World Cup of Yum

May the 4th Be With You

I was looking through some old pictures, and in honor of Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You!) I decided to share the fun themed food we had at a work potluck when Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out. Star Wars S’mores I made Tie Fighters, using hexagonal biscuits, Nutella, and mini…

Cassia Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #34 Cassia is one of the few Santa Monica spots on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. I’ve been pretty excited that one of the most talked about hot LA restaurants in the last couple years is in my backyard. Every time I pass by, I see a lot of happy-looking people eating and drinking…

Chocolate-Dipped Tangerines

Cookbook Club – Thug Kitchen The cookbook for April’s Cookbook Club was Thug Kitchen by Michelle Davis and Matt Holloway. I chose the Chocolate-Dipped Tangerines. Go to my Cookbook Club site to see what all the other thugs made. For now – my dish! You can pretty much count on the fact that if you…

Warm Spinach Salad

Warm Spinach Salad always makes me think of eating in a nice restaurant. But do you know how much extra effort it takes? …about 30 seconds! If you put dressing on some spinach leaves and throw them in the microwave for half a minute, you can serve what seems like a fancy salad and class…

Spicy Spinach Stems

I’m fully in support of the zero-waste food movement that has become a thing in recent years, though when I was a kid it was just called being Asian 🙂 Make Pesto with your beet greens! Use your radish greens for Chimichurri! And don’t throw away those spinach stems… Guessipe stems from 1 bunch of…

Red-Braised Ribs

These red-braised ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and pretty easy to make. The hardest part is cutting the slab into individual ribs – my mom always used a cleaver. The second hardest part is having the patience to wait 90 minutes as the braising slowly breaks down all the connective tissue of the ribs, filling your…

Lettuce-less Salad

Sometimes salad kinda bums me out, because even a big bowl of it seems like it’s mostly air. Plus it doesn’t keep well as leftovers once you’ve put the dressing on – nobody likes soggy, wilting lettuce leaves. So this lettuce-less salad is awesome, because it’s a hearty salad you can really dig into. I…

Pizza Party

What’s a great way to close out the week? With an impromptu pizza party! And I’m not talking about greasy cardboard boxes delivered to the door. When Colin texted to say he and Anthony had each prepared homemade dough and homemade sauces, of course I was in. The rest of us brought abundant toppings, which…

Nickel Diner Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #33 Nickel Diner is a regular on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. While you can’t actually get anything for a nickel, the food is more affordable than many of its pricier downtown neighbors. It has a great old-school feel, with red leather booths and vintage wall paintings of menu prices from back in the…

Shabu Shabu

What do a bunch of foodie friends do on a random Monday night? Shabu Shabu! It falls into the category I like to think of as interactive eating – French fondue, Korean BBQ, Chinese hot pot, Japanese Shabu Shabu – I love them all. You cook thinly sliced meats and veggies in pots of broth…

Cinnamon Chouquettes

Chouquettes are small round pastries sprinkled with pearl sugar. They’re often eaten in France as an afternoon snack. You can fill them with custard to make cream puffs. These airy pastries are pretty cool, because they puff up without any kind of rising agent. Apparently the high water content makes steam when baking, which is…

Steamed Chinese Mushroom Chicken

Steamed Chinese Mushroom Chicken was one of my favorite dishes growing up. Steaming the chicken in the sauce keeps it super tender and lets it absorb all the great flavors. The Chinese mushrooms add a great woodiness and bit of chewiness. And the Chinese sausage gives some pop and sweetness. It’s also easy to make,…