Best of 2011

The year has come to an end so it's only right to recap the best of 2011!


This site launched in July 2011. One of the best days of my life. You all have been very supportive! I truly appreciate it. I've gained new business contacts and friends along the way.


 We have only been live for almost 6 months and we  have over 10 thousand views. There is a lot in store for "Flava in ya ear" in the near future.


Viewer's Favorite  
1. Interview with Kid Chef Eliana  
This was the most popular interview of 2011 according to my viewers.I had so much fun making up these questions. I was honored when Eliana and her mother agreed to partake. Thank you!


2. July Food Truck Rally
You all loved this post! Fun right?


3. Interview with the owner of Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen


4. Interview with the ladies of Cake N Wings 


5.Modern Toilet in Taiwan

My Favorite


1. Interview with Ronnie Johnson the owner of Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen This was my first interview for this site. I think I did a damn good job! I didn't know Ronnie prior, so I thank him for giving me the opportunity to interview him. We support Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen!  


2. Q &A with the ladies of Cake N Wings 
I really enjoyed this interview. It was super fun and I can tell these ladies have a great personality. I hope you get that Food Truck! I will be a prominent customer! Cake N Wings Kickstarter project!


3. Guest Post by Melanie from Chicken and Cardigans
My best friend put me on to her blog and I fell in love. I love everything about her blog! I was honored when she agreed to do a guest post for us. What is better than food and fashion besides music and food of course? ;) Thank you Melanie! 


4.  Modern Toilet in Taiwan
I was speechless when I opened up this email. I think this review was fun, interesting, cool, and amazing. Very well done! The pictures are great! Thank you Gillian!


5. Holiday Questionnaires Part 1 Part 2
These were so fun to read! My Fave! Thank you to everyone that participated. 


I hope you all continue to support "Flava in ya ear!" Feel free to  contact with questions, comments, ideas!


Preview of 2012
Interview with Mixologist Elizabeth Dodwell
Q & A with Chef Joe "JJ" Johnson winner of Rocco's dinner party on Bravo 

 Founder-Celeste

Holiday Questionnaire Pt. 1

Here are a few fun Holiday Questionnaires with a few of my fave people. Feel free to participate in the comments sections.

1. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa? If so, which one? Christmas.
2. What is the best holiday present you have ever received? Ever?  Probably anything my little sister gave me.  She is younger than me, so I never expect anything but always get something.
3. What is your favorite holiday drink? I guess eggnog. I don't drink anything particularly on holidays simply because it's a holiday but eggnog seems cool.
4. What is your favorite holiday movie? How the Grinch stole Christmas.  The movie with Jim Carey.  I like A Christmas Carol second and third favorite is Home Alone, whichever one that was written with a plot centered around Christmas.  I think it's the second one.
5. What are your family or individual holiday traditions? We NEVER opened presents early, we always had to wait until everyone was up.  And EVERY Christmas we made hundreds of cookies "for santa" and a big glass of milk.  We still make them. 

6. Who cooks the holiday dinner? What is your favorite dish? My mother, however, this holiday we will all be helping.  Her suggestion. My favorite dish is pork chops.  But, I do not think she will make them this year, she made them Sunday.  Hopefully we will have some stewed chicken.

7. What are 2 items on your holiday wish list? A bicycle and money.
8. Real tree or fake tree? ALWAYS a fake tree, preferably white.  No sense in killing hundreds of trees.  Go green!
9. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? Receiving. I don't prefer giving gifts but I do because I expect them so I can imagine everyone else does.
10. Candy Canes Yay or Nay?  Yes, but only the multi-colored ones though.  The traditional ones are spicy.

 

Reese Lew, Founder and Chief Editor, of "Truth Be Told" an Urban Entertainment website.
Facebook: "Truth Be Told" fan page
Twitter: @Reeselew

1. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa? If so, which one? Yes, Christmas.

2. What is the best holiday present you have ever received? A trip to New York City.

3. What is your favorite holiday drink? EGG NOG!
4. What is your favorite holiday movie? The first Home Alone.
5. What are your family or individual holiday traditions? We eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, go to Mass before midnight, open gifts at midnight... followed by a special breakfast on Christmas Day.

6. Who cooks the holiday dinner? What is your favorite dish? My father, my mother, and me! My favorite dish: buttery garlic mashed potatoes. I have an obsession with potatoes.

7. What are 2 items on your holiday wish list? United Nude 90 degree heels and a deep fryer. Ha.
8. Real tree or fake tree? Fake. Real trees smell great, but I can honestly say I'm too lazy to clean up all the mess it leaves.
9. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? Both
10. Candy Canes Yay or Nay? Yay!

 

Melanie Tibayan, Fashion and Food Blogger at Chicken and Cardigans

Fashion Student at Georgia Southern University 

Twitter: @Big_Vita @ChickenCardigan 

www.DeLaSelis.com 

Check out her guest post for us! 

 

Stayed tuned for more tomorrow! 

 

Asian Flava: Chicken and Century Egg Congee

Chicken and Century Egg Congee

Congee (kanji, ganji, ghanji, juk, chao, jok, kayu, orjaou, or zhou) is a type of rice porridge eaten in many Asian countries. It is often eaten as a breakfast food or a late supper, but can also be used as a substitute for rice. Because congee is popular in so many cultures, over time, multiple variations of this dish have formed. The type of congee I made is one that is eaten in many parts of China and East Asia.

Ingredients:

1 lb of Chicken Breast

1 cup of Glutinous rice

3 Century Eggs*

10 Cloves of garlic

3 sprigs of green onion and salt/pepper to taste

1. Soak the rice in cold water for at least one hour.

2. Peel the garlic.

3. To make the broth, place the chicken breast, garlic cloves, and 9 cups of cold water to a large pot.

4. Boil the contents of the broth on medium high for 1 hour.

5. Remove the pot from the stove. Remove the chicken and garlic pieces. Use a colander or sieve to remove the floating particles and drain the broth into a slightly smaller pot.

6. Put the pot back on the stove and turn the fire to medium high. Drain the rice and add it to the broth. Cook the rice for 40 minutes. Make sure to stir the rice once in a while to prevent it from getting burned.

7. While the rice is cooking, use your fingers to shred the chicken. Stop when you reach 1 cup of shredded chicken. Reserve the rest of the chicken for another recipe (for example, chicken salad).

8. Chop the century eggs into small pieces.

9. Chop the green onions into small pieces.

10. When the 40 minutes for cooking the rice are up, stir in 2/3 of your chopped century eggs, 2/3 cup of the shredded chicken, and around 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for another 15 minutes.

11. Remove the pot from the fire.

12. Garnish and serve with green onion, the remaining century eggs, and the remaining 1/3 cup of shredded chicken. 

*Century egg, or pi dan (in Mandarin Chinese) is an egg that has been preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice hulls for several weeks (or months). Through this method of preservation, the egg white turns into a translucent, green-black, jelly-like substance and the egg yolk takes on a creamy texture. 

By Gillian

Guest Post By Mel from Chicken and Cardigans

We have a great guest post from Melanie over at Chicken and Cardigans. She blogs about great food that she makes, she designs and constructs her own clothing. 


A few weeks ago, my best friend from SC, told me that I should check out Melanie's blog. I did, and I instantly fell in love. I contacted Melanie via twitter and asked if she would be interested in a guest post. She was honored and I was ecstatic! Match made in heaven. She's food and clothes ! We are food and music! Perfect! Enjoy!


This dish actually inspired the outfit I put together. Weird, huh? This recipe is so simple, but it is filled with tons of flavor. Like the shrimp, my outfit is very simple but because of the buttons, green oversized clutch, and the 6 inch leopard wedges, it makes the outfit come together. 

Imagine the blouse with brown buttons. What if the clutch was small and brown? Oh, and replace the shoes with a pair of black pumps-- sounds a little boring, huh? The accessories are like the flavor of the toasted walnuts & texture of the mochiko batter. If you take out the buttery toasted walnuts and the mochiko batter, all you have is sweet shrimp. 

Making the blouse wasn’t as easy as cooking the shrimp. One out of two isn’t bad though. Here’s the recipe:

   Honey Walnut Shrimp

2 or 3 Tablespoons of butter

1/2 Cup walnuts

 5 Egg whites

 2/3 Cup of mochiko (rice flour)

     1/4 Cup mayonnaise

   1 Pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (Flava in Ya Ear’s kitchen short cut, use frozen shrimp!)

      2 Tablespoons honey

·       1 Tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk

·       1 Cup vegetable oil for frying

1. Toast ½ cup of walnuts in a sauce pan with 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter.
2. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir rice flour until it has a pasty consistency. 
3. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5.      In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. 
6. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the walnuts on top and serve.

Side of asparagus:asparagus, black pepper, garlic salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

(Recipe is from AllRecipes.com - I tweaked it just a little)

Check out Melanie's Blog Chicken and Cardigans

Twitter @BigMelVita

Q: What do you think about this post? Melanie and the shrimp look great!