Monthly Archives: March 2015

Free Cone Day at Dairy Queen

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ice cream cone with a unique curl

Vanilla Ice Cream Cone At DQ with the Signature Curl (Image by: The Huffington Post)

 

You scream. We scream. We all scream for ice cream! Even though it is still wintery, it is only four days till spring begins. Today is a day of celebration for Dairy Queen as it commemorates its 75th anniversary of being open for business serving customers the “fan food not fast food.” Coincidentally, on the 75th calendar day of the year, this March 16th, participating Dairy Queen locations are offering a free vanilla small cone with the signature curl on the top to every customer which is limited to a single cone. Dairy Queen representatives have already stated that the company will be offering many food and treat innovations during the year to show their appreciation to their dedicated fans while celebrating being opened for 75 years, Dairy Queen even kicked off their celebration at the start of the year by featuring a birthday cake Oreo blizzard. On the behalf of Dairy Queen’s generosity, in turn, they are hoping that guests donate to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals which the company has sponsored for the past thirty years, in order to raise funds for children’s hospitals, medical research, and awareness of children’s health issues.  These donations will help save and improve the lives of children that are currently being treated at the 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada.  Ice cream always taste good during any season at any time despite the flavor but it will taste even better knowing that you could be helping children all around America. And if you happen to be a fan of Dairy Queen, stay informed for all their special events either with their website or for a particular location with Facebook.

 

New York Dairy Queen locations participating in Free Cone Day:

5366 Sunrise Highway, Massapequa, NY

3095 Hempstead Tpk., Levittown, NY

54 W 14th St. New York, NY

Staten Island Ferry St. George Terminal Staten Island, NY

Bay Plaza Mall Bronx, NY

37-39 Junction Blvd. Corona, NY

 

If you can’t make it to any of the Dairy Queen locations but still want some fresh ice cream to eat. Here is one of the simplest vanilla ice cream recipes.

churning ice cream

Image by: Bordecia34

 

Vanilla Bean Gelato
Serves: approximately 1 quart
Ingredients
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ¾ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
  1. Place the milk, vanilla bean and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until almost boiling. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar. Remove the milk from the heat and whisk slowly into the egg mixture. Return the pot to the heat and stir until the mixture thickens slightly, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean. Allow to cool (preferably overnight).
  2. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions until the gelato is frozen and scoopable. Alternatively, place the mixture in a metal container and freeze, beating at 1-hour intervals, until the gelato is scoopable.

Recipe mostly adapted from: Savory Simple

Lets All Create Our Own ‘Pot’ of Gold

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Growing up, I’ve met numerous people whom are such great artist. Whether it’s drawing, painting or even sculpting. As a kid, I always wished I had that talent, to be able to pick up a pencil and just create a picture with so much detail, but always ended up with stick figures. Now, as an adult, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not talented in that specific subject and by accepting this, I’ve grown to love other people’s artwork even more.

As any human being, although I accepted the fact that I’m not artistic I still try here and there. Last Tuesday, I took part in a pottery class down in the Manhattan Youth Center in Downtown Manhattan. It was a two hour and thirty minute session and there I learned how to form clay objects such as bowls, plates etc. I even had the opportunity to create a vase on the pottery wheel!

a pair of hands throwing a clay pot                                a finished piece of pottery

Image by: Eileen Conner                                             Image by: Lisa Hudson

This was such a great experience for me because I got to learn a lot about how to form the clay into different objects and I also learned about perfection. I say perfection because if there is a dent in the clay, once you’re finished forming your object and it is glazed, your object will permanently have that dent. Below is a picture of the bowl I created with the clay. In about two-three weeks it will be glazed and I will be able to share with you guys the results of it. I can’t wait!

                                a finished piece of pottery

But as always, I recommend all of you to go, especially those who aren’t artist. The instructor is very patient with you and is willing to help every step of the way which is always great! It is a fun activity that you don’t have to do much thinking and in the end, could also be a stress reliever for many of you. So what are you waiting for? Let’s all go show off our ‘artistic’ side.

 

Snow Days In NYC Parks

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New York City is bombarded with public parks in all of it’s corners, they are the place where New Yorkers come to relax and refresh their souls. Arguably, one of the best moments to go a park is during a snow day or after snowfall. It is truly a wondrous experience that will brighten your day. The vast white blanket that covers the parks gives it a much more glamorous look. Everyone is encouraged to go to NYC parks during and after snowfall, you will find the experience exhilarating.

 

It is only those who seeks for the positives in life, will know where and how to find necessary elements to refresh their souls.

Snowy ShadowsPhoto taken at Gantry Park Plaza

 

It is only after the snow storm places that considered to look average, becomes one of the most splendid wonders of winter.

snowy benchesPhoto taken at Lawrence Street

 

It’s a privilege to take cover under the white blanket; wherever snow takes over, it makes it much more fantastic than the way it was before.

a Snowy ParkPhoto taken at Whitman Park

 

Beautiful isn’t it? One could only witnessed this magical and unique moment, only when the snow and light decides to combine to form a bewitching reflection.

Pink SnowPhoto taken at Gantry Park Plaza

 

 

 

 

 

March 11th is Eat Your Noodles Day

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Today is Eat Your Noodles Day and what your about to read and see will make you hungry and possibly salivate for noodles.

Growing up in a Chinese family and being exposed to predominantly Asian and Italian cuisine in my neighborhood, you can bet that I love noodles and eat it quite often. Since today is Eat Your Noodles Day, I would like to share with you a few of my favorite noodle dishes.

a dish of noodles

 

One cuisine I love the most is Thai and the most popular and recognized dish of all is Pad Thai. I absolutely love Pad Thai and the best one I’ve had so far was from BKNY Thai. I ordered Chicken Pad Thai during my first time at BKNY Thai. The Pad Thai was on par and had just the right amount of sweet and tanginess to it.

If your not familiar with Pad Thai, it’s a stir-fried rice noodle with eggs, chopped firm tofu, and flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, garlic or shallots, palm sugar and often served with lime or lemon and crushed roast peanuts. It also contains bean sprouts, garlic chives, fresh shrimp, crab or chicken or any other protein.

soupI think it’s pretty apparent to you that I love ramen. One of the best ramen I’ve had so far is the Syo-Yu Ramen from Ramen Takumi. It is a soy sauce flavored broth with two slices of pork, bamboo shoots, soy sauce flavored egg, seaweed, scallions, and onions. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? I fell in love the first time I had this because it was so hearty, warm, and just amazing!

food dishes

 

I don’t eat mac n’ cheese very much, but there is one mac n’ cheese that I have had and really enjoyed and that’s the Short Rib Mac n’ Cheese from Fatty Cue at the Barclays Center. This was possibly the best mac n’ cheese I’ve ever, ever had! It contained boneless short rib, shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped tomatoes, and scallions. It was like absolute heaven!

a food dishAnother noodle dish I really enjoy is this Baked Minced Beef with Spaghetti from Hong Kong Tea & Sushi. I never thought spaghetti can taste so good with this Asian twist. This dish is spaghetti topped with corn, peas, carrots, minced beef and light tomato sauce and cheese! Doesn’t that sound yum? I like that this dish is very filling, but also filled with vibrant colors and it’s mouth-watering delicious!

a food dishFinally, I’d like to share with you another noodle I like to have every time I am craving for Korean food and it’s Japchae. Japchae is a Korean dish made from sweet potato noodles, stir fried in sesame oil with vegetables and sometimes served with beef and flavored with soy sauce and sweetened with sugar. It is usually garnished with sesame seeds. It can be served hot or cold.

I like the sesame taste in the Japchae because it makes the noodles taste a lot richer. I’ve had it hot and cold before and I think I prefer to have it cold. It just tastes a lot more refreshing and pleasant that way.

Now that I’ve named some of my favorite noodle dishes, maybe you will be inspired to give one of my favorites a shot.

Do you eat noodles often? What are you favorite noodle dishes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Forgotten

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A rush of excitement flows through, every time I visit these lonesome alien world call abandoned places. As you explore, you tend to ask yourself the question. Who lived here? Where did they go? Left untouched for so many years. Peeling walls, molds and dark corners creates beautiful scenes to capture.

It’s truly amazing that, there are so many abandon places, like hospitals, schools, train stations and many others here in New York that you can easily explore. I often ask myself why have the owners abandoned this place? Why didn’t they demolish it? Or maybe they left it untouched and so people like myself and other photographers and urban explorers can explore and capture whatever memories that was left behind.

 

graffiti

“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be to ready to abandon our views about them.” -Thick Nhat Hanh. Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY 4:51pm

 

graffiti

“Life is like a camera, just focus on what’s important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things don’t work out, just take another shot.” -Unknown. New York City Farm Colony. Staten Island, NY 3:57pm

 

graffiti

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” -William Feather.  Hudson River State Hospital Poughkeepsie, NY 4:49pm

 

the interior of an abandoned building

“Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?” -Ghandi.  New York City Farm Colony. Staten Island, NY 3:50pm

The Hot Wings of Willoughby

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The Most-Made-Dish-for-Events award goes to….. HOT WINGS

     ♫ [Wings] [wings], their good for the heart…The more you eat, the more…  ♪ 

… If not, at least, they will make you happy.

I eat hot wings at least once a week, regardless of the after affects. : ) Besides home cooking, I’ve tried the spicy poultry meat from various restaurants, groceries stores, and pop-up-shops. However, today we will analyze the different hot wing dishes that can be found in a small sector, Downtown Brooklyn on Willoughby Street and Jay Street, right down the block from our home at City Tech. (Disclaimer: I am not advertising for any one, just giving you my thoughts and a simple DIY recipe. I have also took all images featured in the post)

the outside of a wings restaurant

Buffalo Boss Organic Wings & Things usually has long lines of people waiting for their orders. This is its second location Downtown Brooklyn, originally it sat on Fulton Street and Flatbush Ext.  I tried it a few weeks ago for the first time at this new location on Willoughby and Jay St. The service wasn’t the best. They are known for their wings and they have a lot of sides, including sweat potato fries. I was allowed to choose from variety of sauce types. When I was also told I had to pay for dipping sauce, I was turned off and I didn’t buy the ranch. I decided to get rice, hot wings, and a drink, which totaled about $7.  The 5 spicy wings, served in a small black styrofoam, tasted okay. They were fried hard and dipped in hot sauce. I remembered a better tasting experience before.

the outside of a restaurant

Yummy Taco always come through with my craving for asian-mexican-american dishes. (laugh) They, also, usually have long lines and hit-or-miss service during lunch time. Thankfully I got there early. Their $6 wings (8) and fries really filled me. The wings were fried slightly hard with a hint of spice. wings with French friesIt may have been more then a hint, considering the nose drool.

the outside of a restaurant

Super Taco is another great asian-mexican-american spot. I frequent there as well when Yummy Taco lines are long. The wings there were about $6 and came with celery. The taste seemed strikingly familiar, it seemed they have shared the recipe with Yummy Taco. 😉

the outside of a restaurant

The Dining Room seemed to be a whole in the wall. I must have passed it several times before realizing it was there. It is a restaurant/bar. Inside is usually quite unless there is a group of friends that comes on their lunch break. You can sit at the bar or tables. I sat at the bar. I order wings, water, and fries, which totaled 9.80. The 8 wings was boiled, fried lightly and soaked in mild hot wing sauce, my choice of sauce type. It came with vegetables as well. The wings had so much meat on it and more juicy compared to the other places. wings and friesa cooked chicken wingMaybe thats the reason it costs more. It was like no experience I have ever had, I revisited two more times.

the outside of a restaurant

The 99¢ Fresh Hot Pizza’s hot wings is currently a mystery to me. But I thought I’d add them in since they, too, rests on Willoughby Street. If you know how the hot wings taste please share. After my Dining Room experience I was addicted. Don’t Judge me.   

TRY YOUR OWN:

Hosting and need a delicious homemade meal? Try making your own Hot wings.

Ingredients / Precursors:

  • Separated precooked chicken wings (can be boiled or fried)
  • D.I.Y Your OWN Sauce (optional ingredients you can use: dry pepper, hot sauce, honey, bbq sauce, ketchup)
  • Metal pan (aluminum) big enough to lay each flat while baking
  • Bowl for sauce
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  2. Place your pre-cooked wings in your metal pan
  3. Coat the sauce throughout the wings
  4. Bake for 10 minutes
  5. Flip the wings, coat the chicken and bake for another 10 minutes.
  6. Continue to flip and bake until the chicken reaches creates your desired crisp.
  7. Serve while hot with a side of ranch dressing. (…Or blue cheese I guess, I am being bias.)

NOTE: It’ll taste so good, you can serve them cold.

 

 

Other Side of The East River

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Manhattan is bounded to the east by the East River, this natural border stretches  a long distance to isolate Manhattan from the other boroughs of New York City. Along is path lies many of the iconic places of New York City. Among them, The Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Roosevelt Island and much more. Looking at the East River  shore from the opposite side of Manhattan, the view is breathtaking. It’s a place of wonders and peace that one can admire indefinitely.

 

“Breathtaking, splendid, wondrous, sublime, all those words describe you, exactly as you are. You are a work of art! Enjoy your beauty!” – Amy Leigh Mercree

pier supporters in the waterEast River Skyline

 

“Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vas sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with power of wisdom and enlightenment.” – Morihei Ueshiba

a city skylineEast River Skyline

 

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” – Eleonora Duse

a city skyline with a bridgeEast River Skyline

 

“Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been.” – Alan Alda

pigeons on a park by the waterEast River Skyline

Destined for Greatness

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a card that says "We are all destined for greatness"

“The people we meet, decisions we make, and events in our life are not random occurrences. It is the hand of destiny guiding our faith. I don’t want to become a doctor to simply “help people”. I want to be a doctor for the poor and disenfranchised because my destiny is somehow intertwined with theirs. I don’t fully know how yet but, everyday I am guided closer to understanding and continue to work hard because I can’t sit idly by while my dreams and aspirations are in the balance. More importantly we all have a role to play in the game of life and if our faith are dependent on each other then I refuse to be the reason we don’t succeed in what ever endeavors lie ahead of us.”

Name: A. W.
Age: 22
Major: Applied Mathematics

Long Exposure

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Happy Tuesday guys!! I have one question for you. Has anyone heard of the term “Long Exposure?” For those who are not sure, I will give you a quick description. I promise not to bore you. Long exposure occurs when the shutter stays open for a certain amount of time. It freezes moments in an image. If there’s a person in the image, they can appear transparent or blurry. However this must be done using a tripod.

Below my pictures will reflect just that. Feel free to ask any questions.

exploding lights

Life has many outcomes. But it first starts at the center of our hearts. The outcome varies per person. But the end result is a lesson.- Kwillie.  Freedom Tunnel Manhattan, NY 7:09pm.

 

a city skyline reflected on the water

“Risky takers stay close to the edge. But guess what?! They are the ones that succeed. Their journey never ends.” -Kwillie.  Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn, NY 6:17pm.

 

 

a person standing in front of graffiti

Transparency is removing the mask and revealing who you really are; it is getting beyond the surfave to what isreally going on in your heart.- Kevin Martineau.  Freedom Tunnel Manhattan, NY 7:15pm.

 

 

a colorful sunset on the water, by a city skyline

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”- Unknown.  Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn, NY 5:52pm.

 

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

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Girl Ice CreamCrazy Ice CreamBiden Ice Cream

(From Left to Right)

Image by Daniel Rothamel via Flickr

Image by Don Ryan via ABC News Go

Image by Unknown via PixShark.com

 

As young children, we fantasized about the days when we could eat candy and all other kinds of sweets for breakfast. Instead of eating healthy food for the most important meal of the day, we wanted feast on cakes, cookies, or ice cream. It seemed like was an amazing dream come true despite our parents’ opinions. In the 1960’s, Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast day was founded by Florence Rappaport of Rochester, New York, most likely, from an enormous blizzard that hit hard in their area that year. In order to avoid her six children from becoming restless due to school closures, she allowed them to spontaneously eat ice cream for breakfast. Her children enjoyed the occasion so much that the following year they asked their mother if they could celebrate her made-up holiday again and it continued to be a family tradition every year and was passed on to others who interacted with the Rappaport family. Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast day is currently observed on the first Saturday of every February. Now, this food inspired holiday is widely celebrated on February 18th in order to bring awareness to childhood cancer in the world. In 2010, nine year old Malia Grace succumbed to her long battle with cancer. To honor her beautiful yet short life, in 2013 Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast day became viral on social media to honor many children suffering from this aggressive disease by doing one of Malia’s favorite traditions that she did on her birthday every year.

Coffee and Donuts

Image by Gnokii via OpenClipart

 

Below is a recipe for an interesting flavor of ice cream that is perfect for breakfast and a rather fun approach to celebrate Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast day next year or you can simply purchase a pint of Häagen-Dazs instead.

 

Coffee and Doughnuts Ice Cream

 Yield: 1 quart

Prep time: 8 hours

Total time: 12 hours

Ingredients:

1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups whole coffee beans
3 glazed doughnuts, chopped, divided
Pinch of salt
1½ cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Warm the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, 2 doughnuts, salt, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Once the mixture is warm, cover, remove from the heat. And let steep at room temperature for one hour.

2. Rewarm the coffee-infused milk mixture. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (and registers 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Press on the coffee beans and doughnuts in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible, then discard the beans and doughnut remnants. Mix in the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath.

4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the remaining chopped doughnut during the last few minutes of churning.

Coffee and Doughnut ice cream recipe via Brown Eyed Baker