Great Food for Miami Winter...Well, I mean Study Night

It's getting cold in MIAMI!

And it's final time as well. I always want something to eat late at nigh.
Sandwiches? NO! Salads? Fruits? Vegetables? Chips? NOOOOO!
I want something HOT!

But the only thing left at home is cup noodle.

My mom always tells me cup noodle is really bad for you
Cook it! Don't just pour hot water in it.

So I look up in the internet and Found some awesome recepies.



(1)

• 1 package chicken flavor ramen
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed or minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter (crunchy preferred)
• 1 thinly sliced green onion + tops
• red pepper flakes to taste
• fish sauce (optional) to taste
• chopped peanuts if not using crunchy peanut butter

Put the ginger, garlic, and flavor packet from the ramen in the water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook as directed. Remove the pan from heat and add the peanut butter, stirring until dissolved. Fish sauce may be added here if you’re using it (I don’t think you guys have that). Pour into bowl and top with pepper flakes and green onion, also peanuts if using.

• 2 leftover grilled chicken breasts (or strip steaks, pork chops, whatever may have been on the grill the night before) cubed
• 3 bricks of Ramen (we liked to match the flavor with whatever meat we were using, although I suppose you could mix it up) flavoring included broken into quarters
• 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (any type will do, no need to be picky. I’ve used broccoli, stir fry mixed veggies, garden medley)
• 2 tbs olive oil (you can use vegetable oil, butter or margarine in a pinch as well)
• 2 cups of water

(2)

Heat oil in the biggest skillet you can find or in a wok if you have one on medium high heat. Once you can see just a hint of smoke (or if using butter/margarine, once melted and getting foamy) dump in the bag of frozen veggies. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the veggies are about semi-cooked. Sprinkle on the flavor packets and add the leftover cubed meat and the raw noodles. Continue to cook until the veggies are almost completely cooked, still stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks or burns. Add the water and crank the heat up all the way to high. Stir constantly until all the water has been absorbed. If the noodles are still not quite done, add a little more water and cook until done. Toss on a plate and enjoy. This recipe will feed 6 kids and provides three of the original four food groups. If you serve with a glass of milk, you’ve got a balanced meal!

(3)  Easiest way to make a simple and delicious cup noodle

• 1 packet of shrimp ramen
• 1 cup of small frozen, pre-cooked shrimp

Cook a packet of shrimp ramen. During the last 30 seconds or so of cooking, drop in 1 cup of small pre-cooked frozen shrimp. Let the soup warm back up for a couple minutes. Drain and serve.



Don't be mad while studying late any more!




Work cited: http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/




-----------Di

Good Places for Family

Holiday season is HERE!
It's so cold everywhere other than Miami, so I guess you have a plan to travel to Miami already?
Today I will introduce some great places for family to get together.

1. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co
   401 Biscayne Blvd Ste R100, Miami, FL 

   Kids can eat on the patio and it's so much fun!
   Food is awesome! Try the cajun can garlic shrimp, you will definately addict to it.
   It is a very family friendly restaurant with food for everyone.”
   
   
   
   
2. SpecialTEA Lounge
3.  
   10766 SW 24th St, Miami, FL

   This is the cutest Tea House in town. Great service. They are here to please you. You will not regret it. Best tea, coffee, salads and sandwiches in town. Ohhh let's not leave out those home made cookies!! Bottom line Go!!!!! yPerfect place to hang out with the family on their big comfy couch while playing one of their board games.
   
   
   
   
4. Big Cheese Pizza
   

   8080 SW 67th Ave, Miami, FL

   Food was exceptional. Great menu, pizza is always a la carte with large portions to share. The walls are a history of not only UM sports, but all the miami sports stars. Definately a fun place to hang out with friends and family. 

   
   
   
   
5. Mediterraneo Brickell
   

   1331 Brickell Bay Dr 1st Fl, Miami, FL

   The ceviche was probably the best. Even a nonceviche eater loved it. Fabulous!! The service was EXCELLENT! And the owner Ivan was a gentle person who loves to talk to people!
   

   
   

    
6. El Sol Mexican Restaurant
   

   17032 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL

   The molcajete is a show. The waitress served the food in a hot lava/volcano stone bowl. You got to see it. The meet and the sauce are sizzling from the kitchen and into your table. It contains chicken, steak, shrimp fajita, a big slice of grilled cheese, Mexican sausage (chorizo), onions, cactus ( nopales) and the home made souce on the center of the bowl(the bowl is hot).

    
7. Sergio's Restaurant Inc
   3252 Coral Way, Coral Gables, FL

   The food is fantastic and you get good value for your dollar. The waitresses are almost always good looking women, yet can be unattentive or a little too formal at times

    

    

   Enjoy your family in MIAMI!

    

    

   work cited:http://miami.citysearch.com/bestof/winners/2010/family-friendly_dining

    

    

    

    

    

    ----------Di

Organizing Dinner Using Excel

Organizing Dinner Using Excel

So you've just agreed to host a major holiday dinner! Now let's sit down and think about some of the Big Questions.

1) How many people will attend?

This is the big one. If you've got more attendees than tables, chairs, plates, silverware, etc then you'll have to devise work-arounds. Tables/chairs can be rented, borrowed from friends and neighbors, or improvised from milk crates and pieces of plywood or spare doors. If you're short plates and silverware you can decide to use disposable or ask guests to bring their own, picnic style. Make your own cloth napkins to be extra-cool.

2) Who's making/bringing food?

Identify what you'd like to make, and what (if anything) you'd like your guests to bring. Make sure your guests are on the same page with this.

3) Buffet or table service?

If you've got more than one table a buffet is pretty much required. It also reduces the need for small, passable bowls which would otherwise require refills. You can put the whole dish on the buffet and be done with it.

4) Storage space

How much space do you have in your refrigerator and freezer? This determines what you can make ahead. If you live in a cold area an enclosed porch or deck can supplement your fridge/freezer space; if it's too warm out you can use an ice-filled cooler to bulk up your refrigerated space.

How many ovens/racks do you have? You'll need to block out time accordingly, and choose oven vs. stovetop preparations as necessary.

5) Time

What time do you plan to serve dinner? This one is under your control; pick a time that will allow you to wake up at a normal time and still be able to run everything through the oven with time to spare. Schedule this one for your convenience.

Once finished, simply organize them through Excel and keep all aspects under you control! Here is how some pros have organized their very own Excel:

Col. 1: enter all of the food you intend to cook, and the major infrastructure preparations necessary.

Column 2: break down each item into its major steps.

Columns 3-n: list the available days, and assign each step to one of these days. Consider fridge, freezer, oven, and stove availability when assigning a prep day/time. You may choose to break the final day's activities into several columns, or add text to your boxes to clarify timing for high-use resources such as the oven.

Column n+1: identify the cooking or serving dish you'll need. If you don't have enough, borrow or use disposable pans. Running out of pans can be a serious problem.

Column n+2: identify the course. This helps in timing and food placement.

Columns n+3/4: after dinner, recap your quantities and evaluate what you plan to do next year. I wish I'd done this last year; since I didn't have good records of what was produced/eaten/desired from 2005's 27-person dinner I frequently over-estimated for this year. It's always better to have too much food rather than too little, but a bit of optimization here can give you more room to maneuver.

Hopefully you've got helpers. Give everyone their own color, and label the blocks that must be done by a specific person. Mark up-for-grabs tasks with the "anyone" color, and give the oven a color for good measure. It's not a person, but it's time is valuable and requires scheduling. Black out the squares as you go.
 

Chinese Wedding Food

One of my Chinese friend in Miami is going to marry his Hispanic girlfriend next week. It reminds me how interesting it will be if a group of Spanish people are going to attend a Chinese style wedding and eat Chinese Food in the wedding. 

All the Chinese wedding food are not only delicious and good looking, but also have deep meanings behind them respectively. I am going to introduce some of the most popular Chinese wedding food today. 

Chinese food has special symbolism: mostly wishes of happiness, longevity, or fertility. The number of courses is also significant. At a Chinese wedding banquet, eight dishes are usually served – not including the dessert. In Chinese, the word “eight” sounds like “good luck.”

Nowadays, a wedding banquet normally starts with a cold plate which consistw of various sliced meats, jellyfish, and various types of nuts shaped like dragons and phoenixes and served chilled. (Lobster in Chinese is literally “dragon shrimp” and in Chinese restaurants, chicken feet are referred to as “phoenix feet”). In a marriage, the dragon symbolizes the male role while the phoenix symbolizes the female role. This yin-yang dualism, opposite but not contradictory, is a key concept of taoism. “Man and woman form a family ”, and therefore, having lobster and chicken at the dinner would represent balance in the new relationship.




 Soup. Soup usually follows the cold plate. The type of soup has some significance, for example, shark’s fin soup indicates wealth because this delicacy is very expensive.

Roast Suckling Pig. Roasted pork is a symbol of virginity. (The groom presents a whole roasted pork to the bride’s family at the engagement party.)

Peking Duck and Lobster. Red is the color for happiness, so serving Peking duck and lobster would signify joy and celebration. Also, serving the dish whole, i.e. with the head and legs, would symbolize completeness.

Squab (or Other Fowl). Pigeon has tender meat that symbolizes peace. (well, I know it's creepy for non-Chinese to eat this) Usually two pigeons are offered to wish the newlyweds peace as they start their new life together. Squab (pigeon) is similar to quail, so they both probably symbolize peace. Quail is offered whole to each guest so each and every one will also experience a peaceful life. Serving fried chicken would wish the couple to have a good life because in Chinese “red chicken” sounds like “good life.”


Vegetables with Sea Cucumber. Serving sea cucumber with vegetables is a sign of selflessness because “sea cucumber” sounds like “"good heart” and this dish wishes the couple to think in a similar way – to avoid conflict.

Fish. Serving fish would hope that the couple will experience a life together with abundance because “fish”" sounds like “plentiful” in Chinese.

Noodles served at the end would symbolize longevity because noodles come in long strands. (also, people eat noodles for their birthday which means long-life!)


Sweet Red Bean Soup and Sweet Buns. Serving dessert probably wishes the newlyweds a sweet life. The hot sweet red bean soup should contain lotus seeds (lian zi) and a bark-like vegetable (bak hop) to wish the newlyweds a hundred years of togetherness. The sweet lotus paste in sweetened steamed bread symbolizes fertility; it is shaped and colored to resemble peaches (ta zi), since the peach represents long life. The sticky dumpling you describe, covered with crushed peanuts with black sesame paste in the center, is called mochi. (You might consider mochi with lotus paste or red bean paste for their symbolic value rather than black sesame paste.)

At the end of the banquet, waiters usually pass out take-out boxes to the guests because there is usually enough food for everyone and some left over; this represents abundance. It is acceptable to take some of the food home because it is not good to waste good food – or anything else for that matter.

Tea, wine, and sodas are almost always supplied at a Chinese wedding banquet. Offering tea is a sign of respect. Wineis served to celebrate the special occasion. (In Chinese,“ going to a dinner banquet” is synonymous to “going to drink alcohol;” and in Cantonese, “to go drinking” literally means “go to a bar.”)

You might notice that Chinese restaurants have a big Chinese character behind the head table; it is the character for “double happiness” which is used during wedding events.
 





Surprise your friends with some Chinese Wedding FOOOOD!!!



Work Citer: http://www.chcp.org/banquet.html




Di

Food that Heals

Maybe you ran an extra long trail today, or maybe you pulled a muscle in the last few miles of your bike ride; whatever the case may be, your body is sore, beaten, and needs to recover. More than anything else, food provides the fuel our bodies need to repair and keep going. It’s as simple as the rule of equivalent exchange: you consume a food, and its energy and nutrients are transferred into your body. Immediately, they are put to work.

Here are 5 of the best foods for recovering from a strenuous hike or minor injury. (Of course, always seek professional medical attention if your injuries are serious.)

Number 1. Salmon

In addition to being filled with omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is also rich with protein. The omega-3’s are a known anti-inflammatory that work to disperse the waste buildup that is inflammation. Protein, on the other hand, is an extremely important macronutrient. It not only helps build muscle, but also ligaments, tendons, and bone. Protein also helps preserve lean muscle mass and is critical in the making of essential hormones and enzymes.

Number 2. Peppers

Whether they be red and green hot chili peppers or a variety of sweet bell peppers, you’ll be gettinga great dose of vitamin C. Vitamin C is crucial in the production of scar tissue, blood vessels, and cartilage, and it is known to help lessen oxidative stress to the body. Green chilies are richest with vitamin C, but as long as you work a steady flow in throughout the day, you’ll be supplying your body with a nutrient it needs.

Number 3. Dark Leafy Greens

Calcium, as we know, is critical for maintaining strong, healthy bones. It is also used in other areas in the body regarding nerve as muscle function as well as blood clotting. For those of you who don’t like milk, dark leafy greens are a great source of this vital nutrient, and they can play a major role in recovery. Collard greens , kale, okra, Bok choy, and mustard greens should all be worked into your daily diet.

Number 4. Carrots

When it comes to vitamin A, carrots are among the best sources. Found as beta-carotene in carrots, our bodies must first convert it to retinol or vitamin A for use, where it then plays an important role in facilitating bone growth, protecting our immune system, and repairing microtears.

Number 5. Sesame Seeds

Getting enough minerals is also of great importance when you’re recovering. One great source for a number of these are sesame seeds. They provide the body with healthy amounts of copper, manganese, iron, zinc, and phosphorus. Minerals help transport oxygen around the body, stimulate growth, and maintain and repair tissues and bone. Zinc, for instance, helps protein repair damaged tissue. Supplying your body with enough of these minerals is critical is successful recovery.

Besides the healthy dieting, be sure to get plenty of rest and relaxation. This is just as crucial as healthy foods in recovering from an injury!

Here's How YOU Make a PERFECT ThanksGiving Turkey!

Prep Time:
30 Min

Cook Time:
4 Hrs

Ready In:
17 Hrs

Ingredients

• 1 (18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 2 cups kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup dry white wine

Directions

1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

ENJOY!

Seminole Hard Rock Wine & Food Festival

I went to Hard Rock Cafe last night and I saw this awesome event.
The Wine & Food Festival!
It will be this upcoming Sunday, Nov 6th @ Seminole Hard Rock Cafe and Casino.

There will be over 20 gourmet restaurants and more than 300 wines from around the world. It is definately a can't-miss event for South Florida foodies, so get your tickets at almost the last minute already!

Don't miss this unique opportunity to sample a variety of world cuisines as you sip a delightful array of wines - everything from robust Riojas to delicate Chardonnays will be available for your tasting pleasure!

Surprise your love with a great daytime date, or plan a group outing with friends - General Admission and VIP Experience are all available.

Celebrity Chef Steve Martorano will also host a one hour autograph booking signing at his tent from 2p-3p, where you can get Steve's cook book "YO CUZ! MY LIFE MY FOOD MY WAY" at a discounted rate of $30 dollars with $5 from each book going to the Kids2Camp Fund.

You can check out the attending restaurants and wine list at the webstie The Wine and Food Festival.

The address is

1 Seminole Way

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314

(954) 327-7625.

Have a Great Time and Open your Stomach!



Work Cited: http://thewineandfoodfestival.com/index.html


Di