Ikko Sushi

Ikko Sushi has become my family's favorite local restaurant. You can find Scott, Morgan, and I parked in front of the sushi bar almost every Friday night. Hands down Ikko provides the freshest sushi in the DC area. For us it is not just about the food but the experience, especially as local customers. Ikko was Morgie's first restaurant outing (at just one week old) and now almost three years later he is always greeted by the head sushi chef with a "Sushi Boy"shout out and big smiles from  the owner Stacy and her waitstaff.

As South Silver Spring residents we desperately wanted this business to succeed hoping that it would bring more restaurants and retail towards our end of the city. Over the years we have fostered a relationship with Stacy and her husband Leo, as Scott developed their website and continues to work on it when needed.

Not many start up restaurants could survive in Ikko's location, especially four years ago, but their success is a testament to the owners commitment to hiring top notch sushi chefs, serving the freshest fish possible, and going far out of their way to make sure all customers leave their restaurant happy (just ask for Stacy if you have any concerns).

While many restaurants are nickeling and diming you for condiments and substitutions, Ikko has remained very generous as to what customers get "on the house."  Everyone starts out with a complimentary miso soup and house salad that is often followed by a surprise appetizer. We almost always start out with an order...or two... of Ikko's fire mussels.

Fire Mussels

Scott's "go to" is the purist's tuna and salmon rolls while mine are the more creative Red Skin, 007, and Tiger rolls.

Tuna, Spicy Crab, Redskin, Tiger

If you like eel than I highly recommend trying the Spider Roll.

Spider Roll 

It has been a pleasure to support this local restaurant from the beginning and watch it become a thriving business that is helping to anchor our neighborhood. It's exciting to hear that two more restaurants are opening up at 1200 East West Highway!

Stacy and Morgan (7months)

I thinks she has a customer for life :)

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Korean Spicy Pork Belly (Dwaejibulgogi)

Spicy Pork Belly (Dwaejibulgogi) and Bulgogi (Photo Courtesy of Chirocky6)

If you are looking for authentic Korean BBQ recipes to make at home here is a "spot on" recipe for Korean Spicy Pork Belly from Maangchi. I go to my local H-Mart to pick up all of the necessary ingredients like gochujang.

If you haven't been to a Korean BBQ you are missing out, on not only great food but a fun experience. I highly recommend visiting a Honey Pig in the DC area. The food is tasty, they are open 24hrs a day (except for Mondays) and prices are beyond reasonable. $9.99 for a lunch special that includes a side? Um... yes please! In fact, right now they are offering a 50% off deal on groupon. " Get it while you can, I already grabbed mine :)

Last week my high school BFF Nancy flew out from Chicago to run the Inaugural Nike Women's Half-Marathon in DC. She is always up for foodie adventures so we ventured out to the Honey Pig in Ellicott, City Maryland. Here are a few pics...

Spicy Seafood Tofu Soup

Cold Spicy Buckwheat Soup (Photo Courtesy of Chirocky6)

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I Remember U Bears

I often refer to my mom as the original Martha Stewart. When she does something, she does it well... more like perfectly.  In kindergarden and first grade I was decked out in intricate dresses that she had sewn together from McCall's and Butterick patterns. I grew up eating three homemade meals a day that were accompanied by handmade cloth napkins and individual butter molds in shapes of sea shells and such. For holidays she would always bring something in for my class. For instance, on Christmas she would arrive with a popcorn and marshmallow Christmas tree decorated with healthy snacks. At home she would always add a touch of creativity, like making our mashed potatoes and milk green for St. Patrick's Day. Basically, I grew up in a world of Pinterest... literally.

Right before my freshman year of high school my family moved to the Chicago area... Orland Park, IL to be exact. It was a transformative time for everyone, including my mom. She decided to go back to school, starting at Morraine Valley Community College where she worked in the academic advising office.  She moved on to Purdue University where she received a B.A. in Clinical Psychology and was inducted as a member of Alpha Chi National College Scholarship Society. After college my mom spent many years in the mental health field where her hard work, strong ethic and compassion left an unforgettable impression on the hearts of those she worked with. Once she started working outside of the home... all of the intricacies that once went into every meal, load of laundry, dust bunny in the corner yadah yadah yadah... went out the window. As she likes to say, something had to give. 

And now what seemed like two separate career paths... domestic goddess and mental health professional...have come together into her creation of iRememberUbears. These are custom-made teddy bears made out of cherished articles of clothing. My mom knows that every article of clothing she receives has a special meaning to someone (sometimes it is the only personal article that remains)... and she does not take that responsibility lightly. It is amazing to see how these bears, who become tangible stories, take on a personality of their own. Below are a few examples of how these bears bring comfort to others.

A few years ago my parent's attended a benefit for a coworker's 6-year-old daughter that was battling cancer. They bought a t-shirt to support the fundraising efforts and mom decided to make the t-shirt into a bear and gave it to the family as a gift. The little girl loved that bear so much that when she passed away the family decided to send the bear to heaven with her. The following Christmas, the family sent out their Christmas card that included a picture of the bear and the story of its significance to their family. As time passed they missed seeing the bear and sent more Live Well t-shirts to Mom to have an identical bear made.  In addition they sent her bathrobe that had become a main staple during her illness, to have another bear made. This past Christmas she received another Christmas card with a picture of the children (and the bear). It really touched my mom to see that the bear was again part of their Christmas card and to know it continued to bring the family comfort.

Everytime I hear on the news about a service person that is killed in the line of duty and is leaving behind loved ones, especially kids, I wish I had a way to reach out and let them know about iRememberUbears. Turning a military, police, or fireman uniform into a bear is a unique way to honor them and a tangible way for their kids to feel like they are still with them.

When Scott and I were dating I made him a Hawaiian quilt. After several years it was starting to show some wear and tear, so my mom made a bear of it for our son Morgan on his first birthday. 

Golden Nugget Gourmet and www.irememberubears.com are offering one free gift certificate (valued at $150) for a custom made bear from irememberubears.com. Here's how you can enter to win.

Each option = 1 entry into the giveaway.

1. Share this post on facebook. Everytime you share you get an additional chance to win.
2. Tweet about this post using #irememberubears
3. Subscribe by email to www.goldennuggetgourmet.com
4. Leave a comment below that you would like a chance to win.

A winner will be announced on Friday, March 15, 2013 at 12:01 p.m. EST. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations Michelle Nickerson Moro! You are the winner of the irememberubears giveaway. Please contact me at januaryroberts@gmail.com within the next 48 hours to claim your gift certificate. Thank you to everyone that participated and helped spread the love :)

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Crock-Pot Tikka Masala

Whether you love going to your local Indian restaurant for Tikka Masala or you have been curious to try Indian food in general, then you definitely want this recipe from Kindra at Meal Planning 101. It's restaurant quality, and my husband Scott would argue it's better.

For those of you in the DC area, GNG recommends when you are not in the mood to cook that you head on over to Tiffin in East Takoma Park, MD. I was first introduced to this restaurant by one of Scott's mentors (from UMD) and his wife. I immediately thought that this was a local golden nugget and I love it so much that Morgan and I often frequent the extensive lunch buffet on our way home from preschool on Thursdays. The food and service are topnotch. Morgie would like to recommend it especially for the house mango juice.

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Portabella Pizzas

Are you trying to cut back on carbs, gluten, or maybe a little bit of both? Portabella pizzas are a healthy alternative to the traditional pizza that can satisfy all of those needs without sacrificing the taste. The only thing this dish is lacking is calories. The possibilities of various toppings are endless. I started with homemade marinara sauce from Budget Bytes and topped with mozzarella, peppers, onions, and some phenomenal Sobrasada from Three Little Pigs in DC.

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Portabella Pizza Recipe Card

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Valentine's Day Twice Baked Potatoes

Last year I came up with this last minute idea for a unique twist on my presentation of twice baked potatoes. As you have heard me say before "love is in the effort." Now that being said, it took me five minutes to make the hearts but the effort was in thinking out of the box on how to make my husband's dinner extra special. Sure you can buy a Hallmark card or a dozen roses (which will cost you more than these gourmet potatoes) but how creative is that? You get what you give so give your heart on a platter this Valentine's Day.

These Valentine's Day twice baked potatoes are extremely easy to make. Just shape the potato mixture into a heart, place cheese on top, and bake as usual.

Happy Valentine's Day! I would love to get a pic of your Valentine's potatoes.

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