Food Blog Post

Get to Know A Foodie | 50 Foodie Questions & Answers

TameekaEats_AboutMe.jpg

 It's the new year and new blog readers out there. I love lists and I love questionnaires. I think both items give you insights to what people are thinking and what their daily lives are like.With that said I figured I would like to share my life with a 50 question and answer section to start off the new year of TameekaEats so you the reader can get to know me.Sit back and have a read. If something triggers you leave a comment below or send me a tweet: @tameekaeats.1. What name do you go by and why?  

  • I now go by the name TameekaEats - On the internet I used to go by the name of "TameekaTime". This was during my lifestyle blogging years. Now that I have a concrete focus and I'm ready to express my love food and my love of eating I decided to combine the two and there the name was born "TameekaEats”.
2. Do you buy more than one kind of butter?
  • Yes. Absolutely. I buy whipped butter, clarified butter (for when I'm dieting), and often pick up a tasty Polish butter made of 82% milk: Masło Ekstra. I also buy almond butter and cashew butter. I'm currently in search for recipes to make my own peanut butter and almond butter at home.
3. Where do you go eat for a special meal?
  • This I hard to answer because I live in one of the most amazing cities in the country (New York City) so I often go out to eat for special meals but as of recent. My significant other and I have frequented a local restaurant named JADE EATERY. It's located in the town next to ours (Forest Hills). It's very casual with a lounge and restaurant area. We can dress up or come here straight after work and enjoy a fancy meal and cocktail.
4. Do you drink wine?
  • I do. I really do. I actually love drinking wine. I'm a big fan of reds. I really live Merlots. My favorite type of wine is Cabernet Franc. And I can always go for a glass of cabernet sauvignon.
5. Do you prefer vegetables raw or cooked?
  • I can go either way. I love a good crunchy carrot or a crisp celery stick. I also enjoy carrots roasted in the oven and topped with honey and a little salt and pepper.
6. Do you watch any food TV?
  • Yes! My favorite cooking/food tv show is “Chopped”. I love the fact that the contestents are timed. I’m often heard screaming at the tv while this show is on. I also really like: The Great Food Truck Race and Bizarre Food with Andrew Zimmern.
7. Chinese? Thai? Japanese? Cambodian? Vietnamese? No preference? 
  • I actually love all types of asian foods. I’m a huge fan of Japanese cuisine. I can probably eat Japanese food every day and not get sick of it. I will hopefully plan a trip to Asia at some point in my life.
8. Have you ever made a recipe from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking?
  • Unfortunately no I have not but I just ordered Mastering the Art of French Cooking and plan on getting my Julia Childs on with in the next few months. From the movies I’ve watched I really admire Julia’s passion. It’s something we all can appreciate.
9. Discuss your thoughts and experiences about specialty salts.
  • I think specialty salts are necessary. I especially think Himalayan salts, sea salts, and truffle salts are important. Salts are made to bring out the flavor in foods. It’s a science. It’s not just hearsay. "Salt is used as a universal flavor improver because at low concentrations it will reduce bitterness, but increase sweet, sour and umami, which is desirable for sweet recipes. But at higher concentrations it suppresses sweetness and enhances umami, which is good for savory things.” {Source: Science Focus: http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/why-does-salt-enhance-flavour }
10. How do you store your leftovers?
  • Yes. I know many people who are not fans of leftovers but I LOVE leftovers. For some reason when I cook meals I feel like the next day the food tastes even better once re-heated. Sometimes I’ll bake chicken thighs, don’t eat them right away, put them in the refrigerator and reheat it the next day and I’m in chicken heaven.

11. Where do you tend to get your new ideas for cooking at home?

  • I get my new cooking ideas from Pinterest, Facebook, other food blogs, twitter, basically most visual social media platforms.
12. How often do you eat out?
  • Within a month I’d say about 3-4 times. For the past month I've been receiving orders from Blue Apron and I'm really enjoying the variety.
13. When you do eat out, what kind of place do you like?
  • I typically eat out during the week, and it’s usually different places. I frequent websites like Groupon, Pulsd, and LivingSocial for dinner deals and usually go during the week and the weekends are usually spent at home with family relaxing and cooking. If I had to choose one "type" of place I go to a lot I would say foods with asian flair.

14. Have you ever eaten on a train?

  • I just laughed after reading this question, I will confirm yes. I have eaten snacks on the train. Being from New York City you will see everything on the train and one thing you will see (no matter if it's Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) is something chomping down of a full bowl of food. I am not a fan of this because there are lots of foods that do not smell well.

15. Do you buy any food magazines?

  • Yes, in 2016 I had a 1-year subscription to Cooking Light. I have not renewed because I'm on the look out for a new food magazine line to subscribe it. It's always refreshing to have an actual recipe in hand and photos to flip through.

16. Have you even been/eaten abroad?

  • Yes, and I have to say one of the best places I've gone to eat is in the Montreal, Canada.

17. What are your thoughts about eggs?

  • I love love love eggs. I think they are a great source of protein. I can eat them morning, noon or night. My favorite style of eggs are hard scrambled and hard boiled.

18. Miracle Whip or real mayonnaise?

  • Real mayonnaise. 100%. I can not tell you the last time I've had Miracle Whip, it was probably when I was a teenager.

19. Do you buy organic foods? 

  • Yes. In my household we do our best to eat organic as much as possible. Our meats (chicken and fish) are usually purchased organically.

20. Do you buy local foods?

  • Occasionally we do. And by locally I mean in my household we tend to get our groceries from Polish family owned markets in Greenpoint Brooklyn.

21. Do you shop at a farmers market?

  • Yes! I adore farmer markets. The market that I frequent is located in Manhattan in the union square area. It's one of the best farmers markets in the city.

22. Do your vacation pictures ever include food?

  • Absolutely! I take a lot of photos and I'm generous at sharing them on various social media platforms. The key with getting good photos on vacation is to set a time for photos and then set a down time where your cameras are back at the hotel or your phone is turned off so you can actually enjoy the vacation.

23. Are you a radish eater? Have you ever cooked radishes or used the greens? 

  • I am now a radish eater. I did not radishes until a few months ago when my significant other made me a radish salad. It contained: raw radishes, diced onions, sour cream, sugar, dill, salt and pepper. Once this was set in the refrigerator for a half this side dish was delicious. I have never cooked radishes our used the greens. Maybe this will be in my near cooking future.

24. Rice: basmati, jasmine, sticky, sushi, long, arborio, brown, wild?

  • If you know, you know that I LOVE rice. It's one of my comfort foods. Growing up I grew up eating rice having a Caribbean background. Now if I have to pick from the above options, I would go with jasmine rice. The aroma alone makes my mouth water.

25. Crème fraiche? Sour Cream? Crema? 

  • Sour Cream for sure. I like that it is a base that can be mixed with sugar or salt and pepper and still taste yummy. It's a staple in my household. It may not be the healthiest option but it damn sure is tasty.

26. Do you cook ahead?

  • I started cooking ahead starting last year when I tried the Whole 30 diet. It was a great experience and it makes you really think about what goes into foods at restaurants and makes you wonder if the ingredients are fresh, local, or even good for you to consume so a long story short it's always best to cook ahead. Cook for the week.

27. What are your holiday food favorites?

  • Some of my favorite holiday foods are: candies yams and cranberry sauce. Those are the 2 dishes that I do not eat on a regular and whenever I eat it during the holidays it feels like a treat!

28. What’s your favorite berry?

  • Strawberries. They are hands down my favorite of the berries.

29. Recommend a good wine for a newbie.

30. Have you ever eaten bugs (on purpose)?

  • Actually I have. I dined at a Mexican restaurant named Serenata in the Chelsea area of New York City and the appetizer I chose included roasted grasshoppers. The dish was called ENSALADA DEL DESIERTO and it was quite delicious. It reminded me of eating sunflower seeds (maybe because it was roasted but I did not complain).

31. Do you like liverworst? 

  • I wouldn't say that I like it, I would say I've eaten it and I have not complained.

32. Have you ever made sausage?

  • No. But, I have watched the process in person and on screen and it's usually something I do not enjoy watching because it's usually kind of gross but I will eat sausage until the cows come home.

33. Do you like to try local specialities when you travel?

  • Yes. 100% before I travel I do a bit of research based on where I am going so I can try the national dish of that place. It gives you a feel of the location and connects you to what the people there value when it comes to food.

34. Ever made your own beer or wine or spirits?

  • I've assisted in making beer at an editorial house I worked for years ago. The ingredients were simple to get but the process itself included a few specialty items and the final process take several weeks to complete.

35. What are your favorite vegetables?

  • My favorite vegetables are: carrots, beets, baby kale, sorrel, spinach and cabbage.

36. Fruit crisps – with or without oatmeal?

  • With oatmeal. And also with ice-cream on top!

37. Have you ever met a cheese you didn’t like?

  • I have indeed! I enjoy cheese like the next person but when it is way too smelly I have a hard time eating it. I can not remember the brand but I was at an event and was served a camembert. Once I touched the tiny tasting block I just couldn't bring it up to my mouth to eat it. I'm find with non-smelly cheeses and I understand the smellier the cheese the better the taste but not in my  book!

38. Do you like coffee?

  • I do like coffee. Out of the types of coffee, I really enjoy cappuccinos. As I do enjoy coffee, I only drink it when I'm tired. I actually love tea a lot more and can drink tea all day.

39. What pasta do you favor, and with what sauce?

  • I am a big fan of penne. And I can always go for a nice vodka sauce on top.

40. Do you eat beets, and if so how do you like them prepared?

  • I do eat beets. I liked them juiced. I like them oven roasted. I can eat them raw in salads. During the holidays I eat a Polish beet soup. Recently I learned to shred them and pan fry them. I can eat anyway!

41. Have you ever eaten flowers?

  • Yes. I have eaten roses before in cupcakes. I've also had various teas containing flowers. Lot's of people do not realize they are drinking dried flowers in certain teas.

42. Do you like to read cookbooks?

  • No I do not like to read cookbooks, I usually skip the stories and go straight to the recipes.

43. Do you like to shop in foreign speciality grocery stores?

  • Yes. I mentioned earlier my house hold is half Polish so we shop at speciality polish markets and speciality Caribbean markets.

44. Does fancy dress enhance a special meal, or make it uncomfortable?

  • I would say yes. When you have to dress up for a meal it makes you feel special which in turn makes the meal feel special and when we usually dress up for meals it is for a special occasion.

45. Are good knives important?

  • Yes and no. For years I've used standard knives and I've been fine. I've managed to make perfectly delicious meals. Recently my significant other dropped quite a pretty penny on knives for Christmas and I will say these expensive knives cut everything so perfectly. I am grateful for them when I'm preparing meats and chopping vegetables because it does make a difference but for the last 15 years I've been okay with out them. So if you can obtain expensive knives do so.

46. What is your favorite kitchen tool (feel free to list more than one)?

  • This may sound weird but my tongs. I have at least 5 different sized tongs in my kitchen. No matter what I'm cooking, I seem to always use my tongs to pick something up or put something hot down. I don't know how I operated in my kitchen before having them.

47. Have you ever tried kitchen scissors?

  • Yes. They come in handy with cutting vegetables and tricky packaging.

48. Do you ever save up to splurge on an exceptional meal?

  • I have not saved for an exceptional meal but I have budgeted my month around an opportunity to eat at (2) of New York City's most famous steak houses in one week: Peter Luger and Strip House.

49. If you had $200 which you could only spend on food, what would you get?

  • If I had to spend $200 on food it would be a mixture of steak and lobster.

50. Have you ever thrown a dinner party?

  • Yes. I love dinner parties. I think they are great. Last year I threw a party at my apartment, it was called Tameeka's Birthday Pizza Pokeno and Pierogies. It was a lot of fun.

BONUS: Please share a recipe.

Screen Shot 2017-01-15 at 8.08.29 PMMany thanks to the questionnaire post on Swap-Bot for providing the above questions.

Recipes: Potato Salad

TameekaEats_PotatoSalad.png

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!

Tameeka Eats Food Facts: Apples ??

TameekaEats_Apple-1.jpg

This week I'd been thinking a lot about apples. I've been craving them which I do not normally do but they seem to be everywhere: in supermarket displays (right when you walk in), on television, in technology (Apple products), all over  bars with seasonal ciders, they are just everywhere this fall! Earlier today I was walking my dog and saw this (I had to stop myself for buying a bunch of the update jonagold's.Jonagolds              Is anyone else like me out there? For some reason, every single time I eat an apple the old saying comes to mind: "An Apple A Day Will Keep The Doctor Away" which I'm guessing can have some truth in the sense of we should all eat a piece of fruit instead of snacking on potato chips or candy ?.My all time favorite apple is the granny smith. Granny Smith apples are simply beautiful to look at and have the most addictive tartness I've ever tasted. Plus once you have a ripe granny smith you can crunch down on it and experience juicy crispness. Did you know it's an apple that originated in Australia in the 1800s, also did you know it's one of the most popular apples to cook with? One of my favorite lunches includes a turkey sandwich with brie, honey, slices of green apple and whole wheat bread! Yum. Yum. Ok wait!  I can go on and on about one of my favorite fruits but I'm going to stop and get it together and give 5 facts about this delicious fruit instead.??FACT #1 - Apples are said to have been growing wild in Central Asia around either 2 or 10 million years ago. That's a long long tie ago.??FACT #2 - A steady diet of apples are noted to reduce cholesterol. I guess there is some truth to that old saying.??FACT #3 - Apples are one of the most diverse food items around. You can create savory dishes, sweet pies, alcoholic beverages, and make a soup out them. You can puree them, bake them, grill them, blend them, feed them to your dog, infuse them with booze and add them to almost any dish you make. So be careful of putting apples in the refrigerator because they stay fresher longer. ??FACT #4 - Eating too many apple seeds can kill you. I'm being a bit dramatic but I figured this was important to mention. The apple seeds are poisonous if you eat about 200 of them. The small seeds contain a substance called amygdalin. Amygdalin releases cyanide (a chemical compound) when it comes into contact with the human digestive enzymes. ??FACT #5 - Apples can be used as a clarifying facial mask. Believe it or not adding an apple with honey, lemon, and flower can make for a natural facial mask.I hope you enjoyed this post and learned a little bit about one of the healthiest fruits you can eat! If you have any apple facts you'd like to share or even let me know what your favorite apple is feel free to leave a comment below. Now go and have an apple, it'll do you some good :) tameekaeats_apples2 tameekaeats_apples3