September 2016

One of the ways I deal with stress is through cooking.  Ever since I was a child, I have loved to cook.  My mom and dad always let me help them cook, and eventually I was cooking meals on my own.  It became a tradition that I would cook dinner for my family at least once a week.  This forced me to improve upon my skills.  Before I knew it, I would be cooking dinner almost every day of the week because I enjoyed the experimentation aspect of cooking.

Before coming to college, I was concerned I would be unable to continue this hobby.  Luckily, I was able to cook more than I thought I would.  Last weekend, I made lasagna, one of my favorite dishes to make.

Lasagna has always been one of my favorite dishes to cook because not only can you add your own spin, but the layering process is one that can be enjoyed with a group of people.  I had the pleasure of cooking with my friends, and that was exactly what I wanted.  Since some people don’t eat meat, this gave me a reason to make two lasagnas.

This made me think more about what was in the lasagna than the actual process.  Some people put a plethora of different vegetables either to be healthy or for the flavor in the lasagna.  Sometimes people put beef, sausage, pork, or any type of meat.  Furthermore, they can put a combination of whatever they want.  That is one of the amazing aspects to lasagna, you can truly customize it to fit you.

I personally like some beef with onions, garlic, and mushrooms in my lasagna.  It was different than what I usually make because none of my family eats meat.  So this was the first time I’ve ever cooked lasagna like this.  Apparently, my friends said it was delicious, so the mission was a success.  I am interested to know what your favorite type of lasagna is, or what your favorite items are to incorporate in it.

If you are really going to go all out with it, you can make your own sauce, and your own pasta.  This makes the dish completely yours, and quite special.  People often take pride in their sauce recipe because this is a slow cooked item that takes a while to perfect.  There are no actual measurements if it is your sauce, everything is just estimated.  Never be afraid to manipulate a recipe because you feel the need to follow it.  Recipes are meant to be look at as a guideline, and manipulated to make them your own.  Unless the recipe is for baking, you are probably safe changing whatever you wish.

The next time you make lasagna, make sure you layer it the way you want, and load it with vegetables and sauce; moreover, it is important to focus on the cheese mixture.  Some people incorporate egg or a variety of cheeses to make the flavor unique to them.  Make sure you make the lasagna yours and share it with family and friends.

When I first arrived on Penn State campus, I had one mission at stake.  Find the closest Chipotle Mexican Grill.  And although my real goals may have been slightly different, this was definitely a strong interest of mine.

I am a true lover of mexican food.  This cuisine is special to me because I used to have it regularly when I was a child.  No, I did not grow up in a mexican household, but my family and I used to try different mexican restaurants as frequently as possible.  When we came across chipotle: it was revolutionary.  There were sadly no great mexican restaurants in my area, only did we find good ones when visiting California.  When we discovered Chipotle, we had finally found the best Mexican restaurant in town.

Luckily, there was a Chipotle just one block from my dorm.  I have been there multiple times over the past week… even though I don’t like to admit that.  One of the reason’s I love to eat it is because it reminds me of getting myself involved in culture.  A culture, that I do not know too much about.  If you know some facts about Mexican culture, please feel free to share.

According to Today I Found Out on April 1, 2014, one of the most popular stories regarding the origination of the burrito is from a man named Juan Mendez.  Juan used to have his donkey – burro in spanish – carry around his supplies.  During the travels, he would keep his food warm by wrapping them in huge homemade flour tortillas.  He would then serve them like this, and the idea and name burrito was created.

Whether or not this is factual, it makes for a very interesting a fun story.  Please share your opinions regarding this story, as it is very entertaining. .

Now, I want to move onto the BEST mexican food I’ve ever had.  Just this last year, I visited Sacramento, California for approximately one week.  During this trip, I divulged in mexican food for over half the days.  On the second day, I went to a more unconventional restaurant.  They called themselves a revolutionary restaurant because they served unique and non-traditional dishes.

For an appetizer, they served black bean muffins.  These were perhaps the best muffins I have ever had, and the black beans were a crazy flavorful twist for a topping.  Then, my main dish was this bowl of chicken and various vegetables in an unimaginably flavorful broth.  You then take the chicken and vegetables along with the small salad that comes on the side, and put it inside a homemade corn tortilla.  To be completely honest, I have no idea what was in the salad, it was not a normal salad.  But overall, this was the most delicious dish I have ever had.

At this point, feel free to share your favorite dishes of mexican food.  I am very interested to know various dishes that maybe I have not heard about.  They could be very interesting; furthermore, I might want to try them.

One aspect about college that many people are sure to ask current students about is the food.  Eating three meals a day in the dining halls can become tedious, at least it is to me.  The food, to the best of my knowledge, was “not bad” until last weekend when I had the luxury of going out to eat to two restaurants off campus.  These experiences made me realize to take delicious food for granted, since you don’t know when your next scrumptious meal will be.

The Field is a restaurant that is well known for its burgers, milkshakes, and french fries.  I had been divulging in all of these dishes here on campus; however, I almost forgot how speechless one can become when they bite into a burger that is perfect in every way.  The burgers themselves, as described on the menu are”hand formed daily using our private blend of sirloin, chuck, brisket, & short rib.”  I don’t know how you feel about burgers, but this description alone made me want to try every burger option they had to offer.  If you can imagine the perfect burger patty, then it should be simple to imaging the bibb lettuce, crisp onions, juicy tomato and many more toppings on the soft and sweet brioche bun.  Personally, this burger could not get any better.  To top everything off, they brand the top of their buns.  For a while, my favorite burger had been back home in Princeton, NJ; however, this burger has now be placed as my #1 burger.  Feel free to not only say where you favorite burger is from, but also describe it.  There can be any toppings ranging from onion rings all the way to pulled pork.

If you look closely at the picture, you can see an enormous mountain of french fries.  And yes, they are in a huge pile on the table.  One of the best parts, other than the burgers of course, at the Field are the french fries.  Not only are they given to you in an unconventional, yet enticing manor, but you can also get a wide variety of fries with various toppings.  In addition to salt, pepper, old bay, parmesan and truffle, buffalo chicken, and even prime rib, they place the fries in a huge pile in the middle of the table for everyone to share.  I would 100% recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone because of its uniqueness in style, strong and complex flavors, and environment.

Taking a small step back from the restaurant and focusing more on the food, we can see that the burger has been around for many years.  The hamburger itself was created in the early 1900 in the United States of America by Louis Lassen.  This is just one of the many theories in regards to the origins of the hamburger.  Regardless where or when it originated, it is a staple throughout the entire country.  Almost all restaurants, American restaurants, have this dish on their menu; furthermore, I personally know of some mexican and italian restaurants that also serve hamburgers.

So it really does not matter where you are in the world, country, or town because I am sure you will be able to find a burger with little to minimum effort.  Enjoy!

Also, if you are interested in making the best burger ever, check out this video explaining one different than usual way to make one kick ass burger.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines cooking as a person who prepares food for eating.  Although this definition is true, there is so much more to the verb.  Cooking is a way of expressing yourself, it is a way of showcasing a skill that can take years to master.  Perfection cannot be reached for this still, for it is impossible for cooking itself to be perfect.  The complexity of ever present flavors, aromas, and aesthetics make this art form one of the most difficult to execute, but also one of the most rewarding.

One of my favorite aspects to cooking is the lack of an age barrier.  I remember when I started cooking with my parents as I measured all of the various spices to put into the dish.  I am sure that everybody has some experience they remember from when they first cooked.  In fact, I am sure most of those experiences are similar in action, but different in content.  Please comment with some of your various cooking experiences so we can showcase what we remember doing, and compare how our cultures may or may not have played a role on this.  Personally, my first experience was cooking chili with my mom.

I can remember measuring the chili powder, some paprika, along with a portion of cumin.  Then we drained the beans in the sink, rinsed them, and put all of the ingredients in the pot.  I can remember myself asking her to let me cut the onions; however, she was quite resistant (only years later did I realize why).  After mixing all of the ingredients together and letting it simmer, our long wait was rewarded with the spicy, yet delectable dish.  This memory does not necessarily showcase an aspect of my culture, but it is the first dish I can remember ever cooking with my mom.

I never really thanked my mom for letting me help her cook this dish so many years ago, but I now realize how truly appreciative I am that she let me help with this specific dish at such a young age.  Chili has very complex flavors due to the wide variety of spices added.  I asked my mom numerous questions about how each of the different spices adds a different angle of flavor to the dish.  Asking about the bay leaves, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and even oregano and how they each played an individual role.  Yet when these spices are put together, the individual spices can work together to form an even more powerful and flavorful dish.

Before I end this post about the first dish I ever made, I want to say how cooking changed my life.  And I invite all of you to do the same.  Ask the questions: what does cooking mean to me? How has cooking changed how I feel about eating? What have I learned since I started cooking, or what do I learn each time I cook?

Personally, cooking has taught me a subtle way to showcase who I really am.  I am the one that picks the flavors to incorporate.  I am the one that cooks the dish for the exact amount of time that I want.  I am the one that picks the freshest and highest quality ingredients.  Finally, I am the one that gets the most appreciation out of eating the dish.  When I go out to eat, I appreciate the cook’s art that he willingly shared with me.  I appreciate his style, and the flavors he chose to incorporate.  Even if I do not like the dish, everyone expresses themselves differently.  So respect is definitely important when eating others’ dishes.  But most importantly, cooking has taught me how to be individual in what I do and what I cook.