Weekend recap, and a recipe roundup

To all of you who are wondering how we fared last night, on our rare foray out of the apartment, we'll have you know that we enjoyed it very much. We started the evening by walking around Chinatown while we waited for a table at Matchbox (where, thanks to an exceptionally generous gift certificate, we were able to live it up by eating and drinking high on the hog); enjoying the energy of the downtown atmosphere, a little giddy to be "going out" together for the first time in a long time. We browsed through an eclectic Chinese grocery store and wandered back out on the street, very much enjoying the cool weather (and, in my case, very much celebrating the fact that I had decided against wearing a skirt--because especially as the sun went down, it got almost cold).

The more we spend time in DC, the more we love it; as our friend Hannah says, "it's less of a city than just a really big town." While the buildings and traffic and endless places to eat and be entertained give you a lot of the benefits and drawbacks of a big city, there isn't the neverending crush of people and buildings that makes a lot of other cities feel cramped and sunless. And of the buildings that are there, so many of them are historically interesting; and because of the requirement that nothing be taller than the Washington monument, there's a sense of space and openness that you don't get in a lot of other places. We were able to enjoy a nice view of the sky as the sun went down, and by that time our table was ready and we went into the restaurant.

One of our favorite things right off the bat was the atmosphere. Everything was classy and nice without being intimidating or pretentious. We were happy to dig into delicious food while reasonably casually dressed and not feel like we didn't fit in. The music was loud enough to almost drown out the diners around us, but not so loud that we couldn't carry on a conversation ourselves. We were amused to listen to the conversation of the couple next to us--obviously on a first date, the guy did all the talking and on such assorted fascinating topics as himself, his grades in law school, and, of all things, stem cell research. (He went to Georgetown; that probably explains a lot.) Talk about sinking fast. They were probably five or six years older than us and I will say that I was awash with gratitude that I've escaped the necessity to participate in "the dating scene." It combines a number of the things I hate most, such as meeting new people, making small talk, and getting dressed up; I really felt for the poor girl next to us, forced to listen to this bonehead rattle on about himself without being able to get a word in edgewise. It makes me feel so fortunate that instead of a serious of anxiety-provoking encounters with people like him, I have a best friend and constant companion who (for those of you who know Matt will agree) only enlivens and enriches any situation in which we might find ourselves. Awww.

A note about the food: sausage, onion, kalamata olive and garlic pizza; a couple of brewskis for the gentleman and a Gingersnap (ginger syrup, pineapple rum, and Sprite) for me, topped off with chocolate chip banana-bread pudding split between the two of us. Ah, gift certificates...how we love leaving the table with stuffed bellies and no detriment to our own checking account!

After that, we stopped by a gathering assembled by Hannah and her boyfriend, which was really a very nice time. It was a good opportunity to get a glimpse of an apartment in which our entire living space would fit inside the bathroom, and around 11pm--way past our usual bedtime--we hopped on the Metro and headed for home. Sort of an interesting thing happened on the Metro when we saw an older man talking with a girl of maybe 12 who was on the train with her 5-year-old sister and who seemed to be lost. We both had kind of a funny feeling about it and Matt voiced my thoughts when he asked me quietly, "If he gets off at the same stop as them, do you want to get off too?" Impulsively, we did, and were wondering what we were going to do next when the man led them up to the Metro station manager and asked them to help the girls get home. We breathed a sigh of relief and got back on the train to go home. You never can be too careful these days, with men climbing in women's windows and other ones hiding in boys' closets.

Following our night of decadence, we started out this morning in the oppositve vein with a 9am class at Capitol Hill Yoga. Having been experiencing a lot of tightness in my neck and shoulders, compliments of my new occupation as law student, the hour-and-a-half class felt wonderful. It also gave us a chance, on the bike ride to and from, to fantasize wildly about the rowhouses in the more affluent section of Capitol Hill. It was a perfect morning for a bike ride, and the shady streets, lovely old houses, and grassy parks were overshadowed only by the breakfasty smells coming out of Jimmy T's, the type of humble local joint that always catches our eye. Alas, they are a cash-only establishment and we had none. Brokenhearted, because we've wanted to try them for awhile (they serve both greasy breakfasts and a daily vegetarian special, which we feel fits perfectly with our own eclectic style of eating), we went home and made good on our promise to make those banana-walnut pancakes, since the sour milk was calling from the fridge. They were very good, and now we have some for the freezer as well.
Other things we've made lately include our first batch of homemade refried beans and homemade peanut butter. We got the refried beans recipes from Tammy's Recipes (which contains a ton of helpful and informative recipes and is run by one of the more gentle and thoughtful orthodox religious women bloggers [I think she may be Jewish?], who blogs intelligently about cooking and homebirth, among other things), and it is as follows:

Refried Beans

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in enough water to cover
7 1/2 cups water
2 onions, peeled and cut in half
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tablespoons butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt
2 ounces feta cheese
fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Drain pinto beans, and rinse and drain again. Heat water in large pot until boiling. Add soaked beans, two halved onions, and ten whole garlic cloves. Return to boiling and simmer, uncovered, for about 90 minutes, or until beans are very soft and water is almost all absorbed.

2. Melt butter in large skillet or stock pot. Add the two chopped onions, the cumin, ground coriander, and chili powder. Cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 15-20 minutes, adding water if needed to prevent scorching.

3. Stir in fresh cilantro, and the three remaining garlic cloves. Start adding beans, a spoonful at a time, frying for a couple minutes and mashing with a fork or potato masher as you add them. Continue until all beans have been added.

4. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans have thickened to consistency desired, about 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and ladle into serving dishes, topping with feta cheese and fresh cilantro for garnish.

We really, really liked these. We served them with tostadas last time, but would eat them plain or with cheese as well. The recipe above yields about 6 cups, so it's an incredibly cheap food when you get down to it, with very little fat and lots of protein--great for vegetarians. And, as my mom points out, great for sitting around farting with your spouse afterward! (I'll include a picture of the beans, rather than a picture of that.)
For the peanut butter, just combine roasted peanuts, a little salt, and enough vegetable oil to lubricate and whirl it around in the food processor until it's smooth.
We keep it in the fridge but it's still very spreadable. This goes onto sandwiches and all kinds of peanut sauce and curry, as well as into morning smoothies, which (since we're doing recipes here) are as follows:

Morning Smoothies

1 cup of each of the following:
Milk
Vanilla yogurt
Berries (fresh or frozen; we like either strawberries and raspberries, or just raspberries)

Probably about 1/4 cup peanut butter
1 banana

Process in the blender until smooth. Serves 2.

Delicious. Matt used to have these waiting when I would come home from work in the morning, and I would practically drool in the car just thinking about them.

Mild Red Chile Sauce
(From The Mexican Cookbook;
somewhat redacted and with my comments in parentheses)

Ingredients:
5 large fresh mild chilies, such as New Mexico or ancho (we've found pretty much anything will work, besides those small, wrinkly, unbelievably hot habaneros)
2 cups vegetable/chicken stock (I think we used water)
1 tbsp masa harina or 1 crumbled corn tortilla (masa is the powdered-corn base for tamales; it's what really sends this over the edge and makes it taste like an authentically Mexican sauce, as opposed to just spicy spaghetti sauce)
Large pinch of ground cumin
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt

1. Roast chiles under the broiler, turning so that all sides become somewhat blackened. You'll probably hear them pop as they burst in the heat
2. Place chilies in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover and let cool 20min.
3. Place the stock/water in a pan and bring to a simmer.
4. When the chilies are cooled, swelled up, and softened, remove with a slotted spoon. Remove the seeds, then cut or tear the flesh into pieces and place in a food processor or blender. Process to a puree, then mix in the hot stock.
5. Place the chili and stock mixture in a pan. Puree the masa or tortilla with enough water to make a thin paste, then add along with remaining ingredients. Cook for a few minutes until thickened, adding salt to taste.

This is a pretty flexible recipe--we've used all kinds and quantities of chilies, and this last time Matt added tomatoes, with delicious results. We were upset to find that our last batch molded after just a few weeks--you wouldn't think mold could stand the heat, but apparently it can. Just goes to show that you should probably pick up 7 or 8 bags of blue corn chips and Aldi's and get it while the gettin' is good.

Tonight we're planning to use up the remainder of the refried beans, some leftover rice, and some of Matt's hot sauce in bean and cheese burritos, which we haven't made before but which may have to make it into the rotation if all goes well.

And Best Buy still has our TV, but as you can see, we haven't exactly been bored yet.