Food

When Starbucks’ Facebook Page Say’s “It’s On The House,” It Really Is

Coffee, coffee, coffee. Give it to me dark, give it to me light, just whatever you do, make sure it’s right!

Haha, I love my daily cup of joe and today, before leaving the house to do some grocery shopping with my mom, I noticed on FB that Starbucks status update read, “House Blend is on the house. Come by and enjoy your free cup before noon today.” At first I wasn’t sure if it actually would apply to all locations, but I still decided to make it my mission; left the house at 11am in pursuit of coffee.

By the time I got to Safeway, I was just in time to ask the guys at the Starbucks if the house blend was actually free. Guess what, it really was! So I got my cup of joe and walked away with a big smile on my face. Today I was truly happy to be a loyal Starbucks customer.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, the House Blend is on point! They are celebrating more than 40 years of brewing their House Blend, so I was happy they decided to give it to us, on the house.

Thanks Starbucks, you rock!

Ramen Swag | How To Cook Noodles x Make It Look Epic [Awesomesauce]

At some point in your life, you’ve eaten Ramen noodles. As a broke college student or struggling artist, which I’m all too familar with, Ramen noodles or any type of similar noodles is the cheap approach to food x surviving. But did you know that there are so many different ways to truly hook up a bowl of noodles?  I personally like to add an egg and curry in my noodles, but there is much more you can do. There are different ways, and this Korean commercial for Paldo noodles shows us how you can make cooking noodles look epic!

The commercial sort of reminds of the Dos Equis commercials in which the guy tries to be so cool and is the “most interesting man in the world.” Well in this noodle commercial, this Korean guy surely has Top Ramen Swag that could make him the most interesting man who makes umm…noodles. Haha it’s quite funny, especially with him showing up on a motorcycle. I’m telling y’all, making noodles can be an ultimate experience if you’ve got an HD camera, the right soundtrack, and a industrial looking warehouse that could easily be the scene for a cooking reality show.

Next Time You’re in Nebraska, Stop By King Kong for Gyros, Phillies, and Huge Burgers!

Whew, it feels so good to finally lay down, put my headphones on, and blog away. You may have noticed a lack of posts the past few days, and the reason being is I’ve been driving across the country; long four day drive from Maryland to Denver, Colorado.

I wasn’t alone on my journey. My mom and dad drove the truck with all our furniture in it, and I followed behind them in the car. So basically every single day I drove about 8-10 hours, with only a few short stops for rest. Yeah, sounds exhausting…and it really was. In the midst of the trip, so much stuff happened, including the headlights going out on the car. Even when we replaced the bulbs at Walmart, they still couldn’t figure out what was wrong. So at night time, I had to hold the brights on (switch wouldn’t stay on by itself) for about 2-3 hours. I drove with one hand, and boy I was so over it!

This wasn’t my first time going across the country on a massive road trip. Most of my life has been spent driving/moving back and forth from Colorado to Maryland, with short stays in Virginia and my birthplace, Columbus, Ohio.

So it wasn’t my first cross-country roadtrip, but it was my first time eating at King Kong in Lincoln, Nebraska. You heard that correct, a restaurant named King Kong. Awesome, right? So here is the situation, basically right off of i-80 you’ll spot this huge gorilla in the air and below it is a sign that says it all. Yup, the sign lets you know that not only can you get gyros, but they have phillies, steaks, and burgers! And not just a small burger, nope, you get a KING KONG BURGER. Seriously, the burger is massive!

Sadly, I didn’t take a picture of the burger my dad ate, but I did take a picture of my gyro. And I must say, it was absolutely delish! The last good gyro I had was from this cool food truck in Manhattan, and since then I haven’t had a pretty good one. Hey, some of them food trucks can really throw down and the food taste better than restaurants. Sometimes, not all. Some food trucks suck!

Anyways, so was it worth driving through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illionois, Iowa, and Nebraska just to stop by King Kong for some delicious food? HELL YES! It’s so worth the drive. King Kong is awesome! And the decor of the restaurant has vintage King Kong posters, stuff apes hanging from the ceiling, and in front of the restaurant are mini King Kong statues. The entire restaurant is truly an experience!

So next time you’re in Nebraska, stop by King Kong for some good mood food!

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Go Hard or Go Home: Chef Roblé & Co.

There are so many different television shows on Bravo, but it’s nice to finally see a brand new show that brings forth some redeeming qualities amongst the other filth on the network. Bravo has some good shows, but the Housewives franchises are just a complete waste of time. Half of those women are actually ex-housewives, or on their way to some type of impending separation or divorce.Then you’ve got the women who are housewives, but their personalities are just so boogie and uninteresting to me.

When it comes to reality television, I prefer to watch shows that have substance. The type of shows I enjoy watching tend to be ambition based shows. You know, the shows that involve fashion designers, aspiring chefs, interior designers, art, and businesses. Shows of that nature catch my interests, but I will also admit that I’m loving T.I. & Tiny’s Family Hustle. I watched it last night and I loved it so much! I normally hate shows that follow a celebrity and their life, but it’s so fascinating watching T.I, Tiny, and all them light skinned kids. It’s always amazed that out all the groupies and women T.I. could have, he chose Tiny. It’s just interesting….

I’m totally going on an entirely different tangent, so let me refocus. My point is that a lot of shows on Bravo don’t interest me, but their new show Chef Roblé & Co. is a show totally worth checking out. I’m not going to lie, but yeah, I’m a foodie. I enjoy cooking with a passion, especially getting lost in the wonderful world of baking. All things food interest me, which is why I make sure I work out 5 to 7 days a week to keep a decent figure. There are so many different cuisines to explore, and on his new show Chef Roblé does it all. He doesn’t just limit himself to being a Black chef that only cooks soul food, but instead he dabbles in a wide variety of international cuisines ranging from the gourmet dishes to traditional finger foods.

He’s made a name for himself in the culinary industry and has had the pleasure for cooking for Michael Jackson, Sting, and so many other celebrities. Now, this Brooklyn based chef is doing his own thing and venturing off into the industry of catering and event planning. With the help of his sister Jasmine and his team of chefs, Roblé is making major moves for himself and reminding everyone that it’s either “Go Hard or Go Home.” His overall swag and approach to the business is one that makes for some great camera moments. This isn’t just a dull show that follows a chef and his team, it’s a refreshing show that deals with family, business, catering, event planning, and starting your own business.

Chef Roblé & Co. is a new show that I won’t be missing an episode of. It’s great to see an ambitious Black man on television living his dream and bringing a unique voice to the culinary world. Chef Roblé & Co. is probably one of the best shows that Bravo has introduced this season, and I look forward to seeing more reality shows that break the mold of the typical Basketball Wives and negative drama. True reality television is all about seeing people living out their dreams, running their businesses, and making their talents known to the world. That’s what I want to see more of. More success, less drama.

Catch new episodes of Chef Roblé & Co. on Sundays @10pm EST on BRAVO.

©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com