I’m a self-taught home-cook sharing my passion for eating, cooking, and all things food.
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All tagged 2021
From baked feta pasta, bell pepper sandwiches, pasta chips, and salmon rice bowls, 2021 was a busy year of viral food trends. I’m happy to say that as a foodie this year, I was able to accomplish a lot. I added product/ingredient reviews to the blog, took my first trip out of state since the start of the pandemic, and celebrated the new restaurants that have opened. Click to read my top 5 blogs of 2021.
One of my favorite parts of New Year’s parties is the variety of appetizers. I like being able to have small tastes of different dishes to see what I like best. Check out my list of 7 appetizers to make for New Year’s.
I had a Thanksgiving break from work, so I decided to explore some new restaurants. After some research, I found Yuki Japanese Restaurant in Oakland, New Jersey. I enjoyed Yuki so much on my first visit, I went back for dinner a few weeks later. This blog is a combination review of my first lunch impression and subsequent dinner.
Soups are one of my favorite recipes to make in the fall. For this week’s blog, I’ve compiled 5 of my recipes which you should try during this chilly, autumn season. They include french onion soup, pumpkin soup, and other recipes of my family’s favorites. Comment with your favorites or let me know what recipes you’d like me to try.
On a Wednesday evening, my boyfriend and I visited Nene’s Cocina in Wanaque, New Jersey for Mexican food. Our meals did not disappoint and I am excited this week to share the appetizers, entrees, and desserts that we tried.
A birthday weekend in Lake George during their Oktoberfest brought me to Crabby Joe’s. A seafood restaurant with a bar and outdoor seating right on Canada Street. We tried two appetizers and the same entree. This was a great first impression for me — I would go back to Crabby Joe’s to try the rest of their menu.
Thai Corner Bistro in Wayne, New Jersey is a bright and modern Thai restaurant offering amazing dishes, unique drinks and desserts, in an inviting space. I finally visited Thai Corner Bistro and am excited to share my thoughts on my dining experience.
This week’s recipe video uses in-season and homegrown produce to make a light and refreshing summer vegetable salad. This salad uses fresh ears of Jersey corn, tomatoes, homegrown cucumbers, and bell peppers to create a refreshing main course or summery side dish.
A few years ago, I was gifted a cookbook by Max and Eli Sussman called, “This is a Cookbook: Recipes for Real Life.” One of their recipes is a side dish of roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce. So for this week’s blog I follow their recipe and share my thoughts on the flavor and instructions of the recipe.
Tabor Road Tavern in Morris Plains, New Jersey is a large American restaurant. With private rooms, bar seating, booths, and classic dining rooms, you’ll have access to thoughtfully plated meals that blend American cuisine with elements of Italian food. We had a three course meal and drinks for my first impression visit of Tabor Road Tavern. I left with a great impression and some new favorites I’d love to come back and try. Click to read more about my restaurant review!
On a humid Tuesday evening, my dad and I decided to catch up over dinner. He recommended we visit Cucina 347 Pizza and Ristorante in Oakland, New Jersey. This modern Italian restaurant offered unique appetizers, large entrees, and fresh desserts. Click to read more about my first impression of Cucina 347.
This week’s product review features 7 days of Trader Joe’s Yogurt. I score these yogurts based on branding, flavor, texture, and price, to share my favorite dairy free and whole milk yogurt recommendations.
This week, I’ve tried another trending recipe on the internet — cucumber boats with cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning. This recipe is easy to pull together as a healthy, single-serving snack. Check out my cooking notes and the recipe video to make your own!
Trader Joe’s Ice Cream Bon Bons have a layer of crunchy chocolate, a generous layer of vanilla ice cream, and crumbly cookie bottom. Read more about the packaging, flavor, and cost for Trader Joe’s Ice Cream Bon Bons.
This week I've made the viral bell pepper sandwich from TikTok and Instagram. This amazing sandwich is packed with veggies, layered with textures, and is easy to assemble. Click to get the recipe ingredients and watch my how-to video for this bell pepper sandwich!
I found Trader Joe’s Portuguese Custard Tarts while buying my normal grocery order. The realistic image of the tarts caught my eye, and for $2.99 I figured this would be a great product to review. So for this week’s blog, I’m sharing my thoughts on Trader Joe’s Portuguese Custard Tart dessert.
My sister found Gilligan's Clam Bar in Pomona, New York, and recommended that we visit it for my birthday. So on a rainy April evening, I drove us through the windy mountains to Gilligan’s colorful restaurant, where we ordered the most fantastic king crab legs I’ve ever had! Click to read about the dishes from our meal and my recommendations.
As I mentioned in my previous post — Nadiya’s Time to Eat on Netflix inspired me to make Nadiya’s one-pan peanut chicken bake recipe. Her peanut curry sauce caught my attention, so I knew I wanted to cook this one-pan meal, layered with fresh veggies, chicken, and gnocchi topped with crunchy peanuts and bright lime.
I read an article that raved about Trader Joe's Camembert cheese, so for this week's recipe video I decided to make baked Camembert with a black cherry spread. This is a simple appetizer that you can pop in the oven and enjoy with crackers or spread over crostini. You can add any favorite fruit spread on top to add an extra layer of flavor to your baked Camembert.
This week I decided to make Rotini with Baked Feta — my version of the viral baked Feta pasta recipe. My pasta uses both cherry and fresh tomatoes, with extra spices and Rotini pasta to hang onto the creamy Feta sauce.
