Blogs That Make Me Drool

I really do spend the majority of my day researching/ drooling over food blogs… which I don’t mind whatsoever. I could think of many worse things such as stapling papers, shredding documents, and making coffee. Trust me, no one wants me to be making coffee- I mess up the most elementary cooking techniques yet I am able to pull off esoteric dishes at the drop of a hat. Weird. Anyway, after having spent the last year (before my internship even began, I spent an inordinate amount of time on food sites) I am now able to say I found a few that truly blow me away. 

1) Smitten Kitchen- www.smittenkitchen.com- Ok so I came upon this site over 3 months ago, so my adoration for the site just began recently. I will say, however, I rarely see as many followers for one site as I do on S.K. Every recipe posted receives around 150-200 comments. That is utter insanity. Even if the recipe is something as mundane as “Brioche rolls” there are usually 180 comments. Why you may ask? The unbelievable step by step photo photography. 

2) 101 Cookbooks- www.101cookbooks.com- I have loved this website for over a year now; this vegetarian recipe site is unreal- I wish some of the dishes for main courses would include poultry, fish, steak ANYTHING but clearly, unless she changes her opinions on animal cruelty and or her disposition against eating animals, I must choose recipes that consist mainly of beans, and lentils. I think her baked goods are the main draw to the website, but that’s just my opinion.

3) Serious Eats- www.seriouseats.com- Ok, so, if you’ve ever met me you know how much of a Serious Eater fan I am. I have been a daily reader of this food blog for way over 2 years now. It is nothing out of the ordinary, nor does it contain beautiful photographs or even recipes! Why you ask am I just a fan? I can’t really explain it. The site is primarily a compilation of food news, gossip, and clips from other bloggers/ food related websites. I think it’s the ability to get all of your foodie news on one site that makes me enjoy reading. I have asked them for internships/jobs/writing positions for 2 years now, unfortunately, they respond that Boston isn’t their headquarters and in order for me to sell my soul for free as their intern, I must find housing in NYC. No thanks.

4) Tastespotting- www.tastespotting.com- This site is very straight forward- they are an open forum based site that allows foodies, chefs, anyone who really likes to cook and photograph it to upload their gorgeous food pics onto their website. The site literally contains thousands upon thousands of images of amazing looking food. Ok so you may be asking what’s the point of this? It’s to “inspire” they claim. My interest in the websites a bit different, seeing as that I don’t cook good enough to even properly toast waffles let alone “re-create souffles” uploaded on their site. I love the feature of the site that allows you to click on the person’s personal blog after you view their photography. It opens your world in terms of up and coming food bloggers. I find new pages daily that I love. 

5) Closet Cooking- http://closetcooking.blogspot.com- If you were to click on the profile photo of the blog’s owner you would be so surprised. I would assume he was a librarian, perhaps a mechanical engineer that never really saw broad daylight. When you see the skill this guy has in cooking and the ability to photograph it- you will be blown away, I am certain. His recipes are so expansive and delicious I have no doubt this blog will blow up very soon.

Michael Jackson- Why Only One White Glove?

I do realize because of a) my adoration for Michael and b) nothing else has been covered on the news since June 25th, it is now time to finally blog about the situation. I don’t think this will be a typical fan response but it’s ok — I’ve always been a little bit different. These are my opinions on the tragic and sudden death of the late King of Pop:

A) I do believe he was involved in risky business with children. Why else would he have paid of 25 million dollars to one of the children’s families? To avoid further investigation — my point exactly. In addition, there has been shocking news of a “hidden room” found behind his clothing in his closet — accesible only to those with keys/locks? Is this serious? If so, I would like to know what exactly took place in this room. I believe that there is a lot we have to figure out still in regards to his pedophile title. I am hoping the child that was paid off comes out of the dark and speaks the truth.

B) I believe while the Michael Jackson Memorial yesterday was a massive, public relations/ press frenzy it was also somewhat tasteful all at the same time. I think the only part that really shook me up was when Paris, his daughter, started crying on the stage. I think all of us saw him as an entertainer, a child at heart, and perhaps a child molestor — not many thought of him as a father. Once we saw the despair and pain his daughter felt towards his death it almost changes your views on the man who we thought we knew well. On a lighter, funnier note, I would like to comment that Mariah Carey’s performance was laughable and down right horrendous. I was expecting Michael to rise from his grave and tell her to get the hell off of the stage. Mariah, just because you wave your hand up and down does not mean you are still as good of a singer as you were back in the 90’s. I’m sorry.

 

 C) His physical feature timeline freaks the shit out of me. To be frank. I think he looked best circa age 15? Sure he was self conscious about his skin but after Nose Job 1 he looked legitamately hot. By surgery number 10, however, he became a creature — not a man, oh no a creature that I can’t seem to identify.

D) His music and music videos will and forever have shaped our music world. Thriller, one of my old time favorite music videos was absolutely revolutionary. I tend to sit in my apartment, headphones on, in the pitch black watching the 13 minute video intensely. It was spooky, creepishly good, and captivating all at the same time. In addition to Thriller, some of his hits such as Dirty Diana, P.Y.T., and Billie Jean were songs I danced to for years in jazz, hip hop, and even modern dance classes.

In conclusion, do I think that it was a tragic death? Absolutely. Do I think he truly shaped every aspect of the music industry? Without a doubt. However, do I think his financial/sexual/legal situations are something to overlook?  Not whatsoever.

R.I.P. King of Pop- You will most definitely never be forgotten (for better or for worse)

Top 10 Movies I Can’t Get Enough Of

Usually, I don’t tend to write about things I don’t to all too much about. Hence why you don’t see any politics and or sports related blogs on this website. I know a “fair” amount about current topics but not enough to put my two cents in. My brother,  on the other hand, checks the political blog Drudge Report as often as I’m on Serious Eats. Anywhoo,  I will say this much: I know movies. Perhaps, I’m not into the emo flicks or know the names of all of the “Indie film stars” but I do love and watch many great movies. With that in mind, I thought it would be appropriate to finally list off and explain my top 10 movie picks of all time.

#10- Raging Bull

I love DeNiro’s ability to portray pretty much any character he tries to play. The movie features blood, fighting, and far too much cursing but I can’t stop watching it whenever I click through the channels.

#9- Slumdog Millionaire- This movie blew me away. I saw this grudgingly– seeing as that I tend to steer clear of hyped up movies. I have to admit however that this movie lived up to its expectations. The love triangle, the poverty, and the ability to turn your life around are just three of the many reasons I was glued to this phenomenal movie.

#8- Scream 3- You my ask why I didn’t include Screams 1 and 2, but in case you were wondering — it was purposeful. I love slasher films, yes, but I believe only two are truly worth listing in my top 10, Texas Chainsaw and Scream 3. Perhaps it was the psycho mother of Billy (played by that nobody on Rosanne) that spooked me out but something clearly made me uncomfortable — and I loved every minute of it.

#7- Sixteen Candles- I guess the reason I picked this one over Breakfast Club and the other 80’s classics was because we can all relate to the plot; a teen, full of angst, upset that her family members forgot her “most crucial” birthday. Hey, I walked into my house after having turned 21 this weekend in hopes of seeing balloons, circus folk, and towers of presents. I was instead welcomed by deflating balloons from my brother’s graduation party last weekend. Oh well.

#6- Harry Potter- If you want to know whether or not I’m a Harry Fanatic, the answer is most definitely NO. While in London, over 10 years ago, I stumbled upon Harry Potter in the bookstore. I read the first one and was captivated by the entire plot, setting, and character developments. Once it hit the US however it became a fanatical obsession for most girls my age, hence why my interest slowly dissolved. The reason I’m including this in the list i because I want nothing more in life than to live in Hogwarts — really, I am willling to forgo the rest of my undergraduate education to reside in Hogwarts full-time. Something about the spookiness of the “hidden rooms”, the beautiful cafeteria, and the Quidditch games are all mesmorizing to me.

#5- Texas Chainsaw- Are there other more well known ‘classic horror movies’? Of course there are. Amd I will say I do like my fair share of the classics, i.e. Halloween, The Shining, so on and so forth. But, there’s something so dark and twisted about Texas Chainsaw. The setting is this rural Southern town full of people who partake in incest — they all cover for one other’s dark secrets, more specifically, the killer’s. I just think the whole idea of landing in a back wash town with no access to the outside world, oh and the fact that a man who enjoys sewing body parts of dead human’s to his face gives me chills every time.

#4- The Dark Knight- I tend to gravitate towards films with background controversy, like, Heath Ledger’s mysterious death for instance. The movie itself was interesting — some aspects such as Bale’s acting and Maggie Gyllenhal’s part I both believe were lacking. While, the special effects and well, Bale’s body were well worth sitting for 3 hours. In addition, I watch this movie over and over again to see Ledger’s “final performance”

#3- Grease- I remember countless nights when I was a child, unable to sleep, passing time watching Grease. I loved the dancing, the hot pants, and of COURSE JOHN TRAVOLTA. Sigh. The music from this movie hasn’t been surpassed by many other movies since, in my opinion.

#2- Pulp Fiction- Find me a movie as deeply complex as Pulp Fiction, and I will beg to differ. This movie scared me, made me laugh, and most of all, made me want to re watch it time and time again. The Travolta/ Jackson duo couldn’t have been cast better. I think they balanced each other out; Jackson was more philosophical and religious whereas Travolta was quite the opposite. In addition, the scene in which they show the cocaine overdose totally freaked me out… I loved it.

#1- Dirty Dancing- I have way too much to say about this movie, so instead of listing off the reasons why I love it all I will tell you to do is this: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT, GO RIGHT NOW TO BLOCKBUSTER. (Do people still go there?) Better yet, NETFLIX IT.

It’s My Birthday So Here’s To My Favorite Dishes

I was planning on writing about the Battle Of The Press Coverage, MJ versus Farrah, but I decided that because it is my birthday I wanted to do this post. The post will consist of mouth salivating photos, and descriptions. Be prepared! Below are my all-time favorite dishes of all time. Some are more sophisticated than others.

                        

French Toast Sticks- So most likelllyyy you haven’t thought of these breakfast gifts from heaven in quite some time. I however dream of them quite often. I used to warm them up to the point they were moist and soggy- then I’d drench (not dip) no, drench the sticks in Aunt Jemima’s. Not much comes close.

French Fries with Honey- It wasn’t until recently that I began liking the actual taste of Ketchup. With that in mind, I needed another conidment growing up to dip my french fries into. Honey was the perfect fit. I remember countless drive through experiences when I would ask for ‘EXTRA HONEY PACKETS PLEASE’. (They tend to be fairly skimpy)

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Sandwiches- Throughout high school I was a cross country and track runner. I enjoyed carbo loading for any reason I could conjure up. “Meet in 7 days? Time to carbo load!” I also didn’t start varying my lunch menus until college — the wraps, salads, and soups came with age. I had very clear directions for my mother when she prepared my lunch in the mornings-

1) Heavy on the Chunky Peanut Butter (both sides)

2) Load the honey on the right slice of bread only (make sure it’s drenched)

3) Sliced bananas included only if the banana is not too ripe 

Arroz Con Pollo- Other than my mother’s infamous Tamale Pie, her Arroz Con Pollo is equally as delicious. I love the peas, rice, chicken, and stewed tomato combination.

Seafood Paella- I have to give a shout out to the best Paella I have ever had, MANNA in Margate NJ. If you’re ever in the area aka down in the dirty Jersey Shore, be sure to head to Manna for the unbelievable Paella. The owner/chef brings out the steaming couldron for you.

…. Yes, I Have Them Too. My Biggest Phobias

I have a lot of phobias. I also have a lot of things that scare the living shit out of me. I will go through my phobia list, perhaps some of you have some of the same ones? I sure hope so.

1) I used to have dreams that alligators/crocodiles were walking around my bedroom all throughout my child hood. I used to knock violently on my parents door from the age of 6 through 11, asking them if it would be ok if I were to sleep in their tub. Clearly, I would be carrying my various baby blankets and G.I. Joe dolls WITH me into the tub. Either way, the concept of crocodiles and alligators still give me the creeps. I can’t figure out whether it’s more the fact that they are quiet killers or that they slowly lurk out of the murky waters.

2) Getting sick, being nauseous- clearly I have been sick before but I truthfully just don’t like anything about it. I’d rather do anything else in life, like … become a mortician for instance. The feeling of not being in control is what I dislike most about it. I keep massive bottles of TUMS, Saltines, and Xanax close by for this very reason.

3) Serial killers in movies that walk as opposed to run. I used to HATE scary movies, however, over the past 10 years I have grown a liking to the old school slasher flicks. I say slasher because those are truthfully the only ones I will watch (Think Urban Legend, Screams 1&3, Valentine, Texas Chainsaw) movies where there are attractive broads in white tanks, running UP the stairs as opposed to down.

4) Wet Band Aids by the pool- OK you maybe laughing at me at the moment, but honestly, growing up I would get chills up and down my spine at day camp when I’d walk into the pool to find wet band aids and hair by the pool side. The thought of the germs on that wet nasty ass Band Aid STILL gives me the chills.

5) Finally, GREAT WHITES. I saw Jaws, of course, but prior to Jaws, I had a violent fear of Great Whites. Why you may ask? I sail, and when sailing in the dark many many things cross your mind. OH like, what would happen if a MASSIVE DEADLY GREAT WHITE, for example, DECIDED TO EAT YOUR ENTIRE DINGIE IN ONE GULP. I am still envisioning a white fin in the water every time I help my dad out on the boats.

Here is my advice to the things that scare me: Great White, mind your own god damn business, leave us humans alone. Alligators and crocs, please stop being so sly and scary all at once — either speed up and kill me quickly or leave me be. Serial killers in movies, learn that the only proper slasher film way to kill someone IS TO RUN, not to walk. Walking intimidates not only the victim, but the viewers as well. And for the love of god, if you cut yourself and don’t feel the need for a Band Aid anymore — USE THE TRASH CAN. Is that too much is that to ask?

I’ll Have a Milkshake, but can I have a toy too?

I will take you down Memory Lane for just a minute. My old baby sitter Sharon used to be the chauffeur for both me and my brother growing up. I remember the countless trips to Mickey D’s after school. My parents were rarely around so in return during the school week, Sharon would pick us up from school. My brother holding his breath until he turned blue seemed to do the trick — we somehow managed to weasel our way into daily trips after school to our favorite “toy store if you will”. Also, known as McDonald’s. While I truthfully enjoyed/ and still do enjoy my fair share of fast food, there was a clear draw to the free toys given to me as a child.

I remember nights me and Bren would sit in our teepee outback behind our house. We would lay out all of the Mickey D toys we collected that week. Trade them. Boast about the ones we liked, perhaps bribe each other to “swap” for other more valuable ones. It was a major and I mean major source of entertainment for us growing up. Perhaps that’s why Shar would take us — less interaction time needed with the little bratty kids. Who knows?

What I do know is that the toys given out at these institutions really went hand and hand. I hadn’t thought NEARLY as much about the food as I did about which toy I was getting. 

For example, let’s look at some of the best of the best in regards to 90’s McDonald’s Toys. You gave me Beanie Babies AND Chicken Fingers? You were better than Santa Claus in my book. Over the years, I had collected thousands of “chachkies” but the Beanie Babies were the start of the good ones. I owned many real BB and loved nothing more than being able to collect “Mini”ones and bragging to my friends.

 

 While I’m sure no one more than baby sitters and parents hated Furbies more, kids could not get enough. I had a Furby I recall, I named it something esoteric I can’t remember at the moment. Anywhoo, I was told to have the odd toy not starting quaking late at night. Clearly, my little Furby didn’t listen to my instructions, so it would start yapping it’s odd martian like mouth in the wee hours of the morning. By month 4, the Furby was asked to either be stuck in the trash can or “adopted by another family”. Needless to say, when this toy came out I was happy as a clam.

My question is this — do perhaps these great toys offered entice children to continue eating fast food? Serious Eats recently wrote a blog about the debate. I personally think as much as I believe the toys were staples in my childhood, they really DID entice me to go daily, weekly, monthly to the fast food chains. If they do decide to ban toys, I would be a bit sad…. only because it would be a large love lost. Hey wait, I still get to keep the Beanie Babies right?

Greek Nachos- NYT You’re a Genius

I am a sucker for a weekly (cough sometimes more) trip to the local mexican restaurant around my campus in Boston. Cheap Margaritas, overwhelming heaps of nachos, and chilli I think about at night. I guess you can say I’m a Mexican Food Follower. When stalking Serious Eats this morning, as per usual, I came across a link to the New York Times Food review from the weekend. How I managed to miss it, I am not sure but luckily S.E. helped me out. The title of one of the articles read, ” The Minimalist — Behold The Greek Nacho“. I was intruiged to say the least.

Alongside my adoration for Margs and Nachos, I am wildly an advocate of Greek food as well. Hummus?  Eh that’s far too commonplace for me. I love going to this little hidden gem of a restaurant called “Athenia’s Garden” back at home in NJ. They offer everything from delicious Bronzino to Oven Baked Eggplant garnished with mint, cilantro, lemon, and olive oil. With this in mind, I was hard pressed to figure out what this hybrid concept the NYT was referring to.

The article explained the new concept — ground lamb as opposed to beef, fresh feta instead of processed American cheese, with garnishes of tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives on pita instead of chips.

While I realize the price to create this version is more expensive — I think it is a marvelous concept for healthy/better well being restaurants to integrate into their menus. It’s totally a comfort food reinvented. I love every minute of it.

Martha Stewart- The Woman, The Myth, The Legend

I have never been classified as “domestic” by any means. I rarely am seen in an apron, petting a dog, or caring for a child. Over the past five years, however, my interest in cooking, photography, and reading have cornered me somewhat — I guess I have to now consider myself “semi-domestic” (like Sandra Lee makes only Semi Homemade foods). Since I have started cooking and blogging about my love for food/restaurants, I have obviously taken a liking to the one and only Martha Stewart. Out of the hundreds of food related magazines I purchase every month, I have to admit her’s is by far the most visually pleasing. It is also scary simplistic — mostly every recipe is less than 5 ingredients. I don’t know how it’s possible for her to create dishes with less ingredients listed than words in the title — but she somehow she manages to. I love her clean style of living. I can see her sitting in her Hamptons house — in a crisp white button up, jeans freshly tailored reading the New York Times waiting for her legendary Mac and Cheese to start bubbling.

When it comes to her desserts, my mouth salivates at the thought of Martha’s creations. Perhaps I’m too old to yearn for  butterfly pretzel cupcakes for my 21st birthday dessert but it’s ok. Her cupcakes are especially beautiful and sophisticated. They aren’t over the top yet they do bring a level of excitement that’s rarely seen on cupcakes.

The other aspect of her empire that I adore is her outdoor decorating. Personally, I live in a college style apartment so my desire to slave over the table with a hot glue gun to make “trimmings” for my pillows is very low. Her outdoor spreads in the magazine, however, are out of this world. I don’t really have a lot of outdoor events seeing as that I live in a Brownstone with a lovely view of the dumpsters. But if and when I own my own house (furnished with Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn of course), I will most definitely be incorporating many of Martha’s ideas.

So in conclusion, Martha, if you happen to stumble upon this page, I hope you take it upon yourself to obtain my contact information and give me a ring. I would be more than willing to help in furtheing your already successful empire. I would even burn my fingers with the hot glue gun for you — now that’s love.

Lady Gaga or Lady Cuckoo? You Decide

Here’s the thing. Everyone who currently lives in the US knows who Lady Gaga is by this point, I’m sure of it. For some reason though I still can’t decide exactly what my opinions are on the singer.

I thought she was a foreigner up until a week ago when I was told she graduated from Tisch School of Performing Arts at NYU.  That changed everything for me — I saw her as being some Swedish import that made it big over seas. Perhaps an American music manager heard her record and flew her to the US to test her hits out on American turf. When I was told she graduated from NYU the intruige somewhat faded — ok great, you graduated from Tisch. As did everyone else in my high school who performed in the musicals. I just think it was a big letdown.

 

In regards to her music? Catchy. Poppy. Lucrative. She knows what works for her audience so I will give her credit for that. I unfortunately am stuck having to blast her jams in the car when I’m riding with my girlfriends to the bars. Her songs are very repetitive and very easy to memorize — aka, money makers. I wonder why she doesn’t break out of her comfort zone and dabble in more musically complicated/ challenging songs? Hmmm… I think I know the reason. $$$$$$

Then, there’s her style.  That seems to be the biggest question mark in my book. Is she aiming to be the next Madonna or the next Angelina Jolie? I realize she is inspired by her quote on quote surroundings but I think some of the outfits she chooses to wear are just down right ridiculous. Yes, Lady Gaga I understand you liked to play with orgami when you were a child– however, that does give you the right to then go ahead and wear actual pieces of orgami on your dress.

 

So, in a nutshell I can’t figure out what exactly my take is on Lady Gaga, I don’t think she’s half bad but at the same time I don’t think I necessarily like her either. Maybe if she did something shocking perhaps, like write a song about going to “Rehab” (cough Amy Winehouse cough) and then became a severly addicted drug abuser I would be more inclined to lean more favorably towards her. Hm.

The Hess Collection Winery

I have been to a few really unbelievable wineries but nothing can compare to the Hess Collection. For starters, my mother and I picked Hess for its unique combination of both artwork and wine tasting.

Donald Hess, the owner and creator of the vineyard, aimed to display an entire art exhibiton alongside the countless rooms of wine barrells and tasting areas. While the vineyard itself was literally a four mile drive up a spiral street with NO side railings, it was definitely worth the drive. I don’t think that the exterior of the building was anything out of the orindary however what was featured inside most certaintly was.

The three story building featured some extremely notable artists while others were a bit less well known but just as skilled. Two of the coolest pieces in my opinion were created by the artists Franz Gertsch and Leopoldo Maler.

Johanna II – Gertsch

Hommage, 1974- Maler

Johanna II was one of the most remarkable pieces I have ever seen in person. The massive painting looks more like a photograph than I have ever seen before. The incredibly fine details such as the wisps of hair and the peach fuzz on her face make it almost impossible to believe it was a painting. A cool fact about the piece is that if you look at it from the right, it looks like she is very solemn/serious, however, when you view it from the left it looks as though she is crying. Very very spooky and worth seeing in person.

 Hommage was just as shocking of a piece. This installation piece featured an old typewriter with actual flames bursting from the keys. It was symbolic of his uncle’s death as a result of his association with political activism and journalism.

All in all it is quite the vineyard/ art gallery. We even made some friends along the way: