Recession hitting hard

Hey Guys we realize that we have not put up posts in quite sometime. We apologize but this is due to our crazy economy and not having a functional camera. Since the money flow has almost reached a complete stop its hard for us to create delicious meals without them being very repetitive. ( Ive been eating chick peas and salad for the last 3 weeks although very yummy its pretty boring) My best advice to all those out there who are struggling also would be to stock up on cheap and healthy things like beans bread and fruit and veggies that you can find super cheap at street vendors.
Don't worry times are looking up and we will soon continue our food adventures. We thank everyone who has been keeping up with us and encourage everyone to be smart in this time.

A great money saving tip
Make your own coffee!
you can save up to $1000 a year! plus this helps you with the amount of sugar intake because you are more aware when adding it yourself.

See you soon guys! Much love and happiness
and remember be smart and stay positive!
By just smiling you are helping the world.

Love
Rachel and Tyler

Happy Valentines Day!!

Happy Valentines Day!! This morning Liz and I woke up a little earlier than everyone... This is our last weekend to cook together because Liz and Marriam are moving into their first NYC apartment with Katie Brown on Monday. So Liz and I decided we'd whip up a quick breakfast for Valentines Day and cook it for everyone.

One of my favorite things about living in New York City are all the little street vendors that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Today the strawberries and blueberries looked amazing! So, for Valentines Day we decided to make...

Blueberry Pancakes with Sliced Strawberries

I also came across this website yesterday morning that listed all kinds of aphrodisiacs and I figured it was perfect for the Valentines day weekend :-)

Foods To Put You In The Mood 

Enjoy!! -Tyler :-)

Best Friends make the Best Food.

This was a very special weekend because not only was it Maria's (see older posts) 21st Birthday
but my best friend Cat (cathy) Came to NYC to love on me : )
When she arrived so did the chaos and we began by making Killer Strawberry Mojitos
Easy and delicious they are the perfect Friday afternoon treat to start the weekend off right : )
Saturday morning my lovely Darling made us the most decadent treat! Portobello mushrooms stuffed with zucchini, red and yellow peppers then add egg and bake in the oven. HEAVEN!!!
This is perfect for a quick meal for yourself or for fun appetizers at a dinner party and the best for a sexy Sunday brunch for friends.
Below is a picture from Maria's 21st Birthday which was a Movie Character Theme. I dressed up as Columbia from Rocky Horror Picture Show and Cathy was Ursula from Little Mermaid. We danced, drank lots of champagne and had a spectacular evening. One for the books.


Strawberry Mojitos

Consisted off:
Rum
Club soda
Mint
Crushed strawberries
Whole lime per drink
Sugar

Enjoy!


Portobello Mushroom Egg Surprise

Consisted off:

Large Portobello Mushrooms
Zucchini chopped
Red and yellow peppers chopped
Egg
Mozzarella Cheese

Bake in oven on 350 for about 15 mins




So yummy I could die.



Our apartment went silent when we ate all these except for mmmmm yummm oh my god so good. haha Enjoy!!

Party in my Mouth!

Hello Folks!! Rahel here
sorry for the delay in blogs but things have been crazy in my world up in NYC
This hot cold hot cold weather made us all a little bit sick but thank god today I actually feel like a normal human being : D
About 2 years ago Liz found these fantastic tofu noodles that are super cheap and act as a great substitute for pasta. For someone like me who hardly ever eats pasta this was a real treat! The noodles come 2 for $4 and in angel hair, spaghetti, and fettuccine style.
We are all on the get sexy plan for summer so although this meal looks crazy fattening it is in fact the totally opposite! The tofu noodles are actually only 40 calories a pack and we paired it with some crab meat our trusty button mushrooms and some Alfredo sauce. All in all a delicious meal that was so filling I could not finish it. These noodles do tend to smell when you take them out of the packaging (just a warning hehe) but just give them a rinse in the sink and they will take whatever flavor you put them with!



Crab and Mushroom Alfredo

Consisted off:

2 packets of Tofu noodles Fettuccine style
8 button mushrooms sliced
1 packet of crab meat (only $2.71!)
Olive oil
Soy sauce
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Alfredo sauce of your choice (we picked the lowest in calories)
Little sprinkle of Mozzarella cheese on top

Yum Yum Yum!!!


Use a spoon as well as a fork so that you can eat your pasta like the Italian do. In style!
Enjoy!

Rachel

mmm Cheap Pork Chops

So I stopped in the grocery store on my way home from class and I saw that they had boneless pork chops on sale for $3.97! As soon as I saw that I immediately thought of the mini red potatoes I had in the fridge that I hadn't cut up from the night before..

Pork Chop with Potatoes and Mushrooms

1 Pork Chop
1 tbls Olive Oil
Seasoning Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

5 small red potatoes
1 tbls of rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 sliced Baby Portobello Mushrooms
1/4 of an Onion
2 tbls olive oil
Enjoy!

Tyler :-)

Fish!

I was a little behind on my blogging, but it's fine at least I'm getting around to putting the pictures up! :-)

On Tuesday night, our friend Katie Brown (I think there's a picture of her dancing a few posts ago) came over to play for a little bit and we decided to cook dinner together! We couldn't decide what we were going to make. We had the Food Network on the TV but we still couldn't come up with something that was healthy, delicious, and new. So we just decided to go to the Grocery Store and wander around until something look appetizing. As soon as we got there we noticed a sell on Tilapia...

Seared Tilapia Salad with a side of Toasted Red Potatoes

Mixed Greens
Tilapia fillets (seared with salt, pepper, minced garlic)
Craisins
Feta Cheese crumbles
diced tomatoes
sliced mushrooms
balsamic vinegar and olive oil
salt and pepper

8 small red potatoes, sliced
fresh rosemary
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
3-4 tbls of Olive Oil
salt and pepper



Enjoy!

Tyler :-)

A Change in Chefs for The Evening.

In dire need to walk off some of last night's Super Bowl party pounds I chose to get out, enjoy the weather, (eager to ditch the winter coat and opt for a lightweight leather!) and venture to the Food Emporium. A staple to any Upper East Sider, the Food Emporium is a swanky little grocery store perfect for picking up the super successful, super suave, older men all while grabbing the staples; romaine lettuce, spinach, garlic, tuna, Glam's Red Hot, Muenster cheese for Rachel, pickles, and what would a trip be to the store without hummus. After a few awkward run-ins with the oh-so debonair business man I was on my way to check out. On the walk home I was sure to pick up ripe avacados and tomatoes from the street vendor-- what a steal! Hurrying to get home I had bigger purchases on my mind...apartments. And then, we found it. What every first time NYC apartment key holder hopes for. The one that couldn't be more ideal. On a new apartment high, Glam & I rushed home to tell the squad the good news. Does it get any better? Of course, its Monday and Gossip Girl is on AND I just filled the fridge pre-apartment bliss. So now, with the creative juices flowing A Change in Chefs for The Evening.

Tuna Romaine Lettuce Wraps with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions &

Seared Asparagus with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

8 Romaine Hearts

A Squeeze of Horseradish Dijon to each Heart

3 Cans of Chunk Light Tuna (seasoned with olive oil, garlic salt, & pepper)

1/2 Avocado (sliced)

4 Baby Portabella Mushrooms & 1/2 a White Onion (sauteed & sprinkled with Muenster cheese)

1 Tomato (diced)

1 Bunch Asparagus

1 Cup Sundried Tomatoes (diced)

2 tsp Garlic (minced)

Salt & Pepper to taste

And a Star is Born! A carb friendly delicious sandwich alternative.

Need a Sweet Treat? Compliments of a certain Valentine, we finished our meal with A Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Square. My all time favorite.

I hope you Enjoy this one. It is decidedly the first meal to be had in the new Glam pallace.

Lovers Love Life,

Liz~

I'll need something fried after last night.

So as you all know the superbowl was last night. No I did not watch the game ( I heard the Steelers won? ) but I did attend a party with my loves Liz and Marriam. We drank beer, socialized and discussed the 7 different types of dip our host Shawn had provided for us. The best by far was a classic layer dip my cousin Alex made that consisted of cream cheese, beans and cheddar cheese. Simple and very delicious, but not to be eaten too often because it is extremely rich.
Since I don't drink beer on the regular and I drank quite a bit last night...this morning I am feeling slightly rough. My darling Liz had the cure and made me a delicious breakfast of fried eggs and sausage. Thanks babe!

The hangover cure

Consisted of:

2 fried eggs (runny)
Italian sausage
Spinach
Slice of toast
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste



Scrumptious!



This week one of my favorite house guests came to play. Grandma is her name making jokes is her game : ) ok her real name is Casey but we all call her Grandma.
Sweet as anything she came bearing gifts and lovingly stocked our fridge with goodies! Seriously, I'm not joking when I say our fridge is NEVER this full except for one other time when my mommy was last here. There were 4 different types of cheeses, hummus, spinach, grapes, olives, sausage, tons of crackers, eggs, turkey... the list goes on
To me food and friends is a wicked combination!


The one and only Grandma



Our very full fridge wow!




3 of the different cheeses she brought. Yummy brie, mozzarella with prosciutto and manchego. Pair cheese with some tomatoes and a fresh salad and you've got the perfect meal. Enjoy!

Rachel

Saturday Brunch :-)

Like I always say, weekend brunch is by far my favorite meals of the week. I've been getting pretty good at omelets so I decided to save my money and make my own Saturday Brunch.

Omelet with Mushrooms, Peppers, Spicy Sausage and White Cheddar Cheese

Enjoy! -Tyler

Pasta!

So a few days ago Liz mentioned something about artichokes when we were talking about food. It came up in class today, and a classmate of mine said that she could not stand them. Between classes today I skyped with some friends from home and told them about our food blog we created. While Veronica (I call her Vern-E) was looking at the pictures, Pam had already visited the blog, she thought that one of the pasta dishes I made contained artichokes. So the rest of the afternoon I just kept thinking I had to make something with artichokes...

Linguini with Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, Portobello Mushrooms

1 can of artichoke Hearts

2 cups of sliced baby portobello mushrooms

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

1 spicy Italian sausage link

1 cup of shredded Italian cheeses (parmesan, asiago, romano)

olive oil

salt and pepper

hot sauce

soy sauce

seasoning salt

linguini pasta

Oh I know :-) 

It was quite delicious! Enjoy! -Tyler

its a repeat but we are still watching.

Gossip Girl lord this show is addicting! The characters crazy circumstances are unbelievable yet we are all sitting on the couch eating transfixed to the TV. Chuck is the best by far and his attire is impeccable. Ok enough. Today I made a lovely egg wrap with tomatoes that was easy and took only 5 mins.

Scrambled egg wrap

Consisted of:
1 egg
Shredded mozerella cheese
Tomatoes
Red hot
Spinach wrap






For dinner me and the girls (glams) were all craving something fresh and yummy. We wanted to try something new so I decided to sautee some crab meat to put over a fresh spinach salad. I have never done this before but it was a great success and extremely easy. I also added some chopped tomatoes and chow mien noodles on top for texture. We were all very impressed with the dish and it was cheap and very fast! We will definitely be repeating this in the near future.


Crab meat salad
with lemon vinaigrette

Consisted of:
Crabmeat
Soy sauce
Chopped chives
Olive oil
Red hot
Pepper
Spinach
Chopped tomatoes

Lime Vinaigrette

Consisted of:
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Half lime squeezed
Salt and pepper
Touch of sour cream



Drink some sparkling water with a slice of lime or lemon. yum
Enjoy!!

xoxo
Rachel

Sunday frenching sessions.

Frenching ... for all you people out there who are wondering...does not mean we are french kissing! haha it just refers to friends hanging out and loving on each other. We try do do this as often as possible and since tonight was Sunday funday it was twice as good : )

My beloved friend Maria (picture below) came over to join the party and brought Rocky Horror Picture Show to entertain us. (If you havn't seen this. you must! it is out of control) We decided to dine on an array of decadent cheeses some olives and prosciutto. I also made Bruschetta which is not pictured here because we forgot to take the picture! I know its awful because they looked beautiful and were delicious. oh well next time.






Garlic and herb cheese ball with chopped almonds on the oustide
Brie cheese
prosciutto
chopped tomatoes
garden herb triskets

Dipping sauce made from sour cream chives and red hot

Bruschetta:
Sliced bread
olive oil
chopped olives
chopped tomatoes
shredded mozzarella cheese.







Theres nothing I love more than tasty cheeses and some prosciutto I am definitely the savory type and this hits the spot. This meal is great for apps at parties or when you want something easy to share with friends. The different options make every bite memorable and different.
For a sweet treat we indulged on some ice cream called imagine whirled peace from Ben and Jerry's which includes Caramel and sweet cream ice cream swirled with fudge peace signs & toffee cookie pieces. Yes there were real peace signs! So cute and appropriate for us : D
It was simply divine.
Enjoy!!
Rachel

Best quote from the movie. Don't dream it. Be it

Sorry above this is all underlined I cannot figure out how to turn it off hah

Today, Sunday Funday, I was way too hungry after work to wait for the usual concoction that Rachel comes up with so I made a little more pasta for myself as soon as I got home with the rest of the mixed vegetables from Friday night. But changed it up a bit as well.

Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage and Mixed Vegetables

penne pasta

1 cup of broccoli

1 cup of cauliflower

1 cup of sliced portobello mushrooms

1 spicy italian sausage link (removed from casing and broken up)

3 tbls of olive oil

2 tbls of balsamic vinegar

seasoning salt

salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy! Tyler

Saturday Brunch

Saturday is my only free day and brunch is usually the only time I eat out. So Saturdays are definitely my favorite day of the week. This Saturday I met two of my friends for brunch at a little French cafe called the Flea Market Cafe on Avenue A between 8th and 9th street. My brunch was absolutely amazing and was only $10.95 and came with coffee or tea and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

I took pictures of our plates, but I didn't have a camera with me so I just used the one from my cellphone. Before I was able to take a picture of Ilana's she had already eaten the majority of it so I only have what Inti and I got.

Ilana had

Croque Madame

(swiss cheese and ham w/ sunny side up egg on top of a baguette)

Inti had

Waffles with Nutella and Raspberry Puree

And I had

Omelette du Flea Market

(an omelette with fresh spinach, onions, scallions, mushrooms, and goat's cheese. And oven roasted potatoes with a small salad)

I will definitely be going back and taking friends with me. When they give you your check they also give you slips of paper to sign up to be on their mailing list and a chance to win a free dinner for two. They also give you a free post card to take home with you that has a picture of the cafe on it.

The Flea Market Cafe

Bon appetit! Tyler

Spicy Spaghetti

Last Friday we didn't get back until about 4:00 and had plans to meet our third roommate, Marriam, for a drink when she got off work. So I didn't have much time to make dinner. but luckily for us, the grocery store on our block always has fresh cut mixed vegetables that you can put in a lot of different things.

Spicy Spaghetti

Cup of Broccoli

Cup of Cauliflower

Cup of sliced baby portobello mushrooms

1/2 an Onion

2 Garlic Cloves

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 Spicy Italian Sausage Link (Cut out of casing and broken up)

2 tbls of olive oil

1 tablespoon of hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy! Tyler

Friends and food. The perfect combination

I have always my entire life enjoyed food. My Mother is Scottish and my Father is Jamaican so my taste buds were blessed to have been introduced to eclectic food at a very young age. I like to eat and try everything at least once. I just recently picked up the hobby of actually cooking and love the entire process but my favorite part is when I'm cooking a meal for the people I love. I like the interaction of story time while the chopping mixing etc takes place. It makes it all the more fun. So this weds we had Miss Katie Brown come over again and she brought her lovely friend Ronan who made our delicious Pasta dinner : ) We sauteed and laughed while enjoying a special on American Comedy all in all a perfect evening.

Pepper and mushroom pasta with white wine
add grilled chicken

Consisted of:
1 whole red pepper
1 whole yellow pepper
3 Cloves garlic chopped
Sliced button mushrooms half package
Penne pasta
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded parmesan cheese to top



Simple light and delicious.



Faaaajjjjjjiittas!!! I have been thinking about fajitas for a while now. I really wanted to do one with shrimp and a lemon chive sour cream but couldn't find any shrimp at the moment so watch for that in the near future. Instead we made a spicy shredded chicken fajitas with balsamic black beans. We used a rotisserie chicken which is pretty cheap and super easy. Just peel meat off the bone and warm it up in a sauce pan with whatever seasoning you desire. I am big fan of a fajitas because its an array of different flavors in one tortilla. With so many different options to throw in you can hit every flavor your taste buds crave.


Spicy shredded chicken fajitas with balsamic black beans.


Consisted of:
Rotisserie chicken
with Italian seasoning and red hot
black beans simmered
with balsamic vinegar
tortilla
salt and pepper
Red hot
Chopped basil
Chopped tomatoes
Guacamole
Basil sour cream
Spinach

Delicious!! enjoy



Fold bottom of the tortilla in then both sides to avoid spillage at the bottom : D




The Saturday Brunch.
Saturday we make the brunch. Its a delicious simple and hearty breakfast that will kill any hangover you might have. I happen to be slightly obsessed with bacon so I like to have it once a week this is my day : ) Oven bacon is something I learned from Ms. Paula Deen when watching her on the food network (my bible) Oven on for 450 and lay out bacon on baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pop in for about 15 mins. I like to check them and wait till I think they look crunchy but still chewy YUM!! They come out flat also which is great for when you are making sandwichs. http://www.pauladeen.com/

Eggys and Bacon

Consisted of:
2 eggs per person
mozzarella shredded cheese
chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
bacon
Slice of toast with butter

piece of yummy advice
I like to build my meal and put the eggs and tomatoes on top of the bread and then add a piece of the bacon on top of that. Then bite and sighhhh





Nothing in the fridge. Snack on this!
Today we were out and about running some errands and only managed to have a coffee before making it back home. So when we arrived we were pretty peckish and wanted tsomething yummy to snack on. The fridge was empty so me and my two beautiful glams pictured below put our minds together to create something fab. We had mushrooms, cheese, condiments and bread so naturally we made a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich with a guacamole and sour cream dipping sauce. While watching Tyler Florence recently I witnessed him make a cuban sandwich while using a brick to press the sandwich. I achieved the same thing with my grilled cheese using a normal white bowl.
http://www.tylerflorence.com/main.html
This is easy and effortless. You can throw whatever you have in your fridge like zucchini, squash, corn etc with some cheese and bread/tortilla and it will taste divine.



Marriam, Liz and the other giraffe Tyyyylur <3




Mushroom grilled cheese

Consisted of:
Two slices bread
Laughing cow swiss spread
slice white cheddar
sauteed mushrooms
with italian seasoning and red hot
Butter




Dipping sauce
Consisted of:

Guacamole
Chopped basil
Sour cream
Red hot



This was actually really delicious and flavorful I would recommend
it for an appetizer when your in a rush.
Enjoy!!

Rachel

Everything I have I put in this sandwich.

Before I talk about dinner I would like to say a quick thing about Bananas.
I love them! haha and I have been eating them since I was a little kid. My dad eats at least two a day and they have become a staple in my everyday way of life. Any ways why the rant about bananas my best friend Miss Katie Brown picture below introduced to me the correct way to peel a banana (why she kept this great secret from me so long I don't know). Below is a step by step.



1. Hold the banana with the stem facing down using the Stem as a handle.


2. Peel top easily and effectively without ruining or bruising tip of banana.


3. Enjoy the new and better way to eat a Banana : D





Tuesday nights dinner was simple and oh so delicious! I used a collaboration of things that I found in the fridge because I wasn't really in the mood to prepare something strenuous. A sandwich is always yummy and you can do it in so many different ways. At the apartment that we jokingly call Chateau De La Tyrachiam ( us 3 rooomies names together ) we have certain necessities and obsessions that we fly through on the weekly. For example: eggs, beans, mushrooms, chick peas, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, bread, cold cuts(when we can afford it) pasta (although we never eat it) and some condiments. We use and abuse these items week after week trying to constantly reinvent them. So here is one of many that are super easy : )

Consisted of:

Corn from leftovers
5 button mushrooms
a little onion
all sauteed with splah of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar

Slice of honey roasted ham
Slice of white cheddar cheese
Tomatoes sliced very thin
Spinach
Light white bread toasted
laughing cow swiss spread on both slices


And for our Sweet Treat we made our own mini strawberry shortcake

Consisted of:

1 Angel food mini cake
Strawberries chopped thinly
Regular cool whip


Yum Enjoy!!
Rachel