Fun with my Family

We recently filmed My Family Favorites with my mom and Aunt Linda. Here are some photos of our fun!

Jessica Patterson Stoddard

Photographer, Patterson Photography

www.pattersonphoto.biz

News Flash: Capital Cooking goes International!!

Capital Cooking will now air in New Zealand!!! Capital Cooking currently reaches 25 cities in the U.S. and will now expand to international countries. Check out Triangle Television!

Capital Cooking is a ½ hour program that airs on Comcast Channel 95 and RCN Channel 10 in DC, Cox Cable Channel 10 in Fairfax, Access Montgomery TV 19 and 21 in Maryland, KDHX Channel 21 St. Louis, Missouri, Windsor Community Television in Windsor, Connecticut, People TV Channel 24 in Atlanta, Georgia, MCAM Channel 23 in Manchester, New Hampshire, CCTV in Concord-Carlisle, Massachusetts, The Peoples Channel 8 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Saco River Community Television in Hollis, Maine, TV2 Channel 2 in Manistee, Michigan, HCTV in Herndon, Virginia, HPA-TV in Hibbing Minnesota, SCTV in Saugus, MA, TBNK in Covington, Kentucky, WITC Channel 6 in New Richmond, Wisconsin, DATV in Dayton, Ohio, KCAT TV Channel 15 in Los Gatos, California, NCTV in Nevada City, California, Channel 20 in Gilroy, CA, WCTV in Waterloo, Iowa, Philadelphia Community Access Coalition, Philadelphia, PA, FLTV in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, CAT3 TV in Columbia, Missouri, Aurora 8 in Aurora, Colorado, Triangle Television in New Zealand as well as http://capitalcooking.chanz.tv/. The show reaches approximately 3.6 million households in DC, Maryland, Virginia, Iowa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Kentucky, North Carolina and New Zealand. Clips of the show are also available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/user/capitalcooking.

Your location not listed? Help expand our coverage.

Local residents can put a program on the in their community! Anyone willing to act as the program's "sponsor" may bring a DVD to their public access station each month.

If you would like to sponsor Capital Cooking in your area, first check with your public access channel or cable operator. (There is generally no charge for this service). Contact capitalcooking@gmail.com to arrange for delivery of the DVDs.

Thank you to all of the viewers around the country who watch and write to me. I appreciate the encouragement.

Jessica Patterson Photography

www.pattersonphoto.biz

Food Bloggers Challenge: Stefanie's Tex-Mex Chicken Pot Pie

Next week be sure to catch Food Bloggers Challenge Part 2: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Stefanie Gans and Lauren DeSantis. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers. Try this recipe at home and vote for your favorite challenger.

Time Flies

It has been one year since we filmed the first episode of Capital Cooking. We started the show with DC Cuisine and learned how to make the famous half-smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl. We interviewed people at Eastern Market to find out their views of DC Cuisine and received mixed responses. We've tried to use those responses to create more episodes and so far have produced 17 episodes to date. Each episode gets better than the last. We're trying really hard to improve the quality of the filming and the content of the episodes which isn't always easy on a limited budget. We're also getting faster thanks to our fabulous crew! We're currently airing in 25 cities nationwide and should be pod casting soon. With the help of Dana McFadden and Josh Cohen, we are able to edit the episodes to meet all of the station deadlines.

This weekend we are going to film "My Family Favorites" with my mom and aunt who are in town to visit. This is my aunt's first time to DC so it should be a lot of fun. It will also be special to film with my family that taught me the skills to cook. We'll be making Cosmos, Spinach Balls, Chicken Duchess and Carrot Cake. Filming is a ton of work, but so worth it! This is my outlet and my passion and I love sharing it with you. Happy Cooking!

Restaurant Review: Cafe Nema

Loud, crowded, small...After waiting for about 30 minutes for a table, we decided to sit at the bar. We were treated to a round of drinks for our wait. We've been trying to check out all of the neighborhood spots and Cafe Nema was on our list. The music is excellent. Don't come here if you want a quiet evening and good conversation. We tried the sambousas, triangular pastries filled with jalapeno-spiced meat. Tasty! I also liked the Kalankal: chicken stewed in tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices. Great jazz, good food, cool art, fun bartender...I'll be back for more.

Cafe Nema
1334 U St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-667-3215
(located below Momo's)

Check out my website

My website is on its way to completion. Check out the new design now: www.capitalcookingshow.com

A Fun Valentine's Day with my Hubbie

Yesterday we had a fun Valentine's day! We started out by going to the matinee show of Avenue Q at the Warner Theater. I laughed when I saw the sign "Due to adult situations (like full-puppet nudity), AVENUE Q may be inappropriate for kids under 13." Yes, that's right, full-puppet nudity and sexually explicit activity. Avenue Q is based in New York City and is meant to be a "real world" for puppets.

Synopsis: Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad, moves to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There's Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod--a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. And would you believe the building's superintendent is Gary Coleman?!? (Yes, that Gary Coleman.) Together, Princeton and his new found friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

We laughed out-loud during the whole show.

Then we ate dinner at Posto. Posto gets really crowded and they don't take reservations. We enjoyed the great wine list and tried the 4 ounce pours, so we could taste new wines without needing to get a whole glass. We started with an antipasti plate of salme and cheeses and it was delicious. Corey ordered the zuppa and steak. The zuppa that great flavor. The steak was quite large and somewhat tough. I ordered the tortelli which was stuffed with spinach, ricotta and walnuts in a Parmesan sauce. Yum! Overall, we had a great experience and would go back again. We saved room for dessert to eat at home.

Posto

(202) 332-8613

Logan Circle
1515 14th street nw
Washington, DC 20005


I made heart shaped red velvet mini cakes for a Valentine's treat. Overall, it was a romantic day! Hope yours was too!

BRABO Restaurant Opens

BRABO Restaurant by Robert Wiedmaier opened this week in Alexandria, Virginia. Capital Cooking featured Wiedmaier's Marcel's Restaurant on our French Style Cuisine episode. BRABO will feature the award-winning Belgian cuisine with American inspiration and will be open daily for lunch and dinner. If it is anything like Marcel's, it is sure to be delicious! Look for the Roasted Chicken in a Tarragon Jus, a 24-hour Veal Shank, Filet with Stilton Cheese and Grilled Lamb Tenderloins with a White Bean Puree. Yum, I can't wait to try it!

Brabo by Robert Wiedmaier and Brabo Tasting Room, 1600 King Street, Alexandria (703-894-3440 or braborestaurant.com)

Website

If you recently tried to go to the Capital Cooking website, you might have noticed that it is under construction. The Capital Cooking website is currently being re-designed and should be up and running by Monday. It will be new and improved thanks to the help of Shannon Childs. Make sure to check it out next week. www.capitalcookingshow.com

Review: Solly's

Usually if I don't have something nice to say, I don't say it at all, but last night was different. We went to Solly's located in my neighborhood on U Street and I've been there before to watch basketball upstairs. It is nothing special... a dive bar. Crappy menu even for bar food. We tried to go to our favorite spot to watch games at Momo's but it was too crowded so we went to Solly's. Most bars would be happy to have a group of 20 people come through the door to watch a game especially in this economy...not Solly's. The bartender was rude about turning the game on. Then my friend ordered a Miller Lite and was given 2 Highlifes. He told the bartender that it wasn't what he ordered and rather than give him what he asked for the bartender said, "Too bad, they are open." After this experience, I'm not going back.

Food Bloggers Challenger: April's Spanish Chicken Pot Pie

You've met the Challengers before we started filming in November...
1. Lauren DeSantis: Host and Producer of Capital Cooking
2. April Fulton: Food Scribe
3. Stefanie Gans: Endless Simmer
4. Alison McConnell: Humble Gourmand
5. Johnna Rowe: Johnna Knows Good Food

You've seen Johnna and April's recipes for chicken pot pie, but now check out Challenger 3.

Review: Julia's Empanadas

If you are in the mood for a cheap and tasty meal, check out Julia's Empanadas. Last week we tried:

Chilean Style Beef empanada: My favorite. It was recommended to me by the cashier.

The saltena—stuffed with chicken, potato, peas, hard-boiled egg, and green olives.

The spinach empanada is stuffed with spinach, ricotta, muenster, and cottage cheese. This was bland in comparison to the others.

All of the empanadas had a sweet dough which I loved. Make sure you order enough... you may want 1 or 2 per person.

Julia's Empanadas
2452 18th St NW
(between N Adams Mill Rd & N Belmont Rd)
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 328-6232

Price Details:
$3.18 each.

Coming Soon: Open Kitchen

Open Kitchen is set to open in July and will feature commercial kitchen rentals, cooking classes, a bistro and culinary events. Last night I tried some of the dishes from the Bistro menu. My favorite is the Ziti with Fennel and Spicy Italian Sausage. Hue-Chan Karels has been working for the past two years to put the concept together along with the talented Chef Bernard. They've finally found their new home in Falls Church, Virginia. While their home is being built, Open Kitchen is offering hands-on cooking instruction at different locations in and around DC. Check out the classes and events sometime soon!

Food Bloggers Challenge: Johnna's Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Food Bloggers Challenge: Comfort Food Part 1

All of the challengers have a passion for food, but one of the challenges of starring on a cooking show is being comfortable in front of a camera. You not only have to love your subject matter, but you have to be able to present it on film. Most would say that is harder than it looks. "Camera Ready" is one of the categories that the judges used to pick their winner. What did you think of each challengers' on-stage presence? It's amazing how fast the time flies when you start cooking! Johnna managed to finish her cheesy version of chicken pot pie within the eight minutes. Try her recipe at home and make sure to vote for your favorite!

Food Bloggers Challenge Part 1: Alison's Autumn Chicken Pot Pie

Hopefully you've had a chance to check out Capital Cooking's Food Bloggers Challenge: Comfort Food Part 1.

If not, you might want to start by trying out the recipes to see which one is your favorite and then make sure to vote for your favorite recipe and challenger. On November 2, 2008 we filmed Capital Cooking's first Food Bloggers Challenge. Each challenger had to make their version of Chicken Pot Pie in 8 minutes for the show. Alison went with a seasonal version and created the Autumn Chicken Pot Pie. 

Autumn Chicken Pot Pie

by Alison McConnell

The Humble Gourmand (http://humblegourmand.com)

Serves 2

CRUST:

11 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced

3/4 c. confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 c. flour

FILLING:

Leg meat from 1 roast chicken, chopped

Half a small yellow onion

1 small butternut squash (just the neck)

1 carrot

1 parsnip

1 medium purple potato

1 stalk celery

1 small fennel bulb

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

SAUCE:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/3 c. flour

1 c. low-sodium chicken stock (cold)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black or white pepper

MAKE CRUST:

* Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer or a stand mixer

fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides of the bowl

and add egg, mixing until combined. Add salt, then incorporate flour

gradually. The dough should start to come together in a ball.

* Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap. Shape

into a disc and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

(You can do this up to 2 days ahead.)

MAKE FILLING:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

* Peel and dice the onion, squash, carrot parsnip, potato, celery, and

fennel. Toss on a baking sheet with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast for 25 minutes, using tongs to move vegetables around every 5

minutes or so.

PREPARE TO BAKE:

* While the vegetables are roasting, butter and flour two 4" round

baking dishes or one 6" gratin dish. Dust a work surface with flour.

* Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll them out, one at a time, to about a

1/4" thickness. Lay two pieces carefully into baking dishes, using

floured fingertips to press into bottom and sides. Lay the other two

on a plate. Return everything to the refrigerator (to allow the dough

to rest).

* When vegetables are finished, place in large bowl. Add chicken and

stir to combine. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

MAKE SAUCE:

* Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and

whisk constantly, bringing the roux to a simmer, but not boiling or

browning it. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then whisk in cold chicken stock.

season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, whisk in

cream, and adjust seasonings again.

* Place the two dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes,

until dough is golden brown. While the dough is blind-baking, toast

sesame seeds in a skillet for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.

ASSEMBLY:

* Remove dishes from oven. Divide vegetable-chicken mixture between

the dishes. Pour sauce over top (be generous, as it will seep down

through the dish). Top with a healthy sprinkling of sesame seeds, then

lay chilled dough on top. Make 2-3 slits to allow steam to escape.

* Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until crust is golden brown and

filling is bubbling.

Photos by Shauna Alexander.

Thank you to the wonderful crew who made this show possible: David Crosson, Reggie Marston, Corey Then, Carolina Aguilar, and Chris McClendon.

Filming: Cooking with the Quintuplets

Saturday we filmed Cooking with the Quintuplets. This is the first time filming since November when we did the Food Blogger Challenge. 

Don't Miss the Debut of the 1st Capital Cooking Food Bloggers Challenge

You've met the Challengers...
1. Lauren DeSantis: Host and Producer of Capital Cooking
2. April Fulton: Food Scribe
3. Stefanie Gans: Endless Simmer
4. Alison McConnell: Humble Gourmand
5. Johnna Rowe: Johnna Knows Good Food

15. Food Bloggers Challenge Part 1: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Alison McConnell, April Fulton and Johnna Rowe. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers. Make sure to watch Part 2 to find out the winner.
16. Food Bloggers Challenge Part 2: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Stefanie Gans and Lauren DeSantis. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers.

The judges have voted and now it is your chance to weigh in. This month we will feature clips of each challenger making their version of chicken potpie. We will also feature the recipes and encourage you to try these at home before you vote.

February Show Times

Upcoming Episodes Airing in February

Cox Cable Channel 10 in Fairfax:

15. Food Bloggers Challenge Part 1: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Alison McConnell, April Fulton and Johnna Rowe. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers. Make sure to watch Part 2 to find out the winner.

Special Times

16. Food Bloggers Challenge Part 2: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Stefanie Gans and Lauren DeSantis. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers.

Time slot during the 4th week of the month, Mon@10:00p, Thurs@930a, and Wed @4am.

KDHX Charter Cable Channel 21 in St. Louis, Missouri

Every Wednesday at 1p.m.

Pizza and Cocktails: Viewers will learn how to make hand-crafted pizzas, mini-burgers and infused cocktails with Lauren and Chef Jonathan McArthur from Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro in Chinatown.

Access Montgomery TV 21 in Maryland

Every Tuesday at 7p.m.

2/3/09 Food Bloggers Challenge Part 1: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Alison McConnell, April Fulton and Johnna Rowe. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers. Make sure to watch Part 2 to find out the winner.

2/10/2009 Food Bloggers Challenge Part 2: Comfort Food. Join Lauren and four other food bloggers as they compete in making the best Chicken Potpie. This episode will feature Stefanie Gans and Lauren DeSantis. A panel of judges will determine the winner along with votes from readers and viewers.

2/17/2009

Pizza and Cocktails: Viewers will learn how to make hand-crafted pizzas, mini-burgers and infused cocktails with Lauren and Chef Jonathan McArthur from Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro in Chinatown.

2/23/2009 French Cooking Techniques: Lauren and Chef Paul Stearman from Marcel’s Restaurant will whip up a delicious Scallop Ceviche, Bison Strip, and Fresh Berry Napoleon complete with the perfect wine pairings.

CAT 3 TV in Columbia, Missouri

2/2/2009 at 5:00 p.m.: Pizza and Cocktails: Viewers will learn how to make hand-crafted pizzas, mini-burgers and infused cocktails with Lauren and Chef Jonathan McArthur from Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro in Chinatown.