Thursday, May 17, 2012

The braces strike again

Hey everyone! So the top portion of my braces has been added, and I'm definitely in no position to eat anything but soup once again. But that doesn't mean I can't live vicariously through my blog! So on to (drum roll please)....The Recipe Of The Day! 

I have been craving chocolate, desserts, and sweet/salty things like crazy lately. But, as stated before, the braces have struck again. Which means I can't eat any of this because it will be too hard to chew. That doesn't mean you can't! And don't forget to share comments on how great it was, what you did differently to the recipe, or anything else. Enjoy!

                                                                                                                                            Yours Truly,
                                                                                                                                                   Foodie

P.S.- Sadly I could not do an Easy Cuisine today, because I have to cover for a coworker. But look out for one next week! Also, I won't be posting again until Monday since I'll be at a 3 day concert. Do not fret my dears, I will return! I'd also like to thank Gojee and Serious Eats for providing these yummy little chubbies. Thanks :)

Chocolate Chubbies







Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Fu Gu Sushi


I apologize for not posting anything in the last couple of days. Life has been very busy since Friday, and I'm still trying to work on making time for everything. But do not fret! This blog will not get set on the back burner, I love it too much. 

Anyway, this Saturday was my first review and I enjoyed doing it so much! Though there were some minor issues with planning, those little inconveniences led me to this great sushi restaurant. And get this, it's only ten minutes away from my house! I was so very pleased and plan on going back there again. I'm still a little shocked though, because I would have never expected to find a place like that here in Pickerington. I'm so used to seeing billions of pizza shops and fast food restaurants here that it seemed almost impossible for there to be anything else.

I was a tad apprehensive at first when I got there for many reasons; one I was alone on my first review and two, the outside appearance does the restaurant no justice. But once I stepped inside the whole atmosphere changed. The warm hues of orange and red had subdued me into a peaceful state of mind, and the small space felt so inviting. To my left was a bar where you could watch the chef prepare your sushi, and to my right were a few booths. 


The restaurant wasn't crowded when I arrived, but then again I did show up fifteen minutes before their closing time. They were all still very nice despite the fact that I came in so late, I know it's their job to be courteous, but we all know how people can be when you show up right before it's time to close. They were especially nice though, so that really added to my experience. The waitress presented me with a menu, which I attempted to scan hastily but I was overwhelmed by a hungry stomach and lots of yummy things to choose from. Still in a mad pursuit of what I should choose, I remembered I was on a budget and was able to narrow my search down rather quickly. 

I ordered the Shrimp Tempura Roll and a California Roll as well. Despite the fact that I have eaten California Rolls numerous times, they sounded too good to pass up. The Tempura Rolls, on the other hand, I had never tried and couldn't wait to dig in. My sushi only took about ten minutes to make and only cost me $9! I felt like Rachel Ray on $40 A Day, the only thing missing was a camera crew. Sushi in hand, it was time to head back home and chow down. If I could drive and eat with chop sticks at the same time I probably would have devoured everything before I pulled into my driveway, yes I was that hungry. 




After arriving home, speaking with my family, and taking a few pictures of my meal I was ready to dive in. I tasted the California roll first, which was "Oh-so-delicious!". They were fresh and the perfect temperature, which meant a lot to me because I really don't like cold sushi. In my opinion it takes away some of the flavor. I ate a few of those and then it was on to the Shrimp Tempura Rolls. These rolls were amazing, and I really wish I could get some for lunch today. Hmmm, $4.50 for another Shrimp Tempura Roll, yes please! The sauce on the outside of the rolls is what hooked me. It was a dark but sweet sauce, this surprised me since I expected it to have a similar taste to soy sauce. The sweetness of the sauce paired with the soy sauce that I love to dunk my sushi in balanced out perfectly.


I also paired this sushi with some of the ginger provided, and it tasted divine! Maybe that's just because I am a fan of ginger, but I recommend trying it and try out this awesome restaurant! I'm starting to appreciate the beauty in poor planning and minor mishaps now, because if none of that had ever happened I never would have found Fu Gu Sushi. So the next time you're out and craving some quality sushi, stop by Fu Gu Sushi! Maybe you'll even get a 10% off coupon like I did. Ooh! Now I'm definitely stopping by there for lunch. Score! Talk to you soon foodies!

                                                                                                                                             Yours Truly,
                                                                                                                                                     Foodie



FuGu Sushi on Urbanspoon

Friday, May 11, 2012

Spring is in the air

The sun is out, the air feels great, and there is not a dark cloud in sight. This kind of weather always puts me in a fantastic mood, and to make things even better my teeth don't hurt nearly as bad anymore. So bye-bye soup, it was fun while it lasted, and hello salads! As you can tell my teeth and I are feeling more adventurous, and though I had great time finding all of those yummy soup and noodle recipes, I felt like it was time for a change. It's also a tad too warm out for soup, and cold pea soup did not sound appetizing today. The salad I found is very simple to make, like all the other recipes. Plus it's also full of great colors and ingredients that embody spring. Thanks to The Perfect Pantry and Gojee, I now have a new salad to share with all of my family. Also try pairing this salad with baked salmon, or even grill it! Any fish, baked or grilled, would go great with this. So long my fellow foodies, and I hope you enjoy this one!

                                                                                                                                             Yours Truly,
                                                                                                                                                     Foodie


Vegan quinoa salad


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Side note about the "Nummy Noodles"

After making these I noticed my noodles got a bit mushy, for lack of a better word, when they sat for a little while. So if you plan on saving this I recommend that you separate your noodles and broth. I tossed the left over noodles and spinach I had, and saved my broth. You can heat your broth up easily in a pot, then add some more noodles and spinach. I also put my left over tofu in a plastic container. Separating the broth and tofu makes it a lot easier for storage, and then you can eat it any time you want in the week! Good night every one, and I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow.

                                                                                                                                                Yours Truly, 
                                                                                                                                                        Foodie

Easy Cuisine 

Nummy Noodle Soup

Wooh! Today has been a busy day. Busy and very enjoyable. Especially since I got to make the first "Easy Cuisine" of Yours Truly, Foodie. I will do this every Thursday, and soon I will post videos instead of pictures. Kind of like my own mini cooking show to share with all of you! 

Still keeping with the soup theme, I thought it'd be really cool to make something simple and affordable. And what's more affordable than Ramen Noodles?! I came across an awesome recipe on Mommie Cooks, which was brought to my attention through Gojee. The mother who posted this recipe had an awesome idea, and I see why her kids loved it. It's easy, affordable, and only takes 20 minutes! I honestly didn't believe that something so simple could taste so great, and I was a bit apprehensive about making tofu since it would be my first time cooking it. All my worrying was for nothing though, because it turned out great. I only wish I could have posted a video of the process, but I do not have to proper equipment for that yet. So until then I have some lovely pictures to share with all of you, which should help you step by step on your cooking adventures.

                                                First gather all of your ingredients together!


For the broth you will need:
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 inch of fresh ginger, chopped (I measured it against my thumb)
2 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp of soy sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 pkg of Ramen Noodles (unless you're serving a lot of people, I used 2)
2 cups of fresh spinach

For the tofu you will need:
1 pkg of firm tofu, cubed (try and get cubed, it's a little bit messy when slicing)
1 tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Oh! And if you're not a fan of tofu feel free to trade it for chicken, or whatever you'd like.              

So once you have all of those ingredients gathered, get yourself a large pot and heat your stove. I find that it's good to heat your pot a little before adding the broth. Maybe I'm just impatient, actually I am hah, so it makes me feel as if I've cut some time out of the process. Once you feel that it's been heating up long enough add your 6 cups of broth, soy sauce, sesame sauce, ginger and green onions. Let this simmer over medium heat. By the way it smells A-MA-ZING when you add the sesame sauce. I felt like I had just stepped into a fresh market in Asia, with all the authentic smells swirling around me. 



While that lovely mixture is coming to a boil, move on over to a free burner and heat up your remaining soy sauce and sesame sauce. Once the sauces are heated, add the tofu and lightly toss them around until they are coated in the sauce. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until they are a light brown on the outside. (The tofu will still feel a bit spongy, so do not worry.) 


As the tofu finishes cooking add the noodles to your broth.


When the noodles are fully cooked add your spinach, and let that cook for about 2 minutes. 


After that you can add your tofu (or any other meat).


Now it's time to eat!


I hope you all enjoyed the first of many Easy Cuisines! I certainly did, and I can't wait to share more with you! Now time to chow down. Until we meet again, many happy food wishes!

                                                                                                                                          Yours Truly,
                                                                                                                                                  Foodie






Wednesday, May 9, 2012

                                              Kickin' it with the captain.


So after some persistent searching I finally found it! My all time favorite stew. I know, I know, it's not soup. But soups and stews are pretty similar, and I thought it'd be a nice switch. Plus this stew is so simple to make, and it last for days! I seriously ate this stew for a week straight. You can even put over a nice bowl of rice, it's super delicious. But before any of you begin making this stew I'd like to point out that this is not the original recipe I used, and when I find the original recipe I will post it. The difference between the two recipes is this recipe contains a few ingredients that I did not use when making the stew. For example, there are cherries, peanut butter, coconut shavings, and ginger in this stew. I've never put any of the following ingredients in my stew, so I'm not sure how it would affect the overall flavor. But for those feeling adventurous, I know I always am, give it a try. If it's a great success, let me know what you think! Thinking of this stew has given me a case of food nostalgia, so I shall have to work this recipe into my dinner plans soon. Oh! And be sure to eat this yummy stew with a big piece of baguette bread. You'll want to scoop every last bit of it up. Also, I'd like to thank Epicurious for providing this recipe. I'm so happy I was able to find it. Enjoy!
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                              Yours Truly,
                                                                                                                                                      Foodie

                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                    

                                 Country Captain with Cauliflower and Peas



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

                                         Savory Soups and Rainy Days



There is nothing better than a savory and simple soup, and this my friends looks pretty darn savory to me. I stumbled upon this lovely little recipe when I was browsing  Gojee this morning, which then lead me to the blog Y-I-EAT-N (another new favorite). Oh, and for those of you that have never heard of Gojee, it is a magnificent recipe database that allows you type in any ingredient that sounds delicious to you or that you have available. Then it takes that ingredient and throws it into cyberspace, and finds a ton of recipes with that specific ingredient! You can also type in any ingredients you don't like so they can be filtered out. After going through a few recipes, if you find one you like, you simply click "View Full Recipe". This will then lead you to a recipe website or a blog. It's a really great source when you're trying to make dinner at the last minute, which I tend to do often.


But back to the soup! This soup contains coriander, carrots, kale, white beans, and even apples. Definitely healthy and not mention delicious! There's more to it than that, but those are some of the ingredients that I found interesting. Though the coriander and beans alone would have hooked me while I was fishing for new recipes. And as I mentioned before it is so simple! In a nutshell, you heat up your oil in a large stock pot and saute the first few ingredients. Then you add your stock (vegetable or chicken), some seasonings, simmer for about thirty minutes and voila ! You've got yourself a soup worthy of snuggling on the couch with. This soup is especially perfect for the rainy day I'm experiencing. Add a good book or a movie on top of that and you're ready for a good evening! I know what I'll be doing tonight. I wish you all the best, and many happy foodie filled moments!


                                                                                                                                            Yours Truly,
                                                                                                                                                    Foodie




                           Coriander, Carrot, Kale and White Bean Soup




Monday, May 7, 2012

Cheers to the first recipe of the day !


Hello again! Here is the first recipe of the day. I know it may seem odd to post a recipe for soup in May, but I've been on a soup kick since I just got my braces put on. Also no offense to store bought soup but I'm getting a little bored with the lack of variety. So to solve this minor problem I am on a mission to find delicious soups and share them with you ! Hope you think this one looks as appetizing as I do! Also I would like to give credit to Gojee  for helping me find this recipe, and to So Good and Tasty. Which is where the recipe originated from. There are some really tasty looking things on there, so be sure to check it out. Oh! And check out her new blog, Good Things Grow as well. Enjoy !


                                                                                                                                        Yours Truly,

                                                                                                                                               Foodie
                                                                                                                                               

                                               Black Bean Soup



                                           Welcome!

Hello Everyone, and welcome to Yours Truly, Foodie. A blog fit for all of my fellow food lovers, and those in pursuit of new places to dine out. I'm Nia, and I hope to be your guide to marvelous and delectable foods. Just to give a bit of info about myself, I am a college student who absolutely adores food! Though I am not studying culinary arts, I do love writing about food and restaurants I have been to. I'm not picky when it comes to what I eat either, so expect a variety of places to choose from.


I do have a problem when eating out at restaurants though, I always seem to pick the most expensive thing on the menu! Which doesn't help when I am on a budget. So to stop the wild fire that is burning a whole in my wallet and to show all of you that you can still dine out to nice restaurants, I will be setting a budget for every restaurant that I review. After all many of us do like going out, but have the constant worry of money in the back of our minds. Hopefully I can eliminate this worry!


Along with reviewing restaurants and showing you tips on how to eat on a budget I will be posting: daily recipes, easy cuisine videos every Thursday, and tips for healthy eating no matter where you are! Also, feel free to ask any questions about restaurants, how to budget, or healthy tips! Well that's all, and I look forward to sharing my foodie experiences with all of you. Until next time, bon appetit!


                                                                                          Yours Truly,
                                                                                                 Foodie