Tropical Banana Bread

When I walk to work from the metro, I pass a street vendor who sells candy, prepackaged danishes, and drinks.  Sometimes when I buy a diet Dr. Pepper from this man, he will give me a banana on the cusp of becoming brown mush.

This banana bread was made with three of his gift brown bananas.  Thanks vendor man!  

Chicken Rogan Josh

In the time I have been blogging about food, I have posted several different curries.  Curries don't get the respect they deserve.  They are quick to prepare and especially scrumptious.

It is believed that the English word curry was adopted from the Tamil word kari, which means sauce.  The theory goes that Britons adopted the word from Tamil merchants in the mid 17th century while trading with the East India Company.

Chocolate Muffin with Cherry Filling and Berry Glaze

These are muffins, not cupcakes.  Why?  Because I ate them for breakfast. 

It doesn't matter that they were full of sugar and chocolate chips.  The glaze was so thin that it didn't count as icing.

Chicken Rendang Curry

I recently heard someone say rendang curry was was their favorite dish.  I had never tried it before, and so I found a recipe online.  

The recipe doesn't seem authentic.  Traditional rendang curry takes hours to cook.  The meat is first boiled and then fried as the liquid evaporates and is absorbed by the meat.  The version I made did not require hours of slow cooking.  I probably didn't allow the liquid to cook down enough either.

Chocolate Bundt with Cream Cheese Filling and Berry Glaze

Whenever I eat bundt cake I think of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  In the movie, someone brings a bundt cake to dinner, and none of the Greek family members pronounce the word bundt correctly.  I like bundt cakes because they are dramatic and appealing without much fuss.

Bundt cakes developed from a brioche-like cake called Gugelhupf popular among Jewish communities in Austria, Germany, and Poland.  That word is a mouthful!

Green Beans with Bacon

I want to meet the person who invented bacon because that person was a genius.  Bacon makes any meal better.

I like vegetables normally, but vegetables become extra special when you add crispy, fatty bacon.

Bacon, Gorgonzola, and Jam Pizza

Last Friday I went to a Korean spa with my coworkers.  We have been planning to go for a few months, and we finally made it happen.

It was weird but enjoyable.  I had never done anything like it.

Bacon and Gorgonzola Risotto with Fig

I made something amazing, and you're looking at it.  Its varying shades of brown look underwhelming, but it tasted spectacular.

It was packed with bacon, pungent cheese, and chewy, dried figs.

Artichoke Tomato Salad

I have been determined not to sun burn this summer.  Every time I am in the sun for an extended period of time, I reapply sun block religiously.

Until yesterday, I had not sun burned this summer.  I don't reapply sun block on my legs as frequently because they don't get direct rays.  Yesterday I laid on a tube for a few hours while floating down a river.  My legs are lobster red and hot.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

This week, I went to the Arlington County Fair with a friend.  It was a lively and fun atmosphere.  We didn't eat any fried and battered Oreos, candy bars, Twinkies, or any other sugar laced treat.

They don't have enough parking at the fair so they are encouraging attendees to use a shuttle.  The shuttle goes to several metro stops.  My friend and I went to stop with a line of evening shuttles taking people back to their apartments.  Finding the right shuttle was a chore.

Corn, Avocado, and Mango Salad

Light and fresh salads are the perfect summer dish.  They don't weigh your stomach down, which is important on hot and sticky days.  They also don't require any heat to prepare.  

This may look like a strange combination of ingredients, but this salad was divine.  It was one of the best salads I have posted on my blog.  It was the perfect accompaniment to the carnita tacos I ate last week.  

Carnitas

Last week I was in San Diego for a conference.  It is a beautiful town, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.  I ate Mexican food every day.  A former classmate suggested I try a restaurant that happened to be a couple of blocks from my hotel.

There was a long line of customers waiting.  They had a simple menu: tacos, tamales, and rolled tacos.  Everything was greasy and delicious.  I ordered a tamale filled with carnitas, among other things.  The meat was tender and flavorful.