tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90947084807022025032024-03-14T02:24:26.232-07:00Savor the Flavor "Every lesson I learned as a kid was at the dinner table...It is where we laughed, cried, & yelled-- but most importantly where we connected and bonded."- Michael Symon
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-18824961848215536502016-08-01T12:34:00.002-07:002016-08-01T13:01:51.683-07:00Foodie Frenzy<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anyone who knows me personally knows that they're not allowed to take a bite of the food when it comes to our table unless I get to take pictures of it. Most of my family members just laugh and roll their eyes by now because they're extremely used to my foodie ways. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>In the first food blog post I ever wrote, I shared why the concept of food and sharing food pictures and recipes is something so special to me-- but this is a topic I want to revisit again. In short, my mother was a baker and chef for years while my father was an amazing photographer in his free time. Somehow I took a liking to the concepts together: <i>food photography.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Growing up I have many memories of standing in my kitchen (on my tip toes) observing my mom work her magic: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Whisking, sauteing, steaming and mixing. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Flipping, chopping, smashing, and brewing.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>...always wondering how my mom perfectly combined ingredients to create the most mouth-watering food I've ever tasted (most of the time without ever using recipes). The best part was she always let me help in any way my little fingers could contribute and I would feel so proud. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>My father was a genius behind the lens. Each step of the way growing up my father was there with the camera documenting and savoring every single moment. Although his camera was too complex for me to ever touch, I observed and learned how he was able to capture scenes and images that everyone else was blind to. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I take immense pride in the passion that I have for cooking and food photography, and I know there are so many other Cleveland foodies, and people all over the world, who share this same exact feeling. As much as I love having people follow my blog posts and my Savor the Flavor Instagram account @savetheflav, I firmly believe that I am the one getting the most satisfaction from all of this. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>As time goes on, I would absolutely love to pursue opportunities where I'm able to blog about food/recipes/restaurants near and far. Although it's not something I am not currently doing as a job like some bloggers, I feel so happy pursuing something I am passionate about. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAKb9iMi93E/V5-jRIZLQaI/AAAAAAAACLk/QUDLUZXadvwG-td-sHLhVTaxG5os93LHQCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAKb9iMi93E/V5-jRIZLQaI/AAAAAAAACLk/QUDLUZXadvwG-td-sHLhVTaxG5os93LHQCLcB/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...I've come a long way since then!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I also feel fortunate to be a Cleveland native and witness the renaissance that has occurred here in the past few years--especially the food scene. I am damn proud of where I come from and I love to share everything Cleveland related. Food is a big part of that because pride because there is such deep rooted culture here in this city. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFQhFpYsIN0/V5-mUtpR6_I/AAAAAAAACLw/YAgGuL-cm2M2bPfQLj6AZS8u77oJe4uJgCEw/s1600/Little%2Bkyra%2Bas%2Bchef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFQhFpYsIN0/V5-mUtpR6_I/AAAAAAAACLw/YAgGuL-cm2M2bPfQLj6AZS8u77oJe4uJgCEw/s200/Little%2Bkyra%2Bas%2Bchef.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off my "chef skills" at age 6 or 7...</td></tr>
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</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">More to come this week... --KH</span></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-78156306157218126162016-07-06T11:08:00.002-07:002016-07-08T06:14:02.870-07:00Life in the Land (Cleveland EATS)<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>When I last posted in March I shared my journey of the transition to a gluten-free diet. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Three months since that post, I am excited to share that I have happily been GF for nearly six months now! I have noticed a drastic change in my health and seldom experience the uncomfortable symptoms I was having for months. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Despite my diet restrictions, I have been endlessly exploring Cleveland's eats in every way possible since I've been home. Just when I thought I knew everything about my city...I keep finding new foodie adventures and hidden neighborhood gems)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>I am interning full-time in downtown Cleveland which has allowed me to view the city from an entirely new perspective. I use every second of my free time to simply walk up and down the streets and learn something new. Not to mention--Cleveland has been electric since we became CHAMPS! The feeling of walking down the street in the past week has drastically changed. Strangers high-five and people hug when they see someone wearing Cavs clothing.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Parade confetti still graces the streets as a sweet, sweet reminder of the city's long awaited victory. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>When I arrived back home from OU in April, I began to compile an ongoing list of things I was doing and a list of places that I wanted to go to ensure that I was making the most of my summer. I am very fortunate that my sister Celina and her husband have allowed me to live with them in my favorite neighborhood in all of Cleveland: <em>Cleveland Heights.</em> The Heights is such a unique, quirky, and versatile place. Down the street from their house on Lee Road is a number of restaurants, bars, shops, a movie theatre, and much more. For me, it's the ultimate summer location in Cleveland being a quick drive away from downtown, but yet in our own little niche. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>I must admit that since I've been home I have been cooking less than I am used to...</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>I have been introduced to the <u>rude reality of being an adult</u> and feeling overwhelmed with busy work schedules and a lack of work-life balance. The thought of coming home after a long day and spending time cooking & then cleaning just does not sound appetizing!</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>When I am away at school, cooking is extremely therapeutic for me after a long day of classes and working two jobs. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>I hope to get back in that healthy habit soon enough.</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For now, I want to share some of the food adventures that I have been drooling over the entire summer. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(If you want to view more pictures where I post frequently follow my instagram @tastetheland)</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K4Eyg_YCrT0/V30_z5VlTBI/AAAAAAAACJ8/8-Chv4bKTFM-ZqkcSNk-C7bNQBK6PiYRACLcB/s320/avacado.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="256" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong> Restore Coldpressed (Downtown Cleveland)</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Avocado toast | Himalayan Pink Salt | Lemon | EVO | Cracked Pepper | Vine Ripened Tomatoes | GF bread</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The toast everyone keeps talking about...had to try it for myself. The combination of these simple ingredients is <strong>INCREDIBLE</strong></span></td></tr>
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<em></em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTIdcXnwkT0/V30_2mSvvXI/AAAAAAAACKA/xT8ajZ3qGWYVLo4R5c0dEm3LNM5Zc4J8wCLcB/s1600/smoothie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTIdcXnwkT0/V30_2mSvvXI/AAAAAAAACKA/xT8ajZ3qGWYVLo4R5c0dEm3LNM5Zc4J8wCLcB/s320/smoothie.JPG" width="179" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Restore Coldpressed (Downtown Cleveland)</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Banana | Blueberry | Coconut Oil | Flaxseed | Raw Honey | Almond Milk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tTcl9de7QQw/V31BrJZei_I/AAAAAAAACKU/b7klU_cerewwBuhChN4o1MfoqNjaZD_CACLcB/s1600/saigon%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tTcl9de7QQw/V31BrJZei_I/AAAAAAAACKU/b7klU_cerewwBuhChN4o1MfoqNjaZD_CACLcB/s320/saigon%2B1.JPG" width="256" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Saigon (E. 4th Street)- My personal favorite lunch spot</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">|Tender beef & brisket Pho|</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Saigon offers such amazing portions of Vietnamese food for very affordable prices</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This meal also turned into my dinner...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tCpKfGZjN-4/V31BnIcgNZI/AAAAAAAACKQ/dcUGrL8RzXo2S_kpLBhHntqkUnlbY9eQACLcB/s1600/corner%2Balley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tCpKfGZjN-4/V31BnIcgNZI/AAAAAAAACKQ/dcUGrL8RzXo2S_kpLBhHntqkUnlbY9eQACLcB/s320/corner%2Balley.JPG" width="256" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Corner Alley (E. 4th Street)- Outdoor & open fun atmosphere</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">|Brisket nachos w/ a balsamic glaze|</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Always enjoy visiting the Corner Alley with both coworkers and friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a fun atmosphere for just drinking or dining and offers decent options!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cyDwBC655L8/V31DGPAHipI/AAAAAAAACKc/H4q4dNPSohUowVFFUDKV15sw1i86dVIXQCLcB/s1600/caprese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cyDwBC655L8/V31DGPAHipI/AAAAAAAACKc/H4q4dNPSohUowVFFUDKV15sw1i86dVIXQCLcB/s640/caprese.jpg" width="356" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gigi's on Fairmount (Cleveland Heights)</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">| The most beautiful Caprese salad I've ever seen...or tasted |</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the only place in Cleveland Heights open for lunch during the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> My go to spot with girlfriends for a quick bite and a fun place to catch up (with martinis of course!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hGj9sTqymsQ/V31DH8sDyBI/AAAAAAAACKg/FtXw0ThvEHIE0gKcsggUb3NLSskjWlz1gCLcB/s1600/greenhouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hGj9sTqymsQ/V31DH8sDyBI/AAAAAAAACKg/FtXw0ThvEHIE0gKcsggUb3NLSskjWlz1gCLcB/s400/greenhouse.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Greenhouse Tavern (E. 4th Street)</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">| The Ohio Beef Burger "Celiac Style." |</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I really appreciate the accommodations for a GFD on the menu at GHT</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have yet to order a meal that has disappointed me in the slightest</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iDClYmqY2c/V31DKvdcl1I/AAAAAAAACKo/K1VtMTdbjO8S6JvVaP_M1Rg8gvtN4G87wCLcB/s1600/notso%2Bfries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iDClYmqY2c/V31DKvdcl1I/AAAAAAAACKo/K1VtMTdbjO8S6JvVaP_M1Rg8gvtN4G87wCLcB/s400/notso%2Bfries.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yours Truly (Shaker Square)</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">| Freshly squeezed grapefruit mimosas & notso fries |</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I must admit Notso fries are my utmost guilty please (especially after a night of one too many) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love coming here on weekends...never a bad meal!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scHBnIIN18g/V31DOmBTFII/AAAAAAAACKs/0D6KyQf7WYs8Wm76rkiKEUxZSAJ19JcPQCLcB/s1600/skins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scHBnIIN18g/V31DOmBTFII/AAAAAAAACKs/0D6KyQf7WYs8Wm76rkiKEUxZSAJ19JcPQCLcB/s640/skins.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Brennan's Colony (Cleveland Heights)</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">| Potato Skins & Chicken Nachos |</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am extremely biased towards The Colony since I used to work here...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">but it's hard to deny that Brennan's is a great summer spot with an unbeatable patio.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My summer has consisted of countless nights at Brennan's devouring potato skins during nerve-racking Cavs games.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWs-508tOh8/V31MO7KozmI/AAAAAAAACK8/QfWDHO1IV4EhzwMC6eJkV-Yj5rb3j9ItwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWs-508tOh8/V31MO7KozmI/AAAAAAAACK8/QfWDHO1IV4EhzwMC6eJkV-Yj5rb3j9ItwCLcB/s320/IMG_1965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Nighttown (Cedar Hill)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">| Pea risotto w/ radish & greens</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia";">|</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Amazing service and a good option for a family meal, a date, or drinks with friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">Another great patio with a full bar for the summer. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nighttown (Cedar Hill)</strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">| Pork Tenderloin w/ cilantro polenta, tomatoes, red wine reduction |</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">| Ciabatta & gravy w/ poached eggs |</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-17307944918843555982016-03-20T17:49:00.001-07:002016-03-20T17:51:00.479-07:00Ecuador Eats <b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am kicking myself for not posting since this summer--but I assure you I have been hard at work exploring all types of foods and cooking. Not to mention, a lot has changed with my diet but we'll get to that after the exciting stuff:</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I will begin with the past December and my trip to Ecuador for 10 days.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had long awaited my trip to South America and it was
beyond fulfilling…but more so: filling.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My phone was nearby at all times to constantly take pictures
of all of the food I consumed or the variety juices I drank. I LOVED how natural the juice is anywhere you go. I couldn’t
get enough.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every morning at our hostel, the kitchen would surprise
us with all different flavors and we would pass each other’s juice around to
the whole table (clearly we are not germaphobes—or we just spend too much time
together to care). My personal favorite was the mulberry juice—the perfect
amount of tart to have me completely satisfied. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our meals consisted of plenty of rice, avocado, beans, & meat (as expected). However the flavors were exquisite and fresher than imaginable. I also have a new found love for plantains cooked every which way and Ecuadorian CHOCOLATE.</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A coastal Ecuadorian meal: rice, avocado, fried plantains, and fish</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mulberry Juice</span></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ecuador definitely stole a piece of my heart and I hope to travel back there one day with family to continue to explore and pick mangoes...</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the past six months or so I have been experiencing very weird stomach problems, nausea, etc.-- these symptoms would occur a few hours after eating. I'm already a hypochondriac when it comes to my health so you could only imagine the types of things going through my mind. After a few doctors appointments and blood tests there was no conclusive results, so I began to do some research on my own. And then came GLUTEN. Now, I know in the medical field this is a controversial topic--especially since there is a lack of research regarding gluten intolerances. However, I have many friends and close family who have seen amazing relief from similar symptoms after completely removing gluten from their diets. So, I gave it a shot.</span></b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have been gluten free since shortly after my Ecuador trip-- almost three months to be exact.</span></b></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was absolutely shocked by the results. I no longer experienced the sporadic symptoms that I had been experiencing for months. Whether it all be in my head, or gluten actually the problem, I was (and continue to be) content. In terms of cooking, it's been a new adventure in the kitchen. I have become way more creative and I am always up for a challenge. It is interesting how much more I have to pay attention to food labels & ingredients. One of the down sides....is...beer. Those of you who know me understand my obsession and taste for craft beer, especially in Cleveland. Although, it has been fun to discover gluten-free beers. Thank goodness for wine!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The best part of being gluten-free: eating a copious amount of Mexican food. I eat tacos probably more than I should, but the ingredients so fresh, so easy, and there's countless combinations. </span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-79147322852451433452015-08-04T18:31:00.000-07:002015-08-04T18:53:19.982-07:00Sporatic Summer Sampling <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My roommate Alyssa and I find ourselves constantly hungry-- possibly due to the fact that our kitchen and living room are connected so there's no avoiding the bombarding thoughts of food within arms reach. I do give us props, however, because recently our snack choices have been very health conscious. Rather than giving in to the temptation of junk food, we've been utilizing vegetables as substitutes for our favorite snack foods. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Recently to fight our salty cravings, we made baked chickpeas lightly seasoned with everyday spices, a tad bit of fresh Parmesan & dipped them in sriracha. Cook time was only 30 minutes and they reached a desirable crunch. Highly recommend these especially if you already have a liking towards chickpeas. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>However, tonight while sitting down to unwind from a long day turned into a whirl wind of experimentation. Alyssa and I looked in our fridge to discover what we could whip up this time. Our end result: kale chips, spinach chips, and radish chips.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDpHL5NgR6Q/VcFi76gFdzI/AAAAAAAAAYU/qh1tR9eFSa0/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDpHL5NgR6Q/VcFi76gFdzI/AAAAAAAAAYU/qh1tR9eFSa0/s640/FullSizeRender%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="480" /></b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>To begin, we lightly tossed the spinach and kale in olive oil. Then, after spreading the leaves on a cooking pan we added light salt, garlic powder, and tiny sprinkles of cheese. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ten minutes of baking at 325 did the trick and this was our end result:</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Crispy, guilt free GOODNESS. </b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />Although the kale chips were the winner in my book, the radish chips came in close second. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>These suckers had little preparation besides thin slicing. All we had to do was pat the slices dry, add a tad a lemon juice, salt & pepper and bake them at 375 for 20 minutes or until crispy. </b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The end result tastes so similar to a potato chips it's astonishing--especially since radishes have a spicy & strong taste to begin with. The initial tastes of radishes is lost once baked. </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />As I sit here writing this we are currently on our second round of kale chips...we can't get enough.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Instagram account: @savetheflav</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-39481958970995248602015-08-03T16:52:00.003-07:002015-08-03T17:25:39.221-07:00Spice Up Your Life-- No, Really.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>I tend to get worrisome looks from others when I’m eating and at this point I’m used to it. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>This is not due to sloppiness or odd food choices, but my ongoing committed relationship with hot sauce. More specifically: Sriracha chili sauce or chipotle smoked Tabasco. (Yes, I am dating them both). People constantly judge my frenzy and frankly I don’t blame them. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I quite often speculate how my taste buds evolved to withstand the amount of spice I voluntarily bestow upon myself, especially being the only person in my family who smothers their food in such painstaking spice. My fridge has a rack dedicated to a variety of hot sauces that satisfy every craving, and I even have a ‘Sriracha2go’ key chain gracing my keys-- yes, this way I can bring my boyfriend with me everywhere I go. So, you get the picture. I consume an abundance of hot sauce.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>However, don’t be quick to judge. There are hidden benefits to consuming spicy foods. So listen here, people:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, contributes to numerous health benefits such as increased metabolism, increased heart health, the ability to kill cancer cells, & a decrease in blood pressure. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even if you don’t like or can’t tolerate spicy, I highly encourage you to add more tolerable spices such as curry to your food to increase the hidden health benefits</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This past May I spent two nights in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while traveling in Southeast Asia. Between street food and local eateries, there was no lack of extra spicy food, the kind of spice that can even make me sweat a little. In short, I was in absolute heaven. While getting dinner at an eatery, there was a language barrier between my waiter and I, and the menu was entirely in Malay. Therefore, I chose to eat buffet style, although I still could not accurately decipher what I was eating. Despite being clueless, I plated an assortment of meats, chili sauces and rice. Luckily the woman sitting next to me was from Switzerland and spoke pretty fluent English. We bonded over the fact that we had little idea what we were eating and both thoroughly enjoyed suffering through the Malaysian spice. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To add a little Southeast Asian spice to my life once back in America, I decided to grow Thai peppers. Tonight I was able to enjoy them for the first time--it took me right back across the world.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Kyra</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-35082478814098961742015-07-27T13:33:00.006-07:002015-07-27T13:39:40.951-07:00Props, Cincinnati<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> have spent quite some time in Cincinnati over the course
of the past year and a half making frequent trips to visit my boyfriend. Each
time I’m there we aim to do something new—which for us typically involves food,
beer, & the night life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even as an avid Clevelander, (who refuses to admit that
other cities can have amazing food and beer too) I have to give Cincinnati some
well-earned credit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Similar to Cleveland, the Queen City has experienced a culturally
drastic transformation that is constantly attracting millennials to the region.
One of the up and coming hot spots that I truly enjoy is the historic district
called Over the Rhine, or OTR. This once deserted area now holds a vibrant
community with much to offer. OTR is home to local shops, independent eateries,
art galleries, theatres, markets & so on. In OTR, Vine Street is the place
to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cincinnati Burger Week July 20th-26th:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For Sunday brunch, Braden and I tried a brand new eatery in
OTR called Nation. And man, it’s safe to say we will be returning the next time
I’m in town. Nation is housed in a building in the flats that is more than 115
years old, and also includes an outdoor patio. However, Nation houses more than
great food & local beer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is the history as stated on their website <a href="http://www.nationkitchenandbar.com/">www.nationkitchenandbar.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“At the turn of the
20th century, 6' tall Kentucky-born Carrie Nation ravaged bars across America.
Wielding a hatchet, she claimed a divine ordinance to promote temperance by
smashing any tavern and saloon that crossed her path. The slogan All Nations
welcome but Carrie became a bar-room staple.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Between 1900 and 1910,
Carrie was arrested 30 times for her 'hatchetations' until she arrived in
Cincinnati. Receiving word of her impending visit, Over-The-Rhine bar owners
braced for the worst. Yet upon her arrival Carrie took one step onto Vine
street, turned around and left. When asked why she did not follow her usual
path of destruction, Carrie's response was <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I would
have dropped from exhaustion before I went one block for all the bars in this
city.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nation serves as a
tribute to the rich history of this city and neighborhood. It is meant to be an
extension of your living room, a place for gathering neighbors, and a
foundation for building community.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Burgers are the main focus of the menu accompanied by a
variety of fries served numerous styles. They even have sriracha ketchup which
is a huge win in my book. I truly admire the fact that the menu is only 6-10
items because it allows them to specialize rather than bite off more than they
can chew—all about quality not quantity. In addition, they offer a black bean
burger and other vegetarian options which are crucial. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, their brunch menu, that’s a whole different load of
excitement. Nation offers ‘Bottomless Brunch’ for $25 which consists of one
brunch food item & unlimited mimosas, bloody ‘carries’, or screwdrivers
until 2 pm. Although I was very tempted to order the Hangover Burger with my
current state...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> I tried the breakfast burrito with eggs, hashbrowns, and chorizo,
topped with queso, pico, & jalapenos only for $7. Unreal. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The local environment, the friendly staff, and the damn good
food make this place a go-to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Brunch Wrap Supreme-Smoked sausage patty, pepper jack cheese, bacon, queso, tater tots, egg, and jalapeño relish.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Eating-- Kyra</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-7244325298451320492015-07-20T06:40:00.000-07:002015-07-20T07:09:08.420-07:00Ohio Brew Week 2015 (It's a must)<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Craft Beer Lovers,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ohio Brew Week, you better do your research before next July. Since 2005, Athens, Ohio has hosted a week long festival dedicated to craft beer-- pretty damn awesome, right? The festival showcases hundreds of beers from breweries all over Ohio. Many local restaurants, bars, and venues participate in brew week events, such as outdoor beer gardens & BBQ's. There's even an app for your phone where you can click on the participating businesses and see what beers they'll have on tap that week. You can then check off the list as you go, even "favoriting" ones you enjoyed the most.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lGpWUqn18A/VazyxeXhxcI/AAAAAAAAASs/Y2D0ZN9-i_I/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lGpWUqn18A/VazyxeXhxcI/AAAAAAAAASs/Y2D0ZN9-i_I/s320/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although the entire week was fun-filled (beer-filled), I was spoiled early in the week. Last Monday, Pat Conway, the co-founder of Great Lakes Brewing Company was giving a keynote speech, presentation, & a beer tasting. GLBC opened in Cleveland, Ohio as the first craft brewery in 1988, and continues to grow in popularity despite the increased number of microbreweries in the area. My admiration for Pat Conway and GLBC as a whole now goes far beyond the taste & styles of the beer. Conway stressed many ways that his business promotes environmental sustainability, and how other businesses can do the same. For example, Great Lakes has a ride service called Fatty Wagon that takes customers from the brewery to Cleveland sporting events. The best part is...the Fatty Wagon runs purely on vegetable oil from leftovers in the kitchen. Also, low filled bottles (beer bottles that aren't filled up to 12 oz during the bottling process) are sent to Mitchell's ice cream for use rather than throwing them away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However, my favorite takeaway from his presentation was GLBC's unofficial slogan:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Moderation can be overdone"- Pat Conway</span></i></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the presentation, I had the opportunity to chat with Conway. What a cool start to the week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Later on in the week my family drove down from Ann Arbor and Cleveland to join me in my OBW festivities. Friday night after we went to the beer garden BBQ, we visited to our usual stomping grounds-- Jackie O's Brewery. There's nothing like drinking beers with the people you love on a Friday night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of Athens' hidden gems is the Cider House, a neighborhood corner pub with homemade cider. Knowing how much my sister and her fiance would enjoy the environment, we went Saturday afternoon for some cider and time out of the heat. Later on we ended uptown to the Last Call Festival where there was live music, beer/food trucks, and an abundance of people celebrating the end of brew week. My sister Alli loved Cider House so much we ended back there again that same night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's safe to say beer isn't on the menu for me this week... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheers & Happy Monday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't forget to support your local breweries, people!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kyra</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-67051726698742062962015-07-08T06:41:00.002-07:002015-08-03T17:31:07.489-07:00Unbeatable Eats-- Happy July! <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many good eats have taken place since my last post and I have been so giddy to share. Holiday weekends always create a monster out of me because I find an excuse to make an abundance of food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Starting on Thursday, I decided to make my own marinara sauce for the first time when my boyfriend came to visit. Canned sauce absolutely never compares to the taste of homemade sauce and meatballs (especially my moms). I have never been a fan of red sauce with ground beef mixed in, but I decided to use up some sausage that I had in my fridge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) To add texture to the sauce, I sauteed green pepper and onions on a lower heat with a touch of </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BUT the meals of the weekend just keep getting better. On Friday night I tried another new recipe. I love the concept of wrapping anything in lettuce as a substitute for a bun, bread, or wrap. Therefore, I think whoever invented lettuce wraps is absolutely brilliant. I typically enjoy the Asian-style lettuce wraps, but I decided to try something different. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>[Baked buffalo chicken lettuce wraps]</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To begin, I marinated the thawed chicken breasts in buffalo sauce during the day</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once the chicken was ready, I sliced it into smaller pieces. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then came the fun part...adding everything together and drizzling bleu cheese on top. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By far, this was the best simple meal I have ever made. The combination of heat from the sauce paired with fresh vegetables and bleu cheese brought together by the crunch of the lettuce was unbeatable. I highly suggest you try it for yourself! If you aren't a fan of buffalo sauce, or even bleu cheese, this recipe can be easily altered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The fourth of July menu was a winner as well. </span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We made a rack of ribs, sausage, hot dogs, roasted garlic & ricotta salad, accompanied by watermelon. I was so anxious about trying to recreate my mom's ribs which I have never made before but they fell right off the bone. My mom made it clear that I could not share her recipe with anyone and I'm obliging (but I will tell you they were not made on a grill). Everything turned out a success, but due to hosting people at our apartment, I was too distracted from taking pictures of the food. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: blue;">H</span><span style="color: red;">a</span>p<span style="color: blue;">p</span><span style="color: red;">y</span> 4<span style="color: blue;">t</span><span style="color: red;">h</span> o<span style="color: blue;">f</span> <span style="color: red;">J</span>u<span style="color: blue;">l</span><span style="color: red;">y</span> :)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Come Monday another new recipe was put to the test with the help of Alyssa. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>[Avocado & Lime Chicken Salad]</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our plan was to make the chicken salad and eat it as a cold, open-faced sandwich. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a damn good plan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients;</b> chicken breasts, avocado, lime, cilantro, green onion, mayo, salt & pepper, garlic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However, we made slight changes. Instead of using mayo we substituted plain greek yogurt, and instead of lime we used lemon juice (just because we forgot to get a lime). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To begin, we finely chopped the cilantro and green onion and diced the avocados. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a bowl I added about two cups of greek yogurt, 2-4 teaspoons of lemon juice, the chopped greens, avocado, garlic, & a pinch of salt & pepper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During this time, we pan cooked chicken breasts on low heat (keeping them tender). Once finished, I threw them in a pan and proceeded to shred them using a fork on a knife. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lastly, I added the chicken to the bowl of other ingredients and mixed everything together. I ate my chicken salad on wheat bread and added chipotle Tabasco on top. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Incredible to say the least. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The original recipe I found was found at: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> http://sweettreatsmore.com/cilantro-lime-avocado-chicken-salad/</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bon Appetit-- Kyra</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-60485081113454304962015-06-29T07:26:00.002-07:002015-06-29T09:05:09.464-07:00Cleveland, You Spoil Me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was very much looking forward to my weekend at home in Cleveland with my family...and with all of my home town's immaculate food. Anytime anyone asks me my favorite thing to do in Cleveland I immediately tell them the West Side Market. The WSM, Cleveland's largest publicly owned market, was opened in 1912. Over 100 food vendors of great ethnic diversity have booths at the market. You can find fresh sea food, meats, dairy, fruits & veggies--pretty much anything you need-- at unbeatable prices for such outstanding quality. This market is very well known, and draws in millions of customers yearly due to being featured in numerous shows on the food network. Every time I get the chance to visit the market, I have a set agenda of the booths I visit which typically consist of Ohio City Pasta, Noodlecat, Fresh Enchiladas, Mediterra Bakehouse, Steve's Gyros, Crepes de Luxe, and many more. HOWEVER, Noodlecat, my all time favorite booth that serves asian steamed buns no longer has a booth at the market. Yes, there were literal tears when I discovered this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Naturally, this weekend my older sister Alli and I made our routine stop at the market on Friday. I made her try Cambodian fruit called Rambutans which she thought were interesting...but good. I was happy she had the chance to try them since I bought them quite frequently on the streets of Asia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After our market excursion, we made our way over to East 4th and the theater district. Across the street I spotted the Noodlecat restaurant, and my weekend was immediately complete. I kid you not I ran across the street because I was so happy...Alli has the pictures to prove it. Her and I both ordered three steam buns each. Mine were Ohio City BBQ pulled pork (the best there is), onion tempura, and spicy fried chicken. While scarfing them down, we people-watched for about an hour. It was shocking how booming downtown Cleveland now during the lunch hour. Can't wait to live down there at some point. </span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-73306028997698273102015-06-29T06:57:00.003-07:002015-06-29T06:57:27.167-07:00All around stuffed...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3nnpfuv1QG4/VZFNyvRDYgI/AAAAAAAAAIc/iaJo8rsUZGM/s1600/image1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3nnpfuv1QG4/VZFNyvRDYgI/AAAAAAAAAIc/iaJo8rsUZGM/s640/image1.PNG" width="360" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I owe this one to my roommate Alyssa for spoiling me last Thursday night with this delicious meal which I've been craving for months-- stuffed peppers. She even used a green pepper (my favorite) specifically for me while everyone else used red. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">--Filled with ground turkey, rice, chopped onions, topped off with cheese and sriracha, of course. The peppers were first boiled in water to become soft, then after the ingredients were added, she baked them in the oven. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The peppers were SO filling and perfect washed down with a GLBC Commodore Perry IPA. Thanks, Lyss!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kyra</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-48246140996648081722015-06-24T06:56:00.000-07:002015-06-24T06:57:01.383-07:00Stirring it up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last night I felt like mixing it up and adding a little Asian zing to my week, so I decided to make stir fry for the first time ever. I've never attempted to make it because I truly believe nothing comes close to the stir fry dish my mom made in the wok growing up. Although I wasn't able to velvet my chicken (how chicken is normally cooked for stir fry in boiling water), it turned out to be quite a success. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) heated up the wok with oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) cracked an egg into the wok and let it cook for a few seconds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) steamed an Asian medley consisting of broccoli, snow peas, carrot, & baby corn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) added brown rice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) sauteed chicken with a stir fry sauce, soy sauce, and sriracha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) mixed it all up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was bummed that I didn't have pineapple or water chestnuts because those are my favorite additions to stir fry. Looking forward to my next attempt! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay tuned...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Kyra</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-73989301973889479162015-06-24T06:42:00.004-07:002015-06-24T06:45:18.808-07:00Up North<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is nothing I crave more in the summer than a <span style="color: red;"><b>bowl of fresh cherries</b></span>. In fact, while I spent my month in Asia I honestly thought of cherries quite often. Although the fruit there was exotic, the taste wasn't nearly as satisfying as the variety of fruit I usually eat at home. However, I contribute my cherry craving to the summers in <span style="color: red;"><b>Traverse City</b></span> with my best friend Tia. Her family owned a cherry orchard up north, and for those of you who don't know, Traverse City, Michigan is incredibly well known for their cherries. <b><span style="color: red;">They produce 70-75% of the U.S. tart cherries</span></b> and nothing even comes close to tasting as tangy as they do. Usually around sunset, her and I would take buckets to the orchard and fill them up past the brim free of cost (the picture below is me in 2011). I even managed to smuggle at least a bag full home for my Dad every year, since he loved them just as much as I did. Today while I eat cherries out of my mason jar at the Athens Health Department, I can not help but <b><span style="color: red;">miss those summer nights</span></b> (and unbelievable cherries) I was able to experience in northern Michigan. I owe thanks to Tia and her family for those invaluable memories.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FpLYfWRaD_s/VYqydokREiI/AAAAAAAAAHs/aBurOTv1CCc/s1600/red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FpLYfWRaD_s/VYqydokREiI/AAAAAAAAAHs/aBurOTv1CCc/s320/red.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAVHmEqkSxo/VYqyfQ-JE8I/AAAAAAAAAH0/8ZYNDRVNPPw/s1600/yellow%2Bcherries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAVHmEqkSxo/VYqyfQ-JE8I/AAAAAAAAAH0/8ZYNDRVNPPw/s320/yellow%2Bcherries.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfVjr3lkOc0/VYqyi9w6A1I/AAAAAAAAAH8/jxCiFtP7TSQ/s1600/cherries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfVjr3lkOc0/VYqyi9w6A1I/AAAAAAAAAH8/jxCiFtP7TSQ/s320/cherries.jpg" width="240" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-67717760009341161702015-06-22T07:01:00.001-07:002015-06-22T07:01:55.717-07:00The Best Taste of Summer: CharcoalDespite the horrendous weather we got in Athens this weekend from tropical storm Bill, we still found some sunshine to grill in. Alyssa's family (my second family) came to visit us on Father's Day and brought so much food to spoil us with!<br />
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We had...<br />
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<ul>
<li>an orzo salad with fresh spinach, tomato, & Feta</li>
<li>Grilled sweet potatoes dusted with brown sugar-- thanks to Alyssa</li>
<li>Taco dip</li>
<li>Pasta salad with mozzarella and peppers</li>
<li>Watermelon</li>
<li>Turkey Burgers on the charcoal grill</li>
<li>Sugar cookie cake with a cream cheese spread topped with kiwi, raspberries, & strawberries-- also thanks to Alyssa</li>
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I wish I was able to be with my dad on Father's day but it was still such a great weekend to say the least. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jNlIlfaO-m4/VYgUQ64ft1I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/Eki7vwt2F6g/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jNlIlfaO-m4/VYgUQ64ft1I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/Eki7vwt2F6g/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Saturday morning breakfast: avocado toast with a fried egg<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2CK84wM3DpQ/VYgTxE01vSI/AAAAAAAAAHI/FEBRXz3aghY/s1600/eggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2CK84wM3DpQ/VYgTxE01vSI/AAAAAAAAAHI/FEBRXz3aghY/s320/eggs.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-46818154685855881082015-06-17T07:52:00.003-07:002015-08-03T11:06:16.236-07:00Happy & Healthy Eating!<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the course of the next two months I am interning for the Athens City County Health Department under the health education sector. Therefore, I am surrounded by "health" and even more motivated to eat healthy and aspire get creative with food at a low cost!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the Creating Healthy Communities coalition meeting this past week, a plentiful amount of local food was served for lunch. There was black bean hummus, watermelon tomato & basil skewers (my personal favorite), snap peas, and salad with bean sprouts. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eXeJXgxYS7k/VYGHoyIST-I/AAAAAAAAAGg/LB5_i61H4X4/s1600/ACCHD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eXeJXgxYS7k/VYGHoyIST-I/AAAAAAAAAGg/LB5_i61H4X4/s400/ACCHD.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
goal of the coalition is to create policy, system and environmental changes to
increase access to healthy food, increase opportunities for physical activity
and eliminate tobacco use. It is so crucial to address these issues in Athens because the region suffers from limited access to health food, high use of tobacco rates, and low physical activity...all of which increase the chances for chronic disease. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As my supervisor Ruth Dudding said at the meeting,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b> "We want people here to live healthy because we love Athens."</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yup, we sure do!</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Health is something I am so passionate about. Therefore, I am thoroughly appreciative of the opportunity I have to experience the environment of a public health setting. </span><br />
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Anyways, today I was running slightly late and didn't have time to prepare any extravagant breakfast and lunch (and I forgot to make my overnight oats last night that I typically eat for breakfast every morning). Instead I made two eggs for a quick breakfast and used half of them to put on my spinach salad for lunch!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WgAmRW0FhE/VYGIvs3KGJI/AAAAAAAAAGs/kwCAY3w0vEs/s1600/salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WgAmRW0FhE/VYGIvs3KGJI/AAAAAAAAAGs/kwCAY3w0vEs/s640/salad.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
In addition to the egg, I added some cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, mozzarella, dash of Heinen's strawberry dressing, garlic red wine vinegar & balsamic.<br />
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I'm starting to worry about my egg consumption, but they're just too damn good...<br />
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-Kyra<br />
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P.S. Still recovering from Taco Tuesday.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-39185560858794958692015-06-16T09:46:00.003-07:002015-08-03T11:07:00.614-07:00EGGS!<br />
As I mentioned earlier, breakfast is one of my favorite meals to make due to the endless possibilities. Here are some of my other egg dishes I have made recently. (If you haven't noticed yet, I put sriracha on everything!)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agvGjzQrdJg/VYBSN-FIutI/AAAAAAAAAGE/4YDpVyKqdd8/s1600/159611d59548caf349752d7aefcf4654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agvGjzQrdJg/VYBSN-FIutI/AAAAAAAAAGE/4YDpVyKqdd8/s400/159611d59548caf349752d7aefcf4654.jpg" width="295" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agvGjzQrdJg/VYBSN-FIutI/AAAAAAAAAGE/4YDpVyKqdd8/s1600/159611d59548caf349752d7aefcf4654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Omelette garnished with my mom's homemade salsa, red pepper flakes, cilantro, & sriracha</a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ocYN9g-SxWQ/VYBSPnb1z7I/AAAAAAAAAGM/_dZ8g48MhW4/s1600/b40f78fee05a4d1713901c4c892ea4bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ocYN9g-SxWQ/VYBSPnb1z7I/AAAAAAAAAGM/_dZ8g48MhW4/s400/b40f78fee05a4d1713901c4c892ea4bd.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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More sunny side up eggs with sauteed spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes, sriracha, and baguette slices</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-13454299255693651742015-06-16T08:04:00.003-07:002015-06-16T08:04:39.997-07:00Starting Tuesday with a bang!<br />
This morning I was pretty motivated to get creative with the ingredients in the fridge before heading off to work. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals because there are endless combinations you can make-- even with eggs alone. I even decided to spoil my roommate Alyssa and make her this plate as well:<br />
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Two sunny-side up eggs garnished with parsley & pepper</div>
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Colbyjack toast on everything bread with sriracha</div>
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Cucumber salad with red wine vinegar, pepper, salt, garlic powder</div>
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Cherry tomatoes garnished with purple basil </div>
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It was a big success. GO CAVS! - Kyra</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-29538823349275660852015-06-15T20:44:00.001-07:002015-06-15T20:44:33.510-07:00Tomatoes, Tomatoes, & Tomatoes<br />
Tonight I was craving something fresh to help deter my long, rainy day at work. After a procrastinated trip to the grocery store, I decided to make a simple and tasty summer dish incorporating my basil plant: <i>tomato, mozzarella, basil, balsamic, & sea salt </i>(washed down with a Southern Tier IPA, naturally).<i> </i>My mom would ALWAYS make this growing up...it's definitely a Hall girl favorite. The picture on the bottom is actually from a few years back when I was asked to prepare this dish for a party-- & on the top is what I enjoyed tonight although it doesn't look as mouth-watering...but believe me it was.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-2114529490888629802015-06-15T13:35:00.002-07:002015-06-15T13:48:53.956-07:00A Taste of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia<br />
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During the month of May I was fortunate enough to travel abroad to <b>Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand </b>with the Global Leadership Program at Ohio University. After returning from my trip, the most frequent question I've been asked is "what was your favorite dish you ate in Asia?" Luckily, since I took pictures of every damn thing that I ate, I was able to quickly decide. Out of all three countries, my palate fell in love with the kick and spice of malaysian foods. In Cambodia, I was unable to fully satisfy myself with the level of spicy I normally make my food (which is super, super, spicy). When I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, two friends and I ventured our way to the Chinatown that was just a few minutes away from our hostel. Since we were unsuccessful in locating a specific food vendor serving the famous malay dish "laksa"-- a spicy noodle dish- we came across a mother and a son next door who were cooking a variety of soup dishes. My dish contained homemade noodles, cabbage, dried fish, fish cakes, and pork. I wanted this to last forever. Though my spicy ego won't admit it, the spices in here sent me off to chug a bottle of water! This huge portion cost me $1 USD, and they even put my leftovers in a ziplock bag for me.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-41875502701940466452015-06-15T12:55:00.002-07:002015-06-15T13:12:10.669-07:00Front Porch Cookin'<br />
This past week I have finally moved into my first apartment here in Athens, Ohio. Besides the many luxuries of living in your own apartment (shared with awesome roommates), I am most excited about having a kitchen and not the restriction of a dining hall meal plan. On the way down to Athens from Cleveland, my mom and I made a pit stop at a local plant market in Marietta, Ohio where I picked out jalapeno and basil plants to grace my front porch. Despite how hectic my week began by jumping into the start of two jobs and an internship, I found the time to spoil myself with the help of my new friends jalapeno and basil.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUnkyc6x2gM/VX8s55a0GEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/7h_MCZo9Dqo/s1600/spaghetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUnkyc6x2gM/VX8s55a0GEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/7h_MCZo9Dqo/s400/spaghetti.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">With leftover noodles I brought home from Thailand, I made myself spaghetti using an organic tomato basil sauce, fresh basil & jalapeno from my plants, accompanied with some garlic bread-- feels good to be back in action!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9094708480702202503.post-51829336968826028862015-06-15T12:33:00.002-07:002015-06-15T12:33:59.242-07:00My Food Frenzy<div style="text-align: center;">
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I grew up in a household where new and wonderful fumes constantly bombarded my nose, and where testing unfamiliar tastes was quite common. For as long as I can remember, I have loved cooking & food so relentlessly. For this, I have my mother to thank (and blame). My mother's passion as a pastry chef and a cook has evolved and spurred my passion for it as well. After years of observing, asking questions, and nagging my mother about her cooking techniques, I like to think I've adopted her cooking touch. On the other spectrum, my father has always had such immense passion for photography, and spent endless moments of his time capturing memories of my childhood behind a lens. Therefore, I've always felt connected to pictures and the sentiment attached to them. So, what's the connection here? For those of you who know me (and know me well ), I have quite an obsession with taking pictures of food. Though to some people it may seem like such an odd concept, I truly love having the ability to "savor the flavor" and hold onto memories through pictures of my food extravaganzas. I have compiled hundreds of pictures of meals I've made with my family, meals I've cooked with my friends, food from abroad, and food that has simply blown my mind. Besides keeping pictures for my own liking, I enjoy sharing with people who appreciate them just as much. If you are one of those people I hope you enjoy.</div>
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Bon Appetit! - Kyra</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01102211810709180924noreply@blogger.com1