Tag Archives: Food

Taste of Portugal Philadelphia

Happy Birthday Vernon. Though five days late, we (Mel, Lil and I) figured we still had to celebrate his birthday – Portuguese style. In general, I’m not very picky when it comes to food – and my increasing gut and reducing bank account can vouch for that. Furthermore, this month I already tried Ukranian food when visiting New York for the Stomp performance. So a chance to savor another ethnic cuisine was definitely a no-brainer. After Chourico Assado’s (Flaming Portuguese Sausages), Paelha Valenciana all washed down with Sumol Orange Soda, I can definitely say that Taste of Portugal was the best Potuguese restaurant I’ve ever been too – I should probably also clarify that this was the first Portuguese restaurant I’ve ever been too as well. Jantar Feliz.

Green Tea Frappuccino

Starbucks already had me as a lifetime customer with a wide variety of their Frappuccino’s Coffee drinks, but the Green Tea Frappucino, that was inspired by Japanese tradition is just a whole other world of blended cr�me beverages. Now if they only introduced this drink as part of the ‘We Proudly Brew Starbucks’ coffee shops, especially considering that all the coffee stands at Temple University were recently aquired by Sodexho – a proud brewer of Starbucks coffee.

Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

I’m preparing breakfast for friends from my church this Sunday. This is going to be an interesting experiment, primarily because my culinary skills specialize in the reheating of frozen meals and the expert concoction of various cereal brands with milk. After searching half a dozen recipes online and offline, begging, borrowing and buying various ingredients, pots and pans, I’ve settled on a menu of orange julius, cheesy ham and hash brown casserole, muffins and a fruit salad. Now all that’s left is putting it together – perhaps this once I should follow directions.

Below is the recipe to the cheesy ham and hash brown casserole as listed from the All Recipes website:

INGREDIENTS:

1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
8 ounces cooked, diced ham
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve immediately.

Source: All Recipes