Darlings Diner and City Food Tours

This weekend I went to Darlings Diner in Northern Liberties. My friends and I went for brunch, it was a nice little place. My roommate got pancakes called "Hipsters Paradise." Feast your eyes on this....

Its more like dessert than breakfast because it has peanut butter and nutella on banana blueberry pancakes. I think she finished maybe half because the serving size was huge.

I ended up getting a sandwich with mozzarella, arugula, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts, and pesto. It was so light and refreshing.

Even though it may not seem like it would be filling, I only ate half of the sandwich (and all the fries :) ). It was $10 but if you think about it I really got two meals out of it because I took the rest home with me for lunch this week.


While we were there a tour passed us. We stopped the tour guide and asked him about it. He said he was with City Food Tours and they have several food tours throughout Philly (and New York if your interested). They have five different tours including, flavors of Philly, gourmet desserts, and even craft beer. The newest tour location is around Northern Liberties and Darlings was on the list. It's kinda expensive for a college budget, but if you go only for a special occasion it would probably be worth it.

Quesadillas as easy uno, dos, tres

Easy, quick meals are usually impossible without the words “take out” in front. But, quesadillas are so easy and you don’t need many ingredients. I made cheese and peppers quesadillas, but you can always make them with chicken, ground beef, or steak. 

What you’ll need:

Tortilla

Cheese

Peppers

Onions

Salsa or Hot Sauce

Cooking Spray

How to cook:

Cut peppers and onions into strips.

Spray one side of the tortilla with cooking spray and lay in a skillet on medium heat.

Add your hot sauce, peppers, onions and cheese to one side of the tortilla.

Fold over the tortilla.

Once the bottom is slightly brown flip over the quesadilla with a spatula.

After it’s flipped wait another 2-3 minutes for the opposite side to brown.

And that's it! 

Total cooking time 10min!

Now you have no excuse to order take out after a night class.

Variations:

The best part about this dish is that it can be changed up with whatever ingredients you have laying around. And if your hungry, you can always use two tortillas for a more filling quesadilla. 

Cheap Eats

One of the biggest challenges being in college is being on a budget. Going out to eat can make this a big challenge. Luckily Urban Spoon makes it easy. On the website you can choose your location, your cuisine, and most importantly... your budget. And it is an app. 

One of the downfalls of this app is that it doesn't have a lot of 'mom and pop' shops that are newer and it doesn't show food trucks. Especially in the city food trucks are normally cheaper and they have a wide selection of food. 

One thing I've learned about living in Philly is that these people are serious about their bagels. And one of the best places to go to is the Bagel Hut at Temple University. 

Don't let it's size fool you, the bagels are fresh everyday and they have daily specials. And I've never spent more than $5 at the hut and I go at least 3 times a week. You can get anything from your basic bagel with cream cheese or get the veggie or strawberry spread (my two favs). The warm toasted sandwiches will warm you up on a cool day. And my roommate swears they have the best coffee on campus too. It's one of those places you have to visit. But you have to get there early because they close at 2! 

The College Diet

Being a college student, I have limited resources (aka $$$) and making meals at my measly kitchen apartment is a real challenge. I often find myself staring at the Food Network and dreaming about "someday" when I can make real food in a real kitchen. But, the shows always have crazy ingredients and strange sounding dishes. Why can't anybody make a meal with simple ingredients - I don't have a fryer built into my kitchen Paula Deen! And up until last year, I didn't even have a grocery store nearby! So, on College Eats I'm going to give you tips for meals that are simple and easy-to-make.

Typically when you think of a college diet you think of...

Sugar for breakfast

Ramon noodles

Pizza

Oh and of course beer

Hopefully your perception of college food will change once you realize how easy it is to make good (cheap) food.