Button Farm in Montgomery County

Photo from Montgomery Countryside Alliance

These past few weeks have been pretty fun for me. I got to go on a booze cruise, eat a fantastic steak dinner with wine pairings, and I got to celebrate Marshall's birthday with great friends. Sometimes I look at my long to-do list and wonder where the time has gone. Oh yeah...I was too busy having fun.

One of the fun adventures I was lucky to have was provided by General Motors. They generously loaned me a red, Chevy Camaro convertible for a week to drive around and to partipate in the annual Montgomery Country Farm Tour. The tour was great with stops at Rockhill Orchards, Button Farm, and Butlers' Orchards. The tour was even more fun because my fellow food-loving friends were also invited: Stacey, Olga, Cecilia, and Ashley.

While picking berries and herbs was great, the highlight of the trip was our visit to Button Farm Living History Center. On this tour, we learned about the history of the land as a plantation.  Anthony Cohen, pictured above, heads a program that recreates what living on a farm as a slave in the 1850s would be like. During the tour of the farm, Anthony told us about researching the Underground Railroad that went through Montgomery County and his own experience of taking the walk himself all the way up to Canada. It was an incredible story and I felt really lucky to hear it from the man himself. The farm will be offering programs for people who want to experience the life of a slave on a farm for a day. Anthony talked about how Oprah trained for her role in Beloved at the farm and how the experience changed how she ran the Oprah show. The experience is suppose to help you let go of everday worries and help you look within.

If you think this is cheesy, I can understand that. But I felt like this was the best part of the tour because I know that I am ready for that sort of experience in my life. I love to be inspired and I know that some good would come out of me taking the time to be quiet and find out what I want and who I am at this moment. For some people, it takes being removed from places with TVs, computers, telephones, and piles of laundry to figure that out. This program would provide that quiet.  Learning about Anthony's life made me realize how important it is for me to live life with purpose.

How was driving the Camaro around, you ask? Pretty good. The car drove well and having a convertible was a lot of fun. A lot of young guys looked at me while I was driving but after blushing from embarrassment, I realized that they were only looking at the car. On the day I got the car, I met up with a few friends for happy hour. We drove around with the top down and music blasting. We drove by men in mini-vans who looked like they were ready for a mid-life crisis and gave them the thumbs-up. I wish I video-taped my guy friends when they saw the car. "Look Sylvie, the doors have lights on them!" "Look at all these gages." "Sylvie, if you don't live this experience to the fullest, I am never going to forgive you." Sorry guys, I only drove it up to 60mph. You are just going to have to hate me forever.

Photo by Cecilia Stoute

***Disclaimer: I received no payment for this post but I did get a free car for a week, grilled peaches with ice cream, a root beer float, a basket of herbs and produce from Rockhill Orchards, and a basket of produce from Butlers Orchards. And I ate berries from their fields without paying for them.

DC Food Bloggers Happy Hour - Taberna Del Alabardero

In spring of 2005, while living in southern California, I was sent to my company's Washington, DC office to work on a project for a week.  The office was located on 18th and I street NW. It was the furthest I had ever travelled for work and the first time I had an expense account.  It made me feel important.

I didn't want to waste an opportunity to try a high-end restaurant but wasn't brave enough to venture far from the office or my hotel.  Luckily for me, Taberna Del Alabardero was located on the first floor of my office building.  I remember loving the charming restaurant.  Dining all by myself, I was entertained by all the details of the elaborate decor.  I had fish and loved every last bite.  It was during this trip that I was offerred a job in DC and made the decision to move here.  Four months later, I moved into an apartment on 16th and T Street NW and started a new life on the east coast.

On Wednesday, August 1, 2012, this charming restuarant will be hosting the DC Food Bloggers Happy Hour from 6pm to 8pm.  I will be co-hosting with the wonderful Jessica Milby of One Classic Wino.  Some specials that will be available during the happy hour include $5 glasses of wine, $4.75 for a glass of sangria, and numerous food specials. The restaurant will also be sending some bites from the kitchen: Pan Tumaka a mi Manera, Brocheta de Pollo Moruno y Patatas al Mojo rojo, Rabo de Toro estofado con Queso Manchego, Bocaditos de Salmon con Tartara, and much more.

Please join us. RSVP here.

Grilled Lamb Vietnamese-Style Sandwich (Not Banh-Mi)

I refuse to call this Banh-Mi. The term has been used by too many restaurants and most of the sandwiches they serve barely resemble the beloved Banh-Mi I grew up with. This sandwich is inspired by Banh-Mi and I will consider it a Vietnamese-Style sandwich.

The lamb is great in this marinade. But everything is great with fish sauce, isn't it?

Ingredients

1 pound of a leg of lamb sliced thin
2 tablespoons of Maggi
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of canola oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper
French baguette
Mayonnaise
Cilantro
Carrots, shredded
Cucumber, sliced thin

Soak skewers in water for 4 hours so they won't burn on the grill.

Marinate the lamb in a mixture of fish sauce, oil, Maggi, crushed red peppers, brown sugar, and minced garlic for two hours.

Place lamb on skewers, grill in medium heat for 5 minutes in each side, and allow to cool.

Cut baguette in half & fill with mayo, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, grilled lamb or whatever else your heart desires. Eat with pleasure.

Happy Eating.