Ocean City, NJ

This trip is from last semester, but unfortunately I didn't get to post about it on time. So without further ado, here it is.

Ocean City is located in New Jersey, and is most exciting for its boardwalk which boasts a host of rides, snack shops, and little gift shops where you can get your own personalized pressed shirt Jersey Shore style! The city's motto is "America's Greatest Family Resort." Well, I'm not sure about that, but it certainly was nice to walk along the boardwalk and the shore on a nice hot day. Because of it's family oriented atmosphere, there is no alcohol sold anywhere. 

The length of the boardwalk itself is about 2 1/2 miles long and perfect for biking, jogging, walking, or anything else you might fancy. You quickly learn that the designated lanes should be paid attention to unless you want to get runover by one of those cart, peddled, surrey things.  Although many people neglect to follow the rules of the labeled lanes, it still helps.



FOOD

My favorite part. Here is what I decided to sample!

Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard
Luckily there are about 3 locations on the boardwalk, so you can always find a Kohr Bros somewhere. They claim that their custard is only like 150 calories so go for it! I tried the mint and chocolate swirl, but they also have an orange cream swirl that I heard was amazing. You can also get it inverted and dipped in sprinkles if you desire.  The custard was not as dense as I thought it would be. It was very light on the contrary, yet it didn't melt super fast!

One of the many locations near the main entrance.

Fried Pickles

I just had to try these after they were made popular by Snooki on the Jersey Shore.  I was pleasantly surprised and have to admit that I'm a follower now! They were greasy little slices, but they were great. You can't go wrong with fried anything right? They also give you an amazingly tasty sauce to dip your fried pickles in which I highly recommend. It's sort of like a spicy thousand island which is amazing with the seasoned crunchy batter and the sourness from the pickles.

My pickles complete with side sauce! Yummy :D



Banana Whip

Down one of the side alleys on the boardwalk sits the Bashful Banana Bakery and Cafe.  They are home to an amazing dessert like creation made of pure frozen bananas. Legit, nothing else is in there. They run the frozen bananas through this press sort of machine which turns them into an ice cream like consistency. I'm not entirely sure how they make it so decadent, but it's amazing. If you opt for toppings (which you should!) try the fruit fudge sauce, made of fruit! The kiddie size is like $4.25 which is plenty for someone like me! It's like 0.65 to add a topping, and you can also get them flavored with strawberry or pineapple etc.



Banana whip topped with all fruit fudge sauce. Soooo amazing!



Pizza
Of course I had to get a slice on the boardwalk. I went to 3 Brothers From Italy where they have an eating competition challenge thing. Although I didn't attempt to eat an entire pizza in 15 minutes, I would seriously admire someone who could. I opted for a slice of broccoli chicken to get my serving of veggies for the day (lol). It was a typical reheated slice of pizza, but it was perfect.

Fudge
Seriously go try some fudge while you're here.  They even hand you free samples outside to entice you. I went to the Original Fudge Kitchen where you can watch them handmake the fudge which is cool.

I bought the pumpkin pie and pistachio fudge. It was great. Their maple is also delicious too.

Taffy
There are several taffy places to shop at but I went to Shriver's where you can see the taffy machines in the back room. Pretty cool.

You can fill up your own bag with taffy and they charge you by weight. There are also many other commonly found candies there to indulge in.

Activities

Aside from the amazing beach located like 50 feet away from you, there are numerous other things to do on the boardwalk.  Here are some:

Mini-Golf
Go try out one of the several mini golf places.  They looked fun, but I didn't participate.

Rides
If rides are more of your thing, they have the typical boardwalk/carnival rides. Try out the ferris wheel for a nice relaxing, breezy ride. You do have to buy tickets for each ride or you can buy a wristband thing.

I would generally advise avoiding the "Glass House" on a hot day. But that's just me.

Try to have fun and follow the rules
Why are there so many rules?! Here are some. So you can pretty much walk around and not have any fun. If you can walk around between all of the people swarming on the beach. Also, how do you skateboard on a beach???

Apparently, you cannot throw balls or frisbees. Bummer. You also cannot picnic.

Clearly these brave souls have decided to break the rules. God bless them.

Good luck trying to find a spot to set up that umbrella.

For all of you Philly residents, it might interest you to know that both David Akers (former Eagles kicker) and Jay Wright (Villanova's awesome Basketball coach) own summer residences here.  Other famous people also are frequent summer vacationers here.

Seriously, go to the boardwalk for a nice day at the beach. I would advise going early if you don't want to be around the crowds, but in the summertime, that's kind of inevitable. A family fun destination, Ocean City didn't disappoint. Next time I'll have to try the fried Oreos!

Stephanie, WWT

Cooking in College

Major accomplishment.
This morning was my first time every cooking on a gas stove. And it was successful!! I made a half a piece of whole wheat bread, buttered and toasted in a pan, with a small piece of gouda cheese, melted, all topped with a yummy, runny, fried egg. Of course... I forgot to take a picture of my masterpiece -_-
Hopefully tomorrow we'll still have power so I can re-do it and upload a wonderful pic for you.

Living in my new apartment with my two fellow roomies is awesome. There's only three of us, in an apartment meant for 4 so the extra space is fully appreciated. We're all seniors too so that makes it fun!
I hope to have regular updates about my last year of college. I can't belive it's gone by so fast!

Best wishes to everyone, and I hope to get my food pics uploaded if I make eggs tomorrow! :)

Stephanie, WWT

Tiramisu Recipe

I thought I'd finally post this recipe for Tiramisu that I absolutely love! I've made it twice now and it has turned our fantastic both times. It is very easy to make, in fact a lot easier than you might think.

Here's the recipe:

Tiramisu
From Inland Empire magazine, January 2010
makes 8 to 10 servings

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 C mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 C whipping cream

2 C strong coffee, cooled

1/2 cup Kahlua (I almost never have Kahlua on hand so I substituted rum flavoring and mixed it with some brewed coffee. I find that it makes the resulting dessert tasty and slightly rum-flavored)

30 - 36 ladyfingers (Usually 2 and 1/2 packages. They can be found in the bakery section of most supermarkets. In Safeway, they're usually in the baskets near the packaged muffins and cookies)

1 bar of chocolate, or chocolate shavings

STEPS:
1. In a double boiler, combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat until mixture is light yellow and has reached 140 degrees F. (I use a bowl over a pot of water. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature)

2. Remove mixture from heat and pour into a large bowl.  Whisk in the mascarpone until smooth and let cool for 8 to 10 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into egg mixture; set aside.

4. Combine the coffee and Kahlua into a small bowl and dip the ladyfingers. Don't oversoak to the point of sogginess. (I usually only ladle enough in a small bowl to dip the surface of the ladyfingers in. Sometimes it can be difficult to grip them if they become too soggy!)

5. In a 12 to 14 inch round or oval dish (I use a rectangular pan), spread a thin layer of cream mixture.  Arrange ladyfingers on a layer of cream, breaking pieces to make a uniform fit. Add another layer of cream, then another layer of ladyfingers. Top with the remaining cream and smooth evenly.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 to 8 hours. Before serving dust generously with cocoa powder and top with shaved chocolate curls. (I use a vegetable peeler, on one of those long, thin bars of chocolate. It works great!)

I used the leftover chocolate bar squares to garnish the tiramisu! It's a great way to use it up.

Enjoy it while it lasts! :)

Stephanie, WWT

No-Bake Jello Pumpkin Pie

Ok, so I cheated. I used a boxed mix to make this pumpkin pie, but I was craving it so much and it was only like $1.50 so I had to get it.  One of my favorite desserts is pumpkin pie, but it isn't common year round. For anyone else like me who enjoys the spicy flavor not only at Thanksgiving, then this is a quick fix.

Option 1 = traditional pumpkin pie

Option 2 = slightly prettier layered whipped cream pie (oh yeah!)

Jello makes a no-bake boxed pumpkin pie mix which includes pretty much everything you need.
Extras to have on hand would be one 8oz tub of cool whip, milk, butter, and sugar. That's all you'll need to make your easy dessert in just 15 minutes! Sounds great right?

Finished crust! (my favorite part of pie)

The cool whip isn't a necessary addition, but it is used to make a layered pie. With the graham cracker crust and the filling layers, this pie was heavenly.  I'll admit, it has been my breakfast option for the past couple days. I know, healthy right? The pie actually isn't too unhealthy compared to other desserts, especially if you use sugar free cool whip and fat free milk!

Do you have any favorite seasonal treats/foods that you love to eat any time of the year? Another one of mine would be eggnog. I'm still working on a recipe for that.

Stephanie, WWT

Test Your Knowledge: Are You A Health-Smart Chef?

I found this awesome quiz on delish called Are You A Health-Smart Cook? today and decided to take it. I just thought I'd share because it has some pretty good tips on how to cook smarter and healthier.
I got 9 out of 10 right, I missed only one, which I feel pretty good about. It looks like I'm a health smart chef, and I actually regularly practice the tips they give when I'm cooking or even baking.

Take the quiz and find out how much you know about cooking healthier!

Or if you'd just like some quick tips, read on:

Tip #1 Olive oil is the healthiest fat to cook with. It is UN-saturated unlike butter and lard.

Tip #2 If you're looking to add flavor to bland dishes like a side salad try adding some fresh herbs, citrus fruits, or spices.

Tip#3 2 egg whites can be substituted for 1 egg when cooking/baking. Doing so will remove 53 calories and 4 grams of fat!

Tip #4 Rinse canned vegetables to remove up to 35% of sodium.

Tip #5 The skin of a potato contains more nutrients than the inside of it.

Tip #6 Use applesauce as a substitute for butter or oil when baking. (I do this all the time now when I bake brownies or cookies)

Tip #7 Wheat bread has more fiber than white bread.

Tip #8 Steaming and stir-frying are some healthier options when cooking vegetables. They are the best ways to preserve the nutrients in your veggies.

Stay healthy!

Stephanie, WWT

"Home Maid" Butternut Squash Raviolis

I was at the Bishop Ranch Farmer's Market last week with my mom and we were both looking at a pasta stand that was handing out samples of various pastas and sauces/dips.  After about 10 tastes of their items, we were hooked and knew we had to buy something. So, we decided to get two packages of raviolis, one being "Home Maid's" Butternut Squash Raviolis.  The company is based in South San Francisco (according to the packaging) and had other varieties like a spinach ravioli with a ricotta cheese filling and a 'deluxe' meat variety. They come 24 to a box.

They have a fantastic flavor to them! Even my father who normally doesn't eat 'healthy' options like squash/vegetarian meals agreed that he liked them better than deluxe meat raviolis.

All you need to do is thaw them after taking them out of the freezer and boil for about 10-15 minutes, or until the raviolis float to the top of the pot. Simple and easy dinner, voila! They can be paired with pretty much any sauce, red, white, or maybe even a pesto.  If you didn't know they were made from butternut squash you might actually mistake them for cheese raviolis. The flavor isn't super strong and would go great with any meal. 

Stephanie, WWT

Sweet Potato Muffins

My wonderful friend who is probably one of the few people who reads this blog (you know who you are ;) recently sent me some recipes that I have been dying to make. I haven't had time or all the ingredients to get to them all, but I tried this one yesterday and I thought I'd share.

The original recipe (found here) is a little different from mine. I substituted buckwheat flour and a little bit of plain white flour for whole wheat because I didn't have any. If you've ever tasted buckwheat flour, you probably either love it or hate it. I personally don't mind the flavor and think it's kind of hearty, but I know for a fact that my father hates it!

So if you prefer your muffins a little more cakier-tasting and less nutty/grainy I would stick with the whole wheat, or just a plain white flour. If you're not a huge sweet potato fan, bananas would be a great substitute also!

Sweet Potato Muffins
makes 12 regular size muffins
2/3 C mashed sweet potato or yam (1 long potato makes enough for 2/3 of a cup and you'll probably have a little bit left over)

2 C whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup buckwheat flour and 1 cup white flour)

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (I would suggest adding a bit more if you tend to like your muffins spicier)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/3 C brown sugar

1/2 C milk (I used fat free for a slightly healthier option!)

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If you haven't already done so, start by boiling your peeled and cut sweet potato as this takes about 10-15 minutes. After that's done, mash the potato up - the fun part :)

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add sugar, milk and egg. Stir in sweet potato. Combine until smooth.
Fill muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

My batter was slightly browner/darker because I used the buckwheat flour

Leftover sweet potato

How Sweet It Is gives a recipe for a ginger glaze and you can find it on their website (here) but I actually just prefer mine warm with some butter and maple syrup. Maybe it was because my powdered sugar tasted old and artificial.

Be warned, the muffin itself isn't super sweet so if you are looking for more of a dessert rather than a breakfast muffin I would suggest adding a little more sugar or a sugar substitute like agave syrup. Or just top it with maple syrup and you're good to go!

Finished muffins!

Have any other good recipes? Share them!

Stephanie, WWT

Foodie Lingo

Ever seen something on the menu in a nice restaurant with a name you can't pronounce that seems exotic and fancy? I always tend to see the same words in dishes that I'd love to make, but never know what exactly they consist of. Sometimes, in certain situations, it is awkward to ask a waiter/waitress the meaning of an ingredient listed in the dish. However, I find that when I do, it can be crucial to my meal decision. It also inspires me to try new things and broaden my culinary pallate. Here's a list that I've compiled of words that I commonly see on menus, and have no clue what they are:

Bearnaise = A classic white-wine sauce flavored with fresh herbs and shallots, thickened with egg yolks and usually finished with tarragon or chervil

Bechamel = Basic milk (white) sauce

Bordelaise = A red or white wine sauce mixed with meat glaze, marrow, lemon juice, finely minced shallots, parsley, ground pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and other fresh herbs


Canape = French for an appetizer prepared and served on toast or crackers
 
Compote = Combination of fresh or cooked fruits. May be served hot or chilled
 
Confit = To slowly cook pieces of meat in their own gently rendered fat



 

Coq Au Vin = A French dish of chicken, mushrooms, onions, and bacon or salt pork cooked in red wine

Pronounced "Coco-VAN"

From French, literally (Chicken in wine)

Coulis = Thick sauce made from pureed vegetables or fruits
Pronounced "Koo-LEE"
From French, Couleis ("To strain)
A vegetable coulis is commonly used on meat and vegetable dishes, and it can also be used as a base for soups or other sauces. Fruit coulis are most often used on desserts. Raspberry coulis, for example, is especially popular with poached apples. From Wikipedia
 
Crudites = Hors d'oeuvres consisting of raw vegetables served with a dipping sauce
 
Demi-Glace/Demi-Glaze = A term meaning "half glaze." This rich brown sauce begins with a basic espagnole sauce and beef stock, and is slowly cooked with Madeira or sherry until it has been reduced by half. The resulting thick glaze should be able to coat the back of a spoon and can be used as the base for many other sauces.

Yeah, I kind of stopped at the D's lol, but don't worry! I will have more parts hopefully! My laptop has been weird lately so I've slowed down my posting considerably. I have some written, but just not published yet. Think of this as a small preview :P

Stephanie, WWT

Eataly: New York

As I wrote in a previous post, here is my review of Eataly in New York City.
Now when I was in NY I didn't really know what this was exactly. I just ran into it by chance, attracted by a sign for gelato in a window advertisement.  Little did I know that I would be transported to Italy, through the amazing sights and smells of this Italian market located near the Flatiron Building in New York.

Eataly banner

As I stepped through the doors, I immediately knew that I had stumbled upon a culinary jackpot. Whether you are passionate about cooking food or eating food, Eataly has it all. From wine tasting bars to restaurants, to a huge market, to aisles of pasta, one can easily lose themselves in the chaos.

I made my way through the overwhelming sections of the market/restaurant madness watching as people crowded around for coffee or talked and laughed over a glass of wine. It was easy to get caught up in the hubbub and fail to see the beauty in the simple things spread throughout the indoor treasure trove of Italian wares.  A wall of mushrooms especially caught my eye, boasting exotic varieties that I hadn't ever heard or seen before. Surprises, like fresh garlic bunches hung from cart roofs and ugli fruit stared up at me from a basket. 

Look at the price, $50 a pound!

I kept on walking, enjoying just taking it all in, stopping to photograph a mozzerella station, where a man was making fresh mozzerella cheese by hand! Oh wait... is he looking at me? Now he's gesturing for me to come over where he is kneading the cheese in vats of warm water and... oh my.. he just handed me a ball of fresh mozzerella cheese, still warm and dripping wet. Um, ok.. awkward?

I wasn't sure what to do with the small wet ball of goodness laying in my palms so I took a bite of it right then and there. I probably looked foolish, but I knew, that I would never taste something so delicious as this bought in a package. There is truly nothing that can compare to fresh mozzerella cheese. I expressed my gratitude to the sweet man for his free gift of joy that clearly made my day. I had just tasted heaven.

Stephanie, WWT

Restaurant Review: Fat Cactus Grill and Bar

Pic taken from Fat Cactus Facebook page

A week ago, I went out with some gal pals from high school to check out a mexican restaurant located in San Ramon, CA called the Fat Cactus Grill and Bar. This place was literally like a minute away from my house yet I had never tried it before. We all went on Tuesday because we were drawn in by the awesome price of $2.00 tacos! (After 5:00 pm)

Once we all went in we found it was packed with people. The hostess asked us if we would like to wait for a table or sit outside. We asked how long of a wait it would be and she said 30 mins... Really? To seat 5 people inside it was a 30 minute wait?? We didn't see anyone else waiting so we said we'd sit outside. Luckily, she found us a table right in front of the door (going outside onto the patio) where we could all fit. Yay, for air conditioning!!

Outdoor patio at Fat Cactus (taken from Fat Cactus Facebook page)

So we sit down and start perusing the taco menu which has 4 tacos listed at $2 and about 15 tacos listed as $3.50, but these were specialty tacos so I was willing to pay a bit more. As soon as our waitress comes to the table and takes our drink orders, she ended up returning shortly to tell us that they didn't have any clean water glasses and were currently washing some for us, so it would be about 10 minutes until we could get water.

..... after a moments hesitation, we all simply nodded and said "ok!" When she left we kind of gave each other a look like, "They don't have ANY clean water glasses??" The place wasn't even full! I wonder what they use when it is...

We expected some chips and salsa because we saw some at the table next to us, but we had to pay $2.50 for that too. After getting our clean water finally, we ordered. Me, being the more adventurous one, decided to try the Alligator Taco and the Kangaroo Taco. Here are the results:

The lighter meat is the alligator and the dark meat on the right is kangaroo.

Alligator: A bit tough for my liking. The texture was kind of like hard, chewy, fat and the taste was a little sweet. Hard to explain, but not my favorite. The meat was almost clear looking, very strange.

Kangaroo: I did really enjoy this one. Not as tough as the alligator, it had more flavor and tenderness.

Both had a strawberry salsa on top and some lettuce. Really? No cheese, or sour cream or avocado or anything?? Nope, these were just the bare bones tacos. Meat, some salsa, and lettuce. I thought this made them extremely dry but maybe that's just me.  I ended up just eating the meat and not the tortilla, it was too dry.

Overall, the service was bad, and the food wasn't good. It was bland and dry. So not worth the trip there. I've heard their brunch is ok, but I've never tried it myself. After the tacos, I'm not sure I want to go back. If you're looking to try variety meats though, they do have a wide range. Everything from Buffalo and Ostrich, to Shark tacos were on the menu. I'm willing to bet that you could find better somewhere else however.

Stephanie, WWT

Restaurant Review: Cameron's Pub

This visit was from about a month ago, but I forgot to blog it! Anyway, me and the parents went on a weekend drive to Half Moon Bay located on the coast of California about an hour away from our house. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong day to go because it ended up raining! This weather is crazy right? As a side note, today (June 28th) it thunderstormed here... in California!

Right, so back to the restaurant review! We were heading to Duarte's, located in Pescadero, but realized there was something funky happening on the highway. Apparently, there was some rock slide and the cars were restricted to one lane for both directions of traffic. This deterred us back the way we came and we ran into Cameron's British Pub and Inn!

The pub/restaurant itself is very cool and decorated with tons of both British and American memorabilia and just about everything you could imagine. When you dine here, it is definitely mandatory to walk around and look at everything! There is a decent sized bar area, outdoor seating, a game room with pool tables, shuffleboard and arcade games, as well as a small area where they sell British items like food/candybars. There are two huge double decker buses outside (one for smoking and one for non-smoking) as well as a British style taxi-cab. The food is typical British pub grub, lots of bangers and mash and fish and chips.

London Taxi!

The immense collection of beer cans.

As for the food, I had a vegetable sandwich, which was unfortunately pretty bad. I honestly could have made it myself at home. It had a random assortment of veggies including some black olives, mushrooms, onions, and peppers slathered with some melted cheese between two slices of wheat bread. I also tried the bean salad which was actually pretty good consisting of green beans, kidney beans, and some carrots. I know they're not trying to be all gourmet about their presentation, but it wasn't anything special. 

My dad opted for a roast beef with au jus sauce type thing and he declared it to be okay. My mom ended up with the fish and chips which was very good (we all ended up trying hers).
NOTE: Next time, get the burger!!! It wasn't until after we started reading the signed pictures on the wall did we realize that the burger is clearly the star here.

Overall, experience/atmosphere-wise, Cameron's gets a 10. The place is just awesome to look at and is really quirkily decorated. The food isn't really that great, but I can't speak for the burger. If you're looking for a fun place to hang out, get a drink, or some authentic British feel, then stop by Cameron's. P.S. go check out the bathroom, the women's one is so awesome right?

Ceiling of the women's restroom. Gotta love the disco ball!

They have my favorite, Pictionary!!

Stephanie, WWT