ArikaDawn's Profile
Lunch Wednesday near the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
I am not a shorts and t-shirts girl. I'll more than likely be in a summer dress and flats and my husband will be in khakis and a polo. Akdeniz looks perfect. Thanks so much for the rec.
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Akdeniz
19 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
Lunch Wednesday near the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
I'm fleshing out the details for mine and my husband's trip to NYC next week. He was an avid Addams Family fan as a child so we'll be seeing the matinee on Wednesday. I'm wanting a recommendation for a good, reasonably priced(no more than $20 per person) lunch spot in the area. Any cuisine will do. Looking for a relatively casual atmosphere. I'd also prefer a sit down lunch location. Thanks so much!
What is on your Superbowl Menu?
I'm not hosting this year. Woohoo! All I have to make is a couple batches of Nanaimo Bars and I am done.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
My favorite is pretty basic: Havarti, Oatnut Bread buttered on the outside only, done in a frying pan. Since I am expecting and cannot have unheated lunchmeat, lately I have been adding ham or turkey, but that is probably not really a grilled cheese. Mango chutney on a havarti grilled cheese is also very delicious.
Tips for eating out less expensively in a bad economy?
Eat at restaurants that feature local fare. My husband and I moved to the MS Gulf Coast nearly a year ago. Growing up in IN, seafood was a luxury and true creole and cajun cooking was unheard of, but here on the Coast where it is abundant, it is just about the most affordable dining out you can do.
There is also a large Vietnamese population in my area, so if you're brave enough to go for one of the Viet places that appears to be a little hole in the wall, you'll quickly find you can enjoy one of the most authentic, delicious, AND inexpensive meals you'll have anywhere. The same holds true for Mexican food in this area. This is not to mention the dozens and dozens of little cajun/creole mom and pop restos/shacks that dot the area. It seems going for authenticity in food, rather than stellar atmosphere can mean a huge savings. I may be weird, but I prefer the quirk of an old laundromat repurposed into a Pho joint over the consistent sheen of manufactured Italy at Olive Garden any day.
Arika
My Yummy Life
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
which products have you stopped buying because of price increases or volume decreases?
I have no specific examples to add that haven't already been covered. With how common this practice has become though, and as I've steadily watched my grocery bill climbing over the past few years(I've only been buying groceries a few years) I am getting to where I ONLY shop by the per unit cost. There aren't many staples in our home that are associated with a specific brand so it is easy for us to enter a store and go for the most frugal option without feeling the burn of missing out on our favorite pasta, cookie, bread etc. After seeing how inflated the prices of some brands are per unit I do not think I could ever shop any other way.
A large portion of our groceries are bought in the produce section and I have found our habits changing there considerably as well. Rather than going into the store with the idea that today I am buying spinach, 2 mangoes, creminis etc. I tend to develop my menus around what produce is priced most reasonably that week once I get to the store. It is amazing how produce prices fluctuate from week to week. Last week my favorite apples, Fujis, were $1.89/lb so I skipped them. Today they were only $1/lb and you'd better believe I got one for every day of the week. I also got good prices today on clementines, tangerines, roma tomatoes, cucumbers, and hass avocados so that is what we'll be working with.
As far as ice cream goes, we tend to buy Blue Bell. It may have some of the preservatives and additives that are best avoided, but a half gallon of there lower fat banana split fro-yo will last through 3x the servings since it is a true half gallon AND not pumped full of air.
Arika
My Yummy Life
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
is your refrigerator stuffed so full with condiments and fresh foods that you could not possibly put in another thing without being a rubik's cube champion?
Sadly, my fridge is packed as well and I am afraid a lot of it will be going to waste. I blame pregnancy. I had 3 months of intense morning sickness and strong food aversions. I wasn't cooking AT ALL, but still trying to keep my husband fed. Every nauseating trip to the grocery I'd get a new variety of bottled dressing, something I had never purchased much previously, in an attempt to keep him interested in his nearly nightly romaine, tomato, and cucumber salads which was just about all I could produce. A couple times a week I'd thaw out a few chicken breasts and marinate them in various storebought marinades and grill them off so he'd have some protein on hand. Now that I am coming out of morning sickness haze and cooking some again I have probably 9 different bottled salad dressings and 4 or 5 bottled marinades I don't have a lot of use for. These are on top of the two dozen or so other condiments we always have on hand as well as 6 or 7 varieties of spicy pickles and hot mix that I can't seem to get enough of lately. I just keep hoping it will somehow magically take care of itself...
Arika
My Yummy Life
http://rawforamonth.com
What's That One Thing You Can't Go A Week Without????
I hope you're right. Three months now...eesh!
What's That One Thing You Can't Go A Week Without????
Me too! Formerly my list would have been different, but after two months of morning sickness hot buttered toast is the only thing that has carried over from my former diet.
Turkey hangover - Have u dined out this weekend?
it was just my husband, myself, and two students from his base for T-Day. I sent about half the leftovers with the kids who seemed to really appreciate the homecooking, and my husband has had at least a plateful of leftovers every day. I myself have no interest in the leftovers because even though two months of wicked morning sicknes is finally passing I still seem to only be able to eat things once before they completely turn me off. Friday night we went out for Mexican food and today we went to a Chinese resto for lunch after church. Other than that it has been mostlyf ruit for me.
potato chips: apply directly to the sandwich
I did it alot as a child and still do when visiting IN and BBQ Grippos are available.
Olive Garden: Undeserved Reputation?
It's my sisters favorite restaurant. When I'm visiting up North I don't mind the inevitable soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch with lemonade. I've only ordered something other than that one time, portobella ravioli. I don't recall exactly, but if it had been terrible I'd remember. I also split a piece of choclate cake with someone once that was good. Not my favorite, but never bad for a quickie cheap lunch.
Halloween candy
Oh, I forgot about Butterfinger's. The big ones are nauseating, but the minis are just enough.
How many condiments are in your refrigerator today?
Tons. There's been a recent influx since I started cooking more asian food too.
Off the top of my head I know there's
Ketchup
Mustard (Honey, Yellow, and horseradish)
Mayo
Miracle Whip
Salad Dressing (2 bottles)
Sriracha
Fish Sauce
Soy Sauce
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
Hoisin
Relish
Tomato Chutney
Vinegar I keep in a squeeze bottle for sandwiches
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
Horseradish Cream
...and many more. Not to mention all the pickles, olives, jarred peppers, hot mix....
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
How many condiments are in your refrigerator today?
Sweet Baby Ray's is always in my fridge too =)
I always enjoy _____, no matter how bad it is.
Agree on the gyros. No matter where I've had them and how inauthentic they're always good by me. Chowed on them for lunch just yesterday as soon as my morning sickness passed.
Ice cream. Naturally some is better than others, but I've never spit it out or refused it.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
November COTM 2008: THE ART OF SIMPLE FOOD by Alice Waters
Dull. That was my reaction as well. I sat down with it at B&N the other day planning to have a nice afternoon flipping through. I went through the whole thing in about 20 minutes because nothing really caught my attention. I jotted down a couple super simple recipes, but it's not a book I'd buy.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
A third milk thread: why in the world do people buy skim or low-fat milk?
When I am thirsty the last thing I want is whole milk. To me it registers as heavy, almost a foodstuff and doesn't satisfy thirst very well. Skim I find refreshing. Since becoming pregnant I've moved up to 2% at my docs recommendation, but won't go higher than that because of the discomfort it can cause with pregnancy. I don't drink a lot, maybe a cup a day, but have no desire to drink whole milk.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
October 2008 COTM Batali: Vegetable Side Dishes ("Contorni")
Me? Cheat!?! =) I used red wine vinegar, but used extra light OO that's essentially colorless. I wonder if that would make a difference? Mine was a pale pale pale pink hue.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
Cabbage Cabbage, I love cabbage! Need new recipes
I'm soo happy you liked it! I am finding you really cannot go wrong with a Batali recipe. That cabbage with bacon sounds great, and I've already zeroed in on a simple cabbage preparation in November COTM. What a gread thread!
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
Halloween candy
Favorite is the mini Crunch bar.
Least favorite is candy corn, mellowcreams, indian corn...
I'll probably hand out Twizzlers and the mini Teddy Graham packs.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
November-December DESSERT COOKBOOK of the Month - Voting Thread
MAIDA HEATTER - COOKIES
Thanks
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
October 2008 COTM Batali: Vegetable Side Dishes ("Contorni")
Asparagi al Forno
Roasted Asparagus with Capers and Eggs
I made this the other day, and though I don't even like asparagus that much, I thought it was great. The combination of ingredients seemed unusual at first, but when combined, they sing. I did a more detailed report on my blog.
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com/2008/10/asparagi-al-forno-or-roasted-asparagus.html
Arika
Cabbage Cabbage, I love cabbage! Need new recipes
I just made Batali's stuffed cabbage last week.
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com/2008/10/batalis-stuffed-cabbage-cavolo-ripieno.html
It is sooo good!
Arika
You don't like that?!
In terms of fish not being filling, and no I'm not trying to change your mind, but have you ever tried having a tuna steak? They're very hearty, and maybe since you like tuna salad you'd like tuna steak. Again though, not tryig to convert you. Justwondering.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
storing olive oil, not in the fridge!
I store olive oil on the counter, peanut oil in the cabinet, sesame oil in the fridge. Having said this I can go through a bottle of EVOO in four months quite easily whereas a bottle of sesame oil will hang around for at least a year, and the peanut oil...I only used it once and will probably end up tossing the rest. If I didn't use the EVOO so regularly I might store it differently.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
Foods That Make You Happy
Hot Apple Dumplings with Cold Vanilla Ice Cream
Chilled Strawberry Wine
Warm Yeasted Sugar Cake
Salad Lyonnaise(Bacon and eggs are primary in this so I guess I am agreeing with all the breakfast people)
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
How often do you have dessert :)
My husband has dessert every night. I bake 2-3 times a week so there is always something on hand. I rarely do dessert, but have a bite of something sweet daily, just not necessarily after a meal.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
