Hello Class,

My name is Cindy Perez (Funes). I have been at Dominguez Hills since the Fall of 2015. I love this school! It has taken me over 10 years to be able to finally see the finish line of obtaining a Bachelor degree.  I did not start out in the IDS program. My initial major was Public Relations/Marketing, however due to my overwhelming personal obligations I decided to change my major. I am enjoying the IDS program. The photo I will be sharing with the class is of a chocolate cake from the Cheesecake Factory. I love chocolate anything!!!!!! Growing up I did not like candy, but I loved Chocolate. I cannot think of any food as a child that I was in love with. But, one thing that I do remember is chocolate.

            I can remember as a child getting excited for Christmas. My father had a friend who would bring my grandmother every year a box of wrapped See’s candies. As soon as I would see the box my eyes would light up, with glee. I would beg my grandmother to let me have the box for myself. She could not eat nuts and so she allowed me to eat some. However, I would sneak in the box when she was not looking and eat all the ones with nuts and more only leaving about one or two. I loved Chocolate. Now, as an adult I still love See’s. Anything chocolate is good to me. I love chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, my favorite drink from Starbucks is chocolate based.  I would say that chocolate is my favorite food (I know it is a candy, but it is still edible making it a food)!

Hi,

My Name is Asma. I’m a transfer student from L.A. Harbor college and this is my first semester at CSUDH. I’m a mother of six. I have two sets of twins and my life is like a roller coaster. I work as an Instructional aide,part time, for two different school, and is a full time student at CSUDH. I Am the first  in my family to graduate from college and on my way to earn my B.A. Family is everything to me! I come from a big and multicultural family. If we did not live in this beautiful country, the interracial marriages would’ve been almost impossible.

My mouth has a taste for all sorts of food. Although, most of the food I cook is of Middle Eastern recipes, but my specialties are of other cultures. One of my favorite dish is my Japanese sister-in law’s Chinese Chicken salad. She had made it a tradition during Thanksgiving dinner to serve the Chinese Chicken salad along with the turkey. This salad consists of Lots of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced cucumbers, pitted raw sunflower seeds,sliced almonds(optional), and shredded cooked boneless skinless chicken. The dressing is made with little mayo, cooking oil, sesame seed oil,vinegar,garlic,sugar,black pepper,and salt.

As food brings us together during special occasions and holidays, it is also the healthy minds which brings us to offer beautiful dishes to please one another, and continue to pass on the good tastes to those who are willing to try out something different. Different is sometimes good!

Cajun Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese

Hi Class,

My name is Shampree Lenoir. My friends and family call me Pree Pree. I am in my senior year as an IDS- Comparitive Studies major. This semester is really whooping my butt but my goal is to graduate this coming Spring 2017. I have my eyes on the prize.

The attached selfie of food is Cajun Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese. This is my boyfriend’s favorite dish that I cook. I remember when we were dating, I would make new dishes to impress him. After I cooked this, he was hooked on me and the macaroni and cheese lol.

I first tasted Cajun macaroni and cheese at the restaurant Stacked. It was good but I knew there could a much more flavorful recipe. Some of the  ingredients I use to make this dish are red bell peppers, red onions, parsley, sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and of course shrimp. I have to leave some of the ingredients out because I would like to keep them a secret. This dish is filled with flavor!! It is so creamy. With every bite you can taste the love that I used to prepare this dish. It is kind of tedious to make so I only make it on special occassions or when requested by love ones.

I wish everyone a successful semester.

Thank You,

Shampree Lenoir

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Hey guys! I am currently in my first semester at CSUDH as a transfer student and really loving it. I am majoring in IDS with a concentration in Environmental Studies. I’m really glad to finally be at Dominguez Hills as at the community college level I didn’t have opportunities to take the types of classes that I am taking right now. Everything from classes in equality to classes like this in food and culture and I’m really enjoying it. I am a full time student although unsure of when I will graduate just knowing that it will be sometime in the next 1-2 years.

On to the food! So I am unfortunately not really supposed to eat many foods due to health issues (although I often end up eating them anyways and suffering the consequences!). But a favorite past time of mine is the Ultimate Chocolate Cake. I’m pretty obsessed with cakes and cupcakes and before I cleaned up my eating I would go to Sprinkles Cupcakes a couple times a week. That being said, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on good cakes/cupcakes.

I grew up in Rochester, NY and over on the east coast we have a grocery store called Wegmans. Wegmans originally started in the town that I am from so everyone from my town absolutely loves Wegmans. I still to this day will say it is the best grocery store – having everything you could want from really high quality healthy foods to not so healthy but tasty foods and their bakery is amazing! Years ago there was this competition where any person could enter a sweet and the winner would become a product that Wegmans would now make which is how the Ultimate Chocolate Cake came about. The Ultimate Chocolate Cake became a pretty regular occurrence in my life and any family/friends knew this. When I moved to California, I didn’t go back to NY for about a year and a half. Within the time that I went home for the first time, I was given three of these cakes all by different people as a “welcome home” deal. I was kind of surprised by the third one- I must have made it really evident how obsessed I was with the cake. Anyways, because I can’t really eat that type of food very often I really appreciate it when I do. Whenever I go home I always get the cake at some point in my stay. Lucky for me – I am on the east coast right now for a wedding. So naturally, when my mom asked if she could bring me anything from home I asked her to please bring me an Ultimate Chocolate Cake. Which is in the picture I have provided! This cake is delicious, it is chocolate on chocolate (shocking considering the name) and very rich. Something that you definitely need a glass of milk to go along with! I suggest if any of you end up in a place that has a wegmans – please go! First of all just to see the Wegman’s but second of all to try the Ultimate Chocolate Cake!

They call me Mom, Friend, Cynthia and Syndi. I’m a senior and I’m hoping to graduate in May 2017, with my Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in American Studies. Although, I’m thinking about changing my minor to Environmental Studies as I work in the petrochemical field. I’ve enjoyed being a student and have considered continuing on to pursue my Masters Degree, but I’m afraid my family couldn’t handle it. I have two teenagers at home and I’m happy to say, they still like having me around.

This is my third class with Dr. Perez and I’ve been excited to take this class and to learn more about food and culture. I love food and trying new dishes, but I am a little picky. I tend to eat on the healthier side, which can get a little boring so I indulge every now and than especially since I have a sweet spot for breakfast anytime of day. Growing up my mom would make breakfast for dinner and I always felt like it was a treat when she did. My parents divorced when I was 4 so my mom cooked what she wanted and my dad was very traditional with the meals, breakfast was for breakfast.

The picture on my blog is from when my kids made me breakfast in bed for Valentines day. They made me strawberry cake mickey waffles and a fresh strawberry milkshake drizzled with red chocolate and whipped cream. My kids know my weak spot and enjoy breakfast for dinner too.

Obsessed with the whole grain loaf

My name is Pamela and I am an IDS Major, American Studies, with a minor in Public Administration. I am a late bloomer in that I returned to college after a 25-year hiatus.  When my proverbial nest became empty in 2010, I decided it was time to complete my academic quest, phase one, by earning my Bachelor’s degree.  I chose the IDS program, because it would allow me to finish my degree in two years or less, while preparing me for graduate school.  Choosing this class, in the overall grand scheme of things, is an important part of my re-education.  In addition, it fulfills the elective component of the general education requirements.

On a personal note, I consider myself to be a competitive person whose hobbies are as diverse as her palate.  I enjoy gardening, museums, all genres of music, any full-bodied pinot noir, dark chocolate, as well as a healthy debate.

My food selfie is from Lonzo Restaurant and Bakery, located in Culver City. Lonzo is known for its amazing bakery, Peruvian dishes and especially its ceviche.https://www.yelp.com/biz/lonzos-bread-culver-city

Since reading The Hunger Games, I have become fixated on freshly baked bread and its sweet aroma. My intense curiosity involves the science that creates the foundation of dough, the various baking techniques, the artisans, the types of ovens used, as well as all the unusual ingredients that can be incorporated into the mixture, to create a great loaf of love.  As Oprah Winfrey has said, “I love bread.”

Dr. Perez, I am enjoying your class. Having the opportunity to learn about food from a cultural perspective, as well as the symbolism regarding certain societal issues, has opened my eyes to the bigger picture.  Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for providing a safe harbor of expression.

Regards

Hi everyone,

My name is Midori Bastien, but a lot of people call me Dori for short. I graduated from West Los Angeles College in 2013 with two AA degrees and transferred here Fall 2015. I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies in the concentration of American Studies as well as minoring in Communications; and I am graduating in Spring 2017. I’m not sure if I am continuing my education Fall 2017 (I don’t have the time to really get together applications for graduate school and maintain all my course work). Also, I’m not sure if I want to major in Communications or Social Work. My main focus after graduation is getting a job in my career field area, whether it is a non-profit organization of mass communications.

On to my food selfie, this was taken about two years ago one of my date nights with my partner. She took me to The Melting Pot in Torrance (it’s closed now but there other locations), but this ending up being an unforgettable night to me. What you see here is at the end of our meal (dessert is the best part if you pace yourself)! Anyways what you see here is the chocolate fondue, we choose the “Ying & Yang” which is dark chocolate and white chocolate. The items on the other plate that you dip into the chocolate are: fresh strawberries, blondies, bananas, pineapple, marshmallow treats, pound cake, and brownies.

I promise I like other food besides Creole such as: Mediterranean, Italian, Japanese/Korean, and Mexican but now I’m like food deprived with my Creole items. Therefore, I’m going to stress my habit to you once again. There are several items I like such as, gator bites, frog legs, gumbo, jambalaya, scampi, étouffée, po’boys, etc. I used to work at Harold & Belles and every year they host a crawfish boil and a Fat Tuesday celebration. However, the item I would like to describe you (the thing I wish I could’ve done for my food presentation) is a crawfish boil. In a crawfish boil, you must first boil water and all the seasonings, you just kind of start putting stuff in: salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic, and a special crab-boil liquid. It’s all in the seasoning! You have to let that cook for a while and let it come to a boil; then you add in the corn-on-the-cob, potatoes and smoked sausage. After a while you add in fresh live crawfish. Then you cool it off and drain it. Cover the table with newspaper and dumb everything on the table and eat! There’s always something to drink too, mostly beer.

Hello Classmates and Dr. Perez,
I am in my last semester as an Interdisciplinary Studies major with a concentration in American Studies. After this I plan to go to graduate school and pursue a Masters degree in English Literature.

I am originally from Guatemala but my parents immigrated to the United States when I was just a couple of months old. Growing up my parents have always been very health conscious and although we had rice and beans and Guatemalan tamales for Christmas and New Years, the rest of the year we ate food that included a lot of vegetables, fruits, and lean meats and was for the most part pretty balanced.

The older I get the more I realize that I can no longer continue eating the way I used to. Within the last year or so I have made a conscious decision to choose what I eat in a more discerning way. I have tried to limit my meat, and dairy intake which have consistently been my vices (along with my love for vodka). This has led me to create and actively seek out recipes that have the same flavors I like without the unneeded fat and calories.

As an avid home cook, I have adapted this recipe for Paleo Egg Muffins to Mini Paleo Quiches with Spinach and Tomatoes. There is no crust in these quiches and they are simply egg whites with raw spinach and tomatoes, salt and pepper and topped with a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.  If I had to guess how much cheese was in there I would say about a teaspoon in each. They are baked in a muffin tin at 350 degrees for 22 minutes and store easily in the refrigerator for about a week. A year ago I was making these mini quiches with ground beef and cheddar cheese and those were pretty tasty as well!

I tend to enjoy simple dishes prepared with a lot of care. I often reflect on food as the simpler the better so I know what is going in. This is probably also due to my intense OCD (undiagnosed of course). I think I have also become hyper aware of ingredients in food due to my anxiety. While everyone exhibits anxiety symptoms in different ways, mine almost always presents itself as severe, and debilitating stomach pain and nausea. Anxiety, along with my IBS, that also insists on showing up as severe stomach cramping, has ultimately led to the way I eat now. A lot of the times when I am eating out I think about how this food will make me feel rather than how delicious it will taste.

I am looking forward to reading about everyone’s recipes and delicious favorite foods!

Almond Chip Cookies

Hello Folks!

I’m Corie Johnson and an IDS – American Studies Major. I initially entered Dominguez as a transfer student under the Liberal Studies major after a 20 year hiatus from school. After having my son, and finding it hard to find a full time job with experience but without a degree, I kicked myself into overdrive and hopefully will graduate in Fall of 2017. IDS was the only program with weekend and night classes, so though it wasn’t my original plan, its working out pretty good, and I have learned so much from the courses.

Since having my daughter, fourteen years ago, I have had to adapt to a low carb cuisine or the fun and ever exciting Type-2 Diabetes will re-enter my life again. I am the cook in my family, so mostly we eat lean meats and fish with veggie dishes and salads. Of course, I’m cursed and have a sweet tooth. I love my coffee sweet, my tea, and my sweets sweet. Thank you to the makers of Splenda for allowing me to continue eating glorious sweets. While low carb ice cream is a staple in our house, recently, I made my first attempt at cookies, and while they were not like a box of girl scout cookies or Oreos, they were sweet, chewy, and definitely satisfying. These were made with almond meal, eggs, heavy cream, Splenda liquid sweetener, Carey’s Sugar free maple syrub, Njoy chocolate chips (one in each cookie), and chopped pecans on top. Like I said, definitely filling. They can also be placed in a bowl of low-carb ice cream for added yumminess.