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I've always been attracted to exotic food. A meat and potatoes girl I am not. So when I found out about Macao Trading Co., a hot NYC dining spot serving Macanese cuisine, I ran to see what all of the buzz was about.
The restaurant is reminiscent of Macao's red lantern district in the 40's and everything; from the mysterious entrance on Church St (there is no sign on the door), to the darkly lit room, and banquet seating, oozes sexiness.

Macanese cuisine is a mix of both Portuguese and Chinese influence, and at Macao Trading Co. you have the option to have your dish in Portuguese style or Chinese style. The cocktail menu features drinks with cool names like Yellow Fever and The Bashful Maiden. I decided to be adventurous and ordered The Drunken Dragon's Milk which has Green Tea Vodka and Coconut Puree.

We were seated in the lower level of the restaurant and I felt as thought I had been transported to an underground bar in Casablanca. After perusing through the exotic choices, we decided on the Chicken Dumplings and the Portuguese style African chicken with coconut curry and spinach. The dumplings were delish and the African Chicken was so tasty. Between the ambience, food, and 2 Drunken Dragon's Milk, I was hooked.
Macao Trading Co. left a good taste in my mouth and I'm dreaming about when I can take my next journey to Macao...

Posted Aug 11, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment |

Filed under: macanese food macao trading co

Hey, Joe! What's with the Iced Coffee Prices?: "Hey, Joe!" In an article by the New York Press, they ask the question, " We're breaking the bank on iced coffee this summer - but why?" I feel like this is a common question asked by those of us who frequent our local coffee shop in the sweltering heat of summer. I mean really, in an iced coffee there is less coffee than in the same size hot drink, right? Wrong...apparently there is more to it than your average brew. Click HERE to check it out!; Posted Jul 30, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment | Share It; Filed under: coffee iced coffee

Dorm Food Ideas

It is officially coming to that time of year again....the preparation to head off to College! I remember my freshman year at college and I must say, it was definitely a change! You are moving away from the comforts of home, and are ready to start you latest educational endeavor. Along with this new, uncharted territory comes how to cook there? No kitchen, no sink, no dishwasher, and many "forbidden" appliances! No toaster, no coffee pot, no stove, etc. How do you survive??

The Solution:

At 101 Cookbooks they received this request and then asked for tips, ideas, and suggestions!

"...I have a favor to ask of you. As a college student, I have five weeks until my summer food-nirvana is abruptly ended by the horrors of dorm food and required meal plans. This morning, when looking through 101CB for a recipe or two, I began to wonder what advice, recipes and tactics you might have for those of us in such a position. I'm convinced that your younger readers, many of whom, like me, are stuck in dorms with infrequent access to a kitchen, would benefit greatly from a blog write-up on simple, fast and easy foods that are manageable, healthy and tasty options for the otherwise stomach-cringing college student. Whadda ya say? With lots of appreciate and goodness from N.Y..."

To read about all of the great dorm ideas, click HERE.

Posted Jul 28, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment |

Filed under: dorm ideas

Food Truck Trends - Hot or Not?

I remember when the only truck I'd run to with money in for food was the cheerful truck filled with sweet frozen goodies and a happy jingle on its way. The only other vendors that came close to this were little carts with menus consisting of pretzels, hotdogs, knishes, soda, and overly-priced water.

Now I'm seeing food roll by on bigger wheels equipped with what you'd see in a diner setting. This trend is no longer only being dominated by independent food vendors but the big guns have loaded up and taken it to the streets as well. Taco Bell was recently added to the roster with several news items coming from them this week. First, it was sad to hear that the "Yo quiero Taco Bell" four legged ambassador had passed. Now we hear that the Taco Bell truck has rolled and is giving away free tacos and can be followed via Twitter.

Taco Bell is just a recent addition to the food truck craze. I also spotted the Rickshaw Dumpling truck in NYC recently. For these businesses, it's another outlet for them to deliver food to hungry people but the independent vendors are not liking it at all.

We'd love to know how you feel about these new fast-food trucks and which ones you've spotted in your neighborhoods. Share your thoughts with us!

Posted Jul 24, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment |

Filed under: fast-food trucks

The Truth About Organic Foods

I always wonder when and why I should buy Organic! Always? Certain foods? Overrated? More Nutritional? Worth the cost? Better for the environment? Well, the San Francisco Gate has written an informative article to help us answer some of these questions. Here are some highlight from what they've found:

Though organic food can be produced with certain synthetic ingredients, it must adhere to specific standards regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crops are generally grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, irradiation (a form of radiation used to kill bacteria), or biotechnology.
Organic foods may have higher nutritional value than conventional food, according to some research. The reason: In the absence of pesticides and fertilizers, plants boost their production of the phytochemicals (vitamins and antioxidants) that strengthen their resistance to bugs and weeds.
Organic farming reduces pollutants in groundwater and creates richer soil that aids plant growth while reducing erosion, according to The Organic Trade Association.
When shopping for organic foods, always look for the USDA seal on any kind of packaged food. For meat and dairy, this seal ensures you're getting antibiotic- and hormone-free products.

To read the entire article and learn about how the organic food industry, click HERE.

Posted Jul 21, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment |

Filed under: organic food

Bring Your Lunch In a Bento Box

Brown bags are so lame and so yesterday and not to mention, not environmentally friendly. Why throw a bag away per day when you can just bring your food in a box while making it look like an art piece?

I've been a fan of the bento box packed meal for over a year now and have decided to start doing this myself. Traditional Japanese bento box packing consists of rice, fish or meat and a pickled vegetable side dish. More recently, there have been many wonderful blogs showcasing this style of food preparation and packing and some preparers even go the mile and turn their food into cute animals, plants or characters. This style is known as kyaraben.

Bento boxes are great not only because of its aesthetic appeal but in a society where obesity is a growing concern, it's great for portion control. Taking the time out to carefully prepare your meal and know exactly what you'll be consuming can greatly help you monitor a healthy diet. Bento boxes are also a wonderful appeal for children's lunch boxes. For picky eaters, the cute animals and fun shaped pieces bring a whole new light to the healthy eats!

Some of my favorite bento box bloggers include:

Cooking Cute

Lunch in a Box

Posted Mar 19, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment |

Filed under: bento box

Green Greens All Month Long!

Yummr recently sent out a newsletter inviting our members to come check out our new activities, discussions and fun polls and quizzes and included a really wonderful photo from one of our very own members, coconutlime. Unfortunately, we failed to mention and give credit to the wonderful chef who created such a lovely dish. If you opened up your newsletter to a beautiful green dish of Pea Shoot Pesto, it comes from the wonderful kitchen of coconutlime! Make sure to check out her profile to view her other submissions and visit her personal food blog for even more yummy dishes! The Pea Shoot Pesto was one of the wonderful submissions to our fun Pesto-rific! challenge that we had a few months back. The amazing green hue of the pesto from this dish is something that would go really well on your St. Patrick's Day feast. Add a little zest next to those corn beef and cabbage platters!

Speaking of all this green goodness, we just posted up a new quiz for you to take where you can learn little bits of pieces about those healthy greens you love (or at times, loathe). What tasty green did the Romans think were poisonous back in the day? Check it out in our latest quiz!

Posted Mar 11, 2009 by SuDoughName | 1 Comment |

Filed under: Healthy greens Pesto

Are You Munching on the Healthy Stuff?

I always find myself with a variety of munchies on hand to eat througout the day. I try to keep it healthy. If I'm craving a sweet chocolate treat, I usually get dark chocolate because I feel better about helping to fight heart disease. I hope this is true. I also like to keep green tea on hand by my desk. I feel healthier thinking that I've chosen foods and drinks that people say are healthy alternatives to the chips and soda but are they really?

I recently came across the same question from someone who was concerned about dried fruits and green tea. Dr. Melina Jampolis, Physician Nutrition Specialist, from CNNHealth.com helps to answer the question, "how healthy is decaf green tea and dried fruits?":

"In general, I'm not a big fan of dried fruit either as dried fruit is much more calorically dense than fresh fruit because of its significantly lower water content. And with the obesity epidemic in this country, keeping calories under control is just as important as choosing healthier foods. Fresh fruit is just as healthy as dried fruit and you don't have to worry about added sugar, fat or portion sizes, which must be more closely controlled when it comes to dried fruit." click here to read the full response.

Are there any other munchies that you are snacking on through out the day that you're having second thoughts about? Another one that I question is trail mix. Of course, moderation and portion control is key to a healthy diet and snacks.

Posted Mar 5, 2009 by SuDoughName | Add a comment |

Filed under: dried fruits green tea

Healthy Recipes!

First, I want to introduce myself to the Yummr community! I’m so excited to dive in and get to know all of you and of course try all of your wonderful recipes!

The Groundhog just predicted 6 more weeks of Winter which means I guess its time to start thinking about shedding those heavy winter coats and getting into bikini-ready shape. As I bit into my juicy cheeseburger at NYC’s Old Homestead Steakhouse last night it occurred to me that perhaps I should stop thinking about eating healthier and actually do something about it! So with my new motivation to get into shape and in an effort to save some money due to the current state of the economy, I am on a mission to find wonderfully tasty but at the same time healthy recipes that I can make at home.

Browsing through the Yummr galleries I already found some great healthy meal ideas:

Cucumber Salad - Submitted by Sarahisafoodie

Unbelievable Grilled (Moist) Chicken – Submitted by allknames

Do you have any great recipes for meals that cut the calories but not the taste? Please share here!

Posted Feb 26, 2009 by Yummrgirl | Add a comment |

Filed under: "Healthy recipes

Super Bowl Sunday Foodie Fanfare

I didn't realize Superbowl Sunday would be here so soon this year but it is and we all know what that means... commercials and tables full of good munchie! Oh, and the big game and half-time show of course! Actually, I thought back to where I was last year and realized that I did not do any traditional Superbowl festivies and instead spent it far away from a TV. That is of course until I went into the NYC infamous Corner Bistro to have myself a nice big fat juicy burger and heard all the hoopla going on.

This year, I plan on going back to the regular stay-in for the big game day and having myself some nice snacks. Since I am moving to a new apartment and February 1st marks the first real full day at the new place, my resources might be limited. I'm saying this because I have a feeling I may still be buried in boxes. I'm trying to think outside of the box and see what easy clean-up and yummy snacks I can make. I'm browsing through the Yummr galleries to get some ideas and came across a few good ones. Here are some great Superbowl Sunday ideas that are to be a big kick with the crowd... and seem easy enough to make and clean up:

Quick and Tasty Carnitas submitted by: Madball911