I have a date tonight.

Back in November I was invited out to dinner by a man by the name of Hagan Blount. For a last-minute girl in a city of last-minute men where dates tend come into existence the week-of, if not the hour-of (one of the great thrills of living in New York!)—this was certainly no ordinary invitation.

Hagan Blount is The Wandering Foodie, and after his last stunt (24 meals in 24 hours), Hagan has asked over 50 NYC food bloggers, myself included, to join him for a meal along the way on his latest epicurean adventure, 93 Plates.

For the entire month of January, Hagan is eating every single meal—breakfast, lunch and dinner—at one of New York City’s best restaurants, documenting every last bite. Thirty-one days, three meals a day = 93 Plates.

Why? The Wandering Foodie says: Why not?

Read more at WanderingFoodie.com and check back here to read the juicy details of our meal tomorrow. Oh… where are we eating? That’s a very good question. The destination has changed 3 times within 3 food genres and 2 boroughs in the past 48 hours… and at 2:30 PM, with bated breath I wait. Even for a non-date with an organized, super-charged foodie on the loose, nothing’s different—it’s still New York!

Follow us on Twitter for the live table talk: @H18 and @michellejoni

AFTER THE DATE UPDATE:

Just after posting this, Hagan informed me that our dinner was at a little Italian place in Queens called Vesta. Last time I had been to Queens for dinner was never. I was excited to try out a new borough, and my expectations were wildly surpassed.

A note on Hagan: “Wandering Foodie” is a 100% accurate representation of his current existence. With a laptop on his shoulder and only the clothes on his back (well, and the ones in his sublet), Hagan wanders from restaurant to Starbucks, blogging and eating and blogging and eating without much else in between.

It was fun to take on the role of a true food blogger for the night, photographing each dish in the best lit spot of the restaurant, jotting down notes on each bite, ingredient, flavor, spice, texture and opinion. Enjoy eating vicariously through our meal, and I’ll link you when Hagan posts his detailed review.

Appetizers:

Fried Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan, one of the dishes they are rightfully known for. If you love roasted brussel sprouts... it's because you've never tried them fried.

Bibb Salad: Some of the freshest, buttery smooth lettuce I've ever had, topped with fried leeks, bacon with a farm egg; yolk drizzled on top with a light dressing.

The Meatballs: The breadcrumbs and Parmesan stole the spotlight - the ball is in their court completely.

Main Course:

Porkbelly with Sweet Potatoes, Pearl Onions and Prune Sauce blended beautifully. Porkbelly was too fatty for me to enjoy, as porkbelly tends to go for me. But was a well prepared dish for fat-lovers.

Cheesy Campinelle: Beats any macaroni and cheese. Again, breadcrumbs stole the show, creating flavor-filled fireworks in my mouth with every bite.

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Escarole: Too oily and not enough flavor compared to the other competitors on the table.

Dessert:

Pound Cake with Apricot Sauce: Better without the sauce. A decent cake, nothing to write home about.

Baby Jesus Cake: Hagan loved it. I thought it was just okay. Hagan also thought there was gingerbread in it. I assured him there was not. I was right.

Check out The Foodie’s version of our meal at Vesta.

Cleanses are all the rage among young women (and men), especially in urban areas - a search for “cleanse” or “detox” can turn up hundreds of webpages extolling the virtues of these righteous purges, which usually consist of food regiments with little to no solid food. Proponents of cleanses say they flush out the fats, toxins, and chemicals that are part and parcel of a modern diet. Many companies offer pre-prepared cleanses, where customers can choose the length of time they’d like to “cleanse” and can purchase instructions and enough premade juices and liquids to last for that number of days.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hmmm...

I’ve read about these cleanses, but I must admit I’ve been skeptical. I get irritable, moody, and nauseous when I’m hungry - I can’t imagine voluntarily subsisting on juice for more than a few hours, much less a few days, and I can’t imagine that depriving myself of solid food would really work to flush my system out. Jauntsetter recently posted a firsthand account of one of these cleanses that seems to agree with me - this blogger found that a cleanse made her feel worse, not better.

After reading that, I feel vindicated and quite sure I won’t be committing to a cleanse anytime soon. Have you tried any of these trendy cleanses or detox programs? What was your experience?

We’d normally encourage wearing SPF 30 and advise fervently against baking in the heat for hours on end… but you’re not a turkey.

Add an extra dose of laughter to your festive meal of gratitude with these 5 simple steps, and have a sexy turkey time!

1. Size up your bird and become a swim wear designer. Using a scissor, cut aluminum foil in the shape of a bikini. Channel Rosa Cha for a couture-key.

2. “Dress” your turkey by smoothing the aluminum foil on flat.

3. Season with your favorite Thanksgiving herbs and spices and be heavy on this one ingredient: paprika. That’s the tanning oil. Pat on the “oil” and all the herbs, and make sure none get under the bikini.

4. Bake in the oven as usual until half-done. Take her out, strip her down like a Greek in Saint Tropez, and shove her back in the oven nude for the rest of the cooking time.

5. Don’t tell your guests a thing! Watch their faces as you unveil your masterpiece, and ask the question every host and hostess across America will ask at that very same moment: “So… who wants a breast?”

Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you’re spending it with a large family, a few friends, or you’re grabbing a turkey sandwich at the deli in between work shifts, always remember to appreciate what you’ve got, know that the best is yet to come… and laugh as much as possible.

Thanksgiving is just days away (eek!) and if you’re one of the millions of American families who will be enjoying turkey this week, you probably already have the bird, but you may not know how best to cook it. Luckily, we’ve got a primer of the three most popular (and delicious) ways to get your turkey on the table, complete with pros and cons - just in time for your delicious holiday dinner.

DEEP FRYING
We’ve got the South to thank for this method of turkey preparation. Southerners have been frying their turkeys this way for years. The hapless bird is submerged in a specially shaped deep fryer full of hot cooking oil. Thanks to the high temperatures, the turkey cooks quickly and comes out crispy and juicy. If you go this route, though, take care: deep fryers should never be used indoors and fire extinguishers should always be kept on had to douse potential grease fires. Check out deep frying instructions here.

Pros: Bird stays moist and the method of cooking makes using a flavoring or marinade very easy.
Cons: The unhealthiest way to prepare your turkey, and the most dangerous, given how flammable cooking oil is. No one goes to the hospital because their roasted turkey ignites in their face!

ROASTING
Roasting is the traditional and most popular way of preparing a Thanksgiving turkey, no doubt because it’s a snap and doesn’t discriminate against apartment dwellers and tiny kitchen-havers - if you have a roasting pan and an oven, you can roast your Thanksgiving turkey with ease. Roasting also gives you great variety in flavoring and pre-roasting treatment of the turkey - you can brine, spice, marinate, and dry rub your turkey to your heart’s and taste buds’ content. There are about a thousand recipes for delicious roasted turkey and no one correct way to roast yours, but here’s a good recipe from the Food Network.
 Pros: The traditional preparation - slow cooking means hours and hours of delicious aroma before you dive into the crispy bird. Roasted turkey is a lean source of protein!
Cons: It can be a battle to keep the meat, especially breast meat, from drying out. Cooks often have to resort to complicated foil tents and basting schedules.

BARBECUING
Cooking buffs know grilling is one of the tastiest and easiest ways to prepare all types of meat, yet even the most savvy chefs still might balk at barbecuing a turkey. No need - if you’re a fan of the seared, moist meat a barbecue can produce on every other day of the year, you’ll love your barbecued Thanksgiving turkey. Head here for advice on barbeuing that bird and get ready to impress family and friends with your grillmaster know-how!

Pros: A nice compromise between the delicious (but greasy!) fried turkey and the possibly-dry roasted turkey.
Cons: Tough to do if you’re in an apartment building without backyard or roof access. You might have to battle rain and snow, depending on where you live in the country.

If you’re enjoying turkey this holiday, how will you be cooking it?

Deliciousness. All Hail Kale!

You love potato chips and that salty satisfaction of mindlessly devouring an entire bag at once… but you know better than to succumb like that to the Wicked Chip of the West.

Solution? A drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of seasoned salt and 1 bunch of kale.

Kale is a magnificent, versatile leafy vegetable that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. It’s rich with vitamins and minerals, boosts your immune system, and has been shown to have benefits ranging from improved vision to shielding against ovarian cancer. And it’s delicious too!

Don’t let Kale be the one that got away. It’s the Good Chip of the Mouth (a close relative of the Good Witch of the South? Okay no?), and will leave you feeling guiltless and satisfied. Head over to your supermarket, pass over the humdrum broccoli section, and decide: Am I feeling green or purple?

Kale Chips Recipe

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Wash your kale and dry it thoroughly.

2. Break the leaves off of the stalk into bite size pieces in a bowl. Drizzle on your favorite extra virgin olive oil, then a pinch of seasoned or kosher salt – not too much though! Use your hands to toss the mixture and even out the ingredients.

3. Place the kale onto your cookie sheet and bake until the edges are browned, for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Enjoy your crispy, salty, low-calorie snack!

Entertaining tip: Serve at a party this Thanksgiving and holiday season for a snack that doubles as a great conversation piece.