Exploring Brooklyn: The Bridge, The Market, The Ice Cream

Mardi Michels' Guest Post for Taste As You Go inspired me to write about a day I spent wandering around Brooklyn at the beginning of September. You see, for the past few weekends, I've been taking advantage of the gorgeous fall weather in New York City and exploring various neighborhoods with my friend Candice.

Guest Post: A Day in the Life in Paris

I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers through Taste As You Go, 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.

Today's Guest Post was written by a fellow Foodbuzz Featured Publisher, Mardi Michels. Mardi is an absolute sweetheart who leaves thoughtful comments on posts and updates I make on the Foodbuzz website and who leaves insightful comments on my blog. I'm beyond thrilled to feature her here. When you're finished reading Mardi's Guest Post, you should check out her blog, Eat, Live, Travel, Write. Thanks for writing, Mardi!

Discover Queens Restaurant Week

Admittedly, whenever I read or hear the words "Restaurant Week," my brain typically thinks, "Ooh! What Manhattan restaurants are participating and which ones are still taking reservations?" It never occurred to me that other boroughs might do the same thing.

*hangs head in shame*

Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

Believe it or not, this beautiful vegetarian/vegan-friendly* first course materialized out of a bunch of leftovers. I found myself hungry one afternoon but lacking the sufficient energy, desire, and time to create a full meal. And, I knew the ingredients in my kitchen were starting to dwindle so my options were limited.

Grab Some Friends and Wait in Line at Shake Shack

It occurred to me that I have lived in New York City for three years. (Those three years include the 6 months I lived in Connecticut but commuted to the city for work.) And it took me three years to make my way down to Madison Square Park to meet up with Kym and Brian for dinner at Shake Shack. When I lost my job in August, the three of us originally decided to put our Lehigh Dinner Club meetings on a hiatus, but then Kym suggested we temporarily rename the club "Lehigh Dinner Club on a Budget" and that we have dinner in the park while we could still take advantage of the beautiful weather. Hiatus, be damned!

Guest Post: The Veggie Queen™ Makes Doubly Red Potato Salad Variation

I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers through Taste As You Go, 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.

Today's Guest Post was written by The Veggie Queen™, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, who is described on her website as "a vegetable and plant-food cooking expert in vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free eating. Since I haven't devoted too much time to thinking about whether my own recipes are friendly to those with restricted diets, I was thrilled when Jill offered to write a Guest Post for Taste As You Go. When you're finished reading Jill's Guest Post, you should check out her blog, Veggie Queen Adventures. Thanks for writing, Jill!

Triple Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Waaaay back in July, I was invited to attend a Chocolate Tasting and Luncheon at the French Culinary Institute in celebration of the cameo role of Scharffen Berger® chocolate in the motion picture Julie & Julia. Unfortunately, the luncheon was held just before I was let go from my job and I couldn't break away in the middle of the day to attend. It just killed me knowing that skipping the event meant skipping my chance to meet world-renowned master chef Jacques Pépin and the founder of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker John Scharffenberger.

Addicted to Crack

They say that the first step to overcoming any addiction is admitting that you have a problem. Well, loyal Taste As You Go readers, I have a problem: I am addicted to crack. Now, before you all start to worry that my current state of unemployment has driven me to become dependent on drugs, let me be more specific: I am addicted to Duffy Crack.

Friends Reunite over Dinner at Apollo Grill

Regular readers of Taste As You Go are probably scratching their heads right now, trying to figure out where they've seen this picture before. I admit it. I'm reusing my own old material. This is a cropped version of the picture I used in my write-up of a dinner with friends at Osteria in Philadelphia. I'm using it is because I didn't think to have our server take a picture of the four of us - Rob, Pere, Stephen, and myself - during the dinner we had at Apollo Grill in Bethlehem, PA in early August. Since we all pretty much look the same, I figured it would be okay.

Guest Post: Escabeche (Sweet and Sour Fried Fish)

I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers through Taste As You Go, 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.

Today's Guest Post was written by one of my long-time blogging buddies, Veronica Owens. Veronica has always been a constant source of encouragement and I'm thrilled to feature her here. When you're finished reading Veronica's Guest Post, you should check out her blog, Nila Rosa. Thanks for writing, Veronica!

For those celebrating the "last official weekend of the summer," have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Garlic French Fries

It's no secret that I love my grandparents. And I love that, no matter how busy or hectic my life gets, I always have time to talk to my grandmother on the telephone at least once a week, typically over my Sunday morning coffee. With that being said, making these Garlic French Fries a few weeks ago immediately reminded me of her. You see, my grandmother loves garlic. She loves it so much that I wouldn't put it past her to peel back a head of raw garlic and take a bite out of it as if it were an apple. In fact, one of my favorite memories of my grandmother involves her love for garlic.

Chronicles of a Food Enthusiast

When I created this food blog over a a year ago, I had no trouble choosing a title for it.  The act of choosing the subtitle, however, was an entirely different story, and the act of crafting the perfect mini-description of the blog proved to be much more difficult.  I came up with "Chronicles of a Self-Proclaimed Foodie."  It was succinct and straightforward.  The words rolled off the tongue easily and initial reaction to it was positive.  So "Chronicles of a Self-Proclaimed Foodie" stuck and has served as the subtitle of Taste As You Go ever since.