Sweet Friday Wishes

Crumbs Bake Shop
1418 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY
(212) 360-7200
Other Locations

A few weeks ago, my old graduate school roommate Sara and I met up for a bit of shopping. The reason? I needed new running shoes and running gear so I could start training for a 5k I'm running in May.* After spending over an hour in the sporting goods store, we treated ourselves to more than one indulgence: lunch at Chipotle and dessert from Crumbs Bake Shop. A sort of last hurrah to crappy food I shouldn't be eating while training.

Circle of Helping Hearts Giveaway

(Image courtesy of AMoores)

Women don't like to be wrong. (Trust me. I'm a woman, and I hate being wrong.) However, when it comes to holding the belief that breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women, the majority of women are wrong. The truth is, heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States. In fact, more women die of heart disease each year than die of all types of cancer combined.

Don't despair. There is good news. Heart disease may be the leading cause of death in women, but it is also the most preventable. One of the easiest ways to prevent heart disease is to monitor and control your cholesterol by making simple changes to your eating habits. General Mills has been advocating the importance of lowering your cholesterol for years, stating in their commercials that eating one bowl of Cheerios per day can help lower cholesterol levels.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

(Image courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)

First things first. I am very excited to announce that this post is the 100th post on Taste As You Go! When I first started this blog, I never thought I'd reach this milestone so quickly. Thanks to all of you who read and comment and encourage me to keep going! Here's to the next 100 posts.

And now, on with the show...

Ladies Who Lunch at the Afghan Kebab House 1

Afghan Kebab House 1
764 9th Avenue
New York, NY
(212) 307-1612 | Map

One of my girlfriends from college, Jena, told me back in January that she had set a goal for herself -- to explore the city more. And one of the ways she wanted to do that was to try cuisines from around the world that she wouldn't normally try or that she didn't have access to in her neighborhood. Knowing that I'm a foodie, Jena challenged me to find a place where we could eat Afghan food.

To the computer I went! And, wouldn't you know it? There's actually a place in Manhattan called the Afghan Kebab House 1! (There is an Afghan Kebab House 2, but the first one received better reviews, so that's the one I picked.) So, Jena and I met up with two more college girlfriends, Linda (of Dim Sum and Ice Cream in Chinatown fame) and Sarah, a few weeks ago to see what the Afghan Kebab House #1 had to offer for lunch.

A Blog Award and the Amazing Taste® Seasoning Packet Giveaway Winners

Earlier this week, Gera from Sweet Foods awarded Taste As You Go the Kreativ Blogger Award! When Gera sent me a message about the award, I seriously didn't know what to say. Taste As You Go has been "live" for seven months and this is the first award it has ever received! I am unbelievably touched to have my blog be recognized by one of my peers and am thrilled to say that Taste As You Go is an now "award-winning blog"! Thank you, Gera!

Last Chance to Enter the Amazing Taste® Seasoning Packet Giveaway

Have you entered yet?? Today is the last day to enter the Amazing Taste® Seasoning Packet Giveaway! I'll be naming THREE WINNERS, so be sure you leave a comment on the giveaway post by 11:59pm EST tonight! And if you write about the giveaway on your own blog, be sure to come back and leave another comment on the giveaway post to earn your BONUS ENTRY!

I'll be choosing the three winners with the help of Random.org tomorrow, March 15, 2009 and will announce the names of those winners here.

Good luck!

Taste As You Go Disclaimer: I was provided with product samples at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about these products or about my experiences while using them. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cinnamon Pecan Swirl Cookies

Have you ever lazily flipped through a food magazine only to have a recipe practically jump off the page and lodge itself into your brain until it becomes such a huge obsession that you have to clear your schedule to try it out? Well, that's what happened to me not too long ago when I came across a recipe in Martha Stewart Living for Cinnamon-Swirl Cookies. Just looking at the photo of the cookies in the magazine made my mouth water, so I ripped the recipe out and saved it for later.

Dinner at Grand Sichuan St. Mark's and Rachael Ray's Pre-SXSW Party

Grand Sichuan St. Mark's
19-23 St. Mark's Place
New York, NY
(212) 529-4800; (212) 529-4805 | Map

I had been hearing all sorts of magical things about Grand Sichuan for a while now. One of my coworkers, Eric, is a regular diner at their St. Mark's location and, unbeknownst to me at the time, had planned for us to have dinner there with his friend Liz before we headed over to the Santos Party House for the pre-SXSW party hosted by Rachael Ray. (Yes, I'm aware that this party was held on February 25... I am, admittedly, a bit behind with my blogging.) Because I had never been there before, I let Eric and Liz lead the way in terms of ordering, especially since they already to know what they wanted to eat.

Orange Panko Chicken Strips

Regular readers of Taste As You Go are probably well aware by now that I'm holding a fantastic giveaway. Three lucky winners will receive their own assortment of Amazing Taste® seasoning packets! To prove that I've actually tried and created food with the product, I'm sharing a recipe for Orange Panko Chicken Strips that I created with their Poultry seasoning. The chicken strips came out so deliciously moist and flavorful, how could I not share the recipe?

Dinner and Margarita Specials at Tacocina

(Image courtesy of Tacocina)

Tacocina
714 9th Avenue
New York, NY
(212) 730-1860 | Map

I came to an amazing - yet obvious - realization earlier this evening. I do a lot. Those who know me well are still amazed by how much I manage to pack into one day/week/month. And I'm often asked, "Is there anything you don't do?" With that said, I have to tell you what a blessing it is knowing that, each month, I can unwind with my friends Kym and Brian as we try yet another new-to-us restaurant. I've written about our "Lehigh Dinner Club" adventures before (The Park; Blue Smoke; Pao!; Heidelberg Restaurant), and now it's time to write another.

NYC Winter 2009 Restaurant Week Extended.... Again

(Image courtesy of NYCGo.com)

Now, I may be reading into this, but it sounds like New York City restaurants may be suffering from a drop in the number of patrons due to our current economic situation. Why do I think this? Because "Restaurant Week" was originally scheduled to end on January 30. Now diners have the opportunity to take advantage of Restaurant Week pre-fixe menu prices ($24.07 for lunch or $35 for dinner) until March 20!

Check out the list of participating restaurants or browse through the menus. If you see something you like, make your reservations while you still can!

And, if you haven't already, you should enter Taste As You Go's Amazing Taste® Seasoning Packet Giveaway! Deadline to enter is 11:59pm EST on Saturday, March 14, 2009!

Amazing Taste® Seasoning Packet Giveaway

About a month ago, I received an email from a representative of Amazing Taste Foods, Inc., a seasoning company in Malibu, CA, about whether I'd be interested in trying samples of their products. As I'm not one to turn down the opportunity to try new things, I replied that I was interested and gave them my mailing address. The package arrived on Valentine's Day, while I was out to brunch with my boyfriend at Tournesol. I was expecting one or two packets, perhaps a sample of the Beef seasoning and the Poultry seasoning, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the boxes.

Because they knew I was a food blogger, the folks at Amazing Taste Foods generously shipped two samples of each of their nine seasoning packets!

• Beef
• Burger
• Chili
• Fajita
• Malibu (all-purpose)
  
• Pork
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Steakhouse (all-purpose)
  

According to the informational sheet I received, Amazing Taste seasonings "make less expensive meats juicy and tender by sealing in the meat's natural juices and flavors that often escape during the cooking process." Each Amazing Taste packet only costs $0.99 and seasons 2-4 pounds of protein - a major plus in this economy. I haven't had a chance to try all of the packets yet, but I made some really delicious chicken with the Poultry seasoning the other night (recipe to follow at some point). It was so good that I can't wait to see what dishes I can make with the other seasoning packets!