Quirky Eating Techniques

Eek, talk about a boring title! At least it tells you what this post is about right? Give me some time to get this title thing down, I swear I will!

The other day I got to thinking about weird habits we have when eating certain foods. I’m not talking about weird choices of food or odd combinations. I’m talking about quirky ways you eat some foods. I think it’s interesting to hear what others do and thought I’d share some of my weird ways!

How I Eat a Sandwich

When making myself a sandwich, I cut off the crusts. I usually munch on about half of them while I’m building away, but end up throwing the rest out. Once it’s time to dig in, I like to eat all the edges off of the sandwich first. I start at a random point and eat until I’m left with a circular-shaped sandwich. Then I kinda attack the circle arbitrarily, and my whole system goes out the window. But without fail, I must eat the edges first! I have no explanation for this, but have been doing so since I was 5 years old or so, which is when I started living off an average of three peanut butter sandwiches a day (this continued until age 18).

My rule probably wouldn't even have worked on this monstrous turkey sandwich from the food court at MGM Grand's Foxwoods Casino

How I Eat Pizza

I’ve got to start at the end, of course. Once I got caught starting at the crust, due to a blistering-hot pizza slice that I couldn’t wait to dig into, and got caught in the action. That’s how weird my friend thought it was that I was eating pizza that way.

Cheese slice at Giovanni's Brick Oven Pizza in Glastonbury, CT

But I swear that’s not the norm! I have to start at the end of a slice, stop at the crust, and set it all aside on my plate. Then after I’m done with the “heart” of the pizza (and you can be rest assured I’ll finish it all), I like to assess how full I am. Usually I have room for at least a few of those crunchy, delicious crusts. Sometimes I have room for all of them! But the bottom line is I like to fill up on the actual pizza portion of the pie first, and then do crust if I have room. Waste not, my friends.

How I Eat Pears

I like to hold pears (bosc only please) at the end with the stem, and eat what I call the “butt” of the pear first. I think that’s the most satisfying, “meaty” part! And I know there’s a little stem part at the bottom (not a stem, not sure exactly what it’s called) but I just eat that. And I often times end up eating some seeds when I get to the core, and I don’t care. As my friend Kim says, I let very few portions of the pear go to waste. My sister says it reminds her of an ice cream cone.

Picture a pear instead of an ice cream cone. Same thing.

How I Eat Kiwis

I eat the skin. No more explanations needed, right? You think that’s weird enough I’m sure. I really like the skin though and I bite into kiwis like they’re apples. I actually picked up that habit off of blogs.

How I Eat Salads

I MUST chop my salads into the tiniest pieces possible. I can’t stand picking up a huge spinach leaf with my fork and awkwardly trying to get the whole thing in my mouth (that’s what she said, I know) or taking a bite that just has WAY too much of one flavor in it. I love salads but always have to put a good two minutes (minimum) into chopping them up. Of course when a restaurant has a chopped salad, that’s even better, but it’s rare that a restaurant will satisfy my salad standards enough for me to actually order one.

Eyebrow Raising

And my weirdest quirk of all…my eyebrows. Let me explain. Whenever I bite into anything, if it’s a bite of ANY substance, I must raise my eyebrows. I don’t know why it happens. It’s not like they’ll pull my mouth wider or anything! But it’s just a natural reaction to taking a bite, and one all my friends poke fun at.

Caught in the act with a wild boar burger at Ray's Hell Burger Too in DC.

Are you guys as weird as I am? Share your eating quirks!

Chain Gang

Most of us foodies look down upon chains. Believe me, there are plenty that I dislike. Is anyone else EXTREMELY confused by the worldwide fascination with Olive Garden’s soup, salad, and breadsticks? Please tell me there are some haters out there.

But there’s also a fair share of chains that I really do enjoy. I can find tasty choices that aren’t too heavy and that I can’t always make on my own. There’s a nice variety of dishes so that I don’t have to get the same thing every time (unless of course I want to) – and variety is also good for flexibility in dining partners (if anyone you ask to join you at a restaurant can find something that they’ll like there, that’s golden). You also always want to have a few go-to chains for the times when you are travelling and have no idea where to eat. Of course nowadays, Yelp and the blogging world can help us find great local spots, so there’s less risk in hitting up a hole-in-the-wall because you often know the place’s rep. Still, chains are the good old dependables.

So I thought I’d share some of my favorite chains (we are talking more than five restaurants – sorry J. Gilbert’s) and also my favorite things that I’ve ordered so far at those places.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Growing up in Florida, my family loved this restaurant. I first went with my Girl Scout troop and enjoyed a tasty bowl of penne pasta with butter (remember I used to like…well, nothing). My family was intrigued when I came back raving about the best bread I’d ever had, so intrigued that we went for dinner shortly after so my parents could see for themselves.

The rest is history (forgive the cliche) and we went all the time, including an epic event where we waited over two hours for a table once. TWO HOURS! That is dedication. Every Carrabba’s in Florida was packed on the weekends, and for good reason. Their bread (and olive oil, once I later opened up to new things) is amazing. The crust is perfect and it always arrives piping-hot. Once I started trying new things, I fell in love with the Chicken Marsala (no mushrooms). They even offer a couple of skinny cocktails now!

Enjoying a skinny cosmo this past summer! Yay glasses.

It’s really so difficult to determine my favorite dish here, but if I had to call it (and well I have to, given how I set up this post), I’d say it’s the Chicken Bryan: grilled chicken topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and basil lemon butter sauce. They have great veggie sides, so I love to get the broccoli and asparagus! I load up on my carbs pre-meal thanks to that bread 🙂 Another healthy tip: ask for the sauce on the side instead of on the chicken. They usually put too much on, and you only need a little to taste the flavor, it’s so rich!

Ruby Tuesday’s

Many friends know about my love for Ruby’s. Their salad bar, their sides, their fish, their burgers, their drinks, their plentiful COUPONS! Honestly, I think that this chain has some of the best food for the price you pay for it. I’ve had many good times at many different Ruby’s locations and even spent my 21st birthday dinner there – where they comped my drinks, and let me use my free birthday burger coupon too!

First sip of my first legal drink – a Ruby's margarita! SO strong!

Ruby Tuesday’s offers something for everyone, whether you’re in the mood for the perfect greasy lunch on a hungover Sunday, or in the mood for a night light dinner that won’t leave you wanting to pass out after.  It is rare that I can go to Ruby’s and not order their salad bar. I am a huge fan of salads, and they are one of the few places that has enough ingredients to make a salad that I would classify as a salad beast/Hugh Jass salad/etc. Their veggie sides are also plentiful – once I even ordered the Vegetarian Combo and was able to choose three sides, plus the salad bar, as my meal. It was more than enough food! How many restaurants can you find that offer spaghetti squash as a side all the time?!

Of course, sometimes at Ruby's I just like to eat the whipped cream off Lidia's smoothies.

I also highly recommend the zuchinni patties, two veggie patty sliders made of zuchinni, feta, and all sorts of other goodies. These are fresh-made veggie burgers, definitely not frozen, and they are so satisfying! Finally, Ruby’s offers quality seafood. My favorite seafood dish has to be the New Orleans Special: spicy, broiled tilapia topped with sautéed shrimp and rich Parmesan cream sauce. Served with your choice of TWO sides! I love that this dish comes with both tilapia and shrimp (I’m all about having to make as few choices as possible at restaurants, so it’s great that I get both). I recommend asking for their mango salsa instead of the cream sauce. You won’t miss it, and the sweet mango salsa goes great with the Cajun kick of the tilapia!

Red Robin

I know there is really not much in terms of light options at this place. I’ve ordered my burgers protein-style before (lettuce instead of bun) and you know, it’s just not worth it. But this place has to go on the list because they serve the holy grail of french fries, my favorite fries of all time, the garlic parmesan steak fries. They are bottomless. They are garlicky. They are buttery. Think the child of the steak fry and garlic bread, and you have these fries. I could eat 10 baskets. Not a joke.

My 22nd birthday dinner: the beloved fries and a Whiskey River BBQ burger. Ice cream sundae…is unpictured.

If you really want to go all out, and I kinda don’t go to Red Robin unless I plan to, you can get a milkshake and dip those fries in it. Vanilla milkshake preferably. Go ahead, I dare you. This is what I call BALANCE! And no, the garlic doesn’t taste weird with the shake.

The remainder of the above meal…or no remainder.

Bertucci’s

I don’t think this chain is as wide-spread geographically as the others I’ve mentioned, but they are another place where you can really expect high-quality food when you go to any location. Their rolls are my second-favorite at any restaurant (Carrabba’s wins). It is just so easy to eat a ton of them! But you wouldn’t want to because the entrees are just as wonderful. They don’t offer quite as many veggie sides as Ruby’s, but there are still some great options like roasted veggies or asparagus. The pizza is wonderful – wheat dough available at no extra charge, it tastes great, and the crust is thin, just the way I like it. Also, any chain that has goat cheese is okay by me.

Tortas, AKA wheat dough filled with various delicious things. The roasted veg and grilled chicken torta at the bottom, with goat cheese, is amazing.

This is also one of the few restaurants where I will order a salad, because they offer all my favorite things: goat cheese, spinach, lots of veggies including roasted olives, and SALMON! The salmon in their salads is a bit pricey to add on, but with the huge portion you get, it is completely worth it.

My go-to order back in high school was simply the polpette, or straight-up meatballs smothered in cheese. And that is damn good too.

Thanks to the Bertucci’s website for the above image.

Chili’s

Ah, nostalgia. Chili’s will always have a special place in my heart. I spent countless lunches and dinners there in high school, and my go-to order was queso, plain burger with french fries, and a molten chocolate lava cake. That molten cake is still one of my top favorite desserts of all time, and Chili’s really does have great burgers. Honestly, almost everything at Chili’s tastes amazing. This was my go-to birthday spot back in high school.

Taken back in senior year of high school, during a time of white puffy jackets, jeans with obnoxious holes, and slippers used as shoes.

Now for a lighter option, I love to order their grilled shrimp tacos, with no cheese and no ranch. There aren’t too many veggies in there, but if you get black beans as a side instead of rice, you can pile them in and get a hearty and satisfying meal. The shrimp actually comes fried, but any Chili’s I’ve been to has been glad to accommodate with tasty lime-grilled shrimp, since they have it for other dishes. Since the tacos come with two sides, I also like to get them with corn on the cob, sans butter. Chili’s actually has great corn and it is so flavorful that you won’t miss the butter, I promise!

Celebrating my 18th birthday at Chili's, with an 18th-birthday-appropriate gift.

But keeping balance in mind, every now and then I like to share some queso or a molten cake with a friend. You really can’t miss out on this molten cake. Seriously.

Seriously. Take it from 10th grade me and my abercrombie corduroy jacket.

Enough from me – I want to hear from other people.

Are you as picky about chains as me? What are your favorites?

Adventures in Pizza Making

I decided a few months ago to give pizza my title of “favorite food”, especially since so much can be done with it to add in terms of using additional awesome foods as toppings. So essentially, one could take pizza and have a perfectly acceptable vehicle to pile on, let’s say, your top 5 favorite foods.  “Well I love peanut butter, so that won’t work,” you might say. NOT SO FAST! Randy’s Wooster St. Pizza offers an amazing peanut-butter bacon white pie. See, anything is possible in the world of pizza!

Back at school in my senior year, I was lucky enough to have some friends who both had kitchen-equipped apartments and shared my love for pizza. Our minds dreamed up all kinds of amazing combos, some taken from our favorite restaurants, some very traditional, and some never-before-seen (by our eyes, anyway). If you can forgive another post of iPhone photos, I thought I’d share some of the awesome combos we created and sampled last year.

Breakfast pizza: salsa, egg beaters, goat cheese, broccoli, red pepper, tomato, turkey sausage on Boboli wheat crust

The eggbeaters worked well on this, and I think using salsa instead of marinara really kept the breakfast theme going since salsa and eggs are definitely a combo that isn’t unheard of!

Pesto, olives, feta, grilled chicken, pepper

Conventional – but delish!

Bosc pears, caramelized onions, brie, walnuts, egg whites, agave nectar.

This may be my favorite combo out of any in this post. The agave nectar was UNREAL on this pizza. And the brie made it.

Mexican vegetarian pizza (fat-free refried beans, shredded cheese, olives, crumbled taco shells, peppers, onions, salsa)

Served side-by-side with some chicken enchiladas!

Fruit pizza (cool whip, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, banana, unsweetened cocoa powder chocolate sauce)

The recipe for the chocolate sauce used in the above pizza can be found here! I’ve made this a couple of times (for fondue too) and it’s an AMAZING healthy option for a dessert. You don’t even need to use the evaporated milk it calls for – I just used skim!

Bison burger pizza (bison, ketchup, mustard, pickles, shredded cheese, tomato, shredded lettuce)

Definitely not your conventional burger pizza. Those are popping up all over the place lately, but I’ve never seen one made with bison before! Very worth the $8 for the pound of meat. It was amazing!

And of course you can see the Greek pizza that Jeff and I made in my previous post about Greek food.

What’s the weirdest pizza combo you’ve tried?

Same Old Breakfast, Brand New Lasagna

Hola! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I know I did – if you follow me on Twitter, you already know I spent lots of time studying at Daybreak Coffee Roasters, did a free wine tasting at a liquor store, got some sweet samples at Whole Foods, had two delicious Groupon meals, and just got back from seeing “Moneyball“. The movie, as well as the rest of the nice weekend at home, was excellent. What’d you do?

I’m still getting used to the whole not-taking-phone pictures thing, but I did manage to snap a shot of my favorite breakfast and wanted to share. One may call it the same old breakfast, because I eat it about 75% of mornings (the other 25% are mornings I don’t have time to make it), but my love for it never ceases. This breakfast would be a toasted whole wheat english muffin with banana slices and peanut butter (whatever PB jar I have open at the time, currently PB&Co Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl), and the remaining banana on the side, with MORE peanut butter (of course).

Forgive the paper plate, I don't like to deal with dishes.

Another highlight of this past week was a brand new take on lasagna – the recipe given to me by the talented Stephanie aka the Cookin’ Fanatic. My mom was actually the one who made it, and she threw in some soy crumbles for added protein, but other than that she followed Stephanie’s recipe. And funny enough, my mom’s name is Stephanie!

Printed off and ready to go.

My mom and I both really LOVED the way the recipe turned out! This take on lasagna was so interesting. I’ve never considered using chickpeas as a source of protein in a lasagna, and they were excellent! The leftovers are in the fridge waiting for us to devour them later on.

The lasagna, totally ready to eat and in fact, already broken into.

I topped mine with some leftover roasted brussell sprouts (my favorite roasted veggie of all time) for some added bulk. And obviously went back for seconds of the lasagna after. The chickpeas mixed with the feta were my favorite part!

My bowl ready for devouring.

I’ve gotta run, my dad just finished grilling dinner and I am so ready to dive in. Turkey burgers, turkey sausage, black beans, and baked potatoes with salsa! I love my home dinners 🙂

Tried any good recipes lately?

The Friday Five

Around the blog world, I have noticed a trend called The Friday Five, which began over at Meet Virginia. I’ve decided to join in the fun!

Miss Meet Virginia’s list has got categories, but instead of categories I’m just going to list five things I am currently loving on this lovely fall Friday (though it certainly doesn’t feel like fall out there…humid and rainy CT, wtf?)

1. the baristas at the Simsbury, CT Starbucks

I tweeted and Facebooked about this both yesterday and today, but the last two mornings after getting into my car, post-coffee-run at Starbucks, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find a “Happy Fall!” message and illustration on my cup (grande non-fat half-caf extra-coffee misto for the none of you that are probably wondering). The baristas there are always so nice and efficient and it’s great that they felt like doing a little something extra to perk (bad coffee pun) up my morning! And I’m a sucker for all things FALL, so that only aided in making me smile. Believe me if someone had draws a snowman and puts “Happy Winter!” come January, they should fear for their safety, because it’s likely that I’d physically harm them. “Happy” and “winter” should never be used together.
But I’ve gotten side-tracked. Just look at these cute illustrations!
2. wine tastings
I’ve done three wine tastings in the last few months and have had a great experience every single time! I love expanding my horizons and trying new wines. The CT Farm Wine Development Council has a CT Wine Trail, and I picked up my “passport” to the trail at the tasting I attended last weekend at Priam Vineyards in Colchester, CT. The tasting actually made me realize that there ARE white wines out there I like, and I even bought a bottle of one on special called Cayuga (fun name, and obviously even better because it was the cheapest).

Lidia and I at Priam Vineyards, enjoying our tasting of a red wine.

I’ve also used a Groupon at Chamard Vineyards in Clinton, CT with my mom, where we got to sit out at picnic tables and listen to jazz while we each enjoyed a glass of Merlot. At the Newport Vineyards in Newport, RI, I got the chance to try a dessert wine called a port, which I really enjoyed! My dad was shocked since it’s a bit heavier (think half red wine/half brandy), but I guess I can handle the hard stuff more than one may think!

My dad and I enjoying the tasting at Newport Vineyards.

Wine tastings are great because wine drinkers like myself can try new wines, or non-wine drinkers like my friend Lidia can discover that there are wines out there they like. And so many of these places let you buy a bottle or a glass and drink it on their picnic tables. You can bring your own snacks – Priam even has a pizza place that will deliver to their patio! It’s a great idea for a date night or a girl’s night – or bachelorette party, because I saw my fair share of those at both Priam and Newport. The grounds are so pretty on a nice day!

The view from the picnic tables at Chamard Vineyards.

3. local coffee shops
Oops, two things on this list are about coffee. Oh well, I’m addicted! Also, this doesn’t really make sense since #1 on this list was about Starbucks aka The Man, but hear me out. I go to Starbucks M-F for the convenience and quality factor. I grab my coffee, go straight to work, and don’t stick around.

Cafe au lait in a mug at So G! Cozy windowsill seating too.

When I DO want to stick around, or when I’m visiting a new place, I want to try something new and/or local. I love studying in cafes – the atmosphere helps me concentrate and there’s something so cozy about drinking coffee out of a mug. Cafes are also a great place to hang out with friends and chat. Since I moved back home in May, I’ve been trying to keep my hometown coffee visits restricted to the two local spots that I’m really enjoying in my town, Daybreak Coffee Roasters and So G. Both are places with extremely high quality coffee (Daybreak roasts their own, and the types they have are endless!) and really friendly staff (a So G barista delivered a freshly-baked cookie to my friend Kim and I during one visit!) Call me a nerd, but I can’t wait to spend my weekend doing homework at one (or both) of those cafes.

Kim’s gorgeous So G latte.

When I’m in a city I’m not normally in, I’ve got to try a cup of coffee from a place I can’t get to often. This past weekend, in Brooklyn with Lidia and our NYC-living friend Hong, I got to try one of Brooklyn’s best cafes, Blue Bottle Coffee. Each cup is individually brewed by a barista pouring hot water from a teapot into special hemp filters – how much more fresh can you get?! The coffee was from Africa too, and really high quality. I’d read about this place on other food blogs, so visiting myself was a great opportunity!

The barista pouring hot water into each individually brewed cup.

 

Aren’t the mugs cute too? I want one!

 

4. audio books

 

Call me a grandma. It’s okay, I know I am. But ever since I started work and took my Nana Connie’s suggestion about listening to audio books on my commute home, I’m addicted. In fact, now the only time I listen to the radio is when I have passengers or in the morning on the way to work. Any other time, you can bet I will be listening to my audio books! I love the ones that are read by more than one person, to account for different characters. The best audio book I’ve listened to was “The Help” – the character acting was so great that I thought I was listening to a play!

 

Currently I’m listening to my first Jennifer Weiner book, “Best Friends Forever“. It’s pretty fluffy and cheesy, to the point where I’ve found myself rolling my eyes. I’ve considered quitting but I only have a couple of discs left and I am curious as to how it’ll play out – even though I’m the ending will be just as fluffy and cheesy as the rest of the book.

 

5. my DVR

 

This seems like a very not-intellectual, non-fulfilling thing to put on my list. But I’m going to be real: I love the nights when I have time to plop my butt down on the couch, eat dinner, and catch up on the shows saved in my DVR. Especially with all the new fall shows starting, and my addiction to “Dance Moms” at its strongest point, it just makes for a relaxing way for me to end my day. My Friday night is going to consist of hanging out with my parents while we spend some quality time with the DVR and dinner. No shame.

 

So that’s what I’m loving this Friday, and that post definitely made me happy – may make this a weekly thing!

 

What are your thoughts on a weekly Five Things Friday feature?
Do you ever listen to audio books? Are you as addicted to the DVR as me? Got any cafe or winery experiences to share?

Greek Food Love

As you can already see from one my About page photos, I love love LOVE Greek food! Or just any food with Mediterannean origins. There’s something so satisfying about it and I love that there are both meat-heavy and vegetarian options – perfect for everyone!

If you’re afraid  to go Greek, start with the basic staple that’s infiltrated my diet, as well as the diets of many out there: hummus! It’s a chickpea spread perfect for sandwiches, dipping, wraps, pizza, EVERYTHING. If you’ve already been going with store-bought (Cedar’s Garlic Lovers is my favorite), that’s fine, but once you try REAL homemade hummus (or hommus), I swear you will never go back!

Or you will go back, because you don’t have a food processor at home or the time to make homemade hummus in said food processor. I fall under both of those categories, so good old Cedar’s saves me.

They also make a delicious tzatziki sauce (a yogurt dip) that definitely is closer to homemade versions than their hummus! Don’t think sweet when you hear yogurt, tzatziki is savory and a really great light alternative to creamy ranch or french onion dips for your next gathering (or solo snacking session). My mom just got turned onto tzatziki this summer and now she can’t believe she lived that long without it.

I could go on and on about different types of Greek food I love, but instead I’ll share some awesome experiences I’ve had at various restaurants!

One place I love so much for their convenient location, great service, and awesome food is Cavos Tavern in Newington, CT. I have actually been there twice! The first time I had the cold pikilia platter (the photo from the About page), which featured hummus, tzatziki, skordalia (potato garlic dip), and kopanisti (hot pepper feta spread). The pita was BEYOND amazing and the leftovers I brought home were what got my Mom hooked on tzatziki! And I also ended up eating half of my friend Lidia’s HUGE gyro. She liked it so much she ordered it again the second time we went back!

Lidia and her gyro which, lucky for me, was too big to finish.

Next on our Greek restaurant tour, we head to another place I’ve liked enough to go back to, Steve’s on Newbury St. in Boston. Both times I got the same thing, the cold pikilia platter (see a running trend here? I can’t make up my mind so I need a little of everything). Theirs comes with dip and pita and veggies like at Cavos, but also some dolmades (vegetarian stuffed grape leaves) and spanikopita (spinach and feta pies) that were AMAZING.

The second time I went to Steve's.

Next on our tour is Parthenon in Washington, DC, one of the stops on my DC-food-frenzy trip that I took this past May with my foodie friend Jeff. It was recommended to us by one of my Greek friends, so I didn’t think we could go wrong – and we definitely didn’t! We split the hot and cold sampler platters (gotta try it all) and had a wonderful experience. We had to tell our waitress to stop bringing pita because we were sooo full – they were certainly generous with it!

Cold sampler platter: tzatziki, hummus, feta, olives, emam baildi,tarama (caviar), and fasolia beans.

Hot sampler platter: dolmades, spanikopita, kalamari, and manitaria gemisti (stuffed mushrooms).

I have traveled far and wide to try all things Greek (or more like, whenever I travel I try to try something Greek along the way), so when Lidia and I went to Florida for Spring Break in March, we couldn’t resist trying a hole in the wall that had been around the area for ages – Olympia. When the owner found out Lidia was Albanian, he sent us complimentary shots of ouzo – and it was good! Guess I even like the Greeks for their alcohol!

Toasting to free drinks! And sunburns.

She went with their keftedes (Greek meatballs) while I, unable to decide as usual, went all out and got both their cold AND hot platters. It was another incidence of me polishing off this food and Lidia’s leftovers. When it comes to Greek I seem to be a bottomless pit!

Pita and taramosalata, tzatziki, hummus, and dolmades with cucumbers, olives, and tomatoes

Both of my selections were beyond amazing. It’s a shame I don’t live in Florida because I’d love to go back here, but luckily I am returning for Christmas and will definitely be stopping by with my mom for some cold sampler platter action.

Hot sampler (and remnants of my cold…): spanikopita, cheese pie, and the Greek meatballs!

The last place on our tour of Greece-away-from-Greece is an obvious choice for ethnic food of any variety: NYC! I have been to a few Greek places here (I almost always go to one when I visit because there’s an endless amount to try). I love being able to order a sampler platter every time, but get a different variation at each restaurant! I’m a bad blogger (don’t hate me, I’m new!) and don’t remember the names of the Greek places I’ve visited, but here is a photo from each of the three places I’ve tried in the Big Apple:

                             

Sorry for the awful last photo, the lighting was so weird, but you get the idea!

So if you’re a Greek food fan, I hope I’ve given you some recommendations to keep in mind for places to get good food, whether you’re travelling or staying local!

And if you’re afraid of Greek food, I hope the below photo doesn’t scare you even more:

Greek pizza Jeff and I made: tzatziki, hummus, chickpeas, roasted eggplant, feta on Boboli wheat crust.

My aplogies again for the scary iPhone photo. I promise you, it was delicious.

Do you like Greek food? What are some of your favorite places to get it? If you haven’t tried it, what’s stopping you?

Why am I here?

AHHH! My first blog post! I have been talking about starting a blog for a few months now. I’ve been reading food blogs for almost two years. I am in love with and fascinated by blogging as a form of new media marketing. I love talking about things that I love (food…working out…clothes…movies…the list goes on…) and meeting new people. So why did this take me so long?

I guess it’s because my life tends to move at a million miles a minute. That’s how it’s been for the last few years and I’ve always waited for things to slow down, but it’s pretty clear that I won’t be letting that happen any time soon seeing as I just started working with Lynn on her blog’s social media, started my MBA, and have been working full-time since a month after I graduated in May.

So what better time than now right? Not sure how often I’ll be posting but I have TONS of ideas and I’m so excited to get started. My first REAL blog post will be coming soon…as in today or tomorrow!

For now, you can enjoy this representation of how psyched I am:

Greek lamb burger at BGR in DC.