This weekend, I attended the annually held Dogwood Festival in Atlanta, GA. It’s the time of the year when all the dogwood trees are in full bloom, the spring season is kicking in and people want to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. The festival is held at Piedmont Park, Atlanta’s equivalent of New […]
When I visited Iceland in 2009, I wasn’t sure what to expect from its culinary scene. Iceland has known to be exorbitantly expense due to its distant location, extreme climate and scarce population. Out of its 300k citizens, only 4% of the population is employed in agriculture. They primarily grow potatoes, turnips, carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers. […]
In spring of 2000, I was enrolled in a Leadership and Group Dynamic course while pursuing my Bachelors degree at Georgia State University. On the last day of class, we were asked to bring a dish each so we can have a potluck party and celebrate the end of the course. It was also a […]
The Italian language club, Ciancia met at my place last night. I have to say it was one of my most memorable evenings. Not sure if it was because of the wine, the food, or the conversations, or a combination of all of the above. I prepared some wine and cheese platters, antipasto, penne arrabiata […]
Instead of going out with friends for dinner, this Saturday night, I decided to host a pizza party at home. It wasn’t your typical order delivery and drink beer, rather a more mature and sophisticated pizza party for refined adults. I bought fresh ingredients including pizza dough and toppings to make two different kinds of […]
My favorite thing to eat for breakfast is a homemade, fresh of the griddle pancake. I don’t particularly like the ones at restaurants and hotels. In my opinion, they probably have a lot of butter or oil that make them taste very rich and leaves me with an overstuffed belly. I try to make my […]
More and more families are choosing to cook at home due to health and cost factors. It is no surprise that home cooked food is comparatively healthier because you know exactly what you put in it (hopefully not preserved and canned items.) Also, it’s much cheaper than ordering in, especially for 2+ people households. The […]
Making Sushi is actually not as complicated as one might think. I learned to make Sushi in the Dominical Republic, out of all places! One afternoon I signed up for the class along with a few global trotters who were vacationing at the beach and wanted to invigorate their desires for learning a new skill. […]
This weekend, I attended the Global Health & Humanitarian Summit at Emory University in Atlanta. It was three days of speakers, networking, exhibits and activities. The organizers want to make it into a movement, similar to the Global Economic Summit and it was a great first event. There were hundreds of people from all over […]
Spring is around the corner and the garden will be in full bloom again. I grow my own herbs in my backyard. There is rosemary, lavender, mint, thyme, chive, parsley, cilantro and sage always at my disposal! It is a wonderful experience to cook with fresh herbs that have been plucked within a few minutes. […]
If you want to step back in time, go to Vienna in Austria. I visited in summer of 2008 and was plesantly surprised. Surely there are many old cities around the world but what was special here is that the 18th century buildings looked brand new. They were so well maintained that you felt like […]
I went to Russia in May 2009 through Cross Cultural Solutions Insight aboard program. I picked Russia because I had heard about their large numbers of orphanages, in par with India where I saw the plight of orphans first hand at Mother Teresa’s homes. Since this was my first time and I was traveling alone, […]
In these financially demanding times, it can sometimes get difficult to pay for the services we normally would. Moreover, you want to compensate the service provider by tipping him/ her adequately. All of these costs add up quickly. I want to share a story with you on tipping when on budget. When my grandparents first […]
Spring break is around the corner and you may be thinking of what to do for fun with your family. Have you booked a cruise on www.kaikanani.com/? Or have you been looking into going skiing? Or are you wanting to stay in your own state this spring break? If you are, that doesn’t mean you […]
Making Gelato at home takes time and commitment. It is not difficult, but needs some advance planning. Here is a basic recipe to make your own Dulce De Leche Gelato. The first step is to make a base. This can be plain (which will be used in most flavors) or chocolate. 1. Combine 2 cups […]
I have been making my own Gelato from scratch since last summer. It is a two-day labor-intensive but very rewarding process. I have a new appreciation for it now that I am making my own. First thing I learned was Gelato is relatively healthier than ice-cream. Whereas ice-cream is made with 100% cream, Gelato […]
On March 20, my neighbor Daniel Sklar wrote: Sucheta served a lovingly prepared three-course meal for four. She began the evening with an aperitif of red wine. Her husband, Dipak, served as sommelier. She expertly had on hand a nicely chilled non-alcoholic cold duck (a type of sparkling wine made from burgundy and champagne) for […]
If you are on Facebook, you must vote for the “Go Eat Give” bus. My girlfriends and I have entered to win a trip to Asia (Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) worth $25,000 sponsored by Contiki. If we win, we will connect people, places and palates! Our mission is to explore cultures by connecting with the locals, learning, […]
In my attempt to stimulate your global palette, this is the second post in a series of Fusion cooking. These are just some tips that will veer your creativity in the right direction. Keep in mind, there are unlimited possibilities in terms of what you can do yourself! Trick #2 : Play with spices […]
Oliver & Bonacini has a few restaurants spread around the metro Toronto area that range from casual affordable to super fine dining where celebrities have been spotted. The restaurants are the creation of celebrity chefs, Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini. I had lunch at Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill in Oakville but they have other […]
