I got ice cream today, there’s a small place in a town over from me called Peaceful Meadows. I got peppermint patty, definitely one of my top flavors to get. I usually choose between some sort of mint flavor, peanut butter or black raspberry so it was just one of those days. I went with my sister so that we could celebrate her completing all her classes to get her associates degree. Celebrating milestones often comes with food, birthdays, graduations and really anything is celebrated with food. They also bring people together, being around others and having food around is just a part of our lives. Gatherings and food go hand and hand and they have for a long time now. Getting back to the ice cream, I was able to see some people that I haven’t seen in a while. It was nice to spend time with my sister and have small talk with old friends. It brought me back to when I was younger because I don’t have as much stamina to handle sugar like I used to. Being able to spend time with my sister and enjoy something so special to my childhood was a nice way to make my way towards the end of summer. Sure there are plenty of other times to experience moments like these but being around friends and family isn’t something I can take for granted. My sister and I need to make sure we do more trips to get ice cream and try other places instead of chains or the known local ones.  

We cooked chicken wings in the pizza oven today, (yeah who would have known you could do that!). Anyway they are packed full of flavor. The recipe is from Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza which consists of garlic, rosemary, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, salt. The chicken wings are marinated overnight. I’d say we cook them for about twenty to twenty-five minutes. It’s hard to wait until they cool down to sneak a bite. We usually wait until everyone is around so we can enjoy them hot out of the oven, they’re still just as good reheated though! I think the olive oil and lemon really stand out because it’s a nice combination compared to just putting barbeque or buffalo sauce on them. They smell so amazing, just even marinating them the smell is a little strong but so good at the same time. We usually make more than we need for one meal, which is nice to just come home and heat some up the next day. I think that cooking these wings in a pizza oven makes them nice and crispy but also is a nice touch than compare to a grill or oven. We had some neighbors come over in order to help us eat them because my dad is known to make too much food and I think he secretly just wants to share his creations with people who are willing to stop by. These chicken wings, along with pizza are definitely something that I can enjoy from time to time. Being able to share food with others is always a nice opportunity to get in touch with people I haven’t seen in a while and I’m thankful that food has this power.   

Most of what I do eat is prepared at home, I go out on my own or here and there with my family. My mom does the bulk of the grocery shopping but I do a lot for myself because there are certain things that I like that she won’t buy or stuff that I just want. Going out to eat is more of a treat or to give my mom a break from cooking. I’d say as a family we go out to eat once a month even if that, its kind of rare but we always go out for birthdays. As of today we went to The 99 because we were in the process of fixing our oven so instead we went out for the night. It was a nice meal, only a few others were there because some of my siblings were working but nonetheless it was a good meal with my family. I got a Southwest Fajita Shrimp bowl and it was new to their menu so I figured I’d give it a try. It had rice, beans, corn, salsa, guacamole and of course shrimp with a chipotle sauce. It was really good, usually when I go out to eat the portions are too much for me and I have to take the rest home. This was a first time in a long time where I didn’t have any leftovers. Overall, going out to dinner is definitely more of a luxury in my family and I know that some families do more take out because of not having time or being able to cook. I appreciate that I can have homecooked meals while having opportunities to go out once in a while to have something a little different for a meal than usual. 

I think a lot of what I eat has more global influences due to the little bit of traveling that I have done throughout my life. I love to try and replicate what I have tried in other places that aren’t as available at a restaurant per se over here in America. I would hope that these influences stay the same because although I eat local a good amount of the time, especially in the past, I’m doing my best to try new things. Global foods have come into my life more in my college years because I have had many more opportunities to try new recipes. Having traveled to Europe in places like England and France to Italy and then as mentioned in other posts, Australia! Pasta dishes are popular in my house because the possibilities are endless when deciding on how to make easy meals with variety. Australia has taught me to branch out more and thus eat more clean and healthy. They are more fit over there and live healthier lifestyles. The amount of exercise and portion control they do over there was like a smack to the face because of what I was used to over here. Being able to eat less processed foods and by planning out my meals better, I felt a huge difference in how I felt energy wise. I am now more cautious with what I choose to put into my body which is harder to keep up with because of the options we have here compared to there but it is doable. Veggie burgers became a favorite of mine along with roasted chickpeas for a snack. I saw myself reaching for more fruits and veggies while over there which in turn I brought that desire back with me. While these are not all global influences I think that if I didn’t get to experience my food journey the way I did, I would be stuck in my old ways. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given.  

I mostly eat my meals in company because my family tends to eat dinner together whether everyone is home or not. There is almost always someone around but with different schedules everyone is scattered. My dog is even under the table barking away for something, sometimes he is lucky! My mom almost always sets up the table and prepares meals while everyone is expected to clean their own dishes. The experience of eating with people is generally nice because there are people to talk about our days with. Eating alone tends to happen if I were out past when everyone ate or when I had to get food on my own. I don’t mind eating alone as well as sometimes it is nice to eat in peace and quiet hence my dog always being at my feet begging for a bite. I enjoy cooking alone too because I can cook however I want and I feel like I gravitate towards thing that my family won’t always eat which means more for me! Both eating with company and eating alone has their positives and negatives. When I eat alone I always feel more rushed rather than relaxed while eating with others. I think that having people to talk to slows down the meal and makes it more memorable and enjoyable. My dog is probably my favorite to share a meal with because although he’s always asking for me to share there are a lot of things that he won’t eat when I give him a piece. As annoying as it can be, I can always rely on him to be my company when I am eating at home.   

I’d say that I get fast food at least twice a week but more so in the mornings such as a coffee shop like Starbucks. My mornings are a little more rushed and I have to drive a little bit for work so having a coffee or something small for breakfast goes a long way for me. For example, a breakfast sandwich or a muffin will definitely be something i reach for. I work such weird hours that dinner on workdays are mostly what I get to eat for the day besides what I get in the morning. Starbucks has been my go-to ever since I started going to Umass Boston because there is one on my way and sometimes I can’t resist stopping but it is definitely hurts my wallet. I used to get a coffee most days of the week, at least three if not more. I have gotten better about making coffee at home though. Caffeine has been a must for me during school and now for work as I’m trying to figure out this whole adult thing. The rest of what I eat in the morning on the days where I actually give myself enough time, I eat anything from cereal to protein bars to a sandwich. About five days a week dinner is a slow food which is either prepared by myself, my mom or any other family member. If not all seven days a week for dinner could be something cooked at home, I think the summer months are where I’d me more apt to get fast food. I think it is also circumstantial, say I go to a concert or hang out with some friends, then fast food could be a factor. I take pride in having home cooked meals because they are generally healthier and make me feel better that I am saving money and taking better care of myself.   

My family has a pizza oven and with our Italian background my dad likes to fire it up as much as he can in the summer. We usually invite neighbors over and have small get-togethers. This connects to my Italian heritage a little bit, there is a little more authenticity than by just ordering pizza by delivery. My dad loves an excuse to show off his Italian side and making pizza is one of them. My mom and sisters and I usually help with preparing the pizza dough and the sauce and toppings. While my brother and dad do the actual cooking part. Its definitely a family event which happens almost weekly in the summer which I am both grateful for and a little annoyed because one can only eat so much pizza! It usually helps when we have relatives and neighbors over because there is always way too many leftovers. It kind of reminds me of “Eat Drink Man Woman” minus all of the big announcements. The process of cooking a pizza is not all too challenging but there can be a lot of technical difficulties. Such as, the pizza oven being too hot causing the pizza to burn or the sauce being too watery. There is some sort of science behind the process that has been a work in progress that my family and I are all learning from! We have also tried a whole lot of different recipes and the sauce is a secret recipe according to my dad, though I’m sure he would be willing to share with whoever asked! We have tried a lot of different toppings besides cheese, pepperoni and sausage. We have done tomato and mozzarella and clam and even pickle pizza with more creations to come. Pickle pizza was my idea because I had it while visiting some friends and its more of a don’t knock it till you try it type of food. Anyway the pizza oven has definitely brought my family together a little more and it makes for fun cookouts. 

I am not a very experienced person when it comes to cooking. I have gotten better and I do know how to make basic meals. Pasta is definitely my forte but I would love to branch out and find more foods that are easy and that are enjoyable to cook. I think that since I’ve lived at home my whole life, I mostly relied on my mom and sometimes my dad for cooking meals. I never really was forced to learn to cook as people would do it for me because once I studied abroad I was on my own with a lot of possibilities. I had a whole kitchen with supplies and a grocery store a two minute walk away and being there four months I had to figure it out. Now that I’ve been home I’ve had to step it up because everyone has different schedules and I’ve been more busy with a new job. One day when I had work off I made a quesadilla with vegetarian chipotle black bean crumbles. Although I am not fully vegetarian I like to do vegetarian options about two times a week just because I like it and to also help the planet little by little. I just heated up the black bean crumble in a skillet and then used a pan to heat up my tortilla and melt the cheese before I put the beans and crumble on. I put the other tortilla on top and flipped it a few times until it was all melted and crispy. This was another easy meal for me and was very tasty! I cut it up into a few pieces and scooped sour cream and salsa to dip, quesadillas are definitely one of my favorites to cook. I now have a better relatioship with cooking on my own!  

When I had a little more time on my hands I was able to cook a better meal for myself, I cooked shrimp scampi and it is probably one of my favorite dishes. As it is Italian and I do love pasta, this meal wasn’t too difficult to throw together. I used linguini, precooked shrimp, a butter and garlic mixture and lemon. I think that having the strong flavors in this dish are important because it brings out more of the other flavors in combination. Pasta was a lot quicker to prepare so the other parts took a little more time but it was worth it. After the pasta was almost cooked I put the shrimp, garlic and butter in a skillet so I could cook the shrimp and ensure that it would hold good flavor. It didn’t take too much time to cook just preparing it was where I spent more of my time. I think that I’ve come a long way with my cooking since I didn’t live at home for a semester and was on my own for those months. This meal was definitely one of my better creations because usually I would have stuck to something more simple and basic. Overall, I had a good time making this dish and enjoyed eating it! Being able to have more control over what I ate was good for me because I’d normally rely on what my mom made for meals or if I were too busy I would likely buy something to eat which is rare but, life has been crazy recently. Now that I know that I am capable of making better meals for myself I will make sure I squeeze in time.