Mystery Food Week 18: Changing Seasons edition

Well autumn has definitely arrived. This week, I wore a jacket to work for the first time since the spring. We also went to the last Nationals home game of the season. I really like going to Nats games and I think that part of it is because it reminds me so much of going to Pirates games in Pittsburgh. (Ladies and gentlemen, you can get your “Haha, that’s because both teams are terrible, right?” jokes out of the way now.)

But in truth, I say that for several reasons. The parks are similarly designed—small, not steeply graded, and open on one side. There isn’t a bad seat in the house at either place. Then there’s the price-tag. Our seats Wednesday night were on the 1st baseline in the top section and I think we had the best view in the house--for $13. While I’ve seen the Steelers play down here at Fedex Field, I’ve never seen them play at Heinz Field. I did see the Penguins play at the Civic—excuse me, Mellon Arena, but I highly doubt my chances of getting into a game at the new arena for a long time. Tickets are difficult to get and often very pricey. Joe and I like to get to a Redskins game once or twice a season, but even if you grab a set of tickets they gouge you terribly for parking at Fedex. And, unlike the baseball stadium, there is no direct Metro access. You can see into Nats Park as soon as you come out of the Metro station—that’s my favorite part. I always start to get excited as soon as I see the stadium all lit up. Finally, there is the culinary joy of the ballpark. Pittsburgh has its Primanti’s sandwiches and Quaker Steak wings and DC has Ben’s Chili Bowl and Teddy’s BBQ (which includes a giant caricature of Teddy Roosevelt in chef regalia outside). We opted for the more traditional hot-dog-and-a-beer route on Wednesday, but the smell of the giant smoker with all of that tasty barbecue was wonderful!

The ballgame ended with fireworks and a video of the players, announcers, and vendors saying “thank you” for a great season. All in all, not a bad way to spend a Wednesday evening. Now, I am officially, fully, and completely in fall sports mode. 

This week’s Mystery Food is an interesting mix:

Cabbage, kale, green peppers, squash, zucchini, apples, and potatoes.

I’ve accumulated two weeks worth of potatoes now and this chilly weather encourages the making of some potato soup. My main issue with potato soup/potato cheese soup is that it’s either incredibly heavy and garnished with an ice cream scoop’s worth of sour cream and bacon, or it’s really one-note. I’ll try to strike a balance…maybe add some slow caramelized onions and roasted garlic and other veggies for color/sweetness.

That will likely be this weekend’s project in between the ongoing writing of super-portfolio-thesis. Oooooh and maybe a loaf of fabulous no-knead effortless bread. Welcome, autumn. :-)

Ciao for now,

Neen