Oui Oui! Croque Madame, please
If you couldn’t tell, I love cuisines from all around the world. French cuisine, again, is no exception. When I have a few extra minutes or choose to wake up a few minutes early, I like making this amazing powerhouse breakfast that’s not only delicious, but good for you! Try a new spin on your breakfast sandwich—it’s beautiful, great to entertain with and takes no more than 10 minutes!
Ingredients: Makes 2 servings
- 2 slices of toast (pick your favorite—I recommend a wonderful French bread or wheat)
- 2 eggs
- 6-8 slices of your favorite deli meat (traditionally, it’s made with ham, but if you prefer turkey, roast beef, go right ahead!)
- 2 slices of cheese (I recommend provolone or muenster but again, use your favorite!)
- 2 tsp of Dijon mustard
Instructions: 10 minute- Prep and Cook time
1. On medium/medium-high heat, coat a skillet with olive oil (or use cooking spray) and carefully crack an egg into the skillet.
*TIP: If you don’t feel comfortable cracking it into the skillet directly, try cracking an egg into a bowl and slowly dropping it into the skillet.
2. While the egg is frying, toast your bread lightly in your toaster/toaster oven. You want a light golden brown on both sides.
3. Cook the egg for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Make sure you turn the heat to medium/low-medium on the second side.
4. Spread the toast with some Dijon mustard and layer on the meat. Toast again to warm the meat through.
5. Once the egg is done frying, place it on the toast and meat. Melt the cheese on top. Use the stove top or the residual heat from your toaster oven.
6. Enjoy with coffee, juice, and your favorite sides!
Oh thank Heaven for Thai Heaven
I love experiencing a culture through its food. Thai cuisine is no exception. Since 2003, I have fallen in love with thai flavors and spices; I was lucky enough to have a small Thai restaurant open up near my house that was within walking distance. 8 years later, I have discovered a Thai restaurant, Thai Heaven, 5 minutes away from campus! I was able to go with my childhood friend today, and I have pictures and recommendations for the next time you are craving Thai!
Chicken Satay
Chicken Satay: $6- for 5 chicken skewers (clearly, we were pretty hungry haha), you get this awesome appetizer! Infused with curry and paired with 2 slices of toast, a delicious peanut dipping sauce and a cucumber salad, this appetizer is a definite crowd pleaser for those trying Thai cuisine for the first time.
Lunch Special with Chicken
#46 Lunch Special with Chicken $6.25: This was my delicious (and affordable) lunch choice. If you like spicy, go ahead and get this. Stir fried chicken, green beans, onions, thai basil, and thai chilis, this dish was SO good and SO satisfying.
Drunken Noodles
#68 Lunch Special with Chicken $6.25: My friend’s pick. Drunken noodles — a Thai staple. Another great beginner-Thai cuisine dish. Also fairly spicy! Really delicious and satisfying.
Overall, Thai Heaven is an amazing lunch/dinner spot for UMBC students and local Catonsville residents. Great prices, great food, great personalities—the owners of this place are hysterical. If you need a great laugh, come to Thai Heaven: 6413 Fredrick Rd., Baltimore, MD 21202 - (410) 455-9239
WELCOME SUMMER VACATION!
The best way to reel in the summer is to have a fun BBQ with your closest family and friends. 
I decided to have a BBQ this past Memorial Day weekend. My most popular food item was KEBOBS! I made three types of kebobs: Pineapple Rum, Honey BBQ, and Garlic & Herb. These are the recipes I came up with to marinate the kebobs.
Pineapple Rum Marinade
- Pineapple juice
- Bacardi Rum
- Kikkoman’s Triple Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
- Minced garlic
- Olive oil
- Meat tenderizer
- Vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning
- Adobo
Honey BBQ Marinade
- KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce
- Honey
- Meat tenderizer
- Garlic
- Canola Oil
- Onion powder
- Adobo
Garlic and Herb Marinade
- McCormick GrillMates Garlic and Herb seasoning
- Meat tenderizer
- Olive oil
- Vinegar
- Curry powder
- Adobo
Marinade for meats!
So once you get those marinades prepared in separate dishes, add your preferred meat (chicken, beef, steak, or pork) into each marinade. Your meat must be cut into cubes that are no more than one inch thick. Mix the meat into the marinade well. Place the meat in the marinade into the fridge over night.
The next day, soak your skewers in water for 30 minutes or more. You must do this because, if not done, then the skewers will burn and start a fire on the grill.
Don't forget to soak your skewers!
While the skewers are soaking, dice up some colorful bell peppers and red onions. They should be thick enough so that they will not burn quickly on the grill.
When the skewers are done and the peppers are diced, take the meat out of the fridge. You can arrange the meat, peppers, and onion mix in any order you prefer. I did it in this order: meat, onion, pepper, meat, onion, pepper, etc. I did only three sets of the combination on each skewer. It’s important to take your time so you won’t get splinters or broken skewers.
Delicious Kebobs!
Make Your Own Indian Meal
I recently ventured out to Corolla, North Carolina for a relaxing break at the beach. If you know anything about the Outer Banks, you know that this time is still technically pre-season. Many stores are closed and very few people are around. This is perfect for relaxing purposes, but when it’s time to eat…It’s time to eat! So my first night there, I made my own make shift version of an Indian meal.
To make this meal, you need:
- Chicken (leg quarters, thighs, drumsticks, breasts…whatever you prefer)
- Patak’s Indian Cooking Sauce (http://pataksusa.elsstore.com/view/category/1428-sauce—in—glass/) There are a large variety of flavors. I chose Jalfrezi Sauce and Butter Chicken Sauce.
- Black pepper
- One red onion (sliced)
- Onion powder
- Adobo
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Garlic and herb seasonings
- Potatoes (sliced like potato chips) If you don’t want potatoes, you can also use basmati rice or naan. Either way, it will be delicious.
- Vegetable of choice (I chose cabbage)
- First preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Place potatoes in a deep oven-safe dish. Add some of your sliced onions, adobo, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic and herb seasonings. With your hands (because it’s fun), mix all the ingredients so that the potatoes have an even coating of seasonings. Cover dish with foil and place in the oven. When the potatoes are almost ready, remove the foil so they can get a little bit crisp.
- Use a fork to punch little holes in your chicken pieces. These holes should not be large noticeable holes because then your chicken will lose its tenderness.
- Place all the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add onions, salt, adobo, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and garlic and herb seasonings. Pour a little bit of olive oil or canola oil on top. Once again, use your hands to rub in the seasonings and evenly coat each chicken piece. *Though seen as unhealthy, leaving the skin on chicken whilst it’s cooking helps it retain its moisture and tenderness. If you can, leave some on there and take it off when consuming.*
- Evenly place all chicken pieces in large oven safe tray. Make sure there is space between all pieces so that none of the parts will be left uncooked. The pan may need to be sprayed if it is an aluminum pan but glass trays (preferred) do not need to be.
- Your preferred vegetable can be placed in the oven to steam. Just place them in an oven safe dish and sprinkle some salt and black pepper. Add a little bit of water and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven when chicken is halfway finished and they will be steamy delicious by the time the chicken is done.
- Lastly, for the Patak sauces, follow the instructions on the jar on how to heat them. I heated my sauces in a skillet with a little bit of the “juice” from the chicken. The drippings from the chicken adds a little bit more flavor to your sauces and connects the two flavors. Generally, you heat them up for about 15 minutes on medium heat in the skillet.
Now you can set up your table and enjoy this delicious meal with family and friends!
*Note-
Notice I didn’t put exact measurements for seasonings. That is because the seasonings listed are really fail proof seasonings. The only ones that you could put too much of are salt, adobo, and black pepper.
Also it is important to use your own judgment when determining the doneness of the chicken. Because the chicken parts used can vary, times may also vary. Boneless chicken breasts take a lot less time to cook than whole leg quarters.
Avocado Pesto
When I am not running around campus trying to take care of last minute assignments or trying to find my lost keys I manage to find some time in my busy busy life to cook.
I decided to try my hand at Avocado Pesto. How can something that does not require any cooking be hard?
I am pretty sure I stole the recipe from someone. Well, actually, I googled “Avocado Pesto” decided that the recipe looked too hard, so did my own thing.
Which was pretty much the same as the recipe.
You could also call this recipe Yummy Guacamole, because that is what it tasted like.
Avocado Pesto
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 avocado, peel and remove the pit
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic
- 1 handful pine nuts
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 1/4 cup water
- Lemon juice to taste
Food process everything and serve over pasta with a healthy serving of cheese.
*I made up all the amounts for the salt, pepper and garlic. Just shake until it looks good. And lick the pesto from the food processor as you add to test for quality control.
The worst part is cleaning the food processor. Not fun.
I served this with a side of bruschetta. They went really well together.
Enjoy!
Mochi
I love sweets and mochi has always been one of my favorites. My grandma used to make it for me all the time when I was little. For those of you who have never had or heard of mochis before, mochi is a glutinous rice ball with a sweet filling on the inside. They are vegetarian and vegan friendly so anyone can enjoy them!
Since my grandma always made hot mochi, I attempted to make the same ones over the weekend. They turned out to be really delicious! Here is the recipe I used:
- 4 oz. glutinous rice (sticky rice) flour— can be purchased at the international section of a grocery store
- 1/3cup water
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
1. mix glutinous rice flour with water into a consistent paste, it should no longer stick into your hand.
2. mix sugar with peanut butter
2. divide the flours into 8-10 balls of dough. Flatten each ball on your palm, add peanut butter into the flattened dough, then roll the dough back into the ball using the palms of your hands. Repeat the process.
3. boil a pot of water, then put mochis in the pot and bring the mochis to a boil. Serve in a bowl. Enjoy!
The original recipe can be found at ( http://rasamalaysia.com/black-sesame-dumplings-tang-yuan/ ), which is a lot more complicated. This simplified version is a lot easier to make and yields the same delicious result — but feel free to challenge yourself and be creative with the filling!
Special Breakfast
Breakfast is my favorite part of the day. However during the busy week I can only muster up the energy to grab a power bar on the way out.
So when it comes to the weekend I try to add the extra effort into making breakfast a little special.
Fun fact: french toast is my favorite breakfast to eat so I always try to dress it up a little to make it different.
Grilled Banana French Toast
I just made regular French Toast with two eggs and some almond milk, however I grilled a banana in a pan with some cinnamon on the side.
I have also made bagel french toast and I loved them! I just used the bagels I had on hand and dressed them up with some pecans, blueberries and strawberries.
Enjoy these two ways to make the first meal of the day a little more special!
Macaroni Recipe
We all have foods that we love for memories. As a child, I remember my dad making me pasta. It was macaroni in a pink sauce. I was only three or four years old yet his macaroni dish was vivid to me, though he only made it once. Since then, Macaroni became one of my favorite things to make. So guess what’s for dinner tonight? I call this one “Macaroni in Red” which is basically Macaroni in Marinara sauce dressed in grated cheddar and sun dried tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup of Macaroni Pasta
- 8 pieces of sun dried tomato
- 5 Tbs of Marinara Sauce (more if desired)
- 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese (more if desired)
- chopped dried Parsley (or herbs of any kind) leaves (optional)
Directions
- boil pasta in salt water
- cut sun dried tomatoes to bits
- mix sun dried tomatoes with Marinara sauce.
- take out pasta and transfer into baking bowl
- grate the Cheddar cheese (as much desired), you can have some freedom with this!
- mix tomato sauce, grated cheese and macaroni in the bowl. Mix herbs also if desired. sprinkle some cheese on top.
- set the baking bowl in the oven. 375° for 8 minutes, or until the cheese on top melts.
I guess you can see that this is a more “grown up” version of the simple macaroni and cheese. It’s quick and easy to make — perfect for a week night dinner or if you are having some friends over and are eager to show off some culinary skills (or just too embarrassed to whip out another good old can of Chef Boyardee).
Thank you Italians for introducing tomato to pasta…Buon appetito!
I Guess It’s Chinese Tonight…Yay?
It’s 7pm. You’ve been busy all day. You don’t feel like cooking, but want something delicious and satisfying for dinner. You want it delivered in less than 45 minutes or within 15 minutes of driving and you want it to be fabulous. This is a standard feeling for most college students. We want something different. The ramen noodles, pizza, and Chinese that normally satisfies our bellies cannot satisfy us. So what are our options?
My favorite type of food is international food. I cannot narrow this down to one ethnicity or country, just a genre. I like the explosion of flavors, the spices, the textures, and the variety. Being of African descent, I am used to flavorful foods of several varieties and flavors. Foods that take more than 30 minutes to cook, foods that epitomize the phrase of “putting your foot in it” to cook it. Foods that warm your soul and make you smile. Pizza and Chinese doesn’t cut it for me. I need Caribbean, Soul food, Indian, Mexican, Italian (the real stuff), Thai, Vietnamese, Pakistani, African, Korean, Filipino, and the list goes on.
So after some investigation, I have compiled a list of a few of the many delicious international eateries in the Catonsville-Baltimore area. I made sure they were either places where I have eaten or places where trusted sources have given rave reviews. So if it’s listed, it’s delicious!
African
- Peju’s Kitchen
This amazing resturant has foods of mainly Nigerian influence. I found some foods on the menu to be similar to Ghanaian foods. The atmosphere and décor of the restaurant is amazing and there is a lounge for large parties too! Prices are under $10.
1724 Woodlawn Drive, Baltimore, MD 21244
Menu: http://www.pejuskitchen.com/menu.html
Phone: (410) 277-9779
Hours: Mon-Fri- 11am-9pm Sat- 12-9pm Sun- Closed
- Dukem Restaurant
This restaurant has authentic Ethiopian food right in the center of Mt. Vernon. Prices range from $8 to $15 per plate. They have live entertainment, a full bar, and patio seating for those nice Baltimore days!
1100 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21201
Menu: http://www.dukemrestaurant.com/Baltimore%20menu.html
Phone: (410) 385-0318
Asian/ Pacific
- Hanoori Town
Right next to the H-mart is a mini Asian mall called Hanoori Town. On the top floor there are two restaurants each serving Korean and Japanese food including sushi. Also delicious frozen yogurt is sold at Yogi Berry inside the “mini mall.” It is conveniently accessible on the UMBC Transit Rolling Road Line only on the weekends.
822 North Rolling Road, Catonsville, MD 21228
Phone: (410) 747- 8315
Prices are under $10 for the restaurant food
- Thai Heaven
This delicious Thai restaurant is truly heaven when you are looking for something delicious to eat. The staff is extremely friendly and they love UMBC students. If you don’t have a car, you can come here on the UMBC Transit Arbutus Line.
6413 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD 21228
Phone: (410) 455-9239
Menu: Available on urbanspoon.com
Prices range from $5-$15
- Teppanyaki Grill and Buffet
This little unknown establishment is right next to the Super Wal-Mart in Arbutus. The food is of Japanese influence. It is a relatively new location so not much is out there about it.
3581 Washington Boulevard, Halethorpe, MD 21227
Prices are up to $10 per person
Italian/ Mediterranean
- Iggie’s Pizza
A favorite spot of mine in the city is Iggie’s Pizza in Mt. Vernon. Some of the most creative and delicious pizzas are made here. I fell in love with it the first time I went and they even sell Italian sodas and drinks! It’s BYOB and the service is amazing!
818 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD
Phone: (410) 528- 0818
Menu: http://www.iggiespizza.com/Iggies_Menu.html
Prices range from $10- $15
- Dmitri’s International Grille
This restaurant specializes in Greek, Mediterranean, and International foods. They have a reduced menu for lunch including a munchies menu as well. Food ranges from $7 to $22 so you have a large price range to work with. It is also on the way to Old Ellicott City so it would be a great adventure to get into!
2205 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD 21228
Phone: (410) 747- 1927
Menu: www.dmitris.us/catonsville_baltimore/beef_greek_salad.html#complete
Middle Eastern
- The Helmand
This location is a recommendation I got. The restaurant specializes in Afghani cuisine and is supposed to be amazing! The menu is very exotic and it’s a popular place to get some good food! The price range is $10-$15 per plate.
806 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 752-0311
Menu: www.helmand.com
- Mughal Garden
This is probably the best Indian restaurant I have ever been to! The food is more than amazing and not too expensive at $11-20 per plate. There is also a daily lunch buffet for $8.95-$10.95.
920 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201
Phone: (410) 547- 0001
Menu: www.Mughalgarden.com
Mediterranean Style Tuna Salad
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a sandwich fiend. I love them. Yes, at Panera, I always get a “You Pick Two” with a half a sandwich and soup. No, I have not calculated all the different possibilities I could obtain, but I have tried quite a few. I love making sandwiches. They are perfect to entertain with. I’ve always liked playing around with new flavors when it comes to tuna, chicken, egg, and potato salads (check out my recipes for potato salad and my aunt’s sandwiches!) For something lighter, healthier, and unexpectedly good, try out this recipe for tuna salad. If you’re not a tuna fan, by all means, go ahead a substitute with chicken, egg, or whatever protein you like!
Ingredients: Makes 2 servings
- 2 cans of tuna (packed in water or oil—doesn’t matter!)
- 6 oz. of plain Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, zested and half of it for the juice
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced or grated into a paste
*If you don’t like fresh garlic, substitute with 1 tsp of garlic powder/salt. However, fresh garlic is highly recommended
- 1/3 cup of grated cucumber
*Substitute with chopped spinach leaves if you aren’t a fan of cucumber! (I used spring mix since I ran out of cucumber!)
- 2 Tbsp of honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Drain your tuna well and flake into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the yogurt, lemon zest, juice of half of a lemon, garlic, cucumber, honey, salt, and pepper.
3. Mix all ingredients well.
4. Serve atop salad, in sandwiches, or with crackers! Enjoy!
Ingredients used for the tuna salad!
Serving suggestion
