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parkrangerolivia's Profile

Website: http://www.googly-eyes.com

Location: New York City

About: I like food. Probably not so much as eating out and keeping up with chefs, as just reading cookbooks and making simple, healthy meals. I would have to say my favorite cookbooks right now are anything be Nigella Lawson, and Amy Sedaris' "I Like You".

Favorite foods: BUBBLE TEA. Ramen, anything Persian, Soup/Salad/Sandwich combos, cranberries, manchego, greek yoghurt, mint chocolate chip ice cream, blackberries and cherries, arugula/roquefort/bartlett pear salads.

Last bite on earth: Baked eggplants with caramelized onions and currants, just like my mom makes them. With a glass of doogh.

The Ten Most Recent Comments By parkrangerolivia

From Talk

Homemade yogurt -- my first attempt

also: if you're using fage whole percent yoghurt with only skim milk, that's definitely not going to give you thicker youghurt. try organic whole milk, instead.

From Serious Eats: New York

Serious Eats Meet-Up: Sunday July 27 at the Red Hook Ball Fields

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 24: How Often Should I Weigh Myself?

If anything, you should just check how your pants fit you. Scales are misleading, depending on time of day, water weight, etc. It's best to just choose a certain pair of pants to use as a yard-stick and see how they fit once a week, and step on a scale maybe once a month. It may not give you the instant re-enforcement that you need, but it doesn't disappoint you as quickly either. Stepping on a scale every day will definitely not lead to lasting weight loss, as it makes you second guess every food decision and create false ideas of what may or may not be weighing you down.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 23: The Peanut Butter Conundrum

If you keep weighing yourself you're going to go crazy! Just check how your pants fit. One pound is very debatable. Also: if you look at celebrity diets, like madonna or gwen paltrow, they eat peanut butter. (though I think it's because they need more protein)

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: Grill Every Day

Grilled corn, and a fruit salad that requires you to shake the cobwebs off your melon-baller.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Screen Doors and Sweet Tea'

Clerico- a kind of white wine sangria that uses bananas and green grapes. I always order this in Buenos Aires when I can!

From Serious Eats

Fresh Food on TV: Weekend Edition

i love this show. there is nothing better than waking up to jamie oliver on a saturday morning, as he bakes rustic pies with his adorable lisp.

sigh. this is my evolution from saturday morning cartoons.

From Serious Eats: New York

On Banning Photography from Restaurants

I agree with what Alaina says about photos being anti-social. It's like whenever I go on a trip with my parents and they make me pose in front of everything- it takes me out of the experience and just makes me hungry and grumpy.

And yeah, you could try and use a small camera and no flash, but it usually ends up looking crappy anyway unless you photoshop the hell out of it, so what's the point? unless you have a sweet rig (SLR, manual, etc.), it doesn't look food porny enough, and those are the most obnoxious ones of all. I think food bloggers are going to have to start becoming more stealthy, or more conscious of the correct time and place, *coughRobyncough*.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Whole Grains: Every Day, Every Way'

Kashi Go Lean! Crunch. Every day. Highly addictive.

Responses to Comments by parkrangerolivia

From Talk

Homemade yogurt -- my first attempt

I've been making my own yogurt and it's just so delicious. The first time I made it, I used powdered milk that was really old -- and it all tasted fine in the end. Lately, I've been using Alba (?) brand powdered milk. It comes 3 pouches per box. I combine 1/2 gallon milk (I use organic) with one pouch (1 c, I think) powdered milk (not organic -- I can't find organic) and a drizzle of honey, then heat to 120F. I add some of my last batch of yogurt (amount varies, depending on how much I have) and instead of doing exactly what Alton says, I put a heating pad in the bottom of a styrofoam cooler on low, then put in containers of yogurt-to-be. I leave it overnight and it's magically delicious. The cooler stays at about 100F. My initial starter a couple of months ago was Chobani plain yogurt. I've been getting beautiful berries from my CSA, so I combine about 1/2 c of berries, 1/2-1c yogurt, 1 tbsp wheat germ, and a drizzle of honey (if the berries are a little tart). It's so good.

From Talk

Homemade yogurt -- my first attempt

i bought some low fat goat's milk and will try again with that, minus the powdered milk. will report back. i'm also going to try it with ronnybrook, since it's such delicious milk anyway. or i'll try butterface's suggestion and get some milk thistle farms, if i can get it home before it goes bad.

i read your blog last week, izzy's mama, and was definitely inspired to try after i read it. yogurt really is stupendously easy, even with all the extra steps i took.

From Talk

Homemade yogurt -- my first attempt

You're all making this sound so easy! I love yogurt, but so often the stuff I get in stores has a weird taste from thickeners - even if it's organic.

I might have to get some of my favorite milk at the Union Square Greenmarket (from Milk Thistle Farms) tomorrow and try this over the weekend. Their milk is so sweet and grassy, and I can just imagine it would make some dreamy yogurt.

From Talk

Homemade yogurt -- my first attempt

Yum, makes it sound like it might be worth doing.

Another Alton Brown fan, yay! I love that guy. I would be more starstruck meeting him than Johnny Depp. Does that make me a nerd?

From Serious Eats: New York

Serious Eats Meet-Up: Sunday July 27 at the Red Hook Ball Fields

Sweet. I'll try to make it out if it's not pouring. I loves me a huarache on a sunny summer day...

From Serious Eats: New York

Serious Eats Meet-Up: Sunday July 27 at the Red Hook Ball Fields

Oh, to be free for the weekend and be living on the East coast!
Your west coast Serious Eats friend,
Foodwoolf

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Screen Doors and Sweet Tea'

Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners:

mayam
fritesandfries
reneerobinson
mama43
redbike

Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: Grill Every Day

Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners:

evaviolet
misaacmom
reddon30
jelybene
parkrangerolivia

Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 24: How Often Should I Weigh Myself?

I weigh myself once a week, so that I don't get too obsessed with the numbers. First thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom, no clothes. I also take my measurements every couple of weeks, because even when I'm not losing pounds it helps to know if I'm getting any smaller.

I also just got back from a week-long vacation that involved drinking every day and eating most meals out. The scale was not happy. It is time for a detox - no drinking or eating out for a couple weeks at least.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 24: How Often Should I Weigh Myself?

I'm in the "weigh myself every day" camp. I see the scale move upwards and I can adjust quickly instead of waiting a whole week and seeing it's gone to sh*t and I haven't been able to stop it. It's also kind of like, I shame myself into "OMG, how did I gain 3 lbs. in one damn day???" It is misleading sometimes because though I try to weigh myself at the same time every day, that is just not always possible and ... sorry if this is gross... but if you haven't 'eliminated' yet, you may weigh more, and for those of us on a high protein diet... well. Yeah.