- Friday dinner at Michael’s Bistro (sorry they don't have a webpage!): Michael’s is a Cville institution and is one of the handful of establishments on “the Corner” that hasn’t changed in the last 10 or so years since I first came to UVA. It features tasty food, good beer, and a low-key atmosphere perfect for hanging with a group.
- Bodo’s Bagels: We enjoyed the always popular Bodo’s Bagels (another Cville institution) on both Saturday at Foxfield and on Sunday morning before we headed home. Bodo’s is hands down my favorite bagel place of all time. I have never had a bagel anywhere else that I thought was anywhere near as good—that might seem like blasphemy coming from someone who lived in NYC for a couple of years but it’s true. My dream is to open a franchise in Northern Virginia (home to many a UVA alum)—it would make a killing!
- The Main Event: We could not have asked for a better Foxfield. The rain held off (we even had a moment of sun), we did not sit in traffic, and the set up/break down of our plot was a cinch. And we saw horses—lots of them! Good times were definitely had by all. I credit much of the success to Stephanie and Matt’s expert planning.
- And my food contributions? A hit! All but 3 of the cookies were eaten along with about 2/3 of the pasta salad…given the significant quantities of food leftover, that’s saying something. And I got a number of compliments regarding both. I would definitely recommend making either or both of these recipes for any picnic/tailgate/potluck you may have this Spring/Summer!
Showing posts with label Foxfield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foxfield. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Foxfield, the Conclusion
We made it back from another fun and successful Foxfield weekend. Here are some of the highlights:
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Foxfield, Part 2
In addition to making a dessert for Foxfield I decided to also bring some sort of pasta salad type thing. I thought it might be a good way to ensure we had something else hearty to eat and since pasta salads are a traditional staple of picnic/tailgating fare it would fit into the overall spread.
The trick was to find something that did not use dairy since we needed something that would be ok sitting out for a good part of the day. I looked around and found a recipe for Gazpacho Pasta Salad on one of my newer food blog finds—Cheap Healthy Good. This is the second recipe I’ve tried from CHG (the first was a vegetarian bean chili that Jason and I both really enjoyed this winter) and I’ve got to say—I am fan. It’s nice to have a source for good food that is also healthy and that doesn’t require a lot of expensive ingredients. CHG also provides the nutritional and cost breakdown for each recipe it provides.
This particular pasta salad takes all the ingredients from gazpacho (a delicious, veggie-based cold soup that is great for the summer when tomatoes are at their peak freshness) and adds some rotini in for good measure. To me it sounded like a great dish for day out in the sun (or rain, as the case may be). And (as with many, if not most, of the recipes I make lately) it was super easy to make! First you make the sauce—a can of diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic, basil, salt, and red wine vinegar all go into the blender and come out pure deliciousness. Then you chop up red pepper, yellow pepper, cucumber, scallions, and parsley and toss it all together with some cooked pasta. SO GOOD!
Gazpacho Pasta Salad
Adapted (a tiny tiny bit) from Cheap Healthy Good
Ingredients:
1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used the garlic and onion variety for maximum flavor)
3 small garlic cloves (might want bigger ones if you don’t use the garlic-y tomatoes—see above)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 TBL red wine vinegar
Salt
1 pound rotini pasta
1 cucumber (I used the hot-house or English variety since they are a little less juicy), peeled, quartered lengthwise , seeded, and cut into small chunks
1 red bell pepper , chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 pint of grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 TBL olive oil
1.Combine diced tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a non-metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
2.Cook pasta in salted water according to directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
3.Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add pasta and tomato sauce and toss well. You can serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Next week there will be a recap of our day at the races and how my dishes were received. Stay tuned!
The trick was to find something that did not use dairy since we needed something that would be ok sitting out for a good part of the day. I looked around and found a recipe for Gazpacho Pasta Salad on one of my newer food blog finds—Cheap Healthy Good. This is the second recipe I’ve tried from CHG (the first was a vegetarian bean chili that Jason and I both really enjoyed this winter) and I’ve got to say—I am fan. It’s nice to have a source for good food that is also healthy and that doesn’t require a lot of expensive ingredients. CHG also provides the nutritional and cost breakdown for each recipe it provides.
This particular pasta salad takes all the ingredients from gazpacho (a delicious, veggie-based cold soup that is great for the summer when tomatoes are at their peak freshness) and adds some rotini in for good measure. To me it sounded like a great dish for day out in the sun (or rain, as the case may be). And (as with many, if not most, of the recipes I make lately) it was super easy to make! First you make the sauce—a can of diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic, basil, salt, and red wine vinegar all go into the blender and come out pure deliciousness. Then you chop up red pepper, yellow pepper, cucumber, scallions, and parsley and toss it all together with some cooked pasta. SO GOOD!
Gazpacho Pasta Salad
Adapted (a tiny tiny bit) from Cheap Healthy Good
Ingredients:
1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used the garlic and onion variety for maximum flavor)
3 small garlic cloves (might want bigger ones if you don’t use the garlic-y tomatoes—see above)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 TBL red wine vinegar
Salt
1 pound rotini pasta
1 cucumber (I used the hot-house or English variety since they are a little less juicy), peeled, quartered lengthwise , seeded, and cut into small chunks
1 red bell pepper , chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 pint of grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 TBL olive oil
1.Combine diced tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a non-metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
2.Cook pasta in salted water according to directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
3.Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add pasta and tomato sauce and toss well. You can serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Next week there will be a recap of our day at the races and how my dishes were received. Stay tuned!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Foxfield, Part 1
Have I told you that I went to the University of Virginia as an undergrad? Well, I did. I am a Hoo and proud of it! UVA is a great school with lots of traditions—one of which is the Foxfield Races. Every April thousands of students, alumni, and residents of Charlottesville descend upon a great big field outside of town to tailgate and watch some horses occasionally run by. But mostly to tailgate. Surprisingly, I have been to Foxfield more times since I graduated from college than when I was actually there (I did not attend my first year at UVA because I did not really understand what all the fuss was about, nor did I attend my fourth year because I was in a play and I didn’t think that tailgating all day before that night’s show was the most prudent idea!). We took a break from the festivities last year and I wondered if we were getting too old to dear ol’ Foxfield.
The answer, apparently, is no. This Saturday Jason and I will be standing in a field (probably in the rain) and reliving my college years with friends, food, and drink. After many stressful work weeks, I think this is exactly what I need to let go and let loose.
My friend Stephanie has been the driving force behind Foxfield this year. She has organized everything to a “T.” I felt pretty guilty for being mostly incommunicado during all of the planning (to be honest, Foxfield really snuck up on me this year with all of the traveling), so last week I asked her if I could bring a couple of items. We settled on a pasta salad and some sort of dessert.
Planning food for Foxfield (or any tailgate really) requires something that can withstand the elements, whether they be heat, rain, or sun (or all of the above). That means no dairy or anything else that could melt or get soggy. After much debating, I decided to try a recipe for Toasted Coconut Shortbread I had seen previously on SmittenKitchen. Shortbread is generally a pretty sturdy cookie so I thought it would hold up well outside. And the idea of coconut seemed sort of Spring-y which is usually what I think of when I think of Foxfield. It sounded perfect.
For those of you who have never made shortbread—it is really a cinch. All you do is mix butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and flour together. Voila—you have shortbread! The tweak in this recipe was adding crushed toasted coconut to the dough. The result was a lightly sweet, buttery cookie with a hint of coconut goodness. I hope it will become a Foxfield favorite!
Toasted Coconut Shortbread
Adapted from SmittenKitchen
Ingredients:
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup (or 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature *
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt (would want to increase to ¾ teaspoon if you are using coarse salt)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
* It is really important that your butter is soft. I let mine sit out for about 3 hours before I starting cooking.
1.Preheat oven to 325. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread coconut evenly over the top. Bake until coconut is lightly golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely. Then place coconut into a plastic sealable bag and crush until coarsely ground (you can also do in a blender or food processor if you want it more finely ground).
2.Using an electric or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add flour in two additions. Mix in toasted coconut. Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic. You can either flatten into a disc (if you want to roll out and use cookie cutters or to cut into rectangles) or shape it into a log so you can do it slice and bake style (which is what I did). Chill for at least 1 hour (but I’d recommend a little bit longer especially if you want to do slice and bake).
3.Preheat oven to 325. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or reuse the one you used for the coconut like I did). Cut out your cookies using whatever method you prefer (if you choose to roll out the dough and use cookie cutters, make sure you roll it out to about ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface). Transfer cookies to baking sheet(s), spacing an inch or so apart.
4.Bake until a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet(s) for 10 minutes and then transfer to racks to cool completely.
Next on the Foxfield menu…Gazpacho Pasta Salad!
The answer, apparently, is no. This Saturday Jason and I will be standing in a field (probably in the rain) and reliving my college years with friends, food, and drink. After many stressful work weeks, I think this is exactly what I need to let go and let loose.
My friend Stephanie has been the driving force behind Foxfield this year. She has organized everything to a “T.” I felt pretty guilty for being mostly incommunicado during all of the planning (to be honest, Foxfield really snuck up on me this year with all of the traveling), so last week I asked her if I could bring a couple of items. We settled on a pasta salad and some sort of dessert.
Planning food for Foxfield (or any tailgate really) requires something that can withstand the elements, whether they be heat, rain, or sun (or all of the above). That means no dairy or anything else that could melt or get soggy. After much debating, I decided to try a recipe for Toasted Coconut Shortbread I had seen previously on SmittenKitchen. Shortbread is generally a pretty sturdy cookie so I thought it would hold up well outside. And the idea of coconut seemed sort of Spring-y which is usually what I think of when I think of Foxfield. It sounded perfect.
For those of you who have never made shortbread—it is really a cinch. All you do is mix butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and flour together. Voila—you have shortbread! The tweak in this recipe was adding crushed toasted coconut to the dough. The result was a lightly sweet, buttery cookie with a hint of coconut goodness. I hope it will become a Foxfield favorite!
Toasted Coconut Shortbread
Adapted from SmittenKitchen
Ingredients:
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup (or 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature *
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt (would want to increase to ¾ teaspoon if you are using coarse salt)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
* It is really important that your butter is soft. I let mine sit out for about 3 hours before I starting cooking.
1.Preheat oven to 325. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread coconut evenly over the top. Bake until coconut is lightly golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely. Then place coconut into a plastic sealable bag and crush until coarsely ground (you can also do in a blender or food processor if you want it more finely ground).
2.Using an electric or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add flour in two additions. Mix in toasted coconut. Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic. You can either flatten into a disc (if you want to roll out and use cookie cutters or to cut into rectangles) or shape it into a log so you can do it slice and bake style (which is what I did). Chill for at least 1 hour (but I’d recommend a little bit longer especially if you want to do slice and bake).
3.Preheat oven to 325. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or reuse the one you used for the coconut like I did). Cut out your cookies using whatever method you prefer (if you choose to roll out the dough and use cookie cutters, make sure you roll it out to about ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface). Transfer cookies to baking sheet(s), spacing an inch or so apart.
4.Bake until a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet(s) for 10 minutes and then transfer to racks to cool completely.
Next on the Foxfield menu…Gazpacho Pasta Salad!
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