Beef Tips, Potato Pancakes, & Ribs

We started last weekend off right - on Thursday night, we met up with our friend and fellow blogger Maria, for Denzel's first Doggy Happy Hour. Cute, right? We were impressed with the spacious outdoor set up and Denzel was ecstatic to meet so many friends. He also woofed down (ha ha) his appetizer of beef tips and peas. We had such a cool time hanging out and just catching up, I know we'll be back this summer.

On Saturday, we went to a DC United match. We took the train into the city for a change, so that G could enjoy himself. And he did. It was sponsored by Volkswagen and when we walked into the company suite, it was full of German beer, wine, and food. G was in heaven. But I was in rare form - I seriously ate about 40 Kartoffelpuffer. Good times.

Sunday evening, I made a soul food dinner for our friends from Leipzig. I made Baby Back Ribs, Macaroni and Cheese, Greens, Cornbread, and Peach Cobbler. It was my first attempt at ribs - I slow baked them for 4 1/2 hours. And I didn't even taste them - I've officially taken the plunge into vegetarian life but, according to G and our friends, they came our perfect. Yaaah!

YUM!

Today, I discovered that Smart Dogs are the bomb. Seriously. The booooomb!

I haven't eaten a real hot dog in 15 years so you can empathize with my excitement, right?

Exotisches Essen

How was your weekend? Our weekend started with an oversized Mexican dinner at Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe with our friend, KT. Rio is known for their homemade tortilla chips and salsa.
They're served warm and every time you get down to the last chip, a server magically appears with a new basket of chips, over and over and over again, no matter how many baskets you devour. Obviously, this is one of G's favorite restaurants. After way too many frozen Margaritas and our huge entrees (orgasmic shrimp quesadillas), we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant for a very special meeting. We wanted to introduce Denzel to KT's baby, a Chihuahua, Miss VS. He's really cute and cuddly BUT....with the attitude of a tasmanian devil. Seriously. G and I think he's just pissed off that his name is MISS VS. Needless to say, the meeting didn't go as well as we'd hoped because every time KT put Miss VS down, he growled uncontrollably and his tiny little body shook with anger!

On Saturday, we went shopping at the international grocery store, Fresh World. We have been shopping at Fresh World every week because of the wide variety of fresh produce and ethnic specialty items. The store stocks its shelves with edibles from too many countries to name, with authentic and unique ingredients. I love browsing the aisles and trying new recipes. And they offer samples on Saturdays:) But no matter how many times we shop there, I am still shocked by some of the "exotic" items they offer.

beef blood

live eel

shark

beef knee cap

Wow.

They really take the crab thing seriously here.

It Hurts So Good

Last night, we had dinner with our friend, KT, at Ariake. She's been telling us for a while now that Ariake is her favorite sushi restaurant in Virginia and considering the fact that KT is from Virginia and likes to eat out as much as we do, we had high expectations. Well, it did not disappoint. The sushi was excellent and the Chef's Specials were especially creative. My favorite was the Spicy Crab. Now, I love spicy food. So much that there have been occasions when G has broken out in a sweat while eating some of concoctions. My Mom hates it when I cook Greens because she says I ruin the entire pot by adding too many Jalapeño peppers. And with sushi, even when I order something labeled spicy, I have to add a little Wasabi to give it that extra kick. But the Spicy Crab at Ariake? It's on a another level. For the first time in my life, I woke up in the middle of the night with heartburn. Me? Heartburn? I told G about it this morning. But I did not complain. The Spicy Crab was so good, it was worth the burn!

New Twist on an Old Favorite

I knew that if I tried the
Lobster Mac & Cheese
at American Tap Room,
I would either love it or hate it.

I love it.

The Dancing Crab

Have you heard of the famous steamed Maryland Blue Crabs? The ones that are served whole and you have to use a mallet to crack open the shell and then navigate your way through all of the sticky gooey stuff to pluck out the sweet delicious meat? Well, we decided to try them for the first time and they were awesome! We met up with Maria & Kevin & The Boy on Friday night at The Dancing Crab and gorged ourselves with crab meat, fries, and hush puppies. I have to admit, when I smashed my first crab and looked at all of the internal organs, I was a little bit intimidated. It was strange to just push aside the lungs (yes, lungs) and dig for meat in the tiny little creature. But by my second crab, I was concentrating too hard on finding the meat to think about my conscious! Horrible, I know. But we really had a fun night with Maria and Kevin. It's amazing how much you can see your own relationship in another couple's relationship:) And The Boy is soooooooo adorable and smart. Seriously, the baby knows sign language! And he was a total ladies man with all of the waitresses at the restaurant. I really think Maria and Kevin will have their hands full when he becomes a teenager. I mean, gorgeous and smart...Meine Güte!

Seafood Pizza

One of the best things about Michigan is PizzaPapalis.
Many, many years ago, when I used to wear french braids and friendship bracelets, I tasted my first bite of Seafood Pizza and I was forever hooked! Loads of crab meat and jumbo shrimp - I can not think of a better pizza topping. While they are known for their Chicago style pizza, the thin crust pizza is just as good and not as heavy. G tries
to say that it's just "ok" but considering the fact that we polished off a large 17 inch in record time, I kind of think he's a fan too:)

A sandwich is a sandwich.

But a Manwich is a meal.

Tonight, G will have his first Sloppy Joe ever! Lately, I have been on a mission. I want G to taste all of the foods I grew up eating. Every week, I'm giving him a little sampling of typical "American" food. He has tried and loves Macaroni and Cheese. He's sitting on the fence about Green Bean Casserole and Twice Baked Potatoes. And my all time favorite topping for toast, Apple Butter, is now his favorite. Next week, he'll try a real blast from the past, Malt-O-Meal.

The Blue Nile(s)

Remember the Blue Nile restaurant in Munich, where we celebrated Thanksgiving last year? Well, there is another Blue Nile restaurant in Michigan. And it knocks the one in Munich out of the park! Not the service, just the food. To be honest, I've found that in all of the Ethiopian restaurants I've visited, and I've probably been to around 6, the staff has always been incredibly friendly, with great service. I appreciate that just as much as I appreciate the flavorful food. I remember a friend and I were working in Boston and we discovered that we both loved Ethiopian food. So we looked up the address of a well known Ethiopian restaurant online and decided to just jump in a cab and head over. Well, that cab ride was the most shocking cab ride I have ever taken. We went from downtown city lights to a war zone! We were afraid to get out the cab. But like I said, we really love Ethiopian food. So made a run for the door and decided to stay. And I'm so glad we did because that dinner was the best Ethiopian food I've ever tasted. And from the inside, the restaurant was quiet and cozy and the staff was so sweet. We drank a lot of honey wine and laughed through the entire dinner. It was totally worth the risk.

This is a typical vegetarian meal.

Injera, the spongy bread you use to pick up your food.

No forks allowed!

Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Guess what I cooked for dinner last night?

Mein Geburtstag!

We made it! I am back home. Whew! What a week. Right now, we are in Michigan. We will be in here for 2 months and then we'll move to Virginia for the next 2 years. We are living in corporate housing and in the meantime, our entire house in Munich is being shipped in a container to Virginia. Next week, we'll be taking a look-see trip to figure out where we want to live. When I found out that we would be in Michigan for 2 months, I was ecstatic! Did I mention I grew up in Michigan?! So for the last week, we have been hanging out with my Mom, visiting my family, catching up with girlfriends, and of course, eating like crazy. We have been out of control. Today is my birthday and one thing is for sure - I am older and fatter. Well, 2 things. I can't help it - there are so many foods I've missed. Zum Beispiel,

All You Can Eat Crab Legs

Hungry Howie's

Sweet Potato Chips

And I also purchased the perfect accessory for my increasing body mass,

Crocs
(Yes, I am aware of the Velveeta factor.)

My favorite birthday present was this shrimp omelette G
cooked for breakfast!