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

When I was younger (in middle and high school),  I used to absolutely hate going up to our cabin. I'll admit, I'm a bit of a suburb/city gal, but that's not what I hated. I hated being away from my friends and not being able to go to social gatherings on the weekends --- I always felt so isolated and miserable. In retrospect, I know that's selfish, but I was a teenage girl...what do you expect?  Once I got to college, that changed. I began to see the cabin as a haven, a peaceful place of natural beauty --- I finally began to enjoy the cabin, like my parents. Now, as a college graduate and an overstressed pre-medical student, the cabin is like heaven on earth. Isolated, serene, and beautiful...paradise in upstate New York. Over my fall break, I spent the weekend with my parents at our cabin. After a day of hanging out, we made our way over to our observation deck to watch the sunset. No sunset would be complete without some port, of course! yum! watc...

A few weeks ago, it was my "fall break". I put that in quotes because it was really just a long weekend, rather than a break. (At Bryn Mawr, fall break was one full week, not two days). I spent my break at home, relaxing with my parents. We hung out, enjoyed delicious woods, and watched a lot of "The Thick of It." We split our time between our cabin in upstate New York and our home in New Jersey, which was great for me. As much as I love Manhattan, sometime you just got to get away. On our way up to the cabin, we stopped off at one of our favorite local farm stands: Montgomery Place Orchards. They have really excellent produce and the staff is all really nice! We always love buying yummy foods and we usually end up buying A LOT. Also, I believe they have an affiliation with Bard College...which I think is pretty cool. Looks like Montgomery Farms is ready for Halloween and pumpkin carving season! Pie contest?! Yes please! I would love to participate! (o...

This past Friday, my mother and I decided to have brunch in the West Village. Not sure where to go, we consulted yelp, and decided on Cafe Cluny. 284 W 12th St (West Village) This quaint little restaurant is French bistro-esque, with an American twist. The decor is very bright and warm, almost rustic. The staff was very friendly and service was quite good!  the interior  menu After mulling over the menu several time, mom and I made our decisions. I opted the "house-made herbed pasta diamond with saffron braised lobster mushrooms, cocoa nibs, and ossau-iraty cheese." It was interesting... I thought, "hmmm...you could get a burger anywhere, let's try something different..." My attempt to be adventurous backfired a bit. It wasn't very impressed. The pasta was a bit lemony and the mushrooms were a bit chewy. The cocoa, thought small, was odd. I dunno, it was a weird rich lemony pasta dish...not my favorite... My mom on the other hand, she o...

Last week, was a busy week (when is it not?) but I was in the mood to cook something different and delicious. I'm usually making stir fries with whatever is in my fridge, mainly because that is quick and easy, but on this occasion, I decided to indulge and take my time --- make something really different. For that, I had to consult my favorite: Gordon Ramsay. I opened up my very first Gordon Ramsay cooking, "Gordon Ramsay: Makes It Easy", and started flipping through the pages. I should say that I have had this book for at least 5 years and it's starting to fall apart...that's how often I use it! It also has food stains for being in the kitchen whilst I cooked...essentially, the book is showing a lot of wear and tear from all of the love that I have shown it over the years. ;D After a few minutes of perusing the pages, I decided to make an old favorite of mine, Gordon's Eggplant Gâteaux. It's basically like lasagna, but instead of pasta, you layer...

Like most people, I have quite a sweet tooth. I try my best to satiate my sweet tooth, without indulging too too much, since that means much much more gym time and less pounds lost! One of my favorite treats is ice cream (I mean, who doesn’t like ice cream)…unfortunately, ice cream is quite fattening, so I must limit my intake…. To help me curb or at least appease my ice cream craving, I try to eat frozen yogurt instead. Sure, it’s still fattening, but it's still better than ice cream, surely. Well, I’ll keep telling myself that. For frozen yogurt, I have found a new “regular” spot that I love and adore --- Culture: An American Yogurt Company. According to their website, “our purpose is to provide a healthy snack alternative to those who crave quality strained yogurt combined with artisanal toppings. At Culture, we manufacture fresh and frozen yogurt in house. Our yogurt is made from specially selected probiotic cultures and freshest local milk, nothin...