Dryhop Craft Brewery & Restaurant coming to Lakeview East

A new gastro-brewery is coming to Lakeview East. Dryhop Craft Brewery & Restaurant (3155 N. Broadway) is expected to open Fall 2012. Acccording to their site, they are committed to "building a craft beer experience; a place where artisan ales, food, and people are respected." Some craft beers people can expect are Wheat IPA, Coconut Stout and Saison. I've been on a mussels kick lately so I was excited to see mussels on their sample menu. People can choose between "White Belgian and Shallots, Sweet Chili-Garlic and Coconut Milk, or Chorizo and Vermouth." I just hope the food and the people aren't pretentious like a certain restaurant that just opened in the 'hood. I'm optimistic and if they're as friendly as the person behind their Twitter account, I know this will be my go to after work hangout.

Photo courtesy: http://www.facebook.com/dryhopbistro

Pepperoni Pizzadillas, My First Pinterest Recipe

As a I've mentioned on this blog, I'm a foodie. I love to eat, but I'm not a huge cook. That's all changed now that I've joined Pinterest. It's not only food porn, but it has recipes anyone can make. I've even created a board called Super Easy Recipes. I came across a recipe for pepperoni pizza quesadillas or pizzadillas as I like to call them via Snixy Kitchen. As soon as I saw the photos I was hooked. I pretty much followed Snixy Kitchen's recipe, but I switched out a couple ingredients. Instead of regular pepperoni I used turkey pepperoni and instead of regular mozzarella cheese I used reduced-fat mozzarella cheese. I also cooked the turkey pepperoni in the microwave. How did it turn out? Well my girlfriend enjoyed it!

Pepperoni Pizzadillas Ingredients - Serves 1 (total 650 calories) or 2 (total 325 calories)

• 2 whole wheat flour tortillas from Trader Joe's (380 calories)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese from Target (140 calories)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce by Ragu (60 calories)
• 17 slices turkey pepperoni by Hormel (70 calories)

1. Cook turkey pepperoni in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds (depends on how crispy you like them, I prefer crispy)

 2. Using only 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce, spread thin layers on one side of the two tortillas. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese on top of one the tortillas (sauce side). Next, layer the pepperonis on top of the cheese and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of that. Take the other tortilla and lay it on top like you're making a sandwich (pizza sauce should be on the inside).

3. Next heat skillet to medium heat. Use a squirt of olive oil spray and lay the pizzadilla in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until the tortilla is nice and crispy.

4. Cut into quarters and enjoy with the remaining pizza sauce for dipping :)

I made my pizzadilla extra crispy and threw in some salad because I need my veggies!

Oreo's Rainbow Support

Oreo recently tweeted "Celebrate your pride for love!" with a photo of a cookie filled with layers of multicolored filling to represent Pride's famous rainbow flag and the caption "June 25 | Pride." The same photo was posted on their Facebook wall. I think it's a wonderful that such a famous brand is honoring Pride month. Unfortunately there are haters out there who have unfriended the brand because of this support. But let's end this on a happy note, according to the Chicago Tribune over 150,000 Facebook users "liked" the post. That and an Oreo cookie puts a smile on my face. 

Kitchen Advisors

Saw these cute bobbleheads at World Market. Three bucks a piece and well worth it. I can't help but smile whenever I'm in the kitchen. And we of course bought ones that looked like us :).

Sleepy time tea

I find tea to be soothing to the soul. It reminds me of home and it's a great way to get yourself relaxed and calm for bed. My tea of choice is genmai cha tea, a blend of green tea and brown rice. It may sound weird, but the brown rice gives it a nice nutty flavor. The box I have is a loose leaf tea so make sure you have a tea strainer. I found the perfect one at Argo Tea. As you can see it's just the right size for a mug.

Welcome to Foodielation!

Happy Pride 2012, Chicago! Now that Pride month is coming to a close and the festivities have ended, I'm ready to kick off my first ever food blog. Now what do Pride and food have in common? Well they both make me happy! I'm not a professional chef nor do I claim to be a professional food writer. I'm just a gal who loves food. In this blog I hope to share my take on Filipino food, my love of new restaurants and really anything food-related. Stay tuned!