A few weeks ago I went to kings diner for the first time.  I had previously heard about kings so I expected it to be good.  We arrived at kings around 11 and as soon as I walked in I could smell various flavors, some sweet and others smoky.  We sat down and I eagerly awaited for the time to order.  I narrowed my options down to two but I knew I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't get both so yeah...  The first dish I ordered was pesto eggs with melted mozzarella, juicey sausage and tomato.  The other was banana bread french toast topped with a sweet syrupy banana sauce with sliced banana on the side.  I went back and forth for every bite trying to savor the goodness.  I expected it to be good, but not that good.
Ryan P

Recently, I have come to the conclusion (finally) that the lunch served in the cafeteria is not only not fresh, but do not taste good, probably don’t contain any real meat, and are most certainly not a healthy option. So, I am boycotting Chartwell’s for the time being and am waking up early in order to make an eatable meal for lunch. Obviously, considering the title this blog entry regards the classic: Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. It is a delightful food that satisfies even the pickiest of eaters.  I am not a huge fan of white bread, and so I tend to deviate from the norm and smother a whole wheat bagel with a hefty layer of peanut butter, and some Grade-A Smucker’s Grape Jelly. Regardless of the bread choice, the main ingredients remain the same creating a scrumptious sandwich.  There’s just something about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that really capture the taste buds. It might be the rich, creamy, salty taste of the Peanut butter or the sweet essence of the jelly whether it be strawberry, grape, or any other. Or, it may be the fact that they take about 45 seconds to make.  Nevertheless, PB & J is perfect. It is not open for discussion, they are the best, and I just wanted to give a classic a little bit of the limelight as it commonly gets overlooked. Here’s to an oldie but goodie, PB & J!!

as a student athlete im always in a rush, rushing from one practice to another, barely making it home in time for curfew. And, thats why i have learned to appreciate the convinence foods i have avalible. My favorite is the ramen noodles. you can do almost ANYTHING with them, and they are so cheap! My favorite way is to cook the noodles in boilig water, drain them, then put it in a bowl and add half the flavor packet. This is perfect becaus then they are not overpiwered in flavor, and isnt soup. OF course there are other ways to make them, if you want you can add the water to the noodles to create a soup, or you can add in oriental vegtables such as baby corn and water chesnuts, or if you wanna get really crazy you can throw away that flavoring packet, look in your fridge and spice cabinet, and make a new creation! and thats whats so beautiful about them. They take like a max of 5 minutes to cook, they cost like 20¢ per package, and you can make them into anything you want. And if you dont feel like making your own flavor they sell them in like 30 diffrent flavors, and they arent always unhealthy, some packets come with reduced sodium, and you cam always add on your own vegtables. I would say i have ramen at least 2 times a week and i would recomend them to anyone thats on the go or needs a quick easy dinner.

Enjoy!

Bailey

Over the weekend I went into the city for a college visit.  Knowing a good cupcake place called baked by Melissa I decided to try and find it. For tiny cupcakes they are sure expensive.  Once I bought them I immediately opened the package and ate one. The first one I ate was mint chocolate chip.  The first and only bite was amazing the flavor shock was overwhelming. The people I was with asked me why I would pay $21 for 25 tiny cupcakes. Once they tried one they asked me why i didn't tell them not to but some.  We had to run back to the store and buy more I finished all of them, not by myself but enjoyed ever flavorful bite I got. -Kayla O'Grady

Nadimul Haque

Mrs. Hoagland

Culinary 2

3.27.2013

March Blog

            I love events like weddings and birthdays and anniversaries because I get to have different food. As good as the entrees can be, the cake decides whether I liked the catering or not. Even if it is the most delicious chicken, rice, pasta, (etc.) I have ever eaten, it isn’t a perfect meal unless the cake (if there is any) is done right. Anyways, for my parent’s anniversary earlier this month, the appetizers were done perfect and the entrees were pretty good. For the appetizers, we had pasta with just the right amount of cheese and the right amount of sauce in it. For the entrees, there was white rice, with roasted chicken, tandoori chicken, beef kebabs, and a vegetable mix. All of the meat items were seasoned and cooked with a lot of spice, but that spice brought intensity to the flavor of the other items. Anyways, after the entrees, my favorite part of the meal came. A round red velvet cake with nice artwork and vanilla filling. As soon as I ate it, I could immediately taste all of the flavors, and it was just one of the better cakes that I've had. 

St. Patrick's Day at Colony Grill Pizza

It's March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day and it was my little brother Jameson's Birthday. It's a weird kind of thing that my three brothers and I all have birthdays on a holiday. My birthday happens to be on Thanksgiving; at least the year I was born it was. Tristan's Birthday is Valentine's Day and Brighton's Birthday landed on Election Day the year he was born. Anyway, back to my little brother Jameson. He just turned 10 years old and thats a decade. Wow! My dad had the idea that we should all go and celebrate Jameson's Birthday at Colony Grill in Fairfield and that's exactly what we did. We've been going to Colony Grill since I was 3 years old! Although, I'm not sure that was the best idea this day because we were thinking birthday and not St. Patricks Day, it was really packed and loud. There was a band playing and singing all different types of songs that I had never heard before. My mom said this was the music that she grew up to. The music was so loud that, bloody hell, it gave me a massive headache. It didn't matter because the pizza made up for it. Pizza is the only thing they sell at Colony which I think is really smart. They have mastered the perfection of "Goodness" in the pizza. We ordered seven pizza pies for the table; 3 plain and 4 hot oil with stingers. If you've ever been to Colony Grill Pizza Restaurant you know you have to order at least one "Hot Oil" pizza. It's HOT!!!! that's for sure. The pizzas are made of a super thin crust with just the right amount of sauce and cheese or whatever toppings you may be putting on your pie. I think Colony Grill Pizza has one of the best thin crust pizzas in the world! The first bite was unbelievable. My brother Tristan and I each had a whole pie to ourselves. I finished my pie while Tristan had one slice left. I ate that too. In fact, I ate the most out of everyone at the table. I think I gained five pounds by the time I was done eating. After everyone was done eating, we headed back home to celebrate some more with a delicious Strawberry and Banana custard cream and whipped cream frosting Birthday Cake. My mom always creates the best Birthday cakes! Although, my stomach was telling me I shouldn't have a piece, I couldn't resist. My brother had an awesome birthday. He said he had a great time with his family and the presents were awesome too. But, he said the best part of his birthday was going out for dinner to Colony Grill with his family. Colony Grill Pizza is always worth the trip.

Timothy P.

When most people think of asparagus, a stalky, green, bitter vegetable only heard about in children's books may come to mind. Who would ever eat that? For a while, I had the same mindset on this peculiar vegetable until a few weeks ago when my mother had made a Gorgonzola chicken breast with a side of sauteed asparagus. I had been reluctant at first, but didn't want to disappoint my mom so I tried it. Wow, it was delicious, the veggie has a tender and flavorful taste with an almost creamy texture when cooked right. I was hooked on it. These past couple weeks, I've eaten more asparagus than in my entire life. Now, there are a couple tricks to getting asparagus right. First, the end of the stalk should be generously trimmed, it is thicker and won't cook all the way through, and the next is to be sure it is all the way cooked. I had one batch of asparagus undercooked, and it was AWFUL. As long as it is prepared correctly, it is a great addition to many meals, and has a flavor all it's own. I was happy to find out today that it will go along with our group's fried chicken and hush puppies. Anyway, all of you who may be skeptical of this vegetable, go out and have some!! -Bryce D

Today it crossed my mind just how often I visit the General Store in downtown Newtown by the flagpole and Edmond Town Hall. I love the food there, it's in the perfect spot in the heart of town, and I love the small-town atmosphere and history that's found there. While the general store is fantastic for a number of reason, the thing that always gets me is one sandwich. My favorite, The Flagpole. Delicious chicken, melted cheese, BACON. It doesn't get any better than a Flagpole. I never get it with tomato though, I can;t stand tomatoes... Either way, the General Store makes a fantastic sandwich, and I always wash it down with a Stewart's Cherries n' Cream soda. Pure perfection. I can't wait for my next mouth-watering, butcher-paper-wrapped slice of heaven called The Flagpole. -Sam G.

Last week for dinner I had stir-fry. When I make my stir-fry I make it with grilled chicken, vegetables and brown rice. To make stir-fry it is fairly simple. First you have to get a bowl like frying pan. In the pan you put in 2 garlic cloves diced and a teaspoon of olive oil. While that was heating up I went over to the chicken thighs and seasoned them with Mrs. Dash seasoning. Mrs. Dash seasoning has tons of ingredients that make the chicken taste really good and has a little kick of spice. Once I was done seasoning the chicken I went outside and put the chicken thighs on the grill and let them cook. I then went inside and threw broccoli, carrots and celery into the frying pot. While I was letting that cook I made the brown rice. To make the brown rice I put some water into a small pot and poured the brown rice in. In the big frying pot with all of the vegetables I cut up some onions and put those in while adding some soy sauce. Once the chicken was done I brought it inside and cut it up into bite sized pieces and put it in the pot. While I was stirring that I saw the rice had been finished. I drained out the rice and put the rice into the pot and stirred it around for a few minutes. Once I was done stirring the pot and everything seemed to be cooked to my liking I took it off and put it in a bowl and ate it. I like stir-fry because it is a great meal to cook up and it’s healthy. Also you can add any kind of vegetables that you want and you don’t have to make it with chicken. If you want you can make any type of meat and toss it in. Stir-fry is great because you can make anything you want, you can also substitute anything you want too. Nicholas Carozza

Cupcake war was interesting because I never tried to make cupcakes out of scratch but with the help of my group it worked out well. My group and I made three cupcakes, a pink lemonade, caramel with chocolate, and finally a carrot cake cupcake. Surprisingly, i was satisfied of what I ate that day they were so good! PINK LEMONADE This wasn't how it really look like the cupcake we made was a brighter pink, almost neon pink but they were so cute!But the best part about this cupcake was we didn't have pink lemonade juice so we added lemon margarita to it. It had this amazing kick to the frosting. But i have to say that pink lemonade cupcake had to be the best cupcake ever and the frosting of it gave it a nice tangy taste to it that made it even better. ~Mirna M

Now I know that I am supposed to be a good cook or to at least cook on my own occasionally, but I don't. I am very lazy and tend to let my mother do the cooking. But the other day I cooked on my own for the first time ever, and I didn't burn it. I cooked ravioli all by myself and it was fabulous. Wednesday I came home from school very hungry. So following my mothers instructions, and filled up a bowl of hot water, waited for it to boil, put in the raviolis and let em cook. Two minutes later, the pasta was rising to the top of the water and I knew they were done. After putting them into a bowl, I realized I probably needed to put some sauce on them. But I was feeling lazy and very hungry so I just sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top and ate it. I cooked pasta for the first time by myself. It was fabulous, although it probably could have been better with some actual sauce. -Meagan F

Why do we have breakfast foods? Why is it considered odd to have eggs, bacon and pancakes for dinner? Why do we deem some foods acceptable for consumption based on the time of day? This is an outdated concept to say the least. We used to lack proper refrigeration methods so people could not store eggs and milk for long period of time. Okay, I get that. Because of this, eggs are common breakfast foods. The chicken would lay them earlier in the morning and you would have to eat them before they went bad. So eggs were an easy option if you had chickens. Then you have toast. Maybe its stale left over bread that you toast to soften with a bit of fresh butter on top. Or perhaps you mixing a bit of oats and berries with fresh milk from the cow. Great. Now you are nourished enough to spin wool to make your own clothes. I highly doubt anyone today has eggs that need to be consumed or fresh milk or stale bread. Today when we eat food, we do not consider if it has a short shelf life. Well, we do to some extent. But, most modern day conveniences are created to extend the freshness of produce, meats and dairy products. Also the vast majority of our time isn't spent procuring food. Most people do not own chickens, cows or even a garden. Isn't it funny that even though our lives have totally changed we still eat what might be considered an outdated diet. Well, its not really our diet that is outdated. Its how we choose the foods we consume. Seriously, why is cereal a staple of morning foods? Its not like that is the only time at which it can be eaten. Why can't we eat pasta in the morning instead of pancakes? Why can't soup replace egg sandwiches? As it turns out our consumption is not based on the food that needs to be eaten but by the food's cooking time instead. In our modern day world, we can procure any food we wish to consume. We can buy cheese, celery, oatmeal, linguini and salami any day of the week and at any time. However the time we can dedicate to cooking and eating a meal is limited. For example, take a typical meal. Lets say someone eats an egg sandwich or maybe some cereal for breakfast. Few working people have leisurely long mornings. The early part of the day is the most hurried and hectic part of the day. While you'll need nourishment for the rest of the day, you need it to be quick. Sandwiches are the pinnacle of quickness; eggs, too. Just fry them up with a little cheese and a slice of sausage. You're good to go. Lunch is usually a similar matter because lunch breaks are typically very short; the sandwich strikes again! Dinner is the opposite matter. After a long day, you have time, something you have missed all day. You can finally take the time to prepare a good meal; the pasta can boil. The vegetables can steam. You can relax while the food cooks. Because it is the end of the day, we have more time; i.e. the food tends to be more meats and pastas with sides of vegetables. Even then, we strive to shorten the preparation time. The masses consume tons of premade food from restaurants and grocery stores. We no longer live in a world where we have to work to gather or make our food. We simply have to buy it. Nobody makes their own butter or cheese; we don't own gardens and we don't kill our own meat. This is why it is still important to appreciate food. We can't just label it as form of nourishment. Food is enjoyable. Food is an experience. Food is art. Gabriela P.

The other day when it was snowing out, I had asked my mom “what’s for dinner?” She told me that she didn’t have anything for tonight and that we were going to go out for dinner. My family didn’t know where to go for dinner so I said “let’s go to Burgerittoville.” My family was fine with that so we went. I then told my family that since it’s snowing out, were going to get free fries because whenever it’s snowing or raining out, they give out free fries. When we got there it was empty. I ordered the club chickeritto. It had chicken tenders, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and mayo. I then ordered 2 large fries to share with the family because I knew they were going to be free so why not order 2 large fries? When we got the food, I couldn’t wait to eat it. Every bite of it was so good and the chicken was so crispy which made it a lot better. The French fries were also very good. They had the perfect amount of salt on them and for me; I didn’t even need ketchup for them. Overall it was a great experience for me and you should try this restaurant if you haven’t already. Michael P.

Last Sunday was Saint Patrick’s Day, and so my family had an Irish-themed weekend. We had a party at our house on Saturday, and served Corned beef, boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, and a chocolate Guinness cake, which I helped make. The Corned beef and vegetables we cooked in a slow-cooker recipe by putting them in our crock-pot. First we made a nice glaze of apple juice, brown sugar and mustard. Once the sugar had dissolved we placed the corned beef in the pot, and then mixed in the red potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and some onion. We then let this cook for about nine hours and it was ready when our guests arrived. For the cake we first melted the butter with the beer, and then whisked in sugar and cocoa powder. Next we added two eggs, some sour cream, and vanilla. Finally we mixed in the flour and some baking powder. Then we put it in the oven for 45 minutes, and began the frosting. The frosting we made by mixing butter, powdered sugar, and a little baileys. Once it was nice and fluffy we spread it on the cake and we were done. Jack B

What I injoy in the spring/summer is Steak and baked potatos. I like steak because when I get home from work I injoy a hot meal. It makes me feel like I earned a nice dinner. When my family makes it the steak and the potatos go on the grill. When I eat the steak I put A1 steak sauce on it  cheese sour cream amd bacon on my potato and A1 sauce on my steak.   
by Andy DeWolfe

This past weekend I was making a cake with my friend for another friend's birthday, and everything was going well until it came to making the frosting. At my house we never buy canned frosting from the store but instead make our own. As we were gathering the butter and milk for the frosting, I went to get the powdered sugar and found that there wasn't any in the container...it was empty. At first we panicked and didn't know what to do because I have never made frosting without powdered sugar. That is when we decided to search the internet for frosting recipes without powdered sugar. We found a recipe on the website called Tasty Kitchen. It called for flour, milk, vanilla, granulated sugar, and butter. The first step was to combine the cup of milk and 5 tablespoons of flour in a saucepan, stirring it constantly until it became a thick mixture. Then we cooled it until it became room temperature. Once it was cooled, we added one teaspoon of vanilla to the mixture. The next step we did was creamed the butter and sugar in an electric mixer. We had to keep mixing it until it wasn't grainy. Then we added the flour, milk, and vanilla mixture. We beat it on high speed for a very, very long time. It became very light, and almost looked like whipped cream. My friend tasted it and said it was amazing! We frosted the cake with white, but we made some of it green to use for piping. When we gave the cake to my other friend, she liked the frosting as well! When I first realized I didn't have any powdered sugar in the house, my initial reaction was panic, because I couldn't go out and buy any. However, when we went online and found this recipe I realized that it really isn't necessary for a great frosting!
 -Lindsay B.

A bit of a runaway...

Cupcake War No. 1
Presentation: A tie for first place, with 13 points each, Tables 12 and 32!
Taste: With 13 points, Table 32

Cupcake War No. 2
Presentation: With a  whopping 19 points, Table 32, with Table 11 a close second with 18 points.
Taste: With 10 points, a sleeper, Table 31.

Cupcake War No. 3
Presentation: Oy vey...With 15 points, Table 32.
Taste: Alright, who's palm did they grease? With 10 points, Table 32.


I will post photos when I figure out how to get retrieve them from my iphone. Until then, feel free to add your photos to the post entitled CUPCAKE WAR PHOTOS!!!

When I made the papusas I enjoyed them very much. When I got home I made them for a side at dinner. This time though they were very starchy and very thick. They were much better in class when we made them. My brother didn’t like them to much when I made them at home. That reminds me of the first time he tried lobster for the first time. He like it at first, then all of a sudden juice squirted out of the lobster and he was very grossed out, it was very funny to see. I personally like trying new food because I am usually grossed out easy when I see the food. I guess I just stick to my roots and eat what I do all the time. But the food I hate the most is fish. It is so gross to look at and it smells bad. I once was eating fish and I ran into a bone and I was never to eat fish again!
Trevor L