Help Someone Get Fed

As I was perusing through CNN's headlines today, I came across an inspiring and eye-opening article. It particularly struck me because, contrary to the name of my blog, there are far too many who don't have the luxury of experimenting with different ingredients or recipes. Many aren't even able to provide a daily meal for themselves.

An amazing man in Queens, with the help of his mother and sister, personally cooks homemade meals for the hungry. Their home-run organization is called An Angel in Queens. Every single evening at 9:30 after he returns from his job as a city bus driver, he delivers a hot meal, hot chocolate, and coffee to those waiting. He estimates that he's served roughly 70,000 meals so far.



Yes, things are tough in this economy, but that's not stopping Jorge Munoz from cooking many hot meals on his $600/week salary. If you have the means to eat three meals every day, can you spare something for this wonderful cause? If you don't have a few bucks to donate, they're also looking for items such as iced tea mix, jeans, and dry soap. Please visit the Web site for more information: http://www.anangelinqueens.org/

Sunday Meals

I love waking up on a Sunday morning and having the entire day to cook whatever my heart desires. Sometimes, you just have one of those perfect Sundays that aren't too lazy, and aren't too productive, and best of all- are absolutely delicious.

This morning, I made crepes and enjoyed mimosas with my boyfriend. I was surprised (and so was he) at how good the crepes came out because I had to use my roommate's Vanilla Soy Milk. They still tasted great, especially with a ton of Confectioner's Sugar, melted chocolate, and strawberry and cream cheese fillings. (The shells around the crepes are conch shells we found in Miami!) What a great way to start the day!




Throughout the entire week in Miami, my friend Leah and I were craving a good steak and potato dinner. So when we went to Shaw's today to make our Sunday dinner, it was like God wanted us to have steak! We got two large chuck steaks for $7! Talk about being economical.

To start, we had a salad with baby spninch, toasted walnuts, strawberries, Craisins, and a Raspberry Walnut spritzer dressing. It was a very refreshing and Spring-y salad.

We decided to brown the steaks, finish them off in the oven, and make a gravy with the juices. Leah made her amazing garlic mashed potatoes and her super fried onions (slightly crispy, but caramelized to perfection). It was exactly what we needed!






Since I can never not have dessert, we made a key lime pie... Very rich and delicious. That's for another post.

Enjoy your days off and make something you're craving!

Bienvenido A Miami

It's been more than a month since I last posted! With the craziness of school and extracurricular activities (aka PRSSA is my life), I've barely had time to cook anything more than a grilled cheese or Lean Cuisine.

Needless to say, spring break in Miami was an extremely welcomed and much needed vacation! Our crew of nine made meals consisting mostly of sandwiches, cereal, and pasta. One day, we did venture out to Puerta Sagua, a Cuban restaurant in South Beach. It was probably my first time having authentic Cuban food, and it was amazing! I'm such a sucker for plantains. I wasn't able to take any pictures, so here are some I found online.



Below is a picture of the dish I ordered: Roast Chicken served with fried plantains, white rice, and black beans. The chicken was so moist and juicy, and was seasoned amazingly. The white rice was just salty and slightly sticky enough, and the black beans were flavored with bay leaves and god knows what else. All in all, it was an awesome meal, and less than $10! It's easily enough for two meals, but I was, well...hungry!



My boyfriend got the Shredded Beef, also served with plantains, white rice, and black beans. The sauce was a little bit sweet but mostly savory and absolutely delicious. It basically looked like this:



If you're ever in Miami looking for a cheap and authentic meal, definitely head for Puerta Sagua. Delicioso!