A Spoonful of Sofrito: Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stores from Behind Bars!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stores from Behind Bars!

Sofrito Lovers,

I first heard about this book from one of my favorite YouTube channel hosts Emmy, from EmmymadeinJapan, who prepared a few of the Ramen recipes and tasted them on camera.  I thought the idea of writing a prison cookbook was pure genius!  I've heard that prisoners have been able to create amazing cuisine using cafeteria food and their limited supply at the commissary shop.

I'm in the process of purchasing my own copy!  I can't wait to try out the recipes.  Despite their confinement and isolation, these men and women are able to create amazing culinary art forms!  Both the human spirit and appetite are undeniable!

Read Prison Ramen and try the recipes for yourself.  ¡Buen Provecho!

Check out the Prison Ramen synopsis on Amazon.com:

A unique and edgy cookbook, Prison Ramen takes readers behind bars with more than 65 ramen recipes and stories of prison life from the inmate/cooks who devised them, including celebrities like Slash from Guns n’ Roses and the actor Shia LaBeouf.

Click here to purchase your own copy on Amazon.

Check out Emmy's review of one of Prison Ramen's recipes.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: The Best Cocktail Recipes!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

The Best Cocktail Recipes!

Sofrito Lovers,

One of my New Year's resolutions is to study mixology and start making incredible drinks.  I'm not trying to become a bartender or sommelier; I just want to learn how to mix up delicious drinks for my friends and family.  I think every good amateur cook should also know how to prepare alcoholic beverages that pair well with their dishes.

I'm all about being self-taught so I've been looking up drink recipes and came across this page on Food Network  boasting the "Best Cocktail Recipes."

After reviewing the page and its contents, I think the recipes look amazing;  I plan to start my bartender training ASAP!  I think you should too!  You know the ironic part?  I'm not much of a drinker at all! I guess my New Year's resolution is to also become a lush! Let's see what happens!  Hopefully, I won't be too toasted to blog

Click the link below and check out the page!  This time, go DRINK for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

Click here for these drink recipes!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Chowhound's Easy Lentil Soup Recipe

A Spoonful of Sofrito:  A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life!

Easy Lentil Soup Recipe

 
Sofrito Lovers,

It's freakin' cold in NYC! We're all wearing layer upon layer of clothing in a futile attempt to shield us from an inescapable bitter cold! I find a nice bowl of soup to be the only way to defrost and cope with this type of weather.

Lentil Soup is one of my "go to" soups to respark that internal fire that seems to get snuffed out by the cold air.  Lentils are hearty, earthy, healthy, and incredible.  I love the rich broth they make and the feeling of satisfaction you get after a nice delicious bowl.

Chowhound , another of my favorite food culture websites, features this amazing easy to make lentil Soup recipe that always hits the spot.  The first time I tasted it, I both smiled and sighed in relief. There's nothing better than homemade soup to revitalize, reinvigorate, and defrost.  Go taste it for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

Click for the recipe here 

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: How To Handle A Food Thief

A Spoonful of Sofrito:  A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life!

 How To Handle A Food Thief

Sofrito Lovers,

Buzzfeed 's food videos are priceless. From the tasting videos to the cooking tutorials, I love their quirky, cool, and funny take on food culture.

I've posted the video below because much like the women in the video I've had lunches, drinks, and other food items stolen at work. I know what it's like to want to interrogate, intimidate, and wail on my co-workers for being sneaky food thieves. I know what it's like to be HANGRY (hungry and angry) as hell! 

Now I would never advocate violence, but sometimes you have to, "regulate your folks!"

Watch, laugh, and enjoy your lunch! ¡Buen provecho!

 

  

A Spoonful of Sofrito: It’s Easy to Lose Weight with These 22 Detox Water Recipes

A Spoonful of Sofrito:  A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life!

   

It’s Easy to Lose Weight with These 22 Detox Water Recipes

Sofrito Lovers,

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to lose weight or get healthier. The latter is more my speed; I like the idea of improving my eating habits, trying new recipes, and adding new delicious foods to my diet. I don't necessarily want to lose weight, but if it happens I won't be mad. I just want to be healthy and feel good!

Recently, I came across this interesting article on TipHero, a lifestyle website with an awesome recipe section, on how to lose weight and get healthier through Detox Water recipes.

In 2015, it was all the rage to drink cucumber water with lemon or cinnamon water with watermelon. At first, I thought it was another moronic celebrity food fad, but the science behind it is solid. These natural fruit, herb, and spice based healing water recipes are actually beneficial to your health.

The link I posted below features 22 unique and tasty detox recipes. I love the simple lemon, lime, grapefruit, and cucumber water; often called the "Simple Detox." I'm also a fan of the Blueberry and Orange Detox water and the Raspberry Mint water.

Whether you're trying to lose weight, get healthier, gain more energy, detoxify your body, or clear your skin, one of these water mixes is for you. Besides all the healthy claptrap, they all taste delicious! Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

Check out the article here!

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Sushi Yu 2 in Washington Heights!

A Spoonful of Sofrito:  A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life!

Mini-review of Sushi Yu 2 in Washington Heights!

Sofrito Lovers,

This weekend, I was craving Japanese cuisine really bad.  Tired of my usual fare, I wanted Ramen, Miso, Teriyaki, Sushi, and a few other Japanese delicacies!  After mulling it over, I decided to go to Sushi Yu 2 on W. 181st St. between Pinehurst and Cabrini Blvd.

Sushi Yu 2 is a medium sized space with Japanese decor, 9 wooden tables, and a small sushi bar.  The multicultural clientele is representative of Washington Heights' diversity.

The minute I sat down, I was greeted with a smile and bowl of salted Edamame pods.  The edamame was delicious and a wonderful way to stimulate an appetite.  The service at Sushi Yu is always good; the servers are attentive and friendly.

To start, I had the Miso Soup with seaweed, tofu, and green onions. It was hot, flavorful, and delicious.  It was a cold night and the Miso warmed me up.

I washed down the Edamame and Miso Soup with a Lychee flavored Ramune. For those of you who've never heard of it, Ramune is a popular Japanese soda with a basic citrus flavor.  

Ramune is famous for its unique opening procedure. You must slam a plunger into the top of the bottle to make the marble stopper fall into the bottle, which makes room for the soda to be poured out. The Ramune tasted like Sprite or Seven Up with lychee flavoring, which itself is a bit like cherry.

For my entree, I chose the Assorted Tempura Bento Box!  It contained a portion of white rice, vegetable tempura, shrimp tempura, seafood salad with ginger dressing, 6 steamed shrimp dumplings, 6 pieces of California roll, wasabi and spiced ginger, and soy sauce. 

The rice was moist, and flavorful.  The tempura was crunchy, savory, and delightful. The California roll was refreshing and delicious. The dumplings were soft and packed with amazing shrimp flavor.  

The seafood salad, which contained shrimp and crab meat, was excellent.  The veggies were crunchy, the ginger dressing was spicy, and the seafood was awesome.

The food at Sushi Yu 2 is incredible!  So the next time you're in the mood for Sushi, then head to the Heights. Don't take my word for it!  Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

Sushi Yu 2
827 W 181st St
New York, NY 10033
Phone: (212) 781-5255
Website: http://www.sushiyuii.com