I am no Martha Stewart, but I have to admit that I rather enjoyed the sweet smells and warmth in the kitchen that night. It was a nice and relaxing way to end a long work week, and made me look forward to a weekend filled with smiles and memorable times.

A little tea party for my girlies and me.

I have been experiencing the strongest of cravings for sweets and sugar all day today -- and I am not one with a sweet tooth at all, usually!

Which then made me think: I think I want to celebrate my (un)birthday with a little tea party this year. Last year, the best friend and I co-hosted a BBQ and pool party at her house, and we all had such a blast swimming around sipping on cocktails, with no boys around to bother us!

Mmmmm... I am salivating at the idea of having nothing but cupcakes, cookies, pies and ice cream to feast on for a few hours! With the greatest of companies, too, no less. "Let them eat cake," I say.

So inspired! Must start planning once I come back from my travels.

DC Eats: Ceiba

I had heard good things about Ceiba (pronounced say-bah, and not see-bah, as my ignorant self previously believed), so Christine and I made this place our next contender for our ceviche-off.

Considering the restaurant is a venture from the owners of DC Coast and TenPenh, two excellent restaurants, I was harboring high hopes for Ceiba.

Instead, I was highly disappointed -- and this is probably due to the fact that I was nursing such great expectations to begin with.

We ordered a sampling of four available ceviches (clockwise, from the top):

• Wild Striped Bass Ceviche (Spicy Rocoto Chili, Sweet Potato, Toasted Peruvian Corn)



• Peruvian Ceviche "Clasico" (Fresh Lime Juice, Red Onion, Cilantro, Aji Picante)



• Yucatan Shrimp Ceviche "Cocktail" (Pico de Gallo, Avocado, Crisp Corn Tortillas)



• Yellowfin Tuna Ceviche (Cucumber, Mango, Jicama, Aji Amarillo Lime Dressing, Crushed Cashews)

Verdict: Yes on the "cocktail" and the "clasico"; total no on the wild striped bass and yellowfin tuna. I was severely underwhelmed. While I was intrigued by the ingredients included in the last two options, both ceviches failed to deliver. I even caught myself feeling bored, while chewing. The last time I checked, food (especially slightly pricy food) is not supposed to make people want to yawn and fall asleep.

Next: The Mahi Mahi, with an accompanying paella. I don't eat fish all too often -- but I am pretty sure it's not supposed to taste like dried chicken meat, either. Hm.

But before you write me off as a Debbie Downer, or a Criticizing Connie, there were a few redeeming factors:

1. The lounge and bar area had a fun-filled, rowdy atmosphere;



2. Our server was great, and brought out several wines for us to taste before we made a decision;



3. They serve these crispy chips instead of bread;



4. Complimentary caramel popcorn at the end of every meal!



5. THE WINE (see photo above). We liked it because: it was exactly what I had asked for -- dry, not too sweet, with a smooth finish at the end.

SKIP IT or HIT IT: I wish I read other people's reviews before heading over there for dinner, because then I would have known that I should only HIT IT up for happy hour and stick to the appetizers.

***

Ceiba
http://www.ceibarestaurant.com/
701 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005-3206
(202) 393-3983

***

My Sweetheart Salad

Manfriend woke up at 5 a.m. on a rainy Sunday yesterday morning to run a 10-miler, and I wanted to do something nice for him, since I knew he had been training pretty relentlessly for this race and deserved a little extra TLC.

He has been waiting very patiently for me to cook something for him for a while now, and I decided that this past weekend was going to be the weekend I finally surprised him with something homemade by yours truly.

Except, after being on a strict no-carbs diet for the past few weeks, Manfriend already had his stomach set on pizza, and between my non-existent culinary skills and Pizza Hut's any size, any topping, any crust, any pizza for only $10 (which you can order online and have it delivered to your door in less than 30 mins), guess what we ended up having for dinner last night?

That didn't stop me from feeding him a healthy (and savory!) appetizer, though. I call it, "My Sweetheart Salad":

Ingredients:

spring mix of arugula, spinach, baby lettuces
(I picked up Nature's Promise Organic Spring Mix)
grape tomatoes
seedless red grapes
clementine
strawberries
slivered almonds
crumbled feta cheese
raspberry vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Peel clementine. 2. Wash all fruits and vegetables. 3. Slice clementine, strawberries, and grapes in halves or quarters.

6. In a mixing bowl, combine the spring mix, fruits, and grape tomatoes. 7. Lightly sprinkle the slivered almonds and feta cheese. 8. Top it all off with the raspberry vinaigrette according to taste!

Tip: This salad went wonderfully well with a glass of chilled pinot grigio, and you can have the leftover fruits for dessert. (I'll admit, it was a little strange pairing this all with pizza...but it definitely gave our taste buds an unpredictable little kick!)



And, despite the fact that making a salad doesn't technically count as "cooking", the main point is that Manfriend absolutely loved it, and that's all that matters!

Happy Monday!