Coming backAs I sit here at my laptop, I think ... "How am I going to do this?" Where do I start? What am I going to talk about? HOW am I going to even begin writing about the journey that I have been on?
Countless times have I started typing and set aside a few words, a paragraph or two, or even a whole page. Though, I never did post. I didn't think I was ready. Thoughts, feelings, insights, etc... entries in my email or journal, in personal texts, on scraps of paper, or swimming in my mind. And I am finally deciding to bring it all together. To share my burdens, my joys, my strengths and weaknesses, my insights, ... my life; this blog is no longer just about food. And if there's an ear out there, I am blessed. And perhaps I can bring truth to your world, as God has brought it to mine. Truth. About our purpose here. Truth. About my struggles. Truth. About my joys. Truth. About health. Truth. About our world. There are so many lies we were born or taught into believing and their manifestations are far beyond UgLy. But when we learn the Truth, we can make the changes we need to be better for our Lord and Savior. The changes that perfect us and make us new. I am becoming new. It is no easy journey and I am certainly not through, but I will no longer let the waiting period dictate the postponement of sharing my story. And so let it begin. This is my story... |
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight." |
Ohiyo! (Which according to the Iroquois means 'it is beautiful'). My visit to Ohio was beautiful. In the people I met, places I saw, and general experiences that I had. My first night in, I was welcomed by Joe's parents, sister, aunts, uncle, and family friend (who was basically an aunt), in addition to four dogs (minnie, mickey, and murphy were Joe's/his family's). Since it was father's day, they had a father's day bbq with hummus, and avocado salsa dip, cheese and meats, chips, farfalle pasta with tomatoes, black olives, and peppers, salad with craisins, feta cheese, and walnuts, hamburgers and hotdogs ( note - Joe grilled two hamburgers with gorgonzola cheese cooked inside. I was amazed and proud :]), corn on the cob (another point - Joe pulled the husk down the corn, buttered, salted and peppered the corn, pulled the husk back up and grilled it as was. He's learning! :D Oh and it was delicious), a few other dishes, wine and beer, and then homemade vanilla ice-cream with strawberries on top. We sat outside on their back deck enjoying the sun and company. It was a great start to my Ohio vacation. The next day I woke up and got dressed for a nice northern - NOT FLORIDA - run. I say this because of how hot and humid it gets down here making running a bit of a difficult task. After lunch, Joe, his parents, and I went to the Toledo Zoo, which happens to be one of the top US zoos according to Joe's family. Our timing was perfect allowing us to see every open exhibit (the aquarium was sadly under construction) from cheetahs to turtles to ADORABLE meerkats (I think I claim these as one of my favorite animals) and more. Toward the end of our visit, we had waffle cones with ice-cream to cool us off a bit. Julie (Joe's mom), Joe, and I had their Toledo ice-cream (some variation on caramel ice-cream) and Dan (Joe's dad) had chocolate. Once the zoo closed, we were off to meet up with Joe's sister Jaime for dinner. Now I couldn't tell you the place that we went because, quite frankly, I don't remember. But I can tell you that it was good! We started off with pretzels and cheese and drinks including soda, lemon water, beer, and wine. We each got our own dishes, but since I was feeling a bit full from the ice-cream, I decided to get their mussels appetizer (which really could have been a meal!) Julie and Jaime had ordered a chicken bruschetta salad and so Julie and I decided to share. In the end, I would have gotten the salad because of the acidity of the tomatoes and the bite from the cheese in addition to the very garlicky, buttery bread. Post dinner the girls went shopping and the guys went back home to watch soccer. Tuesday Joe and I went to the local tennis club (lots of tennis courts (inside, outside, and a few outside clay courts, tennis shop, and more). Joe grew up playing tennis with his family and getting lessons all throughout life so he can play really well. I played in HS for 3 years with 3 summers worth of tennis camp so although I can't beat him, I can still play pretty well. And we did play. On the outside clay court with our new shoes and Joe with his new racquet! It was fun and I'd really like to go back. That evening, Joe and I headed out to Detroit, Michigan to watch a Tiger's game. Arriving early, we each got a free tigers hat ('fisherman hat style')! Sadly, the Tigers didn't win, but we still had an enjoyable time. And eating in the stadium, I was surprised by the vegetable pita that I ordered: onions, lettuce, black olives, beets, and feta cheese on a pita with a side of yogurt sauce. It was healthy and fairly delicious (and only about $5!). You can't beat that. On our way home we stopped at a Tim Horton's (Canada's version of Starbucks supposedly) and shared a decaf coffee for the ride home. I'm not sure about Joe, but I was one sleeepy Nicole. The next day we worked out in the morning, took all three dogs for a walk, and went out to the grocery store to purchase a few things for dinner. A bit after lunch, we went out to Plate 21 (http://www.plate21.com/) for a coffee date! Now this is key to a good town: a good, non-chain, coffee shop. Their food looked fresh and healthy, but since we just ate we only ordered lattes. Their con miel lattes to be precise, which are a honey and cinnamon latte aka one of the darned best lattes I've ever had! Our coffee date was simple, giving time to ourselves for reading and relaxing while enjoying each other's presence. This, too, I miss about WA, DC and now Toledo. What exactly you may ask? A good coffee shoppe<3. Upon returning home (and nearly missing the wicked thunderstorm that was following closely behind us), we started to set up for dinner by setting the table and cleaning the living room/dining room/kitchen area before his parents got home. There is nothing like being taken care of after so many years of taking care of others. Y'all should try it! Make someone's day! ... When Julie and Dan got home, we all started cooking. Julie prepped the salmon (mayo with dill), Joe grilled it, I set up the pasta (with help from Julie) which contained feta cheese, tomatoes, freshly sauteed garlic, artichoke hearts, lemon, EVOO, garlic, and their ohio-special vinaigrette. To add to the night of surprises, Joe and I came out with a mocha chocolate pie for dessert! It was more of a pudding since it did not set correctly, but it still tasting amazing if I do say so myself. This was my recipe of the week: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cafe-Mocha-Pie-368629. After hanging out a bit more and watching Harry Potter 7b, I called it a night. My last day in Ohio was spent out to lunch with Joe, Julie, and Julie's best friend Tilly at Spicy Tuna (http://www.spicytunasushi.com/), visiting Old Oak Park, walking around the local apple orchard's shoppe (filled with produce, jarred goods, baked pies, a Christmas shoppe, etc), and packing . This was another great thing about Joe's house: an apple orchard only a few miles away! Once the late afternoon came around, we were dropped off at the airport and headed back to our homes in Orlando. Since my arrival in Orlando, life has been crazy as usual. Not too much worth mentioning except a few stories and statements. For those back at home, I will officially be coming back for a week in October (17-24)! I know that it is still months away, but time passes by fast. Also, I am soon to be in between two apartments, but hopefully will be moved into my new apartment quickly. Well, I've given you some facts. Now how about a story? It should be of no surprise to you that this involves food. Yesterday Joe and I met up to play tennis before lunch - and it's a good thing we did because we worked off our lunch before consuming it! There is this BBQ place called 4 Rivers (http://4rsmokehouse.com/menu/) that has several reviews and a lot of people talking about it. So we decided to check it out (though this was Joe's second time). It was an 'order, pick-up, and sit down) type of place with a long line! This was promising. Before placing your order, you are situated in front of one of the employees cutting up their blacked, slow-cooked, signature Angus brisket. And we were given a sample! It was extremely tender and juicy with just a bite of char and salt to pull it all together. We were hooked. "One Angus brisket sandwich please!!" ... The other sandwich we ordered was their sweet pulled pork. Both were delicious, but the brisket was a bit superior in flavor and texture and overall succulence. We were given two sides per sandwich to order and so how does this food-eating experience occur? Split everything! And it was all delicious, but you could TASTE the butter in everything so much that we couldn't even finish the rest of the cornbread and sweet potato puree! For later, Joe ordered a grasshopper (chocolate and mint) cupcake. After lunch, we went to the local grocery and meat/seafood/cheese shops to go grocery shopping. And I picked up pollock (a white fish) as my ingredient of the week. I was inclined to pick up squid or pig's feet, but I think I need to do a bit of research and see what I might be able to pull off with such anomalies of ingredients.
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A picture is worth a thousand words and oftentimes those words are spoken through me and posted up here in this blog. Though, pictures lately have been few as life has been a busy one – or the food just hasn’t been that interesting? Although busy, life here has been rather uneventful. But does one’s life have to always be ‘eventful’? I guess I’m just speaking in the context of Disney and Florida in general. The summer weather down here has been setting in. So every day around mid-afternoon, a dark and deadly sky approaches, it cackles and rumbles, and spews loads of liquid out from its mouth. I’m speaking, of course, of thunderstorms. Now, I love thunderstorms, but every day is a bit overkill. Oh and the reason there’s a thunderstorm every day is because of the difference in air pressure, or the temperature. So summer in Florida? Hot, humid, and wet. But we get an occasional tolerable day too. Though – and yes you can quote me on this – I will certainly not be living in Florida for the rest of my life. The heat can be wonderful, but I do enjoy myself a hot cup of chai tea in the middle of the coldest, snowiest winter, cuddled in front of a wooded fire. Though I don’t think I will get even close to that until winter of 2015. In other news, in the usual humdrum of my weeks, I have made some rather delightful dishes. But before I proceed to that, I forgot to mention two things from my previous blog post. First of all, I’ve been trying to stick to a mostly no-microwave diet. The microwave just kills so many nutrients and I’ve even noticed that it alters the flavor of dishes and drinks. So when I make oatmeal, it’s on the stove. If I heat up my mashed potatoes at work, I use our stove (yes we have a full kitchen there!), if I want to heat up my leftover eggplant parm, I’ll bake it in the oven. Another thing: the berry muffins I made last week. I thought that they turned out alright, but could have had some more sugar added and maybe a bit of butter. Butter does make batter better! Just ask Julia Child (butter, Butter, BUTTER!). The funny thing is – and I cannot yet understand this – when I make certain things and find them to be okay, people still tell me that they taste really good. Maybe I just sell the outcomes of my recipes short and so lower people’s expectations? Well at least I’m honest. So onto the recipes! Publix (FL’s common grocery store chain) was having a B1G1 free sale on their pizza dough and since I was in desperate need of homemade pizza (after a rather miserable day), I bought it! All I had to do was stretch out the dough, lay it on a EVOO sprayed cooking sheet, sprinkle some garlic and onion powder and herbs on top, and then bake it at 425 until golden. It is not until NOW that you put the sauce, cheese, and toppings on. In this case, I put fresh tomatoes and spinach on top with some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Remember that the type of sauce, freshness of cheese, and quality of produce (or meat) as well as texture of the pizza together decide exactly how good your pizza will turn out. Oh and once all of the toppings are on, you bake the pizza for another 10-15 minutes at 425. Then get ready to burn the top of your mouth, because it’s just too good and juicy and crunchy not to dig in post cutting of the pizza. (I would know! I’m suffering from it.) Another great recipe that I’ve always made is Paula Dean’s crunch top apple pie, Nicole-style. Her recipe () calls for butter in the filling but I omit that completely. Also, I use flour or I don’t – it just depends if I have it or not. And I don’t always make the crunch top (again, no flour? No crunchy topping). And I cheat and buy the refrigerated, rolled up pie crust. One half is laid directly into the pan, the filling goes in, and then the top portion is placed to one’s desire. For instance, I am a big proponent of using the lattice style top where you cut lines out of the pie crust and weave them in and out of each other right on top. Then you trim away all excess from the sides and crimp the top and bottom together with a fork or your fingers. If you have time, use some of that excess dough to make shapes or words. If Christmas, add candy canes. Easter? Eggs and if you’re really the artist, rabbits! The end result was delicious. Oh and it is almost without question that it be served a la mode! …So my comment about uneventful is soon to be rebutted as I am currently thousands of miles above ground flying to Ohio for a few days. I cannot promise you a thing as I am not even sure what I am going to do while I’m there. But I can promise that I will find good food (for it always finds me), good friends, a good family, and a good time. And I will post about it. It’s up to you if you would like to hear about it. Well … 20 minutes and I shall be there. Seat belt light just went on… you know what that means! Until next time! Hey folks. I hope you've all been passing the time as well as it permits to pass. Life has been a bit busy here between work and deadlines for projects and papers both related and not related to work. I am mostly done and so move onto the next project: hunting for a second job. But to celebrate the completion of my projects and papers and internship, I have planned to make raspberry, blueberry, wheat muffins: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/insanely-good-blueberry-oatmeal-muffins.html ... I used this recipe except added two eggs rather than just egg whites, switched out the vanilla extract for almond extract, added the juice from half of a lemon, used skim milk instead of almond milk, and added some white flour to make the batter a bit more dense than the liquidy emulsion I was getting. Also, the blueberries and raspberries will add moisture to the batter while cooking. Oh. Also I used old fashioned oats since that's what I have on hand and am allowing the batter to sit in the fridge for a day for the oats to soften up. I'm experimenting and will let you know the turn-out. As per usual, I've posted pictures below displaying food that I've enjoyed over the past few weeks as well as the people with which and the places in which I've enjoyed them. Some of the recipes are attached to the pictures while others are listed here, all for your enjoyment and perhaps recreation. I mean, a food blog is purposed for offering entertainment to interested readers, but also for inspiring readers to cook themselves even if it's as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich. And so begins our trip through my recent culinary experiences. A few weeks ago, Joe and I decided that we wanted to get away from all things Disney and experience other restaurants. So where did we go you ask? Yellow Dog Eats. It's this great mini restaurant decked out with dog pictures and hand written messages or names or words all over the walls. There is seating downstairs, upstairs, and outside. There is also a small, cute bar to eat and drink at. They've got some wacky chairs and signs all throughout their restaurant, though I really would call it a cafe. The atmosphere and menu just FEELS like a cafe restaurant. Also, you order and take your food to a table; there's no table service. Although considered a BBQesque place - since they're well known for their BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and homemade BBQ sauces - Yellow Dog Eats (http://yellowdogeats.com/) offers other very delectable dishes. Just look at their menu on the website! Specifically Joe and I ordered: 1. The Rufus: tender pulled pork topped with thick cut Brie cheese, cherry pepper rings, drizzled with our famous raspberry melba and topped with Fish’s Gold BBQ sauce .... loaded with shoestring potatoes, crispy fried onions, and pecan smoked bacon 2. Black Lab’s Lunch: Homemade hummus, feta cheese, watercress, carrots, Portobello mushroom, smoked asparagus, scallions, strawberries, caramelized onions, cucumber, vine ripened tomato, sunflower sprouts, and feta vinaigrette in a spinach wrap with chicken (need that protein!) The food was DELICIOUS. I especially loved my black lab's wrap. But really both dishes offered so much complexity in their flavors that both were equally just as fabulous. Sometime later that week, I decided that the lamb steaks sitting in my freezer were due to be used. And so I decided to make lamb ragu lasagna as my recipe of the week! I took two lamb steaks, through them in the crockpot with a large can of crushed tomatoes, 1/4 - 1/2 cup of burgundy cooking wine, herbes de provence, a bit of that meqsquite powder, salt, pepper, onions, garlic, EVOO, and onion and garlic powder. I also added a spice mix that contained onion and garlic as well as chili powder and a few Indian-esque flavors. After cooking this for a day (overnight), I pulled the lamb apart, mixed my lamb ragu sauce, and adjusted the taste as needed. I then mixed ricotta, goat, and parm cheese with one egg, salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg together. Finally, I sliced some eggplant and yellow squash super thin and cooked my lasagna pasta. All that was left was to assemble: sauce, pasta, cheese, veggies, sauce, etc. (or however you prefer) and then cook it covered, at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour. During the last 10 minutes, uncover it and allow the top to become a bit dark. The tips of the pasta will also harden to a crispy, crunchy almost uncooked condition. But they're fun to tear off and eat. My recipe this week was a tilapia, rice, and veggie dish. First, you boil brown rice with water and some juice from a small can of stewed tomatoes. While that's cooking, you sautee minced ginger and garlic with chopped onion and green onion and EVOO. Then you add some honey, soy sauce (low sodium!), and onion and garlic powder. In another pan, cook some mushrooms and once those are done, add the stewed tomatoes, then add this mixture in with the garlic and ginger medley. Finally, get a oven-friendly container and put the rice on the bottom, fish in the middle, and veggie and spice mixture on top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and get ready for some scrumptious, satisfying seafood. Another few recipes I made include a pasta dish with: Pasta(surprised?), ground turkey, summer squash, baby bella mushrooms, chili powder, mesquite powder mix (smoky flavor), beef bouillon, garlic and onion powder, water from pasta, trader joe's coastal cab sauv wine, EVOO, salt and pepper. All you really have to do is sautee the ground meat alone. Sautee the vegetables in EVOO, add spices and liquids, add meat. Add cooked pasta and serve. And remember that recipes are simply guidelines; you keep what you like and change what you don't. For lunch one day, I decided to make a simple, very Italian panini (because of its simplicity). Basic, soft multi-grain bread toasted (here's where small conventional ovens come in handy rather than the large-scale oven where you toast your bread via broil), Trader Joe's tuscan, syrah cheese melted on top of both slices, and roasted red peppers sprinkled with balsamic right in between. The options of making a grilled cheese are endless from type of bread, varieties of cheese, additions of spices, herbs, and/or veggies, added sauces or spreads, how you cook it, etc. See? Cooking is tooo fun. Especially when you get to enjoy the end result. Another recipe that I have been making is one of coconut and cream, except the title is a bit of a misnomer. One of the breakfast oatmeal dishes I made was by combining freshly minced coconut, 1% milk, 1 Tbsp lowfat cream cheese, raisins, salt, maple syrup, oatmeal, walnuts, and cinnamon (not necessary, but good for regulating your blood sugar levels so that the food will sustain you longer). Similarly, I made another oatmeal breakfast, but you switch out the cow's milk for vanilla almond milk and the raisins for apples. Take out the cinnamon and you get an apple coconut, nutty maple cream breakfast. In the midst of all of my regular baking and cooking I've been working and just hanging out with friends. Though this past Tuesday I had a going away party for one of the ANC interns out by the tiki bar near the pool here. We potlucked it where we had white wine with cheese and crackers for our app, red wine with mac n' cheese, macaroni salad, sauteed onions, squash, and potato, green beans, and our own protein (I brought chicken for grilling for myself). For dessert, we had a sweet red wine with monster cookies and homemade brownies "a la mode a la vanilla frozen yogurt." All of the wines were from the local winery, purchased a few weeks ago. I personally brought the brownie and ice-cream. And the brownie wasn't even that unhealthy! In fact you could make it yourself if you're feeling so inclined: http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/super-fudgy-brownies/. The party was good. Relaxing, full of conversation, and then some 'hot tubbing' by means of sticking our legs in the hot tub and talking. There were 7 of us. Girls only. And it was fabulous. Earlier in the week, Joe took me out to the Teak Neighborhood Grill (http://www.teakorlando.com/#!menu/c21ei) for dinner. Starting out, we both ordered drinks (him a banana bread and chocolate beer which I actually found somewhat tolerable if I were to drink beer and myself a black cherry cider which was delicious - a great balancing of flavors with a crisp character). We did our typical (and always the best) order two and split. If you're THAT curious, you must look at the pictures below for there are two that describe exactly what we ordered. I've no idea what lies ahead, except for an apple pie sometime in the near future. If only it were September and I was up north ... then I'd be picking apples like Johnny Appleseed and baking pies like Snow White or Marie Calendar. Well, until the next time we meet. :) |
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February 2017
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight."
From Pennsylvania to France to Washington DC to Florida, I've had myself many an adventure. Now it's time to indulge in the life of a Floridian. With great food, great friends, and great experiences, I offer you stories and pictures to take you away, into my world at Disney. Categories |