Archive for the ‘Imma Foodie’ Category

You don’t have to go far to get some of the best food around. Here are my favorites!

Mexican: The Tortilla Press – Collingswood, NJ
Cuban: Casona – Collingswood, NJ
Chinese: King Wong – Marlton, NJ
Thai: Bangkok City – Voorhees, NJ
Vietnamese: Pho Eden – Cherry Hill, NJ
Korean: Myung Ga – Cherry Hill, NJ
Italian: Carollo’s – Marlton, NJ
Wings: The Pic-a-Lilli Inn – Shamong, NJ
Pizza: Tarentella’s – Medford, NJ
Sushi: Tokyo Bleu – Cinnaminson, NJ and Miyabi – Mount Laurel, NJ
Bagels: Medford Bagels – Medford, NJ
Hoagies: DiVello’s – Medford, NJ
Mussels Fra Diablo: Carollo’s – Cherry Hill, NJ
Crabcakes: Bobby Chez – Marlton, NJ
Water Ice: Leo’s Famous Yum Yum – Marlton, NJ
Ice Cream: Sundae’s – Berlin, NJ
Brunch: Izzie’s – Medford, NJ

Photo by Kevin H.

You never know what you’re going to find when you go exploring the local flea market. It’s a one stop shop for all kinds of food, music, jewelry, cell phone accessories, things “As Seen On TV” and the latest trends — right now, scarves in high demand. To me, that’s a wonderful thing.

I first fell in love with flea markets as a little kid. Every Saturday, my dad used to take my brother and I to the Berlin Farmer’s Market (Berlin, NJ). I remember holding on to two of my dad’s fingers or and even riding on his shoulders. We’d get gigantic flavored popcorn balls and those little boxes of white things that < <::SNAP::>> when you throw them. (Does anyone know what they’re called?) That’s where I fell in love with that cardboard/pizza rink pizza, orange soda and Bubblicious gum.

One time, my dad got us a bunch of parakeets! We had an entire cage full. Oh, the best was when he’d get freshly cut cheesesteak from the butcher and we’d have homemade sandwiches for lunch.

Now, it’s a treat to go to the flea market. I usually go with my BFF, Danielle to the Columbus Farmer’s Market (Columbus, NJ). It’s pretty routine — she comes to my house on a Sunday at 8ish and we head out. On the ride, we catch up and listen to music, stop to get cash at Wawa and put a shopping strategy together.

We’ve gone through a number of obsessive buying trends — for example, those stretchable Italian charm bracelets and “designer” handbags. I remember when my dad got us “Oakley” windbreakers there! Man, I was the coolest thing in sixth and seventh grade.

Now, Danielle gets her candles from a store inside; I get “meat on a stick” (yes, that early); we eat Pete’s Pizza; and get bags of candied nuts. The last time we were there, I got a pile of hair accessories for $5. It was four for $1, fill a bag for $5. No lie, it was all stuff by Conair and Goody. I strategically stacked everything inside the little plastic bag. I swear, there were 25+ packages of pins, clips, rubber bands, headbands, etc. — all with cute designs on them.

I guess the main reason I like to go is to walk around, get exercise and try new foods like roasted corn, fried oreos or pizza on a braided pretzel. You never know what kind of bargains or random things you can buy or eat!
Read the rest of this entry »

Last night was a great night to TweetUp. Special thanks to Chef Mark Smith of Tortilla Press (Collingswood, NJ) and Tortilla Press Cantina (Pennsauken, NJ) for hosting our fun night!

What’s a TweetUp?
A TweetUp is when Twitter friends meet up in person. TweetUps can have a theme, an agenda or just a designated date, time and place.

Host your own TweetUp.
Pick a date, time and place. For this TweetUp, Dawn Bricker and I spoke (actually tweeted) with Mark and got his “ok” to host at the Tortilla Press Cantina. We picked a date that worked for all of us, and moved quickly with promoting the event.

Get the word out. Similar to our last few TweetUps, we assigned the hashtag “#SJTweetUp.” Adding the hashtag (“#”) makes the subject SJTweetUp “searchable” on Twitter. So, you can search for “#SJTweetUp” or click on “#SJTweetUp” within someone’s tweet to find more information or people that are tweeting about that subject.

For example, some tweets to promote tonight’s event were:

@AllThingsGwen: #SJTweetUp tonight at @TortillaPress Cantina – Pennsauken, NJ. You’ll meet @dawnbricker @chefmarksmith and many others! http://ow.ly/1dbqv

@kdevito: Tweetup Tonight: #SJTweetUp RSVP here: http://twtvite.com/c4jbaa #SJTweetUp #twtvite

@EileenOBrien: South Jersey friends join me & @allthingsgwen for margaritas at #SJTweetUp tonight 6-8 pm @TortillaPress: http://ow.ly/1dbqv

Communicate and RSVP. We used Twtvite to get the word out and keep things organized. It was easy to type in the event details and include our hashtag, #SJTweetUp. From there, we included a link to the Twtvite within our tweets — similar to http://ow.ly/1dbqv or http://twtvite.com/c4jbaa in the examples above.

Plan event logistics. We brought name tags — so people could write and “wear” their name and twitter name. We also brought index cards so we could collect names and contact information. That way, we could all contact each other after the event.

Other than that, we just had fun with it! Awesome food, fun tweople and a great night out!
Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some ideas for showing your honey, your significant other or BFFs that you love them!

Cook in and stay in. Cook something new and decorate your dinner plates with fresh fruit slices. Serve fruit kabobs for dessert. Drizzle sauces — like gravies or chocolate sauce — in swirly designs.

Get crafty. Get a matted frame from Target, Walmart or any craft store. Insert a picture and write nice things on the matte. For example, places you’ve gone together, favorite memories or private jokes.

Make a gift basket that’s useful. I love when Billy wears Axe Dark Temptation Body Spray. I like when he shaves his face too. A toiletry “basket” with all of his favorite (and my favorite) stuff would be perfect!

Go somewhere. My favorite places are Grounds for Sculpture and the Mutter Museum — admission is really cheap! Oh yeah, the grease trucks at Rutgers University are yummy and fun too!

Act like kids together. Build an indoor fort and hang out underneath the covers.

Keep it simple. Order a pizza and watch your favorite movie and your honey’s favorite movie.

Get nostalgic. Gather all your old pictures, movie and concert tickets, matchbooks, etc. to make a memory box. You can also buy a shadow box at the craft store and add your memorabilia there.

Create a rainy-day fund. Give your honey a piggy bank and make plans for how you’ll spend the bank together when it’s full.

Laugh together. Try to get your hands on some old home movies. Yup, Billy has seen video of me at my 5th bday party, my First Communion and me in the Philippines wearing umbros and a Bartman tee-shirt.

Take a couple’s class together. Cooking? Yoga? Pottery? Do your research. There’s a lot out there! Even if it’s not something you would normally want to do — but your partner would — suck it up and do it!

Photo by weenee.

No measurements here! Just throw it all together and there you go … you’re the party hero!

Meatless Hot Taco Dip
- 1 package of cream cheese – room temperature
- 1 small jar of salsa
- Cheddar cheese – as much as you want
- Mix it up, warm it up in the microwave and serve with tortilla chips.

“Puerto Rican” Cheese Dip
- Munster cheese – as much as you want
- Pressed garlic – as much as you want
- Mix it up, warm it up in the microwave/oven and serve with assorted crackers or tortilla chips. You may want to keep this dip warm in a fondue pot.

Spinach Dip
- Frozen spinach – thawed and squeezed
- Sour cream – 16 oz container
- Mayo – about 16 oz
- Chopped peppers – as much as you want
- Chopped onions – as much as you want
- Good Seasons Italian dressing power – you gotta use this brand!
- Mix it up and serve with assorted crackers.

Photo by Muy Yum.

Ask me what my favorite food is, and I’ll pick something “asian.” You name it — Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese … and oh yeah, Filipino. (I’m Filipino.)

My first “foodie” blog is all about Vietnamese Food. (You’re reading it right now.) My cousin, Peter got me into it years ago. I can’t remember if I started with pho — traditional Vietnamese soup — or not. But that stuff is good! Picture this … a BIG bowl of noodles and chicken (or whatever meat) in broth that’s been cooking for days(?). You get a big plate with stuff you can add in — fresh bean sprouts, lime, cilantro, basil. If you want a little spice, add a few drops — or even a “stripe” — of Sriracha.

My ultimate favorite Vietnamese food is grilled pork over vermicelli noodles, aka “bun thit nuong.” It’s grilled pork over rice noodles with a little lettuce, carrots and some other veggie stuff. You pour “fish” sauce over everything, mish-mash it all up, and it’s phenomenal! If you want, you can add stuff to this noodle bowl —grilled shrimp, eggrolls, whatever.

Read the rest of this entry »

So I never knew what  “foodie” was. I was talking to my friend from high school — @cranekickers (http://www.cranekickchronicles.com/). We talked about a bunch of stuff — working out, diet, high school, writing, blogging, turning 30, pizza … chinese food … brazillian steak houses … comfort food … ! Then, I asked him what  a “foodie” was.

ATG: What is a “foodie?” Am I one?

Cranekickers: A foodie is someone who loves food, talks about food, goes out of their way to try food. Heck yes you are one.

And now, I’m inspired to do everything I want with writing! Including new ”IMMA FOODIE” blogs. Can’t wait to post my first one! It’ll be call “Asian Persuasion.”

PS – I just told Billy about this blog! He said, “To be a foodie, you have to be pretty good at cooking.” OH SNAP!

Photo by Rakka.