Last night, for the first time, I ate a Luther Burger. A Luther Burger is a bacon cheeseburger, but instead of buns a glazed donut is used to hold the sandwich together. It earned it's name because it was said to have been a favorite food, and possibly even and invention of, the singer Luther Vandros. I first heard about this special burger about a year ago and immediately decided that I had to eat one. Although at first I was kind of skeptical. I went on the internet and researched recipes and reviews, and almost every review said the Luther Burger was disgusting. But, I maintained that I needed to try one anyways. It took a while but I finally got to enjoy one. After a lot of pestering I got my mother to go out and get hamburger patties, bacon, cheese, and glazed donuts and she cooked a Luther Burger for me. As she was cooking I could smell the bacon throughout our whole house and just thinking about the burger made my mouth water. The first thing I noticed when I bit into the burger was how surprisingly well all the elements of the it go together, and that the taste immediately made me happy. It was a pleasant surprise. The maple taste of the bacon complemented the glaze on the donut, and all the sweet and salty elements came together for a delicious contrast. When the different flavors came together the burger had a really buttery and sweet taste, but the taste of the patty and the saltiness of the bacon came out really strongly in the after taste. Overall, this is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. I will eat these delicious burgers as often as I can without encountering major health problems. All the online reviews I read were incorrect and I'm so happy that I gave the Luther Burger a try because it is now one of my favorite foods. Tate S.

Culinary Blog One Every holiday when my family comes together, we make all of our favorite native foods from Brazil and deserts which are AMAZING. One of my personal favorite deserts that we only make when we come together as a family, is a creamy, sugary desert called pave (pa-vay). This desert is made with sugar cookies, a milky cream, and peach slices. We usually only eat this when we’re with our whole family because it’s a tradition we had back at home in Brazil. But we’re not just limited to the pave. We also have other deserts such as pudding cake and some of our favorite dinner meals such as traditional chicken pie. Our chicken pie is made of chicken, some soft, baked bread, vegetables, and some of our special broth and cheese. Ours is special and better tasting because it isn’t store bought and is made from traditions since my parents where little. I love going to family reunions and one of the major reasons is because of the food there. The food is by far my favorite because I love the taste and the combination of ingredients in each of the dishes. If the food wasn’t incorporated into our family reunions, then I probably wouldn’t look forward to them as much as I do now. Our food is definitely one of the major parts of our reunions because they have been going on for so long and each part of the family is responsible for bringing at least one part of the food. During eating time, we all share the pleasure of eating all the amazing food with each other and as a family. We usually do all this food related things during Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and at all of our birthdays. I can’t wait until the next reunion so I can have more of my favorite food! After all, a family reunion isn’t a family reunion without our traditional food.

Albert D. 10/21/12 Mrs. Hoagland These are Swedish brownies that my mom makes whenever we have leftover caramel that we have to use. The brownies have white chocolate chips in them and caramel on the top for more flavor. The other times we would put scorebar or what we call in Sweden diam (dee aum). How we learned about this brownie is when my mom was getting sick and tired of making normal chocolate brownies she spent about half an hour looking around on Swedish websites when she found this brownie. This is a brownie without the scorebar and has white chocolate chips instead. Brownies are really good with different types of toppings but normal brownies are just never amazing and people can't really eat too many. But I am able to eat about 5 of these brownies or any brownie with any topping to it but I can never eat a normal brownie.

On October 13th, 2012, I made an amazing batch of mashed potatoes for my family. I managed to get 15 potatoes and shave them all down, square them off and then slice and dice em' up! I took the potatoes and put them in some water to keep bacteria from getting to them. After I finished dicing all the potatoes I let the potatoes cook/boil for about 30 minutes. I also made a buttermilk from scratch, and put that in for flavor when I was mixing the potatoes. The food was served with bacon bits and gravy on top and my family was very proud of the mashed potatoes I was able to make. This was my very first complex food made from scratch! -David B

So the food experience that I picked was when my friend Cyrus and I were at his house one afternoon. We hadn't had much to eat and the very few ingredients that we had was also lacking. But we made do with what we had. As we set up a pot of boiling water and threw pasta in it, we buttered up a pan to prepare our sauce in. Now this was the tricky part, we didn't have much to make the sauce with, but Cyrus had a trick up his sleeve. I watched as he threw in some milk, mayo, flour, hot sauce, bacon, cilantro, garlic, various seasonings, and a couple other ingredients that I do not remember. He mixed and stirred and cooked up the sauce as I watched, bewildered by this concoction that he had created. Nevertheless I trusted him and continued to dump the water in the pot. We buttered up the pasta, split it amongst our bowls, and then poured Cyrus's strange creation on top. When I finally sat down to eat my food, I was slightly disgusted, yet intrigued by the strange mixture that he had just developed. I was slightly turned off by the way there was hot sauce in it, because I am NOT a fan of spicy food at all. But having high hopes and diving in face first, I pulled a piece to my mouth and took a large bite of the very poorly put together meal. Believe it or not, it was probably the most delicious meal I ever had. This was not your ordinary sauce, it was slightly spicy, sort of thick, and punched you in the mouth with a sweet taste every so often. I mean in a good way of course, otherwise I would not have eaten any more. Before I knew it, though, I had torn through my meal and finished it off with a glass of milk. This was definitely one of the most interesting and strangest meals I ever had. But it will be a food experience that will stick with me for the rest of my life, because I learned that even the strangest of ingredients can go together so well if you just know what you're doing. Alex H.

“Come Back Charlie” is the name, and don’t forget it. This name came from a wife who wanted her husband to come home after he had left her, so she cooked up this delicious meal which brought him back. This is a very thick and hearty stew, it includes ground beef, onion, flour, water, milk, and big potatoes, some seasonings for the stew include salt and pepper. You are serenely going to be full after this meal, it is usually served with cottage cheese, tomatoes, bread, or I recommend a little hot sauce, and then you are in for a real treat. – Sinclair S

Matt Villamana Culinary Mrs. Hogland 16 October 2012 Blog Entry This past week I had the pleasure of going to Sal e Pepe Restaurant on South Main in Newtown. When I first got there we were greeted by very friendly service staff and were quickly seated at our table. On the table was a basket of delicious fresh made bread. It seemed to be fresh made and was crusty on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. They provided a garlic and herb dipping oil for the bread which was slightly salty, but still went well with the bread and the saltiness was not overpowering. With the bread we also were given salads with fresh ground pepper. The salad was mixed greens which were crisp and fresh. The balsamic vinaigrette was tangy and sweet. For my main course I ordered the Chicken Parmigianino with spaghetti. The dish arrived quickly and was very well presented. The chicken was well cooked, not too chewy or tough, but tender. It was served with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The pasta was handmade and tasted fresh. It was al dente, tender with some bite, but not too soft. The meal was served with a red tomato sauce that went well with the pasta and the chicken. The sauce was tangy and had a little bit of spice to it. The restaurant itself was well organized with an efficient service staff. The waitress was very polite and attentive and provided great service. The owner came over during our meal and was very engaging. Overall I had a wonderful experience.

There are many traditions in my family that involve food. One of the more special traditions for me, however, are the ones I have for Christmas Eve. My grandparents live in New Hampshire and every year for Christmas Eve they come to my house for a special dinner together. Each year my grandmother slaves to make enough homemade pierogis so everyone can enjoy as many as they want. These pierogis are a special tradition to me because they are one of the foods that I most enjoy on Christmas Eve and it makes it even more special knowing they are homemade. Along with my grandmother’s special pierogis, my mom, my younger brothers, and I all make cookies together for a whole day before Christmas. It is so much fun to be able to bake and decorate all different types of cookies. Beyond being delicious, these cookies are a special part of Christmas for my younger brothers because, before they go to bed, they get to pick out the cookies that they think Santa will enjoy the most. This has been a very special tradition to my brothers and it makes it even more special knowing that they won’t always do this in the future. Knowing this I will always cherish the times I have with my family during Christmas, and the food that brings us together. Casey D

Sushi-and More The title speaks a thousand words. This summer, when I was at Disney World, I probably had the best sushi I had ever had in my life at a restaurant called California Grill. You’re probably thinking the normal Sushi with crab served with soy sauce. But you are very wrong. This sushi wasn’t even served with a soy sauce. Imagine the best sushi you could ever eat in your life, covered with a thick and creamy spicy hot sauce. When you bite into this sushi, you are immediately hit with the amazing flavor of the hot sauce head-on. As you continue your bite, you start to hit all of these flavor components that you wouldn’t even imagine together as they cool you down, after that hot sauce. Afterwards, you bite is finished with a little spiciness at the end, topping it all off. But that wasn’t the only great thing during that meal. The entrée was even better. I order the chicken with a creamy corn sauce, green beans, and a corn patty (Almost like a potato pancake but with corn). It was amazing. The rustic, home-style chicken prepared with the creamy, comforting corn sauce and patty was a dynamic duo. Dessert. Imagine you’re trapped inside a molten chocolate volcano and the only way out is to break it open. That was my dessert; a molten chocolate lava cake with a side of extremely delicious raspberry ice cream. It was like the dairy farm met the orchard in a single bite. And the chocolate cake was a firm but extremely delicate outer shell with tons of molten chocolate inside. If this doesn’t sound good to you, I don’t know what will. Jackson C.

Mikaela S. I have always enjoyed cooking in a neat and orderly kitchen. I like being able to space out the food I’ve been working with and be sure that each sliced or diced product is neatly placed in a convenient spot for me to use later on. My partner in crime, Drew Szarka seems to have the same idea as I do. In the picture above, Drew and I were instructed to dice celery and garlic, as well as gingerly slice two different herbs. Without planning it out, Drew and I neatly placed our celery, herbs, and garlic all in a similar position on the cutting board. Our teacher, Mrs. Hoagland highly approved, exclaiming that we take the picture.

Troy F. All my life i have never been exposed to sushi because my mother feels that it is too dangerous, along with any raw foods. This summer, I started to train with an ex-linebacker from Newtown high school. He loves sushi and took me once and offered to pay because it was an all you can eat sushi bar for $17.99. When we got the menu, it amazed me because you right the number of orders you want of each type of sushi. Then, after you are done, you can keep getting more. The variety of sushi flavors were jaw-dropping. I became accustom to the rocky hill roll that had spicy crunchy salmon, crab, and lobster. Before I knew it we were on our third giant plate of orders and i was 50 pieces in. I started to hit a food block but fought through trying to keep up with the 6'2" 250 pound man, but I fell short. Even with the failure after the valiant effort, i still ate 80 pieces of sushi and was proud as can be.  Sushi is a unique food that has spread from its Asian background to all around the globe today. But when people think of sushi, they think of raw fish wrapped in rice and seaweed. But the term sushi actually refers to the seaweed and rice wrap, so anything can be inside of it and it would still be sushi. Sushi was invented in Southwest Asia during the 8th century and still lives in society today.

Bread is so Three Years Ago

By: Emma Cizmazia

In this culinary age, chiefs are looking for new ways to improve and update their menus to keep up with their customer’s outrageous and sometimes spontaneous demands.  One of these latest editions is the waffle sandwich. While you may have seen a few of these delicious creations in the last few years, their numbers are steadily increasing, as is the demand.

While waffles are most commonly viewed as breakfast foods, this doesn’t stop people from ordering them, or their cousin the pancake, throughout the day and this action has become increasingly popular in the last few years. In this day and age, people are always looking for another way to stand out and set themselves apart from others. I believe that the waffle sandwich is just the way to do this. Take a look at today’s fashion, where a woman can be seen wearing an umbrella as a skirt and not even get a second glance. People are going out of their way to defy common norms and values to increase the chances of getting noticed. Quality restaurants and dinners are a dime a dozen today and in order to get maximum profits, they need something to set them apart from the rest.

Using waffles instead of bread can bring life into a common, uninteresting sandwich. Some food service providers have even started to add meats to these appealing constructions. I would never have thought to use a waffle on a barbeque short rib sandwich, but now I wouldn’t even think twice about it. Adding the waffle to a hot or spicy sandwich can bring a certain sweetness and balance out the sizzle. Why use boring bread when you can use a waffle?   

pressed Ruben waffle sandwich

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/pressed-reuben-waffle-sandwich-recipe/index.html



My family has this awesome recipe that has been passed down for many generations. My family loves to make it the morning I have friends over because everyone loves it! This recipe is for Swedish Pancakes. These are very thin pancakes mad out of eggs flour milk sugar and a little salt. These are very similar, and almost identical to crepes. You mix all your ingredients into a blender, and let me tell you, nothing is more exciting than waking up to that sound because you know you’re going to have a good breakfast.  You wake up and walk down starts and you immediately know what’s going on. Dad has the mixture in a blender and some in measuring cup to pour onto the pan. You immediately run to the cabinet to grab a plate. My favorite thing about these pancakes is that you can put anything on them or nothing at all! Personally I like to put some lingenberrys, whipped cream, and syrup on mine; but, I have tried some with nutella, penut butter or, you can go savory and have some eggs, vegetables, and chives! These pancakes are awesome! Sadly, I have not been able to enjoy these pancakes because I have been busy moving and settling into my new house. But, last weekend I had my friend sleep over and we both woke up to the sound of a blender. I was so excited! My friend was also really excited because she had never had them before. The Swedish pancakes did not fail to say the least. They were one of the best I think I had had in a while. My friend asked me if I had ever had crepes and when I said no she was shocked! She told me the pancakes tasted almost exact to them and that I would have to try them soon. I and my friend are planning on going to go to crepe restaurant sometime before the year ends and I can’t wait! I hope you all get to experience something as great as these pancakes! -Bailey S

A little while ago my chinese teacher brough in for us a moon cake to try. I don't know where he got it, but he was really excited for us to try some. The outside was soft and sweet, like any pastry dough. That was arguably the best part of it. The inside is where it gets different. It's texture was of a thick paste, being very dense, and it had a very dark color. It's difficult to say exactly what it was. He told us it was mainly made of dates. At first it had a mild sweetness, like anything fruit. It was a lot like a fig bar. Once you got to chewing it, and this is kind of hard to describe, the flavor shifted into almost a sickly sweet smokiness, like woodsmoke infused molasses. It was very unusual. Not bad, per say, just different. I'm sure if we had grown up with it, like he had, we would have liked it a lot more. I don't think most Americans would like it initailly. It also had bits of walnut in it, which added variety to the flavor and texture. Frankly, they made it quite a bit easier for most of my classmates to eat. Overall, I didn't dislike it, but I don't think I'd try it again anytime soon.

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite food, since I’ll basically eat any type of food you can come up with. However, right now, a big thing that I’m interested in in food is crepes. My first experience with crepes was on one random school day afternoon. My mom and I stopped at Big Y after my soccer practice to get dinner, and we picked up a package of premade crepes on a whim. That night after dinner I filled crepes with whipped cream, strawberries, and kiwis, and although that’s a pretty simple recipe, I thought it was great. Of course, there are things you can fill crepes with other than fruit and whipped cream. While these are good for dessert, I knew that a really popular type of crepe is one filled with ingredients that are meant more for a meal. This summer I was shopping in Greenwich when I came across a French crepe restaurant on Greenwich Avenue called Mĕli Mĕlo. A few people around town had actually mentioned it that day, saying it had good crepes for lunch. It looked like the perfect place to stop after hours of shopping, so I ordered a crepe with salmon, goat cheese, and some herbs and vegetables. This type of crepe was completely different than the sweet, fruity ones I was used to, and I wasn’t sure how I would like it. As it turned out, I could easily say the crepe that I tasted was one of my favorite foods, at least of the time being. It actually saddened me that I wasn’t hungry enough to try any more of the crepes. They had all different kinds- some vegetarian, some with other meats and fish. And while the Big Y crepes I bought were great for making simple fruit desserts at home, the restaurant’s version of crepes were rich and fluffy, and made a good filling meal. I know that many people make their own crepes at home, cooking the batter on the stove. I hope that someday soon I get around to trying this, and maybe making my own recreation of the salmon crepes I had over the summer. I’ll also have to make sure to revisit Mĕli Mĕlo in the future and continue to try all different kinds of crepes, one of my new favorite foods. – Hayley D