Best Carrots Ever

How about some more cheap vegetables that can be turned into something better: carrots. I found this recipe on Pinterest.

Slice, lightly cover in coconut oil and spices,  40 minutes in the oven at 450.

I sliced them with a knife which was a little tedious, but whatever. They key is the coconut oil (which has so many uses for kitchen and body- I am using it for my under eye wrinkles. I just wish I could open my jar without having to bang at it with a can opener every time).

Besides salt and pepper, I added chili powder, ginger,  and garlic powder to balance the sweetness from the coconut oil.

40 minutes is a long time to wait for a veg I typically eat raw, but so worth it.

P.S. Don't try this in the toaster oven. 

Best Fortune Cookie Ever

Choco Rolls

If you have access to Asian supermarkets- you need to see if they carry this (I went to the Viet Market on 12th and Washington Ave here in Philly). I picked up Choco Rolls on a whim, after all their motto is "what a sweet taste."  A box of 14 was about $4. Kudos to my impulse purchase. They are are like the better version of a KitKat- a roll of chocolate covered, nougat filled wafer.  

Quick Pickle Sandwich

I am like real poor these days. It sucks. So, I have to be creative with my eating. Despite my lack of cash, I refuse to have a bad meal, life is too short.


You can pick up a bunch of radishes for a dollar and a cucumber for even less.   


For my cucumbers, I just sliced and covered in salt and a light douse of white vinegar. I didn't completely cover them in vinegar because I have found it can get soggy. They can be eaten immediately or you can wait for more sourness. 


I usually slice my radishes and eat them raw with course salt and vinegar. I really love vinegar. This time I tried something different. I made a brine using this recipe as a starting point. I added some coriander and some kombucha just for fun. These need a day to be ready. 


The cucumbers and radishes work as a snack, but they can become a poor girl's lunch on some bread with cream cheese (low-fat, duh). 

Things These Days (3 1/2 Year Update)

Since my move to Philly for law school and my blog obligations to my baby Midtown Lunch Philly, Fressa Girl dried up and became the neglected old maid who I forget to send greeting cards to on holidays. Some things have changed since I started this blog 3 1/2 years ago. I have a J.D. now... which is super great because it means I have the Bar exam in a few weeks followed by unemployment for an unknown duration. Other things haven't changed, food still makes me the most happy. So, since my readers are long gone, I may start posting the recipes and crafting that I do when I am procrastinating, just to keep track.

I'll start off with a sad story/ recent food creation. Someone stole my basil plant off my front stoop! Who does that? Before he was taken from me I was able to use his lovely leaves in a scape basil pesto. I got the scaped for a dolla at the farmers market. Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts. But pine nuts are expensive! So I substituted sunflower seeds and a handful of my roommates almonds.  I threw in some frozen shrimp and lima beans for added protein. It works. I hope my basil is being properly maintained and watered with care in this heat wave. What a jerk.

Back in Town for a Flushing Adventure: Friendship Plaza and Minzhongle

Hey you fressing faces, time flies when you are locked in the library! Besides full time studenthood, Philly has really been keeping me busy with all the lunch reports and other adventures I require to keep sane.

But every now and then I have to return to my hood for a food adventure with my family. A recent trip to Flushing was so particularly noteworthy, that it was... worth... noting.

So, I chose a new route to get back home- the Chinatownbus from Chinatown Philly to Chinatown Manhattan. Then, a few blocks from that bus station, I hopped on a smaller bus that brought me directly to Flushing! Brilliant. Only $12.75 and 3 hours to get from Philly to Flushing... why aren't more Philadelphians (and Manhattanites) making the trip??






While on my last leg of the trip driving on Main St, I noticed a "plaza" that I had never seen before. The sign let me know that Best Northern Dumpling had moved there, so I wondered what else could be inside. Was this another food court?

In the middle of the plaza (a long hall really) was good Ol' Best Northern, it was comforting to see the same menu, like seeing an old friend. We enjoyed some fluffly veggie buns here, as they were out of most other things.

At the end of the hall was a stall with zero English posted anywhere and zero English spoken. I didn't want to give up, because the little pork wontons being made looked so good, so after several minutes, I got them to serve me something. I just wasn't sure what.... For $3 I got a boiling hot (no, really, I burnt my mouth badly) cup of pork wonton soup. The wontons with their silken wrappers and slightly sweet pork contents were the star, though the delicate broth was impressive too. And they don't cheap out on the wontons, the soup was full of them. There is a bit of a timing issue here though, you want to let the soup cool, but as you wait the wonton skins slowly disintegrate. The proper gobble method must be a skill learned with practice.




This was just a side trip for the main event, so we took our burnt mouths down Main Street to Minzhongle, a relatively new restaurant recommended by the only guy who I trust for Flushing tips, Joe DiStefano.



We were almost foiled by the entrance, a bustling tea counter is on your left as you walk in and a clothing boutique almost disguises the entrance at the very back of the building.



According to Joe, the food is a crazy Korean-Chinese combo because some of the chefs come from a Korean province located in China. Who knew?

Blood vessel in cumin sauce? Extreme spicy beef veins? Ummm, not this time.

But a spicy squid salad appetizer sounded perfect. While this was probably the least unique of the dishes, this was an amazing version of a squid salad. The tender squid was spicy and appropriately balanced with cooling cucumber and cilantro. I would have to order this again.



On Joe's recommendation we had the popcorn in egg sauce. We almost didn't get it at first, but the fried corn kernels and pignolis grew on us- a lot!


The other recommendation we used from Joe was the crispy duck leg. This was a triumph of cooking technique. We all agreed we had never had duck that was this crispy with the usual grease. Equally impressive was how perfectly the meat was cooked under that glorious skin. A dish of salty something is on the side to add more flavor, but use sparingly.


Lastly, we had a sizzling platter of saucy ribs. The traditional Korean influence was most prominent in this dish. The little nibs of ribs were cooked until soft and served in a mildly sweet sauce.


This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. I'll just have to jump on the series of Chinatown buses to make another pilgrimage soon.


Friendship Plaza:41-42 Main St
Minzhongle: 37-14 Main Street

Fressa does Lunch!

Check out my new website, Midtown Lunch: Philly. I hope to tempt you with non-boring, under $10 lunches around Philadelphia.

Let me know what you think, especially if you like it!