Tastes of Home

I'm craving maduros

and if anyone doesn't know

maduros are the life source of any Latino household

they are what people secretly love, more than rice and beans

more than Adobo, Sazon, and cans upon cans of Goya beans and salchichas

If any of these things are foreign to you, please go to the closest

Latin restaurant and enlighten yourself

what makes me sad is that,

when I google 'maduros', I get a lot of porn....

if anyone walks by me in the library and happens to look at my computer

they are going to think I'm being dirty while reading my

extremely boring book entitled Higher Education and the Color Line

I love eggs, but I feel so oppressed when I desperately wait

for there to be omelets all day so I could finally have a meal

I'm going to drag myself to Stop & Shop

to buy some platanos and canola oil, and get to frying up maduros in the kitchen

just like my momma would do,

maybe I'll even play some salsa

and wear a tiny nightgown

so I could be just like her.

In other news, the wonderful freshman baker just brought me a blondie,

with M&Ms in it, right to my desk at the library

Angels in the Library [Fresh(man) Baked Goods]

I love life right now

a little while ago

I was attempting to understand synesthsia and phantom limbs

whilst tackling a statistics assignment in Excel

when I got a frantic phone call at the library desk

it was a poor girl and she said "is there anyone there that can help me with Excel?"

she's probably an English major, or better yet, a Religion major

with no concept of what math is anymore

taking intro Econ

puts a smile on my face to know

I'm not in this boat alone

the next great thing that happened?

I found a book called

The Bagel:The Surprising History of a Modest Bread

which got my foodie senses tingling

and made me miss Astoria, home of the best, fattest bagels

just when I started feeling a growl rising in my stomach

a freshman from my dorm came over to the library, like a savior

and brought me a perfect square of apple crumble,

this isn't your run of the mill freshman

this is a supreme lady baker freshman angel

(she's out of this world cute: think neon pink berets and scuba masks)

who concocts delicious baked goods every single day

I hear a quiet knock on my door every night at around 8,

at peak study time, while I'm jamming to some JLO,

and she's there with a new treat

so far I've had to die for walnut banana bread

(I'm such a sucker for walnuts)

strawberry cupcakes,

oatmeal, chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

(the chocolate was gooey just like on TV)

and apple walnut bread,

the food gods sent her to live in my dorm

to help me combat the blues I get from

not being able to watch the Food Network

The library is poorly lit

(which is why I can't sit at my desk without getting sleepy crossed eyes)

so the crumble doesn't read in a photo as the shining beacon it truly was

but it saved me.

Countdown: (Chinatown Gems)

5 days

I'm even starting to get that warm fuzzy feeling

about Chinatown when I think about PK

or maybe I'm getting that feeling because I discovered

some great food spotsI've been ignoring for all these years

Lucky King Bakery, and Quickly, both on Grand Street

I'm sure its no secret that I'm a slave to pastries

I'm especially weak for cutesy anything,

mostly cupcakes with hot pink frosting

and anything covered in glitter

Lucky King Bakery gave me all that, think mini sponge cakes

encrusted with rainbow sprinkles and decorated like adorable mice

or pink and seafoam layer sponge cakes topped

with a sexy strawberry and white chocolate twirls

I'm not gonna lie, I was never the type of little girl

that would set up her stuffed animals, around a table

and pretend to have tea

but with these mini-delights I might,

yes at the old age of 19, start doing that

I could see it now,

me, my ducky, my hippo, my pink poodle, and my pony

enjoying these Technicolor treats, it would be magical

when I was younger I remember taking the F train to East Broadway

and without fail my mom would stop at a Chinese bakery and

buy me a delicate, fluffy sponge cake

after all these years, they are still my favorite

perfect simplicity

have I mentioned that all these inventively adorable pastries are under $1.50 each?

the pink white chocolate strawberry treat is only 80 cents

some girls love handbags, I love bargains....and cake

Quickly, on the other hand, not only delivers

exotic and delicious bubble teas, and slushes

but also happens to be one of the best places to experience Shabu Shabu

What is Shabu Shabu? That's exactly what I wondered

when my boyfriend suggest we go after watching some Cooking Channel show

on the Japanese food craze

its basically a cook-your-own-food bonanza

all the tables are set up with heating devices and you get a pot with water

inserted into your table, as well as a tower of different raw vegetables, noodles (and meats)

the water boils and you drop in your assortment

as well as any seasonings and condiments, like garlic, chives, and soy sauce

to make your own broth, and veggie combinations

its DIY dinner, and its super fun

I, being a novice, made quite the mess

there were noodles, and hot water spread all over the table

not to mention that I was eating my noodles with a ladle,

instead of chopsticks, what a Westerner

it beats the stir-fry station at school by a million.

I'll miss you Chinatown

you're the only place where a naked little girl

can sell "ice crean" and get away with it.

She's my hero.

Savor it While it Lasts

Vassar is fast approaching

and my days of working an internship and a job will soon be over

so will be the days of restaurant hopping in Hell's Kitchen,

hanging out in Chipotle on those sweltering hundred degree days,

just for the refillable soda with the lemon twist

real ice cream cones will be long gone, and I'll be stuck eating fro-yo from wafer cones

my dog won't wander in to my room late at night

air conditioning will be a thing of the past

so I have to bask in the things I love, for the next three weeks

My devotion to Cafe Bustelo & Pilon will never falter,

Spanish coffee all day everyday, con leche and lots of sugar

just the way my mom makes it every single morning

heating the milk in a separate pot, it becomes my job to make sure it doesn't boil over

and boy, that sure is a lot of responsibility

I appreciate our cabinet shelves, lined with assorted Goya products so much more now

my mom & Goya really make magic together

The best thing is being able to travel to any continent,

from the comfort of the East Village

First Avenue takes me to India, with all the lights

and celebration of a festival

not to mention deliciously addictive cheese naan

(think a match made in grill cheese-Desi fusion heaven)

At work I can revel in both Japanese & Afghan cuisine
Even Ukraine isn't out of reach, I gotta love authentic pierogies

even though I think at Vassar they do them pretty well,

my roommate would always look forward to pierogie night

the one night of the month she would decide to emerge from

the cave that was our room, and when she didn't

I would smuggle ziplock bags and tupperwares of them

so she could freeze them and have real dinner (ie not cereal) for days

she's the one thing that I don't have while I'm at home,

and I miss her & her Midwestern charm

but most of all, I miss her stressed out habit

of making turbans out of scarfs

she'd don them at night, while struggling with chemistry chapters

My (few) days of being a home-cook were awesome

I'll have to give that up in the communal dorm kitchens

which frequently are missing key things, like spatulas

I'll have to trade in the tastes of my childhood

I remember sitting in small Puerto Rican restaurants

waiting on my pernil & tostones, sipping Coco Rico coconut soda,

light and refreshing

Kola Champagne to accompany my rice & beans,

its not the same having Diet Coke out of soda machines

The last thing I must savor in these last 3 weeks

are beautiful mountains of ice cream

my heart breaks at the thought of being without the creamy goodness.

Summer Food Feature

After seeing the Wafels and Dinges food truck

throwdown with my man & lover, Bobby Flay

I had to a taste their authentic liege wafels

a liege waffle is the other Belgian waffle,

the one that they don't serve in diners or at brunch spots

the liege waffle is a richer, wonderfully soft & chewy waffle,

with a sweet caramelized crust

dinges is an awesome Belgian word that means "whatchamacallit",

gotta love that that's what they call the waffle toppings

so when Bobby Flay could not compete with these heavenly liege waffles

I was intrigued, and when I saw the bright yellow truck in Park Slope,

I could not resist

the men were super enthusiastic & explained

everything I needed to know

about the waffles & their accompanying dinges

I opted for a liege waffle with spekuloos spread: a Belgian favorite

think nutella & peanut butter of the Flemish sort

its smooth like peanut butter, but is made out of

gingerbread cookies & spices

it was sweet and melted beautifully on the waffle with the powdered sugar

my advice: this truck is on the move, so if you spot it,

consider yourself lucky, and enjoy a waffle!

4th of July Photo Diary

I got to grillin' yesterday

which reminded me of all those summer barbecues

when I was younger, spent playing hours of baseball

with improvised bases made of frisbees & styrofoam plates

and eating shish kebabs slathered with bbq sauce, with that amazing taste of char

me & my best friend would run around with cups of lemon juice,

dipping our kebabs and pieces of italian bread inside

to add extra zesty flavor

those golden days were before I was a vegetarian

so I had to adapt the ingredients without sacrificing

the perfect barbecue taste I hoped for

so I made

lemon grilled asparagus (my all time favorite veggie)

marinated cherry tomato skewers with mozzarella

balsamic portobello burgers with provolone

Mexican-inspired street corn

& classic apple-walnut pie

it was the best meal I have ever cooked

(it was even mom-approved & my mom is a tough judge)

the food was better than the fireworks.

marinating portobellos

prepping the asparagus

topped it with cookies & cream ice cream

spicy goodness

classy, open faced of course

this should be the cover of Noms Weekly

Culinary Delights in Jackson Heights

I have a shameful, shameful secret

before yesterday the only Indian food I had ever eaten

were run of the mill samosas with cooling yogurt sauce

out of greasy paper bags while walking around the

empty streets of Woodside,

that all changed yesterday

when I went to the famed Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights

Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake

(great, amazing book, please read it)

inspired me to look at Jackson Heights differently

to walk out from 74th street train station

and not just focus on the bus I always have to catch

but instead, to emerge from the F train

to confront all the sights, the sounds, the pleasant congestion, and the assorted aromas

and watch the way the gold embellishments on saris

are complimented by the yellow of traffic lights

the way their jewel tones glint in the sunlight

and how the blaring Bollywood tapes and the clank of yellow-gold bangles

contrast the sounds of traffic, and the hurried conversations

so, out of the many days I spent in Jackson Heights

yesterday was the most special, because I was the most aware of its

raw, almost foreign beauty, although I had walked those streets

a million times

now, to the food,

anyone wanting to try deliciously authentic Indian fare

Jackson Diner is the place

I loved the eccentric array of plates, from rainbow ceramics to metal bowls and trays

I died for the cilantro and tamarind dipping sauces

and was literally eating spoonfuls (and fingerfuls)

of sauce between courses, not very ladylike

but who gives about manners when food is so delicious

I enjoyed vegetable pakora (battered & fried)

and malai kofta, croquettes in a curry sauce

which was more like a stew

a deliciously thick hearty bowl of everything amazing

and the rice, with its long, sticky grains,

topped with the dal (lentil stew)

was to die for, and let me tell you,

this Puerto Rican girl knows good rice & beans

anyhow, the best part of the whole day was dessert (of course)

and I enjoyed some burfi from Delhi Palace, a sweet, creamy,

neon pastry of milk & sugar

I picked it because of its beautiful florescent color

and found that the it tastes just as good as it looks,

I'm totally addicted, and it helped cool my mouth down

from all the preceding spicy greatness

all in all, it was a culinary adventure, in a familiar place: the best kind.

rows of beautifully bright pastries

obsession worthy burfi

pakora nom nom

I could eat this malai kofta every single day, more croquettes please!

such authentic presentation

it felt so homey, warm & comforting

I'm so smitten.

Coney Island Photo Diary

There's something so blissfully nostalgic about Coney Island

and thankfully, I found out that Luna Park had not changed a thing

there was still that smell of fried food and saltwater, heavy in the air

and the man screaming "ice cold water bottles, one dollar"

still greeted me as I walked towards the boardwalk

the men sketchily selling Coronas out of their backpacks

still trudged slowly through the sand

and the women selling hand peeled, sliced mangos were still at it

Luna Park did not take away that old-school, rickety glory of

Wonder Wheel park

the same rides that I went on as a kid were still standing

the Tilt-a-Whirl still spinning, creating blurs of primary colors

the Thunder Bolt still blasting cheesy pop music,

candy apples were abundant, their hard cherry shells staining my lips

but most of all, I hoped that Ralph's Italian Ices would still be sitting

under that recognizable white tent

over a dozen flavors that I had loved since childhood

like the pink bubblegum, with tiny chiclets inside that streaked the ice

the brightest of blues & oranges

and Ralph's did not fail me

a Pistachio & Cookies n Cream icee was all I needed

ah, sweet euphoria.