The universe’s magic

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Mandy Mei

“Initially when I first read the alchemist I was head over heels in love with this man whom I felt the universe kept putting in my life for as many times as he wasn’t seemingly supposed to be (even up to this very day and it’s been 15 years). Now that I’ve matured, this quote has come to reflect my determination for when I want something. I generally stop at nothing and because of it, the universe bends and twists to make it happen for me. I truly believe that the universe conspires and whispers behind your back even for things you’re not sure you want just yet. Lol.”

Name: L. Garcia
Age: N/A
Major: Communication Design

National Cookie Day

Posted on December 7, 2015 by briannavasquez

Photo by Brianna Vasquez

This past Friday marked National Cookie Day, some places had a few sales but many did not. The day almost went by completely unnoticed as some still shared their favorite cookie recipes.

Over the weekend, I made a bunch of cookies to celebrate the special day. I made a variety of cookies. While I made some of the classics like chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and white chocolate chip chocolate cookies, it allowed me to have time to try out some new ones. But I tried some new cookies which are called alfajores, these cookies are of a Spanish origin and varies from different countries such as Spain, Argentina as they each have their own way of the production of this particular cookie. It is a sandwich cookie and taste like a cross between a shortbread and a butter cookie. The cookie itself is extremely low in sugar which is counteracted by the sweetness of the dulce de leche that sandwiched between the cookies. The cookie has a lighter finish as it uses corn starch instead of the usual flour so it crumbles easily. And the flavor is just simply divine and almost indescribable. It is unlike any other cookie I have ever tasted in my life. I placed the recipe that I used below so you all can have a chance to make your own alfajores.

Photo by Brianna Vasquez

Alfajores

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Total time: 28 mins

Serves: 35 alfajores

Ingredients

2 cups corn starch, sifted

⅔ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh milk (if necessary)

1 (14-ounce) can dulce de leche

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat the eggs with the sugar at medium speed, for 3 minutes; add the butter and continue beating. Stop the mixer.

Add the corn starch and baking powder in three parts, using a spatula, then knead lightly with your hand until the dough is no longer sticky. If the dough feels dry add the milk.

On a floured table, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin to form a very thin layer, about a ⅛ inch.

To make the cookies cut the dough with round cookie cutters, and bake for 8 minutes in ungreased baking sheets. If you don’t have cookie cutters, be creative. You can use the top of a glass or cup, which will make slightly bigger alfajores.

Cool the cookies on racks. When completely cool, fill them with a teaspoon dulce de leche. Place another cookie on top, like a sandwich, and sift the confectioner’s sugar over the alfajores.

Recipe adapted from PeruDelights

I also had the pleasure of making my own dulce de leche which is remarkably easy. I used four cans of sweetened condensed milk, peeled off the label and placed it in a big pot of water. By gradually adding water so that the cans were always covered, it was fully cooked it about six hours but can vary depending on the heat applied and how the cans lay, it is better if it is on its side.

So share and comment, what your favorite cookie recipe is or simply your favorite cookie. And have you ever heard of this cookie before? During this time with the holidays approaching, it is almost necessary to know how to cook or bake certain items. Christmas marks a time for food, family, and activities.

Finals Week Is Here Again

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Shawn Brumell

a person in a white wig and the words "HAPPY FINALS WEEK: AND MAY THE GRADES BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!"

If all those Buzzfeed articles, and tumblr memes weren’t proof enough, finals week is fast approaching.

That’s where you now go “yes the term is almost over!” before freaking out on if you’ll pass or not.

Here are some steps to prepare you for the stressful weeks.

1. Plan your schedule: Spend a few minutes writing down everything you need to do. Time has a tendency to slip away during finals week, so plan and keep track of it the best you can. Just because you’ve been able to pull an all nighter study session before, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to do it again.

2. Eat well and get exercise: When you’re short on time, it’s easy to forget both of these two things. A good breakfast, a respectable lunch, sensible snacks, and a smart dinner, can go a long way. Even a 20-minute walk around campus, can do wonders for your physical and mental health.

3. Keep up with your work: If you attend class regularly, keep up with readings, and take notes conscientiously. Doing so can make studying a relatively pain free process.

4. Make sure to get plenty of sleep: Sleep is often the time when we completely synthesize information, especially topics we’ve covered in the couple of hours before bedtime. You want to be as fresh as possible, and able to fully engage your working memory when the time to take your exam comes.

Foggy Days

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Jean-Luc

Foggy days are wonderful, It makes for such a wonderful feeling of calmness and peacefulness. Fog have a lot of unique attributes to it; the most distinctive, is that the visibility gets poorer by a cloud of smoke covering the area. Sometimes the cloud of smoke is so thick that it can be very hard for people to clearly see as they pass through an area covered by fog. But nonetheless fog creates such a wonderful view and have a peaceful and cozy atmosphere.

Cambria Heights – Queens

Why I Love to Cook

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Jessica

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and was able to eat lots of good food! I know I did. If you’ve been following my blog posts than you know that I normally like to write about restaurants, lists of foods I like, and etc. Today I would like to share with you why I love to cook, because even though I don’t have time to do it as much as I’d like to I still love it! So here’s five reasons why I love to cook –

1. Cooking allows me to let out the creative side of me. Cooking is an art and masterpiece. When I am in the kitchen cooking away, it just feels nice to be away from everything else and everyone else for a little while. It feels peaceful, yet fun. The creativity kicks in when I am plating my dishes and making a decision of how I want it to look or appear to the eye. I also feel the most creative in cooking when it comes to deciding what herbs, spices, seasonings, ingredients to add.

2. While cooking can be fun and easy, it can also be hard and challenging. However, if you don’t face the difficulties or challenges that comes with cooking, you won’t be fearless and you won’t ever know how far you can take something. I have gave myself challenges to learn how to make certain dishes/recipes and some have been a failure, but with more practice and effort they have become successes. I was never really good at folding dumplings in the crescent fold, but after learning from my boyfriend and more practice I became good at it.

3. Another reason why I love cooking is because I have the opportunity and ability to learn from foods I’ve eaten and restaurants I’ve been to on how to plate food just by looking at it. Some of the foods I’ve seen presented have been incredibly amazing and just so artistic that I almost don’t want to eat it or touch it.

4. I like to control what goes into the food. There are times when I go to restaurants and I do like to pick out certain foods that I don’t like such as raw peppers, raw onions, ginger, and etc. When I cook, I am able to control how well I want certain ingredients to be cooked and whether if I want to add them or not. I also don’t like to add too much sugar to the food/dishes if I don’t need to. I also don’t like to add too much oil if I don’t need to either.

5. I love to cook because cooking has opened my eyes, heart, and stomach up to a lot of different foods that I thought I would never like or make. I never thought I would like Brussel sprouts, kale, and arugula , but I do! Cooking and food has motivated me to try different cuisines, foods, ingredients, and just be a little more opened and less picky.

There’s so much about the experience of cooking I enjoy. It’s everything behind-the-scenes as well – the scent of fresh basil, the fragrance of cilantro, the taste of butter, the crackle from the skillet, and the sight of a perfectly roasted chicken hanging up by the window at a Chinese restaurant. Cooking speaks to all of my senses.

Do you cook or bake? If you do, what do you like most about it?

Black Friday

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Shawn Brumell

shoppers running into a store under an opening gate on Black Friday

Black Friday is here!!! Whether you’re interested in electronics, clothes, or appliances, all will receive a heavy discount.

There are some that are against it, especially when sales now start the day of Thanksgiving. Those people believe we should be at home, celebrating with family, and not bothering about selfish wants.

I’ll admit, I have participated in Black Friday. Yes, I stood in line for a good two hours for that 150 dollar 49 inch TV, along with a PS4.

I mean come on!!! Some of these deals are just too good to resist! I for one believe you can do both. You can enjoy thanksgiving dinner with your family…after you buy items that you’ve wanted all year long. Its a win/win situation in my book.

But let’s keep our dignity folks. No shoving, screaming, or hair pulling. You don’t wanna wind up on YouTube under “Crazy Black Friday Fight”

Personal battles

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Mandy Mei

“When I was 15 years old, I was hit by a car. After my physical recovery, I noticed that I was scared of the smallest things. I was even scared to cross the street alone. I feared my life, and was not expressing my thoughts to anyone. I was getting nightmares and flashbacks of the incident. When I turned 16, I was already in High school. I was being bullied for countless reasons. Wearing a headscarf was one of them. But I was always smiling. I felt that the best way to express my feelings was to take them out on myself. They were negative emotions so they lead to negative results. I was harming myself both physically and mentally. I think it was my junior year of High school where I was doing things to keep me awake to prevent nightmares, and consuming substances I had no business in taking. Eventually, when my mom found out what I was doing, I was sent to doctors, therapists, and later, to a rehabilitative center. I was there for 2 weeks. I would attend sessions with other people who have different personal problems. There I was diagnosed with PTSD at it’s primary stages. After my time at Rehab, I needed time to readapt. But I was at a great recovery stage. I would still attend therapy, but not as often.

I’m 22 years old now. I am unable to say that I completely recovered, but I discovered a new person in me who is more caring, sensitive, and happy. There are times where I can be over sensitive, but that is all part of the process. I’m happy. But I learned that a lot of people are not, which deeply upsets me. Some people just don’t understand what others are going through, and that’s okay, but they say anything to anyone at anytime, and that’s not always okay. I can be fighting a battle inside, so unless you stepped in my shoes, don’t assume anything about me. People say I care too much, but I say that I care enough, because I have no idea what others are going through, and they don’t know what I went through. I’m thankful for what I’ve been through and what I’ve learned., and I have learned a lot. ”

Name: Anonymous

Life Under

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Konyca

I’m not an animal lover but I do love fishes and dolphins. I think they are such loving creatures, well some. You’ll be surprise to know that I had a dog as a child and sure we loved each other but from a distance(lol). I also had a fish tank with fishes growing up as well and even into my teenage years. Loved them so much that I used to read and talk to them. How crazy is that?

The New York Aquarium is an amazing site to see. So many beautiful fishes even the eels are amazing to look at. In the summer there’s usually a dolphin and seal show which will have you in awe. On Fridays its pay as you like until 3:00pm. Its a definitely must see, you wouldn’t be disappointed.

“Poetry is like a fish: if it’s fresh, it’s good; if its stale, it’s bad; and if you’re not certain, try it on a cat.” Surf Ave Brooklyn, NY 7:01pm

-Osbert Sitwell

“Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions, they pass no criticism.” Surf Ave Brooklyn, NY 7:02pm

-George Eliot

“Love is like the five loaves and two fishes. It doesn’t start to multiply until you give it away.” Surf Ave Brooklyn, NY 7:03pm

-Unknown

“Fishes live in the sea, as men do on land: the great ones eat up the little ones.” Surf Ave Brooklyn 7:04pm

-Pericles

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” Surf Ave Brooklyn, NY 7:09pm

-Soren Kerkegaard

“No one else can make the same contributions to the world that you can.” Surf Ave Brooklyn, NY 7:32pm

-Unknown

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Posted on November 23, 2015 by briannavasquez

Image by: DESSART//

Whether if it is the time we spend with our loved ones, the abundance of great food, the season of giving, or simply getting in the holiday spirit, but Thanksgiving Day no matter when you celebrate it holds such an incredible meaning. For Americans, the fourth Thursday in November, is when we celebrate this sentimental holiday. We all have our own traditions for this holiday. My family’s traditions tend to vary each Thanksgiving from attending the parade to planning our Black Friday shopping.

It is also the season of giving and the City University of New York (CUNY) has a program dedicated in aiding the less fortunate by way of book drives, food drives, and toy drives that benefit families to receive support in items they cannot readily afford on the daily basis. CUNY Cares is hosting a toy drive that will donate new toys to thousands of New Yorkers who are currently relying on the city’s homeless shelters to still have the chance to enjoy the holidays.

Thanksgiving is also surrounded by the limitless amount of excellent tasting food that encouraging the gathering of our friends, family, and loved ones. Here are some recipes that are guaranteed to impress your guests this Thanksgiving:

Baked Apple Roses

Image by: DilettaManfredi

Ingredients: (yields six roses)

-4 apples, cored and halved (leave the skin on)

-Juice from 1/2 lemon

-3 Tbsp fruit preserves (apricot, raspberry, etc.)

-2 Tbsp water (plus more for apple soak)

-1 sheet of puff pastry

-Cinnamon, to taste

Instructions:

– Preheat Oven to 375 degrees

– Put apple slices in microwave safe bowl. Fill bowl with water and juice from half a lemon. Use enough water to make sure apple slices are covered by water. Microwave for 3 minutes. This will soften the apple slices and make them more pliable for rolling up.

– Next grab a sheet of puff pastry. Flour your board and roll out the puff pastry enough to make 6 strips at 3 inches wide.

– In a bowl mix your favorite fruit preserves with a couple tablespoons of water. Then spoon out the preserves in the center of the strip of puff pastry.

– Next place the apple slices long ways halfway on the strip. Keep adding slices until you reach the end. Then fold the puff pastry over the bottom of the apple slices.

– Roll up the puff pastry and place in a greased muffin tin.

Image by: Ksenia Bobrova

– Bake the apple roses for 35-45 minutes.

– Pull out of oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from TipHero

Pumpkin Maple Soufflés

Image by: Smorgasbite

Ingredients: (yields four soufflés)

4 eggs, separated

3/4 cup canned pumpkin purée

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for drizzling

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, whisk together yolks, pumpkin, syrup, nutmeg, and pinch of salt until well combined.
In large clean bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks. Transfer heaping spoonful of whipped egg whites to the yolk mixture. Stir vigorously to incorporate. Then, pour the yolk mixture gently into whites, and fold gently with rubber spatula until just incorporated.
Pour soufflé batter into six 6-ounce ramekins on small rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven, and immediately reduce temperature to 350°F. Bake until puffed up and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately, with extra warm maple syrup on side.

Recipe adapted from SeriousEats

Despite the wonderful food that can be made through the holidays such as the recipes above, the holidays are meaningful for some many reasons. But the most important, and particularly my favorite, part of the holidays is showing appreciation for your loved ones or close friends who are thoroughly cherished for simply being in your life. We all have a special person or persons, if you are lucky, who are the driving force to motivate your spirit, support your dreams, and love you for who you truly are. With that being said, I am wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving Day tradition?

Subway Wi-fi!

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Shawn Brumell

an excited woman using her phone in the subway

Bored while waiting for the train underground? Wish you could send a text, check your email, or roam the internet?

Well, it looks like your dream might becoming true….depending on where you are of course. While not available everywhere, some train stations are offering Wi-fi.

The MTA has expanded their Wi-Fi service to 21 underground stations in the Bronx, and 16 additional Manhattan stations.

Officials with the MTA and technology company Transit Wireless, announced the expanded service at the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium station on Thursday. It’s one of the stations that now have Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi and cellphone service were already available at dozens of stations, mainly in Manhattan.

Your area still doesnt gave service? Well don’t worry, cause service is scheduled to be available in all underground stations by 2017!

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