food

March 11, 2010 - 5:25pm
Terruso enjoys interesting table talk over Spanish dinners with her host family.

Last night, after finishing off a mixed salad and empanadas de carne in the small kitchen I’ve come to call home, I went to slice open the orange in front of me. We were all talking about the dismal state of Greece’s economy, and the beautiful state of Greek men when my knife slipped off the orange and propelled it and the plate to crash down on the black slate floor. Everyone went silent. The plate broke into a hundred pathetic little pieces. I felt my face turn red.

“Lo siento Mercedes! Lo siento.”

“No te preocupes, chica.”

March 9, 2010 - 11:26pm
First impressions of Florence leave Popolo clinging to her pocket dictionary.

It sounded easy enough, I thought, as I dug my toes into the silky sand. The surf instructor smoothly demonstrated how to mount the surfboard. “Just let it happen,” he said. “When you get out there, you’ll know what to do.” I dove into the warm Hawaiian water and saw a perfect wave approaching. It wasn't until I was swimming after my surfboard that I realized I had no idea what I was doing. When I got to Florence, I felt the same way.

March 5, 2010 - 3:00pm
In Madrid for one reason: food.

Syracuse students go abroad for a variety of reasons. Some are trying to find themselves; some are learning a new language; others are looking to get drunk at a younger age, and in a better location than your standard off-campus dive. I went abroad for none of these reasons. In fact, I'm in Madrid for one thing only: the food.

February 14, 2010 - 6:38pm
Downtown Dining Weeks starts Monday in Syracuse, and offers restaurant-goers a variety of cuisines for $25 or less.

Downtown Dining Weeks is a great opportunity to sample the wide world of cuisine Syracuse has to offer without dropping a ton of dough. For two weeks, from Feb. 15 to 27, 19 local restaurants will offer three-course dinners for $25 or less. And 14 days leaves plenty of time for double dipping. You can get a lot of diversity—and a lot of dinner—for your dollar. The restaurant roster includes all kinds of food: French, Italian, Irish, Greek, Thai, Mexican and American, to name a few.


The list: 

February 4, 2010 - 7:44pm
The only all-vegan cafe in upstate New York offers an eclectic menu and a home for revolutionary spirits and activists.

At first glance, Strong Hearts Cafe looks like any other eatery, from the tables and chairs to the colorful chalkboard menu to the free wireless Internet. But Strong Hearts is the only 100 percent vegan restaurant in upstate New York, meaning the food has absolutely no animal products such as meat, eggs or dairy.

January 8, 2010 - 12:25pm
Eat Here: The sounds of home fries sizzling. The aroma of bacon and cheesy omelets frying. The constant commotion of people laughing and chatting. This is what you get at Stella’s Diner in Syracuse: An atmosphere of at-home dining outside of the home.

When to Go: Breakfast time. Stella’s is open for all meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner, but breakfast is where it’s at. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 a.m. on a weekday or 11 a.m. on a weekend, Stella’s is always hopping. People from near and far travel to this diner for their mouth-watering hot cakes, eggs and homefries and its at-home atmosphere. The line is guaranteed to be out the door on weekends, so if you plan to come, be prepared to wait. Bottom Line: Be ready to stand in line.

October 13, 2009 - 3:50pm
This fall-inspired stew contains butternut squash, turkey, and cinnamon.

The other night, what started as highly improvised cooking experiment resulted in a dish not only edible, but actually pretty delicious. It's a light but hearty stew with some of my favorite fall flavors, such as butternut squash, cinnamon, and, of course, turkey! If it sounds good to you, I encourage you to give it a try. (It's a great way to trick yourself into eating vegetables.)

April 24, 2009 - 11:51am
A quick and cheap way to make a warm and healthy dish

This recipe for Broccoli-Cheddar Chowder is low-cost and healthy.

The ingredients came in $4.90 at Wegmans.

Once you make it, a single serving will give you over half of your daily recommendation for Vitamin C.