Keep Calm and Carry On: The Diary of Foodie and Gourmet

Two weeks ago, I bought a butternut squash, but due to the craziness of my schedule, I was unable to cook it. For two weeks, it sat on the kitchen counter, sad, wanting to be used somehow. Finally, I put my foot down and decided to make a delicious dish with my two-week old butternut squash. One of my favorite recipes, which is a Gordon Ramsay creation, is his "Butternut Squash Puff Pastry Pizza." It's not only super yummy, but very easy to make. I've made this on a whim for lunch/dinner...heck, I even made it for Thanksgiving last year and it was a hit! It's a great fall dish and I guarantee you and your family/friends will love it!  Butternut Squash Puff Pastry Pizz a (originally created by Gordon Ramsay, modified by me) Ingredients:  - 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces - 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, allow to defrost until soft, but still stiff enough to work with - smoked cheese, grated - dried sage or herbes de prov

It's been a while since I have returned to Brooklyn, but a few weekends ago, I ventured forth and met "E" for brunch. I've been itching to get back to Brooklyn and after my biology/chemistry exams, this was a welcomed treat. I know that brunch in Manhattan is like a religion, but I haven't been participating. Mostly because a) I don't like to wait on massive lines, b) I usually have a lot of homework that needs immediate attention, and c) I don't always have a brunch buddy --- I'm too embarrassed to eat alone. This weekend was different. I grabbed the F and within 20 minutes I was in Carroll Gardens waiting for E, so we could enjoy a lovely leisurely brunch.  Originally E had given me two options: Colonie or Buttermilk Channel , both Brooklyn based restaurants. Let me tell you, the decision was difficult. E said that she had been to Colonie several times and that the food was very good. E had only been to Buttermilk Channel for dinner, but hea

A few weekends ago, I took a break from crazy NYU life and was able to reminisce about my Bryn Mawr days. Bryn Mawr hosted an open house for prospective students a few weekends ago, and I was asked by my good friend and admissions officer to participate as a panelist and alumnae interviewer. As  soon as she asked, without even thinking, I replied "yes." Maybe this is arrogant of me or even obnoxious, but I love talking about Bryn Mawr. I literally could talk for hours about the college and not get tired of it. I really loved my four years there and I also worked in admissions as an undergrad, so I am pretty knowledgeable about the college. In particular, I love chatting with prospective families and answer their questions. I remember looking at colleges, and even recently when applying to postbac programs, and it the one thing that sticks our the most is how daunting looking at school is. How can you choose an institution to spend four years of your life? What if you don&

I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but yes, the past two weeks were midterm week. This meant that my meals had to be quick, but I still wanted them to be nutritious. For this purpose, I did a bit of fridge tidying. I call this concoction, "Biology Midterm Casserole." Biology Midterm Casserole -        2 cups pasta (I used fusili) -        1 cup frozen okra -        1 cup frozen corn -        1 cup frozen edamame -        2   precooked chicken sausages, chopped -        1 yellow pepper, chopped -        1 packaged spinach -        1 onion, chopped -        grated parmesan cheese -        shredded cheese (I had mozzarella in my fridge) Directions: 1.      Spray a 8x8 baking pan with PAM and preheat oven to 350F. 2.      Boil the pasta and once cooked, set aside. 3.      Sautee of the vegetables until soft. 4.      Chop up the chicken sausages and brown in a frying pan. 5.      Throw everything together i

This past week was rather unpleasant and miserable, as I was preparing for my first chemistry midterm. *Blech*. I have to say, I love love love biology, but hate hate hate chemistry. I can’t give you a straight answer why, but I have several hypotheses. (I won’t bore you all with that nonsense though.) To make myself feel better, I decided to try my hand at one of mom’s recipes: Balsamic Chicken. At home, mom makes this about once every other week, if not once a week. It’s really yummy and delicious, but more importantly, with my father’s unpredictable schedules (seeing patients/being in the operating room), this meal is super easy because he can easily heat it up later. I needed comfort food, but didn’t have time to go home…so I guess I had to bring the comfort food home to me. The recipe was easy to make and super delicious, but as cliché as this sounds, it just wasn’t as good as moms. I don’t know why, but it didn’t taste quite the same. It was delicious and I enjo

So, I was at the grocery store and I was hit with this overwhelming urge to make applesauce. Where did this urge come from? No idea. Was I glad that it came? Absolutely. I selected six very nice looking “honey crisp” apples, as well as some raisins and craisins. The sort of sad part is, I got so busy with homework and studying, that I took me a week to make the applesauce simply because I didn’t have time! One day, I looked at those sad apples, sitting in the fruit bowl, neglected, and I thought, “DAMMIT! I am going to make applesauce!” And that’s exactly what I did. This is a really easy recipes taught to me by my mother, and I used to make this in my dorm at Bryn Mawr! At Bryn Mawr, I used to go “shopping” (bring Tupperware and a large bag) by taking several apples, raisins from the salad bar, and sugar/splenda packets from the tea/coffee station. My friends were mortified when I went “shopping” and refused to associate with me afterwards. The main piece of

Hi everyone! Hope you are doing well. I just wanted apologize for my absence. I am in the middle of midterms, so things are a bit crazy. Last Friday I had a biology midterm, which I think went well, and this Friday I have a chemistry midterm. (blech). Since I am studying at the moment, I haven't been able to update as often as I would like. Do not fear, once this week is over, I will be back with lots of posts! Stay tuned! ;D

As most people know, October 3rd, was the beginning the presidential debates between President Obama and Governor Romney. Like many Americans, I tuned in. I'll be honest with you all, I am not a political person normally, but ever since this summer, I've begun to follow the election fairly closely.  It's no fun watching a debate on an empty stomach, so I decided to cook myself a bit a dinner, to enjoy with Romney and Obama.  Earlier in the day, I slathered some chicken thighs with my mom's incredible homemade "shiso miso." This paste is great for chicken and fish. I let the chicken thighs sit in the fridge for a couple of hours and then I fired up the oven. Once my oven was nice and warm, I let these thighs cook for about 30 minutes at 350F.  getting ready for the oven Voila! Delicious dinner! Shiso Miso chicken thighs, steamed green beans (mixed with soy sauce and sesame oil), and some multigrain rice. Well balanced and delicious! A wonderful a

Another long Wednesday has passed and another unpleasant biology lab session sent me looking for a delicious lunch. In today's lab, we needed to attempt to capture nematodes, which we will force feed bacteria that will mess up their genetics. All in the name of science. Let me say, catching nematodes is NOT easy. First off, I thought they would be big...not earth worm big, but not microscopic. Clearly, I do not know what a nematode is.  Each person in the lab was given a petri dish with agar, that was teeming with nematodes. It was out task to use a piece of wire (basically) to catch two nematodes. Of course, nothing is THAT simple. We were then instructed that we must catch HERMAPHRODITE nematodes, so we had to pay attention to the tails...what nonsense! Let me tell you, if you have never caught a nematode, you are not missing out. It was miserable. It requires a level of hand-eye coordination that I DO NOT have. The misery inflicted upon me in lab forced me to seek out a d

Last weekend, my parents spent a long weekend in the city. They do this frequently, especially during opera season. This past Friday, while dad unfortunately had to return to the office for meetings/seeing patients, after chemistry recitation, I met mom for lunch. First we met at my apartment, then we grabbed the "1" downtown to Canal St, and from there, "David Burke Kitchen." I ate here once before, a few months back, during restaurant week. I enjoyed my meal very very much, so I was delighted to return. First off, look how adorable this menu is and second, if you can read it, look how delicious everything looks! Mom and I opted for the "prix-fixe" lunch, denoted by the black rabbits. Let me tell you, the decisions were hard, but in the end, we dined on some pretty awesome dishes! my starter:  duo of dumplings (crispy short rib dumplings and steamed lobster dumplings) mom's starter:   wedge salad with spiced pecans, tomato vinaigret