Pooka's Cafeteria

It's been TOO long...

2010-12-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

Wow last time I posted something was back during Summer Vacation...now it's Winter Break and I'm into my second Trimester of school. I made Dean's List 1st Trimester & I'm very proud of myself. Labs were not easy but I put in a ton of effort & I finally made Dean's List =] I had Classical French Cuisine, Advanced Dining Room Procedures, International Cuisine, Advanced Baking & Pastry, & Garde Manger! I had the best of the best Chefs! Chef O'Palenick trains the American Culinary Olympic team and got 1st place in the Interntional Ice Carving Competition. Chef Pal has done creative work with top name Chefs such as Emeril Lagasse. Chef Aukstolis was...wow. He changed the way I view certain things & he was the first Johnson & Wales student to work in New York City; he's opened so many doors for us.

I don't know why I haven't been blogging I feel like I'm at a stand still sometimes and I just forget about everything...I don't know I'm going to try to make it a habit to blog every Sunday ♥

갈비 스라이더스 (Kalbi Sliders)

2010-08-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

So ever since Fatty Crab I've been realizing that creativity is key in being a chef. One thing is taking a traditional recipe or a classic and making a spin-off of it in some sort of way...for months now I've wanted to re-amp one of my favorite bar foods: Sliders. So it hit me on the LIRR one day back from work...oh my god...Kalbi Sliders!! But since June all I've been doing was thinking about it, and never really tried making it. Last weekend I went over to Jersey to spend time with my family and I bought the idea up to my Como & she was all for it and it made me want to make it...ASAP!

So FINALLY, after having this delicious thought & only keeping it a thought, I made Kalbi Sliders!!! This is still a 'prototype' because I really want Boston Lettuce or Red Leaf Lettuce instead of baby Arugula...unfortunately that's all I had today so :/ but it still tasted WONDEROUS! The pictures below were takin with my Digital Camera and the 8mgpx Camera on my Droid X

Pizza!!

2010-08-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I stayed over with Como & Uncle Bill...they have a Pizza Stone...& a working oven...& had a hungry nephew over...♥ We made pizza!!!! It was delicious, we were experimenting different cooking times and techniques, and I think we've pretty much got home made pizza in the bag! We bought pizza dough from whole foods and marinara sauce as well, but at home we fortified it with some garlic; we also got some local mozzarella, and a beautiful bouquet of basil that we chiffonade!!

Ignorance In The Kitchen

2010-08-08T08:27:00.001-07:00

Ok one of the biggest things that bothers me is when a restaurant doesn't clearly present their food/creation. One of the things I see a lot are people striving to be "exotic" and out of the box but completely FAIL.

Example: "Grilled chicken and peanut fried rice with a sweet and spicy asian sauce"

Complaint: What the HELL is "Asian Sauce"? Care to explain? That's like if I said "Today we have grilled chicken with your choice of Caucasian, African American, or Spanish Sauce" Does that make ANY sense? Your best bet would have been to just stick with Sweet & Spicy Sauce...adding the 'Asian' doesn't make the dish look any better, it actually makes the chef look ignorant. It's just TOO general for a menu that's my point.

On top of that, make sure you future chefs spell correctly: Sauté not 'sate'

oh my god.

Red Mango ♥

2010-08-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

Aside from Mister Softee, if you know me, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Red Mango. Ever since Red Mango came out in Korea in 2002 it's something I'm addicted to. When I moved back to New York one of the things I missed the most was Red Mango...BLAOW low and behold Red Mango came to Amurrica and all over NY!!! So yeah my two favorite treats are Red Mango & Mister Softee cones.

Best thing about Red Mango is it's such a clean taste, everything seems very crisp, clean, fresh, vibrant, etc. You order the Froyo of your choice & size, then choose your toppings, then dig in!!! I usually get Strawberry & Mochi, then there are days I get Strawberry, Kiwi, & Blueberries.

GET SOME! ♥

Mister Softee & City Island

2010-08-07T06:34:00.001-07:00

Damn yesterday was certainly an adventure! My friend Karla & I decided to take a trip out to City Island and drown ourselves in seafood...honestly by the time I was done eating I couldn't breathe. So we head in to NYC & I was craving something sweet and something cold, and to me Ice Cream was exactly what I needed.

Okay so if you're from NYC you know almost every corner in the summer has a Mister Softee truck right? You hear that nostalgic song and your ears perk up, you look for the truck, and it's like damn...walk past or get something? GET SOMETHING! Okay but did you know there are some freakin special trucks out there? Like legit special, with Ice Cream men/women who are so creative and have such a keen sense of flavor and fun, they create their own toppings and take soft ice cream to a whole nother level.

Yesterday was my day.

I found the rumored Mister Softee truck that sells the most decadent toppings around. I've been following this Ice Cream Man on Twitter & he told me where he usually stands and I was fortunate enough to visit him. Oh. My. God. I can't even describe how wonderful it felt eating my cone. It was my first Mister Softee cone this summer...shame. I felt like a baby & was looking for my mom's hand so I can hold onto it while we walk around the city just like when I was a kid; this cone was AMAZING. What did I get? A slice of heaven...hahaha no actually I initially ordered the Butterscotch topping but he didn't have anymore (I will get some before the summer ends...!) so I got the Toasted Coconut Macaroon Cone. It. Was. WONDEROUS. ♥ Honestly all I keep doing is ranting about how this cone was amazing so I'll just wrap it up by saying he's gonna get more visits from me this summer...!!!

Off to the Bronx...BX!!!

6 train to Pelham Bay Park --> BX29 bus to City Island --> Get off at the last stop in front of Sammy's Fish Box.

Sammy's Fish Box...more like a treasure chest.

Holy crap. By the time Karla & I were done eating at Sammy's Fish Box we were so full we couldn't breathe right, we had trouble walking, and we were definitely high on food. I'm just gonna tell you what we ordered and let the pictures do the talking cause...it's too much...really is: Fried Clam Strips, Shrimp Parmesan, Shellfish Extravaganza (Whole baked lobster, 4 jumbo shrimps, 7 scallops, filet of sole, 3 baked clams, and a king crab leg), it all came with french fries, pasta, assorted pickles, garlic bread, & rice...

Grilled Chicken!

2010-07-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

I was totally craving grilled chicken and usually I brine the chicken meat before I grill it. Today I didn't have time so I took a different approach. I seared both sides on high heat for about 3 minutes each, then I lowered the heat and covered it and faux steamed it for about 5-6 more minutes. I turned off the flame and I let it sit for about another minute but not before I sprinkled some feta on top of it and covered it back up in hopes of the feta softening. LAWD the chicken was GOOD!!! ♥ So tonight's dinner was Grilled Chicken with crumbled feta on a bed of Spinach & Garlic Saute, served with whole wheat fusilli, and spicy roasted cherry tomatoes & corn. =]

Mondays are officially Brittnee's & My Food Adventure Day

2010-06-23T08:15:00.001-07:00

Mondays???? The best day ever, one because I get to see Brittne and two because we're going on our food adventures ♥ WHOOP WHOOP!!!! The other day we went to A Salt & Battery just to start things off and did a little shopping. Got myself a nice Knife Roll by Yak Pak and Brittnee got now has a Lime Green Marc Jacobs Duffle =]

Father's Day Dinner 2010

2010-06-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Rib-Eye Steak served with Au Jus. Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, White Wine Steamed Haricot Vert, & Sweet Buttered Corn ♥ Happy Father's Day. I love you Grandpa & Dad!!!

Como's house!!!

2010-06-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

A week ago my family and I went to my Aunt & Uncle's house for dinner and of course they prepared an amazing meal!!!! ♥ There was a butterflied chicken and all the giblets on the grill, guacamole, salsa, salmon, just a bunch of good stuff!!!

Ahh second day off!!

2010-06-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

So I started at Fatty Crab on Sunday May 31st 2010!! I had yesterday and today off, but I go back to work tomorrow, thank god! I really enjoy working at Fatty Crab. It's extremely fast paced, it's fun, a lot of hard work, but it's definitely where I want to be. I love working with everyone there, I'm sure they get a little annoyed that I'm a rookie but I do try my hardest.

So talking with my friend Karla today, I just realized I forgot to finish two of the things on the To Do list that one of the chefs had given me...uh oh. I'm going to try and go in early tomorrow and see if I can do anything to help or prep because I feel extremely terrible!!! AHHH!!!! Bad Mise En Place!!!

Anywho working at Fatty Crab is BOMB!!!!!!!! I work the Garde Manger station by myself and I absolutely love it. It's physically exhausting and mentally exhausting as well, but for some reason I grin every time I go to work and I'm always excited. One of the chefs who work there is named Mario and he's been SUCH a huge help to me. He's taught me a lot from better presentation and plating, organization, readiness, I mean all of the Chef's have but he's always checking on me. I want to take this time to thank him so much for helping me and I think next week he said is his last week before he leaves out the country or something like that. Well whatever the case I am extremely grateful for the help you've given me, the things you've shown me, and helping me become a part of the Fatty Crab family; Thanks so much Chef Mario.

So what does this summer have in store for me? I do not know, I have an appointment with a knee surgeon/consultant next week and I'm hoping that it doesn't conflict with my work. But here is how I see it, I was upset at the possibility that work might have to be put on stop for medical leave, but at the same time I'd like to get this knee surgery over with, get in tip top shape, and be able to function properly in the kitchen so I can give 1000000000000000000000 percent of me. This knee injury has been haunting my physical capabilities for too long and I want to heal.

=/

FATTY CRAB!!

2010-05-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOD! I START MY FIRST DAY AT FATTY CRAB TOMORROW AT 12:00 NOON!!!! SO EXCITED!!! I TRAILED EARLIER THIS WEEK AND I THOUGHT I DIDN'T GET THE JOB BUT I GOT A CALL BACK TODAY!!! ♥

Pasta!!! MMMM

2010-05-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Peas, Onions, Garlic, Salt & Pepper, Parsley, Olive Oil & Butter, Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese = Good dinner...plus a sneaky bowl of Kimchi Mandu Soup! Bahahaha

Patty Melt!!!

2010-05-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

Made a really tasty Patty Melt last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! & Yes I use Mayo and Ketchup!!! Oh and Pepper Jack Cheese!!! ♥

Breakfast!...Well, Lunch!!!

2010-05-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

For a late breakfast I made: Scrambled Egg Whites with Green & Red Bell Peppers and Crisp Turkey Bacon on a bed of Spicy Sauteed Onion & Mushrooms served with Rye and Mescalun Greens tossed in a Lime-Honey Dressing.

Sister's Birthday Dinner

2010-05-25T07:16:00.001-07:00

So I cooked the other night for my sister's birthday weekend and it was definitely a bunch of fun! For starters I made Spicy Jumbo Shrimp with pickled Daikon [pickled at home], sauteed carrots, with a scallion garnish. For the entree I served a potato crusted Flounder with a garlic lemon Aioli served on top of a bed of sauteed spinach ♥

Sister's Birthday :: Momofuku's & Max Brenner's

2010-05-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

So for my sister's birthday weekend my aunt and uncle took my sister and I out for dinner & dessert!!! It was definitely a wonderful and tasty evening! Momofuku's closes from 4:30pm-5:30pm and we were first in line at 5:00pm!! The line was pretty deep...thank god we were there early. So we sat and for appetizer ordered Pork Buns and Tamales three ways: Jalepeño Queso, Kimchi, and Chicken Mole. My aunt had the Prix Fixed meal, my uncle had the Ginger & Scallion Noodles, my sister had Kimchi Stew, and I had the Softshell Crab...SO GOOD!!! Then at Max Brenner's I had some Euphoria PEanut Butter Sundae, my sister had Chocolate Crepes and Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate, my aunt had Chair Tea and some kind of Fondue, and my uncle had a shake. Like I said...REALLY GOOD EVENING!!!

Kimchi Jar

Pork buns!

Tamales 3 ways

7 spiced potato chip with creme fraiche & caviar

Scallop Ceviche

Limeade Soju Slushy

Soju & Lychee Slushy

Steak with asparagus puree

Kimchi Stew

Olive Oil & Pickled Cherry Ice Cream ♥

Sundae!!!

Unfortunately some of the photos weren't uploading correctly so I might have to post them up later =[

Bye Bye Freshman Year!

2010-05-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

Wow Freshman year is over...that was quick. I'm gonna miss the friends I made over the summer but I'm definitely going to see some of them! Can't wait to see all of y'all in September!!!! ♥ Pshhh this means summer is here...which means that I'm gonna be with Brittnee...that means FOOD ADVENTURE!!! WHOOP WHOOP!!!!

PADDLE BOATING + MERRY GO ROUND ♥

2010-05-19T03:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my god this past weekend was amazing. Especially because my friends and I got to go Paddle Boating in Roger Williams Park, and yes with the swan paddle boats. It was so much fun...harder than I remember Paddle Boat ever being but fun never the less. Not only did we get to go paddle boating, we also go to go on the Merry Go Round...twice! ♥ What an awesome weekend seriously. I love the friends I made here at JWU & I hope they stay in my lives for a very, very long time ♥

Last day in the kitchen!

2010-05-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

So today was the last day of Fundamentals...so sad. Next class is store room and that has no cooking involved at ALL!! ='[ So today my group consisted of Brittnee & Jen, two wonderful people to work with! On our menu today was our concept of Surf & Turf. Crab Cakes on a bed of Sautéed Spinach paired with Pork & Veal Chili. For the Crab Cakes there was an avocado creme that was sauced onto the plate so you had the option of eating the yummy cakes with or without the sauce. Oh & we baked puff pastry with cinnamon sugar for dessert I guess =]

Tonkatsu!

2010-05-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today was my practical for Fundamentals of Food Service Production. I got a 15/15 on my Tonkatsu, 13/15 on my Mashed Potatoes, and 15/15 on my Broccoli. Unfortunately I used a different recipe for my potatoes in my Homework Project than I used for the actual Practical so my chef took off points for Mise En Place and etc which is completely understandable. I'm real happy with what I got =] Oh and I flipped my omelet perfectly.

Caprese + A Salt & Battery + Congratulations Brittnee = Really Good Friday!

2010-04-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today was just beautiful. It started off with me and my sister having a lunch date. I made Caprese Salad with brown tomatoes [Kumatos - from Canada], fresh mozzarella [Local], and fresh basil. Stacked them up, drizzled balsamic vinegar (acid comes before oil) and extra virgin olive oil. It was SOOO GOOD!!! Accompanying the Caprese Salad were Crostinis with herb roasted garlic; and the garlic was so tender all that was needed was a butter knife to spread the soft roasted garlic across the Crostinis. It was such a wonderful lunch date with my sister ♥
So blah blah blah I got ready to head into Manhattan, went to McCormick & Schmicks to fill out an application for a Line Cook/Prep Cook position and handed in a resume as well. Went to go pick up my best friend Brittnee from her trial day at Inside Park. So already from her text message that said "Hey Love.!!" I could tell that things went well so I was secretly assuming that she got the job...next thing you know, SHE GOT THE JOB!!! CONGRATULATIONS BRITTNEE!!! So proud of you, I couldn't stop hugging her I almost choked her but that's ok because she got the job!!!!! ♥ Brittnee Primus, I have all the faith in the world that you're gonna do great. I love you!!!

More blah blah blah we ended up celebrating at A Salt & Battery with some friend Scrimps & Scallops!!!! [Shrimps not scrimps] It was delicious as always, their tartar sauce was wonderous and we also had Gingerale from Brooklyn that was POPPIN! Actual ginger bits were in the drink, it was refreshing, cold, but spicy, and deep; ugh it just had you thirsty for more it was AMAZING!!!!

Aaaaaaaand we move on to our little mishap adventure to 'wichcraft where I swear I thought they had milkshakes but they didn't so Brittnee sadly ended up with a lemonade...♥ At least it was healthy girl!! Hahahahahaha! Next milkshake is on me and we'll get it from Haagen Dazs!!!

WAIT!!! I FORGOT TO MENTION! On our way to the Piers which came after A Salt & Battery I took Brittnee through Bleecker St. which was the wrong thing to do. Now after she gets every paycheck she is gonna be shopping, shopping, shopping and I bet I know where...Every Marc Jacobs store along Bleecker St. Bahahaha I should'nt have took her into the accessory store. Thank you by the way for the Keychains!!! ♥ So yeah we also got to pass August which is a restaurant I truly hope calls/emails me back.

So anywho that was my Friday adventure...it was truly absolutely wonderful.

The Industry

2010-04-29T15:23:00.001-07:00

So I've been meaning to address something and I haven't really had the chance because of class and just trying to figure things out; but now I'm gonna blog about it. So one of my best friends helped me write a resume out because I'm looking for a job.

Every restaurant that I want to work for is looking for someone with experience...OK I get that part, but for us beginners when do we get to begin? I feel as though this industry is so picky when it comes to who they hire or how they hire. I understand that because who would want to hire that one person who might just ruin your business/restaurant? BUT! To me going to culinary school isn't enough, I could go to 4 different culinary schools and the thing that I'd want most is the experience of working in the line or in the back of the house, and being exposed to the nature of a restaurant kitchen.

Knowing myself I do doze off during academics and other things that I deem really boring. However when it comes to culinary, international cuisines, food, etc I get so excited and focused. Am I whining? Maybe a little...I guess I just REALLY want to freaking work in a restaurant already...but I gotta be patient. You don't get anywhere whining and moaning; which is why I spent so much time writing my resume and putting thought into my cover letter...even though I can admit that it is a little feeble. But I'm proud of everything that's on that damn paper and I'm proud to send it out!!!

So recently within the past two weeks I sent out more than a handful of resumes...I'm crossing all my fingers that I get some sort of response even though I'm only "entry level". Oh! My best friend Brittnee got a callback from last week's interview at a fine dining restaurant in NYC Inside Park which is located on 50th street and Park Ave. So tomorrow she's going in for a trial work day from 10-3 where she's gonna do her thing in the kitchen and the Executive Chef and Manager I guess decide if they want to hire her or not. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK BRITTNEE I LOVE YOU AND YOU'LL BE FINE! ♥

So hopefully soon...very soon will be my turn? ♥ Initially I felt stupid for sending out my resumes, but now I'm glad I did =] UGHHHHHH COME ONNNN!!! LET'S GOO!!! EMAIL ME BACK RESTAURANTS!!!

Our Group Won!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-04-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Sooo for "Sheer creativeness & flavor" our group one today's "Mystery Basket Challenge". I swear today in nutrition reminded me of an episode of Chopped+Top Chef. The winning group? Brittnee, Jen, Kristen, and Me =] OW OWWW We had a vegetarian salsa wrap, swordfish stew, lobster Benedict, and Israeli couscous with sweetened pears and yogurt with a maple balsamic glaze ♥ GET IT!!

HAHAHA!!

2010-04-12T02:48:00.000-07:00

Was looking through some folders and came across this:

I love the people in my class ♥

Nutrition Class =]

2010-04-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

So I'm currently in Nutrition class and I love it so far...except we can't really use salt and oils...so sad. The salmon dish was the dish my group was responsible for on Day 2. Salmon poached in Orange Cinnamon Court Bouillon then pan-seared, pan-steamed broccoli w/garlic and roasted cinnamon&cumin beets. I also made Guacamole on Day 1 which turned out really good.

Been a while again...

2010-04-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a while...again! Labs have me workin hard but I love it! I missed posting so I thought I'd start this post off with a class I just finished and had tons of fun in: Principals of Beverage Service! In this class we got to learn about coffee, espresso, wines of the U.S.A. and basic bar tending! So for my Practical (Final) I had to make 12 drinks in 12 minutes and serve wine properly...it was definitely a bunch of fun! I don't understand why two of the photos keep uploading in the wrong position =/

Meat Cutting

2010-03-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Meat Cutting Class!!!!! So much fun. Chef Vaillancourt is AMAZING! So knowledgeable about meat! He's PRIME! I'm leaning so much in this class and it's only been two days! AHHH Next 9 days are gonna be superb!

Left overs = some kind of pie

2010-03-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

So we had left over mashed potatoes, and I love Shepard's pie but I didn't have ground beef or corn...All I had was smothered mirepoix with giblets, mashed potatoes, and swiss cheese. I didn't wanna serve all these left overs as sides, so I made a pie...but I don't know what to call it.

Giblet's Pie?
Gravied Pie?

I don't know, I don't know...I mean its just leftovers. We need something catchy, I mean we can make this with any left overs! If I had some leftover chicken I woulda diced that up and put that into the pie as well. I'll think of something...

Giblets!!!

2010-03-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Made dinner for the family tonight. Garlic & Herb Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Corn, Steamed Broccoli, and Gravy with Giblets!! ♥ It definitely was a success =] Gravy could've been a little better, I de-greased with too much wine, and didn't singer enough...but was still tasty!! =]

"The chicken in the oven is roasting away, all the mirepoix, herbs, and the zest from the lemons fill the house with an aromatic whiff. The potatoes have been mashed the corn has been buttered; the broccoli sits steamed and ready. All that awaits is the giblets last journey, as it will be the ingredient for an outstanding rich gravy. ♥ Saturday Night dinner with the family!!" - A facebook status update I posted earlier today as I was prepping for dinner.

Sauce? Gravy? Ragu?

2010-03-06T10:11:00.001-08:00

Ok so something occurred to me this weekend. I was sitting down having dinner with the Italian side of my family that resides in Staten Island. We were eating pasta and the discussion of Sauce vs. Gravy came up. I was utterly confused. So apparently some people call sauce gravy and some people call it ragù. "I put gravy on my turkey not on my pasta" was a response that I received. Then I asked a few other Italian friends of mine and some of them said they call the extra sauce on the side gravy, some of them call it sauce, and some just call it ragù...hmm???

I heard one argument that sauce is called gravy when a meat is cooked in it...good point good point. Another argument I heard was that sauce is something you make quick, pesto or salsa di pomodoro and gravy is something that's been cookin' all day...ok another good point.

Is it a regional thing? IDK! I should do some research, alls I know is that it's Sauce, Gravy, or Ragù. It doesn't really matter to me cause at the end of the day, it tastes good, I want more of it, and I love it.

Free Pancake Day @ IHOP

2010-02-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

IHOP was giving away a free short stack of pancakes...you know we were in there like swimwear.

Keyanna Party of 8?

College Cookin'

2010-02-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

What better midnight snack then some grilled ham & cheese sandwiches?? So the other night my friend Lea and I were hungry, everything was closed, we missed dinner it was a whole mess. We were starving and just complaining and yada yada. BUT! My good friend Lea who happens to be one of the hungriest friends I know suggested we have one of her famous grilled ham & cheese sandwiches. Now hungry minds find the most intricate of ways to make what we're craving. For example, a week ago, my friend KJ & Liza were in their room making tuna melts with their iron...♥ Amazing. They made me a tuna melt that had Korean chili paste mixed in it and jalapeños. IT WAS SO GOOD!

So yeah, Lea does the same thing and makes sandwiches with her iron. Let me just say, they're so good. Lea even takes the extra step and butters the bread. Yeah, official.

Pretty Foods & Pretty Drinks

2010-02-08T04:43:00.001-08:00

This is such a cute website! http://prettyfoods.tumblr.com/ check it out guys! It's a website that is dedicated to photos of cute/sexy foods and drinks!!! I love this website, it shares my appreciation for great food photography.

Cholesterol...

2010-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

So during MLK weekend I went to the doctor's because I was having heart/chest pains and headaches...I took a blood test, and did everything blah blah. Clearly my doctor said I was dangerously overweight so I gotta do something about that. Ok cool I mean I go to the gym and I do my best to eat healthier I really wanna lose weight.

That was a few weeks ago, I've been going to the gym and eating better. It's so much easier with friends supporting you and doing it together because we all just help each other out =]

Well...I get a phone call at noon from my mom and she told me the results of my blood test. If you can have you cholesterol under 150 than you're good. My mom told me that mine was double the borderline safe number and I have a high risk of diabetes in the future if I don't be more careful. She said this all calmly but with motherly concern :'[ My doctor recommended I go to a cardiologist when I go back to NY so that's what I'm doing first when I get back.

I was initially sad to hear my mom tear up on the phone after she told me the news, I know she is worried for me and just wants me to be healthy. I know she wishes she could be here to make sure I eat the right foods and not give in to cravings. Well I know that it's really up to me because if I don't put in effort then my mother's efforts are pointless...and I love my mom to death. I don't want to see her sad and I don't want her to feel guilty in any way because it's not her fault it's mine.

I bet as a mother she feels like she could've done something to prevent this, or she should have seen this coming, or she some how could have done a better job...but I just wanna say that Mom, you did an excellent job and it was me who just wanted to eat everything until I was painfully full and that you really couldn't have done a better job being supportive of my weight loss, always trying to cook healthy and make sure I'm eating right. If I really had known that this would of eventually happened, than I would have done so many things different. But it happened so I'm just that much more determined to lose weight and get my cholesterol down.

I love you mom and I'm sorry for that phone call from the doctors. I promise, I promise, I PROMISE, that I'll be healthier. Livin' large and takin' targe, BIG BOYYYYYYYY =D hahahahahahahahahaha ♥

You're the best mom ♥

Vanilla Cream Pie & Spanish food

2010-02-04T16:56:00.001-08:00

I just LOVE living with Baking & Pastry students. They bring home the most delightful treats! My friend Marina just gave me a whole Vanilla Cream Pie ♥ UGH! It's delicious! Her creation is a Vanilla Cream Pie with a ginger snap crust and whipped cream dusted with cinnamon. WONDEROUS! ABSOLUTELY WONDEROUS! SO SO DELICIOUS! So before I had this delicious pie, I got Spanish food with Brittnee and Julie. AGAIN! SO SO GOOD! I had white&yellow rice with oxtail and tons of picante (hot suace) ♥

One Ton Sundae ♥

2010-02-04T11:53:00.001-08:00

So today was an event called One Ton Sundae at my school...I went, waited on line, got to the person asking for your flavor preference. I said strawberry, I got it...then threw it away...why? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Basically my school was giving out huge amounts of ice cream with whatever toppings in a yellow bucket and when I got there they ran out of the buckets. I got it in this puny bowl...then I looked at how much ice cream was in there and I compared that to how well I've been going to the gym faithfully. So I threw it away...UGHHHHHH ='[

Pan-fried Salmon w/ Peppered Ragu

2010-01-27T02:24:00.000-08:00

Honestly I don't know why, but peppers and onions just make a 'wonderous' combo.

So I sautéed some peppers, onions, and garlic, then decided to make it into a ragu. So I popped out the diced tomatoes and other seasonings. My sister had some buttered rice so I was definitely going to eat the rice with the peppered ragu. Then I just started to crave fish! So I frantically was looking for fish and my sister told me we had some frozen salmon fillets...damn. Whatever so I popped them into a bowl of warm water and BAM they were defrosted in no time. Pan-fried the salmon in some olive oil, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt&pepper, and there you go my meal was complete. ♥

Low Sodium

2010-01-25T04:19:00.000-08:00

Photo: iStockPhoto, Creative Commons

Salt has become America's #1 frienemy. From health experts to doctors complaining about the dangers of sodium, Salt has finally come to truly haunt us.

On 1/11/2010, New York's Health Department introduced their National Salt Reduction Initiative. It is a great idea that could possibly help millions of Americans cut down their salt intake, however it is unnecessary. I'm not sitting on the fence with this issue but I definitely feel a certain type of way. Salt/sodium should be reduced in commercial snack companies. For instance, my favorite junk food is Cheese Puffs. One serving (28g) has 360mg of sodium; per day, we should only consume under 2,000g and a small bag of Cheese Puffs have at least 2 serving sizes. In total 720mg of sodium doesn't seem that much, but that leaves you with 1280mg of sodium left for the day...So yeah cutting down sodium in commercial snack products isn't such a bad idea.

But! Reducing salt in restaurants...eh not so great. I know that sounds contradicting but people go to restaurants and spend money by choice. You can make the healthier choice of eating better at home and less junk food, but going to a restaurant is something more than just eating...as the cliché goes, eating is only such a small part of the dining experience. It's great that many restaurants including chain restaurants have a variety of healthy selections, but sometimes it's nice to indulge in the decadence of rich, salty, bad-for-you but oh so tasty foods.

As unhealthy and dangerous salt seems to be, it is a vital ingredient...no it is a necessity in most foods. NYMag's Grubstreet blog has shined light on some of NY's top chefs who require salt for their crowd pleasing/popular dishes: S.O.S.! These Salty Dishes May Be on the Endangered Menu

Salt...salt, salt, salt...sigh*

You know, for some of my friends, it's a ritual to get food, bring it to the table, then take the salt shaker and just shower or sprinkle salt onto their "under-seasoned" food. WHAT TO DO WHAT TO DO? SALT IS JUST TAKING OVER! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Just make healthier choices people is all I can say. But salt will never die...nope.

Breaking Night ♥

2010-01-21T02:17:00.000-08:00

So today was my first successful attempt at breaking night. Usually I end up falling asleep by now but today is a bit different. I'm not gonna lie...I'm exhausted, from going to the gym, going to class, trying to finish this damn paper, I'm just worn out. Ugh I have class in two hours =[ Well, at least I got this paper done for class =] it was a compare and contrast essay and I chose to compare and contrast Starbucks & Dunkin' Donuts! Hopefully my professor likes this essay cause I definitely busted my balls to do this paper.

Goddammit. My left eye is gonna be twitching all day...this always happens when I'm really tired.

Cannellini Bean Brownies ♥

2010-01-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

I think these are my new favorite things~*

Cannellini Bean Brownies...☺

Get this, my friend Tiffany told me about substituting fats in baked goods (she's baking and pastry major) and how in class they made brownies with beans...? Oing? Truthfully it sounded interesting but not so tasty; Tiffany swore that they were fudgier, fluffier, and...yummy-er? Hahahahahaha! Well we got the chance to go to Whole Foods and get all the necessary ingredients for these Cannellini Bean Brownies blah blah blah mix mix blah stir blah sift blah after a whole bunch of stuff TA DA!! Healthy-Butter-Replaced Brownies!!!

Oh.My.Gosh. These brownies are so GOOD! They really are so fudge-like and very rich! *We added Dark Chocolate Chips* ♥ I'm so glad I can indulge in decadent baked goods like these minus the fat and cholesterol from Butter! :]

Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend 2010 ♥

2010-01-16T16:44:00.001-08:00

So my friend Tiffany from school came down to NY with me for MLK Weekend :] Another friend of mine: Liza, was also supposed to come but she couldn'nt :'(

We had a bunch of fun shopping, going to MoMA, and just doing whatever ♥ Tomorrow we're making Cannellini Bean Brownies ... I'll post pictures tomorrow and how it all turned out :]

JWU - South Hall ♥

2010-01-04T04:47:00.000-08:00

So I come back from vacation to this in the corner of my room:

South Hall rocks...

Bundt Cake ♥

2009-12-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

So Grandma Wolsky right? She made this Bundt Cake right? And it's scrumptious right? And I look forward to her baking a bundt cake every time we have a family dinner right? I can't get over how scrumptious it is right? You can taste the almond just by sucking in air with your mouth around the cake right? It's ridiculous right?

I bet you want a piece now...right?

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day ♥

2009-12-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful! Filled with great food, laughs, and surrounded by the people I love. For Christmas Eve I went to my Uncle Steve's house for his annual Christmas Eve dinner. It was AWESOME! Just like last year, he had lump crab meat with a creamy mustard sauce, shrimp cocktail, and assorted cheeses and fruits for us to munch on and talk. Then for the meal he had Cesar Salad, Filet Mignon, and then finished with a Triple layered chocolate cake ♥ IT WAS YUMMMMYY!!!

On Christmas Day...I MADE DINNER ♥ Chyeah! Could've done a better job...so next year I'll definitely come harder. Basically it was a 7 course dinner: Amuse Bouche, Salad, Soup, Seafood, Sorbet, Main Course, then Dessert ♥ Peppered crackers topped with Prosciutto and creamed Figs, Mesclun Greens tossed in a Raspberry Dijon Vinaigrette, Cream of Carrot Soup, Winter Tuna Tartare with a Lemon Parsley Aioli, Champagne Sorbet, Orange glazed Ham with Mashed Red-Skin Potatoes & Garlic Spinach, and my aunt mad a Orange Fallen Cake ♥

I should've taken more pictures...damn. Christmas was nice this year :) I love my family & friends too much ♥

Mac'N'Cheese 6 Fried Chicken & Guts ♥

2009-12-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Made mac'n'cheese...so cheesy...so good...so heavy...damn.

Snow...

2009-12-20T11:31:00.001-08:00

The snow came at the perfect time...Christmas week ♥ Amazing.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, coming home from JWU for Thanksgiving break was awesome! Seeing my family and my friends in a sense made me feel refreshed. First thing I did was cook for two nights in a row for my family, then for the rest of the week I took a break...hahahahahahahaha. Thanksgiving was amazing as well! The food (prepared by Como) was as always just simply delicious; actually I think every year it gets better and better. Como & Uncle Bill also took me to Cuban Pete's when they picked me up from Upper Montclair and I LOVE Cuban Pete's, their food, including their tapas menu, is just absolutely delicious. I just am really glad that coming home just gets me so damn excited...AND YES I DID ALSO GET TO EAT SOME REAL GOOD PIZZA! ROSELAND PIZZA IN NJ AND GINOS IN NY!!! ♥ Best places ever!! Actually to sum up the few places/things I ate at that I really was craving are: 5 Guys Burgers, Gino's Pizza, Crumbs, American Roadside, Como's House, Cuban Pete's (which was SUCH a nice surprise, I wasn't expecting to eat out the day I went to NJ), Halal, Cha Siu Bao, and at Home.

I do however have a lot to be thankful about. I have an amazing family that is obnoxiously supportive til the casket drops, two beautiful dogs, a handful of great, honest, loyal friends, but most of all, I have opportunity; I have right now an opportunity to grasp my dreams and have my passion and talent for food to be refined by a University I am putting so much faith in. Of course, there are those days where I feel like giving up...but that is just not an option.

So as my Thanksgiving break ends, I sit down and enjoy two Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a huge cup of coffee (black) and I blog. ♥

Ramaraya!

2009-11-19T02:36:00.000-08:00

Ramaraya! Closest thing to home when I'm having my Dominican cravings! Being away from New York, I feel very distant to good Dominican Food :[ Thankfully my good friend Mari introduced me to this place Ramaraya Cafeteria!! It definitely has a nice spread of great food! Arroz, Habichuelas, Pastelitos, Cicharron, Chuletas Can Can, Pernil, Bacalao (Hot...even though I'm craving Insalata Bacalao), and really good sandwiches. The first time Mari took me there, I had arroz blanco con habichuelas y chicharron...of course I poured a whole lot of picante onto it all but overall it was pretty good; Mari on the other hand ordered a Sandwich Completo! OMG It was so GOOD!!! Second time we went I ordered the delicious Sandwich! It's Cuban bread stuffed with different layers that consist of: pernil, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, ham, salami, russian dressing, and of course mine has picante! IT IS SO DAMN GOOD!

Mari!! You're leaving to Bermuda soon for your new job! Then off to London! You know, I've only known you for a short while but the more and more I think about it, the more and more impressed I am with how much you accomplished and how far you've come from where you said you started. You've been nothing but a great friend and eased me transition from a High School senior into a Freshmen in Culinary School! You've also inspired me to be fearless, break through whenever you feel like things are impossible, and being confident in skills I have, and skills I will accumulate; but most of all, you truly helped me focus on honesty, being myself, and bringing who I am to the kitchen. Thank you so much Mari! Good luck with all your endeavors and I only wish you the best! Te quiero mucho Mari!! ♥

First trimester is coming to an end :[

2009-11-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

So next week Thursday is the last day of my first trimester at Johnson & Wales University [Culinary]!!! Ugh I really, really love everything I've been learning! Some classes were a bit harder than the others, but each one is so rich with knowledge! I definitely am glad that I'm ending labs with a BOOM! Traditional European with Chef Berube and Chef Molinelli is amazing! They're both such professional, talented, and awesome people. I really look up to both of them, even though sometimes I'm intimidated by Chef Berube...but let's be forreal, nothing is more impressive than a strong woman that can handle HER kitchen...oh yeah...that kitchen is definitely HERS!! :]

5:00am

2009-11-13T02:03:00.000-08:00

Good morning! My alarm went off at 4:30, I made my coffee, and I unwrapped a cupcake; the day could not start off any better!! Coffee [French Roast - Black] with an aromatic Pumpkin cupcake...yeah gonna stop typing now ♥

Ok so I was waiting for these pictures to upload and I took a bite...I'm about to cry...this is so damn good!

Breakfast tomorrow...

2009-11-12T18:13:00.001-08:00

Breakfast tomorrow is gonna be awesome. My friends down the hall always have a tasty baked treat for me and tomorrow...oh tomorrow! Tomorrow I'm gonna eat the Pumpkin cupcake that they gave me!!!! ♥ BENEFITS OF BEING IN A CULINARY SCHOOL AND DORMING WITH BAKING & PASTRY ARTS KIDS!!!!!!!

I'm gonna open them tomorrow!!!

TAP Series!

2009-11-12T10:31:00.001-08:00

I PASSED MY FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION!!! ♥ AHHH!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!! ALL THOSE DAMN GRUESOME LESSONS PAID OFF! :D I'M SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW! I FEEL LIKE I'M REALLY ACCOMPLISHING A LOT AND I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL MY PARENTS!!!!

Traditional European :]

2009-11-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Yayyy! So this week is the last class before I get to go home for Thanksgiving Break!! The next 9 days are my Traditional European endeavors. Chef Claudia Berube...what to say about her? She's intense, she's in your face, she's demanding, she's what a chef should be! She's professional, obviously cares about her students, and she answers all questions with no hesitation. You may feel stupid for the question asked...but she still answers it.

So we made Pork Stew, Pilaf, and Risotto!!! ♥ Ahhhhh!!!!!

First Plate

2009-11-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

So I just finished New World Cuisine...and it was the first class where I actually had to make a plate for a final; I had to make the whole plate from scratch and even garnish it! The rules were: One fried starch, grilled pork chop, a grilled vegetable, we could make a sauce, and we also had to add a garnish :] My plate consisted of: Fried plantains as my starch, grilled pork chop with pacific seasonings, grilled jalapeño stuffed with zucchini and squash, all with a tequila mustard reduction. Oh and my garnish was friend lemon and lime zest! :]

New World Cuisine ;)

2009-10-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

Pictures from class :] New World is AWESOME!!!!!! I have so much fun just cutting up chickens and playing with different meats and just basically: Roasting, Grilling, Deep Fat Frying, or Broiling! ♥

It's been a while!

2009-10-27T02:34:00.001-07:00

HEY GUYS! IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN A WHILE SINCE I POSTED AN ENTRY!! I'VE BEEN SO BUSY AND TIRED BUT DEFINITELY HAVING A BLAST!!!! So I'm now in New World Cuisine and it's just straight up roasting, frying, and a whole bunch of other fattening stuff...I think I'm going to have a heart attack by the time I graduate from this school...I was assigned fried chicken, and I labeled it KFC hahahahahahahahahaha ♥ Class is too much fun.

Shanghai ♥

2009-10-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

So coming to Johnson & Wales, when we order Chinese takeout, everyone told us to order from Tongs...now Tongs gives you some blazin portions but they were missing some Chow Fun! And when I asked them about it, they said "You need to go New York City for Chow Fun"...WHAT!?!??!! Ugh so definitely missing my Chow Fun, but my friend Tiffany and Ronda agreed to go to Thayer tonight :) WE ATE AT SHANGHAI! Shanghai was bomb! I got Crab Rangoons...and there Rangoons were just...a m a z i n g. I also had Shrimp Chow Foon...now I was wondering what the hell? So this lady that worked there, REALLY sweet lady, told me their food was really good, and that Chow Foon is like Chow Fun...which is what I'm familiar with...it was definitely really tasty, a little thinner than Chow Fun...but BLAZIN NONE THE LESS ♥

Family Weekend ♥

2009-10-04T08:31:00.001-07:00

My family came up this weekend and I had a blast! I love them all so much and I missed them tons! We went to this barbecue at my school and the food was alright, but for dinner we went to Cassarino's and we also celebrated my Grandparent's birthday! (They follow the lunar calendar so every year their birthday is on a different day) OH! And on Friday, it was the day before Choosuk (Korean Thanksgiving) so my mom made all this food from home, then we went to some park and I stuffed my face...I was about to cry because I missed my mom's cooking so much!! The weekend was great ♥

Family ♥

2009-09-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

I think many of us tend to underestimate our families...not everyone, but I definitely did. I miss everyone so much and I get so happy every time I heat up some rice and pull out some of the food my mom packed for me. My dad brought the food up to Rhode Island and it's been making my life a bit easier here. ♥ I miss you guys!!

Intro to Baking and Pastry II

2009-09-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

More stuff...

Intro to Baking and Pastry

2009-09-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Boy do we eat a whole lot in class! Our chef is different from other chefs; everyone said he's the nice one, and he is. He lets us eat what we make, well most of it, before he sends the goodies off to the dining room. We've been making so much! Muffins, Cookies, Biscuits, Quiche, etc...

Leaving New York/ First day of classes at JWU ♥

2009-09-08T18:43:00.001-07:00

OMFG! So leaving NY was so damn hard, I miss all my friends and I forgot to tell everyone about the amazing dinner my mom made for me for my last night!! She made Eel Rolls, California Rolls, and Como made fried shrimp balls with a sweet and sour sauce. OH! And my aunt made almond cake ♥

ANYWHO! OK so JWU has been a sweet and sour experience so far. I think it's really cool how I already met a celebrity chef (Big Mama), who my mom is in love with! My lab so far is great! We are already busy, busy makin' stuff, runnin' around and just being in absolute controlled chaos. My roommie, Arie, is amazing, and the friends I'm making here are great. I definitely know who I want around and who I want to keep it pushin' ♥

JWU!

2009-09-06T04:51:00.000-07:00

WOW! So the day FINALLY came! I moved into my dorm room yesterday, said teary goodbyes, and definitely said a big hello to the people of JWU! So far everythings great, my roommate, Arie, is fantastic, and the people I am slowly becoming friends with are awesome. I do miss everyone back at home though ='[ I hope you guys are all doing good, staying healthy, and so on ♥

Thanks mom and dad for basically setting up all my stuff, hahahahahaha. I really love you guys, and am so grateful for all your support and just being my parents. I LOVE YOU GUYS, SEE YOU SOON!

Guacamole ♥

2009-09-02T09:43:00.001-07:00

Finally. Avocados were ripe enough to make into Guacamole!!! Chyeahh!! ♥

California BLT ♥

2009-08-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

UGH I HAD ANOTHER CRAVING FOR BACON ADN AVOCADO! SO WHY NOT MAKE CALIFORNIA BLT SANDWICHES! ♥

Grilled Chicken Sengwich

2009-08-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Yummy Yummy Yummy Grilled Chicken Sengwich ♥ Hahahaha I woke up...and wanted bacon...and avacado...and grilled chicken...and pickles...and tomatoes...blah blah blah ♥

Toad in the Hole...again =]

2009-08-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

So I've been determined to make a great Toad in the Hole where the egg white was cooked, yolk stayed creamy, and the toast would be crispy. So once again I made Toad in the hole for breakfast...this time instead of just putting cheese, I also added two slices of ham...kinda like a breakfast ham egg & cheese sandwich...just a little more refined?

Toad in the Hole...it's becoming a new favorite of mine ♥

Spaghetti & Meatballs

2009-08-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

My mom REALLY loves Spaghetti, she claims it's her favorite pasta. SO! Me being the hungry guy I am, decided to make Spaghetti & Meatballs!! I was craving meatballs for a while, and my sister, mom, and I were inside Whole Foods so why not tell her I'll make meatballs for dinner?

Toast with egg in the middle?

2009-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

What is the name of this dish? I woke up this morning, was in the mood to eat an egg...so I made toast with egg...but a little differently? Long ago, hahahaha, I remember watching a old movie and this man was eating a piece of toast that had a fried egg in the center of the toast. At first I thought it was just a piece of toast with an egg on top, but when I looked closely I realized center of the toast was cut out and the egg was fried in that center...far out right? Maybe I'm late with it but I decided to try and make it, with a twist. I made the classic Toad in the Hole (that's what I found out it was called...actually there are a bunch of different names but this is my favorite) into a Grilled Cheese Toad in the Hole =]

it was delicious! It was the perfect combination of gooey melted cheese, crispy buttery toast, a bite of egg whites, all tied together with the creamy yolk ♥ New Obsession!

Sleepy Hollow ♥

2009-08-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

My best friend Karla and I decided to take a little road trip out to none other than Sleep Hollow! We actually parked in Tarrytown thinking it was Sleepy Hollow, Karla and I were cheering that we made it to Sleepy Hollow (Not knowing we weren't quite there yet). Hahahaha. So after walking through the town and eating at this pizzeria we got back into the car and drove down S Broadway and all of the sudden we see a sign that says "Welcome to Sleepy Hollow"...do you know how dumb we felt? Hahaha we couldn't stop laughing! Eventually we ended up in a park and I decided we should ask those teenagers whats around here that's historical and cool. So after kindly getting instructions we made our way to Philipsburg Manor, had a tour, and both decided that we should come back again :)

On the tour we got to see how cornmeal was made back in the hay day, how butter was churned, and other really neat things!

This trip was definitely interesting and fun. There was this one Greek restaurant in Tarrytown that I REALLY want to eat at, it seemed to be the local hotspot...hmm maybe next time?
of course...the day ended with a movie and a buncha laughs with Marino ♥ Oh and I can't forget Boogie!

Bruschetta or BrusKetta?

2009-08-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hmmm so do you pronounce it Bruschetta? Or BrusKetta? All I know is, once it's in your mouth it doesn't matter :) So Como, aunt in Korean, had a welcome home/congratulations dinner the other night and the spread was fabulous! Smoked Salmon Bruschetta [which was the only dish my lazy self made], Shrimp Salad Sandwiches, a Cheese Plate, Grilled Filet Mignon with Horseradish Cream, Potato Salad, Insalata Caprese Salad Pasta, Three Bean Salad, White Wine Sangria, fruit salad, and Key Lime Bars! ♥ I just drooled while typing all this...

...and I just drooled looking at all this...hahahahahahaha! The dinner was definitely not a fail ♥ Welcome home dad! ...and Good Luck me, hope I don't crash and burn in college! :D

Hungry after the beach

2009-08-11T04:12:00.000-07:00

Hahahaha so where to eat after going to Jones Beach? None other than Scobeeeeeeeeeee...hahaha we were so hungry!!!! I had a greek salad, and Karla had spaghetti and meatballs...oh and I also had a side of onion rings ♥

Vacation Eats part Deux ♥

2009-07-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well it's time for Seoul!

There was so much damn food in Seoul it was ridiculous...and yes...I came back fat as hell lmao. So one of the best places we ate in Seoul was this restaurant that had REALLY spicy seafood stew, and all the side dishes were seafood based. It was AMAZING. And what better way to start off a blog about Korean food then with a picture of KIMCHI! :D inside the spicy seafood stew was oysters, crabs, other shellfish I don't even know the names of...hahahaha. Then there was spicy red pepper paste but it was marinated with some kind of fish I forget the name of, and you just eat it with rice; it was absolutely delicious! Oh and there was also a broth that was clear...and it was actually really spicy! Wasn't expecting that!

So a really pretty restaurant we went to had waffles and other breakfast like foods...as pretty as the restaurant and the food was, it didn't taste to pretty. My Croque Monsieur's bechamel sauce was cold...which was not poppin for me, but the salad and egg was on point. Now the waffle and whipped cream was bangin! LMAO ♥

So what did Pooka eat for breakfast? Well one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast or for a snack is rice with soysauce and sunnyside up egg. This particular morning I added a slice of American cheese, cause that's how Korean's roll, and Nato! ♥ Oh and I also re-fried some Squid Tempura...which wasn't as good as I wanted so I just ate the squid and took of the fried batter part.

So my dad hired these two personal chefs who just dominated the kitchen. The food was absolutely amazing. It was a great evening, my dad wanted to invite all his coworkers for a goodbye/thank you for all your hard work meal before he finally moved back home to NY. It was such a fun time, we got to give away all our old toys and what not to the kids and they had a blast just raiding our toy chests! Anywho, the chefs prepared Chapchae (potato noodles with beef and veggies), stuffed shrimp, green onion salad wrapped in thin strips of grilled marinated beef, veggies wrapped in smoked salmon with a citrus dipping sauce, there was also spicy squid fry, and a spicy beef and vegetable soup :) Good meal, good meal.

One of the most delicious things to eat when you go to Korea is their pizza. There is nothing authentic about pizza in Korea. Basically Koreans took pizza, butchered it, and made it their own thing yet they truly in their hearts believe it is pizza. It's REALLY good though. They have so many variations from kimchi pizza, to bulgogi pizza, but my favorite thing about Korean pizza is how cheesy it is, it's thick, and you can even get pizza with potatoes on them! It's amazing. A delicious pizza to try from Korea's Papa John, which you can also get at any other pizzeria there is the Golden Ring pizza. Within the crusts edges is a smooth and sweet sweet potato mouse that just tickles your tongue when you chew on it with the cheese stuffed crust..UGH SO GOOD BUT SO FATTENING! WHO CARES!?!?! HAHAHAHA! Wow I'm definitely missing the pizza right now...but I will always stay true and faithful to Gino's in Manhasset, Long Island, NY ♥

Ugh!!! Ddukboki! Best thing ever invented! Basically rice cake in spicy red pepper sauce! So delicious. This woman is known to have really, really good ddukboki in Korea, her menu is in Japanese as well as Chinese because many tourists come and eat her food! My mom and I also shared a Korean Chive Pancake which was also delicious...but my mom makes better Korean Chive Pancakes. SO! I got to wash this all down with one of my favorite drinks in the world! Crushed Korean Pear juice!

One of the things I look forward to doing, when I go to Korea, is to see all my old friends from when I went to elementary and a bit of middle school in Seoul! It was so great seeing two of my best friends Grace and Yana! Yana also introduced me to a very nice classy McDonalds...weird huh? The seating upstairs was almost all like velvet, and almost cafe like, then they had a veranda where people can smoke and eat which was pretty cool. Most of my nights with Grace and Yana were spent at Hollywood Bar where I was introduced to the drinking game Kings...BAHAHAHAHA for those of you who know what I'm like under the influence can only imagine that that night was like ;) But yeah, these two definitely got me hooked on Red Rock, and playing Kings ♥ Miss you guys!

SAMGAETANG!!! Korean Chicken Soup! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOD! It is a bit bland, but you can add seasoned salt in it, also comes with a side dish of delicious pickled spicy radish! So everyone gets a bowl of samgaetang, and in it is your own personal whole chicken; now that chicken is stuffed with sweet rice, green onions, a clove of garlic, and some kind of fruit which I forget the name of...wow I'm such an informative person. HAHAHAHA :D

One word can describe this meal: Sofreakingoodandspicythatyousweatandblowyournose!...Okay so many more than one word. But this is Boodaejigae! Which is basically like a spicy stew that has American sausages, spam, rice cakes, ramen noodles, cheese, onions, god it has like everything. The history behind this soup is this, during the Korean war, people were so poor that they went to the American Army base and looked through the garbage can for any spare food or food that they threw out; mostly being Spam, Sausages, and cheese. So they took that, and they cooked it with local Korean ingredients like red pepper, rice cakes, ramen and so on. That was the start of Boodaejigae! Of course now restaurants don't go diggin' through trash to get the ingredients hahaha. UGH I'M CRAVING BOODAEJIGAE RIGHT NOW IM SALIVATING! IT'S SO SPICY!!!

Oh. My. God. BREAKFAST BUFFET! WOWOWOWOWOW IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE HAD BREAKFAST BUFFET! UGH! I WENT CRAZY! I STARTED WITH FRUITS THINKIN' I'M ALL SKINNY, PSH THAT WENT DOWN THE TOILET! I HAD A BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE AND LOX, AN OMELET AND I DONT EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I PUT IN IT! I ALSO HAD SAUSAGES, SPICY SAUSAGES, CANADIAN BACON, REGULAR BACON, DARK TOAST, WAFFLES WITH SYRUP, THEY FREAKIN' HAD MEATLOAF WHICH I TRIED, AND I ALSO HAD A SMALL PIECE OF STEAK WITH WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD! YO! I OWNED MY BIG BONEDEDNESS LMAO!!!! ♥ I love the Grand Intercontinental Hotel! Best hotel ever! When I first came to Korea, and before we moved into any apartment we stayed at the Grand Intercontinental...and now as we prepared to LEAVE Korea...we stayed there...how ironic...

Aunt Joanne! Ugh I missed her so much. I used to think she was my cousin because our age difference is so small but then I found out that she was my aunt...my family is ridiculously huge...so are most Korean families. So! She took us out for lunch to this new Spanish restaurant which had horrible food, and it was owned by a Spanish man...who I could see myself cuddling with but still...the food was blegh. W.e. the servers were pretty hot ;)

After the Spanish restaurant fail, we went to a cafe which I once again forgot the name of. My sister had shaved ice with green tea as a topping, my aunt had red beans and ice cream with her shave ice...for drinks my sister had hot coffee while I stuck with Ice coffee which quenched my thirst. I also ordered a monster quiche...yo...that thing was like as big as Godzilla's foot.

A must go place when you visit Korea is Bamboo House. They have the best pork ever. It's marinated in white wine, then grilled in front of you, then dipped in a bean powder, then wrapped in lettuce and other veggies then SHOVED IN YOUR DAMN MOUTH! YUM! UGHHH

WOW! This is it! Last restaurant and last of the meals! What can I say? My dad definitely treated us to a great dinner. This place was something new, very modern take on Korean food. Everything was delicious so I'm just gonna name them all: Edamame, Kimchi and tofu with pork, Tri color rice cakes with beef and peppers, grilled pork salad with a balsamic reduction and fried slices of garlic and lotus roots, rice with beef and soybean paste, roasted garlic bulb with fire chicken, bean pancakes, pumpkin chicken and a crunchy/chewy fish cracker :) OH and the drink was a liquor made from Rice :D

I just really wanna say to everyone cheers and continue eating! Wherever you are don't be afraid to try new things, and don't judge different cultures for their style of eating or their cuisine! So eat up and drink up! Cheers!

Oh...and one last thing. Thank you mom and dad for the amazing trip. And thank you guys for putting up with Rosanne and I's constant whining and bickering about where and when we wanna eat! You guys are the best! Thank you so much dad for taking us everywhere! Well! That wraps up my vacation eats post! ♥

ᅲ_ᅲ

2009-07-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

So...the glasses my dad bought for me at Tokyo are gone...sigh*

I definitely am sad because my dad was excited to get them for me in Tokyo and then be able to go to Johnson & Wales with a brand new pair of glasses ♥ But I mean I guess I just feel like a jackass because, not gonna lie, I do act spoiled sometimes, and my dad gladly bought me those glasses and now I just feel like a jerk cause I was trying to do my best to take care of what I already have and all that stuff.

I did however learn over the past few years to not be so tied up to anything materialistic...so I know glasses can always be replaced. I guess it's just the fact that it's the moment that I was given those glasses can't be replaced...

I sound like a fucking spoiled prick right now talking about how sad I am that I lost my glasses. Hahaha. So I'm gonna stop...

But. Thank you dad for getting me those glasses and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED them! You're still Numbero Uno in my book! And I am NOT mad at the person who knocked them off my head; it was a genuine mistake so there is no point in holding any sort of grudge. I ♥ you! :D

Vacation Eats!

2009-07-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

YAYY!!! IT'S TIME TO POST THE PICTURES OF WHAT I ATE WHILE I WAS IN BUSAN, SEOUL, AND TOKYO! ♥ I'm just gonna basically show all the pictures of what I ate, places that I ate, and what not.

*Before people make judgments about the photos/videos or the surrounding areas within the photos/videos, please take into consideration that the places I visited can be a huge culture shock to certain people. Their lifestyles are so much different from ours and their way of eating is completely different*

BUSAN

Spicy bean sprout soup, various condiments (kimchi, pickled spicy radish, steamed tofu with red pepper spiced soy sauce, etc...)

Udon that my mom ate growing up when she was little in Busan, delicious Tofu-skin stuffed with rice, and amazing Soba! ♥

Yummy Apple&Strawberry Ice Bar

Shark Intestines dipped in spicy red pepper sauce♥ [Woman gave me 3 free pieces which she fed to me]

Strolling through the fish market and also bumped into a woman selling delicious looking live octopus ♥ Also saw a turtle being dried out to be used for medicinal purposes I believe.

Selling Eel! ♥ Yum!! [I love this fish market]

Cafe Weird Guy!! This cute/amazing cafe in Busan that is owned by a creepy dude, there paper and pen for people to draw and write things and put it on the window...most of the artwork/comments are mostly drawings or kinda mean things to say about the owner of the cafe. AND the owner of the cafe happens to be the only barista/cashier/worker there hahaha ♥

Snack stand! Delicious fried dumplings for ₩200...which isn't even 25 cents here in the US!

Busan is notorious for their seafood, for obvious reasons (being near the sea), so for dinner we went to a seafood restaurant recommended by my dad's coworker. The food was great. Korean Sashimi is noticeably different than Japanese Sashimi. Koreans tend to use tougher fish that have a chewier texture, and instead of eating it with soy sauce and wasabi, they dip it in a sweet and spicy red pepper sauce. ♥

So two of my FAVORITE foods are JjaJjang Myun and Soondae, Noodles in black bean sauce and Korean Blood Sausage! Department stores in Korea usually have food courts on the lower floors, so for breakfast in Busan, we went to a food court and had Seafood JjaJjang Myun, and Soondae! Oh and Soodae can also come with various steamed parts of a cow. I had: Liver, eart, and...I forget what else.

So before we headed back to Seoul, we asked our taxi driver what is a local MUST eat in Busan, he told us that a must eat is Bibimbap; but not the regular bibimbap. This had raw beef, acorn jelly, bean sprouds, spinach, and obviously I put tons of spicy red pepper sauce :D It was absolutely delicious. I already love raw meat so how can this dish really go wrong?

-The food in Busan was very much different from food originating from Seoul. It's a lot more rustic, untamed, has a lot more depth, and the base for many dishes are seafood based...Busan being surrounded by water and it's beaches are a hot attraction for tourists from all over.

Tokyo

First day in Tokyo, we went STRAIGHT to a sushi restaurant. It was a Kaiten-Zushi restaurant...basically a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. My first time trying Kaiten-Zushi style was in Sydney, Australia and I fell in love with it. But this sushi restaurant in Tokyo really kicked some serious a**. Loved. It. ♥ I went crazy as you can see by the number of plates I ate. (The color of the plate represents it's price. A color chart is posted on the wall.)

So I had ramen my first night in Tokyo! It was a set meal that came with Gyoza, it was so freakin' good!

So after I had Ramen, I was craving something sweet, so I frantically walked around looking for a bakery that appealed to me. Almond. A bakery that was open since 1946 was my final choice. I went it, and immediately was impressed by it's vintage vibe. I ordered a Strawberry Cream Cake, and I swear I fell in love. ♥

One of the highlights of this trip to Tokyo was going to the fish market early in the morning. Once we got there, we went to watch Japanese chefs and what not auction for tuna! It was crazy, my dad even sad last time he watched a man went up to another guy and started pounding him. Bahahahaha! The Japanese love their tuna!

While we were in Harajuku, my dad took us to a very famous ramen restaurant that had Kyūshū style ramen. It was so GOOD! BUT! It was ridiculously fatty...but hey, it's vacation no? The ramen my sister ordered was crazy spicy, THEN she added more spicy condiments so it was basically a bowl of fire. She loves her spicy food!

Tonkatsu! Who doesn't love tonkatsu?? My friend Yana from Russia loves tonkatsu! My dad once again took us to an AMAZING place that just had absolutely to die for tonkatsu. The pictures speak for themselves. Before...and after.

I took my mom and sister to Almond...and they loved it! We got this delicious strawberry puff pastry, a yogurt with fruit, and coffee ♥

Arriving at Yokohama station, which was absolutely gorgeous, we went to a restaurant called like New York something restaurant...It was pretty good pretty good, I think we coulda made a better choice though. I had the Hamburger set, my sister had the curry set, and my dad have the omelet rice.

Mom eating salted grilled fish ♥ And me eating grilled pork with some kind of plum glaze.

Sushi for breakfast!!!

Yummy yummy Takoyaki! It was so hot but I was so hungry so I was rushing ^_^ Oh! And also Okonomiyaki! It was a modern take on the classic dish. It was pretty good, but I still prefer traditional Okonomiyaki...and my mother's!

My favorite green tea and mom eating red bean ice pop~*

Love Boat sushi!! T'was very sexy sushi!

Ice cream and sweet rice cakes, shaved ice with crushed strawberries (the bottom one is the same just with ice cream on top) and shaved ice with red bean and green tea topping ♥

One of the things I really regret was not eating more of this delicious layer cake from Daimaru Department Store next to Tokyo Station. There was a HUGE line of people waiting to buy a box of this delicious Baumkuchen ♥ I swear to god I can have a piece of this at every meal.

-Tokyo was better than I expected. It was very exciting for me to be able to compare food that I had in Tokyo and food that I ate in Osaka. I vaguely remember the food from Kyoto or Kyūshū, the only thing I really remember eating was this breakfast set that the hotel provided for us. This woman came in to our room and made us a traditional Japanese breakfast that consisted of fish, rice, miso soup, and all these other condiments. ANYWHO! The took in Tokyo was great, the okonomiyaki was best in Osaka but over all I had a great time in Tokyo! Definitely going back there.

I'm gonna post Seoul as a whole different blog...there is just too much lol ♥

Seoul, Busan, Tokyo

2009-07-04T07:06:00.001-07:00

Okay! So I know I've been really lame with my posting recently but that's because I'm waiting to get back to New York to post a huge blog! I'm gonna be posting all the pictures of every place we ate, everything we ate, and even stuff that's pretty freaky! I've been busy doing a lot of eating and just checking out some really neat stuff! Here is a little preview of what's to be expected from the "Vacation Eats" Blog (post date N/A):

If you're curious to find out what this lady from Jagalchi Market (Fish Market in Busan) is feeding me, stick around!

Vacation Locations [Seoul, Busan, and Tokyo]

*It's great to come back to Seoul and visit family!*

Bobby Flay

2009-06-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

I think I forgot to mention, my aunt took my sister and I to a Bobby Flay book signing at Williams Sonoma in New Jersey. I was so nervous I like stopped speaking hahahahahaha!

Birthday Cake

2009-06-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm posting this way too late. But my birthday was on Thursday [June 25th] and my aunt came over earlier on and baked me a chocolate bunt cake =] It was definitely delicious! Uncle Bill made whipped cream, and my aunt made this raspberry topping.

Back with some berry fantastic news!

2009-06-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! It's been so long since I last posted on my food blog! I've been so busy with school and so frustrated with everything but I'm trying to get in some blogs. So summer is rolling through, I have two finals left, and one RCT on June 24th (Wish me luck! My History teacher failed me by one point last time I took it...). But yeah, I'm this much closer to getting my High School Diploma! Yay!

So the other week, my Como and Uncle Bill came over and she obviously brought something for us to eat...she always does. She brought homemade Strawberry Cream Cake! It was better than any Strawberry Shortcake I've had. It was absolutely divine! I'm definitely stealing the recipe and going to do my own thing with it! I wish you guys were here to taste it with me...BUT, since you guys aren't, I would love for your eyes to drool at the beautiful cake she made! ♥ It was absolutely perfect.

P.S. There's only 96 more days til JWU...Ahh!

It had a rustic, homemade appeal, sweet, rich, moist, and just...berry fantastic! ♥

Granola!

2009-04-01T18:33:00.001-07:00

So I have a bake sale tomorrow at school...thought I'd make Granola!

Pooka’s Granola

Now you may all be wondering what’s so different about Pooka’s Granola that separates it from other granola brands. Well unlike factory granola, the process to create this delicious and health conscience medley of dried fruits and nuts, involves a lot of love.

So what exactly is Pooka’s Granola made of you ask? Well it’s only made up of the finest ingredients! Sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, rolled oats, dried cranberries, raisins, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and a dash of salt; oh and yes, all the ingredients are organic (bought from the ridiculously overpriced Whole Foods).

What are some good things about all those ingredients you say? Well let me list them for you:

· Sunflower seeds – linoleic acid (an un-saturated omega-6 fatty acid), dietary fiber, protein, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, and minerals such as magnesium, iron, phosphorous, selenium, calcium, and zinc. To top it all off, sunflower seeds are rich in cholesterol lowering phytosterols.

· Almonds – Vitamin E, dietary fibers, and is rich in monounsaturated fat (another cholesterol lowering component).

· Rolled oats (Oatmeal) – Thiamine, iron, and dietary fiber.

· Dried Cranberries - polyphenol antioxidants, phytochemicals which are under research for possible benefits for cardiovascular system, immune system, and an anti-cancer agent.

· Raisins – high in antioxidants.

Many of you may be wondering that the hell this all means…I’ll break it down for you: Pooka’s Granola ain’t that unhealthy! I understand that the sweetness is probably not up to par with other high fructose corn syrup slathered granola, but with no added sugar, Pooka’s Granola concentrates on the natural sweetness of honey, maple syrup, and dried fruits plus each individual ingredient’s unique flavor. I truly hope you enjoy my granola as much as I enjoyed making it! Cheers!

Black Pig!

2009-04-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Okay so the other night my como (aunt) came over, and my mom bought special pork...it's from a black pig? Anyways it was fucking delicious, very juicy, and of course like always, I destroyed all the veggies on the table...I'm just as much a herbavor as I am a ruthless carnivour.

Donkatsu!

2009-04-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

I love when my mom makes Donkatsu♥