Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

It was cold. I was huddled in a ball on stairs near 8th Street waiting for friends. That epic hunger pain was beginning - the one where you realized it's been hours, and hours, and only one thing will conquer such gluttonous thoughts streaming through your vulnerable little mind.

Fast Food.

The girls arrived, with the same determination on their faces. We were hungry ladies, with only dollars to spare. What to do? Where to go? But of course...

NYU is located around this area, and what is something that only NYU possesses in the city? That's right - every southerner's dream: 
Chick-Fil-A. Crispy, juicy chicken smothered in whatever sauce you prefer, and placed on a golden bun with the ever necessary two pickles. In fact, finding a Chick-Fil-A in New York City is close to the equivalent of finding Narnia.

I know. Bold statement. But you must understand the excitement and anxiety felt at the time. I had never been to a Chick-Fil-A north of Virginia, and the craving for those waffle fries had been increasingly irrepressible.

We walked left. We walked right. This gem isn't easy to locate, you see. NYU likes to keep their little secret out of the public eye. Ahh... but we were too hungry for such games. "Where's the Chick-Fil-A!?" Ivy finally asked a wondering student. There was desperation in our eyes; a gleam on our skin. The girl showed us mercy.

"Up the street, to the right."

These words were not directions to live by (Up the street? To where - Harlem?) but they gave us hope. And that was all we needed to fulfill our mission. I could see us in slow-motion. Dodging people, glancing around nervously, excited but solemn. Until The Chicken Sandwich was in our ambitious grasps, we could not dare to dream... not if our dreams could so easily be dashed.

(Cue dramatic music)

Ah! The entrance. Now all we had to do was walk past the guards... eh, I mean RAs. Nonchalantly, we gave our best college faces, and hooked a quick right into the cafeteria. It's entirely possible you could be homeless and walk into the student union, but we weren't sure of the rules and now was not the time to ask.

Glowing lights beckoned, pronouncing to us "The chicken from GOD is here for you!" I'm not even a die hard Chick-Fil-A fan, but there will always be something magical about finding places unknown. Need I mention my meal was under $5?

And that was the best fast food I've devoured since moving to New York. Except for maybe that one late-night Taco Bell excursion in Queens...

Poor in New York: How to Make A Hardboiled Egg

Beep beep beep. Good morning New York! You are awake! You are ready to take on the day! You have personality and excitement and you have…

No. Food.

Dangit.

While a bohemian lifestyle is often celebrated, the practicality of running on high energy levels around the city with a bum breakfast is zero to none. Eating half a piece of bread while downing a cup of coffee only gives me the shakes, and I usually don’t have milk in the fridge for a bowl (or mug) of cereal. So what’s a commuter to do? 

Here’s the basic trick to survival: plan ahead, my weary ones. Listed below are some examples of my favorite shortcut meals.

1) A bagel or ½ bagel is the epitome of a complex carb. Use this meal when you expect to be doing intern errands or running around the city. Prep time is about a minute, and the cost is low. Add peanut butter over a raisin bagel for an extra iron boost. Saver secret: If you love yourself some real, Brooklyn bagels – buy a dozen and freeze them. The bread will last for much longer and you’ll safe money in the long run.

2) Trail mix. ‘Nuff said. I also like the summery combination of fruit and a Yogurt Nutri-Grain bar. Why Nutri-Grain you ask? They have a decent amount of iron (which will keep your energy high) and they’re always on a 2 for 1 sale at C-Town.

3) My brilliant roommate Anna taught me this little time-saver for morning meals. So you want something a little more filling, but cooking and cleaning the pan come AM time just doesn’t happen. Not to fear! The incredible edible hard-boiled egg is here.

On Sunday night, grab a small pot. Place 3 to 4 eggs in the pot and then fill it with water until the eggs are fully covered and sitting about an inch deep. Next, place the pot on the stove, throw in a dash of salt, and begin to boil the eggs. (For all you non-cookers out there, that means put the stove on HIGH.)

Once the water is at a full boil, remove the pot from the heat and set it on an unused burner (aka not in direct heat). The general consensus is eggs should rest in the hot water for 13-15 minutes. If the yolk is green when you eat the egg, it isn’t bad but just slightly overcooked.

Now wrap those suckers up and put them in the fridge. Come Monday morning, you’ll have a filling, protein-packed meal and all you’ll need to do is crack ‘em open. The salt you used when boiling your water should help when peeling off the shells.

Eat the eggs straight for a refreshing, chilled meal. Or if you prefer them warm, set the eggs in a bowl and mash them up with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Stick in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and voila!

You are now a hardboiled egg master. I dub thee poor, yet happy... and full.

Poor in New York: Microwaveable "Baked" Potatoes

When I first moved to NYC, I realized very quickly that I love cooking... but not for myself. It's not nearly as enjoyable. And there's a bunch of cleanup in my tiny kitchen, plus it cost more to buy ingredients... etc.

So I needed filling food that could be bought in bulk and didn't involve the words "peanut butter" or "jelly" (which is a food group in itself, and deserves a blog post in the near future).

Hence the potato.

I now eat this veggie about three times throughout the week. Spuds cost 75 cents a pound, while a small onion is around 70 cents. Cheese is $1.99 for a block, and I buy the family size butter so it lasts for a month.

Grand total for three potato dinners in a week? Under $4.

"But baking these vegetables takes forever!" you say, maybe whining a little bit.

And then I say in my infomercial voice, "No, silly. It only takes a few moments of your time." Watch and learn how to enjoy the incredible, edible, 5 Minute Microwavable Baked Potato:

First rinse off the skin in warm water and get rid of any lingering dirt.

Next, stab the sucker. Put at least one line of holes down each side of the potato and on either end. This is an important step to prevent your dinner from exploding...

Then smear a little butter all over the guy. This will spread into the fork holes you just made and give the potato a creamier taste.

Next, take a damp paper towel and wrap the buttered spud. This step also helps to keep your meal from getting too dry and starchy.

Stick in the microwave for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, cut up your toppings. Cheese, onions, broccoli, etc.

When the potato is done cooking, peel away the paper towel and cut the spud in half. I then like to cut two lines on each side...

And STUFF them! I add cheese and butter, then put back in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.

Finally I add my onions, broccoli, crumbled rosemary, salt, pepper, and sometimes a dash of Old Bay.

You could make this and clean up within 15 minutes - plus it's filling/cheap.

And that's how this poor New Yorker rolls...

Winter Break '09

CNU students have vacated the Newport News area and (some reluctantly) gone to their residences around the east coast.

Now I’m back in Richmond, and happily snowed in with some family and friends. After sledding, and movie-watching, and emailing, and facebooking – well there just isn’t much left to do. Except one thing we Fitzgeralds and friends have mastered.

Eating.

We have cooked, eaten, cooked, and eaten some more. It’s a good thing we were forced to WALK to Ukrops (for more food of course) so we would burn a few calories. And not to mention, the house is at full occupancy! Instead of the normal five family members, we have nearly eleven people over at times. So of course we need lots of food… right?

I swear I will go to the gym when all this snow melts. But since we still have about a foot of precipitation left on the ground, that won’t be anytime soon ;)

Cookie, anyone?

Gracie as Julia Child during one of our many kitchen adventures this break