Karpas salad

I appreciate a good cry. I've indulged in them in taxis, at work, on the toilet, and that's just in the past few weeks. I'm pretty sure there are some sweet health benefits that come from exercising the good ol' lacrimal glads, so why not honor tears at the table. The Seder table no less, where a lot of us will be close to tears anyway due to the fact that we've already been there for 4 hours, and all we really want is a big crusty piece of bread--or maybe cake. Yeah, probably cake.

Anyway. My salad, inspired by the karpas--or herbs dipped in salt water in remembrance of tears our people wept while they were slaves in Egypt--is actually nothing to weep over. That is unless they are tears of joy. This salad is delicious. And pretty. So, cry for our people* this Passover, but not for your belly, 'cause we got yo back.

KarpasSalad

•          1 bunch curly parsley
•          1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
•          2 cups arugula
•          1 bunch white radishes
•          ½ cup dried cherries (chopped)
•          ¼ cup quick preserved lemons (recipe below)
•          Olive oil
•          Honey
•          Greek yogurt

Remove parsley leaves from stems, wash and dry all greens. Wash and dry radishes, then using a mandolin, slice them suuuuuper thin. Throw all of that in a bowl. Throw there cherries in there too. Separate lemon chunks from lemon juices, saving both. Give the lemon chunks a quick rinse under cold water, and dry them. Now, carefully, throw them in your bowl. Take some of your saved salty/sour/sugary lemon juices and mix them with some olive oil. Taste. If it’s good, that’s dressing. If it’s too sour add some honey, too salty add some yogurt and/or more oil, basically, adjust to taste.

Who’s crying now?    

Quick Preserved Lemons

•          Lemon
•          Equal parts salt and sugar

Cut the lemon into small pieces (about the size of my pinky-tip, which means, I don’t know, ½ x ¼ inch strips?), and place in a bowl (or jar if you’re planning to save some for later). Add the sugar and salt, with 2 tablespoons each for every lemon used. Let sit for at least an hour, and as long as a day before using or moving to the fridge for storage.  

*This salad, while well suited for the occasion, is totally not confined to pesach consumption. In fact, its deliciousness is constant regardless of when or by whom it is eaten!  

Pasta for Passover: Fried Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Goat Cheese and Preserved Lemon

As Yoni and I prepare for Pesach, there is an endless list of things that aren't kosher for Passover. So I've decided to focus on what we CAN eat! Last week, we did an unlevened test run. The result was some of the best food I've ever had. We'll share more recipes over the weekend, but here is a preview...



Sweet potato gnocchi matzo meal, served with a preserved lemon vinaigrette.  Most recipes for preserved lemons call for a salt brine. But Indians make one with salt and sugar. It's less harsh and I prefer it.

1 medium large baked Sweet Potato
1 1/2 cup matzo meal
1 egg
4 cups arugula
1/ tbsp chevre
1/2 tbsp salt (optional)
Olive oil
Preserved lemons

1. Let sweet potato cool.


2. Peel and mash.

3. Wet hands and kneed matzo meal and salt into sweet potato and egg one quarter cup of matzo at a time. Add matzo until dough forms a ball.



4. Roll dough into 4 balls.

5. Split balls in half and make into 1/2 inch wide snakes.


6. Cut into inch long pieces on the diagonal.

7. Heat oil in skillet.


8. Pan fry gnocchi in olive oil on medium high heat until golden brown on both sides.

9. Toss with arugula, a 1/4 cup preserved lemons, 1/4 cup preserved lemon brine, 1/3 cup olive oil and chevre.

Do you have any go-to recipes for passover? Share them in the comment section, email links to us at fivetdsisters@blogspot.com and we'll include them in our weekend roundup of Passover Bites!

Rainbows

Apparently, at the end of ours, there's blue cheese...

Capital bound on a budget? Ask 5.

Q: On Saturday, I board the Empire Builder in Seattle and, for 46 hours, get to bumble about on a train until I reach Washington D.C. on Tuesday. I have six days (and a limited budget) to saturate myself with this village. Any suggestions on what to do with a day? I don't plan on eating out (lentils, onions, and rice for dayz), but if I were to, are there any places that would be worth throwing dollars at (or nicely handing the dollars to the folks)? Favourite tree?

As:


Kimber (Expert):

I’ve been visiting D.C. my entire life, and living here (more or less) for about ten years. And I still haven’t exhausted the options for a fun afternoon. This place is a veritable fire hydrant of free entertainment, and your week, my friend, is the proverbial Dixie cup.

So, here’s my advice – think about what you love the most, no matter where you are, and take it from there. If I were in your shoes, I’d check out the schedule of free performances at the Kennedy Center. I’d make sure to spend a looooong afternoon wandering through the National Gallery (both East and West). I’d buy a loaf of bread from my favorite local bakery to make my PB&J’s awesome. I’d be sure to eat one of those PB&J’s in the KogodCourtyard, especially if it happened to be raining outside. I’d walk from the FDR Memorial all the way around the Tidal Basin, even if the cherry blossoms weren’t quite blooming yet. I’d pop into the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress and shamelessly let my jaw drop over what might very well be the most beautiful room on American soil.

But that’s just me. Your plan could be totally different, and equally spectacular. It’s honestly hard to go wrong….

Charity (Inner Grown Up): My sisters are going to tell you to spend all of your time at The National Mall. They are right. Take special time for The Library of Congress. Go and see the Main Reading Room. You might have to pick up a library card which will take about 10 minutes. It's free and it's totally worth it. Also, the West Wing of the National Gallery. I love the East Wing too, but I'm a sucker for French and American impressionists. It's one of the greatest collections in the world. The National Cherry Blossom Festival along with the blossoms themselves are about to pop and there are lots of free events in associating with that.

For your next trip: The Kennedy Center offers free concerts every day on their Millennial Stage.  The Portrait Gallery is in the middle of Chinatown and has lots of free programs. The Renwick Museum is one of my favorites, and it's nestled right up against the White House. The largest Catholic shrine in North America is at Catholic University. It is gorgeous, the second tallest structure in DC and worth a visit. The National Cathedral is right by one of DC's favorite pizza places, 2AMYS.

A few neighborhoods that are popping: H Street NE (which brings us to &Pizza, which brings artisinal pizza to the masses. Next big thing. Just watch...), Dupont Circle, U Street, Georgetown, Chinatown, Adams Morgan, Barracks Row and the Historic Eastern Market, where you can catch a beginners tango class every Thursday night for 10 bucks.

Liberty (TMI):Wait, so you’re taking a train across the entire country?? That sounds so incredibly awesome; I want to do it now.  Except maybe a little less than I would have wanted to do it had I heard about your plans before watching Transsiberian last week (and yes, I know this isn’t Russia, but still, watch the movie, you’ll understand).

See—Anywhoo. DC is actually a great city to tour while poor. The vast majority of the attractions are completely free, and it’s pretty small geographically which can help cut down on transportation costs if you’re savvy. If this is your first time in DC, you should really just take in the tourist-y sights. Go to as many Smithsonian museums as you can (seriously, they’re all fantastic), see the White House, arrange a tour of the Capitol with your congressman, take a walk through all of the memorials and monuments, and try to catch a glimpse of Obama’s motorcade going by. You’ll love every minute of it.

Move—Plan your routes. The DC Metro is expensive (at least $3 a trip if you don’t have a SmartTrip card), and the cost of rides adds up quickly. Circulator busses offer a much cheaper alternative for getting around the city. They run every 10 minutes, cost a buck a ride, and go most places a visitor would like see. Another even cheaper option for moving your body is the transport system you come equipped with, DA FEETS! This is coming from someone who is admittedly a bit irrational when it comes to walking, but hear me out. Traffic here is terrible, so it often takes almost as long to get places by bus as it does by foot. Also, if you pass something intriguing, stopping is totally within your control.  P.S. For extra points, if you do find yourself riding the metro, when taking the escalators remember to stand on the right, walk on the left J  

Eat—The good news! There’s a fair amount of yummy cheap eats in this city. The bad news? Very few (like, maybe none) of them are near the main tourist centers. The Capitol mall is a magical wonderful place, until you get hungry. So if you’re headed to the museums be sure to pack a sandwich and some snacks. Those who fail to will find themselves schilling out more than they’d like for vitals as mediocre as they are meager. If you’re willing to wander your options will certainly improve.  On weekends you can prowl Eastern Market  for  vintage and artisan gems, while noshing on free samples from local farms. While you’re there you can grab a couple apples to shove in your knapsack for snacking later on, or a tripped out wiener from DC-3. During the week, there are a couple of gems I frequent near Dupont Circle that are perfect if you can bring a friend or have access to a fridge.  The Well Dressed Burrito and The Greek Deli (both on 19^th NW, just south of Dupont) offer up big flavors on even bigger plates. Premal and I have made a ritual of sharing the El Gordo at WDB, and a platter from the Greek Deli always lasts me two (and more often three) lunches across a week. Finally for dinner, I’d recommend one of the many new noodle joints that have opened up across town. They offer the triple threat of tasty, trendy and thrifty.     

Mercina (To the point): So many wonderful options! I'm going to try to keep mine short and sweet. Here are my favorites sights and eats:

Museums & monuments -

• National Gallery (one of my very favorite museums in the entire world!)
• Natural History Museum 
• Portrait Gallery 
• Air and Space Museum 
• Lincoln Memorial 
• Washington Monument
• National Mall
• Capitol 
• Freer Gallery
• Botanic Gardens

Food

• Founding Farmers (veggie burger - 'nuff said) 
• seventh Hill (their Nutella calzone may be my favorite food ever)
• We the pizza (the mushroom pizza is insane - head next door for a mind blowing toasted marshmallow shake from Good stuff)
• Leopolds (delightful)
• The sweet lobby (some of the best cupcakes I've ever had)

Have a wonderful time!

Glorianna (Junkie): I like to spend my days in Washington DC like any good teenage girl -- At the Mall. Were I in your situation, this would be my itinerary for the day:

Start your day at Union Station, where you presumably just got off of the metro. Admire how beautiful this center of trans-national commuting is, despite construction. If you haven't already eaten, meander over to Bagels and Baguettes for a delicious, federally-themed breakfast sandwich. As you munch, make your way past a few Senate office building towards the Capital's capitol dome itself. Admire. Proceed past the reflecting pool (don't inhale, if at all possible), and start to make your way down the near side of the National Mall. Stop inside the National Gallery of Art for and hour or two*, then move on to the Museum of Natural History about two blocks down. Skip the American History Museum (still excellent, but pass-able). If the cherry blossoms are out, continue past the Washington Memorial and head over to the Tidal Basin. Take a rest and bask for a few minutes in the puffy pink beauty which surrounds you. Head back up the Mall (if you hug the outside, you might come across the DC WWI Veterans Memorial, an exquisite and under-frequented bit of architecture). Next stop: the Hirschorn Museum of Modern Art, then cap off your superbly-curated binge with the National Air and Space Museum.

I almost feel bad for giving you such an obvious answer, but not really because the museums in DC are pretty much as good as they come. If you've already seen all of them and don't feel like going again, then I'd suggest finding your way down to the National Arboretum or the Congressional Cemetery -- some of my favorite (non-Smithsonian) haunts.

*I could spend an indefinite amount of time in any of these museums, so just decide early on if you're aiming for breadth of experience or depth of experience. Both are good.

Smelly

Perfume. I want some.

I think that I'm looking for something not too flowery or sweet, but pleasant smelling none the less. I'm not sure whether I want something deep and cozy or fresh and bright (my research has informed me that these are appropriate words with which to describe nasal phenomena), but I'm thinking something in either of those ranges. Apparently, I have no shortage of options.

For the time being, I'm carless and lazy, so my research has been relegated to the webisphere. But I want to get to the. . . perfume store(?) over Spring Break. Here are the type of scents I've found intriguing thus far.

(Note: Yes, there is a pattern of inelegant exactness in the below perfumes' titles; internet fragrance research favors the explicitly named)

These next four all fall into the category of 'Things I Rarely Ever Smell Like":

    

And these are in the "Generally Splendid Smells" category:

So what do you smell like? . . . I'm not sure if that question could be much creepier.

Taking into account the context of this post, what do you smell like? (Still creepy.)

Do you have any suggestions for scents I should try once I get my lazy bum to the perfumery?

Crusty Peasant Bread

Last November, a wonderful friend taught me how to make this magical bread. It's crazy good, and super simple; it only requires four ingredients! We whipped up four loaves yesterday; they were scrumptious. Do yourself a favor and make some TONIGHT! 

No Knead Crusty Peasant Bread

What you’ll need:

1 cast-iron pot which has a lid & can withstand 450 degrees

1 bowl

Parchment paper

3 cups (13.5 ounces) unbleached bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast (more for a quicker rise)

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) tepid water

Whisk flour and salt together in a mixing bowl. Make a little well in the middle and put your yeast in center of it. *If you want to add cheese, nuts, dried fruit, etc., now is the time (a list of yummy options is at the bottom of this recipe)! Pour water directly over yeast. Stir mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy ball forms. No need to knead! Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest.

8-24 hours later

Place a sheet of parchment paper over a mixing bowl that is about the same size as the pot you’ll use to cook the bread. Spray the center of the parchment paper with a little cooking spray. Dump dough onto a heavily floured counter top. With floured hands shape the dough into a ball. It won’t cooperate but that’s ok.  Just lift up the blob and transfer it to the prepared parchment paper. The dough and paper will sink into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise while a cast iron pot preheats in the oven, at least 30 minutes but preferably 45 minutes to an hour.

Place a *3-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid into the oven and preheat to 450 degrees while the dough rises. Remove the pot from the oven and take of the lid. It will be crazy hot, so use a hot pad. DO NOT FORGET THAT THE LID IS 450 DEGREES. IF YOU DO YOU WILL BURN YOUR HAND.  BADLY. AND YOU WILL HATE ME FOREVER AND YOU WILL HATE MAKING BREAD. Using parchment paper as a sling, lift the dough out of the bowl and gently place into the preheated pot, paper and all. The parchment paper will stick up all around the sides, but don't worry. Just put the lid on as tightly as possible and put the pot in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 420 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or until the loaf is a deep golden brown. Dump the loaf out of the pan, place onto cooling rack. If you have enough self-control, let the loaf cool for 30 minutes before cutting. If the bottom of the loaf is too dark for your taste, reduce the oven temperature by 5 or 10 degrees and/or reduce baking time next time.

-zest of a lemon, 2 tbs chopped rosemary, ½ cup cubed cheese (gruyere, jarslberg, white cheddar & asiago work well)

-zest of an orange, ½ cup tart dried cherries, ½ cup roasted chopped hazelnuts, and ½ cup dark chocolate

-1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives, ½ cup cubed cheese, 2 tbs rosemary

-1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts, ¼ cup roasted slices almonds, ¼ cup white chocolate, ¼ cup dried cranberries or dates

Ask away!

$67 billion is a lot of money. It could buy you an airplane, and a pony, and a private island off the coast of Italy. It could buy you jewels, and paintings, and box seats at every opera house in the world. It could buy you a city’s worth of sports teams and the stadiums to go with ‘em. $67 billion is enough to buy you a soapbox.

In case you couldn’t tell, I met Bill Gates last week. In general I’m not one to swoon over celebrity, but as I prepped for Mr. Gates' on stage interview (as well as the one for Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs biography) I became fascinated by the idea of him. I had two running lists, one of questions my boss would ask him, and one of things I couldn’t help but wonder. Guess which these are from?

Do you have a hard time trusting new friends?

What did you dream about last night? 

When was the last time you had your heart broken?

On that note, what made you go after Melinda?

What felt better, making your first million, or giving it away?

What’s one question you wish people would stop asking you?

Big thanks to Gary Fong, Greg Schneider and Carter Smith not only for their lovely photos, but also for their fantastic company! You guys are great! 

How about you? If you had Bill Gate’s attention, what would you ask him? 

Folks on Reddit did just that a while ago, here are his answers!