Living Insanity's Loving Food

We went for dinner to the newly opened Rockville Matchbox and had a 6 minute wait even though they were very busy and told us it would be 30 minutes. DH and I split 6 mini burgers and a small fire and spice pizza. No meat on the pizza and I wish it had a little more on it. There was a smoky flavor and some roasted peppers but I needed a topping I could sink teeth into. I think we should have tried the pizza with meatballs. The staff said it was a spicy one too because the meatballs are spicy. The guys next to us got it and I was a little jealous. We decided Mia's pizza in Bethesda was very similar and we have some favorites there. I guess we'd go to Matchbox to avoid paying for parking in Bethesda. I do love my Mia's alsace pizza more-, gruyere cheese, parmesan, caramelized onion & thyme and instead of pancetta I get arugula. I loved my little burgers with gorgonzola and onion straws at Matchbox. It looked like everyone ordered the mini burgers. Heaps of onion ...

We had our own dinner part back in November. I finally have some photos from the party. Looks like we missed a few dishes though This is the brie appetizer I have made before. It's a Paula Deen recipe I always make mine with macadamia nuts and red and green apples instead of apples and pears. These are Devils on a Horseback. First time we had them was at Mario Batali's Spotted Pig in NYC. Cheesy brussel sprout casserole was eaten but not photographed :) Recipe was from here The star of the dinner. Beef tenderloin with shallots, red wine glaze, and fingerling potatoes with some special citrus sea salt sprinkled on them The tenderloin recipe is located here

I love grilled cheese and tomato soup together!

The annual cookie swap is coming up. Last year there were about 40 girls and it sounds like this year will be the same. So I made over 100 red and chite checkerboard cookies to swap :) I think they taste and look great! This recipe comes from The Way the Cookie Crumbles The recipe is found here 4 cups (19.2 ounces) unbleached flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs, preferably room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 20 tablespoons (2½ sticks) butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (7 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar Liquid food coloring (I used red) In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Break the eggs into a small measuring cup, whisk them lightly, and mix in the vanilla. Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat the butter on medium-low speed until it’s smooth, then add the salt and both sugars. Continue beating on medium-low until the mixture i...

We spend the holidays with my family and we don't get to cook very much. We are hosting a dinner party tonight so we can cook for our friends. The menu is shaping up and we just need to hit the grocery store soon Paula Deen's brie with brown sugar, macadamia nuts, and brandy. Served with apples and crackers Balsamic vinaigrette salad with goat cheese and pecans Rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes Brussel sprout casserole. lots of creamy cheese sauce Beef tenderloin with a red wine glaze and shallots Pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust

Yesterday many hours were spent browsing at the DC Metro Cooking Show. We saw Paula Deen this year! She was really personable and funny. Many fun stories were told So things I like from the show were: The restaurant Cava (Greek Tapas) is now selling items in local Whole Foods, Roots etc. I tried the "crazy feta" and it was very very spicy. I had to follow up with some tzatziki to cool off. I must buy some of that Crazy Feta for the holidays I already knew I loved Havana Banana bread but it's much cheaper to buy at the show than to buy from the website and have it shipped so I bought the chocolate chunk banana bread this year. Our favorite is the white choc, coconut, macadamia nut one, but they didn't have any at the show this year. I popped my banana bread in the freezer for possibly Christmas time breakfast. Paula Deen's cousin Johnnie has a restaurant and bakery, Gabriel's . I bought some pumpkin bread from the booth and it is a great dessert! The...

Softened butter Fresh chopped herbs Shaped silicone baking pan Whip ingredients together Stuff into the pan Cover with wax paper Freeze overnight Pop the butter out of the mold