An all too fast week in Texas: Seafood out

Please excuse the late posting. I got back from Texas at the very end of August. It is now approaching the end of September, and life has been a whirlwind of mostly positive experiences. Let's start back in my home state, Tejas (Tay-hahce).

I traveled there from New York to visit my family before heading back to school: most of my mother's and father's families are from and are still located in TX (with few exceptions). It's not easy to get down there, mostly for financial reasons, so I don't see them often at all. In fact, it had been a year and a half since I had seen my dad, which is FAR too long. This was a much needed trip and I enjoyed pretty much every minute of it! It was one of the very few times in my life I've been sad to leave Texas, and all of those times were for leaving some of the most important people in my life behind. Texas itself is simply a force to be reckoned with, and I do not currently possess the power to do so. Maybe in the future.

On to the food! Although many people surely think of rattlesnakes, cacti, tumbleweeds and other such symbols of the southwest, I am from the Gulf of Mexico. This extremely humid, sometimes even marshy area is much more akin to Louisiana than to say, New Mexico, Arizona, etc. Enter here my obscene love of seafood, particularly shrimp and these delicious little monsters referred to by us as "crawfish." I ate as much shrimp as I possibly could while I was there, and I loved it all. As you can see in the photo, they're pretty sizable! And the taste certainly matched the size. The fried items (I tried to limit my intake of these) are hush puppies and... fried pickles. I did not eat the fried pickles! Now if they were okra, it would have been a different story. However, pickles they were and I stayed away. I did enjoy a couple of hush puppies. People from North Carolina might be taken aback by the more savory Cajun hush puppy with bits of jalapeño inside; it's quite a distinct taste from one puppy breed, if you will, to the next. Both delicious, of course!

Part of the title of this post is "Seafood out," which means seafood at a restaurant. Before driving to Austin to visit a dear friend from my adolescent years, I dined with my dad, my uncle David and my aunt Linda. I used to see them quite a lot while growing up. Interestingly enough, I was able to squeeze in a short visit with one of their daughters who lives in Austin! That will be another post. It was such a great part of my trip, sharing food with the people who are so very similar to me (biologically). After so much time apart, it amazed me to find how alike we still are. It never surprises me to realize this about my father, who, it seems at some times, might have actually cloned himself to make me. Just kidding; I am actually very much like both my parents, naturally, but when I spend time with my dad it just couldn't be any clearer that we are cut from absolutely the same cloth in almost every way. And when talking to my grandmother who is a few years shy of 90, I realized we were incredibly similar as well. Hopefully I will have inherited her longevity! What a woman.

There will be more posts to come about my food adventures in Texas, perhaps in a more timely fashion than this one ;)

Quesadillas a la Ben

I was extremely happy to let someone else do a little cooking last night, especially because it was here at home and it was fast. Josh and I spent somewhere around 4 hours working in a Starbucks so I was sort of out of my mind stir crazy and was thrilled to receive an offer from Ben to make quesadillas for dinner. Mine contained a simple mixture of black beans, shredded cheddar cheese and chicken. Josh's and Ben's had a more complex assortment of goodies: chicken (seasoned with taco seasoning), cheese, beans, guacamole and salsa. Sounds great right? It was.

The picture has some shadow going on but you get the idea. In fact, I'd like another right about now.

Seaweed salad and my powerful brain

I'm not sure how healthy this was, but I was feeling very down and out yesterday and my brain was under the impression that eating this would make my stomach feel better. Or, rather, that it would not make it more upset than it already was. I was right: it did not make me feel worse, and I was able to mope around at the same speed I had all day until I eventually went to sleep and moped unconsciously. Still feeling under the weather now but coming out of the fog, I think.

It is incredibly interesting to me that the body is so very influenced by the brain, that if I sincerely think a latte, a croissant or a seaweed salad from a hole-in-the-wall sushi shop is going to make my stomach calm down, it will. This, I think, is probably absolute bull because coffee and milk are both likely to upset one's stomach - especially with the frothed milk of a latte - not to mention cause heartburn (for people like me). A croissant is made up of an ungodly amount of butter, which should theoretically also cause my stomach to have problems and / or upset my heartburn. This is all certainly logical. On the seaweed salad, I don't think there's anything that would cause me problems so it's less of a wonder, but it still brings me to ponder over the immense influence my thoughts have over the actual physical response of my body despite all the chemical evidence to the contrary. Don't get me wrong, I've never convinced myself that fries would make my stomach feel better. Experiment?

If I could study anything (besides what I currently study - *perhaps* in lieu of it), it would be nutrition. Still time, if I quit eating croissants!

Boar's Head hot dogs on Shelter Island

Now I have to admit, although I generally avoid eating hot dogs or any kind of sausage type meat at all costs, this particular brand of hot dots fogged my brain of all reason and by the end of our moving adventure I had eaten at least two of these. I honestly can't remember if I ate more than two because the time flew by in a complete blur! But I will get to that in a bit. First, let me tell you more about these delicious dogs.

Not having thought to check and see if Ben's parents already had ingredients for making hot dogs, we went to the supermarket upon arriving to Shelter Island and bought what we thought was the most interestingly packaged collection of wieners: Boar's Head. I really love their smoked turkey and their provolone cheese, so I was all about trying out their dogs over Nathan's, Ball Park and the other usuals. It was well worth the risk. They were excellent! Ben lathered them in BBQ sauce before throwing them on the grill for ten minutes or so, which added a great flavor. The best part about these dogs was that while grilling, they develop a kind of roasted skin (sounds gross but tastes wonderful) which is crispy, making an interesting textural combination with the juicy hot dog inside. I added shredded cheese to mine and we had some crispy Cape Cod potato chips on the side. Very very simple, but very cheap and it saved us from eating out, which I hear isn't great on Shelter Island. However, we felt pretty silly after returning from the supermarket to find ALL the supplies we had just purchased in the fridge already. But! If we had paid more attention, we wouldn't have ended up with Boar's Head hot dogs, so one can only assume it worked out for the better.

On to the island adventure itself. After moving countless items, getting horribly sweaty and taking countless showers, and eating countless hot dogs, I'd say it was a physically tough but fun couple of days. Once we were finished with the hard labor, we drove around and saw beaches, random sites from Ben's younger years, went on a walk through the Mashomack Preserve and had delicious ice cream (separate post). We also watched a little bit of Avatar: The Last Airbender (quite a different experience on such a large screen!) and The Iron Giant, now a favorite movie of mine. It's too bad that Josh couldn't be there with us, but he really lucked out in a way because the humidity was just a bear.

It is a little silly to post an entry about hot dogs from a culinary standpoint, but I'd like to mention again that I associate memories with the food I eat and this blog is, in a way, kind of a journal that will hopefully serve me well in the future. I just threw in a picture for the heck of it :) Also, if you look closely you can see the skin I was talking about...

Blueberry muffin on way to Shelter Island

Man it has been a long day! Ben, Josh and I packed up Ben's stuff around 8:00 AM this morning, after which Ben and I drove it all in a U-Haul truck from Manhattan to Shelter Island. Before we got in to the our final destination, we stopped at this little farm and got blueberry muffins. I'll include the information at a later date; the day is winding down now and I'm getting to hit the hay soon.

This was by far the best blueberry muffin I've ever had! It wasn't super sweet and it was so full of blueberries that it really didn't need to be sweet. Ben said that he's been coming to this place for years getting blueberry muffins and other treats, and I can see why! I would be a loyal fan and customer if I came here regularly, no doubt about it :)

Muenster BBQ burger with homemade potato chips

I have been suffering from a serious craving for cheeseburger and I finally cured myself of it tonight! After a fun but slightly wearing day in the city, I very much enjoyed making a nice tasty cheeseburger at home.

The day started off with a play in Manhattan near NYU, directed by a friend of mine from Tennessee. It was exciting for me as I really enjoy catching up with people from other parts of the country (or world) in places far from the site where we originally met. I keep seeing people from TN in places like Boston, San Francisco and NYC (almost Costa Rica!) and it gives me so much joy to have these encounters. Unfortunately, they normally don't last all that long. In any case, I got to have a short visit with Patrick Harrison. I thoroughly enjoyed his play! I'll post a link to information about it at the end of this post, in case anybody is interested and will be in NYC.

After the play, I hopped back on the train to meet Ben and grab some food to head for the park. Unfortunately he wasn't feeling so well (probably in part due to the massive amount of cake I sent home with him yesterday), so he sipped on a Schweppes ginger ale while I feasted on a bit of pasta salad. We sat on the grass in the park (not something I get to do terribly often here in NYC) and watched people, listened to somebody playing an instrument that could have been bagpipes (but we will never be sure), and contemplated the adventure that will be moving his furniture from Queens to Shelter Island tomorrow. We then returned to Astoria where Ben, having healed from drinking the ginger elixor, got himself a Subway sandwich. We briefly escaped the rain (RAIN!) so that I could pick out some acrylic paints - can't wait to use them by the way! - we then grabbed umbrellas and met up with Josh. While I was having my own adventures, he was attending the Affiliate Summit East, a giant conference that is pertinent to his world of affiliate Internet marketing.

The day really wasn't that exciting after I got home. It was filled with domestic chores (laundry, dishes, etc.) and I was so worn out from the previous fun that I fell into a little nap, after which I was fairly hungry. Enter cheeseburger. I ran to the supermarket and got some hamburger patties (frozen, much to my dismay) and potatoes. I grilled a patty up for me (Josh had hot dogs instead of hamburgers) and fried some sliced potatoes in a modest amount of extra virgin olive oil. I toasted the whole wheat buns, added a bit of BBQ sauce under the patty and topped it with some deliciously and easily melted muenster cheese. It was along the same lines as most of my meals - very simple but extremely tasty and satisfying. We of course sat down to watch an episode of Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls. :)

The next couple of days should bring some real food adventures, as I'll be helping Ben move a mountain of belongings, doing a bit of hiking/walking/beaching (weather permitting) and will surely be quite hungry!

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BBKKK is part of this international festival: http://www.fringenyc.org/

Aang upside down cake for Ben's last day at work

I have to admit, I've been seriously neglecting this blog. I think I might have posted more frequently from Costa Rica! However, the current lack of content contribution had a very worthy cause. I have been putting together a little party for Ben to celebrate his last day at work. Although it really was a small affair, I wanted it to be very silly and very fun - not to mention, of course, tasty. The true star of this party was the very unprofessionally decorated chocolate cake you see at the end of this post. It turned out well considering the challenges I faced (having used entirely too much frosting, namely). This is Aang, protagonist of a Nickelodeon series called "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Here, he is frozen in an iceberg in the Avatar state. The image is taken from the first episode of the show, entitled "Boy in the Iceberg." However, since he is mercilessly trapped in this cake, I referred to him here as Boy in the Cakeberg. In any case, it was a very humorous adventure and I really didn't mind that it turned out looking so silly because, after all, it is chocolate cake. Very hard to mess up the taste of such a delicious and highly coveted dessert item. Like I anticipated, although aesthetically unimpressive, it turned out wonderfully in terms of taste!

The most important part, however, is that Ben and Josh found it to be very amusing and tasty. I myself am still eating it as I make this post, a day later :P (just a couple bites for my midday snack). I normally am NOT a fan of frosting of any kind but I used a cream cheese frosting and I rather enjoy it. Dangerous! But I can talk myself out of feeling guilty by going into the city later to walk around with Josh.

Although this cake was the main attraction, it followed some pretty darn tasty skewers that I failed to photograph. I had to make them in the oven and therefore got very impatient, throwing all the pieces in the skillet in the end. I used steak, chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, orange pepper, pineapple and shrimp. I seasoned half of the skewers with teriyaki sauce and the other half with Italian dressing, but in the end they all ended up tasting pretty similar because when I combined it all in the skillet, I poured the remaining pineapples and juice into the mix which overpowered the marinades. Before serving the meats and veggies I piled them onto some basmati rice. Fantastic!

After dinner we played Pin the tail on the Appa, our own special variation of Pin the tail on the donkey. I included a couple of pictures of the original Appa and Ben's attempt. He and Josh were much closer than I was, so they both won "prizes," goody bags full of candy and silly party favors. Finally we shared the cake. All in all it was a very fun evening and well worth the planning that went into it :D

Now I can get back to my regular posting! I've got about a week before I head to Texas, which should be full of food adventures! For now, I'll do my best here in NYC.

Oh it's sad but the article has some hilarious word choice

http://www.cracked.com/blog/fastfood-meals-for-failures/

Pizzas at home

I hope these look as good as they tasted. I wanted pizza for quite a long time and I finally made them at home! It was so very easy. I didn't make the crust, unfortunately, but my pizzas didn't take terribly long to make and they still tasted fresh. For Josh, the less adventurous of the two of us, I made a cheese pizza. For myself, I made a BBQ chicken, mushroom and broccoli pizza. For both of them I used whole wheat pita bread as the crust, which worked perfectly because it was thick and fluffy like a pizza crust should be! :D

While I heated the pita breads in the oven, I grilled some chicken breast that I had hanging around in the fridge and sauteed it together with some baby portabello mushroom slices, some BBQ sauce and some boiled broccoli. It sounds like a weird combination, and I guess it was. But I enjoy weird combinations, especially if they're tasty! And this was no exception. Under all the delicious toppings there was a simple four cheese Italian blend (the same I used for the chicken mac & cheese; it's pretty versatile). Toppings like this make a great alternative to the traditional pizza sauce if you can't eat it or you're just up for something different!

Josh and I sat down with our personal pizzas and watched some Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, a habit we've been forming at dinner time. I was more than stuffed with just one, but Josh ended up making a second cheese pizza for himself in the microwave :P I was glad to have such positive reception! It was quick, easy, tasty and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a meal that is filling and inexpensive. I'm sure it would do well with some salad and garlic bread, etc.!

Interesting article about the effect of meat eating on our development as humans

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908

Brother Jimmy's BBQ in NYC

Now this was a treat! Josh and I went into the city to meet a friend we hadn't seen in about a year, Diana Rodriguez. While we were hanging out wit her we chose a spot so that Josh and I could get some food, and we saw this SOUTHERN restaurant. We were skeptical - and always are - because we've tried some "southern" restaurants in Ithaca and elsewhere which, much to our unpleasant surprise, usually don't even have sweet tea. Brother Jimmy's not only had sweet tea (which was very good!), it had Cheerwine, which Josh promptly ordered. I got a pulled BBQ chicken plate with macaroni and cheese and string beans (covered in that amazing Tony's seasoning I miss so much). Josh got a pulled pork sandwhich with some seriously Carolinian sauce (read: mostly vinegar). It was far too much food and even after only eating half of my plate I was suffering a bit! But it was so nice to have all of those items. And I forgot to mention the corn bread. Just right!

I did want to order sweet potato fries. I love them dearly, but to my knowledge that's not a southern food...? Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll be doing some research, but I had never tried such a thing until I moved to Boston. I would give this restaurant minus a one-half star if I were giving it a rating only because they were missing one very important southern food: HUSH PUPPIES!

Try it out if you're ever here and you find yourself with a craving for the South. :D

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http://www.brotherjimmys.com/

Casados con pescado, hechos en casa

Last night I managed to make a dish that ended up being one of the most exciting meals I've ever made. Not because it was the most exciting food - although it was extremely tasty - rather because I relived an experience I really enjoyed in Costa Rica right here in Astoria, and I made it all myself.

The "casado" is a really popular and often inexpensive dish in CR that usually involves a meat of some kind (in this case I used fish), rice, black beans, fried plantains and salad. As you can see here, I did not use anything green, and I should have! But I was too excited about having found yuca here at home and so I got carried away with the starches. Next time I'll throw in some salad or broccoli with carrots, I swear :) I made some more changes to the traditional dish, as follows: 1) I used brown rice instead of white rice, 2) I used green plantains instead of ripe plantains (I don't like the sweet flavor), 3) I also baked some plantain fries in the oven (which were AMAZING!) and 4) I added some boiled yuca. I used talapia but I recommend a fish with a less strong flavor... talapia kind of overpowers me sometimes. But it's inexpensive!

I had it in my head to attempt making casados because I was pretty sure I could find most of the materials here in Josh's neighborhood and I also knew I'd have plenty of leftovers, something that always pleases me. So, I had this strange drive to make casados and they turned out extremely well. Such a basic dish, but packed full of such flavor and all kinds of differnet textures on the same plate. Just great! It reminded me of the parts of CR that I really enjoyed, like going to restaurants and little hole-in-the-wall places with friends and professors. I'm so glad that I could bring back a little something with me :D

Because it was so much food, I didn't make a dessert. Hours later I contented myself with Maria cookies and milk. I packed away the rice and yuca, and even now as I write this at nearly 11:00 PM, I'm thinking of all the wonderful ways I can use them in leftovers in the coming days. I'm leaning towards some breakfast tacos with eggs, brown rice and a bit of cheese... we'll see! That will be only one of tomorrow's food aventures.

Euzkadi Basque restaurant in the Village

I really have no idea how to allign these pictures correctly - sorry! Anyway, I first saw this restaurant when I went into the Village with Josh and Eugene. I was amazed to find a Basque restaurant after waiting for three long years! I had found some in San Francisco but never made it to one. During my time in CR I asked Josh where we were going to celebrate our three-year anniversary when I got back to the States and he answered with Euzkadi! Clearly I thought it was a great idea. We ordered the same dish, bacalao. Salted cod on top of a risotto with chorizo sausage. It was just as delicious as I remember it being in the Basque Country (oh I forgot to mention, "Euzkadi" is Basque for Basque Country or Pais Vasco). I had a citrus-y white wine and Josh had a bit of rose. When it was time for desserts we really went out separate ways - I got my highly desired gateau basque (torta vasca) or basque cake, an almond cake with custard and strawberry sauce drizzled on top, with fresh strawberries on the side. He got some kind of chocolate mousse, as always. It was quite the amazing dinner!

I had flowers delivered to the restaurant for Josh, though he made me carry them home. :P All in all it was a wonderful dinner, and very peaceful! It was a Monday night and we were the only ones there. They really get most of their customers on Tuesdays, I think, because then there are live Flamenco dancers! I'll include a link to this fine establishment at the end of the post. If you live in the city, it's a must!

I normally don't like to put photos of people in my posts about food, but the waiter took this picture of us so it counts as part of the experience :) I have some other pictures of the restaurant itself, but there's not a nice way to make them all fit in here. If you can't make it to Euzkadi, put this dish on your to-do list (or your to-eat list). Bacalao.

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Link to restaurant: http://euzkadirestaurant.com/

Breakfast tacos with black beans, scrambled eggs and cheese

These little babies pack a lot of tasty punch! So to speak. They were so good. And sooo easy to make.

After spending a little over a month eating the strangest combinations of breakfast food (but never just cereal), I'm left feeling a little unsatisfied after my bowl of cheerios here in the States. So I toasted up some corn tortillas, heated some black beans and scrambled some eggs! Then I sprinkled a little bit of shredded cheese on top of the taco pile and folded the tortillas over. They're pretty small so I made two for Josh and one for me. I can't describe to you how really incredibly good these were! Right down to the last bean! It's shaping up to be a tasty day.

Lychee nuts (NPR)

Check out this article about the many uses of Lychee nuts!

If I'm not mistaken, there is a fruit in Costa Rica that looks really similar to a Lychee nut, and it shows up in this article! Maybe it's just a hairier version :p

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128951468&sc=fb&cc=fp

Homemade chicken macaroni and cheese

This was a simple and delightful at-home dish that ended up being a crowd pleaser (if you count Josh and me as a crowd). And it was super easy! I found a recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese and tampered with it a little bit. I ended up using whole weat flour (not measuring anything, of course), skim milk, a reduced fat four-cheese Italian style blend and some kind of Omega smart butter. I also made my own breadcrumbs which was fun :) I boiled up some carrots, broccoli and cauliflower and sliced up some whole grain French bread, which I then topped with the tiniest bit of Italian dressing and put in the oven for about ten minutes at 400 degrees.

Josh and I sat on the floor for some reason (something we used to do in Charlotte when we didn't have any chairs!) and watched an episode of Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls. I love that guy. In any case, we had no dessert because this meal was pretty filling. But I won't shy away from some oreos and milk later... I really couldn't stand the milk I tried in Costa Rica so I've been drinking quite a bit in the last couple of days. Gotta watch out for that, even if it's skim! Got some sugar in there.

Speaking of sugar, Josh and I walked around Steinway St. today before hanging out at the local Starbucks and doing work. It was fun, and not just because we did some shopping :p. I have missed the neighborhood so it was really nice to walk around and still hear people speaking Spanish everywhere I went. I got some reading done in Starbucks while I munched on an Outrageous Oatmeal cookie (ALSO something I've missed dearly!) and a decaf latte. On the way home we hit up Red Mango, a fro yo place that I hadn't tried until today. Pretty good! I got Madagascar vanilla and key lime swirl with fresh strawberries on top.

The day has been interesting, fun and most importantly, tasty!

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Recipe: http://southernfood.about.com/od/macaroniandcheeserecipes/r/r90212f.htm

Piña colada in Manuel Antonio

I'll add more later, but this was easily the best piña colada I've ever had!

Dulce marzo cafe in Monteverde, CR

Oatmeal raisin cookie (homemade) with an iced cinnamon latte. Stephanie, Rebecca and I stopped in here one day during our weekend trip and we were pleasantly surprised to find tasty baked goods and quesadillas, plus good coffee drinks! The owner is a lady from Texas (been meeting a lot of those lately). We sat and chatted with her for awhile. This was after...? Our morning of ziplining, which I can't believe I did!! Anyway, I also got a peanut butter cookie. They are so delicious when made right, and this one was perfect, with little sugar crystals on top. I went back on our way out of town and got another :)

This was my last excursion outside of the city, and it was my favorite.

Iced caramel mocha and Apple cinnamon cake

My last day in Manuel Antonio, CR. I went to this neat cafe called cafe milagro. Tasty! But touristy. It was a nice treat after walking in the HOT sun :)

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Manuel Antonio was the second vacation we took outside of San Jose. There's really not much to do in San Jose so we were gone pretty much every weekend, especially the two long weekends we had, in order to explore the parts of Costa Rica that people *really* go there to see. Manuel Antonio proved to be a beautiful, although extremely touristy, place to visit. During the time that it's not raining, the beaches are beautiful and the water is perfect for wave jumping! :D I didn't even encounter a jelly fish.

Rebecca and I arrived Friday morning and met Gina, Miranda, Alex and some other people from our program. Rebecca and I went to have some lunch, which involved the frosty pina colada I've posted about, and then ran into the ocean! It was great fun but the waves were pretty powerful which meant some violent crashes to the head. Once the waves started to defeat me, I got out. Don't wanna mess with the sea!

The next day we went into the Manuel Antonio national park, which has quite a few hiking trails that lead to beaches, for the most part. The first beach was extremely crowded, but the second beach ended up being perfect for a few people... and, as it turned out, non-people. I was visited by monkeys, giant iguanas and an anteater type creature. Not to mention all the hermit crabs!

By the end of that day I was really exhausted, so I stayed in and watched ghost stories (after catching a little bit of an episode of True Blood!) while the other ladies went out on the town. It was relaxing until Rebecca woke up at 3 AM afraid that there was a spider in our bed :-P. There probably was! Better safe than sorry. The next day we slept in a little, had a delicious breakfast at the hotel's restaurant and headed into Quepos to catch our bus. Just before it was time to leave I took a little journey to this cafe.

Unfortunately, the burger that followed afterward in the bus station was really disgusting, turning me off from burgers pretty much for my entire stay in CR (if I'm not mistaken, it was my second burger in a year... pretty disappointing!). I'm looking forward to redeeming my burger relationship perhaps by heading to Bare Burger with Josh / Ben or making some at home...! But right about now I'd like to go back to that cafe and get a nice cold coffee drink. Mmmm.

Chalupas ticas

These chalupas were made of toasted corn tortilla (the best kind), molé de frijoles, cheese, avocado and chicken. So delicious!! This, aside from the fish our mamá tica makes, is the favorite meal of both me and Rebecca. So far.

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Since I was making ALL of these posts from my phone, I didn't have the patience to write much! So I'm going back into my posts from CR and adding some information. This dish, although simple, was definitely my favorite. Our host mom ended up making them the very last night, which made it bittersweet for me and probably for Rebecca as well. I tell you what, these little chalupas are just so tasty. And so easy to make! As we gathered around the table for our last dinner in Costa Rica, our host mom gave us goodbye gifts. It was actually very sweet, because she knew I had been looking for a flag and although I had already bought a tiny one (the big ones were so expensive!), she got me a slightly bigger one. It was nice!

And that wasn't the last of our interactions dealing with gifts... because I left a very important gift for Josh at the house when I left for the airport! So now she is going to mail it :D

I can't say I'll miss my host family experience in general, but I will miss some of the meals and stories we shared with our host mom.

Chicken and mushroom crepe with chocolate frappe

Wayyy too much food and nowhere near as good as a broccoli cheddar and mushroom crepe at Paris in Boston (+ a frozen Nutella hot chocolate), but a nice break from the traditional rice and beans to be sure! Plus... there's a frozen yogurt place next door...

Cappuccino frozen en calle de amargura

Rebecca and I went searching for the university bookstore and ended up in this cafe. Delicious! And really cool art :)

This was one of the few cafes I went to during my stay in Costa Rica. The frozen drinks were on the whole very VERY good! This place was close to school in the Calle Amargura area. There are lots of shops and sodas - bars where you can get food for pretty cheap - but unfortunately this area can get kind of shady at night so I never really saw it after 5:00 pm. This was one of the many things Rebecca and I would end up doing to kill time before going back to our house in Sabanilla, because there is absolutely nothing to do there except go to the supermarket. Which we did! If I remember correctly, this was a pretty rainy day. In fact, most days were rainy days! We were there during the Green Season (cleverly put) or the it-rains-like-hell-every-day season. Apparently it's worse in October, but I can't imagine! In any case, this was a great little find.

Costa Rican sushi

Rebecca and I were needing some sushi so we went to this place right near the uni. It was delicious! Obento número 1 came with California roll, miso soup and green tea for like 3,000 colones! Mmm. We went with a guy from Texas, who told us about getting arrested for something to do with chili...

Plátanos with queso and cinnamon, sopa, arroz

Our mamá tica made this interesting dish with baked plantains, cinnamon and cheese. What a combination! She also made soup with lentils, carrots and pork. Dinner is usually really heavy, which is hard to get used to. Rebecca and I always gather at the table wondering qué diablos (kind of like WTH, what on earth) we are going to eat at each meal. It's always a surprise, and usually tasty! We talk with our tica mom about our day at school, about life in the states, and about food :) and of course, escrappy is always waiting in case something falls...

ARENAL!

This is my pack travel food: pb and j on wheat roll, pb and apple, apple slices grapes and cheerios. There's more in my backpack.

This food is for the arenal volcano!!! PURA VIDA.

First meal in Costa Rica!

My host mom made this for me, Rebecca (from Colorado) and Juan (my host brother). There is also Escrappy, the dog, whom I love dearly. It's going to be a fun month :D

Last Tasti d lite for a month!

On my last day in the city, Ben and I walked around Central Park for hours. It was a great deal of fun, including carousel ride, lots of neat sights and unfortunately lots and lots of sweating. It started with a visit to Tasti d lite at Columbus circle. It was the perfect cool down from the hot humidity.

Then we burned off all the calories on our walk and ended up at bare burger in astoria.

I'm waiting now in JFK with Gina, getting ready to fly to Costa Rica! I'll miss the city :'( but hopefully I'll find some food adventures there too.

Obligatory Waffle House waffle

In Mt. Juliet, TN where my nephew had a baseball tournament going on. Coincidentally, my parents' hotel was only ten minutes or so from the Nashville airport, so my surprise visit ended up fitting in their schedule (more or less). Aside from airport food, this was my last memorable meal in the south. I didn't even taint it with syrup! Can't get Waffle House where I'm headed!

I actually have lots of fond memories associated with this establishment (there are two within 10 minutes of my parents' house in Knoxville so it wasn't hard to end up at one). Not the healthiest by any means but can be just the right food given the appropriate circumstances. :)

I'm making this post from the Charlotte airport, waiting on a flight to Newark and back to nyc! Just sitting here, obsessing over my flight to Costa Rica which is coming up on Monday the 28th.

Josh is currently in other parts if NC for his dad's wedding, and I wish I could see him.

Unfortunately I've got no reason to post on any food I've had today. Grosss. But hopefully my last day in nyc will produce something interesting and tasty!

White wine penne with mushrooms and multigrain French bread

This was a delicious and easy dinner that I made with the help of my mom. I made a white wine béchamel that I found in a book of sauce recipes (title of book forthcoming). My mom prepared the mushrooms and the pasta. I will edit this post later with all the details (on my phone now). Just trying not to get behind!

Just a little news!

 NPR.org » 5 Surprising Salt Sources In Food 

Menchie's fro yo in Knoxville, TN

My addiction to Tasti d lite has been quelled by this place I found in Ktown. It's self-serve and by weight. They have lots of flavors, tons of toppings, and every machine does a swirl of its two flavors. So I tested out the pomegrante and country vanilla swirl. I added dark chocolate chips, strawberries, and a fat-free brownish cube. Mmmm.

Thus yogurt is especially special because I'm here in TN for my mom's birthday. I came up with the crazy idea to hitch a ride with josh on his way to the south and detour to TN so that we could make it in time to be home when she got home from dinner. I had pizza with my stepsisters while we waited for my parents to get home, then when they arrived I hid upstairs. I called the house as my mom walked in, asking her how dinner was while I creeped down the stairs. As she was talking to me on the phone, I walked around the corner into the kitchen area, only for her to be messing with the phone in her hand and not notice me at all. I then asked her to look around Becky and she complied, although confused, and the look on her face was priceless. She said, "I have to hang up the phone now," and then it was laughing and chaos and birthday cake fun.

I owe a lot to Josh for making the surprise possible. It was a lot of driving and very little sleep, but worth it! I'll be taking her to Menchie's soon.

Menchie's fro yo in Knoxville, TN

My addiction to Tasti d lite has been quelled by this place I found in Ktown. It's self-serve and by weight. They have lots of flavors, tons of toppings, and every machine does a swirl of its two flavors. So I tested out the pomegrante and country vanilla swirl. I added dark chocolate chips, strawberries, and a fat-free brownish cube. Mmmm.

Thus yogurt is especially special because I'm here in TN for my mom's birthday. I came up with the crazy idea to hitch a ride with josh on his way to the south and detour to TN so that we could make it in time to be home when she got home from dinner. I had pizza with my stepsisters while we waited for my parents to get home, then when they arrived I hid upstairs. I called the house as my mom walked in, asking her how dinner was while I creeped down the stairs. As she was talking to me on the phone, I walked around the corner into the kitchen area, only for her to be messing with the phone in her hand and not notice me at all. I then asked her to look around Becky and she complied, although confused, and the look on her face was priceless. She said, "I have to hang up the phone now," and then it was laughing and chaos and birthday cake fun.

I owe a lot to Josh for making the surprise possible. It was a lot of driving and very little sleep, but worth it! I'll be taking her to Menchie's soon.

Chicken pita with snap peas and hummus

This is a delicious little item I made out of my leftover chicken and snap peas. I cut a pita in half, then stuffed it with grilled chicken and snap peas. Next, I smothered it (as best I could) with hummus and put the two halves in the microwave for about 30 seconds. When they were done heating, I sprinkled some shredded cheese over the top and stuffed it into some of the crevices. This was actually Josh's lunch, which he enjoyed - unless he's totally been putting me on. I tried a bite too, and I liked it! :) One of our last days in Astoria for quite awhile!

Midnight snack: strawberry banana Nutella smoothie

Frozen strawberries, one banana, and a tablespoon of Nutella. Plus a little more on top! Would be great with some cool whip on a summer day.

Lettuce piles and toasted multi grain bread with cheddar

Tonight, I ran to the supermarket and grabbed some quick ingredients that I thought would be good for lettuce wraps. Fully intent upon making wraps, I ended up with lettuce piles, but they proved to be just as scrumptious and surely just as healthy :) I skillet-boiled (what is the term for this?) two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into pieces. While skillet-boiling the chicken, I chopped and boiled two red potatoes. When the chicken was done, I added a couple of handfuls of snap peas, Italian dressing, and the boiled potatoes. I then simmered all of these ingredients together for approximately ten minutes, and the mixture came out well.

While preparing the ingredients for the would-be pile, I washed and dried some leaves of romaine lettuce and laid them on our plates. I also sliced up a multi grain baguette (5-6 slices), topped it with olive oil and cheddar, and threw them in the oven at 400 degrees for ten minutes or so (I really should get better at keeping track of how long I do these things... but I really just don't think about the time while I'm cooking unless I'm baking something - otherwise my intuition usually takes me in the right direction).

When all was done, I arranged the pile of Italian chicken, potatoes and snap peas on the beds of lettuce, added a few slices of cheesy multi grain toast, and set it all out on the table. Not too fancy, I'm afraid. But so good! And easy. I had plenty of leftovers - the other 3 chicken breasts (which I skillet-boiled and put away) I can use for nachos or for stuffing pita bread; same goes for the lettuce, and pretty much the same goes for the snap peas (except the nachos). Great!

Josh and I enjoyed this meal as one of our last together for about a month. He'll be leaving to go to the south soon and I'll be leaving for Costa Rica while he's gone, so we're really getting in a lot of time together, which includes delicious food! :) He enjoyed the food, as did I.

I then talked to my dad on the phone who mentioned Blue Bell ice cream (and Rocky Road flavor, at that. My favorite favorite favorite). I can't wait to go to Texas at the end of the summer, and that's just one reason.

Beef sliders and fries at Bare Burger

Tonight Josh took me on a little surprise date-night-kind of thing which included eating at a neat little restaurant called Bare Burger (http://bareburger.com/) followed by a stop at Cafe to Go on the way home. BareBurger was a really interesting place as far as the environment goes. I enjoyed the rustic-looking decor and thought it set an appropriate mood for enjoying the food they brought out to us, which was - I have to say - pretty great. I ordered beef sliders with french fries. The fries were amazing - if any of you have eaten at American Craft (previously known as Road House) in Boston or LuLu in Charlotte - they were so flavorful and really didn't need any sauce. However, they came with sauce and it was also a delight for the taste buds. Josh got a bison burger, which I tasted. I have to say, it tasted very good and if you've never tried bison (and if you eat meat), go for it. At a good restaurant! I included a couple photos so that you can see how it looked inside: exposed brick walls, glass bottle for serving the tap water, and the chandelier made of - yes, that's right - spoons. I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures; all of these photos are taken with my phone's camera. But you get the idea! I'd recommend it!

The cafe we stopped at on the way home was neat - local, new, lots of sweet treats and good coffee drinks. I got a chocolate croissant with a decaf latte. I might throw it in a post so you can see how delicious it looked, but I'm still not sure. I mean, if I'm to really continue blogging about my food experiences, you'll have to see a LOT of coffee and a LOT of pastries. Just look at my profile picture! Proof. THAT was in Portland, OR at Powell's City of Books. Another post entirely! All in all the night was fun. Walking around in Astoria (down by Steinway St) can be fun, and tonight it was very peaceful because we took the less crowded routes. Josh was feeling a little bit of a cold, unfortunately, but still took me to these neat places! Thanks to him :)

Egg and cheese croissant at Carnegie Deli

So as you may have noticed, I am a sucker for egg and cheese sandwiches, especially croissants! Josh and I went to this place a few weeks ago while awaiting the arrival of a friend, and I literally ordered the smallest thing I could, which was still enormous!! But it was fantastic. I couldn't finish it, but man I enjoyed what I could eat.

Don't eat at this place unless you have money falling out of your pockets - we regretted it when we got the bill. But like I said, very tasty!

Coffee and Tea fighting heart disease? I'll take it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10350373.stm

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Peach and Strawberry Cobbler

Tonight I made two recipes that I found - one on my Android phone and one just searching online - for a grand total of two very pleasing dishes. My audience was myself, Josh and Ben and all were pleased. Especially me :) I added vanilla frozen yogurt to the warmed cobbler in order to create the hot-and-cold mixture that so many people enjoy. I actually prefer mine cold... but don't tell anybody. Especially in the south.

I used Arnold's whole wheat kaiser rolls instead of buns and fresh green beans on the side of the BBQ chicken. It was my first attempt at making anything that involved "pulling" and I must say it came out nicely! Instead of boiling the chicken as the recipe calls for, I kiiind of boiled it in a skillet. Very little water. It turned out great!

It was a pleasant start to an evening that could have been better spent - the three of us went to see The Karate Kid, which was truly terrible. The kid was adorable, but his acting was not. Spare yourself. But! This is a food blog, so. Back to the food - Ben was kind enough to bring over some very fancy and tasty apple juice, which was a nice complement to the dinner itself. Anyone interested in the recipes will find them below; I made a few tweaks to mine so feel free to take them and run! Get creative; it's almost always more fun AND tastier that way.

Enjoy :D

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Recipe for pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=59333&src=droid

Recipe for cobbler (originally just peach): http://southernfood.about.com/od/peachcobblers/r/r70913a.htm?r=et

Info on Pret a Manger, the brand of apple juice we enjoyed: http://www.pret.com/

Home made granola

This wasn't fancy by any means but it was *very* delicious and filling. Makes the perfect snack! I can't wait to make this again because I didn't have all the proper materials on the first try. Here's what I used: raw oats, apple slices, crushed pecans, banana slices and peanut butter. I mixed it all together in a bowl, then sprinkled a little water and spread it over over the pan. I think all in all I had it in the oven for 20 minutes or so, but that's probably just because I put water in the mix.

Next time I'll be using honey and cinnamon instead of peanut butter! :)

This recipe was inspired by my friend Thomas, who brought his own granola to school one day. This lasted me a few days. I would suggest it to anyone who loves granola and likes to get creative with snack food!
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Oats: Bob's Red Mill 5 grain, http://www.bobsredmill.com/

Red velvet cupcake!

Exploring the city with Josh and his friend Eugene, we came across this cupcake shop. I can't remember the name unfortunately, but will look it up later!

Red velvet cake is a pretty difficult piece of culinary mischief because it can easily turn out dry. This was an example of defiantly dry red velvet :( However, it was a really fun evening and I should mention that we also had Tasti d lite. I think I'm an addict.

Supertasters! I think I'm one.

So this isn't a post about my food necessarily but it explains my obsession with it :)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127880219&sc=fb&cc=fp

French dip and swiss at Tastee Corner

Tonight after a long evening of going stir crazy and singing too much and too loudly for anyone's good, Ben and I convinced Josh to take us to calm our hunger needs. Funnily enough, I was flaunting my blue moon bbq chicken stirfry and it made us even more hungry than we already were, leading to a serious diner attack.

Like I've said, the diners here just don't compare to Brighton Cafe, but this French dip and swiss made my night. Tastee Corner is just a few minutes' walk from Josh's apartment and they have my kind of service (don't bother you and let you hang around until you ask for the check). I could only eat half of this beasty sandwich, so I'll be enjoying a beefy, jus-y and cheesy lunch tomorrow. Fries weren't bad either :p