Sue Conley, co-founder of Cowgirl Creamery
@ National Harbor
Q:What's your favorite food TV show or host?
A:"John Shields of 'Chesapeake Cooking.' He was a deep appreciation for local foods."
A CRUNCHY, FLAVORFUL COLESLAW can serve as a topping on barbecue sandwiches (a Neely favorite) or as a colorful side dish at a picnic.
Ingredients:
» 1 small head green cabbage
» 1 small head red cabbage
» 4 carrots
» 1 medium yellow onion
» 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
» 1⁄4 cup prepared yellow mustard
» 2 tsp. apple-cider vinegar
» 1 cup sugar
» 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
» 1⁄2 tsp. cayenne pepper
» Kosher salt
Serves 6-8
Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the cores. Peel the carrots and onion, and slice them into pieces that will fit through the feed tube of a food processor. Fit the food processor with the large-holed grater attachment, and push the cabbage, carrots and onion through the feed tube to grate. In a large bowl, toss the grated cabbage, carrots and onions to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, black pepper and cayenne (whisk until the sugar is dissolved).
Toss the dressing with the coleslaw, and season with salt and additional pepper to taste. Cover the slaw with plastic wrap, and chill for at least two hours before serving.
» Talk Chef: Read our Q&A with dynamic duo Pat and Gina Neely.
Courtesy of "Down Home with the Neelys" (Knopf, $28)
MOST COUPLES DRIVE each other crazy in the kitchen, but not Pat and Gina Neely. The high school sweethearts — who went their separate ways after graduation but reconnected at their 10-year reunion and married soon after — like to divvy up the cooking duties both at their Memphis-based barbecue chain and on their hit Food Network show, "Down Home with the Neelys" (Sat., 11 a.m.). The show returns for a fifth season July 4.
» EXPRESS: After four seasons, is it hard to come up with new recipes?
» GINA: We still have so much you guys haven't seen yet.
» PAT: We're just warming up! If you ask me to tell you what we'll be showing six months from now, I couldn't tell you. We let it free flow — there's no script or set direction. It's as if you were having dinner with us. What are Pat and Gina going to talk about tonight?
» EXPRESS: There are so many barbecue sauce types, from Tennessee tomato sauce to Carolina vinegar-based. Do you have an allegiance?
» PAT: Memphis is known for a tomato-based sweet barbecue sauce. But we're more than just a one-barbecue family. I'll sometimes do a Kansas City-style barbecue sauce or a North Carolina kind.
YOU KNOW HOW how sometimes you just know something's up? Well, when Jenna Ross heard, after a romantic day, a poolside chat and a favorite bottle of wine, that Jeff Smith was going inside to get "a surprise," she thought she knew what was what. "She actually patted me down," Jeff says, looking for the ring. No such luck.
Instead, he brought out a huge wrapped present — a jewelry box. She just stared at it. "I told her that since she had a lot of jewelry, she should have a nice jewelry box. I also wanted to give her the first piece to put in it." When she opened the box, the ring was inside. The rest is history. The couple will wed July 18 at Jenna's parent's house, where the proposal took place, with 150 guests.
Jenna, 30, is an elementary school teacher. Jeff, 36, is a manager at a hardware store. They live in Bethesda.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Alexis, 27, is a director at a nonprofit. Aaron, 28, is a middle-school teacher. They live in DC.
» The Main Event: July 4 at a Mississippi synagogue, the one Alexis grew up attending. They expect 200 guests.
» How They Met: Online. When they first got together in person, despite waiting for her in unseasonably cold weather, Aaron was "in awe."
» First Impressions: "I thought he was cute and I liked his black leather jacket."
» First Date: Looking for a sushi restaurant in Dupont Circle that had a wait time of less than 90 minutes. They got lucky on their third try, at Uni.
» How He Proposed: He surprised her by cooking a nice dinner first. "We actually ate dinner at the table, instead of watching TV," he says.
» Most Hated Clothing Item: "He has this black T-shirt that must be really comfortable, but it has a stain on it and I wish it would, poof, be gone."
» When She Knew: After their first date. "I was watching him talk but wasn’t really listening and I just thought it."
» Celebrating Heritage: Their Reform ceremony incorporates family members' talits, or prayer shawls.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Andrew, 26, works for a Navy contractor. Lisa, 26, is a publicist and event planner. They live in Alexandria.
» The Main Event: "My mother calls it the schizophrenic wedding, because it is a bizarre mix of formal and quirky casual," Lisa says. They'll welcome 150 guests to the Catholic ceremony July 3.
» How They Met: At a Mardi Gras frat party in college. "I told him that I was going to have those beads by the end of the night … and I did."
» First Impressions: "She was cute, but she was a brat."
» First Date: A couple nights after they met, he drove two hours to visit her at her college, and they hung out in her dorm and watched "The Lion King."
» How He Proposed: After a romantic dinner, he took her home — where their two huskies were wearing handmade T-shirts that read "Will you" and "marry me." "When she figured out what the shirts said, she gasped and turned around where I was waiting on one knee."
» Stupidest Fight: Whether they could "claim" sections of their couch. "It was almost an exact replica of a scene on 'Friends,'" she says.
» When She Knew: The first time they said "I love you."
» Making It Unique: The huskies that helped out with the proposal will accompany the couple down the aisle.
» With Unlimited Funds: Andrew thinks "maybe instead of a limo, we'd have a helicopter for the bridal party?"
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Michael, 31, is a logistics manager. Stephanie, 28, is a program associate. They live in Arlington.
» The Main Event: Stephanie's father, an ordained minister, will officiate the couple's July 18 union with 125 guests in attendance. The reception is at a Concord country club.
» Honeymoon: Belize or Costa Rica.
» How They Met: On the job when they both worked for the same company in San Diego.
» First Impressions: "I remember the same cute guy walking through my department." When he finally talked to her, his first impression was, "Oh man, I am way out of my league."
» First Date: "I took her to one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego, P.F. Changs." They sat outside and talked for hours.
» How He Proposed: He hid a poem (and the proposal) inside a hollow Christmas ornament.
» Their Song: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. "It embodies our laid-back style," says Michael, "but also gets our message of love across."
» Stupidest Fight: Whether they should buy ham or Canadian bacon for their Hawaiian pizza.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
I LIKE A WOMAN who has beautiful feet, but unexciting taste in shoes. I had the great idea to buy her a pair of heels as a gift, and I need your help. I'm looking for something hot and sexy to make other men jealous, but of course with her comfort in mind. What do you think? —Peter
Manolo says, generally, the Manolo counsels against the man giving shoes to the woman as the surprise gift, mainly because of the problem of sizing. However, in this case, it is clear that the Manolo's friend has closely studied the shapely sexy feets of his fine, fine lady, and thus is probably well acquainted with their needs.
Sadly, even with that, the Manolo's friend is somewhat deluded if he thinks the Manolo, the mere mortal man, can find him the super-sexy-hot comfort shoe. Such miraculous holy relics exist only in the medieval fantasy world of valiant Arthurian knights in service to chaste maidens. And, like the Holy Grail, these will-o'-the-wisp will always be just beyond the grasp of all but the purest-hearted. Still, as Sir Percival can tell you, sometimes the quest for perfection is everything. Look, here is the E90341 from Guiseppe Zanotti ($716, Zappos.com), the costly but exceedingly beautiful crystal and patent leather sandal. Is it comfortable? Who knows! Is it sexy? Yes, emphatically!
Each week, Manolo the shoe blogger answers your pressing shoe questions. Ask the Manolo a question at manolo@shoeblogs.com. Visit the Manolo at shoeblogs.com.
Photo courtesy Zappos
AS THE HOST of VH1 dating show "Tough Love," Steven Ward often reduces women to tears. His brutally honest, tell-it-like-it-is advice to six singles at "dating boot camp" made the show's debut season a hit (a second batch of episodes is due this fall). Ward and his mother/business partner, JoAnn, will counsel D.C. daters July 8 and 9 when they host a "Crash Course in Love" seminar at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Foggy Bottom (for tickets, see Crashcourse.vh1.com).
» EXPRESS: How'd you get involved in matchmaking in the first place?
» WARD: After college, I was prepared to take an entry-level position in investment banking in New York City. But I had a little hiatus before the job started, so I decided to help my mom get more organized with her matchmaking business. And that's all she wrote.
» EXPRESS: And that's how you got tapped to counsel women on "Tough Love"?
» WARD: I'm on a very short list of men in this country who are qualified to give dating advice to women. Not a lot of men have the chutzpah to go into matchmaking.
» EXPRESS: In the age of Match.com, why do clients pick a matchmaking service?
» WARD: The biggest problem with online dating is nine times out of 10, people aren't who they say they are. They're five years older, or five inches shorter, or not actually divorced yet. We eliminate those concerns for clients by doing background checks on everybody.
Continue Reading "Make It a Date: 'Tough Love's Steve Ward" »
Some of the best sappy movies star just-plucked clusters of dandelions or daisies from the cute neighbor boy's yard. But in real life, a weed bouquet won't land your pad in Elle Decor, and stealing from someone's garden could get you arrested. Still, a lack of cash doesn't mean your flower arrangements can't be flash. "I'll cut grasses and put them in vases. It's summery! I keep shears in my car," says Stephanie Meuse Melvin of Wisteria (Wisteriaflorals.com), an Alexandria shop that offers posy-arranging classes.
Another cheap trick: Let containers carry the creative load, says D.C. florist Sarah von Pollaro of Urban Petals (Urbanpetals.com) and Petals for the People, a subscription service launching mid-July hawking bouquets and design tips for $25 a pop. She bunches stems in unexpected vessels: mod toothbrush containers and aluminum trash cans. So, if your budget has wilted, take a cue from the D.C. florists who did these arrangements. Each cost less than $30, including the vase. That's a blooming wonder.
Continue Reading "Lower the Bloom: Bouquets that Won't Break the Bank" »
Ingredients:
»1 cup coconut oil
» 6 tbsp homemade applesauce or store-bought unsweetened applesauce
» 1 tsp salt
» 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
» 1 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice
» 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
» 1/4 cup flax meal
» 1 tsp baking soda
» 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
» 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix oil, salt, applesauce, vanilla and cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum.
Using a spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until a grainy dough forms. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
With a melon baller, scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing portions 1 inch apart. Press each with the heel of your palm to help them spread.
Bake cookies on center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after nine minutes.
Let cookies stand on sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Makes 36.
» No Dairy Queen: Read our Q&A with BabyCakes' Erin McKenna.
From "Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-free, and (Mostly) Sugar-free recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery"
Addison Road