DeFrancesco Farm Stand

Growing up, I must have driven past the DeFrancesco Farm Stand hundreds of times. But it wasn't until this summer that I actually pulled my car into the little parking lot and decided to look around. I was on the first leg of my return trip to New York after spending a long weekend with my grandparents in Rhode Island and had some time to kill before dropping my car off at my father's house and heading to the train station in New Haven.

Mark Bittman's Coffee Cake Muffins

Friday is more than half over and the weekend is quickly approaching. From the looks of it, New York is in for some rainy weather over the next few days. Perfect timing, right? But being cooped up in my apartment because of rain can have its benefits. Staying indoors will provide me with time to bake up another batch of Coffee Cake Muffins. Deliciously sweetened by a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, these muffins make the perfect weekend breakfast. Especially when paired with a large mug of freshly brewed coffee.

Guest Post: Bon Appétit! But Please No Cobb Salad Lunches For Me!

It's time to kick off the very first Taste As You Go blogging series - the Guest Blogger Series! I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers over the past year, some in person and some virtually via Google Reader and Twitter. In an attempt to introduce my readers to some bloggers they may not know about and to highlight the writing skills of some incredibly talented people, I will be featuring Guest Posts on Taste As You Go from time to time.

The first Guest Post was written by my new friend Constance Korol, who I met at the Foodbuzz Community Table event a few weeks ago. In the short time that I've known Constance, she's given me tremendous advice about everything from blogging to social networking to running! When you're finished reading Constance's Guest Post, you should check out her blog, Twitter Coach. Thanks for writing, Constance!

Buttonwoods Fish & Chips - For Breakfast?

Buttonwoods Fish & Chips

416 Buttonwoods Avenue

Warwick, RI

(401) 738-7571 | Map

Earlier this summer, I used one of my vacation days from work and planned a long weekend in Rhode Island with my grandparents. I desperately needed some time away from my hectic life in New York and knew that even just one day with them would bring me back down to a non-frenzied state. I used to spend long stretches of my summer vacations with them as a child, and I didn't realize just how much I missed them until I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-95.

Black Bean Quesadillas

Now that I'm training to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November, I've been trying to find ways to increase my protein intake. Unfortunately, when I was laid off from my job earlier this month, I also had to find more economical ways to do this. Meat and poultry, even when purchased in bulk or value-size packages, can run pretty expensive in New York, so rather than filling my freezer with mass quantities of chicken and ground beef, I turned to the canned foods section of the grocery store and stocked up on canned beans.

Taste As You Go Turns One Today

In honor of Taste As You Go's first blogiversary, I'm going highlight the Top Ten Posts from the last year based on number of pageviews. It's been a great year and I've certainly learned a lot!

Stressed Out? Cook Something!

The clock marking the time I've been unemployed is about to hit two weeks. Interestingly enough, the two-week point falls on the same day as the one-year anniversary of Taste As You Go. Before I was laid off, I had wanted to spend time planning a series of posts celebrating how much I've learned through writing this blog over the past year but I was forced to put all of that aside in order to take care of Real Life Stuff.

Scallion Pancakes

Whenever I pick up the phone for Chinese take-out, including Scallion Pancakes in the order is an absolute necessity. Sometimes, when I'm really craving them, I'll order enough food to hit the minimum total for free delivery without an immediate intent on eating the rest of the food. I'll tear into the Scallion Pancakes as soon as I've paid the delivery guy and closed the door but will put the remaining food in the refrigerator for later.

Foodbuzz Community Table at Fishtail by David Burke

I'm not intentionally neglecting this blog. I know I've only published one blog post so far this month, but life recently threw me a curve ball and I've been dealing with the consequences of being caught without my catcher's glove at the ready. If you follow me on Twitter, then you've heard the news of my layoff last week. If you don't follow me on Twitter (and you should), then you now know why Taste As You Go has been so silent lately.

Milk-Steamed Corn on the Cob with Lemon Butter and Parmesan

It's been nearly a week since I've posted anything. If you've been following me on Twitter, then you know I've been a little preoccupied with running lately. Within the last week, I ran my second 5K race (in the pouring rain, over the Brooklyn Bridge) and signed up to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November. I also wrote a guest post for Megan's Munchies. But now, it's time to turn my attention back to my own blog, especially since Taste As You Go is turning one in just over two weeks!