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I’ve update the Site!!!

Hey, Creatives and non-creatives alike. Just wanted to let you know that I have updated the site. I can not believe that it has been 8 years since I first began this blog and it has been so much fun.

Not only has the look of the site changed, but the name also is slightly different and the logo is different:

I am looking forward to bringing new content to the blog and perhaps even collaborating with other bloggers. So, of course, I will be bringing plenty of food content your way, but also some travel and lifestyle content as well. I hope you all continue to enjoy being passengers as I continue this creative journey of life!

Also, check out my photography portfolio at Gloriousgal Studio Photography

And check my YouTube channel at Cook Eat Enjoy

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Best Things I ate – Summer 2018

Hey foodies and non-foodies alike. I hope you had an awesome and tasty summer. So yes it is officially Autumn here in the U.S. and I just couldn’t let summer go without highlighting some of the best things I ate; some of these I cooked and others were had out and about. So in no particular order let’s get started.

IMG_2674I love Asian food of all kinds, and if there are noodles involved, I am sold from jump-street. I had these sweet potato noodles that I got from the Asian grocers. With them, I made Japchae, a typical cold veggie noodle dish. Mine had cabbage, shredded carrots, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and cilantro. This is so tasty and light and I like mine on the warmer side. But it is a great way to get your veggies in a meal. The great thing about this dish is that I ate it all times of day and night and it kept me full for some hours without feeling heavy.

Here in Portland Oregon where I reside, we have tons of food carts, pods, trucks, etc. Downtown Portland, the Alder Street Food Carts, there is a food cart called Bing Mi. It is located on 9th and Alder. The only thing they make is Chinese Crepes. I had heard a lot about this place before I ever ate one. I drive Lyft, and I had customers who were visiting tell me about this place. So I decided to give it a try. It was a phenomenal mix of Asian taste and American breakfast.

IMG_4517Oh, and I can not forget about fair food. I only go to county fairs to eat all the stuff I don’t eat on a regular. This fair, I had my eyes set on the huge smoked turkey leg and I made straight to the stand upon entering the fairgrounds. I felt like a Flintstone eating this big leg, and it’s not a cute food to eat. So if you are on a date or you are worried about how people look at you when eat, this might not be the food for you. But since none of these were the case for me, I chomped away.

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Now I love corn on the cob and I have been eating my share this summer. Before this summer, I slightly remember seeing a lot of Latinos and Hispanics eating corn on the cob that had cheese on it. But it didn’t fully register until I started seeing this corn called Elotes on Youtube. Well… I finally got to have one this summer at the Portland Pride Parade. OMG, it was the best thing; the combination of the sweet corn, the tartness from the cotija cheese, the creaminess of the mayo and the very very light spice of the chili powder. My mouth and my stomach were beyond happy. I loved this so much, that for the next two weeks following this encounter with my dear Elotes, I made them at home at least 6 times within those weeks. This might be the top favorite thing I ate this summer.

These were just a few of the great foods I consumed this summer, the ones that come to my mind first. The lovely thing about food is that I can have them any time of year I want because I can cook them at home, so I don’t have to wait until summer. In the comments, let me know what were some of your favorite foods you had this summer and if you have pics, I would love to see.

If you want to keep up with what I eat or what I am doing, follow me on Instagram @Gloriousgal .  I am typically very active there. Also if you want to see me cook different dishes or travel and eat, Follow my Youtube Channel @Cook Eat Enjoy.

And until Next time, Cook eat and Enjoy!!!

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Comfort Food: Veggie Lasagna & Chicken Lasagna

Let’s talk comfort food. Technically, all food can be comfort food if said food brings you comfort when you think about it or partake.

For me, when I think of comfort food, the foods that immediately spring to mind, makes me smile and makes my mouth begin to water just from the thought are: fried chicken wings, homemade Mac and Cheese and Lasagna.

I do not eat any of the aforementioned often because… well… I am trying to eat better and all that jazz. However, sometimes, it is good to treat yourself. Self care comes in many forms and me being a food lover, what better way to show myself some love than to make one of my happy food dishes.

So, I typically make Lasagna the traditional way. Okay let me specify because my family traditional is probably not the same as actual ‘traditional’. So traditional meaning a ground beef meat sauce, ricotta and different shredded cheeses. But since I am trying to be a bit more healthy, I decided to make a veggie lasagna for me and since my family loves chicken, I made them a shredded chicken lasagna.

Chicken lasagna is super easy, I just boiled chicken breast in seasoning and shredded it.

For the veggie Lasagna, I used veggies that I love and that would hold together. I used yellow summer squash, zucchini squash, a medley of 5 mushrooms and red spinach. Red spinach has a slight bitter taste, so the next time I would just use regular spinach. Never-the-less, my family devoured the chicken lasagna; I got none, but they definitely enjoyed it. The Veggie lasagna was so hearty, that I forgot it did not have meat in it!!!

If you want to see how I prepared these two dishes, check out the video HERE!

And please like comment and subscribe.

Let me know in the comments below, what is your favorite comfort food?

Until next time, Cook, Eat and Enjoy!!!

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Vegan/ Vegetarian Experience

It is never easy to change. Sometimes change is forced upon you, while other times you are the one initiating change. Either way, it takes some time to get your feet under you when the winds of change blows.

I have experienced quite a bit of change here in 2018; most I could not control. However, the one I could and can control is my diet. I have taken on a Vegan/Vegetarian diet with the occasional fish.

I wanted to try this eating change because of health issues. I wanted to see how a change in my diet would affect my mental and physical states. I love meat of all kinds; from your everyday beef and pork to the more exotic (to some) deer, rabbit, etc. I also love veggies; growing up, my parents insisted my brother and I ate our beans, peas, green and the likes. No, was not an answer, which has served me well as an adult.

I have never not eaten meat, nor have I ever had the desire to not eat meat. But as I grow older and different health issues have manifested, it has been suggested that I cut meat from my diet and perhaps try a vegan, vegetarian or even pescatarian diet. Of course, when it comes to food, I am game to try new things and if it will assist in decreasing or eliminating me health issues, I am here to give it a try.

So for the next 4 weeks, maybe more, I will be embarking on this Vegan/ Vegetarian diet. Actually I have already begun. I am now ending week 2 and will be posting the week 2 update on my YouTube Channel: Week 1 is here.

So far so good. I am really enjoying eating and especially make vegan/vegetarian meals. It has given me a chance to test my food creativity and try new foods I would not have otherwise tried. For example, I have tried Beyond Meat burgers and they blew my mind!!! The same with Field Roast’s smoke Apple sage sausage.

So here I am on another food Journey, so come and follow along and watch the updates and recipes on my YouTube channel Cook Eat Enjoy.

In the comments, let me know if you have or ever considered going Vegan/Vegetarian and why? Also let me know some of your favorite vegan products that you think I should try.

So I would say wish me luck, but so far, so good. Until next time, Cook, Eat, Enjoy!

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Seafood Boil

Hey All,

Hope this blog post finds you well and prospering in 2018. Well let’s start this year off right and that could only mean seafood for me.

Last week, I was inspired to make a seafood boil and it turned into a Mukbang on my youtube channel Cook Eat Enjoy

I am an east coast girl, so seafood is in my blood and I could eat it everyday!!! I am actually considering becoming a pescatarian… maybe. Anyway, I had really been craving seafood and was going to go out to a restaurant, but realized that I could get more for my money if I did it at home, and that is what I did. So I was home alone, everyone else was either at school or at work, so I got to treat myself, but I did save everyone else some… I am not that greedy (although when it comes to seafood, I typically am).

My seafood boil had head-on shrimp, snow crab legs, king crab leg, little sausages, red and yellow potatoes, frozen corn on the cob, mussels and old bay seasoning.

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Of course, any combination of seafood can be added, your choice.

All of this cost me about $32, and I had enough to feed 4 people and it took me about 30 minutes to make. Please tell me in the comments if you know of a place where you can get a deal like that. That is a restaurant I might just go check out with my family 🙂

Never-the-less, if you want to see how I made the Seafood boil in 30 minutes. Go check out the  youtube video Seafood Boil Mukbang 

Oh and while you are there please like, comment and subscribe to support your girl, me!!! Until next time; Cook, Eat and Enjoy!!!

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Cook Eat Enjoy Youtube Channel

Hey all. Yes, I am still here and yes I am still cook, eating and enjoying as I hope you are. I wanted to let you guys know that I have started a Youtube channel and I want you all to come check it and me out. Some of it is me going around to restaurants here in the Portland Oregon and surrounding areas, and some of it is me cooking. So now you can actually see me on my food journeys and have a virtual seat in my kitchen instead of reading and seeing pictures. I will still be posting here though. I think I might even do a short post of my upcoming videos, so that way you will know they are up. And/Or you can follow me on Instagram and twitter @Gloriousgal and always be in the know. I already have 4 videos up already. The most recent on just went up moments ago. So the link is here: Teriyaki Salmon Belly 

So come check out the channel. Subscribe. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter and Until Next time, Continue to Cook, Eat and Enjoy.

 

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Pork & Greens Tteok-bokki  

I love food from all different nations and backgrounds. I believe the best way to learn about a culture is through their food!!!! Yummmy!!!!🤤🤤🤤
I absolutely love rice noodles, but a few months ago I discovered Tteok-bokki or Korean rice cakes or sticks. These are lovely thick chewy noodles made from rice and formed in different shapes, typically long cylinders. One can typically find them in Asian food markets for fairly cheap. This bag ran me under $5 here in Portland Oregon area.


On to my tasty tteok-bokki dish.

Boil your desired amount of rice sticks until soft. Drain and set aside. You can stir a teaspoon of oil so they don’t stick.

For this dish I used hog jowls that I cut into chunks. However, if you can not find hog Jowls, you can use thick bacon as well.


Cook meat until cooked thoroughly, then remove to a paper towel.


Pour all fat left in pan from meat in a coffee mug and set aside except for about 3 tablespoons.

Dice 1 large onion (white or yellow) and add to pan and let cook for about. 3 minutes in high heat.


Add in 1 package of sliced mushrooms (crimini or white)


1 teaspoon oh diced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger.


Add a little salt, Cook together another 4 minutes.

Add a handful of baby Arugula to pan and stir 30 seconds.

Add in the tteok-bokki or rice sticks and turn off heat.


Now I purposely did not make a sauce for this dish because I wanted to try this Frank’s RedHot Stingin’ Honey Garlic Hot sauce. But you can make any sauce; use soy sauce, hoisin, etc.


I added my Honey Garlic Hot sauce on top of my dish and sat down and enjoyed the chew.


Now when and if you reheat this, you must do so throughly because the rice cake need a little extra heat to soften up. So 2 minutes in the microwave might do or you can just reheat on the stove with a little water.


Until next time; Cook, Eat and Enjoy!!!!

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Quick Angel Hair Pasta with Veggies

Hey Winners, this meal takes a quick 10 minutes. In the time it takes to boil a handful of angel hair pasta, the rest will be done. So quickly:

Boil a handful of angel hair pasta.
-in a pan with olive oil about 6 crimini mushrooms sliced, 1 small onion sliced, sauté.  Then slice an heirloom tomato add to the pan, with a teaspoon of diced garlic.

-Cook for about 3 minutes sprinkle with a little salt. Add crush red pepper if you like it spicy.

-Deglaze with red wine vinegar
– add pasta and finish with parmesan.

No meat required or needed.
Until next time: Cook, Eat and Enjoy and take it one day at a time. Stay encouraged.
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Brown Rice Stir-Fry (Leftover/ Clean out your fridge Friday)

So it was Friday and I needed to clean my fridge out before I went grocery shopping on Saturday; getting out the old, to get the new. Well, it is a waste to throw away partially bad veggies or day or two old rice. Why not throw it all in a stir-fry, as a one pot. Here is my quick and simple stir-fry that I made, using brown rice. Now, remember you can add or take away any of the following. I also used my Wok, but you can always use a regular frying pan.

For this dish, I used brown rice, and I made it fresh because I didn’t have any left in the fridge. So I cooked a pot of fresh brown rice and then ran cold water over it, to stop the cooking process so it would not get mushy.

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For this particular dish, I used hog jowls that I diced up. Hog jowls are like thick bacon. I used it for flavoring of my rice and added texture. If you can’t get that you can use bacon or cut it out entirely, it is up to you. So dice it up and render it out in the Wok, then drain on paper towel. Don’t throw away the grease from the meat, because we will be using some, so pour it in a tin or a coffee mug and set aside.

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While your hog jowls or bacon is rendering:
dice 1 yellow or white onion; 1 green bell pepper diced; 6-9 cloves of garlic, a handful of fresh curly leaf parsley roughly chopped; 8 or 9 Brussels sprouts cut in half and then quartered or sixth depending on the size; beat 4 jumbo eggs and scramble fluffy in a separate pan, then remove them from the pan and set aside.

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Now time for the fun part. Pour about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the grease from your meat into the wok, and drop the brussels sprouts in and wok cook them for about 4 minutes, seasoning with kosher salt.

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Then add in the onions, garlic and green bell pepper, salt and black pepper to taste, and cook for another 3 minutes. If the oil is being soaked up, add a bit more of the meat oil (or substitute for olive or grapeseed oil).

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Now add in the parsley and cook for 1 minute.

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*Be sure that you keep your food moving with a spoon if you are cooking in a wok, otherwise your food will not cook evenly and it will burn. Additionally, cook on high or med-high heat.

Now that all the veggies are cooked, add the rice, scrambled egg and the rendered out meat, back to the Wok as well as about 4 or 5 tablespoons of sesame oil. MIx well.

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Now if you have a piece of chicken or steak or pork chop, etc, you can chop it up and add it to the dish at the end; why let it go to waste.
I myself had one rib leftover from Memorial Day, so the accompanied my stir-fry. I also added no soy sauce to the stir-fry while I was cooking it, because I didn’t want it to be too salty, so feel free to add it to taste as you like. I preferred sweet chili sauce on my rice, but that is me.

Until next time my food lover and explores: Cook, Eat and Enjoy

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