Less Free, More Food

I did not join The Pedant at the BBQ Festival today. Rather, I had a paper to write for school, so naturally I had lunch with some friends. I also did a lot of cooking. (I did do SOME work. In fact, I'm doing some now! Can't you tell?!?!)

While at the farmer's market (FM) this morning picking up some delicious produce and things, I had a great idea to take pictures of the food - before, during and after. But I TOTALLY forgot. Maybe next time? We'll see.

Q: What did I cook?

A 1: I made a black bean and corn salad: black beans, frozen corn (the FM had ears that looked good but I got lazy), FM green pepper, FM jalapeno, FM red onion and a dressing of sherry vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper. It came out really well. The one single jalapeno was HOT. My fingers are STILL burning from touching it. But the salad was tasty.

A 2: I made a curried squash soup. TP mother made it this winter and served it warmed, although it was supposed to be served chilled. So I used a yellow squash from our CSA and a few more from the FM, as well as an onion from the FM and some potatoes (FM finds too!). Basically, you saute the squash and onion in oil, add garlic (from our CSA), ginger and cumin, then add potatoes and veg broth. Bring to a boil, simmer, puree, and chill. It came out really great. I cannot wait for my lunches this week of spicy bean salad and chilled curried squash soup.

A 3: Granola. We've been making our own granola. I don't know if it's healthier than buying it, but it's more fun to make. And is super easy. And tasty. A small handful works great for me with greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast. Yum!

Now, you may ask yourself, why is Sherbs making a big deal about FM finds and CSA uses. I'm not quite sure really. I'm so not into buying organic foods (yes, better for the earth but the processes can get stupid - lie organic must be certified by the government which many small farms can't afford. Plus, organic doesn't necessarily mean it's the most environmentally friendly - it could come from across the county which produces oil waste and the food is inherently not as fresh, blah blah blah). I do like buying local to support local farmers and the food is fresher and keeps longer. Plus, it's to walk around our FM on a Sunday morning. Many people bring their dogs. I like dogs.

'Q Freebies

I went to the Safeway barbecue cookoff in DC today, near the Archives/Navy Memorial station.

Since DC law prevented the competitors from handing out free samples (or paid samples), it was mostly an opportunity to get free stuff from vendors. And did I ever:

FREE FOOD

• Smoked sausage and pulled pork sandwich from Stubb's barbecue sauce
• Sample of Kraft Homestyle Mac n' Cheese
• Sample of Safeway's "Rancher Reserve" beef cooked in pepper and olive oil
• Claussen's pickle
• A really, really tasty slice of watermelon
• GEICO Gecko Pez dispenser
• Sample packs of Mrs. Dash from the DASH NGO for prevention of domestic violence
• Margarita mix
• bloody mary mix
• 5 spice bloody mary mix
• two free packages of Kraft Homestyle mac n' cheese

FREE NOT FOOD

• Tote bag from winning Bingo from the DC Lottery
• Tote bag for taking a survey from Benjamin Moore paint
• Luggage tag from Greyhound Bus Lines
• Flimsy water bottle from Greyhound Bus Lines
• Magnets with a Clausen's pickle theme
• Magnets with the Dunkin' Donuts logo
• Magnetic shopping list with the Dunkin Donuts logo
• climbing-unsafe carabiner from Oscar Meyer Lunchables

All this, and plenty of coupons. I feel like I got my $11 admission's worth, even after buying some ribs with coleslaw and potato salad from the Midwestern place that played early Michael Jackson on a loop (and gave cups of free iced tea to people in line).

Some Like it HOT

Yes yes, I'm a bad blogger.

Anyway, lots of good food lately. Most importantly, I ate at a great restaurant last night. My friend C. and I, and her friend L., went to Nando Peri Peri. It is fast food in the way Noodles & Company is fast food. You order and they bring food to you, but you don't have to clean up. They are "known" for their chicken sandwiches. Luckily, they had a cheese and protobello mushroom sandwich. The other thing they are "known" for is their spicy sauces. I got HOT (there is also an extra hot) and it was HOT but really, really good. I do love spicy food that makes your cheeks hurt. It is so good. I will def go back. I even texted The Pedant right after to tell him we must go. Yeah, it was that good.