Day 30 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Seasonal Food

Today's Challenge:Favorite Seasonal Food Living in New York City all of my life, you would think that I would be used to the cold weather during winter months.NOPE.I complain every time it snows or when the cold air smacks me in the face.But the good thing about living in New York is having many options of what to eat when it's cold out.After I'm done complaining to my friends about how cold it is and how I can not wait until summer time, I immediately think about what type of food would make my little frozen heart (and body) sing for joy. And 9 out of 10 times the food/dish (that may not be considered officially as a "seasonal" food) but is my go-to seasonal food during the winter months is none other than a few orders of soup dumplings.I love them because they are pockets of warm soupy pork goodness and are the perfect dinner to warm you up when the temperature matches your age.The soup dumplings pictured above is from the only place in New York that I enjoy getting soup dumplings from: Shanghai Cafe DeluxeWhat's your favorite seasonal food?! Comment below.

Day 22 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Super Bowl Snack

Today's Challenge:Favorite Super Bowl Snack This is an easy one.Hot wings.I know pizza is life but whenever I think of going to a Super Bowl Party I think of how many hot wings I'll be eating.Lot's of people I know are very picky when it comes to which part of the wing they eat, some only eat the "drumette" part while some only eat the "wingette / flat" part.I happily eat both parts, I do prefer the flat parts because they are just easier to eat in my opinion but if they are tasty I'll eat it all.The hot wings in the photo above are homemade, I'll dig up the recipe and post it on the site soon.What's your favorite Super Bowl Snack? Comment below.

Day 19 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Lunch: Make It or Buy It

Today's Challenge:Lunch: Make It or Buy It This is a funny one because I would prefer to make my lunches daily but it doesn't always work out that way.It's so much healthier to make your own lunches but with my busy schedule food prepping takes a back burner to it all.The good thing about working in Chelsea (in Manhattan) is that I can make healthy lunch choices.The latest place I've been getting lunch is a take out place called Fields Good Chicken. And I usually get bowl from here, bowls that contain a protein and veggies. Which is basically what I would make at home for lunch so I feel it's a good balance.Which do you prefer? Comment below.

Day 17 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Best Hangover Food

Today's Challenge:Best Hangover Food Today's challenge made me giggle.I'm trying to remember the last time I was hungover and what I ate. I giggled to myself because my go-to food usually is bacon but as I've gotten older I've noticed that my now go-to hangover (cure) food is the one and only near and dear to my heart PIZZA.When I lived in Kew Gardens I was in walking distance from one of the best pizzeria's in Queens named Dani's House of Pizza.Dani's pizza is a Queens (NYC) staple. It's been open since 1959 and from what I hear the recipe has not changed. If you go to Dani's you have try the main slices:- Plain slice (it may sound wack but the sauce is phenomenal, it's sweet, tangy and pure perfection)- Pesto slice (It's a green pizza slice. And this may turn some people off. I honestly did not want to try it when I first saw it being prepared. Being born in New York (Brooklyn at that), you eat real pizza growing up so to see a green slice just seemed like a joke. But I got over it, talked to a few locals and holy moly I'm glad I tried it. It's a plus if you are a pesto fan because this slice is out of this world.So for me, my go to hangover food that cures it all is a slice of pizza and a few giant glasses of seltzer water.*Warning: 9 times out of 10 there will be a line to order pizza at Dani's. There is usually a line outside reaching the next store during the summer, these slice are in high demand so it may take some time to get a slice but the wait is usually worth it. Trust me.What's a hangover cure you reach for? Comment below.

Day 15 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - What Are You Best At Cooking?

Today’s challenge is:What Are You Best At Cooking?For the last few years I’ve been known to make a mean aka really spicy beef chili.

Chili is the perfect winter dish for me. It’s soupy, it’s warm, and it’s hearty. No slurping allowed.

I’ve been making one chili recipe in particular I put the recipe together myself from a basic chili recipe I fount on-line that was super dry.

You can see the recipe below.

As for the beef, I go for grass-fed.

I try to get all of the other ingredients as organic as possible.

I like to make my own tomato sauce and use tomato paste for thickness.

I always (ALWAYS) serve my chili with a side of white rice. Whenever I try chili without rice I’m always highly disappointed.

I’m all about topics too.

I always top my chili with avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.

I’ve recently started topping my chili with bacon but if I’m in a rush I do not include it.

So the dish I’m best know for making is chili.

If you follow the below recipe let me know (comment below) how it goes and if you decided to top it with bacon or not :)

Day 13 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Restaurant You’re Desperate...

Today’s challenge is:Restaurant You're Desperate To Try A few years ago my mentor introduced me to a restaurant at the top of a Las Vegas hotel called Katsuya.We met a client and dined on some of the most delicious sushi I've ever tasted.He insisted my co-worker and I try an appetizer called "crispy rice".*If you've been following this food blog challenge then you know my favorite type of food is "rice" (read about it here).I'm open to trying new things and I trust my mentor when it comes to great food and wine.I would be fooling you if I say I didn't think about this appetizer often and it's a shame because I live on the East Coast and my beloved crispy rice is on the West Coast.To satisfy my crispy rice craving I researched where I could find it here in NYC and based on reviews there's a restaurant near my work in Chelsea named Momoya that serves it but it's just not same.For those of you who do not know what crispy rice is, it's rice over cooked so that the texture is a bit burnt, shaped sort of in a rectangular way and topped with spicy tuna.The description does not sound appetizing but if you grew up in a household where rice was served often you know exactly what I mean when I say "it's like the bottom of the rice pot, the crispy part."See main photo for the crispy goodness.After eating almost all of the pieces on the table, I let my mentor know that I was in love with crispy rice and there is nothing anyone could do about it.He laughed because he knew I would love it. He began telling me about the first time he tried crispy rice at the original Katsuya in Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles California and how the original restaurant is in sort of a strip mall.I was shocked!Shocked because we were sitting in such a fancy place and just to think this menu originated in a small place blew my mind.So the restaurant I desperately want to go to is the Original Katsuya.I've already added it to my to-eat list for my next trip to LA.What restaurant do you desperately want to try? Comment below.

Day 10 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Appetizer

Today’s challenge is:Favorite Appetizer This was an easy one.French Fries is my favorite appetizer.They are pretty universal.You fry up some skinny potatoes and everyone loves them.I'm also a fan of poutine which is a form of fries and native to Canada. If I go back to Montreal it will be for the yearly Poutine festival.I can eat fries plain, with bacon, with cheese, salchipapas, any way you make it.The photo above is one of my faves: kimchi fries 🤤How do you like your French fries?

Day 9 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Most Exotic Food You've Tried

Today’s challenge is:Most Exotic Food You've TriedI'm not picky when it comes to trying new food.Well if it involves okra then I'm not trying it > you can read about that in my previous post.But I'm pretty open and will give almost everything a try once.Throughout my foodie years, I've tried a lot of different things.I vividly remember trying escargot at a Yelp event a few years ago and for awhile that experience was a bit weird for me. It's mostly because of the texture. It did not sit right with me. However, I have to say it was not as weird as eating a salad full of grasshoppers (that's whats in the photo above).Back in August of 2016, I dined at a restaurant called Serenata. It's located in Chelsea here in New York City. Serenata is a Mexican restaurant and before the shade is thrown at me, I will say that Mexican food is NOT considered exotic to me. I eat Mexican cuisine often.But this particular evening, I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to order the "ENSALADA DEL DESIERTO" which I believe translates to "Salad of the Desert".The ENSALADA DEL DESIERTO contains the following:Grilled cactus, grasshoppers, roasted corn, roasted cipollini onions, wild mushrooms, grape tomatoes, avocado, dates, cilantro-sabila vinaigrette, toasted sunflower seeds, red & black lava saffron salt.I'm not sure why I ordered this but I did and it was delicious.If you know anything about me then you know that I am terrified of bugs. I hate them. I'm not a fan. No matter how big or how small, I'll freak out. So for me to eat something with grasshoppers in it was a stretch and I made it!The grasshoppers were roasted so they had a crunch to it, they were a bit salty by themselves but worked well mixed with all of the other ingredients in the salad.I would try it again if given the opportunity.I do not see myself eating any other kinds of bugs in the future but hey you never know!Readers out there, what do you consider an exotic food item? Or have you ever eaten a bug? Comment below.

Day 7 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Food That You Like...

Today's challenge is:Food That You Like That Most People Don't I like to eat octopus. There I said it.Whenever I'm at an Italian restaurant I order grilled octopus.I'm not ashamed.I've been out several times with different groups of people and when I order grilled octupus it goes either way.Some people join me, grab a fork and we enjoy some grilled tentacles and keep it moving.Some people freak out when the dish arrives and they do not see calamari.I can see how this can get confusing but to set the record straight a squid and an octopus are two different underwater creatures.Squids live in salt water. Usually in tropics while octopuses live in dens on the sea floor.Cooking wise, when ordering octopus it's generally char-grilled then topped w/ a little olive oil and fresh pepper top while calamari is made from squids and they are usually battered and fried.They look very different cooked and uncooked and generally taste different due to the textures.If you are adventurous give it a go! Order grilled octopus is tasty and makes for a great appetizer.

Recipes: Potato Salad

It's the holiday season. The season for being with loved ones and the season for eating. As I stuffed my face today and yesterday I realized that one of my favorite side dishes to eat on Thanksgiving (and pretty much any other day) is potato salad. It's really simple to make and the way I make it gives my guests a refreshing crunch from all of the other warm side dishes.Since this is the holiday season and sharing is caring, I'd like to share my Potato Salad recipe with you!INGREDIENTS:*Serves 4-5 people

• Potatoes (4 large) 
• Mayonnaise (3-4 tablespoons)
• Eggs (2 large)
• Celery (2 stalks) 
• Corn (1/2 cup) 
• Onion (1 large) 
• Mustard (1-2 tablespoons)
• Salt, Peper, Garlic Power (all to taste) 
• Paprika (used to dust on top of the potato salad)

*I suggest using Yukon gold potatoes (the white potatoes). I've tried using red potatoes for this recipe and it just did not turn out the same. Red potatoes taste better when the skin is left on but for this recipe I like taking the skin off of the potatoes before boiling. The mustard I use for this recipe is a garlic based mustard it gives a bit more of a garlicky kick. INSTRUCTIONS:

• Peel (4) potatoes before boiling (from experience it's a hassle to peel potatoes once they've been boiled and cooled).
• While you are peeling the potatoes, bring salted water to a boil. Make sure it's enough water to cover the potatoes (this all depends on the pot you decide to use, I would use about 2 cups in my large pot).
• Once the water is boiled, place the peeled potatoes into the salted boiling water. Boil potatoes for about 10-20 minutes. Use a fork to determine if the potatoes are tender all the way through.
• In a separate small pot bring slightly salted water to boil (make sure it's enough water to cover (2) eggs). Once the water has come to boil, add the 2 eggs for 11 minutes. 
• While the potatoes are boiling, cut the onion and celery into cubes.
• At this point the potatoes should be tender, take them out of the water and let them cool off. 
• Depending on what type of corn you used (frozen, canned, or fresh corn kernels) cook/boil the corn until done (about 5 minutes if it's from a can or frozen). 
• Once the 11 minutes are up for the eggs, immediately place them into a bowl of ice. This process is called blanching. This contributes to the perfect boiled egg. Blanch the eggs for 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes have gone by, peel the (2) eggs and cut them into cubes as best as you can. I keep the yolk in for those wondering. 
• Once the potatoes have cooled cut them into cubes, place them in a big enough bowl for mixing and storing. Combine the onions, corn, celery, and eggs with the cubed potatoes.  
• Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. 
• Use 3-4 table spoons of mayonnaise and mix.
• Mix in 1-2 table spoons of mustard and continue to mix all of the ingredients. 
• Top with a few sprinkles of paprika, cover bowl, chill and enjoy! 

Comment below if you've tried this recipe. Let me know what you think!