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Before I go on, I want to thank my readers. Those of you who randomly arrive here via your Google search for Puerto Rican Pork chops or my Urbanspoon reviews and those of you who come back for a random read into my life and the food I share with you all.
For 2013, I have wanted to set a resolution. I do not usually make a resolution for the simple reason that hardly anyone actually follows through. But I wanna do something for real. I have several goals for this year and I still have to actually put these things into priority.
I’d also like to hear from you and get feedback on recipes you would like me to try and post about. Is there anything you’ve been too afraid to try and would like some how-to photos of on here? Let me know!
Consider subscribing to my blog this year so that you have faster access to my new posts via Google Reader, Blogger, or whatever RSS feed site/program you use (my feedburner link is above on the RSS Link).
Stay tuned for my plan to participate in a church-wide fasting event – The Daniel’s Fast.
Cheers,
Zulaika H.
for easy sharing of my reviews and recipes and a bunch of other fun stuff on there.
When I first heard Ruben talking about Giovanni’s I just assumed it was a pizzeria where his townie friends hung out. I deeply regret that thought now that I have experienced the atmosphere, which comes with great conversation and the nicest staff I’ve ever dealt with at a local chain.
I had a couple of these (left)- I don’t know what it was, but it was very sweet and my favorite color 🙂
I also had their Chicken Parmesan (Dinner portion), which comes with a house salad and garlic bread. I did not get my garlic bread, but the rest of my experience (not to mention large portion sizes) was going so great I didn’t even realize it until today. No real complaint there , but I will be craving the bread now. Also, we sat at the bar so I can understand the bartender forgetting if they do not usually serve food and just drinks.
If you ever come here, please please have their house dressing with your salad. It’s also available for purchase to take home and I honestly think it is AMAZING!
Ruben had a stuffed pizza – I took a bite and it was pretty good. The texture was perfect.
When our visit was finally over and we were leaving I noticed something – a very important something. There was a woman coming into the restaurant with what seemed to be her elderly father. The little Italian man could barely walk, but I could still see his enthusiasm about getting inside Giovanni’s. I realized if this little Italian man was coming to eat here, they MUST know what they’re doing!
An interesting meal for an interesting date. You know how after a certain age, calling your boyfriend a “boy” friend sounds childish and embarrassing? Mid-20’s isn’t old, but it is starting to feel not-so-young. Tonight marked our One Year “Dating” Anniversary for my husband and me. Ruben and I generally don’t do anything spectacular besides reminisce on such occasions. Thank God we’ve always had a good open communication – it helps that we were true friends years before ever being involved romantically.
And so it was pure coincidence that my boss offered me a pair of Magic Tickets for tonight (they lost – this season doesn’t look good for Orlando = ). It was fun and the seats were great. While downtown, Ruben took me to a fun spot called Hamburger Mary’s.
Not sure if you’ve ever heard of the franchise, but if not you may want to research before agreeing to come here (Clue: Mary may not be a “Mary”). Personally, I thought it was a really fun experience and the food was fantastic.
Every Wednesday night, there is a sort of “Trivia Night” hosted by a man who is incredibly vulgar. Still, the experience is entertaining and gets everyone laughing.
As soon as you walk in, it’s quite easy to figure out what kind of party there is inside. The room was crowded and loud – not too loud, but enough to feel the very casual theme of Hamburger Mary’s.
A “Mary” statue greets us
as we enter
This photo frame is just one of several photos and posters throughout the dining room of Hamburger Mary’s. The whole dining room is extremely colorful and feels warm and bright day or night.
Below is a photo of the booth’s fabric and the wall beside it pained in lime green as well as a photo of the front of a menu.
Ruben opted for The Queen “Mary” Burger – anything with grilled onions and bacon will usually catch his eye on a burger menu. I have to say, it was one of the prettiest burgers I’ve ever seen.
The Queen “Mary” Burger ($10.95)
Since this was my first time at Mary’s I opted for the basic Mary Burger. It was really good, though next time I will likely ask for more of the “Mary’s special sauce”.
Wawa is a well known food mart which also sells fuel. Apparently, they are very common in some states/areas, but it wasn’t until this summer that our town had a couple locations premiere.
I personally love the place. It’s very entertaining to see everything neatly placed in the store. Everything is so organized – I love when stores are so visually appealing. With that, however, comes a consequence – overindulgence.
We stopped by tonight for a snack and I came out with something I didn’t plan on consuming – at all. I wanted a Butterscotch TastyKake Krimpet cake (very delicious with milk), but after staring at all the labels and seeing the crazy calories I opted for a cup of soup instead. It may have still been a high calorie choice, but not as bad or as sweet as a cake.
Another cool thing about this place is the center of the store has this window area – behind the window is where the employees make your food. You can see everything.
My husband always gets a smoothie – strawberry, but usually banana related. Last night it was a banana smoothie. They are good.
The picture I took of my soup came out very blurry so I’m providing the Wawa photo from their site here (it’s the upper left bowl):
The soup reminded me of the Broccoli cheese from Quizno’s – I swear whatever they do (or buy premade) has to be from the same company. It tastes exactly the same – and it’s my favorite. The part that Wawa tops Quizno’s on is the buttered roll option. The bread goes perfect with the soup.
The last time I got hot food from Wawa was on Nov. 10th (Saturday night). It was the first time I tried their chicken strips and I really liked them (though they are deep fried and probably not even real chicken). Either way, they were good.
This is the first Thanksgiving in years that I do not make a turkey. Okay, that isn’t true. I didn’t last year either – but that was ONLY because I was away for military training and that shouldn’t count. It didn’t feel like Thanksgiving happened at all for me in 2011. Don’t get me wrong, we were taken out to a great restaurant and shared a meal with our shipmates. The food was great and I even took pictures of it (maybe I can dig those up and update this post another time). It still isn’t the same when your family is two thousand miles away (1,949 to be exact).
This year I’m thankful for a lot of things. God has blessed me with a supportive family that enjoys watching me grow as a woman, a mother, and now a wife. I’m also thankful that I could start a new tradition – Thanksgiving Brunch. I love making food for the holidays and brunch is a new meal I never took on with guests.
I am posting links to the recipes that I used for the meal today (see related links below).
Buffalo Wild Wings has a cool vibe. The location we went to is huge and features more than a dozen television screens all showing different sports and news channels. This was a fun place to have lunch and all the staff was friendly and we will definitely go again.
As soon as you enter, you follow a path towards the register and place your order. After you do you are free to choose where you want to sit and someone comes to take your drink order. When it’s all ready, they bring it to you.
Here’s an indoor view of the location we went to
All of the booths and chairs have their logo carved into them
I ordered my wings with the sauce (they have 20 sauce/seasoning options by the way!) on the side (controlling your sauce instead of ordering them drenched is always my preferred option). I also got carrot sticks on the side with ranch – Yum!
Looking forward to our next visit – these wings were good. I can make better tasting ones at home, but their sauce selection is great and I enjoyed our lunch here.
This is one of those posts where I can’t understand why I haven’t shared. YaYa’s is a place that has been part of my life for a long time. Their original location, which I am reviewing, is right down the street from my old high school. As long as I had time before class, I’d stop in for toast with butter and coffee – still my favorite breakfast! And I got it all for about 3 bucks!
When it comes to breakfast sandwiches, I just cannot stay away from this – it is my favorite. A fried egg sandwich. The Cuban bread, baked fresh every day here, just makes it unbelievable. This bakery sells out of their freshly baked bread by 9 or 10 every morning. I think that proves it.
I think the only person that makes better coffee than YaYa’s is my husband, Ruben.
Here’s a video with the restaurant’s owner on the tradition of Cuban Sandwiches and a recipe
Note: YaYa’s caters and even make complete Thanksgiving dinners for great prices and options. Also, if you go there for lunch, try their Pan con Lechon (pork sandwich). It’s very good!
Happy New Year!
