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 14 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Food Program

Today’s challenge is:Favorite Food Program I love food shows. I love reality food shows.I am a big fan of the program Chopped like the rest of the foodie world but my all time favorite food program is :

The Great Food Truck Race 

This reality program is on the Food Network station but I mostly watch episodes through HULU.I like this show so much because the contestants are small restaurant owners or even teams of people who are looking to start restaurants that do not have the money to either start a restaurant or buy a food truck. The contestants are given food trucks at the beginning of the competition with their logos and full stocked kitchens.On each episode they are given a food challenge which includes: getting specific ingredients based on the challenge, a certain amount of money to make said themed dish and they have to drive to specific locations and sell food to locals usually competing directly next to other food truck teams.It's a thrill to watch. I highly recommend watching it if you have the Food Network or HULU.This show gives the contestants great exposure and a online fan following.As we've seen from the success of the Big Gay IceCream Truck here in New York City, building an online following is huge and can make a restaurant flourish.Plus I really like food trucks, I've gone to a few different food truck events in the city and they are a blast. You get to try so many different types of "street food" on the go. I love it.The photo on the left is from an actual restaurant in Manhattan on 3rd Avenue called Korilla BBQ. I was meeting a friend for lunch after going to an art gallery and figured we should go there and try it out. I'd eaten at the truck the guys serviced around Manhattan but never went into the actual restaurant. I mostly wanted to see if the food was different after the Korilla BBQ guys were contestants on The Great Food Truck Race.The food was the same. The guys have a winning recipe of Korean bbq street food and it works. It was still exciting to see New Yorkers on the show representing for our great state!Here's a list of some of my other favorite food based shows:Man vs Food (Seasons 1 - 4)Cupcake Wars (The Halloween Wars are the best of this show)The Next Iron Chef Bizarre Foods   

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 12 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Desert

Today’s challenge is:Favorite Desert A few months ago, I created a post for National Desert Day where I revealed what my favorite desert of all time was. You can check it out here: MY ALL TIME FAVORITE DESSERT- #NATIONALDESSERTDAYSince I've already discussed what my favorite desert is, I thought I'd take a little time and discuss what dessert knocked my socks off.Back in June of 2016, I joined a group of close friends to celebrate a bachelorette party in New Orleans, Louisiana.I had a blast and I'm definitely returning because the food there, is one of a kind. Til this day, I still talk about what I ate while I was there and I'll probably still talk about it until I return.Before heading to New Orleans lots of friends recommended places to eat, I took note of all of the places but one place that stood out amongst all of the suggestions was Café Du Monde.Café Du Monde is well known (it seems everyone around the world knows about this place) for it's coffee with chicory and it's beignets.Beignets are little fluffy powdered sugar pieces of heaven.Actually, beignets are breakfast based deep-fried pastries covered with powdered sugar. It sounds so plain but I feel blessed to have tried this in New Orleans.It's really good. Especially warm freshly fried and washed down with an iced coffee.I've tried beignets here in New York City and they do not compare.So I will say, my second favorite dessert (even though people in New Orleans eat these for breakfast) are beignets.Dear Reader, what's your favorite desert of all time? Comment below.

Day 11 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Main Course

Today’s challenge is:Favorite Main Course The main course during any dining situation is always my favorite course.It's the big show! The main event.My favorite time during dining.It obviously depends on the type of restaurant I am at but 9 out of 10 times my go-to main course is a steak.My favorite cuts are: skirt and hanger.At home, I do not cook much red-meat so going out and ordering a steak is usually a treat for me.I recently moved to the Elmhurst / Jackson Heights area in Queens New York.If you are not familiar when this part of New York, just know that it's a big foodie destination. This area has been featured in AM NY, CNN, The Travel Channel, and even Serious Eats.I recently had dinner near my home at a Colombian restaurant named La Pequeña Colombia. It's a cute place. Very authentic (the staff and the food).I went with my go-to and ordered a steak/shrimp entree.Though I was not asked how I wanted my steak prepared I went with the flow and still enjoyed the meal. It was honestly delicious.The portions here are HUGE. I was given a whole separate plate of rice and beans and I couldn't leave without having an avocado salad. Have a look at all the Colombian goodness in the photo above.Oh and the margaritas are good here too :p If you are in Elmhurst be sure to check out the steak entrees at La Pequeña Colombia, you'll enjoy it!What's your go to entree? Is it steak, is it fish? Comment below, let me know!

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 8 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Food That You Dislike...

Today’s challenge is:Food That You Dislike That Most People Do Like I hate okra.I do not like the taste. I do not like the texture. I do not like it's look. I do not like okra.I've made this known amongst my friends and family. It's seems that every time I mention that I hate okra the next thing I hear is: "you just haven't had it _____ this way" or "you just haven't tried it the way I make it. "People have suggested I try it fried, stewed, baked, or grilled.NOPE.I'm not going to try it any other way.I've tried it twice in my life time and I think that's enough.Once my late grandmother Maureen prepared okra as a side dish with tomatoes and peppers (known as Caribbean style) and I was not having it.The second time I tried it at a restaurant and it was fried. Nope. I did not like it that way either.I just do not like it.Also, it's way too slimy for my liking.Okra and I will never be friends.

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.

Day 6 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Restaurant That Lives Up To The Hype

In my opinion the restaurant that lives up to the hype is PETER LUGAR STEAK HOUSE (the Brooklyn location). It's still being reviewed by the NY Times and Zagat as one of the best restaurants in New York City. Thats major!I can count the types I've eaten here - 3 to be exact and every time I've left extremely full and with a smile on my face.Growing up in Brooklyn I've always heard about this place. I've always heard that the steaks were HUGE and delicious.The steaks were just that. I've never eaten such a large steak before. It was the size of my head (or probably bigger). The steaks were juicy, prepared perfectly and the serves presented the steaks in such a old fashion manner. I loved it!The restaurant is super old school Brooklyn. It's still cash only (even though you can pay with a debit card if need be), the decor has not changed yet it's still relevant compared to other steak houses in New York. You also have to call to make reservations, no online reservations.If you are a meat eater, you have to experience this place. It's a must for NY living. Get the Canadian bacon or jumbo shrimp for an appetizer, the creamed spinach is to die for, and on any dessert of choice make sure you ask for the "schlag" (whipped creme).

Day 4 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Chef

My favorite chef is Marcus Samuelsson.If you don't know the name you may know him from popular food competition shows such as Chopped and Top Chef Masters.He's a brilliant chef and I appreciate him because he's heavily involved in preserving and celebrating black culinary history.It seems like every other culture has food that's proudly celebrated but its seems like black food isn't celebrated as much as Italian or even Mexican food. I feel Marcus is doing a great job representing for us and showing the culinary world the importance and sophistication of black food.I've had the pleasure of eating at Red Rooster which is one of Marcus' restaurants here in Harlem - New York City. Harlem is a historically black neighborhood so I can see the significance of why he chose to open the restaurant there. Once you step into Red Rooster it's like a party. The people are friendly, the bar is lively, there's a band playing live music and the smell of delicious food hits you as soon as you walk in.While I was at the restaurant I had a chance to meet Marcus. I completely fangirled and as you can see from my photo I was really excited to meet him. He was extremely humble. He was even open to suggestions about the food. Which I thought was really thoughtful and just plain real. He made sure he went to every table and checked to see if everyone was happy with the menu and the dishes they ordered.A few years back I started reading his James Beard Foundation award winning memoir titled Yes Chef. It's a great read about his life growing up Ethiopian in Sweden, his family and how his passion for food made him who he is today. I highly recommend it if you like good memoirs or foodie related books.To keep up with Marcus I now follow him on Instagram and you should too!

Day 3 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Food Memory

Before I reveal my favorite food memory. I have to say that I was blessed to have a mother who knew the importance of exposing their offsprings to other cultures through food. I'm also very lucky to have a father who studied culinary arts. I believe this helped mold me into the foodie that I am today.Back to my favorite food memory. I was about 12 or 13 years old and my mother decided it was time to introduce me to Japanese cuisine because I would always see pretty pictures of sashimi on menus and I would always ask her about it.There was one afternoon after school my mother took me to this cute little Japanese restaurant near Union Square in Manhattan (here in NYC). It wasn't too fancy it was just right for a first experience. Not too stuffy, just right. At that time this was a huge deal for be cause it was time! Time to try the pretty food! I was so excited to try out the chopsticks. I will say I did a good job (you can confirm this with my mama).She started off by ordering California rolls for me. Don't give me side eye reader. I think that was a great introduction for a youngin'.I LOVED every bit of the rolls.Little did I know many years later I would be dining at the hippest Japanese restaurants in New York and Las Vegas.At this time I was "living my best life". I was trying the pretty food and I wanted more. We tried another roll. I can't remember which one but it may have been spicy tuna but I'm not sure about that. But on the second roll before my mother could explain what the wasabi and ginger was for. I plopped the piece of wasabi in my mouth.Allow me to explain.Growing up Caribbean you tend to eat avocados on the regular. The California roll contained a small piece and I don't know why my brain connected this but I figured oh the chef was so nice to put a piece of avocado on the side for maybe a palate cleanser. Boy was I wrong.The fire in my nose and my entire face spoke volumes. Tears were rolling my face. My mother tried to stop me but I was too fast. And my friends reading this, from that day forward I either ask what certain items are or I smell my food before I put it in my mouth.It is my favorite memory because I learned to take it easy when it comes to new foods and it was my first time trying one of my now favorite cuisines.

Day 2 - 30 Day Food Blog Challenge - Favorite Restaurant

This took some time for me to answer because it's tough being in New York City with so many diverse, michelin star, easily accessible restaurants and simply labeling one restaurant as ones "favorite".But if I have to pick one I will say off of the top of my head: Burger and Lobster.I know some of you out there reading this may be giving me some serious side-eye but hear me out.I really like seafood. To clarify I love lobsters. I love the taste, the consistency does not bother me and it's just so rich!I'm a big fan of simplicity. I like things to be straight forward. It may not seem that way but it's the truth.Burger and Lobster is a restaurant with two main dishes and every single time I've eaten there the food, the drinks, and the staff have been consistently on point. I have not been disappointed by them yet.I've tried all of the different varieties of lobsters (grilled, steamed) as well as the burgers and I've always left satisfied.If you find yourself at Burger and Lobster I recommend getting the mini burger and grilled lobster combo (seen in the above photo). Be sure to ask for at the garlic butter sauce on the side.ProTip: Lobster rolls are great but if you come here get a whole lobster. I promise you it's not hard to eat. It may look intimidating but it's not. The chefs open the lobsters in a way that makes it easy for anyone to eat.Just from seeing the photos of this place one would think it's very pricey but it's actually not. The prices are very reasonable and the environment is not stuffy at all. The Chelsea location just so happens to be walking distance from my day job.It's a win-win for me!

What's your favorite restaurant?! Comment Below.

Black Eyed Peas and New Years Day

 It's 18 degrees here in New York City.When it's that cold in New York no one goes outside unless they have to. This morning I got up and ran my butt outside to the grocery store to buy a bag of black eyed peas. That may sound crazy but in the back of my mind I knew it was something that had to be done.I bared the cold for tradition.Growing up I can remember eating black eyed peas and collard greens around the holidays but most specifically on New Years Day (not eve). No one ever explained why we did this and I didn't question it because who doesn't love black eyed peas with ham and collard greens?! I thought it was just holiday food.It wasn't until I was older and started cooking for myself did I start to question this tradition.After doing a bit of research I've learned that eating black eyed peas is a Southern tradition. This makes sense in my case being that my mothers side of the family is primarily from the south. My aunt (one of my mother's older sisters) is a powerhouse at cooking traditional southern food. My mouth is watering just thinking about her collards.In the south, it is said that black eyed peas was a symbol of emancipation for African Americans who had been previously enslaved and were freed on New Years Day.If it takes cooking and eating something that I love the taste of to celebrate emancipation I'm all for it. I'll walk in the cold a thousand times if I have to.Black eyed peas is also considered a good luck dish. This tradition (well the superstitious part of it) also stems back from the south. The concept is, if you eat black eyed peas on New Years Day you will be prosperous throughout the year.I'm here for this too. I believe in certain superstitions to some extent so I'm going to rock with this one and eat up these peas!I've already cooked and eaten my black eyed peas (seen above) for the day. I did not go with tradition and cook them with pork , I just added a tiny bit of onions and garlic seasoning. I did however throw a little hot sauce on them once they were cooked which is considered traditional.Now that my belly is full and I had a side of good ole' black eyed peas I can rest easy and manifest all of the good things coming my way.Cheers to much success in the new year!Foodies out there, are there any New Year traditions you follow or keep going? If so, share below. Leave a comment. 

TameekaEats: Happy 1st Blogiversary To Me!

Today marks the 1 year creation of this site: Tameeka Eats!I'd like to give you a brief history about my site.Tameeka Eats came about at the end of an era. The end of a lifestyle blog I started/managed for about 6 years called Tameeka Time.In 2014, I took a break from blogging and took time for myself. I needed to take a break. I needed to really get into my life and focus on my post-production career. Mama needed them coins so I could take care of myself. My time off from blogging worked out well for me.Now that I had my career on track I was able to focus on what my heart wanted.At the beginning of 2016, I had a realization that I needed to get back into blogging no matter what.No lifestyle site this time. Something more focused.After a bit of meditating and some self reflection I realized my life really revolves around taking photos of food, looking up recipes, cooking, dining out weekly, going to food events and writing Yelp reviews. It all sort of came together.I started with a food instagram page. Then transitioned into creating the blog site to match.The biggest highlight of this year for Tameeka Eats was opening up and meeting like minded women of a group called BLACK BLOGGERS UNITED.I feel like I've fount my people. These are busy women making it work. These women have children, own companies, amongst other things and they still manage blog sites. Even from the first meeting I went to I was inspired. We have monthly meet-ups and those meetings put a fire under my butt and motivate me to get it together.A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my site or have acknowledged my work in any way. It really means a lot to me.On a daily basis, I wish I would be able to post more. It bothers me that I can not but I'm doing my best. I work full time and at night or certain weekends that's when I research and work on my food photos and planning on where to eat. It's taken me a year to realize that I can't feel down on myself about not posting. It's like I have a mantra: "post when you can--post when you can, just be consistent". I'm using a calendar/planner now to organize myself better to schedule posts and I use an app called Trello to organize my ideas and topics. Baby steps. I look forward to providing you readers with more food photos, more IG posts, more snaps, more event recaps and more restaurant reviews.xoxo Tameeka ?