Customizable Sweet Treats!

Coldstone's and mixins for ice cream is a thing of the past, according to this QSR Magazine article.

Create your own cupcakes and cookies are on the rise ... and they're both getting popular in CALIFORNIA! (yay for my state)

These places are on my "need to visit eventually" list haha!

Beyond The Marble Slab

Keep on eating y'all! ^_^

OMG AUTHENTIC PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS IN LA?!

Apparently they exist ... and on a roaming truck no doubt. (Man ... everything in LA is on a roaming truck now hahaha)

It's called South Philly Experience, and it sounds awesome. I need to try this whenever I'm back in LA.

If one of you out there has had a sandwich from South Philly Experience, please let me know how awesome it was ... thanks. :)

The South Philly Experience

Keep on eating y'all! ^_^

Create Your Own Cereal

With everyone talking about organic and healthy foods, why not include breakfast in that conversation?

The company [me] & Goji have created a site where you can literally create your own cereal with one of the plethora of ingredients they have in their stash.

[me] & Goji: Custom Artisanal Cereal

Now, I have yet to purchase one myself, but I have played around with the site, and honestly it's fun. Plus everything I've read about this place has been positive! It tastes good, it's good for you, and even the packaging it comes in is cool.

I'll try it eventually, but I figured I'd spread the word on this customizable cereal.

Enjoy and keep on eating y'all! ^_^

Meat + Alcoholic Beverage = Delicious?!

Yeah that confused me too, until I read this article about "carnivorous cocktails" from seattlepi.com

I swear ... bacon is getting into EVERYTHING lately. It's crazy!

Carnivorous cocktails put meat in your glass ... yeah.

Crazy eh? Oh well ... keep on eating y'all! ^_^

KFC has a CRAZY sandwich!

So KFC has apparently jumped on the bacon bandwagon as well.

Only their take is a little more unique than others. Check out this article and see what I mean haha! :)

KFC Has A Bacon Sandwich That Uses Fried Chicken As "Bread"

Keep on eating y'all! ^_^

Can I Start A Restaurant Right After College?

This is honestly a question I have been asking myself time and again. I have so many possible ideas in my head for restaurants/cafes that I want to eventually put effort into ... but I have no idea on how to exactly do it.

This article gives a little insight into what I need to do. If you're in the same boat as me, you better read this too. :)

Can You Open A Restaurant With NO Money?

Cheese. YUM.

The Condimental Divide

At Bistro LQ, the condiments are plentiful, and accent the cheese platters they accompany well. So well, in fact, you might need to ask them for help. The plethora of items available may confuse you, so be sure to ask. :)

Cheese carts are usually simple ... but at Bistro LQ (according to Tasting Table), it can become quite a challenge, but worth the trouble.

Enjoy and keep eating y'all! ^_^

Cupcakes are awesome ... but LASAGNA cupcakes?!

Yeah I know what you're thinking ... WTF is a lasagna cupcake? You're not the only one.

But Chef Matthew Poley from Heirloom-LA has the answers for you. Check out this article from Tasting Table talking about his new take on this portable Italian classic! :)

Lasagna For One

PIZZA!!!!

For some reason, I've really been craving pizza lately. Maybe it's because I haven't had it in a while ... maybe it's because I haven't made it in a while. Either way, it's been on my mind for a while.

This article just talks about various ideas that some pizzerias and restaurants have been using on their menus.

DELICIOUS! :)

Any Way You Slice It: 50+ Pizza Ideas

How Does a Restaurant get 4 Stars from the NY Times?

Check out this article, and you'll find out exactly how.

Four Stars, More Thoughts

Outgoing New York Times Restaurant Critic Frank Bruni wrote this blog explaining the exact thing THIS blog is asking.

What does it take to get 4 stars in the NY Times? I was always curious about it ... especially after I finished reading Ruth Reichl's (former NY Times Restaurant Critic) book Garlic & Sapphires, which chronicled her career at the New York Times.

It's pretty interesting stuff. Maybe you'll find a way to rate a restaurant yourself after reading this (or even from reading MY blog hehe). We'll see what happens, right? ;)

Keep on eating y'all! ^_^

2 Very interesting links, somewhat unrelated haha!

I normally receive food news emails every day. I read em, and I try to see if there's an interesting story to put on my blog. Normally I just post them on my Facebook if I think it's worth reading, but I decided to post 2 of the links here (it'll get to Facebook eventually hehe).

Baskin-Robbins Introduces 2 New Concepts

and

Reality Check Please: Gordon Ramsay, Famous for Terrorizing Would-Be Chefs on TV, Is Facing Tough Times in His Own Restaurant Empire

If I find any more cool or interesting stories, I'll be sure to post them here too.

Keep on eating y'all! ^_^

Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Love

These are actually really great ideas if you have kids (regular or the adult kind), and they're pretty simple and easy to do.

Easy Snacks Your Kids Will Love

Posted using ShareThis

Keep on eating y'all! ^_^

Foodie Joce's Mixed Nut Brittle

So apparently my dad LOVES my brittle. So much so, that he said it's better than See's Candy's version.

Now ... I'm no candy maker. Honestly, I suck when it comes to working with sugar ... except with this brittle.

This recipe originated from my HFHM 276 class at CSULB. It was a basic recipe in our handbook, and I just tweaked it a bit (added more nuts, removed extra salt by using salted nuts, etc.) so it would fit what I wanted to do.

So far each time I've made it, I've received rave reviews. If you decide to make it, lemme know how it goes for you!

I made some today ... and I burned my left index finger in the process haha! So when you DO make brittle ... BE CAREFUL! Hot sugar (especially at 300+ degrees) can BURN!

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Nut Brittle
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Ingredients:

1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups salted nuts (i.e., peanuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.)
1 tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Non-food hardware:
saucepan
baking sheet
candy thermometer
spoon
spatula
non-stick cooking spray

Procedure:

1. Grease a piece of heavy aluminum foil or a baking sheet. OR if you have a silicone mat, place that on top of a baking sheet.

2. Combine water, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan.

3. Clamp a candy thermometer to the pan so that the bulb is immersed in the mixture.

4. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.

5. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 234 degrees F (112 degrees C).

6. Stir in nuts and margarine.

7. Cook until mixture reaches 300 degrees F (149 degrees C), stirring constantly. Do not allow mixture to burn.

8. Remove pan from heat. Blend in vanilla.

9. Stir in baking soda thoroughly.

10. Pour into greased foil. Quickly pull to form a thin sheet (or use a spatula sprayed w/ non-stick spray to spread it around evenly).

11. Cool. Break into pieces.

12. ENJOY!

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My brittle cooling down on a Silpat.

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Enjoy y'all and keep on eating! ^_^

Dinner for my Bro & Sis-In-Law

Howdy y'all!

Been a bit since I posted last, so I figured I'd throw another post here in case you missed me. :)

Anyway, yesterday (Monday, Aug. 3, 2009) I cooked dinner for my bro Brian & his wife, Amanda.

This was part of an anniversary gift I gave them a while back. I couldn't really afford a gift, so I printed out 2 coupons that stated that I would cook dinner for them. So yes ... they redeemed one of them. :)

I made Chicken Cordon Bleu with a Pinot Grigio Butter sauce, accompanied by broccoli mashed potatoes and some glazed baby carrots. I decided that since I completely forgot to take pictures (my bad ... I'm sorry ... we kinda scarfed everything haha), I'll post the recipes.

These all were originally found at AllRecipes.com, but they've been slightly changed to fit what I wanted to make for my bro & sis-in-law.

If you decide to try one of these recipes, let me know how it goes!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ White Wine Butter Sauce
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FOR THE CHICKEN:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
3 slices Colby Jack cheese
4 slices cooked ham
2 large slices of bacon
Melted Butter
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
White Wine Butter Sauce (recipe below)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
3. Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt & pepper. Place 1 Swiss cheese slice, 1/2 a Colby Jack cheese slice, 1/2 a slice of bacon, and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Roll the chicken in melted butter and coat with bread crumbs. Then place in the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove toothpicks, add sauce, and serve immediately.

FOR THE SAUCE:

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine (Pinot Noir or Grigio if possible)
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt, pepper, & Italian seasoning to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add wine and bouillon, and reduce heat to low, and stir until bouillon is dissolved. Reduce slightly to cook alcohol out of the wine.

2. Blend the cornstarch w/ cream in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken.

SERVES 4.

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Broccoli Mash

Ingredients:
2 large broccoli crowns
1 tub Country Crock Mashed Potatoes
2 oz butter (½ stick)
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
Kosher salt, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring about 4 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. A small handful of Kosher salt should be about right.

2. Peel the tough outer skin off the broccoli stems and roughly chop the broccoli, stems included, into pieces.

4. Add the broccoli to the pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli is tender but still slightly firm.

5. Drain the broccoli into a colander, then return them to the pot and add the butter & Italian seasoning. Gently mash the broccoli in the pot, and mix together with the butter and seasoning. Set aside, but keep warm on the stove at a very low
heat.

6. Prepare the Country Crock Mashed Potatoes according to the Manufacturer's instructions. Combine in the pot with the mashed broccoli, and stir together until broccoli is evenly distributed.

7. Season to taste with Kosher salt & Parmesan cheese, and serve right away.

Makes 4 portions.

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Glazed Baby Carrots

1 (16 ounce) package baby carrots
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
Salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the carrots into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.

2. Return the pot to the stove; reduce the heat to medium-low. Melt the butter in the pot. Stir in the honey and brown sugar; add the carrots and stir until evenly coated; cook another 5 minutes. Add salt to taste (to offset the sweetness a bit).

Serves 4.

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Keep on eating everybody! ^_^