Brekkin It at the San Francisco Westin St Francis Hotel

fast foods

Hello gorgeous! Happy Easter ya’ll. Hope you guys are enjoying this ridiculously amazing weather. Me? I’ve been sick as a dog these past few days. I had to miss out on the sunny days, the perfectly chilly nights, the martinis, mimosas, and today’s Easter feast. Bummer, I know. But hey, at least I finally ran out of excuses not to blog. I’ve finally uploaded a bunch of pictures and here we go, let’s look at food!

So I spent the majority of last week in good ol’ California. That’s right. Yours truly was pimpin’ it West coast style. What!
I was in San Francisco for a business trip (yes I have a day job) (no it’s not related to food) (SIGH) for three days. I’ve been to SF a few times before and this time I spent 99% of the time working. I originally wanted to check out some of the grub at SF’s Chinatown, supposedly AMAZING, but alas, I didn’t have the time. I did however, make up for the lack of outdoor foodgasms by having delicious room-service breakfasts on company dime. And who doesn’t like room-service? It’s the best thing ever! Having professionally made food delivered to you while you’re lying in a super plush king-sized gazillion-thread-count-sheet-ed bed? Aaaaah. I can feel my muscles relaxing as I’m typing this in. The only thing missing was a sexy bed companion to share the food with

The Godmother of Sandwiches

Two posts in two days! I am ON FIRE!

Okay so remember I was telling you yesterday that I was sick? Well, I took a Nyquil at around 11 last night to help me with the cold and snifflyness galore and whatdayanow, 10 minutes later I was out cold! See, I usually don’t go to bed until around 2 or 3 in the morning. I know, bad girl, right? Raaeeeeeeght? For some reason, I just can’t go to bed any earlier than that (unless it’s the weekend and I’m BAZONKED on alcohol – passing out doesn’t count), even when I try really, really hard. But babes, I had a glorious 8 hours of sleep last night. And today? Whoah I was a super productive machine! I worked super hard at my day job, I worked super hard on my freelance gig (for four hours!), and now I’m bloggity blog blogging. So, Nyquil = OH HELLS YEAH.

Okay, I promise I won’t get addicted to Nyquil. My robotrippin’ days are behind me. Kidding! I never actually robotrip, but my friends did. Damn I’m lame.

Anyways, here’s the first (of plenty, trust me) food post from last week’s LA trip. Tonight, my sweet sweet friends, I will take you to Bay Cities Italian Deli and Baker

Barely Food Related Post "A Lesson in Posing"

So I have NOT been in the mood to write in this blog lately. I’ve been going through a little bit of a health issue. It’s nothing major, just a thyroid thing, and everything is pretty much under control but the medication I’m taking is affecting my appetite hard core. Like I’m not as hungry as I usually am. And that, babes, is a major tragedy.
Once I get this thing completely taken care of, then I should go back to being superhungrylongtime. Until then, blah-city! I do have a back log in posts and I’ll put those up eventually.

Anyways, earlier this week I visited a family that I used to work for. I used to work as a full time nanny for them and even though it’s been a few years since I quit, we have stayed extremely close. I love them, especially the kids, those lil’ monsters.

The little girl, let’s call her Munchkin, is a big ball of adorableness. Seriously, this girl is so damn cute. I take pictures of her constantly, and this afternoon was no exception. She loves it.

First, I try to get her to give me a normal beauty shot.

“Munchkin, give me a big ol’ gorgeous smile!”

baby food

“Stay still, damn it. Still!”

Of course she won’t stay still, that beautiful little brat.

“Mia! Let’s do funny face picture!”

“No! Pretty smile!”

“FUNNY FACE!”

*sigh

food of baby reviews

“Okay”

“Let me see! Let me see!”

*I showed her the picture

“Okay now you do one too! FUNNY FACE MIA!”

*sigh

hungry baby

“Okay.”

“Mia that’s no funny picture! MORE FUNNY! Like me!”

hungry

“Okay, Munchkin.”

She looked at the picture.

Clearly disappointed, she said “Mia you’re bad. That’s no funny. You no funny!”
And with that she walked away.

baby eating

Defeated, I bribed her with a cupcake. (see I told you this is barely food related)

Gosh, she is beautiful.
I watched her eat the cupcake in superhuman speed.

“Mia take more picture! I wanna do pretty smile picture now!”

“But, Munchkin, you have cupcake all over your face. Let me wipe it off first.”

“NO! Pretty smile picture now!”

eating

“Okay.”

She was right. It doesn’t get any more “pretty smile”-y than that.

This girl has my heart.

Hope ya’ll doing well.

Love and lots of pretty smiles,

Testing Different Foods at Top Resturents

Okay so I know I’ve been MIA yeah yeah bad blogger I get it. I have hundreds of backed up pictures and I’ll get to them. And oh, I miss you guys too, my sweet cherubs.

Anyways in an attempt to get myself out of the dark ages, I bought myself a fancy little toy: the new iPod touch (4g). While it’s beautiful and sexy and stuff (hd video cam and front facing camera!!!), the regular camera sucks major ballage. So it’s prob won’t replace my trusty laptop for regular posting, but since there’s a wordpress app I figure it’ll be great for blogging on the go! So here’s my first attempt.

I cant caption or embed pics on this thing so they’re all at the end of this post. Anyways the pics are from a few mins ago (OMFG technology!) from my lunch date at Sri Thai, my absolute favorite Thai joint in Hoboken. I went with my impossibly good-looking coworkers, Sarah and Ryan. I got shrimp fried rice, S got fried tofu and duck salad, and R got BBQ beef. Babes, they were delicious!

So there you go. Blogging on the go. I hope this doesn’t look like crap, I can’t preview it for some reason. Sorry for the crappy pictures!

Kisses and garlic breath,

Mia.

PS: typing on a touchscreen is the suck. You bitches better appreciate!

MORE FOOD

FOOD

MORE FOOD

MORE FOODS

FOOD ITEMS

HUNGER AND FOOD

Soup Dumpling at Din Tai Fung

Soups more reviews

I have an out-of-town friendslashblogreader, probably the only one who still does at this point (YO SKY!), who every few months sends me scolding text messages about the lack of activity on this blog. I met him when I was still so pumped about this thing and now as you can see, I am one big take out container full of LAZY. So here we go, I need to get rid of my backlog so the next few posts will be brief and just full of pictures and random commentary. And no spell or grammar check HAHAHHA good luck you guys.

This set is from my last trip to LA, which was jesusgoddamnchrist almost a year ago! You guys know how I’m super obsessed with the soup dumplings at Joe’s, right? Well on my LA trip we drove like an hour out of the city to Arcadia to Din Tai Fung, this big Chinese joint that supposedly has pretty rockin’ soup dumplings.

Why to Remain Hungry for A Long Time

hungry

If you don’t hear from me again after this post publishes, it’s because Alan has murdered my ass. You see, Metro Diner is Alan’s favorite breakfast/brunch spot in LA and it is kind of a secret. Whoops, NOT ANYMORE. Now that I have published it in my blog, everyone knows! By everyone I mean approximately seven more people know!

So yeah, at this point I was still in LA. I think this is the day after the Arcadia soup dumplings meh-ness. We went out and got drunk right after that at this swanky speak easy style bar somewhere in West Hollywood. I forgot what it’s called but it was crazy. My drink was this cucumber martini thing which I suspect was just cucumber juice and like Georgie vodka (kidding!) but it was like forty five bucks a glass. I’m exaggerating. It was more like forty four. Anyways there were a bunch of celebrities there too like some cast member from Always Sunny, and Aziz Ansari. I also totally had a brain fart

Moussaka The Greek Dish Racipe

]	Moussaka is a famous delicious Greek dish and is quite different from the food we have in general. This week You! has collaborated with the food maestro Lubna Shariff to provide you with the filling and lip smacking recipe of the dish baked to golden perfection. Happy cooking... ....

E Cooks: Banana Coffee Cake

It’s been a long time since my daughter has helped me out with a recipe, so yesterday when E volunteered to assist me with breakfast, I eagerly set her to work measuring and stirring. I had the recipe all worked out on paper, so I didn’t think there’d be much opportunity for her to contribute creatively. As she does with any endeavor, she asked a thousand questions: “What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda?” “Why do you add salt when cake isn’t salty?” “Why do you call it ‘flax egg’ when there isn’t any egg in it?” Though she often takes herinterrogations to ridiculous extremes (“If we shot the batter into space…”), on this particular occasion she asked a lot of good questions that gave me the chance to educate her a little on baking–or at least the little I know about baking.

When it came time to add the banana to the cake, she stopped me with a question: “What, only one banana? It needs more than that or it’s not really banana cake!” I had to agree, so I dutifully added another banana. And you know, the higher fruit to batter ratio just might have been what made this cake so incredibly delicious.

It’s creamy. It’s sweet. It’s so creamy and sweet that I almost called it Banana Pudding Cake. The bananas melt down to a creamy layer that dissolves into the cake around it so that it’s hard to tell where bananas end and cake begins.

All four of us–my crew plus E’s friend G–were amazed at how good this was. D and I actually had the same articulate response: “Mmmmm. Ohhhh.” In fact, this cake may have been too good: with 4 of us and only 6 pieces, there weren’t enough “seconds” to go around. Perhaps it would be better to serve it as dessert after a full meal than to count on it as a filling breakfast because it will just make you want more!

Banana Coffee Cake(printer-friendly version)

I like to use turbinado or demerara sugar for the topping because the coarse texture adds crunch, but feel free to use any natural (or brown) sugar.

1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
4 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup soy yogurt
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas

Preheat the oven to 375F and oil a pie pan or an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix the ground flax seeds with the warm water and set aside to thicken.

Mix the turbinado sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine the soy yogurt, soymilk, vanilla, and agave nectar in a bowl. Add the flax mixture.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the soy yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the bottom. Slice the bananas and place the slices over the batter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar. Spread the remaining batter over the bananas. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake appears set in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into 6 slices and serving.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 211 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 308mg Sodium. Weight Watchers: 4 Flex Points.

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If you’re looking for easy recipes that kids like to make as well as eat, take a look at some of our other E Cooks collaborations:

Banana Coconut Bars
E’s Fruit Salad with Strawberry Sauce
Southern-Style Banana Pudding 
Rainbow Stir-Fry

My other coffee (aka “breakfast”) cakes:

Pineapple Coffee Cake
Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake
Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake

Different Cakes and Foods

Apple-Cranberry Strudel Pie

DECEMBER 8, 2010

I have two modes of recipe development: carefree, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants and methodically planned.  When I’m working with everyday ingredients that I know are hard to mess up, I’m likely to get into the kitchen with only a vague idea of what I expect the final outcome to be and add seasonings and ingredients on instinct; most [...]

Read the full article →

Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

DECEMBER 2, 2010

When daytime temperatures dip into the 40′s, I want soup.  Every day. For every meal.  Suddenly, eating a lunchtime salad has all the appeal of chewing ice, so at the beginning of each week, I make a big pot of vegetable-filled soup and portion it out into glass containers to be reheated for lunches throughout [...]

Read the full article →

Thanksgiving Meatless Loaf

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

This is not your mama’s meatloaf.  This is not even your mama’s seitan loaf, tofu turkey, or nut roast.  It doesn’t taste like meat.  It doesn’t even pretend to have the texture of meat. But if you like savory, Thanksgiving flavors so concentrated that you can just skip the gravy and dressing, you will want [...]

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Brussels Sprouts and Shiitake Mushroom Soup

NOVEMBER 11, 2010

Brussels sprouts, rice, and perhaps some white beans.  I was planning a soup for dinner, but there seemed to be something missing.  Carrots?  No.  Potatoes?  No, the rice would provide enough starch.  I needed something to give the broth depth and flavor.  I was strolling through my back yard and considering my options when I [...]

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Ridiculously Easy Lentil and Vegetable Stew

OCTOBER 28, 2010

I’d hoped to be sharing a Halloween recipe with you, but life has been getting in the way of cooking lately.  The other night I went into the kitchen to make a last-minute dinner of my Dirty Little Secret Soup but wound up making so many changes that it took on an entirely new character.  [...]

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Pumpkin, Squash, or Cushaw Bake

OCTOBER 22, 2010

One Sunday a month throughout my childhood, my family would attend Family Night Supper at our church.  It was a time of community, of fellowship…and of competition.  Because Family Night Supper was a potluck dinner, the ladies of the church showed off their cooking skills by bringing their signature dishes–their congealed chicken salads, artichoke dips, [...]

My Top Ten Kitchen Gift Ideas

When time allows, a basket filled with homemade baked goods makes a great gift.

Lately I can’t check my email or login to Facebook without being bombarded with titles like “Gifts That Make Ladies Go Gaga” or “Give Like Santa, Save Like Scrooge” (two actual emails now in my trash folder).  So when I had the idea of writing about my favorite kitchen tools, I nearly vetoed it, figuring that I didn’t want to contribute to the mind-clutter that’s already out there.  But just to check, I asked my Facebook followers what they thought, and the response was overwhelmingly positive: out of about 80 responses, there was only one “not interested at all.”  So with apologies to that one reader, here are a few of the appliances, gadgets, and kitchen paraphernalia that I wouldn’t want to do without.

New Orleans’ Style White Beans

Come on, tell me you’re tired of rich holiday food and are ready to settle down to some healthy–even homely–fare.  I know I am.  I never thought there could be such a thing as too much dessert, but after stuffing myself on pumpkin cheesecake, cherry-chocolate mousse pie, and the downright obscene rum- and margarine-soaked bread pudding that’s my husband’s specialty, I’m ready to swear off of sugar for a year while.  I don’t know about you, but I hate the sluggish way I feel whenever I’m overeating on foods that have too much fat and sugar.

So today I bring you a change from all the eye-candy (and actual candy) that you’ve probably been seeing on other blogs.

A Super Bowl (Veggie Lentil Curry with Jeera Rice)

Hi guys!! I know I know , I have been as bad as ever. Neglecting my blog again for days now. Just got caught up doing other things (like playing Farmville!!) . But now I am back and have something wonderful to share. Wonderful yet very very simple to make , but very nutritious ,mind you. I made this dish just 2 days back. Got the recipe from a diet magazine and the picture in it was so good that I had to make it immediately. 
This dish is perfect for those days when you have the middle of the week dinner blues and can't think of what to put on the dinner table that day. Well this ones a winner. It's fast to cook and very little washing up to do later as it can all be eaten from a single bowl.


What you need:
2 medium onions chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup of uncooked masoor dal (split red lentils)
1 cup of green beans cut into pieces
1 cup of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup of green peas
1 tblspn each of garlic and ginger paste
1 heaped tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn cumin 
1 tblspn hot curry powder
1 tspn chilly powder (more if you like)
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
Oil to cook
coriander to garnish


Method:


Heat about 3 to 4 tblspns of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds first. When they begin to splutter add the cumin and fry for about 30 secs.
Next add the onions and the ginger- garlic pastes and fry well
Add to this the curry powder, chilly powder and turmeric 
Now add the lentils and the vegetables, salt and 3 to 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer.
Cover and cook until the veggies are cooked and the lentils are mushy. The beans take the longest to cook , so if they have cooked , rest assured that the rest of the veggies have cooked.
Adjust the seasoning according to your taste and garnish with chopped coriander


Have this curry with a rice of your choice. I made simple jeera rice and  just made a salad to go with it. It makes  a quick and power packed supper with minimum hassle.


Right! Now  after that spicy curry here's something completely different. Recently I was introduced to the GrazeBox. What is a GrazeBox?  Well it  is just what it sounds like . It's a box which contains 2 or 3 types of nibbles which you can graze on throughout the week. It's the best thing to have to control those  4o'clock hunger pangs .It contains delicious things like nuts, raisins, seeds  dried fruit ,fresh fruit and even some exotic spicy nibbles.  This is what a graze box looks like from the outside. 

And this is my box from last week. I ordered  a graze fresh box and got all this delcious stuff in it. Believe me it's supposed to last you for atleat a week but it  was gone in minutes.

So if you are in the UK and interested in ordering one yourself  or would just like to know more about graze then  do visit http://www.graze.com/

If you feel like ordering one then please use the promotional code below. That will give you your first box free