Pear Tart

This dessert is a raw vegan tart that looks absolutely delicious. I've made alot of raw vegan pies in my day, but this looks particularly delicious. It was shared on vegweb by a user named aigroc a few years back. If the pears aren't too ripe yet, I would add a little agave to sweeten it. Enjoy!

Raw Pear Tart

Ingredients:

    2 ripe pears
    1 cup ground pecans
    2 tablespoons wheat germ
    1 tablespoon ground flax
    pinch salt
    4-5 dates (or 1 tablespoon agave)
    fruit, for garnish

Directions:
1. Mash up the pears (or use a food processor.
2. Next, take all of the rest of the ingredients and process until pasty.
3. Spread this paste with your fingers or spoon into a bowl, pan, or serving dishes.
4. Now, pour the pears into paste and top with fruit.
It is so good and the pears need no sweetener!

Makes: 2-4 serving, Preparation time: 10 minutes

Raw Food

         Everyone has something to say about a raw food diet. Often people say that it's too boring or too "hippie," but there are some real health benefits. While I myself am not a raw foodie, I do appreciate raw meals. Raw food meals tend to have more vitamins and minerals than cooked meals. For example, a plate of raw spinach is healthier for you then a plate of boiled or sauteed spinach. This is because boiling or sauteing something causes it to lose some of its vitamins and minerals as it breaks down. There are even some really great raw dessert recipes! One very simple one: raw cacao nibs and agave. Mix together in a bread pan until a thick paste and then chill in the fridge for an hour. It becomes like chocolate pie filling almost. Really delicious!

Homemade Yummies!

Apricot Tarts are a little something that i grew up making with my grandma and mommy. depending on what brand you buy, apricots are very sweet and tangy( i like a lot of different kinds but sunmaid is a good brand). if they apricots are not sweet, add sugar; i mean, who can resist sugar?! The cool thing about making tarts is that you can do it with any fruit you want! if apricot is not your thing, then add peaches, strawberries, or rasberries! any sweet fruit i can almost guarantee would taste amazing! this treat is something fun to make with family and friends! when you are inside on a hot summer day, this treat is fun and easy to make; not to mention tastey;) also, this treat is good for parties, kickbacks, holidays, food gift bags, and midnight snacks! p.s, you can always have them for breakfast as well!

Also, this recipe is not very expensive which is a plus and it feeds a lot of mouths. you can always double the ingredients to make enough to last for days!
Like i said, i grew up making these yummy treats. when i was looking up the recipes, i did not realize how many different recipes for apricot tarts there was. even though i do mine a little differently, either way you are still going to get the tangy taste of the tarts with the bread crust! once you take those bad babies out of the oven, cut the middle and stick some butter in it for it to melt... heaven! let it cool of and take a bite! not going to lie, i can eat about 6 of those puppies in a row! probably not healthy, but hey it is enjoyable!

Try them out, and remember you can use any other fruit if you are not a apricot fan!

A care package containing these would have been amazing and would have made studying for midterms less awful. Definitely nothing like a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

Top Chef: Santa Clara Addition

Every year, Benson puts on an event called Top Chef. Bon Appetit, the company that provides our food, has chefs from neighboring schools come to our school and allow us to judge which school has the best food. This is probably my favorite day that Benson has because each school is trying very hard to make their food the best. Last night, I tasted a plethora of dishes, from fish tacos to duck to lamb and vegetable tempura. Not only is this event fun, it's a great change from the usual Benson food, which often gets boring. My favorite dish came with a lamb chop, mashed potatoes, and asparagus tempura. I enjoyed this the most because it took a classic home-style meal and added a twist with asparagus tempura and two dipping sauces.

Another dish that I really liked was the fish taco. It was a mild fish, probably mahi mahi, with a corn tortilla, arugula, and a chipotle sauce. It was a bit spicy, but still very good. To try the food and participate in Top Chef, we had to spend about $20, but we received four different dishes and a drink. I hope that Santa Clara puts on more events like this because it was a very nice change from the normal Benson that we eat everyday.

a bite of heaven

There once was a hungry little girl who wanted an amazing, fulfilling, mouth-watering burrito... So, i went to Chipotle.
End of story.

Love cupcakes?

If you love cupcakes and want to try out fun and unique flavors, get the recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! They have crazy delicious recipes for everything from Pistachio Rosewater to Margarita! I've made alot of these flavors myself and they are amazingly delicious and gourmet! You can find it online or at any bookstore with a cookbook section!

Wanna pizza me?

low-fat basil pizza is available at safeway. easy and low fat!

Smoke-eaters!

Smoke-eaters is located just across the street from campus, next to Safeway. You can always count on Smoke-eaters to have the big sporting event of the day playing on the television. The environment they have created welcomes customers to come sit down for a meal or snack, or to join the many sports fans and watch whatever Giants or Sharks game is on.

They are famous for their wings. Their wings come in many different flavors like barbaque, honey-mustard, or wing sauce and have seven levels of heat that you can choose from. I think that their traditional is the best, which is only the second hottest, but it still packs a punch!

In addition to wings they have many different chicken sandwiches, burgers, a south of the border section, and finger food like fries; your typical game day food! This is a great place to come for a delicious and filling meal in an upbeat, lively atmosphere.

Gnocchi

Homemade potato gnocchi with asparagus, pesto, and cheese. HEAVENLY

Blondie's!

Blondies is a frozen yogurt and ice cream shop just down Park, heading away from campus! Being only a short walk from campus, Santa Clara students frequent Blondie's. Blondie's has a huge variety of rotating flavors of ice cream. At any given time there at least twenty different flavors of ice cream, including the expected flavors and some that are more unique and creative.

I go to blondie's a couple times a week, at least, for their frozen yogurt. They usually have at least eight different flavors at a time, and they rotate daily, so it's exciting to see what that day's flavors are. You can count on basics like chocolate and tart to be there, and usually a fruity-flavored fro-yo like red raspberry or very berry. The rest of the flavors rotate amongst an array of different creamy flavors, like cheesecake, cookie dough, or tiramisu.

Every monday they offer $1 scoops or small servings of fro-yo. This is a delicious place to grab a quick dessert to top off any meal!

Hatcho Authentic Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Hatcho Authentic Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar is located in the Franklin Mall, just down the street from Santa Clara's campus. The restaurant name is spot on, Hatcho serves a much wider variety of authentic Japanese Cuisine than most sushi restaurants. There are many different seafood, meat, rice, noodle, and clay pot dishes that nicely compliment their sushi.

Hatcho's sushi is high quality and fresh, two musts for seafood dining. They don't have as many creative combination rolls as most sushi restaurants, but I'd say their speciality is their more simple rolls or sashimi platters because the sushi grade fish rivals all other local competitors.

The problem I often have after having sushi for dinner is that I get hungry a couple hours later. But with Hatcho's diverse menu, you can get a sushi roll and an appetizer and an additional authentic Japanese dish for a more well-rounded and complete meal.

One word: yum.

What do you do when you end up with a whole lot more chocolate frosting than cupcakes? Take advantage of Safeway's 3/$3.99 sale on strawberries in the best way possible, that's what.

For the frosting: heat 1/2 cup whipping cream in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring often. Once it starts steaming (not boiling), add a bag of semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and it starts to bubble, then remove from the stove and add a tablespoon of vanilla (or rum, if you have it...). Once it's all combined, sift about 3/4 cup powdered sugar in (less if you want it on the thinner side, more if you want it thicker) and stir well. It's just as yummy on cupcakes as it is with strawberries!

And I'm pretty sure you can figure the rest out on your own, folks:

I'd offer you some, but I'm pretty sure my roommate and I will devour them all before the day is up. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Classic.

Carne asada is probably one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about Mexican food. It's just a thin, marinated steak (not sure which cut) that you throw on the grill or even on a skillet. Here my dad also made pollo asada (chicken), with beans, rice and a salad. All that's missing is the homemade tortillas.

Off the Beaten Path-El Camino Mongolian Barbecue

One of the greatest assets in college food diversity is a car, and luckily for me I had one this last week while my brother was on spring break! I took this chance to get a little further from campus, but still relatively close. One of the establishments really worth mentioning is El Camino Mongolian Barbecue!

What is Mongolian Barbecue? Well, it’s basically a style of cooking. Let me explain the process at the restaurant. First you get a bowl of meat and a bowl of vegetables. At the end of the line, two chefs take your ingredients and puts them on a really, really hot, huge, circular griddle. After only two minutes, you get to eat! Apparently, the Mongols used to cook this way with their shields over the fire. Mongolian Barbecues method of high heat and fast cooking causes the vegetables to lose less nutritional value.

One of the most daunting challenges at any Mongolian Barbecue restaurant is making a sauce. Enter John Seo, the happy owner of El Camino Mongolian Barbecue. He literally asks everyone who enters his restaurant if it is their first time. If you answer yes, you get a quick tutorial explaining how to correctly participate in his process. First, heexplains the reason you get two bowls. They cook the meat and veggies separately in order to preserve the vegetables’ nutritional value. Second, he actually tries to convince you to get a large amount of vegetables. Seriously, listen to him, it’s worth it. Finally, he teaches you how to make a great sauce, so you can try it on your own next time. He combines 7 different ingredients to form his “best sauce.” After the cooking process, your two bowls combine onto one plate, piled high with food.
The greatest part of tasting John Seo’s BBQ is that the sauce does not overwhelm, but compliments the natural flavors of the added vegetables. The vegetables are cooked all the way through, but retain their crisp and fresh flavors. The thin slices of meat add their own flavor, but its clear that the vegetables are the main focus of the dish. So, If you’re looking for something different and super nutritious, go the El Camino Mongolian Barbecue!

Easter Feast.

At home, Easter used to be a really important day when we were younger. My brother, sister and I would get these amazing baskets with toys, money, and candy in the mornings when we woke up. Then we would head to the morning mass, followed by breakfast either at home or at Teddy's, a restaurant my parents have been going to since before I was born. After that it would be time to go home and finish cleaning since everyone would be coming over soon for the huge BBQ that my parents had every year. Our closest friends and family would come over and feast on TONS of food: carne and pollo asada, beans, rice, burgers, hot dogs, salads, veggies, and lots of yummy desserts.

Since flights to LA are pretty pricey I didn't go home this year to celebrate Easter with my family. Instead, I celebrated it here on campus with my Graham family (or "Grahamily" as we in the building call it.) My roommate Lauren (she contributes to this blog as well!) and I prepared dinner for about 20 of the people in our building and it was delicious. We feasted on chicken marinated in lemon, thyme, salt and pepper, macaroni and cheese, rosemary potatoes, garlic

bread and a salad. For dessert we had Nutella® cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache, and caramel brownies.

Now, I'll be honest and say Lauren did a lot of the work for our Easter feast. She did all the baking, took care of the chicken since raw chicken freaks me out a little, and made the garlic bread. I was in charge of the mac & cheese and making sure the potatoes didn't burn, which they didn't. Together Lauren and I pulled together a delicious dinner for 20 for $110, with everyone who came putting in $7. Everyone enjoyed it and it was a great way to spend an Easter away from home.

P.S. MY ROOMMATE IS BETTER THAN YOUR ROOMMATE. Yeah, I said it.

Off the Beaten Path-Sriracha Wings

Sriracha is the best condiment ever! You can literally put it on anything. Because I did not eat in Benson, I realized how much my college diet depends on Sriracha. To show my mom and sriracha how much I appreciate flavor, I prepared this recipe for my mom. Enjoy!

2 1/2 lbs. chicken wings (12 to 15 wings)
1/4 cup (more if desired) Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Chili Sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 Tbsp. of Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
Split wings at each joint and discard tips. Pat dry.
Place on a rack in a roasting pan and bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour; turning halfway through cooking time. OR Deep fry at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until completely cooked and crispy.
Combine butter, Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Chili Sauce, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
Dip wings in hot sauce mixture to coat completely.

Taken from Huy Fong Foods

The wonders of aluminum foil.

If you're in the mood to bake/cook, but not scrub pans, swipe a few extra pieces of aluminum foil the next time you're in Benson. I used to go to the trouble of greasing pans for cookies, cakes, brownies, you name it. But foil's so much simpler; nothing'll stick to it, and there's virtually no clean-up involved. Sometimes I even skip cookie sheets all together and substitute two sheets of Benson's to-go foil right on the oven rack. If it's free and gets the job done, who cares if it's a little tricky to take in and out of the oven?

Benson Tips- Making the Soup Taste Better

I have been sick this past week. Apparently the flu decided to strike the week before midterms, and my favorite holiday. Regardless of condition, the human body still desires to consume delicious food. Unfortunately, because I am a Bronco with a sore throat, the only thing I can eat is the soup.
The soup at Benson is awful. It's basically salt water and vegetables. That's why making the soup taste better is imperative. Adding Sriracha sauce makes the soup more garlicky and spicier. Adding a splash of Olive Oil makes the soup taste richer and helps the soup go down easier. One can add vegetables such as corn and tomatoes to make the soup fresher tasting. Finally, breaking up curly fries into any soup adds seasoning and a crunchy texture to the soup, but that isn't so great for sore throats. Go ahead and try these tips and comment tips on soup if you have them!

a different solution

sometimes benson doesnt give us the protien we need. i know personally, i am not a huge salad fan, so if i do not get a salad with chicken i dont get a meal with meat in it that is still healthy. of course i could get a burrito with chicken or steak, a turkey sandwich, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, or a bronco burger but that can get old very fast. after practice i usually get a turkey sandwich and so i do not want that again for dinner! plus, all the other options i mentioned can be very high in carbs and/or high in fat! also, going out to eat can get expensive, especially if you want a well cooked steak. so a good solution to that is to walk across the street to safeway and grab a steak to barbeque yourself!
there are many ways you can barbeque and season a steak(along with other meats) but i found one that sounds simple and delishhh!
P.S: now, i was born in texas so a good barbeque steak always sounds good to me! if your not big into red meat, you can always go for a chicken dinner! chicken is a great, if not better/healthier, substitute for steak. you can put your chicken into salads like mentioned earlier, make a chicken sandwich, do a combo of chicken with veggies and potatoes, or just season it up and have it alone! one thing my mom makes that is simple and quick is: corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, and rotisserie chicken. you put some butter on the tortilla and put in on the stove. let it fry for a second then add the cheese and chickem. fold it in half and flip till both sides turn a golden brownish color and the cheese is melted!

here is the ingredients for the steak dinner!
ingredients
*1 1-pund new york strip steak(about 1-inch thick)
*kosher salt and freshly grounded pepper
*1 large shallot, minced
*3/4 cup boxed red wine
*2 to 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

to get further directions on this steak, you can visit food network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/steak-with-red-wine-shallot-sauce-recipe/index.html

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

One of the perks of living close to home? Full access to our far-too-generous lemon tree. And if there's one thing 15+ lemons at a time are good for (aside from fresh lemonade), it's lemon bars. I've already made them twice this quarter; if not to make good use of a boatload of free citrus, then to take a break from the standard chocoholic treats that are usually made. This recipe is simple and quick--and more importantly, scrumptious:

Lemon Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool.
5. Using a sifter (or just your fingers), sprinkle the powdered sugar evenly over the baked bars. They'll firm up as they cool; after about 20 minutes, cut and serve. But snag one for yourself first.

Warning: be sure your fingers are paper-cut-free before attempting to juice lemons. Trust me.

Dining Out

As you know, I spent this weekend in San Francisco with my parents. I haven't seen them since December so they made sure to make my time with my egg-stra special. They flew in from Chicago on Friday and immediately picked me up from school and whisked me off into the city. Being from Chicago has greatly influenced my taste in food and I would definitely consider myself somewhat of a demanding foodie. When we finally arrived at the hotel, we stopped by the bar to grab a quick snack and some drinks. We decided on an assorted cheese platter that came with goat cheese, bleu cheese, cheddar cheese, and cow's milk cheese, along with toast, honey, and almonds. After finishing our snacks, we headed out for a day of shopping.

In my previous posts, I wrote about a restaurant called Maya that I have been to multiple times. We decided to go there for dinner because it was Good Friday and we could not eat meat. Maya has many great fish options, as well as vegetarian options, so we were able to choose from a plethora of dishes. We started off dinner with a pitcher of sangria and guacamole. Then, for dinner we ordered lobster tacos and a sesame encrusted tilapia that came with scallops. Both entrees were delicious and I would highly recommend them. For dessert we ordered empanadas de platano which are turnovers filled with bananas, walnuts, crema fresca, strawberry sauce and coconut ice cream. The entire meal was fantastic and I can't wait to return.

On Saturday night, we ventured to Sausalito and went to dinner at a place called Poggio with my parents' best friends from college. Poggio is an Italian restaurant in a quaint neighborhood with a comfortable charm and top-notch cuisine. This up-scale Italian restaurant offers homemade pastas, as well as dishes made with locally grown ingredients. We started dinner off with a Brunello di Montalcino, a red wine from Tuscany. With the wine we also had the burrato, a type of mozzarella cheese that came with sundried tomatoes and toast. For my main course I ordered the gnocchi, a type of pasta made from potatoes that came with asparagus, pesto, and shaved ricotta cheese.

Both restaurants that we went to were unbelievable. The food was amazing and I cannot wait to go back. Although these places were quite pricey, it is always nice to treat yourself to somewhere nice. All in all, this entire weekend was fantastic and I can't wait for my parents next visit!

Poggio

Everyone needs to check out Poggio! It's a great restaurant in Sausalito!

Off-Campus Dining

A visit from the parents is a great opportunity to eat off campus. This weekend my parents and I are staying in San Francisco to celebrate Easter. It's the first time I've seen them since Christmas, so we're making this weekend egg-stra special! Tonight (Friday) we are eating at Maya, a modern Mexican restaurant that has great ceviche. I've been to the Maya in San Francisco as well as the Maya in New York City, both of which are amazing. Tomorrow we are eating in Sausalito at Poggio, a restaurant that my dad constantly raves about. It's an Italian restaurant so I'm excited to see what kind of twists they have on traditional Italian food. On Easter Sunday, we are returning to Santa Clara and eating dinner at Left Bank in Santana Row. Left Bank is another one of my favorite restaurants, so I'm very excited for some great French food!

Basic Biscuits

So last weekend, I made delicious biscuits from my Babycakes cookbook. They only had 5 ingredients, took 10 minutes of prep and 8 minutes to bake. They were ridiculously easy and really delicious. I put jam on them fresh out of the oven and had them with tea and raspberries. Pick up the cookbook and give it a try!

Yum, Steak.

At home we tend to eat a lot of steak and because of that I'm not a big fan of it. This dish, however, I could eat for daysss. My dad cooks the steak in a cast iron skillet for a few minutes on each side and then lets them finish cooking in the oven until they're perfect. The combination of stove and oven cooking produces all kinds of amazing juices that is later served over the steaks adding more flavor. For the asparagus he drizzles them with olive oil, throws some salt and pepper on them, sometimes grates fresh parmesan cheese on top, and then throws them in the oven for a little while. Broccoli is also really yummy prepared this way and sometimes we have half and half mix. For rice this time it looks like Mom may have cheated a little and made a box of Rice-a-Roni, but usually she makes white rice, or I think even leek rice, maybe. Though steak is a little more on the expensive side for college students, it is definitely worth the occasional splurge. REMEMBER: Always let your steak rest before cutting into it!

Something new?

thirsty but do not fee like water? try Cosmic Cranberry! this drink is full of Kombucha; a health remedy! it has a rich anecdotal history of preventing and fighting cancer, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases and it can also be a detoxification for your liver along with helping prevent cancer. i admit, it is a hard taste to get used to but once you do, it is addicting! i drink one at least everyday! trust mehhh, try it out and i promise you wont regret it!

this drink, along with other flavors, is available down in the cellar of benson!

Jasmine Thai Cuisine

Jasmine Thai Cuisine is conveniently located in the nearby Franklin Square, across from the Post Office. Jasmine's entire menu provides tradition thai food dishes as well as a modern twist featuring some Japanese and Vietnamese fusion dishes.

Jasmine has a good selection of seafood, chicken, curry, soups, noodle, and appetizers. I would recommend ordering from a couple different sections and getting at least a noodle and meat dish. Their appetizers are all delicious and serve as a nice introduction to the food ahead.

The food is served in large portions for low prices considering the location and ambience the restaurant embodies.

Tamarind lentils and mashed sweet potatoes

This weekend I made a delicious meal of tamarind lentils over quinoa, mashed sweet potatoes and delicious rye bread. The recipes for tamarind lentils and mashed sweet potatoes were really delicious and not too hard to make! The whole meal took about 40 minutes and most of that was waiting time. They're both from my favorite cookbook, Veganomicon! Check it out.

If you're a visual person...

This site is definitely for you: Visual Recipes.

College is all about trying new things, right? But if cooking isn't your forte, some kitchen projects may have been a little disastrous for you in the past (everyone's been there). So what could be better than step-by-step pictures to keep you on track with a recipe all along the way? They've even got instructional videos and Q&A forums.

Give Me Soup or Give Me DEATH.

I don't know about you, but right now there are a lot of sick people in my dorm. Thankfully I have yet to catch the flu that's going around, but if it does bite me in the ass in a few days/weeks I know what will be at the top of my list of needs aside from lots and lots of cold medicine: CHICKEN SOUP. Now, I know that when you're sick the last thing you want is to actually cook the food yourself but in the off chance you get inspired to do check out the Food Network's Collection of Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes!

Easter Weekend Fun

Because Easter is this weekend, my parents are flying out from Chicago to spend the weekend with me in San Francisco. On Friday, we're going to Maya, a modern Mexican restaurant with great food and drinks. I have been to Maya multiple times (three times in SF and twice in NYC) and it never disappoints. On Saturday, we are going to Poggio, an Italian restaurant in Sausalito. I've never been there before, but my dad claims that it is his favorite restaurant on the West Coast. For Easter Sunday dinner, we will be going to Left Bank, a French brasserie in Santana Row, just a ten minute drive from campus. It should be a great weekend, full of delicious meals! I'll be sure to comment on these awesome dinners this weekend!

Cramers Bagels!

Cramer's bagels is directly across the street from Santa Clara's entrance! They serve a huge variety of fresh bagels made every morning. In addition, they also have roughly fifteen different types of cream cheese and spreads for your bagels, like strawberry cream cheese, chive spread, and honey butter. This allows you to build hundreds of different bagel and spread combinations.

Their menu also boasts of several different bagel sandwiches. Their breakfast sandwiches come in different egg, bacon, sausage, and cheese combinations. I strongly recommend building a bacon, egg, and cheddar breakfast sandwich on an everything bagel. For lunch, I would recommend their turkey, avocado, and sprouts sandwich on any of their bagels!

This is a great place to stop by and grab a quick, cheap, and delicious breakfast!

Cinnaholic

Everyone needs to stop by Cinnaholic in Berkeley, CA. Only a block between Shattuck and the UC Berkeley Campus, this Cinnamon Roll bakery is a must-see. The bakery has around 20 kinds of frosting and 30 toppings available, and its VEGAN. It's not advertised on their building to be welcoming to vegan skeptics, but this place has been widely advertised in vegan circles and publications such as VegNews. I was walking down Shattuck, still a mile away from the bakery when I heard people on the street talking about this place and raving that it was delicious. On my visit their I had a delicious fresh-out-of-the-oven Cinnamon roll with caramel frosting and cookie dough topping. My next visit, I'm going to have one with orange frosting with walnuts and peaches.

The shop was small, but the service was great and friendly. They pull a batch out of the oven every few minutes so that every cinnamon roll is fresh out of the oven. The toppings include everything from fresh fruit and nuts to cookies and brownies. Frostings vary from traditional vanilla to flavors such as maple, root beer or pumpkin spice! Check out their website pronto (they deliver!): http://www.cinnaholic-berkeley.com/

Top Choice!

plutos is an amazing and delicious salad bar/ grill that has a bunch of different choices of toppings for salads, plus freshly grilled meat! check it out, it is off of santana row right next to urban outfitters

Mondo Burrito

Mondo Burrito is a legendary Mexican restaurant just off the edge of campus, near Lucas Hall. It's been popular and frequented by students for generations, including while my parents attended Santa Clara in the eighties! Mondo Burrito is known for its fresh high quality ingredients, as well as its authentic mexican food. Sometimes in Northern California I feel like restaurants end up serving somewhat Americanized versions of many mexican dishes so it's really nice to have more authentic dishes like those that restaurants serve closer to the border in Southern California.

One of the best things about Mondo is that you get to look at all the ingredients in front of you as you choose which items you would like in your tacos, burrito, or other dishes. You start by choosing your base, either a large or small tortilla, then you have your choice of a couple different kinds of rice and beans. The variety facilitates more unique creations, and watching the person assemble your dish in front you ensures all orders will be a hundred percent correct and allows you specifically order a little bit of some toppings and extra servings of others.

I often find at mexican restaurants, that they seem to specialize in one kind of meat. They either have amazing chicken cooked perfectly, and the rest of the meat alternatives are decent, or something else is a cut above, while other meats are more on the average side. However, this is not the case at Mondo. All of their meats are prepared daily and of the highest quality. And despite the high quality of the ingredients they use, the prices are still very affordable and college student friendly.

Additionally, they have daily specials that aren't on their usual menu that are to die for. My favorite is their tequila shrimp. I've created by far the best shrimp tacos I have ever had with it. To create them yourself, go to Mondo on any friday!

Too curious not to try...

When you hear "microwaved food", the last thing you'd think of is nice, crisp potato chips, right?Well, apparently the two aren't all that incompatible. I stumbled across this recipe for microwave potato chips a few days ago; and as soon as I read it, I knew I'd have to try them. I mean, how can you get any better than fresh chips, especially when they sound this easy?

Microwave Potato Chips

(makes 4 servings, 12-14 chips each)

1 1/3 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed

2 teaspoons or so of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

Slice potatoes into 1/8-inch rounds for thicker potato chips. Toss slices in a medium bowl with oil and salt to coat evenly.

Coat a large microwave-proof plate with cooking spray. Arrange some potato slices in a single layer on the plate. Microwave, uncovered, on High until some slices start to brown, 2 to 3 minutes (depending upon potato thickness and microwave power). Turn slices over (they will be hot, so take care with your fingers) and continue microwaving until they start to crisp and brown around the edges, about 35 seconds for very thin potato slices to 2 to 4 minutes for thicker slices. Check frequently and rearrange slices as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer chips to another plate and allow to cool completely. (They will crisp up more as they cool.) Repeat process with remaining slices.

Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Found at: www.foodgal.com

Benson Tips- Avoiding Benson

http://children.webmd.com/guide/family-dinners-are-important

When you get the chance to get a free meal, take it. One should remember that Benson is a place for self-sustainment. If you are local, go home! Your parents miss you, and you probably miss home cooking! Feel free to bring your friends too if your parents are cool with it. Make a day of going home, everyone will be glad it happened. Here is an article on the importance of a family dinners.

Benson Tips- The Magical Elixir

Balsamic Vinegar is an easy way to improve any of the food from Saute. Usually, pre-made salad dressings have sugar added to make sure we think it tastes great, but usually hides the actual flavors of the salad itself. Some olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar is enough to dress a salad, complimenting the tastes of each vegetable and keeping the dish healthier. Add Balsamic vinegar to your Saute vegetables, too! Usually, the sauces available are pretty monotone, but the vinegar adds a bite that keeps the palette interested. Start adding and combining things at Benson, hopefully you'll find something you'll like!

Change of Plans

Hi Readers!

I know when I originally posted my little self-intro that I said I would be doing more culturally based dishes, but then something awful happened...my mom called to brag about the dinner they were having. Dad had made pot roast that night and apparently it was "the best roast he's ever made." Great, thanks for telling me this while you're home in LA and I'm at school close to 400 miles away. Because of this tragedy I decided to shift my focus to homemade food so that way all our readers can suffer with me. You'll thank me later though when you finally get a home-cooked meal because you'll cherish it that much more!

Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese is one of my favorite foods ever. My dad got this recipe from a friend a few years back and it has become somewhat of a regular in our house. We have it with BBQ chicken mostly, but sometimes Dad will make it when we have steak...or really anything else that goes well with mac & cheese. Though I don't have the actual recipe for this dish, I do have one tip for anyone making their own mac & cheese: aged Irish cheddar cheese is a nice compliment to all the regular cheddar!

Can't say no.

If there's one treat that has the most universal capability of making college kids nostalgic, comforted, content, warm, and fuzzy all at once, it's chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk. There's something about passing around a tray of these right out of the oven that I really enjoy. Face it: they make people happy. They're classics that we all grew up eating, and can convince even the healthiest of us to succumb to savoring one every so often.

As someone who has fun whipping up whatever the majority of my friends and buildingmates are craving most, it goes without saying that I've baked more than my fair share of chocolate chip cookies in college already. I've modified Alton Brown's recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies over the years, and it's now one of the few recipes I don't need to refer to the recipe for (a big deal for someone with my memory). It's super easy, the cookies come out with the perfect balance of chewy and crunchy, and are done baking before you can finish licking the spoon. The best part: how much dough you end up with. You can either throw whatever you don't feel like baking into a plastic bag and in the freezer, or treat the drooling onlookers to seconds--thirds, if they're quick.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (a couple pinches will do if you can't be bothered for measuring spoons like me)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (there's no shame in imitation; we're called 'broke college kids' for a reason)
• 2 cups chocolate chips (semisweet)

Set the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter in the microwave while you measure out the sugars; combine butter and sugar, and mix in the egg + egg yolk and vanilla. Mix the salt, baking soda, and flour together. Add a third of the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, and mix until combined. Add another third of the flour, and mix again. Add the last of the flour and the chocolate chips at the same time, and mix until most of the flour has been mixed in--leaving the dough slightly under-stirred prevents them from being anything from ooey- gooey.

Shape large spoonfuls into balls (or blobs, honestly either way they end up tasting bomb), and spread as many as you can fit onto a cookie sheet with an inch and a half or so between them. Put them in the oven, and check on them after about 8 minutes. You know it's time to take them out when the edges are lightly browned and you almost pass out in anticipation. Letting them cool for about five minutes is well worth it; trust me. Take the first one for yourself, and serve the rest to the people drawn out of their rooms by the familiar aroma.
And please, for your own sake, have milk on hand.

Off the Beaten Path-The Wet Mole Burrito

Living on, or near campus guarantees close proximity to great eateries ready to feed hungry college stomachs. When Benson gets boring, one can always count on these small businesses to refresh our palette with actual flavor. Henry’s fresh Mexican grill is one of these establishments worth going to in order to satisfy a “healthy” college appetite.

Henry’s Fresh Mexican Grill resides across the street from the Alumni Science Building, right next to Yum Yum Tree. They have the usual fare at a Mexican restaurant. Their burritos and nachos are all great tasting and are worth every penny spent. But that’s the usual stuff one can get at the cafeteria, why not get something different?

Enter the Wet Mole Burrito…BWAAAH! What exactly is that? Well, the Wet Mole Burrito consists of a burrito filled with rice, beans, and meat, all covered in a mole negro, a black, but incredibly rich and complex sauce. Usually, mole is of a brownish-red color, but because Henry’s is Oaxacan style restaurant, the sauce is black. Mole sauce blends together a variety of chili peppers, garlic, onion, herbs, spices, and chocolate. While the burrito is not that appealing to the eye, do not let that turn you off one of the tastiest attractions so close to campus.

As I took my first bite of the burrito, I was honestly nervous because the sauce was so black, but I soon realized I had nothing to fear. The sauce was a very, very complex tasting concoction. I could taste each ingredient used to make the sauce. Each pepper and herb worked together, developing into a strong, spicy taste that complimented the meat in the burrito. The spices gave a taste that was very spicy, but with little heat. Like spark plug, the heat is over as soon as it starts. The heat finishes with the smooth, rich flavor from the chocolate. The chocolate mellows the ending, tying the whole dish together in a unique and satisfying flavor which begs for another bite. The Wet Mole Burrito is one of the best and memorable dishes I have ever eaten. Because Henry’s is so close, you readers have no excuses to not try it. Comment about it after you try it! I look forward to reading what you think about it. See ya next time!

Wassup, Readers!

Hey there boys and girls! I'm Andrew, a Communications Major at Santa Clara University. This blog is for the Technology and Communication class in the University's Comm program. I will be blogging about eats that are off the beaten path, but not too far. Also, I will be posting useful hints to make those University meal points worth using. Looking forward to blogging for you!

Grilled Pork Chops with Mojo

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 1/4 cup orange juice, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 4 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup watercress, for garnish
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped, for garnish
• 1/2 avocado, sliced, for garnish

Directions

In a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag, combine 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup lime juice, and vinegar. Add pork and let it sit and marinate for about 1 hour in refrigerator.

In a small mixing bowl, combine all dried spices. Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and rub with the dry spice mixture.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Place the pork chops in the pan and sear on 1 side until brown. Flip over and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue to cook until garlic begins to brown. Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, and white wine. Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced and begins to thicken. The chops should be cooked through.

Remove the chops from pan and put on a warm plate. Continue to reduce juices in pan by half. Pour over the chops and serve immediately.

Garnish with watercress, tomatoes and avocado.

So this is a recipe that my dad got from the Food Network by Guy Fieri and it is my absolute favorite dish to have while home. Being a big pork fan to begin with this recipe already had a lot going for it, but the Mojo sauce puts it over the top! Sometimes my dad makes rice with this instead of baked potatoes (and I actually like that a little better) but this was yummy too. My dad left out the garnish at the end this time, but I would definitely suggest trying it out! If you're a pork fan I woud definitely recommend this dish.

Oh, by the way, this tastes even better the next day! Enjoy!