G R I L L E D
P B & J 

Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god ohhhhh myyyy gaaaaaaahhhhd no but seriously errrmmerrgerrd WHY HAVEN'T I MADE THIS YEARS AGO!!?!?!?!?!  

Last night history was made in my kitchen.  After a few glasses of wine & a wee toke of the cutest little peach a conversation was sparked about drunken munchies.  

What is your favorite thing to eat after a night of heavy drinking??

My answer: crab rangoons.  I know, it's so bogus since it's really an American-Chinese thing..but the fried creaminess gets me feeling all damn types of ways.  

Okay so the grilled peanut butter & jelly sandwich was brought up also & I could not get my mind off of it so at 1am I melted up my butter & grilled these bastards up!  

melted butter..mmm!

I unfortunately only had enough peanut butter for 2 sandwiches :(  Perhaps that was a good thing??  Also, I used raspberry jam instead of the classic grape jelly.

a generous smearing of each pb & j

Use medium-low heat as if you were making pancakes.  You should have seen the look on my face when I flipped them over & did not see any burnt edges!   ^______^

Look at how the raspberry jam gets all nicely caramelized!!  AHHHHHHHH!! I want another. Best idea.  Once you bite into the sammiches you are taken away to the most euphoric childhood memories.  Wash it down with a cold ass glass of almond milk & that's just it.  LIFE IS SO GOOD.  Thank you & you are so very welcome.

PS.  I love the mindset my boyfriend Todd & I have been having lately.  Basically, we have to up our tolerance & see where we're at with everything so that when we go to Europe (IN 4 DAYS!) we won't be totally f*cked >.<  

I'll definitely try to post all of my foodie adventures overseas with the wifi I can sneak on.  OH!  Plus, if you've been to Germany, Amsterdam, London, Belgium and/or France please leave me some tips in the comments below about places to check out!

Cheers, friends :D

F R E S H
F I G S

Have you ever eatten a raw, freshly ripened fig?  OH.. MY HEAVENS.  There is a reason why figs are called the 'fruit of the gods' & quite frankly they are most scrumptious!  

This morning I had these little sweet creatures just the way they were.  No prosciutto.  No goat cheese.  No fancy schmancy honey.  Nothing!  I love the natural flavor that shines through!  I definitely am a fan which surprised me because I absolutely freaking haaaaaaaate FIG NEWTONS!!  Hello, isn't that a just a sweet treat for old people that can't really chomp on like crunchy, chocolate chip cookies? :D

Aside from being most aesthetically pleasing to the eyes- with all the vivid colors from the skin & seeds - these little fruits are actually quite good for you too!

Here are some of the key points on the health benniez of figs:

• good source of potassium!  bye bananazzzz
• excellent source of calcium, too
• fiber rich & almost helps you lose weight ;)
• full of antioxidants for optimum health & wellness

Dried figs which are very popular in stores (since the peak season for fresh figs are just during the summer) can be found year round .  They are sweeter & actually have a ton of perks to them as well but I really enjoyed having these little guys fresh.  There are countless recipes I've seen- fig butter/ jam/ compote, fig smoothies, figs on pizza, figs in cake!  Absolutely endless.  

how amazing does this fig cheesecake look!?

So, since there are so many farmer's markets around town (hopefully near you as well) I highly recommend going out there & picking up a few of these delightful fruits!  

N O N G S H I M
S I R  L O N G  T A N G
R E V I E W

Oooo!  My first product review ^____^  Here we have Nongshim's newest ramen baby.  They're known for their Korean instant ramens..you know like the SHIN CUP!! <3 <3 <3   I am, by the way.. majorly obsessed with Shin Cup.. like I'd probably tattoo a Shin Cup on my thigh.  

Well, this particular tubby, asian commodity, Sir Long Tang (sounds like a prince in the next Mulan movie..a girl can dream!) is a take on the Korean oxtail soup, seolleongtang.  By slowly simmering the bones you really get that marrow goodness & deep, milky meaty flavor.. think korean pho! 

Without a breakfast this morning I am so glad I picked this up last week.  I believe it was just under $2?  Not bad at all.  The stumpy size is surprisingly the same as a Shin Cup!  So much to live up to, Sir Long Tang..

I opted to pour boiling water & wait out the 3 grueling minutes.  The flavor packet had an off-white powder with dehydrated scallions & garlic...which when revived are sooooo good :]  The noodles are similar to all the others, flat & chewy.  THE BROTH DOE.. ohhhh that first sip!!  There were fireworks!  Super freaking flavorful!  My mouth was instantly coated & in umami heaven. 

Check out the oil bubbles!!  A well rounded broth will have these babes all bubbling together..mmmm.  Comfort food to the max.

Nutritionally speaking..this was SODIYUMMY!  I compared the facts with a Shin Cup & they are pretty much identical aside from the sodium content.  We all know instant ramen isn't the healthiest..but do we care?  I don't think so ;D

Rating?  I loved it!  I'm most definitely giving this a 5 out of 5.  You should probably pick one up when you can.  Unfortunately for those living in Massachusetts with me our beloved Market Basket is undergoing some hefty drama.  I'm sure you can find it at any asian market & it's for sure at H-Mart but I believe it's way pricier.

No regrets!  Oh & hey, am I the only one that finishes all the broth??  >.< 

L A Y E R E D
G R E E K   D I P

GREEEEECE!! I WANT TO BE IN YOU!!  Ahhhh..one of my tippity top travel destinations!!  Aside from the fact that the pictures of the all the islands are absurdly charming & alluring & captivating & enticing & desireable as FUCK..like come on all the bright white design & blinding blue ocean!!  Seriously though.. it's the foooood.  Goodness, my belly & I cannot wait.  

Well, in about 25 days my boyfriend Todd & I will be boarding a plane to seek grand adventures in the land called EUROPE!  I seriously cannot wait.  The consistent urge/need of being out & about all over this globe has been raging harder than ever- tweenty fiiiiive dayyzzzzz!  We will be exploring Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium & France all in a total of 2 weeks!  

I know I know.. so why isn't Greece in that list of countries right?!!  Honestly, I don't have the slightest inkling.  Hopefully I can spend 2 weeks just in Greece when I go!  (Hmm.. I'm looking at 2015 hehehe)  Plus, Spain & Italy are totally  on that bottom half of the continent ;D  Mmmhm, with all that good food.   Helloooooo!! 

The dip!  The dip!  I recently attended a surprise birthday.  Though most parties never really say BYOB anymore.. I was always taught to bring something!  Never go somewhere empty handed.  As you can see, my hands were quite full ^________^

isn't my girlfriend Vicky in the pink ze cutest?!!!

I loved the idea of having something easy to make & serve.  Besides, hummus is the coolest kid on the block right now.  I'm sooooo healthy! ;D  Instead of the traditional Mexican dip (that is in my pint-sized opinion plaaaayed out).. I thought this mediterranean styled dip would be way more of a hit..pshhh & it totes was, obvi!  Oh & did I mention it's wicked easy!?

Ingredients:

2 16oz tubs of hummus!  Any flavor..I did OG 

Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil- DO NOT SKIMP!! 

1 Cucumber- diced

1 Package of cherry tomatoes- diced

1 Red onion- diced!  

1 Can of black olives- sliiiiiiced! (you were thinking diced, I know it!)

1 Container of crumbled FETA CHEESE <3

Chopped scallions & Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare your fresh veggies!  Dice, chop, & set aside for just a quick second.
2. Get a nice serving tray & drizzle that heaven sent EVOO all over the bottom.
   
3. Spread the hummus evenly for the first layer of creamy goodness.  (I actually had Vicky sexually stir in some scallions & red pepper flakes into the hummus!)
4. Sprinkle your veggies in any random order you'd like..honestly, it's all about what YOU want.. sprinkle on, babies..
   
5. Top with black olives!
6. Top even more with feta!
7. Top that all with scallions & parsley!  Oh my!
8. Do one last generous dousing of the EVOO..for good measure! ;)

Wasn't that the easiest??  Grab a couple bags of pita chips & head on out :D  People are going to love you & think you eat this healthy all the time, bahaha! #n00bz   Next week I'll probably fry everything in my pantry..