Veggie Pita Jubilee

Hey food world! Stephanie here. I'm going to try something new, and branch out into the world of...cooking.

So today, I present: the VEGGIE PITA JUBILEE!

Doesn't it sound fun? And doesn't it complicated? Well...it's not! Even your standard starving, non-culinarily-gifted college student can make it! Ch-ch-check it out!

What you'll need:

* Olive oil! I used extra virgin, but if you want a fruitier flavor, I'd recommend Trader Joe's Spanish Olive Oil.

* Pita bread (the above is from Ralphs, but I prefer Whole Foods')

* Veggies (frozen veggies for dummies like me...fresh stuff if you're awesome)

* Vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

* Pepper

* Butter...if you're still transitioning from fat-ass-dom to less-fat-ass-dom like me.

1) Prepare the veggies in your preferred way. I throw them in with olive oil in a frying pan for about 7 minutes. Get them hot, and not burnt!

2) Mix the vinegar, pepper, and olive oil into your own vinaigrette concoction. If you're into the sour taste, more vinegar. If you're into the plainer taste, more oil. But don't get too carried away. The vinaigrette will be used to coat the veggies...not teach them to swim.

3) Throw the veggie in with your vinaigrette! Mix happily!

4) Heat up the pita so it opens up easily, and put the veggies in! If your pita is a little dry, put veryveryvery minimal butter on top.

And voi-freaking-la! It's hearty, and (kind of) healthy!

Baby steps friends...baby steps.

Look, guys! No meat!

I made this, myself. It is the first meal that I have cooked since moving to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Ironically, this dish has no meat and meat is the stuff of my dreams.

Last week, I did try to incorporate some veggies into my diet. My previous roommates teased me about my preference for meat -- and there you go: no meat! Granted, that experiment lasted for maybe 3 days? It was so long ago, who can remember?

-- Michelle

I'm OD'ing on Asian cuisine, I know! But....it's just so good!

I'd been feeling a bit under the weather this week...a non-chatty Cathy. I wandered around Central Park taking pictures of the foliage, watching street performers entertain the audience, and observing New York Marathoners.

The pretzel I bought did not do ANYTHING for me except make me gag on the copious amount of salt, so I chucked it and took the subway all the way to Chinatown. Originally, I wanted some Wonton soup but decided against it. I hadn't eaten pho in a while, so I "yelped" some restaurants and looked forward to more appealing food.

I decided to go to Nha Trang, which is close enough to the subway to not be a long journey and far away enough to let you walk through the chaotic scene that comprises Chinatown. Did I mention that a hearty bowl of pho with beef slices is only $5.00? Score! This definitely brightened up my day.

-- Michelle

You know the feeling where you're just so hungry you need to eat, no matter what kind of food it is, where you are, or how much it may cost?

This is one of those situations.

Thank goodness my friend and I were in Georgetown and had some snazzy options to choose from. We stopped at the first restaurant we saw, which happened to be a Vietnamese restaurant complete with a bar, a TV, tablecloths, and wine glasses.

I ate vermicelli noodles that could not have been more delicious, partly because it helped me recuperate from writing my midterm paper and partly because it was a legitimately good meal.

I can't help but feel that Washington, D.C. -- while it has a plethora of great Ethiopian restaurants -- is somehow lacking in authentic Asian cuisine. By authentic, I mean cheap, quickly delivered, and easily accessible. I looked for some Japanese restaurants on Yelp and found that the highly-rated ones are only accessible by bus and not the Metro. Instead, Washington, D.C. has a lot of Asian fusion restaurants. They're delicious for sure, but the amalgamation of different cuisines creates a different palate and psychological shift -- at least for me! That's why I opt out of eating at P.F. Chang's, just FYI.

Regardless of the nitpicking that I've been doing, I admit that the Vietnamese restaurant definitely feeds its customers well. The portions are huge, and the company was fantastic. We even watched a part of the World Series on the TV. All in all, it was a good experience!

-- Michelle

Brunch in Washington, D.C.

One of the cool things about the East Coast is that you can travel for a couple of hours and arrive in a completely different state. California's too big to really do that, unless you go to Vegas. That's a different story for another time.

During my weekend in the nation's capital, I met up with some good college friends...and pigged out, as usual. :)

Scion Restaurant is a really nice place to just hang out and catch up with friends. The ambience is chic and classy without being all "black-tie". Plus, the staff set up a complementary fruit bar with grapes, apples, oranges, and kiwi! We sat at a table in the patio with a good view of street traffic. We met up on Halloween, and in mid-conversation, I saw a toddler in a bumblebee outfit, wings and all. So cute!

As per usual, I ate meat. Yay! But before you judge or tease, just know that I also ate fruit AND got eggs. Unfortunately, these healthier options were overlooked because Scion served some awesome fries. Flat, round, salty and scrumptious!

-- Michelle

Burmese food with good company in Maryland!

I visited a good friend of mine over Halloween weekend. She's the adventurous type! She's been to Egypt, Syria, and is just damn smart! Anyway, her friend took us out to eat Burmese food at this place called Mandalay Restaurant & Cafe. Neither she nor I had eaten Burmese food before, and I loved it!

According to the menu, I ordered the "KyetThar PinSane/NanNanBin Hin." It had stuff I really liked...chicken, curry, basil, white rice, more chicken....

If you're ever in Maryland, check this place out!

-- Michelle

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear