Behind The Apron: UF's J school and all it's taught me

As much as I love food, I also love a good news story. I am a telecom major after all, I i didn't like news I probably shouldn't graduate this May and enroll in business school, but I digress. The University of Florida is one of the most kick ass news and journalism colleges in the country. Trust me I know, I'm in it (brushes dirt off shoulders.) They have given me a thousand memories and invaluable experience. When I was in the news room the camera and online aspect of news were two different things. Now  WUFT news and the Center for Media Innovation and Research or CMIR work together to give stories coverage on camera and online. I used be a reporter for WUFT, now I just blog about food, but I think I've gotten the best out of the situation. I earned my experience in the news room and got to go to some pretty killer places because of it.

Internships, news stories, packages, web articles all from the UF J school. I've been very blessed and you can be too! But remember, it's not all school and projects and papers it's everything in-between. Yes I worked my ass off to get through the trials and tribulations of hard news but when i didn't need to I took in the world. Work hard and play hard. Eat incredible foods, try some new ones. Go to concerts like this one!

Utilize your schools potential and utilize your own as well. If you can do that food's pretty much the only thing you'll really need to worry about, well good food anyway. Don't go eating ramen noodles just because you've gotta 6 pager due at 8am the next day. Feed you mind and your face kids. And try chicken and waffles, it's a game changer.

Until we meet again my friends.

Shamless blog bumps part 2

In our next instalment of blog advertisements we'll touch on fashion, travel, and a inside look at he life of one of the best sorority girls I know. Close your tabs and pay attention.

As much of a lover of food I am I'm also a lover of clothes. No really, I was best dressed in high school you guys. I collect suits because I like to pretend I'm a cool lawyer with a badass name like Harvey Spector.

See! I can clean up pretty nicely and you can to if you check out Ashley Mondesir's blog My Desirable Closet. She can tell you what to wear where to get it and when to wear it. Keep yourself from looking like a slob and take a few tips from her. 

If it's a bit of travel and a good laugh you're looking for my friend Elle has that in spades. She's been in the news game longer than anyone thanks to her newsy parents but her blog is one big adventure (time?). So check it out and get the urge to go to the bahamas.

Lastly but certainly not least is a blog that gives the average human being a glimpse into the life of one of my favorite people and possibly the most fun sorority gal you'll meet. Dana Jean Winter has seen all that can be seen in the greek community here at UF. She's a blonde that'll steer you in the right direction if you're thinking of going greek. Her blog is a walkthrough of do's, don'ts and how to's for the up and coming girl making her way in a new sorority. She's got the looks and the brains people and she goes to UF so she must be doing something right. Follow her sage like wisdom and you're golden.

So take a look at these blogs and form your own opinions. Hopefully they help you out, but if they don't ask these trolls.

Shameless blog bumps

It seems like everyone these days has a blog about this that or the other. Many of them are awesome and have some great and informative content and then there's mine...Like he rest of the internet many of my friends have their own blogs. Most of them are winners in my opinion but I'm probably pretty bias so I'll let you decide.

For all you sports fans out there looking to stay on the up and up (especially with the Florida Gators) check out my friend and fraternity brother Bobby Scheppske's blog. I hear he's already being drafted to ESPN's college sports network next semester. He's the guy i would go to if I wanted to win a bunch of money creating some magical sports bracket. He's also a gentleman and a scholar.

Piggy backing off the sports talk, if you ever wanted to know what it was like to actually be a college athlete then check out my friend Stephanie Strasser. She's probably one of the hardest working people I know balancing school and her position on UF's track team flawlessly. Her blog is a blend of her time in the news room and on the track. She's also pretty easy on the eyes so follow her blog and pretend you knew her when she becomes super successful.

Another blog I like to stop in on every week or so is run by our classes most avid cinephile Monica Diaz. Monica catalogs her love of the cinema through a retelling of her adventures in hollywood or various film festivals. Her dream is to move to the city of angels one day and start a life like so many before her. And from the looks of it she's got a pretty killer shot already. You go girl.

Check these out, more to come.

Clint Holzapfel: The man behind the apron...

Often men get all existential and ask questions like "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?" Well I'm not one of those. I'f you've been following along then you're familiar with myself and my wit and charming cantor. My name Is Clint Holzapfel and Im currently an aspiring reporter at the Univeristy of Florida. But you probably already knew that. I was born and raised in the sweltering lair of Micky Mouse and rollercoasters that is Orlando Florida. I am an axe enthusiast and a skilled marksman with a rifle or bow. My only fear is of drowning so I became a competitive swimmer and water polo player (for those confuse see Water Polo.) At some point I became interested in food and television heavily and decided to embark on an endeavour to work with the Food Network or Travel Channel. I've already got a bit of experience but I'm still currently building my resume. I run this blog out of a creepy level of obsession with getting that perfect meal...and for the class it's required for. So if you like food then read some of my posts and if not go back to scrolling on reddit and eating subway.

Cheers.

What I do when I'm not ranting about food...

For those who care to know I don't blog about food professionally. I'm actually an amateur reporter working on a degree in telecommunications from the university of florida and this is all for a class. If you'd like to to know a little more regarding the mystic and culinary prowess that is Clint Holzapfel have a look. It's not entirely impressive as of yet, but food and television go together like Giada De Laurentiis and strange Italian inflections. So maybe some day I'll be the next Anthony Bourdain (fingers crossed).

So you want to look like a bad ass on the grill....

Summer is almost upon us, well in Florida anyway, and that means pool parties, bikinis, corona and lime and my favorite, grilling out. Not everyone is a natural on the grill and that's understandable but it's easier than it looks to be the cool guy with the spatula and tongs. First off don't just make burgers and hot dogs, save that for game day "bro". I'm not knocking the great american past time of flipping patties and dogs on a hot day but they don't exactly wow anyone. If you want to show off your skills you gotta spend a little extra money and you gotta go big, steak big. There's nothing quite like a well seasoned steak grilled to perfection on a charcoal grill and you can be the creator of said deliciousness if you believe, and listen to me. Now I'm no Iron Chef Bobby Flay but i can give you a Food Network worthy steak.

 First off you're going to o need... 4-6 eight ounce steaks (filets are cheap at Sam's club)
Montreal Steak seasoning
Course black pepper
Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of bleu cheese crumbles
1/2 stick of butter 1 glove of garlic
A small bowl
Whisk or egg beater
A charcoal grill
Charcoal

 First, light your charcoal so it gets heated up.
Start cooking by seasoning your steaks.Sprinkle the montreal seasoning on both sides sparingly and do the same with the cayenne depending on how much spice you'd like (remember you're adding black pepper as well).
Next take the course black pepper and rub it into each side of every steak. This gives the steak a dry rub that can cook flavor into the meat.
Now let the dry rubbed steaks sit at room temperature until you put them on the grill.

Next take the butter and bleu cheese out of the fridge to get them closer to room temperature.
Now mince the garlic finely and throw it in the small bowl.
Take the softened bleu cheese and butter and add them in as well.
Whip all of the ingredients together until they are thoroughly mixed into a thick clumpy paste.
Toss the bowl in the fridge and grab the steaks, its time to grill.

Arrange the steaks on the grill where there's even heat.
Cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side or longer if your homies don't like optimal flavor.
Finally throw some of that sweet sweet bleu cheese and garlic butter on those steaks for one last minute and serve em up.

 If meaty bleu cheese deliciousness isn't your think check out some of my pervious entries.

 Now grab some sunglasses and grill your ass off cool guy!

Valentine's day dessert

Wether you're planning on going out to dinner or staying in and cooking for two dessert is a must have end to any valentines day meal. You could get whatever the restaurant has for the occasion, take them to ice cream or you could make a more romantic treat. Chocolate covered strawberries are synonymous with V-day. They scream romance. If the movies say its romantic it's gotta be.



What you'll need

-1 pound of fresh strawberries

-16 ounces of milk chocolate

-2 tablespoons of shortening



If you want your Valentines day evening to end the right way follow this video. Some flowers couldn't hurt either.

So you forgot to make reservations on Valentine's day...

First off, don't panic. Second go to the grocery store and pick up what you'll need to prove your love via food. In this case with steak.



You'll need-

-Two 4 ounce filet mignon steaks

- 1/4th cup of balsamic vinegar

- 1/4th cup red wine

- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

- salt to taste



So hit up Publix or any of the lesser grocers, follow this video and avert the crisis you've gotten yourself in to.

Food for thought - "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug.

Unfortunately this isn’t food related but it is internet related so it’s only slightly less important. Most people who surf the interwebs on a regular basis rarely realize how easy and seamless the travel from site to site or link to link is. You can travel into the depths of reddit with a few clicks or a convenient search bar and be right back on the front page with a finger stroke. I myself never really considered this or what it would be like if the websites and blogs I loved so much weren’t so user friendly until I read “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug. In the short read is a basic guide with tips and tricks to optimizing your website or blog. I found the psychology and break down of web user behavior very interesting. Krug describes people like myself and others who waste hours on the internet to actually be quite carful with what we waste that time on. I hadn’t really considered this but as I scrolled through an article on Gizmodo and another on Buzzfeed I realized his observation was spot on. I barely paid any mind to the article on Buzzfeed because it had a video you had to watch along with text. On Gizmodo the site designers had a similar article but with embedded GIF’s that played over and over automatically to accompany the text. So I could simply read, look up and continue reading and get all the info that the article had to offer. This kind of thing sounded ridiculous when I first considered it and kind of sad at the same time but its true. I don’t want to waste the time I’m wasting. I want to waste time on the Internet efficiently. The main thing I think I took away from the book though was how accurate the title was and what it meant. “Don’t Make Me Think” literally means do not make me think about browsing the internet. Do not make me think about how to navigate this website. If I went on Facebook and it took me more than 3 clicks to get to my profile I would be frustrated, sadly. It’s a little pathetic but very true. This blog is of my own content but not my own design. The people who created the template’s had feasibility in mind every single step of the way. The internet is an invaluable tool and outlet to share information but no one would want to read any of it if it wasn’t easy enough to do while walking to class or (hopefully not) driving a car. Krug illustrates that a good website or blog has solid content that can be experienced almost mindlessly. That may sound derogatory but it goes back to how he describes people and the way we all value our time. When I do decide to make a website of my own I will keep that in mind. Because who wants to read about food if it takes them 2 minutes to figure out how to get to the articles.

Date night dinner

A wise man once said the way to a women's heart requires money, or food. He was right. When doing dinner with your dame or dan you've got two options. You cook or you find a nice place to sit down at for dinner. I personally like to cook but being in college I don't have the most elegant of settings to dine in so Friday I'll be taking my gal out on the town for dinner. Just because I'm not making the meal doesn't mean the evening wont be as personal or romantic. There are just a few details to make sure of if you want your night to be a special one. First off do not take her to the damn olive garden. Find a nice place thats not to pricey but has quality cuisine. Next make sure you can get a table and make sure that table isn't in an area of high traffic from the kitchen or volume from the other guests. Often times restaurants have these kind of booths tucked away or in a corner where it'll seem like its just you two in the whole place. And lastly, wear something nice. I don't mean your sunday best but look like the man or woman your significant other is or would be proud to call theirs. Choosing the restaurant can be tricky but an easy way to find a place in any city is within the comments and reviews on Yelp. Gainesville has a large selection of restaurants with a variety of entrees and prices that wont break the bank. One of my favorite date night eateries is The Top restaurant downtown.

The Top is a Gainesville classic with an extensive menu incorporating new entrees and specials weekly while hanging on to old favorites. The food is fantastic. I've tried something new every time I've been and I have yet to be disappointed.

They also have a killer bar with great drinks.

So wether its The Top or outback or where ever you take your main squeeze make it special. Enjoying good food with someone you love should be memorable.

Never forsake breakfast

Out of all the meals of the day breakfast is by far the most overlooked instance for prime food stuffs. Breakfast isn't just a meal its an indication of how your day is going to be. If you wake up and have a piece of toast and coffee then thats your day. A piece of toast and some coffee. Exciting? No, no its not it's mediocre at best. Now if you wake up to fresh pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream and orange juice and a cup of joe next to the woman or man or pet you love, then you're about to have a kick ass day to go along with that kick ass breakfast. Run on sentences aside not everyone can just throw together an epic meal in the early hours of the day. The nice thing about living in gainesville is that you don't have to, there are plenty of places that do breakfast right. Bagels and Noodles, The Copper Monkey, Peach Valley. All of these are great places to break the fast at but my all time favorite will always be The Flying Biscuit. Out of all the Breakfast joints in town The Flying Biscuit takes the cake.

It may not look like much but this place has quite the selection. just check out the menu.

In closing, you don't have to be an amazing cook our wake up particularly early to start the day right. Find a place that does breakfast and try something new. No one should settle when it comes to the first meal of the day.

Worth their weight in gold

As I mentioned before, many college students find themselves quite broke more often than they'd like to admit. We're all looking for a little help where ever we can get it and the time honored tradition that is Gator Greenbacks to many of us in gainesville is that helping hand. Every year these little books are strewn around campus like the leaves blowing around Turlington. But unlike those leaves these are snatched up quite quickly. Inside each book is a myriad of coupons for a multitude of services around gainesville but the ones most cherished are for food. Over half the restaurants and fast food joints around campus all have coupons in these books that range from 1 dollar off to buy one get one or even 10% off your bill. So wether you're taking your lady friend out to dinner downtown or just getting two meals for the price of one at Zaxbys these little greenbacks can be very helpful. If you see a book of them, take it, take them all, they're free.

So you're hungry, penniless, and drunk...

Sometimes you just let things snowball. You forget to go grocery shopping but you saved some money by not buying food. So you spend a little extra that night out with your buddies/ladies. That extra cash turns into extra beers/booze and before you know it you're swaying out into the night air, but you forgot one thing. To eat. Skipped meals aren't uncommon to the average collegiate but the cure to your inebriated pangs of hunger aren't far away in Gainesville, even if you did blow all your cash. Stumble over to the infamous Pizza by The Slice where you can get a slice of heaven for less than any of those drinks you had.