My Top 5 Favorite Food Blogs

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Jessica

Stephen King once said, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

I must admit I am not the most eloquent writer/blogger when it comes to grammar and punctuation, but that’s why I do read a lot or try to make time to read different publications, but most of all food blogs especially my favorite ones. I learn a lot from reading them as well as how other food bloggers write and about their own personal experiences with food.

Today, I’d like to share with you my top five favorite food blogs that I admire greatly and love to read:

I Just Want to Eat is a food blog written by Jean-Philippe and his food blog is all about food, information about places he’s eaten in New York, New Jersey, or anywhere he’s traveled and a various information related to food. I like this food blog because not only is it well-written, but I Just Want to Eat is just everywhere on social media. Most food blogs I read are written by females, but it’s nice to read a food blog from a male’s perspective.

I started reading Let’s Nom Nom earlier this year and I really enjoy this blog because the blog is a vegetarian focused food blog and even though I am not a vegetarian, I do find the vegetarian foods mentioned on this blog are quite tempting and may be worth trying. I also like the simplicity of this blog between colors, layout, and pictures are so clear!

A dear friend of mine has a sister that is owner/food blogger of Feisty Foodie. I absolutely love her blog because there’s just a lot of content to read and this blog has been around for almost ten years – that’s a lot of content! Her food photos are on point, clear, and just makes you salivate. I also love how highly organized Feisty Foodie’s posts are and categorized in different topics.

Another food blog I truly admire and enjoy reading is Chubby Chinese Girl because her blog is filled with lots of content too, just like Feisty Foodie and her food photos just scream deliciousness. She is also highly involved in social media and always posts up lots of delicious foods. Coincidentally, I am connected to her on LinkedIn and found out who is behind this awesome food blog.

Finally, I’ve been following and reading Food Intended for a few months now and man the food featured on this blog is phenomenal! The blog is broken down in different sections like – Hidden Gems, F Train Bites, Food For Thought, Pinky Up and a lot more. I recently got friend requested by one of the co-owners of the blog and that’s very exciting and pleasant at the same time. What I really and truly enjoy about this particular food blog is that in each review that’s done, the owners/bloggers leave little tips for their reader, fun facts and also include a map of where the food establishment is. This is neat!

These are currently my top five favorite food blogs, but I do read a lot more food blogs than this. I also admire the fact that these five blogs are highly active on social media which is always inspiring because I am a social media guru as well. Sometimes these food blogs do make me salivate, they do inspire me, they teach me, and they motivate me to not only become adventurous in trying new foods, but also motivate me in becoming a better blogger and writer.

Do you have any blogs that you like to read? If so, why do you like them?

National Coffee Day is Tomorrow

Posted on September 28, 2015 by briannavasquez

a drawing of a cup of coffee, and the words "National Coffee Day September 29"

Image by: HD Pics

Tomorrow marks the official day dedicated to America’s favorite beverage, coffee. September 29^th is National Coffee Day. Light roast, medium roast, dark roast, blond roast whether robust or light-bodied; all are being celebrated on this day. Coffee is such a patriarch of our daily routine that it deserves to be celebrated especially if it will lower the costs of our daily cup of joe.

Coffee has made such great strides in the past decade by being used in many new innovations. Coffee flour is a great new ingredient that is yet to go mainstream in the culinary world; it is a sustainable way of using the entire coffee berry. When coffee is made only the bean is used and the outer berry is usually discarded but with the coffee flour, the rest of the berry is used. As I aspire to be a pastry chef, it is amazing to see the progress that coffee has made as it impacts the culinary world, which cannot only be used for professional chefs but for home bakers as well who can benefit from using this innovative ingredient in their baked goods.

I remember the first time I drank coffee, it was in the middle of winter so it gave me this sense of warmth and it tasted amazing, the slight taste of bitterness with a natural sweet flavor. It was incredibly rich, I was never the huge coffee drinker that needed a cup of coffee everyday nor did I rely on its caffeine to get me through the day. But I will say that coffee is unlike any other beverage I ever had, I was never allowed to drink coffee until my mid-teenage years as my mother did not allow the consumption of caffeine in any sort especially coffee.

This day allows for many freebies and discounts from many iconic coffee-selling shops located in New York. So do not hesitate to take advantage of these one day only opportunities to get your coffee fix on national coffee day. Below are just a few of the offers:

Image by: 5minutesformom

Seattle’s Best Coffee is offering a two dollars off coupon for any of their smooth coffee varieties at participating locations after you like them on Facebook then you can click the coupon tab to download.

Image by: Ermelo Villareal Jr.

Krispy Kreme is celebrating by giving customers a free small coffee and glazed donut as well as selling 12 oz. mocha, latte or iced coffee — including a Pumpkin Spice Latte — all for $1 at participating locations.

Image by: Eric Bonkhz

Every Dunkin’ Donuts location across the country is offering a free medium hot or iced Dark Roast coffee to each of their guests, with a limit of one free coffee per customer all day long even their new pumpkin macchiatos, which were released on September 28^th. Guests will also be able to get discounted coffee products both online and in stores Dunkin’ Donuts’ 16-ounce packaged coffees which are only selling for $5.99 (limit of two per guest). In stores, guests can purchase the Dunkin’ Donuts K-Cup packs for an especially low price of $7.99 for a 14-count box (limit of two per guest).

Keep the conversation going, comment below, where do you like to buy your coffee? What is the best coffee you ever had and why? What is your usual coffee order? (Be sure to include brand, roast, etc., if you like). Or simply share your first experience of drinking coffee.

When It Gets Dark In NYC

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Jean-Luc

New York City sky may not get illuminated by stars during night time but the city is still astonishing when it gets dark.

When the the sun is no longer the brightest light in the city, NYC’s skyline takes over and creates this dazzling display of light.The light from the city’s skyline is always a breathtaking sight that never cease to amaze New Yorkers. People from all over the world come specifically to New York Cit to witness this magical moment. There is no New York without it’s wonderful skyline that brighten the city with beautiful colors and that gives its unique identity.

East River – Brooklyn

Gantry Park Plaza – Queens

Jay Street – Brooklyn

Summer Throwback

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Jean-Luc

Welcome back to all the OpenLab community. It has been my pleasure to blog and share my photographs on The Buzz last semester and I’m excited and eager to share more with all of you this semester.

This summer was pretty exciting, I went to many places and did many things within city limits and beyond. Various times, I took on adventurous journeys in New York City to discover, explore and photograph many of its beautiful sights . Furthermore beyond New York City, I engaged in adventurous journeys to see the breathtaking sights of other places in the world. Thus the Caribbean Islands of Haiti was the ideal location for me to see splendid turquoise blue clear water beaches and beautiful landscape. Overall it was great summer and here I have gathered photographs of some of my best journeys.

Queensboro Bridge – Queens

Brooklyn Bridge – Brooklyn

Port-au-Prince – Haiti

Dame Marie – Haiti

One Platform, Multiple Background. Diversion

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Konyca

Over the weekend my passion was combust by one of the biggest instameets; instagramers meet up, get creative and take pictures #WWIM “Worldwide Instameet.”

I’m always extremely overwhelmed by these meets. The diversity of people you meet sharing the same passion as you do is incredible. Though from many backgrounds, bonds are formed and you learn a lot from others.

In the same way the CUNY community brings together students with multiple background and experience. Diversity.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” -Unknown. Manhattan Bridge, Manhattan, New York. 5:15pm

“Life is truly a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see and be.” -Trudy Vesotsky. Manhattan, New York. 5:30pm

“Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.” -Napoleon Bonaparte. Roosevelt Island Bridge, New York. 8:39am

“Creatively is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.” -William Plomer. Fulton St, New York, New York. 7:53pm

The Best Cold Weather Foods

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Jessica

It’s no surprise that this month has been nothing, but an icebox outside. However, this icebox-like weather shouldn’t put a crimp in your food plans. If anything, this freezing month and weather means it’s the perfect time to embrace and enjoy hot, hearty, and comforting foods.

I’ve compiled a list of warm, mouth-watering deliciousness you can bask in during these subzero temperatures at least until spring is finally in the air. All of these foods make for a great idea on any cold day or night.

Chicken pot pie is a true, classical, and harmonious comfort food. This is the chicken pot pie I made in my Culinary 2 class last semester. It’s a completely different version of the chicken pot pie you may be used to seeing. I really enjoyed this version of the chicken pot pie because it was based from my own creativity, but also because it’s a feel-good dish!

Hot Pot is definitely one of my favorite style of cooking and eating. If you don’t know what hot pot is, it’s really simple because all it is really is a simmering metal pot of stock and ingredients are placed into the pot and cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meats, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, dumplings, seafood, and much more. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. Hot pot is commonly eaten in the winter during dinner time.

I love hot pot because it’s considered to be healthier, it’s a feel-good dish and style of cooking, and versatile. Hot pot is especially more fun when your doing it with family or friends.

Pho is a classical Vietnamese noodle soup and specialty of a number of restaurants. It consists of an amazing broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. It’s primarily served with either beef or chicken. It can be garnished with lime, bean sprouts, cilantro, and cinnamon basil. The broth is heaven! It’s full of beef and herb-like aromas and absolutely Vietnamese comfort food.

Every once in a while, I crave for Cuban cuisine and I usually would order a hearty beef stew with rice and beans. I love it when the beef stew are big and juicy and the sauce is drenched over the rice and beans which makes it more exciting and enjoyable! There’s nothing like staying warm with a warm and tasty dish!

If you haven’t noticed by now the popularity of ramen is booming! The truth is ramen has always been around, but after it’s booming that’s when I really developed a love and excitement for ramen. It’s become a comfort food and a food that many have learned to appreciate and admire because not only is it delicious and savory, but ramen is a process and layers of different flavors and textures.

Another food that is perfect for a chilly winter day is a bowl of creamy, velvety grits. I’ve had grits 2-3 times in the past two or three years and not only will it fill you up, but it’s real a pleasure to eat. There’s no real taste to grits like oatmeal unless you add in your own flavoring, foods, and garnishments. Wouldn’t you want to have a hot bowl of creamy goodness in front of your face right now?

These are soup dumplings also known as xiao long bao. They are traditionally filled with pork and a solid meat aspic. When you take your first few bites into the xiao long bao, a savory pork soup will explode in your mouth. Xiao long bao is best consumed when hot.

I hope you’ve found this list of foods to be helpful especially with the days we have left of this frigid weather. If you haven’t tried any of these yet, I think you should at least it give a shot at least once and see if you may enjoy it.

What kinds of foods do you enjoy in the cold weather?

Hill Country Barbeque Market

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Kokyuubi

Earlier this week I gave in to temptation and made a lunchtime pit stop to the recently opened Hill County Barbeque Market. Having already eaten at their sister store (Hill County Chicken), I expected to leave the establishment with two things, a lighter wallet and delicious albeit small food portions. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong about both.

Upon walking into the restaurant your senses are assaulted with the smell of various slow roasted meats a gorgeous wood décor, and (in my highly biased opinion), tolerable country music.

Out of all the places I’ve been, Hill County has one of the most interesting take-out ordering systems I’ve seen.

Starting at the ‘Barbecue & Sausage’ area, customers are given a meal ticket before they place their orders for meat (ranging anywhere from a cup of chopped brisket to whole pig). Then they move down the length of the counter buffet style, picking their sides, desserts and drinks as they go.

On a side note, I was very impressed with their sides section. Their collard greens are good (the chopped bacon is an added plus), and their corn pudding was great, but their potato salad was phenomenal. You have the option of adding salad toppings to your sides – the staff is very accommodating to unusual tastes.

Patrons will however benefit more from heading to this hotspot at night than they will for lunch. Hill County has a fully stocked (if expensive) bar and offers live music entertainment on a near nightly basis.

Hill County Barbeque Market is far from the cheapest place to eat in the area however, in my opinion, the atmosphere and the quality of the food served there more than makes up for it. This is a great addition to the variety of food available in the area and I look forward to eating here in the future.

Image Credits:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/downtownbrooklyn/locations/images/000/001/421/large/Hill-Country-BBQ—cropped.jpg?1389641907

http://www.hillcountryny.com/i/logo_hcbbq.png

Sources:

http://www.hillcountrybk.com/

Avoiding Burnout in the Job Hunt: Stop, Drop, and Roll

Posted on November 7, 2013 by ruchoma

So you’re finally up to graduation! You’re so excited. Finally you can enter the work force as a proud, educated, eligible employee. You’re on top of the world, no one can ruin your joy. Until you remember, wait, now you need to find that job…

Reality starts to set in. The job market is not that great right now. Maybe you need another certification, maybe even a more advanced degree. You start to search the job boards. Everyone wants experienced employees. Your internship site has a hiring freeze with an indefinite end-date. Maybe this is the wrong field for you. Maybe this was all a waste.

STOP!

Remember, your a highly qualified applicant. That job that you didn’t get, it wasn’t meant to be. A place that doesn’t want to hire a new graduate probably isn’t where you want to work. There are so many potential employers, and it’s possible that your “ideal” is not actually that.

DROP!

Forget the ego. You might need to take a less coveted job to work up to the level of your dream. Drop the frown. It’s time to remember why you wanted to do this career. Remember how idealistic you were when you started college, when you took the first class in your major? Get that dream back. Think about the positive side. Once you have a job, you’ll need to work everyday, all day. Take advantage of your time off to develop some hobbies, take a class, and become a super networker.

ROLL!

Sometimes the job offers come when you least expect them. Roll with the punches. If you get a temporary position, take it. It may lead to a permanent job, looks great for experience, and fills up your resume so that you don’t have too many gaps to explain. Remember that even a day at the movies can turn into an amazing networking experience. Talk to people about their lives, it looks good, and you can find job hunting ideas along the way.

If a job opportunity comes up that is indirectly related to your field, look in to it. You may find a new dream job!

Good luck on your next step!

Lose the Weight

Posted on October 22, 2013 by ruchoma

I know what you think. Even though many of us students have gained weight over the past few semesters, I won’t be preaching about the importance of losing that extra bulge I have enough that I need to lose myself. (Also, in most cases those who need to lose weight wouldn’t realize that I was talking to them, and those girls whose BMIs are close to a scary 15 will think that I am telling them to lose even more.) I’m talking about the weight outside yourbody that you carry with you all the time. And while many don’t know this, that heavy load in your back is apt to hurt you just as much, although in different ways, as the extra layer of blubber that you carry around your waist.

My first semester of college, I bought myself a nice suede bag. I felt that since I am an adult I shouldn’t be using a backpack. Of course, I made sure that the bag was roomy enough for at least two textbooks, a laptop, a looseleaf, notebooks, my planner, lunch. Basically it was a suitcase that I could carry on my one shoulder. However this is even worse because at the rate of what I was putting in to it, I would probably have to pay an overweight fee. I’m sure that at least the ladies reading this know that there is a law regarding handbags. The size of the handbag you carry, is always directly proportional to the things that you will NEED to carry.

By the end of that semester, I realized that something had to be done. The first thing that I did was purchase a more reasonably sized bag. However, there were still some things that I had to bring. I’m one of those students who comes to class prepared. I cannot quite understand those students who show up to class with one piece of paper and not even a pen. How do they plan on writing on that paper? However, by the end of that semester, I also realized that most classes won’t use the textbooks in class. I finally got packing my bag down pat.

The next semester I was thrown a wrench. Not only did my professor want us to bring our books, it was the heaviest book of the program that she wanted us to bring. All of the sudden, I started seeing the tablets, Nooks, Kindles, iPads… in class. Right away that jumped to the top of my school supplies “wishlist”.

I just got a Nook after all this time. It is a miracle. Finally I don’t feel like I’m falling over from the weight. I can actually exercise on my way to school.

If you’d like your schoolbag to join mine on its diet, let me know. I’m sure my bag would love to give your’s some support!

Using General Education Requirements to Further Your Career

Posted on October 3, 2013 by ruchoma

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/correlation.png This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/correlation.png
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. As many of my readers know, I am graduating from my nursing program this semester. Of course, like all of the other majors in the school, in addition to Nursing and health related classes, I am required to take co-requisites. Some of them, like Anatomy and Physiology, biology, Microbiology, Psychology, and even English, are easily correlated to my career goals. The information covered in these classes are obviously required for successful integration into this field. But what about some of the other classes? When am I ever going to need to understand theories in Sociology, issues in history or economics, or even figure out a trigonometric equation?

Some of these, I honestly can’t tell you, except that one day I may have a patient who is a mathematician, and I may need to understand some basic equations to get something across to him. But, since they are required, and I will be sitting through those classes anyway, doesn’t it make sense for me to derive some benefit from these classes?

I recently discovered that most subjects can be correlated to any curriculum. For example, I took Effective Speaking last semester. Each speech that I gave was somehow connected to the material I was covering anyway. In this way, the hours spent studying, researching, and writing will hopefully be put to good use in my career.

I’d love to hear about your ways of connecting seemingly unconnected topics to benefit your total education.

The Buzz Archive

writing City Tech, one blog at a time

Category Archives: Uncategorized