Travels for Taste

Tales of travel and food with a touch of spice

Washington D.C Air BnB stay

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We are gearing up for our very first stay in an Air BnB in the U.K. Naturally, that reminded me of our very first stay anywhere in the world in an Air BnB,

Seems like it was ages ago, in Washington D.C – our first ever trip across the pond too! We were so excited because we were off to spend Thanksgiving with our family in the USA and meet our cousins and my cute nephews! Sightseeing in New York was obviously on my mind but I was very eagerly looking forward to a short trip to Washington D.C

I found Cody’s air BnB listing easily and the booking process was very easy. We were lucky to get a booking with him because of all the positive reviews he had already earned.

I was looking for a place from where it would be easy to commute to the main tourist spots and also a safe, clean and lively neighbourhood with a spattering of good cafe’s. This listing ticked all the boxes.

I sent Cody a message asking few questions regarding location etc and once he accepted my booking request, it was smooth sailing from there on.

On the day we arrived, there was slight confusion but Thanks to Cody being such a fab host it was resolved pretty quickly! The previous occupant has not followed instructions to leave the key safely and this had delayed our check-in time. So basically, we then had to leave our luggage with Cody while he arranged to have our room clean and ready for us.

But that gave us a chance to walk around and explore our surroundings and we found an amazing cafe and bookstore called Busboys and Poets and spent a happy few hours sipping coffee and relaxing.

When we walked into Cody’s flat, everything was neatly arranged and looked exactly like the photos he has on the Air BnB listing.

A short flight of stairs leading to level one houses two bedrooms, the ensuite one was occupied and we had one large bedroom with a comfortable double bed ready for us.

Neatly folded towels left on the bed were a nice touch. The bathroom outside was huge and we were the only ones using it – woohoo!

Cody’s fridge was stashed with various things which he said we could use, though we had all our meals outside and didn’t really need anything it was good to know he is so generous. Plates and coffee mugs, cutlery was available to use and we washed whatever we used which was only a few mugs and spoons for our morning coffee and cereal. There were various types of sweeteners and milk also stocked up in the fridge. On the morning we checked our we briefly met Cody’s partner but unfortunately because of Cody’s busy schedule ( he is a nurse) we couldn’t spend any quality time with him.

The refrigerator door had loads of post-its with lovely messages from guests who had also enjoyed Cody’s warm hospitality.

On the day we arrived the weather was lovely but the ext day it was really rainy! If it had been sunny, we would have loved to spend time in his lovely little front garden with a cuppa.

We had booked our bus journey online from London and after a busy morning where we managed to pack in some last minute sightseeing, we took a cab and sped off to the bus station. Somehow though, I was very happy to get back to get back to New York! New York reminds me so much of Bombay city – the pace, the vibe, the spirit and the general feeling of being in a big, buzzing city – it simply can’t be compared!

Have you been to Washington D.C? And have you ever booked an Air BnB accommodation? Tell me what it was like in comments below – I love hearing from you!

*We booked and paid for our stay, travel, and food in full.  No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always this is an honest account of my experience. All information is correct to my knowledge but would advise anyone using this post as a guideline to please check for updated information.

 

Roast Lamb Shoulder

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Happy New year everyone! 2015 has sped past at lightening pace and lots has happened offline and as well as online too. My blog has a new name and a new home and so do we, we finally decided to move ur from our tiny but very pretty flat to a new place with a proper kitchen for a change! Exciting times! I was not blogging as frequently as I would have liked to though but hope to put that behind me and regularly share my food and travel adventures with all of you. Speaking of travel I am happy to report that I started 2015 with a month-long trip to India and visited Chennai and Pondicherry apart from my usual trips to Mumbai and Pune! Very exciting and I have finally managed to write up some posts about Pondicherry – more later! We also did our first ever trip across the pond to the Big Apple and managed to squeeze in four days at Washington D.C too – was so exciting, but the best bit, of course, was that we spent Thanksgiving with our family and caught up with friends after many years – what a treat! 2015 was kind to me in other ways too, I was invited to many foodie events and met some really cool master chefs, tried exotic food and reviewed many restaurants and bars too – will soon share more as the year unfolds 🙂

On the very first of the New Year, I experimented with a cut of lamb that I haven’t before – a large shoulder of lamb that I decided to roast. Here is an easy to follow a recipe, the only tough bit – waiting for the meat to cook 😉

I wanted to use a cheaper cut than the usual ones, a lamb shoulder seemed like a good place to start – this joint cost me £7.99 per kilo from my local butcher. For that price, this cut gives some much more ‘bang for your buck’

Lamb’s shoulder is quite fatty so there is no need to add too much oil, the meat pretty much cooks in its own fat and the port wine I have used adds deep rich flavours to this very succulent cut of meat. A joint of this size also allows for a lot of leftovers and therefore a great way to make a range of other recipes – think stews, casseroles, curries, pulavs, tikkis (a mashed potato fritter stuffed with meat – a great tea time treat) and so many more. Great on the pocket and a great choice for winter recipes.

How to make a great roast lamb shoulder
How to make a great roast lamb shoulder

I am happy that the baster I purchased for my Christmas roast chicken is proving to be very handy. I have to say that I am so proud that my Roast Chicken turned out absolutely fab and delicious – it was another experiment and the pork and cranberry stuffing and all the sides were made at home by me with lots of chopping, peeling and cutting help by the OH.

Easy recipe for Roast shoulder of lamb
Easy recipe for Roast shoulder of lamb

Roast Lamb Shoulder

Manjiri Chitnis
Deliciouslysucculent joint of lamb – cheap and cheerful roast
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs 35 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 40 mins
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup brown rice and wild rice mix
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1/2 a shallot sliced lengthwise
  • 1 heaped tbsp green peas
  • Water to boil the rice

Instructions
 

  • In the same saucepan used for cooking the noodles, rinse and cook the washed rice The trick to cook perfectly fluffy rice each time is to use exactly double the amount of water to the quantity of rice used. That is my thumb rule and it never fails me.
  • Once the rice is done set the saucepan aside
  • Wipe down the wok after preparing the fish, you may need to use another wooden spatula to scrape off the sticky bits from the wok before starting out with the fried rice
  • Crack an egg into the wok set on a medium flame
  • Stirring continuously scramble the egg and add the chopped shallot, spritz some oil onto the wok to cook the shallots
  • Ensure you keep stirring so that the egg does not get lumpy and overcooked and the shallot doesn’t burn
  • Add Blue Dragon light soy sauce and stir well
  • Then add the cooked rice, season with some salt, and stir and mix well
  • Cook for under a minute on high heat and add in the peas and mix
  • Take the wok off the heat and set aside

The lamb should now be at the ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ stage – serve with warm bread and steamed veggies on the side – ideally beans, carrots and peas, or broccoli. Hubster is not fond of peas but I would be very happy lots of them 😉

Roast shoulder of lamb
 Roast shoulder of lamb

The leftovers will get a rub of my home-made hot spice mix that adds a warming touch to my curries and stews – leftover lamb curry – can’t wait to share that recipe – it’s definitely a winter warmer and a firm family favourite.

Happy New Year once again folks and a lot of new and exciting recipe and travel posts coming up! wooooohoooo!

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Old El Paso at London Victoria

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This year I was part of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at a fun Pop Up event held bang in the middle of the busy Victoria Station in London by OldEl Paso . A celebration of all things Mexican Cinco de Mayo means the 5th of May on Spanish and marks the triumphant victory of Mexican forces over a heavily armed attack by the French forces in the state of Puebla in 1862.

Old El Paso pop up causes a stir at London Victoria

Old El Paso pop up causes a stir at London Victoria

Though it was not a parade or an energetic dance troop entertaining passerby’s in colourful costumes – as is the way the celebrations happen in U.S.A and Mexico, the pop did manage to cause quite a stir! Chef Andy Bates cooked up some fresh and delicious fajitas for us and pleasantly surprised commuters using Old El Paso. With a few fresh ingredients in tow, he cooked up a delicious treat in minutes.

To spatchcock the chicken, the spine was removed. Then Andy  marinated a whole chicken with Old El Paso roasted tomato and pepper fajita seasoning mix. The best part was though the super soft Old El Paso flour tortillas into which it was wrapped with lettuce some , beans, gucamole and salsa on top.

Chef Andy Bates preparing Spatchcock Roast Chicken with a Mexican style rub

Chef Andy Bates preparing Spatchcock Roast Chicken with a Mexican style rub

You can check of some cool videos of Chef Andy Bates cooking up Mexican meals with Old El Paso ingredients on the Food Network UK website.

Old El Paso  makes kits that you can buy and make delicious meals in minutes but did you know that you can buy various ingredients to create something special on your own too? I particularly like the squeezy chunky guacamole , canned refried beans and bottled sliced red and green jalapenos.

Old El Paso Ingredients

Old El Paso Ingredients

Whatever it is you are after tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, whether you want to fix a tasty side dish or rustle up a big main meal for friends there are many products in their arsenal that could help you create a feast in minutes.

So if it’s the soft and toasty, oven baked tortillas that are calling out to you, why not combine then with some chunky salsa, and twice cooked, crunchy nachips today? Or if you want tangy prawns then why not make it #fajitafriday with a little recipe inspiration from Old El Paso? Find the recipe here

Old el Paso Fajita Friday

Old el Paso Fajita Friday

Whatever Mexican feast you cook up, don’t forget to stock up your larder with some handy Old El Paso ingredients. I am off to make some Ol El Paso Mexican Taco’s now – buh -bye!

*With  thanks to Old El Paso U.K for inviting me. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. 

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