Foodie Five # 5 - Noelle Sharbaugh

The lovely Noelle Sharbaugh is the subject of today's Foodie Five. Noelle was one of my co-workers in DC. She is an outstanding host...she took us all over DC to some of the best restaurants. One of those moments involved traveling by limo to see the monuments at night after dinner. Noelle just spent this past Sunday at an afternoon tea at the Jefferson Hotel dressed to the nines complete with pillbox hat and white gloves. That is pure Noelle....a class act through and through.

1.) You and I have a strong shared food history. We enjoyed many a dining experience together! If I were to return to DC today, are there any new places you'd want me to try?
I would recommend a new place called Open Kitchen in Virginia. It is a restaurant with an open kitchen for watching the chefs in action and they also offer cooking classes and fantastic wine dinners.

http://htwww.openkitchen-dcmetro.com/home/

2.) You've always been a frequent traveler. Any particularly great food experiences out and about you'd like to share?
My husband and I went to Breckenridge, CO for a job interview a few years back and stayed at a great hotel/ski resort. We had the most fantastic blueberry pancakes I've ever had. I don't know what the trick was or why they were so great, but they were the best! I wish I had the recipe!

Another great food experience we have had was we went to Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant in Philadelphia for the Omakase menu. This is a chef's choice multi-course tasting menu that is unique each time you visit. He is totally fantastic and his food presentation is beautiful. The menu has no set price. You tell them how much you want to spend and they bring out the courses to match. It was probably one of the best meals if not the best I've ever had.

http://www.morimotorestaurant.com

3.) You're a married woman now. I loved the gorgeous photos of your special day....what delectable food did you have on the menu?
The menu was very yummy and it was kind of fun to pull it back out and look at all of my old wedding notes and keepsakes. I got married at the Hays-Adams hotel in Washington DC. It's right across from the White House and has the best views of the city. We were married in the formal dining room which has an antique fireplace. The Hays-Adams actually used to be the homes of John Hays and John Adams which they combined to become one of the best-known historic hotels in the city. The holidays there are very special. My husband and I go back to celebrate our anniversary in the formal dining room every year.

The wedding menu is as follows:

First Course
Demitasse of Butternut Squash Soup, Creme Fraiche

Second Course
Warm Goat Cheese Tart, Baby Salad Greens with Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette

Entree Course
Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Pommes Dauphinois, Winter Vegetables, Port Wine Sauce
or
Fire Roasted Salmon, Lemon Caper Buerre Blanc
Pommes Dauphinois, Winter Vegetables

Dessert
Decadent Chocolate Mousse and Chocolate Covered Strawberries

4.) I remember some wonderful soirees at your family's home in Bethesda. Any particular family specialties you can share?
My family has great secret recipes! They are classic Italian recipes.....one is Casada and is typically made for Easter, but could be appropriate for other holidays. The other is Pizza Rusticana. My mom has great recipes..probably since she went to culinary school! Her Hot Crab/Artichoke/Jalapeno Dip is one of her most famous New Year's Eve's dishes. She also makes a yummy French Toast Casserole every Christmas Day and everyone always asks for the recipe.

5.) What is your ultimate comfort food?
Mac and Cheese for sure!

Here is the best recipe I have ever used...You should make it as a treat and not when you're on a diet!

Noelle's Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 box Shell Noodles
1 can Condensed Milk
2 cans Cheddar Cheese Soup (Campbell's)
1 Stick Butter
1 Egg
1 Large Bag of Shredded Cheese(your choice-I like the cheeses with a kick- Mexican five-cheese or Italian mixed cheese)
I also add crumbled Maple bacon sometimes...

Cook the noodles until tender.
Drain the water and set the noodles aside.
In the crock pot, mix condensed milk, egg, 2 cans cheddar cheese soup, melted butter and 1/3 bag of shredded cheese.
Once combined, add noodles.
Cook on low for 3 hours. At 2 hours and 15 minutes add remaining cheddar cheese to the top and let cook remaining 45 minutes.

FANTASTIC!!!

Thank you, Noelle! Noelle generously provided the secret family recipes for the aforementioned dishes as well but in the interest of space, I did not print them all. I will in the future...when I plan to make them!