Merry Ann's

This weekend while 'vacationing' down in Normal, Connor, my boyfriend, and I
went out to get a late dinner at the diner under my apartment complex.

It is called Merry Ann's and is definitely going to be the go-to place for a late night snack
and the best hangover cure seeing that it is open 24 hours.

Here we are drinking our refreshing and extremely affordable smoothies. Mine: mango, his: strawberry.

The strawberry was really light and didn't taste like they added any sugary syrups, which was great.
And the mango, actually tasted like mango (and I know my mangos).
This place is definitely going to be the death of me, my weight, and my wallet.

Along with the smoothies, I ordered a grilled cheese, and Connor got a ham and cheese omelet.
Honestly, the BEST, most delicious, melt in your mouth, classic American grilled cheese you will ever eat.

I die for this sandwich.
I only hope that all of you are given the chance to eat something so life-altering. :)

Noob Cook

I just came across this website, that I'm sure some of you already know of, called Noob Cook.
It is a recipe website, but what stood out about it to me was the "Food-tography" tab.

I just recently got a new lens for my camera, and it makes taking pictures of food so much more enjoyable.
So lately I have been really into food photography aka food-tography.

Noob Cook not only has cool recipes, but it is great for the bored cook surfing the web.

Visit it here.

And, stay tuned for many gorgeous photos of my own :)

Potato and Onion Fritters

Hello all!
Here is another recipe that was really easy and fun to make, that I cooked on a whim.

These are Potato and Onion Fritters
I was craving crab cakes, but in my home, we don't have lump crab meat on hand. So, next best thing,
potato pancakes! I was also craving something crunchy, and thought a vegetable fritter would be delicious.

Problem:
The only veggies in my fridge were lettuce, celery, and onions. I think you can piece together the rest of the puzzle.

Ingredients:

1 Baking Potato

1/4 Chopped Onion

1 Tbsp of Garlic

1 Egg

A hand full of bread crumbs (crushed croutons in my case)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Sour Cream to top

To begin, skin your potato and cut it into four pieces. Put these four pieces along with the 

garlic into a small pot and fill with enough water so that the potatoes are submerged.

Let them simmer for about 15 minutes or until you can stick a fork through the potatoes.

Add the chopped onions to the boiling water and cook for only 2 minutes more. 

Then drain the potatoes, and put them into a new bowl. 

Roughly mash the potatoes leaving enough chunks to keep a good texture.

You want to let the potatoes cool for a little before adding the egg, because if they are too hot, 

you will have breakfast. Mix in the egg, add some salt and pepper to taste, and let the mixture 

sit in the fridge for a few minutes. 

( I took this time to clean up the disaster of a mess that I left everywhere.)

Now fill a sauce pan with about a half inch of olive oil, or any oil you would like to use for frying, 

and let it heat. Make patties out of your cooled potato mixture, and drop them into the oil! 

Fry until golden brown.

There you have it. Potato and Onion Fritters.

*You could add bacon bits and cheddar cheese to make them taste more like a delicious baked potato,

OR you could add more veggies like zucchini with parmesan cheese. 

Kimbra- Settle Down

Kimbra - Settle Down from Forum5 Recordings on Vimeo.

I have found my new girl crush...

A List

Hello again, loves. Yesterday while I was at work, I was not only seating people and cleaning menus, but also working on a list for myself.

This list is of things that I want to learn to cook/ come up with my own recipes for.
I would start with foods and veggies that I have never really cooked with before and think of things that might taste good with them:

1. Avocado in pasta
2. Avocado Puree Soup
3. Butternut Squash Soup
4. Butternut Squash in Pasta
5. Artichoke recipes
6. Spinach and Artichoke Dip
7. Lamb with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Artichoke Chips
8. Tuna Tartare
9. Pizza Margherita
10. Home Made Pasta- Fettucini

 

I am most excited for #7 because I have never cooked lamb and because what I'm picturing in my mind

is a very pretty plate of food :)

If you guys have recipes that might work for any of the items on the list, let me know! I am very interested to hear from you.

The Rock Restaurant - Normal, Il

My First Gyro Experience!

This is a gyro topped with feta cheese from The Rock Restaurant in Normal, Il. 

I was kind of hesitant to go in there at first, because I have never had a gyro before. 

The meat freaks me out... I never really understood what it was. :) 

For some stupid reason I imagined the little speckles as dirt.

But, The Rock Restaurant proved me wrong! It was really good... the tzatziki sauce on top

was so refreshing and addicting. It wasn't greasy and didn't make me feel like garbage for eating it.

The only negative thing I could say about my meal is that it was way too much food for me.

But I do tend to have that 'bigger eyes than your stomach' syndrome...

This restaurant has definitely inspired me to be more adventurous in the Greek food world.

What are some good classic Greek dishes that I could make or possibly order at a restaurant?

How To Be A Better Blogger

I know you all know what I am talking about; the obnoxious comments such as,

"Nice post, check out my blog at www.iobviouslydidnteventakethetimetoreadyourpost.com
lovexoxoxoxoxox,
spammer."

Comments like those are the equivalent to those girls you knew in highschool that put you down behind
your back, but pretended like you were best friends to your face... and then, when you're back from
school for the summer, you run into one of them and they expect you to smile and say hello... (is it
obvious I speak from experience?)

Why start a relationship on a superficial and transparent note, when you could just take the extra
ounce of brainpower to read through a few of their posts, and see what you like about their blog?

Making connections and blogosphere friends will seriously boost your readership and most likely
improve you as a blogger.

So lets cut to the chase, follow these steps and you can be on your way to new readers, friends, and
inspiration.

1. Go to your three favorite blogs.
2. Read through each of their most recent posts in entirety.
3. Post a comment stating what you liked, how it made you feel, something it reminded you of, ANYTHING that shows you have original thoughts. *
4. Look through each of their comment sections, and choose three bloggers that also commented. *
5. Visit their blogs one by one, and repeat steps 2-5.

Starting to see how this could help? It's like a dominos effect; the more blogs you visit, the more 
connections you could potentially be making.

*You can leave your link in the post, because it is the easiest way for them to get back to you, but
do not add, "look at my blog too" or "return the favor" because they don't have to if they don't want.
And in a lot of cases, those simple phrases can really piss someone off.
I think it is best when you use your link as an extension of your signature, just like say, Bill Gates would sign his messages:

Bill Gates
Extremely Rich Man

You get it.

*Everyone who left a comment on the post immediately shares something in common with you, because
you both like the same blog and had an opinion about the content. That's a great place to start, right?


So go on! Be a social blogger!

Linguine with Lemon Creme Sauce

I was feeling adventurous in the kitchen the other day and decided to make a new creation!

At first I wanted to make macaroni and cheese from scratch, but my past experiences

with the cheese sauce are floury and grainy... so not enjoyable.

So, after assessing the things we have in our fridge, I came up with this:

Ingredients you will need:

A box of linguini pasta (how much you cook is up to you)

1/3 cup of Milk

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 of a lemon, or lemon juice

1/2 cup of grated extra sharp white cheddar

Basil

I started by boiling a single serving of linguini. Then, I poured a bit of milk 

into a small sauce pot, and about a tablespoon of butter, and stirred the two 

until the butter was melted. To that I added a squeeze of lemon, and set it aside 

always stirring every so often.

Then I got out a block of extra sharp white cheddar cheese. (Tillamook brand from Costco)

I finely grated the cheese until I had about a 1/2 cup.

After straining the al dente linguine and putting it back into the pot, I poured the milk and butter mixture 

over top, until all was coated,  I suggest not pouring it all on at once, but to save some to top the pasta after you plate it.

I stirred the linguini and lemon butter creme sauce and then added the white cheddar, mixing again until melted.

And voila! There you have it! My beautiful lunch topped with dried basil.

It. Was. So. Good.

Serving suggestion: Top it off with a little bit of lemon zest to make the flavor more prominent.

1.

Hello! My name is Erica, and I am excited to introduce
to you, Down Through My Ribs, my new food blog.

I started blogging first with my fashion blog, In the Light of Style, a year and a half ago.
My interests had begun broadening into other aspects of life and style... and so here I am, with a food blog!

Instead of boring my fashion readers with recipes when what they really want is outfits, I can now turn to you all :)

So what can you expect to see from me?
1. Recipes
2. Photos of foods I enjoy
3. Restaurant reviews
4. A stylish take to the food world
5. Great conversation

I love feedback, opinions, and advice! So please, stay in touch!

xxErica