St. Patrick's Day 2010

Trip to Gracie's in Haddonfield, NJ

When it's warm enough to eat ice cream outside on St. Patrick's Day, you definitely have the "luck of the Irish" on your side.  It was gorgeous today.

Fri. 3/12/10: I Love Trader Joe's

"Who you calling JERKY?!"

      Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places to buy food.  I really, really looooove it.  'Nuff said.

(I was told that I was "not allowed" to take pictures of the store.  I offered to delete this one, but the manager said it was okay.)

Thursday, 3/11/10: A Spicy Day

Accent: "Wakes up food flavor" AND Memories

When I saw this red "ACCENT" container at the grocery store today, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Memories of my maternal grandfather flooded back to me. If I remember correctly, his meatball recipe called for Accent. Had I not seen it, I most likely would not ever have thought of it again. It's funny how something so small can bring back a memory so big. So, one container of it now resides in my spice cabinet.

What a lovely reminder of Grandpop.

Tuesday the 9th of March: THAI!!

Mirrors from Kuhn Thai: Millburn, NJ

Had Thai tonight. I always order the same thing because I know I will like it, but that's obviously a sign I'm afraid to experiment. I really want to get more into it, and will have to be a bit more adventurous next time....but "my usual" is just SO GOOD! Love the ambiance of this place, too. It's really soothing. Just a great meal.

Friday, March 5, 2010: Yummy Tank Top

My tasty new top

I got the cuuuuutest tank top today. It's bright colored and is all about FOOD!! No wonder I like it so much!

Thurs. 3/4/10: Homemade Pizza x2

My pizza gets Jim's seal of approval

I made homemade pizza two times this week. The second time was tonight with "real" dough from Vito's Pizza, and it rocked. The first time was with Pillsbury dough, and it wasn't so successful. Second time's the charm!!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010: Pasta!

Pasta with Mushroom pepper sauce

This was tonight's awesome dinner, prepared by an awesome person, just for little old me! Great brain food for studying allllllll night.

Monday, March 1, 2010: Grocerieeeeees!

My full fridge. Love it.

Still haven't had meat, lo these many days. Continuing to plug away at the vegetarian diet. Hit the health food store before class and ShopRite after.

Tues. February 23, 2010: Veggie burger

Amazing Spot to eat in Union, NJ

I say with a great deal of hesitation that my good friend Kate (see 1/11/10 post) may have missed her calling in life. I say that she may have missed her calling because she is so incredibly knowledgeable with matters of the human body and illness that it appears she could start a career in nursing tomorrow. I can't count the number of times that Kate has imparted some medical wisdom or knowledge on me. I make this claim with hesitation because she is one of the most gifted, talented, and creative teachers I've ever had the pleasure to see in action.

In any event, I shared my stomach woes with Kate, and she said that she's heard it recommended that people with IBS go vegetarian. So, yesterday and today I have tried some all-vegetarian meals. And, so far, my stomach is pretty happy.

The problem is, I don't know if I will be able to go totally vegetarian. First, I have some real problems with the philosophical angle behind becoming a vegetarian or vegan (or "veggie burger" as I like to call people who partake of these practices). I'm not much of a hippie. I don't hug trees. And while I'm not claiming that all Veggie Burgers are tree-hugging hippies, I AM claiming that they tend to have a soap box beneath them that spawned their meat-free status. I've had plenty of exposure to plenty of vegetarians and vegans. I've heard it all from "Do you know what they actually DO to those poor animals?!" to "Adam and Eve didn't eat animals, they lived in harmony with them." My answers to this are very clear (and perhaps very American). God put animals here for us to eat. Moreover, if I don't eat that slab of beef, someone else will. I don't lose sleep over it. Call me cold-hearted, but it's just how I believe the world is meant to work. I should note that I do not condone or approve of cruelty to animals of any kind. I do know that the conditions these animals have to endure, for the sole benefit of adorning my dinner table, are not pleasant. I'm not happy about it, but it's the way it is. I put enough faith into the USDA to maintain a standard for quality of life of all animals that I don't feel the need to expend emotional energy on the topic. So, needless to say, I have never "dug" the veggie/vegan ideology and I certainly won't be jumping on that bandwagon even if I do choose to go this route.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that I LOVE MEAT. I am a carnivore at heart. To quote Kate again, "Karen as a vegetarian?! Is that even possible? We know how much Miss Wislocky loves meat!" My favorite dinner (my special birthday dinner as a kid...and even as an adult) has been steak and french fries. For crying out loud! Some of my favorite restaurants are places like Outback, Texas Roadhouse, and Steak and Ale. Knowing this about myself makes me think that eliminating meat altogether--especially red meat--is a nearly impossible task.

But, for now, I'll experiment. Here's my menu for the past two days (and no, I'm not a morning-time breakfast eater. Pancake dinners make me happy though.)

Yesterday 2/22

Lunch: PB&J

Dinner: Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burgers (AWESOME!) and veggies.

Today 2/23

Lunch: 2 soft pretzels for lunch

Dinner: Hummus & Roasted Vegetables Salad at Van Gogh's Ear Cafe.

Van Gogh's Ear Cafe website

Pop Shop: Thursday, 2/18/10

My "modest" sundae from

the Pop Shop in Collingswood, NJ

I ordered a small sundae with peanut butter ripple ice cream, hot fudge and peanut butter. And THIS is what a server brought me. This sundae was NOT small. Mind you, by the time I thought to take a picture of it, the sundae was 1/3 eaten! Oh, the pain one must endure in this life. Good thing my mom was there to help me with the heavy lifting. :)

Pop Shop's website

Saturday, 2/6/10: Visit to Crane's Deli

Crane's Deli in Maplewood, NJ

I was fortunate to avoid the tons of snow at home this weekend, as I headed to North Jersey on Friday night as the storm hit. At home, the snow was a doozy. Over two feet there (and when I checked in at 7:30 tonight it was still snowing!) Here in North Jersey, they got very little snow. My guess is an inch tops. It's in the bitter cold and windy, probably in the 20's with a lower wind chill, but at least it's not a snowy mess.

I spent a few hours at Crane's Deli with Hondo and Texas Ted yesterday. They're always entertaining! I also treated myself to a manicure and pedicure next door, as I had to cancel my Saturday AM appointment back home due to my early evacuation. It was a great day, and Crane's brought about lots of warm fuzzies despite the frigid weather!

Crane's Website

Thursday, 2/4/10: Say Cheese!

Mastoris Cheese and Cinnamon Bread: Yum!

This is today's "cheesy" photo! Dinner at Mastoris Diner in Bordentown, NJ.

Mastoris website

February 3, 2010: Cheerio, mate!

Cheerios: Honey, I'm a Nut for them!

I utterly and absolutely love cereal. I could eat it for every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner, AND as a midnight snack! I truly could. If I chose to do so, however, I'd of course need to use Lactose-free, Soy, or Almond milk (or something of the like), as my stomach can't handle dairy. (No fun, I know.)

I adore cooking and baking. It may be my most favorite pastime. But there's something wonderful about pouring yourself a bowl of cereal and having a delicious treat of a meal that only dirties two dishes.

It's sublime.

Thursday, January 28: Chocolate Attack

An enigma wrapped in a riddle

Another adventure with food today. NEW Chocolate Cheerios. Please explain to me how eating these "may reduce the risk of heart disease." What's next?

Tues. Jan 26, 2010: Post-Birthday Celebrations

Desserts!

Mike's birthday was yesterday, and since I didn't get to see him, we celebrated tonight. On the left is the gourmet dessert his roommate got him, and on the right is the humble, yet awesome cupcake I brought him from McMillians. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!

1/24: A lack of Sun Sunday in Philadelph.

Honey's Sit 'N' Eat: Always worth the trip

I think the great spirit of fire in the sky forgot that today is SUNday. It was a cloudy and overcast day, despite the few rays trickling in the window in today's shot. So, we made our own sunshine, indoors. We went to Honey's Sit 'N' Eat on 4th Street in the Northern Liberties. My Nutella French Toast with fresh berries was awesome, and the home fries are not to be missed, as always. A chance run-in with a long lost college friend, Drew, rounded out the visit for yet another fantastic experience at this gem of a restaurant.

Despite the lack of the glow from the heavens, today was gloriously bright.

Lundi, Janvier Dix-Huit, 2010

Gaslight Waffle Fries

South Orange, NJ

Ici est mes pommes frites. C'est magnifique!

Tuesday, January 12 was "crummy."

Crumbs' Red Velvet Cupcake

(Elvis cupcake in box)

This picture doesn't even do these magnificent creations justice. I stopped by Crumbs in Westfield, NJ on my trip up north last night. It's always a treat. My friend Jacky told me about this gem of a bakery, and I'm eternally grateful for it! The best news is, they're open until 10 PM...perfect for late-night snack fixes! They are not inexpensive ($3.75 a cupcake--the 4 ran me $15), but as a once-in-a-great-while splurge, I say it's worth it.

http://www.crumbs.com/

January 9, 2010: A flavorful day

As flavorful as a pic can get

Got Food Network Magazine for my birthday from you-know-who. I watch Food Network like it's my job. It's essentially the only TV I watch. There's an occasional HGTV show thrown in for good measure. I got super excited while watching on Saturday AM.

My Jan/Feb issue arrived in my mail slot, and shortly thereafter came Ina Garten's show, Barefoot Contessa. The episode was about her Flavor article for the current mag! They showed her "testing" the recipes and sending them on for their close-up with the photographers in NY. So cool!

1/7/10, meet Mr. Thirsty

Juice? Think again.

I had quite the grocery shopping venture this evening.

While shopping, I discovered this gem of a beverage called "Mr. Thirsty."

There are just so many things to love about this drink: The name of the beverage, the cheerful fruits depicted (which happen to all share the same color), the fact that it's both naturally and artificially flavored, the alarming neon red color...I could go on. But, perhaps my favorite feature is the top right corner of the label which notes "Contains no juice."