What's MOPAC?
A fun & unique way to social network + have fun through the culinary arts.

What do you at MOPAC?
*social network
*get an insight into your relationship to food .
*participate in culinary-related activities.
 

• MOPAC events include:
• engaging in social networking activities based on food!
• participating in outrageously interesting culinary-themed activities

It's the stuff of the morning rush, midday pick-me-up, French cafes, and of course Starbucks. But if you're picky like me about the coffee you drink, the quality of the black stuff makes all the difference if you want to impress and snuggle with your honey bunny.

Blue Mountain Coffee - grown on the sweeping Jamaican Blue Mountains-- this coffee will transport you to another place the moment it hits your tongue. It has a smooth sensual taste that goes down easy. It's one of the few coffees that taste great black. It's super rich, but won't make you break the bank. You can purchase on amazon.com, but make sure you get pure Blue Mountain Coffee and not the blended version. Prices start at around $28.00

You can also trek down to McNulty's in Greenwich Village to get some. It's $10 a pound.

McNulty's
109 Christopher Street, New York, NY 10014
http://www.mcnultys.com/

Mr. MOPAC

MOPAC Mojitos

Ingredients
a. white rum
b. lime
c. white granulated sugar
d. mint leaf 

Preparation
a. Chop one lime into small wedges
b. Chop 8 mint leaves finely
c. Add lime, mint and 4 tablespoons of white granulated sugar to a mortar and pestle. Using the pestle, bear down on the limes to squeeze out all the juice. The juice will become a sweet lime syrup.
d. Pour the syrup into the shaker and then add one 1/2 cup of white rum to the shaker.

f.  Add one cup of crushed ice to the shaker
g. Shake the shaker for 30 seconds then serve. 
Serves 2

Plantains are a major food staple in Africa and South America. Plantains are in the banana family and look similar to "dessert" bananas that most people eat in cereals or smoothies. The two main plantain varieties, however, green and yellow (ripe) are cooked.

Green plantains have a neutral taste and are fried. They are usually cut thinly and spiced with seasonings like salt, garlic, parprika or cumin. Yellow plantains (or ripened plantains) are very sweet and are usually cooked in chunks and paired with salty foods like fish to balance the taste. Green plantains are usually paired with sweet tasting foods.

In cities around the U.S. immigrants from the West Indies, Africa, and South America have pushed demand for plantains making them more widely available in the United States. Plantains grow all year long making it a starch you can substitute potatoes or rice with anytime. Plantains are a good source of potassium and dietary fiber. Technically plantains are a fruit. Communities in Latin America and Africa living in mountains or forests with inadequate food storage, preservation and transportation technologies thrive on plantain.