Pumpkin Spice Late (PSL) Ice Cream #PumpkinEverything

Starbuck's notorious Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) isn't out for a couple more weeks, but I got you covered with all those flavors in an ice cream because it's still summer!! This is the perfect transitional pumpkin dish!

Ohhh Emmmmm Geeeee Becky, look at this ice cream. I mean it's all creamy, sooo sooo creamy. It looks like better than one of those store bought ice creams... It's just soooo creamy!
Baby got Pumpkin!!

Kitchen Organization: A Guest Post from Get Clarity Out of Chaos

Please welcome my girl Kelsey of Get Clarity Out of Chaos... She helped me organize my kitchen, though this picture above is my handy work...  she helped me get rid of so much shit I just didn't need and may have seen my cry over parting with pint glassses... Here are some tips from Kelsey.

What skeletons do you have in your kitchen cabinets? A shot glass collection?  Maybe you went on a "tea kick" once and have 40 different types of (unopened) teas to prove it.  Or is it possible that you, GASP, haven't checked the expiration dates on your condiments since you moved into your house and have mustard that is older than some of the summer interns at your office?  I used to work at an advertising agency that only had book publishing clients.  Which means I have more cookbooks than anyone could ever possible need, ever.  But books are my vice and everyone has a vice.  Whatever you are hiding away in your cabinets, a little de-cluttering can make it feel like you have a brand new kitchen.  You'd be surprised by how amazing it feels to get rid of those skeletons.

Japanese Falafel #FFFMysteryBox

You ever wondered what you would make if you were on chopped? Well we played a game of chopped and this was born. Japanese Falafel, all the things you love about falafel but with all Japanese flavors!

You ever watch that show Chopped on Food Network?? We we decided to do the same thing as a group of food bloggers. The premise is you get three ingredients (that could be completely unrelated) and you need to use them all in a dish. So we changed it a little bit. The three ingredients needs to be non perishable, since we needed to mail them.

Check out the bottom of this post for more FFF Mystery Box Recipes!

I was super thrilled to play along... Then I got my box! 

Book Review and Giveaway: The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer, AnUnpretentious Guide to Craft Beer

If you are a craft beer lover, you will love The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer, it's keeps the fun in craft beer and breaks down all you need to know about beer in a totally approachable way! I will be giving away 2 copies, so read on to enter!

I have been virtual friends with Ashley Routson aka "The Beer Wench" for a couple years now. We haven't met in person just yet (it may cause a sexy craft beer supernova when we meet). West Coast meets East Coast... it's bound to happen. We are kindred spirits.

Aviators glasses wearing, funky colored hair, opinionated, aggressive and FUN.

If you don't know who Ashley (The Beer Wench) is- well she is THE BIGGEST female personality in craft beer. She's written for basically ever craft beer publication, she's had a blog, she works in the craft beer industry (for Green Flash right now) and she is a self described "Craft Beer Evangelist".

She kicks ass... basically. So it's about time the girl had a book!

The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer, An Unpretentious Guide to Craft Beer is all it describes. Reading though this book it's like Ashley is talking to you herself. It's not all words like "mouthfeel" and "lacing" it's down to earth and totally fun (the girl loves a good pun, I do too).

As you guys know, I love me some craft beer. As you can imagine this ain't my first go at reading a book about craft beer. My first attempt at reading a craft beer book failed since it was sooooo BORING! The second wasn't so bad, but I feel like you needed a bit of a base knowledge to understand it. Ashley's book is for ANYONE, from the "Oh I just tried this beer called Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat" to the "This bottle of Raison D'Extra has been aged in my cellar for 3 years, but I think the 2 year old one is better".

What I like most is how she breaks up the information for each beer from the obvious info of smell and taste to "Drink Instead of" where she puts in other spirits and wines with similar flavor profiles. You also get a brief history lesson of each beer style and even suggested pairings.

About a third of the book goes into beer and food.... My favorite part. Let's face it, the wench also knows how to eat!! So do I...  One of my favorite parts of the book....

You can find my recipe on pages 214-215.... OMG! 
I was SUPER psyched to be a part of her book. Since I started loving craft beer I've really looked up to Ashley. She has made a career out of her love for beer and I hope to do the same.

So if you love beer, food and a fun read you MUST have this book.

Well I am giving away 2 copies!! Sign up below to WIN your own copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Notorious BLT- Guest Post by Nomageddon!

Sup Y’all?!  So it’s Matthew Cetta from Nomageddon.com guest posting for Sophia.  I volunteered to take over while she brings you a new and improved NY Foodgasm.

Now doing a post for Sophia requires getting in to her head a bit.  Sophia is an in your face person with over the top posts.  They usually involve beer and are pretty damn funny.  So my challenge was to create something funny and over the top so here it is:

[PLAY the video to get in the mood]

That’s right.  The Motherfucking Notorious BLT

What makes the BLT so notorious?  I’mma lay it out for you, yo. 

Lemon Basil Olive Oil Cake- Guest Post from Hall Nesting

This lemon basil olive oil cake is perfect for spring and summer bursting with fresh lemon and basil, it tastes just like summer!

Hey yall I’m Lauren and I write the blog Hall Nesting. Obviously from the yall you can tell I am not from Sophia’s neck of the woods but am a true Georgia peach now living in the Heart of Dixie! I am so excited to be visiting as a guest at Sophia’s blog today. I write mainly about the food I love to cook for my family which is growing every day – we got my husband, 1 year old son, a little girl that will be here in 4 months, 3 dogs and a partridge and a pear tree basically!

5 Reasons You're Not Achieving Your Goals & What You Can Do About it NOW!!

Today I bring you a guest post from Laura Allahverdi of Laura's Life & Biz Coaching. She's become a friend of mine since reaching out to me when I lamented about not making money from my blog. Well in just a few messages this woman turned me from I can't to I CAN! She amazed me with how she was able to get to the heart of the issue so quickly. 

If you have never heard of life coaching, it is like therapy, but more goal oriented. This person will guide you and help motivate you and even educate you on achieving your goals.
 
I have always intended this blog to be about more than food. Even though the title is NY Foodgasm, I believe NY Foodgasm is a brand based on living life loud! Well Laura helped me turn up the volume on my ambitions. Here is just a little taste of her expertise!

Alice in Wonderland Craft Beer Dinner @ Morisson's

Craft Beer Dinners have become very popular, but there are some that are so damn creative, they MUST be experienced! Alice in Wonderland theme- YES!

I was not late for this very important date! But I am pretty late posting about it!

So the story is it's 4/20 and my friend Shelby and I are talking (well really texting, no one talks anymore). She's planning this Alice and Wonderland theme dinner at her restaurant Morisson's. She says you should totally come down, Josh the chef says so... 

Well how can I say no? It's 4/20, its Alice and Wonderland and ummm beer!  Not just any beer- some local love for the guys at Port Jeff Brewing!

This was the perfect time for me to finally get down to one of her dinners. She always throws amazing theme beer dinners. If the beer and food are not treat enough, you also get to meet the chef and the brewers!

Upon walking in there are teapots with flowers and some antique mismatched tea cups. Sooo cute. Seriously Shelby, good fucking job! So much care went into every detail! When we sit down for the amuse bouche (fancy word for bite-sized appetizer) these two little cookies are waiting for me and say "eat me".

We're off to a good start!

But they are not just any boring cookie. They have herbs in them, a kind of nod to the 4/20 date and an obvious and adorable AIW reference! They were beautifully buttery and wonderfully herby!

Chapter 1- Tweedledum and Tweedledee Mushroom Staffed Ravioli and Ravioli Stuffed Mushroom

Beer: Port Jeff H3 Tripel

Food: Sorry this picture does this NO justice. That's what happens when I am WAY too excited to eat! I totally loved this concept! Ravioli stuffed mushroom, with creamy ricotta. It was sooo good and the mushroom stuffed ravioli may have been even better!

Beer: I looooove tripels, sweet and citrusy! This one by Port Jeff Brewing is a great example of this style. Pretty boozy, but goes down ever so smooth. Personally I wouldn't have paired this beer with this course but I think that beer pairings are more an art than science.

Chapter 2 The Garden of Live Flowers

Beer: Port Jeff Beach Wit

Food: I just LOVE how colorful this salad is! Look at all that!! PS- those are NOT orange tomatoes they're gooseberries! I never had the pleasure, but they were a most welcome addition. The honey lime champagne vinaigrette was really really good, BESTEST part FRIED GOAT CHEESE! OMG! I stole one more from some one's plate that never showed.

BEST IDEA FOR A SALAD EVER!

Beer: Beach Wit. This beer is very easy drinking. Not overly hoppy or malty. Not sweet or bitter just smooth. I see why they paired this with the salad. Since the goat cheese is so strong a flavor, they didn't want something that would overpower or even contribute. It's in the background and like the name suggests it's perfect to drink on the beach on a summer day!

Chapter 3- A Mad Tea Party

Beer: Port Jeff Mad Tea Schooner Ale

Food: A tea sandwich with BACON JAM and brie, apple and arugula. Basically this is EVERYTHING I love STUFFED into a sandwich! The bacon jam was amazeballs, everything I hoped and more.

Beer: Mad Tea Schooner Ale. THIS was a treat! The guys at Port Jeff made a special cask for this dinner. I mean how fucking cool is that for a beer nerd?! They took their schooner ale in a cask and added some Earl Grey Tea. It was not as tea-riffic as I thought. The tea was in the background, bit you could tell it was there.

Chapter 4- Pig + Pepper 

Beer: Port Jeff Dry Hopped Party Boat

Food: The Pork was perfectly cooked and rubbed in chili. Not as spicy as I would have thought. The smoked pepper and goji gastrique was a nice touch. I love a little sweet thrown into my savory meals!! The potatoes were a nice little side nosh and the orchid made me happy.

My favorite color!

Beer: Dry Hopped Party Boat. This may be the best IPA brewed out of long island. It is your classic IPA. Now THIS is something I would be drinking on a party boat. As for the pairing, I see that they are trying to play off some of the spicy notes here and maybe go against all the sweet in the gastrique. Not really a perfect pairing but an excellent beer and I would drink it anytime.

Chapter 5- Who Stole the Tarts?

Beer: Port Jeff Overboard Russian Imperial Stout

Food: This is one seriously fudge-packing brownie.... I mean that is the BEST way. Allll the fudginess exploded into my mouth. If that were NOT enough, it was topped with POP TART ICE CREAM! Is there such a thing?! Yes NOW there is!! The Chef at Morisson's finished REALLY strong with this one.

Plus they didn't know this, but my FAVORITE dessert is a warm brownie with ice cream. I mean the contrast of warm and cold, fudgy and creamy, Chocolate with berries. A definite FOODGASM!

Beer: Overboard Stout. This is one pairing that cannot be denied- BEST pairing of the night! This beer on it's own is just super impressive. I had to just have a sip of someone else's and couldn't finish any of my beers that night. I had to drive home. This beer is damn high in alcohol, sweet and has a rich chocolate and espresso finish.

In true NY Foodgasm tradition, I think the beer needs to be IN the brownie!

Summary

When all is said and done, even if the food wasn't the best, this dinner would be a good value for the price. All these courses and a beer to go with it!!

 But the food is of high quality and executed with great care! The chef was very creative in the concept of all these dishes. I was really impressed with the creativity of execution and how it tied in with the AIW theme.

I got to FINALLY meet the brewer and owner of Port Jeff!! We shared some good laughs and good fucking beer!

Shelby, the lovely hostess, drinking beer in the tea cup with her pinky up all classy and shit.

Everyone had a great time!

 Mostly Shelby...

It was sooooo much fun!!!

Stay tuned to what's going on at Morisson's and Jackson's... Beer Dinner and other Shannanigans are sure to come very soon!

Mother's Day Beer Tasting!

I got my mom and mother in law to try my picks for 10 beers your mom will love. Their taste and their willingness to participate in this beer tasting surprised me and brought us closer together!

Watch the video HERE! It is soooo damn funny! Makes me laugh every time!

Blogger Beer Choices #BeerMonth Wrap-up

At the close of #BeerMonth I thought I would share some of the beer stories of the  bloggers I teamed up with.

You all know how much I love beer! But I wanted to spotlight a couple of the other ladies I blogged with for #BeerMonth and have them tell you about their love of beer as well!

So here are some of the ladies of #BeerMonth and what they think about beer!

Mojo Pale Ale Slow Roasted Pulled Pork #BeerMonth

This mojo pulled pork is the stuff of dreams! Slow roasted, succulent, sweet and savory. This variation uses a pale ale in the marinade/sauce for this beer month finale.

Save the best for last.... that is what they say! Well I stumbled upon this idea while falling asleep one night after hanging with my college gals. I was thinking about mojo pork..... then BAM, inspiration! Why not make a Cuban variation of pulled pork and make it in the oven?

Roasted pulled pork = mouth magic!

8 Beers that taste like Spring! #BeerMonth

FINALLY at long last it's Spring! So I compiled a list of beers that taste like Spring! From hoppy to sweet there is something for EVERYONE!

 These are 8 beers that TOTALLY taste like SPRING! After a loooong ass winter let's drink up some of that Spring taste with these!

IPA Pickles #BeerMonth

Everyone loves some pickles, well now you can make your own at home and make them even better with beer and garlic!!

This post is not just in celebration of #BeerMonth but also #NationalGarlicDay and this recipe definitely celebrates both!

How to have a Kick Ass Easter!!

Why was my Easter better than yours? No kids, no need to watch my f'in mouth and an adult Easter Egg Hunt involving liquor... "nuff said.

So you're wondering why is Sophia posting this like 2 weeks after Easter, well I am Greek and celebrate Greek Easter which was just this past Sunday. I fell into hosting it and immediately had some awesome ideas! To have a kick ass Easter!

Triple IPA Chili Verde with Pork #BeerMonth

The totally hoppy flavor of a triple IPA plays nicely against the citrusy taste of fresh tomatillos in this 3x IPA Chile Verde with Pork. This is slow simmered for the most tender pork with a sweet and slightly spicy tomatillo sauce.

 Beer Month is well underway now! Today  I am teaming up with a wholle lotta other bloggers (10 of us omg Yayyyy!!) to bring you our awesome recipes featuring beer! So be sure to scroll down to see what my friends made!

Citrus Hops Gin Fizz #BeerMonth

Who says hops are only good for beer? It's beer month and I am finding a whole new use for hops and their floral flavor. This crisp refreshing cocktail with Gin is made with a syrup steeped with hops, lime and lemon peel.

Well I have quite the creative cocktail for you today! Beer month takes on so many forms! Not just beer recipes- but beer inspired! 

Hops baby- we love 'em in our IPA's, Pale Ales and well every beer!! So why do we only need to enjoy them in beer? Well I don't!

Hops are a cone shaped flower that is one of 4 main ingredients that MUST be in beer. So we are not talking like the hops below:



I made ice cream with hops and now a crisp and refreshing spring cocktail!

How? Well I made a hop and citrus simple syrup... it was truly simple! Really you will never buy simple syrup again especially when  you can infuse your very own VERY easily!

This is light, refreshing, thirst quenching and perfect for spring sippin'. 

Rum would have been your typical pick, but I went outside the norm and chose Gin.

Gin has a more herbal and floral taste to it that I though would more organically synch with this drink.

PS- Tuesday was National Beer Day, so you need to get this cocktail on STAT!

What you need

For the syrup

2 cups sugar

1 cup water 

5" x 5" square of cheese cloth

1 tablespoon citra hop pellets 

(can be bought at any home brew store)

Zest of 1 small lemon and lime

For the drink

1 tablespoon hop and citrus syrup

1 shot of Gin

3 ice cubes

Club soda to fill short glass 

How to make it

1- Create a simple syrup with 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2- Stir until sugar is dissolved. Place hop pellets in cheesecloth and tie it up, placing it in the sugar water mixture. Go ahead and also add your lemon and lime zest.
3. When in comes to a boil, let boil for about a minute and then cover the pot and let the flavors infuse further for 10 minutes.
4. Now you got your syrup ready. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of the syrup in 1 shot or jigger of gin. Add three ice cubes and club soda to fill.
5- Stir and serve with a lime garnish!

 

How to make the perfect oven baked fries #BeerMonth

I tried three methods in search of the perfect oven baked fries- it's all here for you. No trial and error needed!

I'm kicking off beer month with a healthier version of one of the bestest friends to beer- french fries! Don't we all crave some fried food once you start drinking?! Yuuup!

Moroccan Roasted Carrots

I don't like boring vegetables, these Moroccan Roasted Carrots are the cure. A sweet and spicy gluten free side!

I got like all serious a couple days ago about bullying (here) and well now I got carrots. Kinda feels weird to jump right back into food after pouring my heart out and letting you all see my sensitive underbelly.

But alas it's back to food, which is MUCH easier to write about.

I got the cure for your boring sides: it's gluten free, sweet, spicy, colorful and exotic.

It's some seXXXy veggies.

Moroccan Roasted Carrots. Ohhhh yeah! Carrots have never been more sexy!

These are roasted tri color carrots, tossed in olive oil and moroccan spice and then topped with feta, mint and pomegranate seeds! Seriously, how can this NOT be delicious?!

I actually ate these for dinner without anything else, but they would go great with some grilled chicken or streak, dontcha think?

They're seriously easy to make and look all fancy and shit!

Moroccan Roasted Carrots

by Sophia @ NY Foodgasm

Prep Time: 5 mins.

Cook Time: 20 minutes.

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Ingredients (6 servings)

• 1 pound carrots ( I used Heirloom multi colored carrots), halved and sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Ras en Hanout (moroccan spice blend)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/3 cup feta
• freshly cut mint
• drizzle of honey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425º

Toss together your carrots with the spices and olive oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges

Cover in the rest of the ingredients

Serve and ENJOY!

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Then & Now - from bullied to beautiful

Most of us have struggled with being bullied. This is my story and the story of how I moved past that struggle. If I had the courage, this is what I would have said to them.

This is my most personal post to date. It's hard for me to write, yet I come to it with some sense of ease. Everyone has a story about a bully, most of us have been teased at one time or another.

This is my story...

I was overweight since age 10. At first I was blending in well, then middle school hit, and maybe it was the hormones..., we all started changing. That's when it started for me. At first it was more or less innocent, a little teasing about my weight or my teeth but nothing too harsh. (I had bad teeth too!) Not sure when exactly, maybe 7th grade, I realized I was heavier than the other kids and I became a target. A big fat target.

Comments followed as I walked down the hall. Kids yelled "Boom, boom, boom" because I was heavy. Others called me sofa instead of Sophia, referring to my size. One kid threw gum into my hair in English class. I actually yelled at that kid but besides that one time, I usually suffered in silence. I let them get the better of me.

These comments they made- they became my story. They became the person I told myself I was. Not good enough, not pretty, not cool, someone without value.

It reached the most horrific point when I received a letter in the mail. It had a picture of a sexy naked lady from a nudie magazine folded inside. Written over it in black sharpie was something to this effect:

"You wish you looked like this. You're fat, you're ugly and no one will ever love you!"

Just writing these words make me wince in pain and embarrassment. What I've just told you, I've never even told my own parents. I threw that letter out and sobbed alone. I think I was 13.

Now here's the thing, if I was a jerk and made enemies I can understand receiving such a thing in the mail, but I was peaceful. I just wanted to be friends and never made an enemy at school. Someone went out of their way to hurt me. Someone put effort into choosing a picture, writing on it, and mailed it to me. Still don't know who it was.

All through high school I didn't fit it. Guys asked me out as a joke. Popular girls laughed at me. Once I was invited to a sleepover so that the cool girls could do mean things to me when I fell asleep, but a funny thing happened. They realized they liked me when they got to know me.

Now, I've done some shit I'm not proud of. I wanna admit it right here. Prime example; this guy I had a crush on asked me, dared me to pull another girls hair, I'll call her V. I did it and I was disgusted. How could I? I became the kind of person that made me suffer for so long.

(In fact, I took a break from writing to tell her that I was sorry. I think I may have already apologized, but I wanted to be sure. I'm friends with her now on social media.)

For years after I got that letter, the names people called me was what I believed of myself. I was fat, ugly and no one would love me. It haunted me still and I didn't realize it until, as an adult, I was able to see that it was all all just a story I was told. Inside, I believed that I was amazing. With the help of a close group of friends in college, I started to realize that I was cool, people liked me and I was fun to be around.

I never had a boyfriend and I was still a virgin all through college, and even some time afterwards.

I'd like to say it all changed in college, but I didn't. I had a Scarlet O'Hara obsessed roommate Freshman year, she used me to get close to a guy she liked, she pretended to be a guy to ask me out and generally made my first year sorta hellish. But I did meet an awesome group of girls I am still friends with to this day. The liked me the way I was, they encouraged me and made me feel I was the amazing person I thought I could be. (Love you Marie, Jamie and Megan!! XOXO!)

This was where I started to love myself....

After college I met the best dude in the whole fucking world, just when I thought I would never find love. He fell out of the sky and saw the awesome inside me: saw the person I hoped I was, the person I wanted to be and he loved her despite her size. He loved everything about me and no change was needed. It was his love and unconditional support that got me where I am today.

I made the choice to lose weight after we were married. My choice was based on my realization I was becoming physically unhealthy. I tried and failed a couple times at losing weight and then I actually did it. I lost 73 pounds and kept it off. My weight was the one thing I wanted to change. I didn't want to be skinny, just to fit in a straight size, but I never thought I could do it. I heard those voices in my head. You're fat, you're ugly, no one loves you was whispered to me all along. When I realized how horribly I spoke about myself, to myself, I replaced the voices. I replaced them with you're worth it, you want this and you have every right to it!

I was conscious of my thoughts and my inner voice for two weeks and turned it around. That was when I really started dropping the pounds.

By conquering this beast I knew I could do anything! So I started this blog and I feel like I shoulda shared this with you sooner.

 

So if I ever found out who sent me that horrible note in the mail I would tell them,

"I'm fucking fabulous & loved by many especially myself!"

My calling is to make a contribution, to inspire and to help others be happy.

Through food, through fitness, some encouragement and with a nice pint of beer!

But mostly I want you to know... you are amazing, you are beautiful and you can make a contribution to the world!

By turning your mean girl voice into a supportive friend, you can accomplish ANYTHING!

I would like to hear YOUR stories here in the comments or email them to me if you feel uncomfortable.

What mean things have people said to you in your past & what would you say to them now?

How have you overcome bullying?