Thursday, March 29, 2012


    I knew I reached an al time low when I was finishing off my fifth slice of pizza at dinner last night. Granted it was thin crust pizza and the slices weren't as big, they display I put on was pretty embarrassing. The vegan lady had mentioned to me the night before that she was going to be cooking up pizza, and I couldn't wait to try it. Five slices later.. I was happy.
    There is something about vegan cheese that I love. I don't know what it is. It doesn't really have much taste, but when it melts, it is very creamy. Throw that on top of sauce and roasted vegetables and you have yourself a dish. She also included seitan, which some people refer to it as "wheat meat". They were cut up into little bits, you can easily mistake it for chicken. 
     Well anyways, by the time I was finished with the fourth slice, I had my friend go up and get me some more. I couldn't show my face again, the person serving the pizza already recognized me and it was getting embarrassing. So, I had my friend pick up the fifth slice.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   For the first time in what like months, I was able to eat lunch between classes. It is often a rarity that I have the chance to sit down with friends and enjoy a meal. Today, I had the pleasure of doing both, with time to finish my homework and blog.
   Whenever I walk into the Dining Commons, the first place I go to is the vegan station. Since today was sesame nuggets, I decided to see what else was being offered. I noticed in the main line they were serving enchiladas which contained spinach and jack cheese.
   I did enjoy the enchiladas very much so, I ended up eating almost 5 of them. They were crunchy on the outside and creamy in the middle, filled with what seemed more of onions than the spinach. Although I enjoy spinach more, I wasn't complaining about this. The worst part about the meal? I couldn't figure out how to cut my enchiladas and had to have my friend cut them for me.

Monday, March 26, 2012


    Since I never have time to cook, and I am too cheap to spend my money, I find myself at the dining commons most of the week. Although I complain about the food fairly often.. well all the time, I have realized it isn't too terrible.
    There are many different stations to choose from: Pizza station, pasta, stir fry, grill, salad bar, vegan station, there are quesadillas every night, and a main line. More times than not, I find myself going to the vegan station. My roommate said it and I have to reiterate it, the vegan station is the closest thing you will find in the DC that is homemade. 
    The lady who mans the station during the week is a really nice woman who you could tell cares that students eat healthy. She also makes the food, chooses what she wants to serve, and is always willing to talk to you.
     Tonight however, I chose to get a veggie burger from the grill station. The good thing about the veggie burgers are that they make them right in front of you. Yes, they are frozen, but they are pretty good quality. After they make the veggie burger in the grill press, I go to the front of the station and pretty my burger up. I put shredded lettuce, sauteed peppers and onions, and mushroom. I use ketchup as the glue to hold my sandwich together, and it is a great meal to have The burger isn't mushy, it is kind of crunchy. That may sound weird, but I enjoy it. 

Saturday, March 24, 2012


      You would think that my favorite alfredo dish would come from an italian restaurant, but that is so far from the truth. The best linguini alfredo I have had comes from a little diner in Londonderry, New Hampshire. You would never think that would be the case, but once you try it, you will want to go back.
     Around two years ago, I went to a restaurant with my friend and her family for the first time when I went home for the weekend. I had no idea what to get and I opted for the alfredo, a strange choice I know.. but one of the best food choices I have made.
      The diner has a homey feel to it, as you walk inside, you can sit at any table you would like. That's the difference I notice between NH and NY. Whenever you walk into a diner, you don't have to wait to be seated, rather you can choose wherever you please. 
      We sat down and the waitress handed us the menus. I didn't even have to look at one, since I order the same dish every time. Dishes come with soup or salads, so I request the corn chowder each time I am there. 
      The chowder is thick and creamy, with pieces of bacon and potato running through it. The restaurant makes their own seasoned salt., and it compliments creamy dishes very well. I sprinkle some on and I am good to go. 
        For the main course, I decided to order the usual, linguini alfredo. It comes with chicken and broccoli but since I find chicken dry, I ask for extra broccoli. My friend and I ordered the same dish. When the entrees were served, I noticed that she had more broccoli present in hers than I did. I must be the only person who would get upset about not having enough broccoli. 
       The plate was filled to capacity with pasta. What I like about the dish is that it is very garlicky, and sometimes you find pieces of garlic inside. People may find that strange, but cooked garlic is very good, and with alfredo sauce all over it.. what could be better?
        I was sad that this may be my last time at the diner, given I am graduating in a month and I live four hours away. I could never forget a place like this, and I mean, how can I when I have leftovers to last me another week.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Whenever you have 80 degree weather in March, you have to go out and enjoy it. So, that is exactly what I did.
 A couple of my friends and I went out shopping down Main Street yesterday, soaked up the sun, purchased some items, and enjoyed lunch at a place where everything is homemade. Lunch at this restaurant is a perfect way to kick off the weekend.
My friend and I split a sandwich, which consisted of freshly baked focaccia bread, chicken, a portabella mushroom, cheddar, tomatoes, and homemade pesto. (The best pesto you will have.) The sandwich is rather large, but when you finish you always want more. (Well, unless you are full, but later on in the day, it keeps you thinking about the sandwich.)
Along with the homemade sandwich, we each got our self a freshly made drink. The best part of the beverages is that they come with homemade cubes, so with my black tea, I chose to get blueberry cubes, and with her freshly squeezed lemonade, she opted for the strawberry cubes.
The place is small in size, but there must have been at least 25 people eating outside yesterday as we walked up to the restaurant. I told my friend that it is one of the best places in town, and after finishing our meal, she couldn’t agree more.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Back to school

           Being back at school presents it's upsides and downsides. Upsides are that I get to see my friends, enjoy the college life, and be independents. Downsides however, not having time or money to cook meals and longing to be back at home in my new kitchen. Tonights theme, leftovers, and whatever we find in the pantry. I went out for pizza the other night with my father and for some reason, he ordered the large all to himself. I don't quite know what he was thinking, but it worked out for the best. I had the benefit of bring back the leftovers. His order consisted of half side being an everything pizza, including peppers, onions, sausage, ground beef, pepperoni.. basically the work. The other half had meatball and bacon. (A bit strange, but tasty nonetheless). 
          I had my friend over tonight so we finished off the pizza by eating the last two slices. Still hungry, mind you we both already had dinner at the dining commons earlier tonight), my friend is cooking up pre-packaged pasta. It is parmesan flavored, and I find it to be quite satisfying. Let's see if I finally become full after I finish!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

    A friend asked me tonight if it was pathetic that what they ate for dinner was the highlight of their break. When I saw this, I laughed. Not because I think it is pathetic, but because it is the story of my life. Every time I am about to go home for break, I think about where I would like to eat, and what I would like to make. Now I don’t always eat everything on the list, but some of them I am able to cross off.
    Tonight was definitely not a list item. We don’t have much food in the house that I would like to eat, and so my options are limited. I heated up French fries, and then melted cheese to eat my version of cheese fries. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t satisfied.
    There are some foods that are always on my list. Sushi is definitely on the top, and then Town Bagel is usually on there as well. I usually yearn for my dads homemade Philly cheesesteaks, which is my favorite meal that he makes. He also makes eggplant parmesan once a week, but that is the one food I cannot eat. For some reason, every time I eat eggplant, I go on a choking rampage, and I cannot stop.  I also enjoy my dad’s stir fry, and chicken salad.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

    Fresh Mozzarella. There is nothing like it, and every time I eat it I crave for more. There aren’t many grocery stores that I have been to that make the mozzarella right there in front of you. Fairway, however, makes it right there on the spot and then places it on the counter to be sold. You could choose either salted, or non-salted.
    Although there are many different ways to eat mozzarella, I eat it straight from the package. I take it out of the plastic, cut slices up and pop them into my mouth. . There is no need for bread, or frying it, placing it in salad, because the mozzarella alone will be satisfying.
    Tonight however, I discovered the combination of prosciutto and mozzarella is perfect. The salty, chewy, meat goes great with the softness of the cheese. Unfortunately, I only had a couple pieces because we finished the mozzarella very quickly.
    With leftover mozzarella, a great option is to make homemade mozzarella sticks. Although you could make is with any kind, to me, the greatest way is with the fresh cheese. Just mix it in egg wash and then breadcrumbs, throw it in some oil in a pan and you are good to go.
    “Be creative,” is what my dad said to me yesterday referring to dinner. I have been home for a week now and I have already made a couple of meals. I bought pizza dough the other day in the store in hopes of making a pizza. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that we were out of tomato sauce in the house so I wouldn’t be able to make pizza sauce. So instead, I opted to make a calzone.
    There is a restaurant up at school that makes fantastic calzones. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make one equally as good, but I figured I would try. I looked in the pantry in our house and grabbed a can of mushrooms. I went into the refrigerator and took the turkey pepperoni. I then proceeded to mix the two toppings with mozzarella, which is what would be the filling for the calzone.
    I took the dough out of the fridge and went to work., After retrieving the pizza stone from downstairs I was ready to go. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to manage the dough., We didn’t have a rolling pin in the house so I took a glass cup and began to stretch out the dough. It was very frustrating at first since the dough was difficult to roll. It kept getting stuck to the cup. Finally, I managed to roll the dough out big enough to make a decent size calzone. I put the stuffing on one side and then I folded over the dough to form the calzone.
    I then proceeded to melt butter, mix garlic powder, parsley, and parmigiana cheese into it, took a brush and spread it out over the dough. I put the calzone in the oven for 20 minutes until the dough became brown. After letting it cool, I cut into the calzone and took a bite.
    The calzone wasn’t bad, but there was a lot of bread. I thought there should be more filling inside, but other than that, I didn’t have any complaints. My parents seemed to enjoy it, so all in all, I call it a success.

Monday, March 12, 2012

    Breaks from school are usually a time to reconnect with friends, along with relaxing and not having to worry about school work. For me, it’s a chance to see people that I don’t often hang out with and catch up with them. I went out to lunch with my friend from high school today, and it was good to fill each other in on what has been going on with our lives. We agreed to go to Town Bagel, which is a bagel place in my hometown.
    Usually when you think of going to a bagel place you would think that the person would order a bagel. However, that is not the case for my friend and I. Town Bagel is known for their chopper salads. You pay one standard price and you could put whatever you would like into the salad. That is not including any meats.
    I opted to go for a wrap, since I wanted to try something other than the usual salads. I decided to get chicken cutlet, mozzarella cheese, and lettuce, on a wrap. It came with a side salad where I obviously chose macaroni salad.
    I was very excited to eat my lunch, as I had not eat Town Bagel since going back to school for my last semester. The wrap was warm, which made it all more appetizing. The macaroni salad was creamy and delicious. Whenever I go to Town Bagel,. I make sure to get an iced coffee. The pricing on their coffee isn’t bad, as I pay $2.10 for a medium. All together, the meal cost me less than eight dollars. I was satisfied with what I got, plus I had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours catching up with an old friend.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

    My appetite has been off the charts. The amount of food I have consumed this week is rather disgusting. I have been home for the past three days due to spring break. Well I have not exactly been home, but I have been in Ohio visiting OSU with my family. My brother wants to be a big business man, which lead him to the Midwest part of the country.
    If you want my opinion, I loved the school. It is exactly what a college campus in my eyes should look like. The college holds about 35,000 students, which is a rather large number compared to my schools 5,000. But I liked it. It has that college feel to it. Students walking around looking all studious with their backpacks and headphones on not wanting to be bothered,
    But let’s get to the most important part, the food. When you ask me what there is to eat in Ohio, I am stumped. I never heard of a specific food that many residents of Ohio eat, and I never really thought about it. Our first meal down there was at the Waffle House. The Waffle House is a chain restaurant like any breakfast place like IHOP. The kick is though, they serve waffles instead of pancakes, and they are open 24/ 7.
    I am not the biggest waffle person, so I opted for a grilled cheese. There is just something about this American Classic that has me enjoying it every time I eat it. I wanted something besides the grilled cheese, so I chose to get hash browns, which were smothered and covered. Smothered and covered means it was topped with sautéed onions and melted cheese on top. Delicious. The hash browns were crunchy on the outside and cooked soft on the inside. It was a great combination and I loved it. I enjoyed the grilled cheese as well, it was cook ever so with butter and it crunchy just the way I liked it.
    The next day, I was hoping to end up at some restaurant that Ohio is known for, or has delectable food. Instead, however, we ended up at Five Guys. Who would have thought. I opted for the little cheeseburger and the regular size comes with two patties. The two patties are too much for me, but the one patty hit’s the spot. I love being able to choose my toppings, and I opted for pickles, lettuce, sautéed mushrooms and sautéed onions. Obviously I added ketchup to the burger. The burger was a little dry for me, but I did enjoy it. The fries are always the best part of the meal, as they filla a cup full, which they call a regular size. This regular size fed my mom, dad, and me, who eats for atleast two people. We finished the fries and we were satisfied with the meal we had chose for dinner.
    I was very excited to return home, as I could finally cook in my kitchen. I chose to cook my pasta dish, and I couldn’t wait. The dish consisted of turkey sausage, onions, mushrooms, cubanelle peppers, pepperoni, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. My family thoroughly enjoyed it. I was a little disappointed as I thought the pasta was undercooked, as was the peppers and onions. However, the only complaints on my dish had come from me.,