Home Cooking

Growing up I'd eat a lot of Indian food. My mom would cook mostly every meal at home. My favorite was when she'd make curry. I remember taking my food to school and my friends asking to try some. What I thought was a good amount of spice was way too hot for my friends.
I also remember the worst part of having to help cook dinner. My sisters and I would have to make 10-15 rotis, Indian bread, every night. We'd have to make the dough, one sister would roll the bread. It had to be the perfect thickness or else it wouldn't taste good, and the other sister would cook them like this (this part was pretty cool):

Now that I don't cook Indian food anymore it's something I really miss about home.

Baking an easy & cheap meal

Not having a meal plan while up in buff has its ups and downs. It saves you a bunch of money that you can either save or spend (saved me like a grand each semester this year) but also makes you spend a lot of time cooking. I eat a lot and I eat pretty healthy so that means I cook a lot more. Anyways, here is one of my favorite/easiest dishes I make. This pic was taken when I decided to switch my fish up from salmon to swai.

top left pic- pretty much all the ingredients you need. (lemon juice, black pepper, garlic powder, swai fillets, asparagus (sea salt not shown)
top middle showing you how hot shit gets in my kitchen
top right a rice cooker
bottom pic my masterpiece

How to make it:
preheat to 365
follow instructions on rice cooker
"real lemon" lemon juice that you sprinkle and cover the washed piece of fish with. If you want less of a fishy taste id suggest putting more lemon juice.
After youve done that lightly cover the fish with black pepper and garlic powder as well as salt.
Next take a oven-safe tray and cover it with aluminum foil for less of a clean up. Cover the sheet with olive oil and place the swai fillets on top. Wash the asparagus and throw them next to the fish. All you have to do now is wait for the oven to be at 365, throw it in, and wait approximately 17 minutes. Since swai is a thinner fish I think you'd be fine at around 15 but I'm not tryna bite into any uncooked fish so I just wait 17. Enjoy!

p.s plain rice is pretty bland but if you want a healthy alternative for a sauce you can put honey in the rice and it actually tastes really good. or get some sriracha like i do and dump that stuff everywhere.

The Broadway

Dominick's Delicatessen is one of my favorite places to eat in the entire world. Located about 2 minutes from my house in New Hyde Park, NY I come here fairly often when I'm home. Not only are their sandwiches f*&king amazing, their sides are great too. Dom's is home to their famous "chicken fingers" which are probably one of the most addictive things to snack on ever. Whenever I go to dom's I get the same sandwich. It's called the Broadway the sandwich is made up of: Breaded Chicken Cutlet with Fresh Homemade Mozzarella & Prosciutto, Oil & Vinegar on a Hero.

There is literally no food I enjoy eating more than a Broadway from Dom's. It tingles the tastebuds so strongly I am actually smiling the entire time. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about. The sandwich is in the picture as well as a side of chicken fingers and some honey mustard to dip them in. It's making me drool so I'm just gonna move on to the next post of mine thanks for reading!

Evolutionary Discordance

In the past 100 years or so there have been so many technological advancements. For example cars, elevators, video games, tvs, etc. However, people have not changed their lifestyles or genetically according to the technology. This means people still desire the same food, sweets. The brain associates the sweet flavor with high calories, calories that were once needed and used. At one point people had active lifestyles. They had to hunt, gather and farm in order to get food. They needed to walk to where they needed to go. This made it so that most of the calories they ate were stored to use at a necessary time. At that time the stored calories were actually used. Now a days there is no use for all the high calorie foods that people eat. The only reason is that the brain thinks it needs it. This is why so many people eat at McDonald's or that there's such a high obesity rate.

Zetti's

I work at Zetti's Pizza and Pasta. In many ways it's just like any other pizza place but it's New York style but also authentic Italian food. The owner is a very proud New York Italian. The restaurant is a good representation of where he's from. There's regular New York style pizza but then there's also a variety of pastas that seem to be authentic Italian food, from a simple spaghetti and meatballs to something I've never heard of before working here, eggplant rollantini.
All of this just seems like authentic Italian food but I think it's New York Italian food. The Italians in New York City have their own culture, not like that of an Italian that just immigrated. They have their own accents and food different from an Italian straight from Italy. I don't know why there are so many Italian Americans that live in New York but they all live together and created their own culture and food. To people living in Buffalo it's called New York Style.

Mike A's - Buffalo's (almost) Michelin Experience

For those who may not know what Michelin rating is, basically it is a rating system that originated in France. The biggest difference between this and any other ratings is that Michelin is the mot exclusive one.

Many restaurants can get 4 or 5 stars without it saying much. There are too many reviewers with different taste. Michelin inspectors follow very specific guidelines in order to rate the foods. They take into account presentation as well as creativity, which creates a very special dinning experience.
There are only 1900 restaurants world wide who received a single star, and only 81 who received three stars. USA has 11 three stared, and 7 of them are in New York.

If you ever dined in a Michelin rated restaurant (especially two and three stars) you will notice that there isn't really a menu. These restaurants offer what is called Omakase / Tasting menu that is up for the chef to decide what you will have, and how it is prepared. At times you may be allowed to choose from different combinations with a common theme, but essentially the only thing you need to do is eat, pay, and of course, take pictures.

After trying many of the different restaurants in Buffalo me and my friend decided to try Mike Andrzejewski's new place which opened up at the Lafayette Hotel. What drew us there the most was the tasting menu which allows you to try 10 different pre-selected courses.

It started with a little teaser: Radish and Butter.
You would think its not a good combination, but the teaser shows you what the chefs can do. It wasn't solid butter. The butter was aerated which made it more like whipped cream, and the radish was partially candied which gave it a sweeter flavor then normal.

 

 

 

 

 

Our next course was the Smoke & Genever Poached Salmon.

 

It may not sound very special but right as we got the plate we noticed the presentation of it. It was displayed beautifully with different colors complementing each other.

The smoke and genever were actually in a sauce form. Each dip gave the salmon a new life. By itself it is very similar to sashimi grade salmon, but the sauce gave it character that can be found in a smoked salmon/lox bagel.

 

 

This was followed by the Grilled Oysters Rockefeller.
I am a huge raw oyster fan, so I was not too thrilled by them being grilled.
Its hard to tell from the picture how it actually looked because the bowl was deep in a weird way that conflicted with the cameras flash at any other angle.
The oysters were very lightly grilled. They came "tossed" with a little bit of bacon and bread crumbs, but the "jus" it came with in my opinion should've remained more for decoration. It was a mint-parsley jus which to me, was too heavy on the mint.

Next was one of my favorites.
It was the Wagyu Beef Tartare with a raw quail egg.
Beef tartate is more of a hate it or love it thing. It is basically raw beef mixed with spices. The beef they used is Australian Wagye cattle which is the closet thing to the highly regarded Japanese Kobe Beef. I personally loved this dish. The beef melted right in your mouth, and the pine nuts gave it a different texture; a nice crunch which prevented it from being too "mushy" as one may say.

Next was the Veal Loin Oscar.
Unlike other typical dishes that are "Oscar" here it was a solid chunk of a crab leg.
The béarnaise sauce was also aerated with the horseradish already blended.  It was still a little too creamy/thick and the horseradish flavor wasn't as strong, but the asparagus was very crisp in flavor as it was also sauté with horseradish.

  
The Pork Confit was one of my favorite out of the Entrees.
Confit is basically slow cooking of food in animal fat. The source of fat in this case was bacon/belly fat. It was so flavorful and the truffled chestnuts complimented it so well. It was also accompanied by a mustered-truffle sauce, which was not as tangy as regular mustered. It was more muted which helped it blend with the rest.

We were then served another appetizer which was the best one in my opinion.
It wasn't originally on the Omakase menu but they ran out of the agnolotti.
Roasted Bone Marrow on the bone.
Many countries/restaurants that have a more "farm style" approach to food tend to serve steaks with the bone, and either do something to the bone marrow, or serve it as is with the bone chucked like an oyster. The bone marrow came with the bone. It was lightly seasoned even though it may seem to be packed with ingredients. It was served with parsley online and a little bit of banana peppers.
It was served with a toast and some pickles and is meant to be used as a replacement for butter.

One of the "pride" dishes at Mike A's is their take on the French onion soup.
Their version is an Onion Soup Croquette with Aerated Emmental.
They take the broth and jellify it so it can be breaded and fried into a croquette.
Once cut, the soup pours out of the breading. The aerated cheese blends perfectly with the soup and makes it much easier to have a "spoonful of both" without strings of cheese hanging everywhere.

The grande finale was the Kobe beef Tenderloin accompanied with "Smoke", Nori Gaufrette, and Gorgonzola.
Kobe beef comes from a cow that is unique to Kobe in Japan.
It is a lot more marbled and tender then regular beef and the fat melts at lower temperature, which makes it much more flavorful and tender to eat. The "Smoke" was actually a darker sauce as seen in the picture. It literally had a flavor of what "smoke" off woodchips smells like.
The chips that came with it are not potato. They were actually made from Nori which is a seaweed.
Excellent dish. It was my favorite out of the Entrees.

I unfortunately don't have pictures of the desserts, but they were good. Nothing spectacular or mind blowing.


Overall it was a great experience. I went there few more times after and tried few other dishes that were not on the menu. The dishes change very often so doing the Omakase again is something I definitely consider on doing.

I recommend going there for lunch. I had one of the best burgers I had in buffalo.
it is called the Fxxk California Burger, and I had it topped with Foie Gras:

Simple Baked Ziti Recipe

Every Sunday my roommates and I (along with a few more friends) have a family dinner. There is 6 of us and we rotate every week with 2 people cooking for the group. A few weeks ago I decided to make some baked ziti.

Here is the link I used for ingredients and directions. The only thing I didn't follow in it was that I did not get the oregano. Still came out amazing, so don't be afraid to try it!

http://www.food.com/recipe/classic-baked-ziti-22176

It took about 45 minutes to an hour for preparation and cook time. The picture on the bottom is my baked ziti and the picture on the top is my roommates baked mac and cheese.

We had a lot of leftovers so you don't need to cook such a large amount especially because it is very filling. It's not that expensive either! Enjoy 

Camping and Food

Earlier tonight I posted a short post about my camping experience and the kind of beer we drank. I almost forgot to mention that while I was camping with my friends, we realized just how much we take food for granted. Halfway through the weekend we realized that we had not bought enough food and were forced to make a 45 minute drive to the closest grocery market, which unfortunately was Walmart. Anyway we decided it would be a good idea to buy a pizza, since we all love pizza, and cook it in our tiny oven in our cabin. As soon as we got back to our cabin we realized we did not have a pan to put the pizza on, or tin foil, or a pizza cutter. It made me realize how much we rely on what we have at our own house to cook food. There we other times were I really craved a certain snack or food that would be readily available at my house, but no where to be fond in the cabin. Next time you're making food for yourself at home, remember how much we really take food for granted and what it means to have food readily available at any time.

This is my homemade lasagna that I hope to bring to class tomorrow if my roomates keep there promise not to eat it! Lasagna is a fun and easy dish that anyone can make, and its fun to make with friends/family. I guess you could say its a mexican lasagna, because the meat I use for it is ground meat that is cooked with taco seasoning. Also, I used green and red peppers, Grandmas Pomoderro sauce from Wegmans, Barilla Lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and mexican shredded cheese on top. For me, there is no method to my madness. Every layer I throw a good amount of each item on, and than I throw it in the oven for about a half hour on 350 until the top noodles have a nice golden brown. What I like to do after is throw it in the freezer, I find that freezing and defrosting the lasagna keeps it more together instead of falling apart, but that is personal preference.

Drinking and Masculinity

This weekend I went camping with a group of friends to Allegany State Park for the weekend. We packed the typical camping food such as sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and beer, lots and lots of beer. My group of friends usually drink more expensive brands of beer but for this camping trip we decided to get something cheap, which ended up being Bud Light. Now i'm sure as some of you know, Bud Light doesn't taste very good at all. Yet there we were around our fire, drinking Bud Light all night long.

Eventually I asked why we decided to get cheap beer instead of the usual craft beer. My friend responded with a very interesting answer, "because it's cheap and gets the job done". By "get the job done" he really meant that it still gets you drunk, even if it is cheap beer. This is exactly what I talked about in my final paper, males are supposed to drink shitty beer and get drunk, all while not complaining about the taste. It reinforces the gender role of masculinity and cheap beer.

Dining in Canada

     This past Sunday I went to Canada for lunch and to have a few beers with my friends.  I have to say the experience in this restaurant The Keg was much different than an American style bar food restaurant.  First off, for my side I was offered a salad or sweet potato fries, "normal" fries were't an option.  Also, as a 19 year old I cannot drink legally in the United States so it was a pretty cool experience to drive 15 minutes and be treated like an adult.  It really made me think about how unnecessary a 21 year old drinking age actually is.

Pizza eating contest and thinking about eating as a competition

     Last spring my Family's restaurant hosted a pizza eating contest between two local radio talk show host/ comedians.  Both of them look like they would be considered over weight by medical standards.  While this is a fun event and very entertaining to watch I couldn't help but think of the health of the contestants as the competition was going on.  Of course we made the proper precautions and had paramedics at the event just in case someone were to choke or maybe even have a heart attack.  Eating competitions are very popular but at the cost of the "eaters" health.  Some questions I would like to further research are : When did eating become a competition? Is it a test of masculinity? At what point did people start to enjoy watching these competitions?

Sour Beer

I enjoy trying different beers. I recently tried a type of beer that seems to be getting more popular: sour beer. I tried it at Blue Monk on Elmwood. If I were to explain the flavor of this beer I would say very vinegary, similar to drinking a glass of balsamic vinaigrette.  I’m not sure how I felt about it but I kept drinking it because the taste was so intriguing.

So I was curious and looked up how this beer is made. According to a couple sources, sour beer is fermented to allow certain bacteria to enter the beer instead of using very sterile processes that the beer fermentation process traditionally uses. The process gives it a tart and more fruity taste.

So if you enjoy trying different types of beer, try sour beer, it is definitely unusual. I'm sure you'll come across it! Seems like it's the new trend for beer lovers and beer snobs. :)

Here’s an article:

http://americancraftbeer.com/item/sour-beers-the-new-next-big-thing.html

The Family Restaurant

In Albany, New York my family owns and operates a local Italian Restaurant/ Pizza place, Pizza Mare & Delicatessen.  We serve every think from chicken wings and subs to veal parmesan and calamari.  We have been open for 26 years when my father first opened when he was only 21 years old.  He started out only making pizzas at home and serving them in local markets and grocery stores.  Eventually, he earned enough capital to open his own restaurant and serve high quality pizza in Albany.  Recently, we take part in the annual pizza wars and win most of the categories.  My father has also had his pizza judged in a competition in New York city and was ranked 3rd in the country.  I was insanely proud of him.  The picture on the right is actually my Dad delivering pizza to the secret service of Air Force One!  So maybe Obama even had a slice of our pizza which is pretty incredible.

The Untold Story of Restaurant Work in America

We began a conversation on the nature of restaurant work last week.  Although we had to cut it short because of time, here are a few links that might give you something to think about next time you eat out.

I would really recommend clicking on the first one.  It really shows just how high the rate of poverty and how low the wages are among the nations restaurant employees. Often, even the most food conscious diners are not aware of this fact.

Poverty and Restaurant Work in America

The Hypocrisy of Foodies: Restaurant Worker Abuse

Behind the Kitchen Door

see everyone this afternoon.

John

Chicken Wing Dip

I decided to post the recipe to the chicken wing dip that I made for the mid semester potluck since it seemed that most people liked it! It's one of those really simple recipes that you can make anytime of the week, in a short amount of time.

Ingredients
1 Cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Cup of frank's hot sauce
1 Cup of bleu cheese
1 Stick of cream cheese
2 Cans of shredded chicken

Instructions
1. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and proceed to mix them together until even consistency.
2. Pour the mixed ingredients into a 2 inch or deeper cooking tray and spread until level.
3. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.
4. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

The Truth About Losing Weight

We talked a lot in class about foods that are good for you and that could help you lose weight, but one could still eat burgers, pizza, french fries etc. and still lose weight. Sound to good to be true? Well, in the grand scheme of things, your body doesn't say, "oh, that's pizza....it must be bad for me." What your body really says is, this meal has this many grams of fats, this many grams of carbs and this many grams of protein. These three things collectively are called macronutrients, or macros for short.

Everyone has a base caloric intake, the amount of food you take to maintain your current body weight. Now, if your goal is to gain weight all one simply has to do is to be in a caloric surplus. Same thing applies to someone who wants to lose weight but instead of being in a surplus they need to be in a caloric deficit. So, say someone's caloric baseline was 2000 calories, that means as long as this person eats 2000 calories, no matter where these calories come from, this individual will remain at the same body weight. Of course, if you filled these 2000 calories up with McNuggets you would be hungrier through out the day and would not be getting in your micronutrients, but you would stay at the same body weight none the less.

The message behind this post is don't be fooled into thinking you can't eat certain foods to look a certain way. As long as you don't over indulge, exercise regularly and eat a somewhat healthy diet, any fitness goal is possible.



This is a link to this dieting principle, it's called If it Fits Your Macros (IIFYM):
http://iifym.com/introduction-to-iifym/

This is a free calorie counter, which also has a mobile app:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com

I ate cheese quesadillas last night and recalled the lesson when we discussed corn and tortillas.  I reflected how the U.S. took control of corn exports and contributed to Mexico's poor economy as I took each bite. This class has definitely made me think about what I eat and its cultural importance, whether small or large.

On a side note, the package for the tortillas read "Burrito Tortillas" which interested me because I thought a tortilla was like a default. 

Walmart Produce

This class has made me pay attention to things I've never before paid attention to.  Such as the items I see in grocery stores.

One day I had to go to Walmart with my friend.  She wanted to buy brocolli, but was really grossed out by the way it looked.  We then noticed that ALL of the produce was really gross looking.  Most of it brown or wrinkly.  I actually snapped photos of it, because I wanted to document what it looked like.

Here are some tangerines...

broccoli and cucumbers...

parsley and cabbage...

radishes and squash...

and last but not least, these really creepily large strawberries which look like they'd be full of hormones, but according to their website aren't (but they use genetic breeding).

What's interesting about this is apparently creating more Walmarts is the solution to food deserts.
According to this article I read, "Michelle Obama heralded a pledge by those retailers to open or expand 1,500 stores in areas defined by the USDA to be "food deserts"'.
The whole article is here : http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/01/walmart-answer-food-deserts

 I don't know where I stand on this... 
Of course bringing food markets into urban spaces can benefit the area, but are there costs which may outweigh the benefits, such as Walmart's tendency to kill small businesses?  Also, obviously these photos were taken at one Walmart on one specific day, but this one was in Amherst, which is one of the nicer cities in our country and that worries me.  Is this produce even better than the produce that may exist in small corner stores and such in inner cities?  This quality of produce would never exist in other more expensive grocery stores, yet it remains here at Walmart.  Walmart is sometimes the only option for people because they're so abundunt and do have very low prices. But, this is what is being sold to them?  Wrinkly and dead looking fruit and vegetables?

Homemade Chicken Tacos

Tonight I made chicken tacos! One thing I tend to do often up here is cook for myself. This is a healthy and easy option for those living off campus. Cooking chicken tacos are both healthier for you as opposed to getting them from TacoBell, Moes, or UB campus and dines. In order to do this I bought a taco kit from Wegmans, put the taco shells in the oven for about 10 minutes (be sure to watch them so they dont burn). I cut up chicken and red pepper and threw it in a sautéing pan. After the chicken reached a nice yellow brown and the peppers cooked I threw it into a taco, added lettuce, shredded mexican cheese, and the taco sauce that came with the taco kit. Overall it was delicous and very easy to make. I recommend it to anyone who likes tacos, and for those who are looking for healthier cooking options.

Butterbeer Cupcakes

Hey all you Harry Potter fans! This is the butterbeer cupcake recipe that I used for our last potluck. If you liked them, here's the recipe. I follow it for the most part, but I use less ganache and don't fill the cupcakes as much as the recipe calls for. I think it can have a tendency to be too sweet so be careful with the sugar. I actually ran out of brown sugar last time and got creative with some maple syrup. If you want to or need to do this, it makes the cupcakes taste almost like pancakes. It's pretty awesome. I would suggest a large glass of milk when eating these super sweet treats.

I would also like to point out how funny and cool it is that fictional foods and desserts have made their way into real life. The blog where I got the recipe also gives recipes for cauldron cakes and more! You can find recipes for pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs as well. There is also a recipe for butterbeer that has butterscotch schnapps in it if you're into that sort of thing.

Hardcore Potterheads for the win.

Here's the link: http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/2011/7/14/butterbeer-cupcakes.html

Go Believe (Gou Bu Li) -----Famous stuffed baozi in China

Go Believe, also known as Gou Bu Li has very funny meaning if you directly translate it into Chinese --- "dogs don't pay attention/dogs ignore". It is a brand of stuffed baozi from Tianjin, China. Founded in 1858. It is also one of China's longest established brands. Each Gou Bu Li bun has exactly eighteen wrinkles.

In 2008, in anticipation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which was held in Beijing, China, Gou Bu Li decided to adopt a proper English name, Go Believe, in hope that foreign guests would better understand and trust Gou Bu Li.

                            A traditional Tianjin lunch of Gou Bu Li Baozi

                                    Gou Bu Li Baozi being cooked

Superheroes and Food

I found this cool article about 10 favorite foods of superheroes. Its interesting that food has played such a large role in comics. It's so prominent that readers/watchers can pick out a superheroes favorite food just by reading the comics. Thor seems to like Creamsicles; which is featured in the article. Zatanna scours universities for the perfect taco. Several panels feature this because she's visited at least 52 universities. Deadpool likes Chimichangas, and Mexican food in general. The Ninja Turtles looovvee pizza( the picture featured in the article says," No to drugs, yes to pizza.") Birds of Prey eat Chinese food after a mission. Batman arguably loves nachos; a comic also pictures him cooking steak so it could be up for debate. Wolverine's favorite food is a burger with the works. In the Spider-Man comics he loved eating wheat cakes, made by his Aunt May. Superman liked Beef Bourguignon with Ketchup, he was featured ordering it several times. The front of a comic book also shows Superman eating a giant mountain of burgers. Martian Manhunter liked Chocos(which are basically Oreos). The food that these superheroes like is very culturally different but readily evident in the comics that they were featured in. This shows that food had some say in these comics. Batman would eat before crimes, Birds of Prey would relax after a mission by eating, and in the cartoon of Ninja Turtles they are almost always eating pizza. Here is the link if you would like to take a look.

http://geek-news.mtv.com/2012/05/17/10-superheroes-favorite-foods/

Fuji Grill Japanese Restaurant

Fuji Grill is a Japanese Restaurant in Amherst that has amazing sushi. Sushi has always been a favorite food of mine, and to be 8 hours away from long island and still be able to find great sushi is something we as Americans take for granted. I was first introduced to Japanese cuisine at a young age, but didnt acquire a taste for it until a more mature age. Since coming to buffalo three years ago, I can say that Fuji Grill by far has the freshest sushi around. I recommend the spider roll, which has some delicious solf shell crab. The salmon and the spicy maki was also delicious, served with a side salad or miso soup. The restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere, fast service, and it is nice to go there with friends and family.

Coca Cola Chinken Wings, simplest food to cook ever!!!!

Has any of you guys ever tried Coca Cola Chicken Wings or heard of it? Well my cousin made me Coca Cola chicken wings over the summer of last year, it tastes so yummy and it is really simple to cook. Before I had this type of chicken wing I never knew that Coca Cola can actually be used as an ingredient for cooking. So I did some research on Google. I found out that Coca-Cola chicken wings is a widely consumed and very popular dish in Hong Kong and in other parts of China. (Yeah I know, Isn't it kinda sad that I never had it before even though it is quite popular in China?) It’s nearly like the Asian equivalent to the popular American buffalo wings. It is commonly served as appetizers at bars and restaurants, and well known for its sweet taste and crunchy bite. Below are the recipe for the Coca Cola Chicken Wings. If any of you get a chance, you definitely should try it out!

ingredients

• 8 (about 320grams) mid joint chicken wings
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 200 ml regular Coca-Cola (do not use diet or flavoured Coke)
• 200 ml water
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. Marinade the chicken wings in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil for 15 minutes.
2. Heat oil in wok or saucepan and brown chicken on both sides.
3. Add Coca-Cola, water and leftover marinade sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is reduced to a thick & sticky syrup, turning once halfway.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

A nice Chinese restaurant in Williamsville town, Wok & Roll.

 Wok & Roll is a Cantonese style of Chinese cuisine restaurant. The environment is clean and modest. You usually will get two types of menus. One menu of American-Chinese dishes, such as General Tso’s chicken, Lo Mein, Fired Rice. Another one is loaded with Cantonese and dim sum flavors.

Wok & Roll became one of my favorite restaurants after I tried out the first time under my friend’s recommendation. The food is delicious, fresh, authentic and not greasy compare with other Chinese dishes.  The Mini Juicy Pork Buns (Soup Dumplings), Chicken with Black Mushroom Casserole, Sauteed String Beans and Eggplant Casserole are my favorite choice when I went there.    

By the way the staffs of Wok & Roll are nice and kind. You could ask for special adjustment to the dish in order to satisfy your individual tastes.

The images are from buffaloeats.org 

Birthdays and Cake

Recently I've been wondering why exactly we eat cake to celebrate our birthdays. Apparently the tradition started with the ancient Greeks. They would make breads and such for special occasions. Then in ancient Rome they would bake honey cakes to celebrate birthdays of the emperor or imperial family. For other places it became popular during the Middle Ages and the Germans in particular popularized the tradition; they served a sweetened type of bread on someone's birthday. German bakeries marketed single-layer cakes for birthdays and weddings. This tradition solidified the connection between cake and birthdays... at least in Western culture. Originally only wealthy people got cake on their birthday but with the advancement of technology and the industrial revolution, cake became more accessible. Some people believe that the use of candles on the cake came from the Greeks. The Greeks believed that the smoke from the candle carried their prayers to gods. Other people believe that putting candles on the cake originated in Germany at Kinderfest in the 18th century, which was a large festival for children's birthdays.The candles, as they do today, signified a person's age. There are other pastries that people outside of the Western culture serve; basically all cultures celebrate with food. The rituals that surround eating the cake like singing "Happy Birthday" vary from culture to culture as well.

Gong De Lin -------Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant

The first Gong De Lin opened in Shanghai during the 1920s at the suggestion of a monk from the Changji temple in Hangzhou. The restaurant opened its Beijing establishment 60 years later.

Gong De Lin has enjoyed a great fame and became an important brand of vegetarian food. This traditional Buddhist vegetarian restaurant relies mostly on vegetables, tofu and mushrooms to create deceptively meat-like dishes but if you're not into mocking meat there are lots of veg dishes that don't pretend to be anything else. It manages to satisfy the appetites of the faithful, while at the same time attending to their spiritual needs.

There's plenty of mock-meat, They have a nice big picture menu with English. 

I tried many dishes and my favourite was the tofu lamb shashlik. It was mildly spicy and just to my liking. If you visit Beijing often put it on your must eat at list even if you are not vegetarian!