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lara-kaminari · 2 months

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What I would feed HL characters and why (But they are Argentine foods)

Original idea by @choco-froggie

Sebastian Sallow - Ominis Gaunt - Garreth Weasley - Leander Prewett - Amit Thakkar - Poppy Sweeting - Natsai Onai.

Sebastian Sallow: Mate.

In this case, a drink: Mate.

This child has many problems and worries so a good Mate would help him to talk about them. Sometimes you just need to share the best drink in the world with the right person to feel accompanied and loved.

NO SUGAR.

Ominis Gaunt: Milanesas con puré.

The best dish of Argentinean gastronomy. Milanesas: What can I say about milanesas? They are loved by everyone. It is considered a delicacy, a gift, a pampering to the soul. Milanesas are a family thing, both fathers and mothers specialize in preparing this dish for their children as they grow up and each person has their own special way of seasoning it.

No two milanesa are alike, they all have that touch that only their creator can give them.

Ominis has the dish that represents love, dedication and simplicity.

Oh yes, and the mashed potato is a great accompaniment.

Garreth Weasley: Asado.

This boy must eat like a beast and as such must be fed to grow big and strong. The Asado is a rite representative of the values of family and friendship. You don't share a Asado with your enemy, you don't share a Asado with someone you despise. No. Asado is for friends, family, lovers. Here we only sit down to eat meat, good meat, and drink lots of wine.

Leander Prewett: Picada.

Ah, yes, the perfect entry. Or, on occasion, just dinner. The picada adapts to any Argentinean's needs. Sausages? Fried foods? Simple, but effective. Sometimes the picada can become indispensable in very specific moments such as:

-A futball match.

-A birthday.

-A funeral.

A picada is a picada, and however it is, it's fine.

Amit Thakkar: Locro.

It is nice to think of locro as an example of what a country can be: a bunch of ingredients that on their own do not say much (corn, meat, water, vegetables, other legumes), but together and mixed together give a tasty and nutritious plot, which requires time, a lot of time, like any process that tries to reach a successful conclusion.

I recommend: Add a good hot sauce (of your own creation).

Poppy Sweeting: Empanadas.

What do you need? Meat? Chicken? Ham and cheese? Just vegetables? The empanadas are here and they are endless, the only limit is your imagination.

Poppy needs something transportable, delicious, the empanadas can be made however she wants. Maybe one day Poppy wants something fried and greasy, maybe another day she wants something light. The empanada is perfect.

Natsai Onai: Alfajores de maicena.

Dulce de leche and shredded coconut.

One day God woke up and sent from heaven the perfect dessert. Natty could take alfajores de maicena and share them with Sebastian while drinking Mate. That's how good friendships are forged.

Warning: Alfajores de maicena must always be accompanied by a liquid. They are a bit... Dry. Well, they feel that way after you've eaten five without breathing.

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #leander prewett #garreth weasley #poppy sweeting #natsai onai #sebastian sallow headcanon #hogwarts legacy imagine

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fragileizy · 9 months

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out of absolute nowhere am i thinking about gwen again after leaving her dad and joining spider society; she's quiet, and the adrenaline of being in a new place just dips. she thinks about her dad, her lack of a mom, she thinks of her peter (god, does she think about her peter), and thinks about how her house— her home— her bedroom is all gone.

there's nothing left.

she finds herself a tiny little corner in miguel's office/brooding area, unsure of what to do, thinking about her dad. her dad. held up at gunpoint by her dad. her dad. here, miguel's office, is the most quiet place all of the spider society, because nueva york is filled with noise, and for once she just wants the deafening silence.

miguel tosses her an empanada one day.

"you don't eat," he says, before she's even asked. she's caught it, of course, because reflexes and spider and things are generally best when caught when things are thrown in someone's general direction. its from the cafeteria. it's warm.

"i haven't been feeling hungry all that much," she mumbles.

he leaves it at that. it's nice, knowing that someone's noticed, but all she can afford is to nibble at her food.

it stays that way for a while. every day, she hides in there; jessica tries to get her out, talks to her, but she keeps retreating. over and over, like clockwork, people try. jessica, trying to get her to come onto missions with her and learn how to be a functional member; peter (peter, peter is here, maybe he'll understand, maybe he'll—) with... mayday. he's a father now. mayday looks so happy with her father. they come often, and she says hello, and she tries to smile, but peter notices the sunken eyes. depression leaks out of her like waves. mayday is so happy to sit in her lap, completely unaware of how broken gwen is.

miguel tosses empanadas every day up there, like a coffee run. each one is different— he probably orders whatever is in the glass case, uninterested in the actual flavour— and she deals with it. blue cheese. spinach. pork. beef. she has a personal vendetta against the salmon one. each one, she nibbles on, doing something to pass the time.

a day comes, and instead of tossing it up and leaving her like that, turning back to his monitors, miguel throws it onto her ledge, sits on his own platform, and waits. waits, and waits, and waits. she's seen his patience, surprisingly long for a man who loves to aggressively snap at anyone— a passionate man, it seems— so when she doesn't budge, and his face settles into the most neutral expression she's ever seen, anxiety starts to build.

"what?" she blurts out.

"eat."

"i will."

"no. now."

"not hungry," she explains, though poorly, because he doesn't even blink.

"i don't care. eat."

"why?"

"because i used to be a father," he replies, blunt and swift, "and i know when a child is grieving."

oh.

"you're a father—"

"'was'. eat. maybe you'll like ham."

she's quick to look up from the styrofoam packaging. "have you been ordering different types on purpose?"

"i didn't know if you were a picky eater."

tears swell up at her waterline. "why... are you helping me?"

"you're sad." this man has no capabilities to be just calm about something, can he? the way he says it just sounds so aggressive, almost like he's imploring her to be sad just so that he'll be right. then, he sighs, broad shoulders going down, something like remorse on his face. "being a spiderman is hard. don't suffer through it on your own."

"i just don't want to bother anyone," she mumbles. "i don't have anywhere to go if this goes to hell, you know? what if i have too many issues?"

a humorless laugh graces his wide lips. "if there's one thing spidermen are good at, it's having issues. you won't be bothering anyone."

"you're busy all the time. with your monitors, and stuff."

"i'll be a good listener until i won't be. and i'll be a terrible person when it comes to advice. trust me, i know. you've seen the way jessica and peter have to reel me back in." he waits until she's done sniffling into her spider suit she's yet to take off, wiping her tears on the back of her hand. "but i created spider society so that we don't have to suffer through things alone. so. talk."

#speakizys #across the spiderverse

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umichenginabroad · 1 year

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Week 1: Empanadas, Unapologetic Staring, and Awesome People

I have almost spent a full week in Buenos Aires, and life is absolutely wonderful right now. The city is always alive, whether with people hustling to work or young adults laughing on the streets at four in the morning. There is always something to do in Buenos Aires, and I've really enjoyed having my entire day packed with people and activities. However, it took a little bit of time to adjust to the cultural differences of Buenos Aires. Although I am sure I will keep discovering new differences throughout the next six weeks, there are still many things and actions that felt uncomfortable at first. The most prominent shock was the amount of staring. In the United States, at least in my personal experience, most people are taught in schools and throughout their childhood that it is rude to stare at other people, even if they may look different. However, people are so apparent with their scrutinization, failing to even attempt to conceal their curiosity (or even distaste). Though I tried to ignore it, I was always offended by their adamant stares, and it made me self-conscious about going out in public. After a few days of embracing the sideways glances and outright dirty looks, I feel as if I've grown accustomed to this new cultural reality. It may not be ideal, but I've learned that not everyone is raised the same way I was, and it is important to be aware of these differences.

There were also so many amazing things that have come from this trip so far. I can't talk about the best parts of Buenos Aires without mentioning the food. I've tried many traditional Argentine dishes including milonesa, medialunas, alfajores with dulce de leche, and more. However, I'd have to say my favorite would be the empanadas. They have so much variety, as it can be filled by beef, chicken, ham and cheese, or vegetables. There is a tiny empanada store right down the street of where my homestay is, and it sells the most delicious empanadas I have eaten. The best part is the price, though. My roommates and I bought a dozen empanadas for $5 USD! I can try so many dishes here in Buenos Aires and visit so many different cafes because the food is so much cheaper than in the United States.

The foodie part of me says that affordable dining is the best part about the city, but I can't brush off the amazing relationships I've made in the short time I've spent in Buenos Aires. I recently got my nails done at the salon across the street from my homestay, and I met the most wonderful people. Maria, my new nail tech, was the sweetest woman ever, and she was so patient with how I was practicing my Spanish. She even went out of her way to give us mini grammar lessons while she was doing my nails, and I can confidently say that my Spanish has improved exponentially since being here. All of the workers gave us so many recommendations for the best restaurants, nightlife locations, and mate types. They were so welcoming, and I really value the friendship I made with them. In addition to the workers in the nail salon, I've really bonded with the other study abroad students. My roommates and I have gotten really close throughout our time living together, and I love hanging out with them. We even decided to get a gym membership together, so we could all workout everyday. The workers at the gym, SmartFit, are all so supportive and sweet. They always get so excited to see us, and it is such a welcoming environment to workout in. Our gym honestly reminds me of Planet Fitness, and it gives me a small sense of home in a new city.

I can't wait to continue learning all the ins and outs of the city, all while making many more friends!

#umichenginabroad #IPEArgentina #MeganWu #IPESummer23 #Argentina

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nycbento · 2 years

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Baking skills are social skills!

I had planned to make calzones (Italian hand pies made with pizza dough) on New Year's Day. I made the dough two days before and left it to proof in the fridge (pizza dough loves long, cold fermentation).

Once I had the dough, the rest was a kind of provident disposal process: This leftover ricotta, that leftover spinach, these remnants of grated cheeses, those leftover mushrooms and a package of ham bits (sung to "partriiiiidge in a pair tree").

I put the ricotta and spinach in strainers - I saved the exuded liquid because I've discovered new doughs love that stuff in the levain. The grated cheese got picked through and combined, the ham and mushroom got chopped in smaller pieces, the spinach got chopped and mixed with the ricotta, adding salt, pepper, Aleppo pepper and a few scrapes of nutmeg, because dairy loves nutmeg like carrots love ginger.

In the interim I started up a simple marinara for dipping (canned tomatoes and one leftover fresh chopped plum tomato simmered in a bit of olive oil with garlic, tomato paste, Calabrian chili peppers for a little kick and herbs)

Each dough bit was about 190 g, on a lightly floured surface (the dough is moist), I patted and rolled it to about the size of a medium plate (8-9"). On one half, lay down melty cheese, then ham and mushroom, ricotta/spinach, then more melty cheese.

Fold over and close up (I did it with the same edging as I'd use for empanadas)

At this point my upstairs neighbor texted - I had asked him if he wanted a black and white cookie, now I offered a calzone as well. He was with his girlfriend, so it became a feast and ego boost - she is on a keto diet, but my baking (particularly pretzels) is her cheat.

Though Chef John at Food Wishes specified an egg wash, that doesn't square with anything I've seen in a pizzeria, so I snipped three vents with kitchen shears, brushing the calzone with olive oil and dusted with a last leftover bit of grana padano cheese.

I put these plump babies on parchment to control spills (and it made them a LOT easier to transfer). Baking was less time than I thought, (about 20 minutes at 450 F until the crust browned and I saw the filling bubble through the vents) I let them cool for at least 45 minutes to set the filling, and then rewarmed then in a low oven before serving.

I thought some of the cheese (particularly the last of the Cotija) was a tiny bit funky in the filling, but my friends loved it. The dipping sauce was perfect with it.

So my baking turned into a nice little New Year's Day party.

#nycbento #baking #calzones

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phgq · 3 years

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‘Taste of Negros’ creations enrich Negrense cuisine

#PHnews: ‘Taste of Negros’ creations enrich Negrense cuisine

BACOLOD CITY – Two Negrense food experts have created special recipes using ingredients from a well-loved brand for a campaign called “Taste of Negros” launched at the Casa A. Gamboa in Silay City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday afternoon.

Homegrown Victorias Foods Corp. (VFC) partnered with chef Don Angelo Colmenares and foodie Doreen “Reena” Gamboa in coming up with exciting creations using its products such as the Spanish Style Bangus (milkfish), Sardines in Soya Oil, Cooked Ham, and Smoked Bacon to enrich the list of popular Negrense cuisine.

“The movement for supporting Filipino is getting stronger. It has to start with us, Negrenses. We should promote our own. This is literally right here in Negros. It would be nice to campaign first to our fellow Negrenses to appreciate Negros products. When it comes to food, it’s not just sugar here,” Gamboa said.

During the cookout, the managing director of Casa A. Gamboa came up with the Tortilla de Patata con Jamon con Tocino and the Bangus Dip.

“Since I opened Casa A. Gamboa, part of the excitement is creating something new, creating a menu. That’s my bonding with my mom. Being the niece of (noted food writer) Doreen Gamboa-Fernandez, you’re also exposed to so much and of course, the influences come in. The idea of Tortilla de Patata came from my experience abroad when I spent a month-long vacation with my friend in Spain. When I thought of the ham and the bacon, it was to add a little something to change its taste,” she added.

Gamboa was involved in the publication of two cookbooks, including the “Slow Food Negros Heritage Cooking”, and “Adobo Chronicles” which features adobo recipes of celebrities and winners of the annual Adobo Festival in Silay sponsored by the Negros Cultural Foundation.

Meanwhile, Colmenares whipped up the Bangus Empanada and the Pasta di Sarde.

The young chef said the Negrense taste is very unique, even describing it as “not so adventurous and they really stick to what they know or what’s familiar”.

“It’s always the classic taste (that’s preferred) in Negros. For the recipes we came up with for Victorias Foods, we thought of making something that is very familiar,” he added.

Colmenares said that when it comes to bangus, Negrenses would usually prefer the “relleno style”, and would also like something in “empanada style”.

“So we merged the two flavors together and came up with a style of empanada, using the bangus coming from Victorias and utilizing the ingredients you can find in a relleno. It’s very familiar, easy to appreciate, but still something different,” he said.

Colmenares also said it is very easy to think of a recipe using pasta and sardines, but for a twist, he added a lemon squeeze for a refreshing taste and put queso de bola on top, instead of the usual parmesan cheese, to make it more Filipino and more savory as well.

The Negrense chef, who owns the Bacolod-based restaurant Berbeza Bistro est. 2018, studied Culinary Arts at Enderun Colleges and had an apprenticeship at the 2-Michelin Star Moulin de la Gorce, Lemoges in France. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "‘Taste of Negros’ creations enrich Negrense cuisine." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1134016 (accessed March 18, 2021 at 08:37PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "‘Taste of Negros’ creations enrich Negrense cuisine." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1134016 (archived).

#Philippines #News #Filipino #Pinoy #Tourism #Politics #Culture #Editorial #Environment #Society #History

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lavidaatravezdeunavion · 5 years

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Week 2

June 22

We took Saturday pretty easy since we were out pretty late on Friday. We went out to lunch at a cute little cafe called “Casa muamor,” I got a pasta and pesto dish which was alright id give it a 7/10 the sauce to pasta ratio was kind of off and the sauce was really oily. I also ordered an orange juice which like all the other places we have been was delicious. After lunch I went back to the residencia and just hung out with my roommate and some of the guys from here. That was pretty much all we did on Saturday nothing too exciting.

June 23

We woke up to go get brunch and we went to “El Galeon,” the restaurant that's right around here. I got a “Pollo Completo,” sandwich which was huge and it also came with a side of fries. Besides the portion being huge and not being able to finish it was delectable and the restaurant has redeemed itself from that subpar salad I got from there the previous time. I also ordered an orange juice (what's new).

After lunch, some of us went to San Telmo to go to their version of a flea market with a bunch of artisanal things. The Market goes for about five blocks and we went around 2:30 and let me tell you it was PACKED. It was really cool to see all the things people had, my one gift that i want to get for myself is something leather whether that be a jacket or a purse since leather is something Argentina is known for. The only thing that one should be very careful to watch out for pickpockets since there are so many people and usually you can't be distracted looking at cute stuff, one thing I did was make sure my cross body was over my body then i put my jacket over so that my cross body wasn't really exposed.

After walking down the whole market it took us about two hours and then we decided to head back to the residencia. I took a mini nap and then got ready for dinner with our other professor. We all went to this restaurant called “calden del soho.” It was really nice but the prices were pretty expensive (thank god this was one of our program meals hehehe), I got a flank piece of pork. It was actually funny because i had no idea what piece of meat to order and my friend ashlyn who is now a vegetarian was helping me pick lol the irony. Any way when my plate came out my mouth was droooooling, it smelled so good and let me tell you the moment i put that first piece in my mouth i was in heaven.

I also got some of our professors salad which was just a normal “ensalada completa,” we also got some wine to accompany our dinner. I'm not the most knowledgeable on wine but i know i do like red wine. The bottle we got was “ Saint Felicien Malbec,” I had three glasses so I guess you could say I liked it.

For dessert I got a “Flan,” for those that don't know it's basically a custard with caramel. I feel like you can easily mess up flan but thankfully it was made to perfection. We were also celebrating our friends Tyler’s birthday! So happy birthday again tyler! After dinner we went home and got into bed since we had school the next morning.

June 24

Today we had school and I feel no matter how much sleep one gets mondays will always be difficult. Thankfully we only had class till 1:30pm. After class, some of us went to “Che Taco” a place right off of the “Independencia” stop on the blue line. I got some tacos de carne, let me tell you I didn't think I was gonna be satisfied because mexican food in Argentina some people would question it. I was pleasantly surprised! We also got some guac & chips and they were finger licking good, i also got a Jugo de Jamaica (hibiscus) and it was too good to be true.

After lunch we went back to the residencia and I took a little nap (no surprise there) and then got myself ready for dinner. We went to a restaurant in Palermo called “Moriela,” I had the absolute pleasure of seeing my longtime friend Becca and she came with us. We shared a margarita pizza and a bottle of red wine (not sure what kind but it was great).

After dinner some of us went to get some drinks to continue celebrating our friend's birthday. We went to Ragnar the bar we had previously went too, we stayed for about an hour or two and then went on home since we had class the next day.

(my friend Juan says he loves the rain... lol)

June 25

Today after school we went to go get Empanadas from a place down the street. I got one cheese and onion, one chicken and one steak. My favorite one was surprisingly the cheese and onion one.

on the way home we had a mini photo shoot.

And then just before we got home I had to stop by a grocery store to look for an item targeted to kids and see what the nutrition labels looked liked and if they were easy to find. On top of this we had to see what the regulations were compared to the ones in argentina. It was interesting because you see how much power there is in something so small. The labels were so small and kind of hard to find mean while here in the usa everyone knows where they will be placed and legible.

When we finally made it home people were gathering so that we could cut into the cake for tylers birthday! We didn't have plates so people were kinda just eating it out of the cartoon it was a cute bonding moment :’).

For dinner we went to a restaurant here in palermos “EL pinguino de palermo”. I got a milanesa completa, and a side of puree de papa, and wait for it...and to drink i got orange juice. It was a 7.45/10. I've had better milanesa to be honest but it also wasn't the worst ive had.

After dinner we just chilled and then I went to bed.

June 26

Honestly, the best thing to see when you are walking to school at 8:40 am in like forty-degree weather is a dog walker with so many cute dogs. He was really doing the damn thing. He is brave because although these dogs and a lot of the dogs they are well trained but i still wonder if something just set them off and they all go running in one direction he is flyiiiiiiin.

After seeing the dogs before class you just know after class is going to be great. Our other professor who is also on this trip took us to an empanada place and i got 2 cebolla y queso, a carne one and a Pikachu one. Cebolla and queso one had just a bit too much cheese for my liking. The carne one was like a 7.4/10 i feel like it was just good, nothing too crazy.

Also a little tangent about argentine napkins... like what's up. You can't really call these things napkins i think it's deceiving.

Anywaysss after lunch we got back on the subte and got off at plaza italia which is like two blocks from our resi, and walked to the Eva Peron Museum. The only thing to say is *Mind Blown*. If you like history stuff and museums then I highly recommend. She was so impactful on the Argentine history and it's insane how she started out as an actress and went to creating programs to uplift women and children is great. We can each have our own opinions on Peronismo but if this woman had people grieving for 15 days you have to agree that she did something.

For dinner I went to this pay by the weight place and it was great. I got some noodles, fried rice, orange chicken and lettuce & cucumber and put some lime juice and salt over it.

June 27

After school rachel and i went to the travel agency to try to book our trip we took the subte like three different times cause of GPS lol. But on the way we got some McDonalds and i got a “cajita feliz” (happy meal) and it was so cute. The yogurt it came with was so small and it was just great. I also got a toy :) ! Anyway we also stumbled on a cute boutique where rachel got a cute shirt and leather skirt. The owner also gave me some tips for my upcoming vacation with my mom and dad to patagonia at the end of the program. We went walking a couple blocks to the travel agency but they weren’t that much help and it was just no point in going but since we got micky d’s and advice it wasn't that bad.

Here is some candy i got it's their version of laffy taffy but much softer, it's good!

Our friends from the resi took us to this really cute garden we saw some ducks that got a little too close for comfort and they had these statues all over the park so it was really cool.

For dinner we went to this burger place in Palermo “Burger Joint” i got “la Jamaica”. I'm not the biggest fan of burgers but it was so fricken good! It had bacon on it cheese lettuce and honey mustard and more. I got it with a side of fries and pesto-mayo. I was so happy with this meal and i was so mad I had to tap out it's a really big portion i think i definitely would have shared but it just tasted so good.

June 28

After school Rachel and I got a tostada (bread with ham and cheese ) from the cafe right by our resi, “Banova” (okay it's actually an ice cream store but i didn't know that because ive never seen anyone get ice cream from there lol)

We later went to cronico a bar in plaza serrano to watch the argentina - venezuela game (sorry bella lol). I don't know why i got just a salad but it wasn't even all that good. Again for my liking it had a bit too much cheese which I think was provolone so it was just a bit odd for me. I would give it a 7/10.

After the game, my friends and I walked to the bakery our resi and got some pastries. They were delicious. We also played some uno and lets just say it got pretty competitive.

After this I went straight to bed and got excited for our trip to Puerto Iguazu!

June 29

I had to get up at 6am because I hadn't packed for our trip and we had to be out the door by 7am. I somehow packed and got ready without being fully awake. We all piled into a bus and headed for the local airport (AEP). Let me tell you I was soooo excited to know that we'd be going to somewhere semi warm for the weekend. I was even able to pull out my bathing suit for a little but of tanning.

We got to the airport and got checked in and were ready to be on our plane around 8:30 and when we got to the airport we landed at about 10:30.

Once we landed we headed to our hotel St. George. We tried to check in but the rooms wouldn't be ready by 2pm so some of us went to a pay by the weight place by the hotel i got a piece of fish milanesa, mashed potatoes, gnocchi (i now know this is not for me), some yuca and broccoli. It was good not sure really how to describe it but you wouldn't be missing out if you didn't eat there...

After we ate we walked on the main road and stopped to get some ice cream. This is really sweet but if you ever had Mogul candies it tastes just like it.

I was able to sit by the pool and was in love with the warmth.

After we showered we walked to el hito de las 3 fronteras where argentina meets paraguay and brazil. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was so glad we also caught sunset because it just looked beautiful.

I was starting to get hungry and knew it was going to be at least another 30 min until we got back to the hotel because we went walking, so i got some popcorn and if you know my grandma or me you know we love salt. This popcorn was heaven.

So we still had another hour before dinner so we decided to stop by this mexican restaurant called “Tacopado”. My friend Blue and I split a taco combo that came with one carne taco, one pollo taco, nachos and papas aztecas that had chimichurri and mayanose on it. Pretty delish. I was pretty satisfied for mexican food in argentina (that was prepared by argentinians).

After our “appetizers” we still had dinner at the hotel. I was not too hungry so i got a caesar salad. Eh it was good besides those four huge pieces of cheese on top. Rachel and I shared a brownie and ice cream with caramel. I loved the top of the brownie because it was a pool of caramel and that's the only part I really ate lol.

After this I went to bed because we had a long day ahead of us.

I know this post is a week late but I’ve been doing a lot of traveling so I did not have my laptop with me. Hope you enjoyed the post!

Con amor,

T.L.

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tonyduncanbb73 · 7 years

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Ritcey East Is Coming Soon to Watertown With ‘Adult Hot Pockets’ and Homey Vibes

The name pays tribute to the owner’s parents’ old restaurants

A homey, fun restaurant called Ritcey East will open around the last week of August in Watertown, and the name is a tribute to the old family business, according to owner Michaela Ritcey, the youngest of six children in a restaurant family. It’s taking over the Raider Tavern space at 208 Waverley Ave., as Boston Restaurant Talk noted.

Ritcey’s parents owned Ritcey’s Sea Food Kitchen in Waltham, which closed in 2005 after 95 years of life as a fish market and then as a restaurant (the conversion happened in the 1940s.) But what Ritcey didn’t know was that there was also briefly a Ritcey’s West across the street. Last year, while she was getting things together to open her own restaurant, she stumbled on a Facebook post in a Waltham group reminiscing about the second restaurant, which she had never heard of, and her mom confirmed that it was open for three years but closed the year of Ritcey’s birth because her dad “felt like too much was going on; he couldn’t handle both restaurants and having a new kid.” As a tribute to the name and to her parents, Ritcey is calling her forthcoming restaurant Ritcey East.

Ritcey had always hoped to take over Ritcey’s Sea Food Kitchen, but her parents wanted her to go to school for something else and only return to the restaurant industry if she truly loved it. “I never quit,” she tells Eater. “I bartended all through college, I did some prep work, and as soon as I graduated, I got into managing.” Then, this space in Watertown fortuitously popped up — “a small space, a great starter space,” she says. It’ll seat 55.

“Then I got brainstorming, and the places I absolutely love are feel-good, homey places,” she says. “We’re so chef-based right now, which I love and appreciate, but we forget what restaurants used to be like. Before Yelp, before you could travel everywhere, they were neighborhood spots where you’d go and feel like family. I feel like my parents’ restaurant really did that, and that’s what I want to purvey in my restaurant. I want comfort food that I’m sourcing as locally as I can, that I’m not buying frozen, that I’m prepping in-house in a small space and trying to fill up people with the best food I can.”

There will be a play on a fast-food burger, she says, and she’s currently practicing fries. Also on the menu: dishes like fish and chips and “adult Hot Pockets,” which will be ham and cheese empanadas. “Just fun, homey food that people can feel is approachable but still fun and homemade and with an interesting twist. Everything I do kind of has a weird twist on it because I’m a little bit of a weird person,” she laughs.

Ritcey East has a full liquor license, and Ritcey — a self-proclaimed “wine nerd” — is especially excited about the wine selection, which she says will be “approachable” and offer something for everyone, from the “wine snob” to “someone who doesn’t know how to pronounce ‘pinot grigio.’”

As Ritcey East heads towards its expected late August opening, there’s not too much more to be done; Ritcey has already hit up the antique stores to furnish the space, which features a gray-blue color scheme, dark wood, and a bit of a rustic feel. But the installation of signage out front will have to wait just a bit longer as the building is being rebricked.

When the restaurant opens, it’ll only serve dinner for a while. Expect lunch service to kick in around Christmas. Stay tuned for updates about Ritcey East’s Watertown debut.

• Ritcey East [FB]

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tenortower6-blog · 5 years

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Pochito, Por Favor, Mascot!

Sandwich and carb lovers, gather round. When I heard that Pochito, the popular Chilean food stall from Ramsgate Markets had opened up their very own eatery in Mascot I put it on the top of my list to visit. There's a range of classic Chilean sandwiches and Chilean empanadas!

Pochito's mother and daughter team Patricia and Paulina Bustamante come from an extended family that all work in the food industry. Paulina says, "My parents and I emigrated to Australia in the late 80's. My mum grew up in Chilean restaurants, delis, and butcher shops. She is the aunty in the family you know when you come over to her house you will get a great feed with food constantly flowing out of the kitchen."

For those of you unfamiliar with Chilean cuisine Paulina explains, "Most people think Chilean food is Mexican food with tamales and burritos and our food is spicy. Our food is actually not spicy and we don't use much chile at all. People may not know Chilean food is all about great produce, we have some of the best seafood!".

Monica and I both share an unabiding love of a sandwich (don't get us started on Liz Lemon and the Sandwich Day episode of 30 Rock) so I knew exactly who to visit Pochito with.

"The sandwich in Chile is part of the nation and part of the culture. If you ever go to Santiago there is a sandwich shop (Sangucheria) along most of the streets. Chileans love their bread, we have several different sorts of bread which we will always have on the table for breakfast, lunch, dinner and 'once' afternoon tea. Sandwiches are the combination of what we love and enjoy, pork/steak, avocado, mayonnaise (a key ingredient in any sandwich and in any Chilean household)," says Paulina.

When I pull up and walk inside I all the patrons appear to be South American which is a good sign (Monica and I are the only non South Americans). It's a small cafe with a few outdoor tables and some indoor share and single tables and ordering is done at the counter.

Pochito means a moment of post prandial bliss where body and mind are in a happy-drowsy state after a satisfying meal. And yes carbs on a cold and windy winter's day help enormously in that regard.

Mote con Huesillo $8

Monica leaves it up to me to order because we share food brains-we both want to eat the same things. We share a Mote con Huesillo drink, one of the drinks I tried and loved in Chile. It's a peach drink scented with cinnamon with barley at the bottom and a whole sun dried poached peach in it. It's not overly sweet which I like and it's fruity. I think this would be delicious both hot and cold-hot would be a little mulled wine-ish.

Traditional beef pino emapanada $6

We've basically ordered one of almost everything on the menu. We start with the empanadas (and a warning: they do sell out quickly because they are popular). The most popular is the beef empanada with a baked pastry and filled with saucy spiced beef mince, onion, olive and egg. It's warming and delicious especially the filling.

Four cheese empanada $5

I have to say I love deep fried empanadas a bit more than the baked one because hello deep fried! These are made using a different pastry and we try the four cheese one (cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and feta), all gooey deliciousness especially when you add a little hot sauce to it for a bit of kick.

Garlic chilli prawn and cheese empanada $7

The prawn and cheese fried empanada has some garlic and chilli in it as well as tasty, chopped prawn mixture. Next time I'll ask for a bit of pebre (coriander, tomato, onion and garlic salsa) on the side too.

Lomito $12

If the beef empanada is the classic empanada, the lomito is the classic sandwich. So what makes a good lomito? "A good lomito starts with the pork. The pork has to be full of flavour, tender and juicy. There's nothing worst then biting into a dry lomito and having to add condiments like mustard," says Paulina. Indeed, their lomito has the softest melt in the mouth oven roasted pork, smashed avocado, tomato, mayonnaise and pebre on a milk bun it is a perfect mix of meat, salad and bread.

Completo Original $13

There are two completo hot dogs, the original one and an Italian version and we went for the original. The original has a juicy smoked pork frankfurt sausage with sauerkraut, smashed avocado, tomato and mayonnaise. We adore this combination as the sauerkraut and avocado gives the rich sausage a necessary lightness and tang. Paulina explains, "Avocado is life in Chile, and we put it on everything even before the hipsters knew about smashed avo on toast. Avocado is used on most of our sandwiches and even our national hotdog 'El completo'".

Choripan $8

The choripan is a simple but delicious hot dog filled with a grilled South American chorizo and pebre on a long roll. It's tasty but I think out of the three sandwiches we really loved the lomito and the complete original the best because of the salad component.

Barros Jarpa $8

"What do you think that is?" Monica says eyeing the sandwich the woman next to us is eating. After a quick discussion ("Should we get it?" "Yes, we'll take leftovers home to the boys") we head back to the counter to order it along with another sandwich. The soft, warm milk bun is filled with ham off the bone and melted cheese. It's simple but done well and although we've eaten a lot we eagerly finish our quarter portions.

Chemilico $10

We were just going to have a bite of this. And that Dear Reader is how we ended up convincing ourselves to order the Chemilico too. It's lean rump minute steak, plenty of grilled onion, a free range fried egg on a soft milk bun. The beef is very tender and this is such a tasty breakfast sandwich with a runny yolked egg that spurts out the yolk. "That's very suggestive!" I say.

Sopapilla $2 and Sopaipilla Pasada $5

I have so many memories of eating sopapillas aka pumpkin fritters. There's a salty version as well as a sweet version in a citrus sauce. I like both because they remind me of my travels to Chile. The dessert version isn't overly sweet or citrusy but balanced quite nicely.

Calzone rotos $2 and Alfajore $4

It's time for house made sweets and there are two on the counter, a calzone rotos, a biscuit dough that is deep fried with lemon zest. The name means "broken undies" and I guess they are twisted undies. I like the alfajore shortbread sandwich filled with dulce de leche in the centre. It's perfect with a cup of tea.

Tres leches cake $8

The tres leches or three milks cake is a sweet, milk soaked sponge. Although South American sweets can be very sweet, I liked that this wasn't overly sweet. There is a layer of fluffy coconut cream on top, berries and edible flowers.

Before we know it, it's 3pm and it's time for them to close. But then people keep streaming in wanting empanadas and food and they accommodate them. We can see why they got so busy that they didn't have time to go back to the markets.

So tell me Dear Reader, Have you ever tried Chilean food? Do you ever see something that someone else is eating and order it? Are you a sandwich lover?

This meal was independently paid for.

1021 Botany Rd, Mascot NSW 2020 Monday & Tuesday closed Wednesday to Friday 8:30am–3pm Saturday 9am–4:30pm Sunday 9am–3pm Phone: 0412 603 100 facebook.com/pochitosydney/

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/07/16/pochito-mascot-chilean/

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floraexplorer · 5 years

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Five Things to Know Before Travelling to Bolivia

A few days ago, I left Bolivia to travel into Peru.

I’ve been in Bolivia for fourteen weeks. During that time I’ve visited nine cities, taken part in two volunteer projects and spent way too long stressing about an overstayed visa.

My sense of relief at leaving Bolivia is palpable.

Because while I’ve seriously enjoyed the time I’ve spent travelling in Bolivia, there’s no doubt that over the last three months it’s also slowly been driving me crazy.

My internal self, at least, feels a bit like this guy

Read more: My Ultimate Travel Guide to Backpacking Bolivia

What’s the reason for this? Well, Bolivia has a number of idiosyncrasies that have the ability to make or break a traveller’s experience here.

Once you get off the well-trodden gringo trail of La Paz, Sucre, Potosí and the Uyuni salt flats, it turns out that Bolivia isn’t very set up for tourism. And while I relish the challenge of navigating a non-touristy country, there are a myriad of barriers to surmount – mainly in terms of transport, money, food, culture, and the country’s unique method of giving advice.

So I thought a round-up of my experiences in Bolivia – and the ensuing lessons I’ve learned – was in order. This is absolutely not to dissuade people from visiting, as I really do love Bolivia. It’s more to provide an overview of what you can expect from a period of Bolivian travel.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

1. Bolivian transport can be tricky

The first thing most travellers will encounter in Bolivia is the transport system. Like most of South America, people get around the country via an extensive bus network – but experiences on these can be debatable.

Read more: A guide to bus travel in Bolivia

The process of catching a Bolivian bus deserves a post all to itself, so for now I’ll mention the bare basics: over-speeding drivers, bizarre departure and arrival times, a constant gamble as to the bus temperature… You get the idea.

In terms of the more short-term transport options in Bolivia, though, I spent most of my time in two different types: taxis and trufis.

Taking trufis and taxis in Bolivia

When I first arrived in La Paz, I was pretty nervous about catching the local buses. Known as trufis, these little minibuses throng the city’s streets and feature ticket sellers leaning out of the open doors shouting their destinations – information supported by a placard propped up in the windscreen.

The problem is that the drivers essentially make up their routes: if there’s a road block or too much traffic, they simply go another way. For a tourist, this is something of a difficulty when they barely know the name of the street their hostel is on.

The streets of La Paz look a lot more pleasant when you’re not squinting out of a trufi window.

Luckily, by the time I conquered my fear and boarded a trufi, I’d walked around enough of the city to know which direction we were speed-driving in. And if I ever lost my bearings, I’d simply shout, “Isquina por favor!” and jump out at the nearest corner. A rule I never would have learnt without experiencing it first – however worried I was about getting lost.

Bolivia is also the only country where I’ve been consistently required to know both the directions and eventual location of where I’m headed infinitely better than the taxi driver. There have been slews of drivers who look terrified when you flag them down – that is, if they stop at all. Numerous taxis have driven straight past me, or started their engines and speeded off as soon as they hear an address they’re not explicitly familiar with.

I stayed at an incredible hostel in Cochabamba which was marred solely by the fact that absolutely no taxis had any clue how to get there. My favourite journey back to Las Lilas hostel was with a driver who held an expression like a frightened rabbit for the entire ten minute ride. I had to continually coax him to take each new turning, and clambered out of the car exhausted.

Bolivian transport: the positives

There are a number of benefits to the way Bolivians travel, though. First off, Bolivian transport is cheap. Hence why I took taxis a lot of the time – something that’s never been a habit in other South American countries.

The scenery on the bus route is also pretty nice.

Secondly, the experience is usually pretty friendly. On every trufi ride, I realised that each passenger said “buen dia” or “buenas tardes” as they boarded, presumably to the rest of the bus – and I adopted the tactic very early on.

Third, and most appealing to me, is that being a taxi driver in Bolivia is often a full family operation. Many times I’ve caught taxis with the driver’s son or daughter, wife or girlfriend in the front seat – and once in Sucre, even met a new born baby, whose father clearly couldn’t bear to spend his days away from her. Despite the numerous strange drivers, there are also many who are really eager to chat away in Spanish about what you’re doing in Bolivia.

Sadly, though, these conversations were often tainted by a constant issue: paying the fare.

2. Dealing with money in Bolivia is stressful

Like many countries around the world, people in Bolivia have a problem with giving out their change. I understand why: one tourist pays with a big note, and suddenly all your spare coins disappear as a result.

But when the biggest Boliviano note in common circulation is 100Bs, equivalent to £10 or $14, it becomes rather frustrating to constantly argue with taxi drivers, tienda owners and restaurant waitresses, who consistently maintain that they don’t have change.

Hiding your cash in your shoe. No one will ever look there.

I often found myself pretending I didn’t have smaller denominations in these situations, just to be able to break a note. It’s not the nicest feeling, but sometimes ends up being totally necessary.

The pricing of products also carries its own set of difficulties; more often than not, I had the sneaking suspicion that sellers were simply making their prices up on the spot. Regardless of whether it’s due to obviously being a foreigner, things got problematic when I tried to barter with the clearly invented price, and was either bluntly shot down or laughed at.

Of course, the huge positive aspect to money in Bolivia is that pretty much everything is insanely cheap. Whether it’s a ten hour bus journey for £10, a three course meal with wine for £5 or an ensuite room in a hotel for £7, sometimes it’s necessary to put things into perspective a bit.

Ok, the service might not be the best, but you’re still saving a ton of cash in the process.

3. Eating in Bolivia is always an experience

Bolivians certainly know how they like their food. In a country that’s home to thousands of different varieties of potato, the locals supplement a starch-heavy diet with a nationwide obsession with sweet stuff: plastic cups of coloured gelatine topped with whipped cream are sold on every street corner, sugary empanadas are grasped in sticky hands, and Coca Cola is the drink of choice.

Luckily there’s also a ton of shopping opportunities in the local markets, so it’s not all about the sugar.

The weirder Bolivian food facts include drinking juice out of plastic bags (actually a rather sensible idea!) and most older Bolivians chewing on a ball of coca leaves to combat the effects of altitude – which results in a constant bulge in their cheek.

But by far the most incredible – and most typically Bolivian – foodie experience happened on my second visit to Isla del Sol, the night before I left the country entirely.

Tired out and starving from a full day of hiking around the island, we chose a small restaurant overlooking Lake Titicaca and ordered a pizza, topped with olives, peppers, and ham. A ten year old girl took our order, brought us two beers, and vanished into the kitchen. We were the only customers at this point.

After a forty minute wait and the disappearance of the sun below the horizon, we started to wonder where our food was. We looked to the ten year old, busy putting oven gloves on after opening the oven door, and she smiled and dipped her head at us. Another twenty minutes, and a pizza finally appeared – but missing the ham the description had stated we’d get. Obviously this really wasn’t an issue, but we asked anyway. “This was supposed to come with ham, right? Well, there isn’t any…”

We were halfway through the pizza when our ten year old waitress appeared at the table, bearing a small china plate with two square slices of prepackaged ham, clearly straight out of the fridge.

“Todo bien?” The girl said, clearly perplexed at why we were laughing. We’d been given the ham we’d wanted, after all – what else could be the matter?

Still hungry when the pizza had gone, we ordered a plate of spaghetti. By this point the restaurant was filled with people, and the pasta took another forty minutes to arrive. Yet when it did, the stuff was so crunchy and brittle that it clearly hadn’t met boiling water for longer than a few minutes. After two mouthfuls I took it back to the kitchen.

“No puedo comer eso – es demaciado fuerte.”

The teenage boy glanced at the poor ten year old. She took the plate away – and there was no more mention of pasta. Not even the question of whether I wanted a fresh plateful.

Bolivian food: the positives

Luckily, Bolivia’s food offerings have kept me happy more often than not. I’ve waxed lyrical before about my love for the South American menu del dia, and Bolivia is no different. While daily helpings of soup, rice, meat and platano can sometimes get old, there’s no doubt that this simple meal is a quick, cheap fix for being hungry.

Outside of the typical Bolivian lunch, there’s a number of chances to happen upon amazing eateries if you just go looking. Potosi boasted incredible hot chocolate; we indulged in cheese fondue twice in Copacabana; and in Sucre, I ate the best steak of my entire life at a churrasqueria not even mentioned in Lonely Planet or on Trip Advisor.

SO MUCH PIG.

Read more: Discovering the delicious food scene in Sucre, Bolivia

Most importantly, the attitude Bolivians have towards eating is ultimately communitarian, and it’s a lovely thing to see.

When someone passes your table in a restaurant, you’ll usually hear ‘buen provecho’ – the Spanish equivalent of ‘bon appetite’. There’s also nothing odd about sharing your table with strangers: a trait that I think many other cultures would benefit hugely from.

4. Bolivian culture is absolutely fascinating

There’s no doubt in my mind that Bolivia’s cultural traits are one of the main reasons it stands out so much.

Indigenously dressed men and women are a common sight in all towns, villages and most big cities – many of whom shy away from photos because they think a camera will steal their souls. Young boys shine shoes in the middle of the street, their faces covered by balaclavas to conceal their identities.

Llama foetuses hang above market stalls, inviting people to bury them under the foundations of their houses for good luck.

Building a new house? Go on, buy a llama!

Read more: Traditions & superstitions at the world’s highest market in El Alto, Bolivia

These aspects of Bolivian life are things a foreigner simply can’t hope to understand. And Bolivians themselves have many behavioural eccentricities that often prove acutely stressful for a foreigner such as myself.

5. “Giving advice” actually means making things up

On Boxing Day in Copacabana, we wanted to hire a motorbike.

It was a great way to spend an afternoon, zipping along the lake’s coastline to a few scenic spots, and we’d questioned the elderly gentlemen renting out bikes a few days before. He’d given a good price for four hours of renting an automatic bike – “Si, of course, we definitely have automatics” – and things seemed set.

Except when we arrived, he wheeled out a tired, battered and bruised motorbike, and proceeded to explain that there were only four gears we needed to use.

“…so it’s not automatic,” I ventured.

“Si, si, it is! There is no clutch, so it’s automatic,” he said, grinning.

I tried again.

“No… if it has gears, it isn’t automatic. We asked for an automatic because we don’t know how to drive with gears!”

His teenage accomplice attempted a different tactic.

“This road is straight, it’s flat. It’s an automatic road,” he said, unsuccessfully evading eye contact with me.

Time and time again, these things kept happening in Bolivia. A stranger would confidently point me in the wrong direction to an address I asked about; a shop owner would tell me they didn’t stock produce which I could clearly see behind on the shelf.

Ever seen a real life zebra crossing?

Read more: The colourful contradictions of La Paz, Bolivia

But then again, some of Bolivia’s cultural crazinesses are what really makes the country special. Like real zebras helping you to cross the road.

And yet I still have a firm love for Bolivia

Talking to lots of travellers throughout Bolivia has matched my own opinions: this country is a challenge, certainly, but it’s also an utterly fascinating place.

So what’s my advice for travelling in Bolivia without letting these stresses get to you?

– Stick somewhere for longer than a few days. Find a homestay or an apartment and use it as a base to explore the country as a bit more of a local, instead of as a fast-moving tourist.

– Take Spanish classes so you can actually communicate with people and understand the Bolivian perspective on their country.

– Shop at local markets, and try to actually get under the skin of Bolivia.

Despite the stresses and the difficulties, there are so many positives: the awe inspiring landscapes and scenery, the budget-friendly prices, the fascinating culture, and the sense of adventure and possible challenge that comes with everything here.

So thank you, Bolivia!

Thanks for testing me to my limit, but simultaneously throwing me into the midst of an amazing array of totally unexpected experiences. South America would have been a lot less eventful if it wasn’t for you.

Have you ever travelled to Bolivia? What was the experience like for you?

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consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis · 7 years

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A Healthy Chef's Guide to Cooking Gluten Free with (Sweet) Potatoes

New blog post! I've said it before and I'll say it again: sometimes the easiest - and best - comfort food is a simple baked potato. Luckily for me, there's a holiday made just for potato-lovers like me: today, National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. What's a girl to do on this potato-riffic holiday? (Besides eat some delicious potatoes, of course). In my case, I thought there would be no better celebration than exploring the health benefits of six different types of potatoes and sweet potatoes - plus plenty of delicious gluten free, vegan and paleo recipes.

Ready to get your potato party started? Then just keep scrolling! Russet When it comes to potatoes, you could call russets a cook's (gluten free) bread and butter. These are usually medium or large in size and have a rough, brown skin with a dry, fluffy interior. While russets may have a less-than-stellar reputation, they're also actually quite healthy as long as you don't load them up with all the Steakhouse toppings. One medium russet comes with around 160 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and high levels of vitamin folate, niacin, thiamine and your Vitamin B6 and C. Here's one tip that can reportedly boost any potato's health stats: simply cook your potato ahead of time and let it cool before eating (or re-heating). This process of cooking then cooling increases the resistant starch in potatoes, which can help prevent constipation, protect against colorectal cancer and improve heart health.

Nacho mama's nachos!

Yukon - Gold or Red If you want a potato that tastes creamy without having to add any milk or butter, Yukons are your best bet. These are smaller than russets, which also make them a secret weapon when you're only cooking for one. While both varieties have a waxy texture, the gold is often slightly sweeter than the red, so keep that in mind when you're choosing potatoes for a dish. If it's nutrition that you're worried about, Yukons are another safe bet. One medium gold Yukon potato offers half of your Vitamin C needs (which can also help you absorb more iron from your diet). It's also packed with potassium, which can help lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart and kidney disease. You've probably heard the saying that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Considering their health benefits and the fact that Yukons are delicious enough to eat like apples, I'd say that cliche could deserve a makeover. Adirondack Blue Okay, I'll be honest. Before I typed up this blog post, I only knew these potatoes as the blue-ish, purple-ish potatoes I'd sometimes find at Sprouts and do a happy dance when eating. They look like typical Yukons in shape and size - and even taste the same as a Gold or Red Yukon - but with one big difference: purple skin and insides that turn blue when cooked.

Those blue potatoes!

Besides being an Instagrammer's dream, these blue potatoes are arguably the healthiest of regular potatoes thanks to their antioxidants. Studies have also shown that purple potatoes can lower eaters' blood pressure, help prevent blood clots, reduce inflammation in the body (yay antioxidants!), and improve athletes' endurance thanks to their insoluble fiber. This potato is much more than just a pretty addition to your plate! (Regular) Potato Recipes: So how can you do to enjoy all the health benefits of these potatoes? To tell the truth, a better question is what can't you do? Some of my favorite ways to eat potatoes include Butterfly Broiled Potatoes (the perfect way to make the most out of Yukon's creamy centers and crispy skin!), Eat the Rainbow Bowls (roasted potatoes + broiled veggies + avocado = a heavenly mix of different tastes, textures and tones) and Loaded Potato Wedge Nachos (if you want to enjoy a baked potato with a Mexican twist, look no further). And, if you're ready to explore vegan sauces, potatoes and veggies can actually be blended into a killer queso!

A regular potato roundup!

If those ideas aren't enough, I've also scoured the blogosphere for some potato-perfect recipes (and, full disclosure, there's are only some of the few out of the hundred or so I have bookmarked...). Now, let's dig in!

Chunky Potato and Zucchini Soup: yet another addictive recipe for vegan comfort food from one of my favorite bloggers, The Vegan 8.

Kale Mashed Potatoes: what kind of potato lover would I really be if I didn't include some form of mashed potatoes?!?

Turkey Enchilada Pie with Mashed Potato Crust: I will never understand how people think to use mashed potatoes as a casserole crust...but I will be forever grateful.

The 4-Step Potato Pizza Crust: because combining two of my favorite food groups definitely needed to happen.

Slow Cooker Potato, Chickpea and Beet Greens Curry: when you need a cozy comfort food that will cook all day while you work...

Honey Baked Ham Potato Empanadas: empanadas just got a deliciously gluten free (and potato-packed) makeover.

Whole 30 Potato Salad: when you want a potato salad that is about as allergen-friendly and paleo as possible.

Garnet and Jewel Sweet Potato Okay, first off, the (edible) elephant in the room: the difference between yams and sweet potatoes. I grew up never really knowing (or caring) about the distinction, but a few quick Google searches cleared up my questions. Basically, yams and sweet potatoes are entirely different kinds of tubers. A real "yam" is a starchy root from the Caribbean, and is typically rough, scaly and low in beta carotene. And those red or orange "yams" you've been eating for years (especially at Thanksgiving)? Those are most likely sweet potatoes that American grocery stories have mis-labeled in order to separate them from the "white" sweet potato variety. Who would've thunk?

A typical dinner situation...

Now, I included the Garnet and Jewel sweet taters together because they're both very similar: they're orange/red on the inside and out, and have a mildly sweet flavor. Garnet sweet potatoes are typically more moist on the inside, though - which makes them addictively tender when you roast them whole in the oven. Jewel taters, on the other hand, are more firm. As for nutrition, sweet potatoes are, by the numbers, arguably healthier than yams. Sweet potatoes boast lower calories and score lower on glycemic index (meaning that their carbs are released more slowly and therefore cause less spikes in blood sugar). Orange or red colored sweet potatoes like Jewel and Garnet also pack a punch of beta-carotene, which has been shown to improve blood levels of Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes' bright color has also been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. Apparently your grandma's mashed sweet potato recipe really can be a little magical. Japanese Sweet Potato ...otherwise known as Casey's favorite potato ever. The skin of a Japanese sweet tater is typically a purple-ish color, but it has a bright white inside. I actually first tasted this variety when my mom bought it by mistake when she was looking for "regular" sweet potatoes - but I'm very glad for her mistake! These potatoes have a much firmer texture and, unlike Garnet sweet potatoes, these don't caramelize easily when roasted in the oven. However, Japanese sweet potatoes' unique flavor is just as good, in my opinion!

Another kind of buddha bowl!

Despite tasting very different from its sweet tater cousins, it's just as good nutritionally. One medium Japanese tater comes with around 120 calories, 438 grams of Potassium, 2 grams of protein, 202 percent of your daily Vitamin A needs, 30 percent of your Vitamin C needs and 5 percent of your calcium needs. Like the rest of these potatoes, this variety is also free of fat and cholesterol. Talk about a win. Stokes Purple Sweet Potato Finally, my newest discover: purple sweet potatoes! I bought these on a whim when I saw them in Sprouts, and I had no idea what they would taste like - but, as it turns out, pretty good! Compared to other varieties, purple sweet potatoes aren't very sweet, and they're definitely the driest. So, be careful about overcooking them and, if you bake them in the microwave, be sure to include a some water as well. Thanks to its brilliant color, the purple sweet potato is packed with antioxidants (three times that of blueberries, in fact!) and has been shown to help reduce damage from oxygen and metals in the digestive track. The potatoes' anthocyanins can also have an anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties Sweet Potato Recipes When I have sweet potatoes on hand, my usual dinners involve: Loaded Baked Potatoes (the easiest way to use up leftover veggies, beans, or sauces), Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders (which can easily also be stuffed with pulled pork, mashed chickpeas, pulled jackfruit or other kinds of fish!), Sweet Potato Zucchini Patties (a great topping for salads) and leftover sweet potato fries decorating my homemade pizza (trust me: you haven't lived until you've combined fluffy sweet potatoes with a crunchy buckwheat crust).

Allll the sweet tater love!

Need even more ideas? Here are some other sweet ways to enjoy sweet potatoes from around the blogosphere!

Super Creamy Vegan Stovetop Mac & "Cheese": spoiler alert - the "cheese" actually includes blended sweet potatoes. GENIUS.

Healthy Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Granola: you already know that I'm addicted to granola. Adding sweet potato just creates another level of obsession.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Red Quinoa Soup: if you're looking for the ultimate winter comfort food, this soup should definitely be in the running.

Vegan Sweet Potato Dates Muffins: because the best thing about sweet potatoes is definitely their ability to be sweet or savory. Double the trouble, double the yum!

Beef and Broccoli Sweet Potato Noodles 2.0: if you've never tried sweet potato noodles, you definitely need to fix that ASAP.

Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Tahini Parsley Sauce: gnocchi has never been so gorgeous!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Pizza Crust: when you want to get your day off to a deliciously (sweet yet savory) start.

The truth is, there are so many different ways to enjoy potatoes and sweet potatoes, it's almost impossible to not find a potato-packed recipe to win over your taste buds. But, this National Cook a Sweet Potato Day, I hope you have some new ideas on what you can really do with one potato...and which potato is right for the recipe you have in mind.

Or a little bit of everything...

Because, when cooking gluten or allergy free, the modest potato might be just the secret weapon you've been looking for! What's your favorite kind of regular or sweet potato? How do you like to enjoy your potatoes? via Blogger http://ift.tt/2kYwV6F

#Blogger #college #celiac #gluten free #coeliac #celiacs #paleo #primal #foodporn #foodart

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boludosaires · 7 years

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Jan 2 and 3: Landed

My first day in Argentina lasted 40 hours. It began with New Jersey and ended with Buenos Aires. It began with homemade breakfast chilaquiles and bagels and ended with flan. It began by waking up in a big bed with my girlfriend lying beside me, still asleep, and it’s ending going to sleep in a big bed, just me and my Mac Book.

But before I get my much needed sleep, let me welcome you, my audience (who is hopefully more than just my very lovely and committed-to-my-blogs mother, but if it’s just you mom, that’s still great <3), to the third travel blog of my life. This time around, I’m musing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is the country’s Atlantic coast-located capital. I’ll be here the next 11 weeks, interning at La Nación with their video team through my Northwestern Journalism Residency Program. And while that will be a dope opportunity, it will hopefully not be the only thing I write about on here, or even the main thing. What I really wanna write about is my thoughts, feelings, experiences, and explorations of the people, politics and world aqui in Buenos Aires.

I might throw in some Spanish words once in a while cause my brain is getting pretty good at Spanish-English switching and sometimes it just sounds nice.

Today was honestly dominated by food. Delicious food, I might add. There’s 7 of us on the program, and we’re all in the same apartment-hotel hybrid building with our own studio apartments. They’re huge, with a bathroom that has a bidet for butthole sanitation, a kitchen with a stove and mini fridge, full-wall windows, and a bed that is big enough for me to sprawl out like I’m making snow angels on it. Once we all arrived and got situated in these monstrosities, we went out for our first BA lunch at a little place on the corner. The menu was full of pizza, pasta, ham sandwich variations and steaks. I went for a personal pizza called a fugazzetta that had no tomato sauce but some delicious cheese, onions, olive oil and olives. It was glorious; I don’t’ think I’ll be suffering any pizza withdrawal here, as there’s at least one shop on every block. They’re like the bakeries in Paris.

Later, we all went out together to a restaurant called Peron Peron, where we met up with the professor leading our program, Mei-Ling, the Argentine woman who’s our contact here, Dolo, and a few of Dolo’s co-workers, Gabriel and Julieta. Gabriel is in his 40s probably, and has been sort of an amazing impromptu guide so far. He has black fuzzy hair speckled with grey, and wears button-down shirts with the top few buttons undone to expose his curly black chest hair. I sat next to him during dinner, and he basically just shared his country with us, from the history of Argentina since Peron’s 1st presidency to the most interesting places to visit on weekends to the best things to order on the menu. I felt really good about understanding his Spanish, and he was always happy to answer my questions and tolerate my probably snail-like pace of speaking.

Speaking of the menu, I ate a big heap of meat tonight. Which would be normal for most people, especially tourists in Buenos Aires. But the thing is not only am I vegetarian, but I haven’t eaten a significant amount of meat since more than a year ago, and that was one duck dish in Paris that sorta freaked me out. So it’s weird to jump back on to the carnivorous caravan. And yet my plate tonight was lleno de cerdo (pork), milanesa (chicken or red meat breaded and in this case also with ham and eggs on top), empanadas con ossobuco (flaky pastry pouches filled with tender beef), and some type of fish I don’t remember. And even though I definitely ate more salad and potatoes than other peeps in some sorry attempt to cover up what I had done, It was all delicious, I’m not gonna lie. And my stomach so far has remained cool and collected. I’m not planning on packing down the carne every day, but I definitely will keep trying things, especially when I’m not the one buying.

Anyway, this is a pretty shallow first post, so I’ll end with something a bit more real. I had a good conversation today with Sierra, who’s on the trip. One of my trip goals is to have 1 on 1 conversations with everyone on the trip during our orientation week, so I started it off with her. She’s done some really dope organizing work helping high school kids in Detroit find their passions, and she’s worked for some really cool Black publications, like Ebony and a natural hair magazine that is just starting up in New York. We talked about the pitfalls of mainstream journalism, about wanting to look at and work on things more systemically, and about the work she’s done. She’s obviously really passionate about social justice and I definitely want to keep getting to know her better. I feel very aware of my potential reputation though, considering that she may know about me being engaged with FFNU and Student Action, and I hope that she doesn’t have preconceived bad notions of me or something. She’s been really friendly, so I don’t think she does, but that’s just my paranoia and insecurity. Anyway, the point is I felt like I was trying at certain points to say “woke” things to impress her, and I don’t want to play that game. I know what I feel and I believe, and I don’t need to hold it back or anything, but I don’t need to force it either. Bring things up when they’re right, show through action rather than just talk, and honestly just be real. Maybe we can go to a cool meeting together.

Ok buenas noches amigos.

<3 Escoot

Palabras Nuevas

· Moso- waiter

· Propuesta-tip

· negar- to deny

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umichenginabroad · 5 years

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¡Bienvenido a Buenos Aires!

After all the hustle and bustle of getting to Buenos Aires, I have finally gotten settled in at my homestay! I am staying with two other students (one from UMich and one from Texas Tech) and there are a bunch of others hanging around the apartment. Aside from our host mom, there is her son, another homestay student from Northern Argentina, her partner which comes around for dinners, and last but not least…Pepa!

A picture of Pepa and one of her favorite balls to play with

For someone who has always wanted a dog and never got one, this is practically a dream come true! She gets upset when you aren’t paying attention to her, and never gets tired of retrieving her ball, so one you start showing attention she’s bound to stick around for a while, but hey—I’m not complaining.

Luckily in my homestay, each of us got our own rooms so I was able to spread out with all the stuff I brought (and yes I probably overpacked per usual, but at least I’ll be able to survive for a while without needing to go to the laundromat).

A picture of my room and closet space

We arrived on a Thursday and had orientation on Friday at our host agency. On Thursday, me and my housemates walked around to explore the area a bit and see what was around, but I’ll talk about more things to see around Buenos Aires in later posts.

After walking for a few hours, we came back for our first dinner prepared by our host mom. For those who don’t know, Argentina runs on a different meal schedule than the U.S. Breakfast and lunch are around the same time, but dinner is usually held around 9-10pm. To accompany this, they have a mid-afternoon snack or “merienda”. However, this change I am still getting accustomed to. Breakfast and merienda are very small meals and dinner is the most important. Our first meal consisted of some breaded chicken, salad, beans, and a sort of potato salad (it was amazing, A++).

The next day was the first day of our program so we had to go through orientation and getting set up to live in Buenos Aires. We arrived at our education center around 9am and I was surprised to find a whole group of students. There are only six in the engineering program, but it was exciting to find out that some of our excursions and events combine some students from a few other programs (intensive Spanish language study, internships, etc.) to make up a group of about 14 of us.

To start off we went on a walking tour of the neighborhood around our education center. A lot of the architecture in Buenos Aires is based off of many different European styles and the city can be referred to as the “Paris of the Americas”.

An example of an apartment building with European style architecture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building.

La Plaza San Martin.

We also learned a bit about the history of the area we were in and about the ups and downs of the Argentine government over the course of their history. A few people who live here have already described it as the country that has all the resources but is underdeveloped—Japan being the opposite and the other options are being a developed or underdeveloped country. To finish our tour, we ended up at a fancy mall to exchange our US dollars to pesos. Not so fun fact: one of my bills had a stamp on it so I wasn’t able to exchange it and someone else couldn’t due to very small holes in the bill (oof).

The fancy mall (designer shops and murals on the ceiling to complete the look)

After that we returned to the education center for some lunch (live love empanadas <3) and finished off with info presentation before loading money on our sim cards to ensure we’d be able to stay connected during our stay. The sim cards work off of a set amount of money you give at a kiosk which is used to charge us each day that we use data (excluding charges every day for WhatsApp—an app that’s widely used here).

They had carne(meat), pollo(chicken), jamón y queso(ham & cheese), humita(a sort of corn filling), and vegetable empanadas.

After all the craziness of the first day, a group of us in the program decided to finish the day with a nice steak dinner out—after all, Argentina is known for its beef.

Two of the meals and a group pic!

Yes, I got a beef quesadilla instead of a steak (sue me), but I’m working on a budget! I’ve been trying to save money to plan trips and then I’ll go big with things like meals and stuff towards the end of the trip with what I have left.

We’ve been exploring the city and walking a lot so stay tuned for more pictures of the city!

See ya later!

Larissa Wermers

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering in Buenos Aires, Argentina

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEArgentina #LarissaWermers #IPE Summer19

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tonyduncanbb73 · 7 years

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Ritcey East Is Coming Soon to Watertown With ‘Adult Hot Pockets’ and Homey Vibes

The name pays tribute to the owner’s parents’ old restaurants

When the restaurant opens, it’ll only serve dinner for a while. Expect lunch service to kick in around Christmas. Stay tuned for updates about Ritcey East’s Watertown debut.

• Ritcey East [FB]

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tonyduncanbb73 · 7 years

Text

Ritcey East Is Coming Soon to Watertown With ‘Adult Hot Pockets’ and Homey Vibes

The name pays tribute to the owner’s parents’ old restaurants

When the restaurant opens, it’ll only serve dinner for a while. Expect lunch service to kick in around Christmas. Stay tuned for updates about Ritcey East’s Watertown debut.

• Ritcey East [FB]

0 notes

tonyduncanbb73 · 7 years

Text

Ritcey East Is Coming Soon to Watertown With ‘Adult Hot Pockets’ and Homey Vibes

The name pays tribute to the owner’s parents’ old restaurants

When the restaurant opens, it’ll only serve dinner for a while. Expect lunch service to kick in around Christmas. Stay tuned for updates about Ritcey East’s Watertown debut.

• Ritcey East [FB]

0 notes