A Simple Obsession...

"If I had to give up cheese or chocolate, I'd give up chocolate in a heartbeat." ~ Amanda Peet

AMEN SISTER!!

Diets are so difficult when A: you're a lover of all things food, B: You're friends and boyfriend support this fat habit, C: You write a food blog =)

I enjoyed this wonderful beautiful Sunday in NYC with mi amor Don Pepe. We enjoyed a nice brunch in the East Village at Hot Devil Grill (Will be spotlighted on Spotlight Friday) and took a little stroll to walk off the calories! Of course ;-)

But a trip to the village on a beautiful Sunday afternoon would not be complete without a stop at S'Mac! Our favorite Mac n Cheese place. You can read my review Here.

Don Pepe choose the Cajun Mac n Cheese. Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheeses, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, garlic and cajun seasoning, he obviously was still in New Orleans mode!

Yummmmmm Fest!!!!!!

I chose the 4 cheese Mac n Cheese. Cheddar, Muenster, Gruyere and Pecorino. CHEESE FEST!!! I'm a fatty so I ate if before I could take a pic. Oops!!

Perfect Sunday!

I'll just spend an extra hour at the gym and it will all be worth it =)



Family Time!!!!!!!

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."  -- Desmond Tutu

I've always wished I was a part of those families where every Sunday they get together and have a big meal, talk about memories, and recap each others weeks. I used to think only TV families did that. I promised myself when I had a family, I would start that tradition. One that would last even when they were older and living on their own.

As you get older, you start to value family more. I'm beginning to learn on a day to day basis that NO ONE is going to love me like they do, and because of that I'm making an effort to spend more time with my lovely familia!

Yesterday I visited my aunt, uncle and 3 younger cousins for some Sunday Funday excitement! My aunt is a bigggggg cooking motivation for me. There's rarely a time I visit that she's NOT cooking for her family, and everything is deeeeeeelicious. I love her ability to take ingredients that you would not think of making together, and turn it into an amazing meal! It's nothing extravagant either, just very simple but delectable dishes. Proving, sometimes simplicity is better!

She made shrimp scampi over Spanish rice, with string beans and platano maduros (sweet plantains). It was a Yumfest!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here she is preparing the shrimp. Reason #1 why I hate cooking shrimp - cleaning them!! Yuck! I'm glad she took this mission on :-)

Maduros ready to be cooked!!! Cook them in oil and sprinkle some brown sugar over them. Yum! Reason #456 why I love being Puerto Rican - Having these bad boys with a meal!

Yum! Spanish rice waiting to be eaten...BY ME!!

Shrimp Scampi! I believe she added a little chicken broth, butter, garlic and oregano. So simple, yet sooo delicious!

String beans! She cooked them in chicken broth with a ham hock and salt, pepper and garlic for taste.

TaDa!! The finished product right before I happily devoured it. :-) And of course no meal is complete for me without my glass of wine.
Do you have any family traditions? Or want to share any of your favorite family recipes/meals!? I would love to know :-)

~Eat Up, Drink Up or Shut Up ~

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."  - Sophia Loren

How beautiful was Sophia Loren??

GORGEOUS! And you know what? She wouldn't be caught dead on a low carb diet. Such an awesome example of a woman who embraced her curves and knew how absolutely beautiful they were. Her confidence in her body is something we as women should all have. Don't stop eating what you love, like pasta. =) Eat what you want, when you want and enjoy it. Just watch your portions and and make sure not to over indulge!

Now to my recipe of the week!

I think I might have been Italian and Mexican in my past life. I could seriously eat pasta and enchiladas everyday if I could. Of course not together, that would be gross!

The other night I made a delicious Shrimp and Scallop Scampi over pasta and it was, as my friend Kristi likes to say, "amaze-balls!"

It was soooooo good that when my aunt, whom I was house sitting for, came home from Hawaii, I decided to make it for her too. This time, since I was out of shrimp, I added broccoli and chicken! Yum!

Scallop, Chicken & Broccoli Scampi over Pasta

Ingredients

Scallops

1 small head of Broccoli

Chicken (I used pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joes. Amazing!)

1 stick of butter (I didn't say this would be the most healthiest)

Garlic (I use the already chopped fresh garlic in olive oil. Its perfect for when you really dont have time to chop it yourself. You can find it at any supermarket)

Parsely

1 small chopped onion

Cayenne Pepper

Pasta (any kind will do)

Ok, so I apologize for not having exact measurements. I kind of just eye balled it with this one.

Directions:

Melt butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Let onion cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add all other ingredients. I would say about 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon of parsely, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper gives the sauce a nice little kick. Add about a handful and a half of scallops, the broccoli and the chicken and let it cook for about 5 - 8 minutes over medium heat, or enough to make it simmer. Stir the mixture often so the sauce doesn't thicken.

Cook pasta as you normally would then pour this deliciousness over it and EAT!!!!

Pair it with a Chardonnay and you are good to go. YUM!

Salud!

Whopper What?!

“I love that whole princess mentality, but I also like throwing my hair in a ponytail and just wearing jeans, going on a hike and then eating a big chili-cheeseburger.” ~ Jennifer Love Hewitt

YESSS!!

Ladies, don't be afraid to go all out with your food every now and then. Having a juicy succulent chili- cheeseburger every once in awhile is not going to hurt your waistline. Plus, men might not always admit it, but they love a woman who isn't afraid to eat! We work too hard, spend so much money and effort keeping ourselves looking good and continuing to be the "classy lady" society expects us to be, that sometimes its actually healthy and beneficial to our sanity to let our hair down, let loose, get messy and pig out!

Courtesy of Marie Claire

Speaking of pigging out and Cheeseburgers =)

Burger King now has a specialty restaurant called the Whopper Bar! With only 4 locations across the U.S. (Miami, NYC, Memphis and Orlando) they are serving up there signature whoppers, but this time, you can create them ANY way you like! Pick the sauce, pick the toppings, pick the cheese!

Oh Em Gee!!

Or, you can pick one of their creations including the NY Pizza Burger: Four Whopper patties, slices of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese with marinara and Tuscan sauce on a sesame seed bun.

The only question I have is, Why didn't they think of this sooner???

Check out their entire menu and find their locations HERE

**Spotlight Friday's**

S'Mac

345 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003-7238

Courtesy of MentalFloss

Remember my last post when I gave a recipe for Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese? Well I was lucky enough to discover this amazing spot in the East Village of NYC that strictly serves nothing but Baked Macaroni & Cheese!!!!!
 

Oh Em Gee!!

 
And you know what they had on their menu??? Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese!
 
 

 

It was just as amazing as it sounded!

 
The place is really small but super cute with yellow and orange accents. Prices are definitely reasonable considering the area as well. I got a "Mega Munch" size for $10 and I couldn't even finish it! Of course i took it home though and had it for lunch the next day =) Anytime you can get 2 meals out of one, it's money well spent.
 
Don't go here expecting anything fancy or exceptional waiter/waitress service. Go here to simply indulge in one of their 12 cheesy masterpieces!! Mmmmmm I can't wait to go back!!
 
More info can be found on their website here.

**Spotlight Friday's**

Monte's Pizzeria

Route 111

Smithtown, NY 11787

Photo Courtesy of Zero Gravity Eats Smithtown

I had to spotlight one of my favorite pizzerias today! I don't really even need to write a long drawn out post about it cause this place really speaks for itself! I work right next door to Monte's and not only is their pizza and almost everything else they serve, Ah-Mazing, but the guys who work there are by far some of the nicest people I've ever met! You are always greeted with a smile and they make you feel right at home.

They are also the guy's who made this beauty:

 as i noted from a previous post and also the guys who gave me a free lunch today =) You know that made my belly very happy!!

Stop by Monte's and experience it for yourself!

It's Genius!

I LOVE Pizza! Any pizza! Any topping (minus mushrooms and anchovies, yuck!)

I HATE the Crust! Yup, I love pizza for its cheesy, tomato sauce, basil goodness! But I can really do without that dry, sometimes hard tasteless plain crust!

I LOVE Garlic knots! I mean if you don't like garlic knots, you're a dummy! Whats not to like about a garlic knot? Soft bread wrapped in a cute knot, oily and full of garlicky goodness!!!

What I really LOVE, is pizza with a Garlic Knot Crust!!!!

Yes!!!!!!!!! The pizzeria next to my job made this pie for the first time yesterday, and you know once I saw that I was all over it!!!! I don't know if anyone else has tried something as divine as this right here, but this was my first time, and, first time actually eating a WHOLE slice, crust and all!

This is officially my new addiction and I NEED to find more pizzerias that will make this for me!!

My belly was so happy =)

**Spotlight Friday's**

Nero D'Avola

46 Gansevoort St

New York NY10014

Close your eyes...imagine you're at Brunch...you order an entree and a mimosa. You finish eating your meal and drinking your mimosa and suddenly the waitress comes over and refills your mimosa. She continues to do this over and over and over again without you even requesting it! 3 hours and 30 mimosas later you get the bill and realize you were never charged for the 30 mimosas. Now open your eyes...cause this is EXACTLY what you would get during brunch at Nero D'Avola.

My wonderful friend and I (let's call her La Fashionista) go here for our monthly drunken brunches. Seriously, for $24.95 you get an entree and UNLIMITED Champagne, Mimosas, Bellinis, Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers for 3 hours!!!!!! They never rush you out or water down the drinks. They're nice and strong, just how i like it! And let me repeat...for 3 hours!!!! There's really nothing like walking around lower Manhattan tipsy in the middle of the afternoon. It's really something everyone should at least try once...or twice...three times...you get it.

Now, not only do you get a meal and UNLIMITED drinks for a poor college student (like myself) friendly price, oh no, the fun doesnt stop there, you also get a live DJ spinning all your favorite Let's-get-on-the-tables-and-dance music! Oh yes, every Sat & Sun from 12-4pm, you can get an UNLIMITED drink and DJ Brunch!

This is my FAVORITE NYC Brunch Spot!

If you're visiting NYC you cannot leave without experiencing a Nero D'Avola Brunch. I recommend the Eggs Benedict and Mimosa.

Nero D'Avola get the Official Cupcakes & Caviar Stamp of Approval for its Dancing Drunken Brunch!

For directions and to see their menu please visit their website: Nero D'Avola

"Mommys Time Out"

Every month my fabulous aunts and I get together for a wine and cheese night. You know, a little drinking, eating, distressing, venting, gossiping session. Extremely good for your mental health! At least I think so.

We had about 4 bottles, but this one stood out to me amongst the others! "Mommy's Time Out", Pinot Grigio. Before last night I wasn't a huge fan of Pinot Grigio. It tended to be a little dry for me, and I like my whites sweet! However this was PERFECT! Not too dry not too sweet, the PERFECT balance. Plus, the name and the picture on the bottle really made me laugh. Or maybe i was already tipsy from the 5 glasses i had just drank and that made me laugh. Either way, I officially put my stamp of approval on this wine.

So, if you're ever wandering around the liquor store wondering what to bring to a dinner party, looking for a good wine to unwind with or if you're like my aunt and have 3 kids and need a "time out" yourself, pick up a bottle of Mommy's Time Out. It will not disappoint!

~Eat Up, Drink Up or Shut Up ~

In honor of France's Bastille Day, today's recipe will be french themed!

STRAWBERRY CREPES

[ Photo courtesy of My recipes ]

Oddly, my first time eating a crepe was in May on my vacation in the Dominican Republic. I know, French Crepes in DR, weird. But I guess that's just how they roll. One of my mornings there I tried a Strawberry Crepe and it was like heaven on a plate! Luckily I was able to find a really really easy recipe to share with you, in hopes that you experience the same heavenly experience I did.

Ingredients

CREPES

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup skim milk

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon white sugar

1 pinch salt



FILLING

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

3/4 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1.In a large bowl, beat together egg, milk, water and oil. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until smooth.

2.Heat a medium, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place a ladleful of crepe batter into center of pan, tilting to coat the bottom. Cook until golden brown on one side, turning once, 2 to 5 minutes. Continue with remaining batter.

3.In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

4.To assemble, spread some melted chocolate on the lighter side of one crepe. Place a line of overlapping strawberries down the center of the crepe and roll it up. Top with whipped topping and drizzle with a bit more chocolate. Repeat with remaining crepes.
 
 
The full recipe along with reviews and pics can be found Here

Break Me Off A Piece Of Meat

I LOVE New York! There are VERY few times I ever wish I lived elsewhere. However, this would be an exception, mainly because I'm greedy, fat and can eat meat like no ones business! (I apologize to my vegetarian friends, but I cant help it)

The restaurant chain Carl Jr's has decided to come up with what I can only describe as a "Fantabulous" ( Fabulous and Fantastic, I should copyrite this ) idea. The Foot Long Cheese Burger!!

Photo from Foodbeast

Sadly, the closest Carl Jr is on the west coast, so I can only use my imagination and think of the deliciousness that comes from a bite of this genius creation. PLEASE if any of my followers live on the west coast, try this and just let me live through your lucky taste buds!!


I first spotted this on Serious Eats but you can read one mans entire photo journey tasting this burger at FoodBeast