World Cup of Yum

Lychee Longan Pie

For Chinese New Year, my cousin had the genius idea of making a Lychee Longan Pie. As far as Chinese desserts go, canned lychee and longan are better than most in my opinion. You just open the can and eat the fruit, but it’s way better than that red bean nonsense that passes for dessert…

Sticky Rice Stuffed Chicken

When I was a kid, my grandma often made sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. I loved it, but she lived across the country so when I couldn’t get it from her, it would always be one of the items I ordered at dim sum. There was something kind of magical about peeling open the…

Salt’s Cure Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #26 Salt’s Cure is a Hollywood spot on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. While some of the places on his list are street trucks or hole-in-the-wall (dare I say “dives”), this is more of a date night restaurant. Dimly lit (thus the grainy pics), bar, patio seating, and prices to match. If you’re…

Amaretto Coffee Cupcakes

I know that cupcakes have been all the rage lately, but I have to admit I haven’t been swept up by the craze. I just can’t get super excited about paying $6 for a single cupcake at some shop dedicated solely to the art of the cupcake. With $6 worth of ingredients, I could make…

Pok Pok LA Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #25 Pok Pok LA is one of the several Thai restaurants on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. Somewhat more expensive than your typical local Thai joint, it’s part of something of a Pok Pok empire, with the original Pok Pok in Portland. Inside there is a well-stocked bar. Outside is a patio area that…

A.O.C. Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #24 A.O.C. is one of Suzanne Goin’s restaurants to regularly make Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list (Lucques is another, which I haven’t made it to yet, but it’s on my list to make it to their Sunday Supper!). A.O.C. has a beautiful courtyard patio with big doors into the restaurant and bar, vines creeping up the surrounding…

Snowy Smorgasbord

What happens when a bunch of foodies go up to a cabin in the mountains for a winter weekend getaway? A lot of cooking and eating… oh, and some snow play too. Day 1 Coconut pancakes for breakfast. Some off-trail riding to work up an appetite. Chicken under a brick, chickpeas romesco, and garlic rice…

Spicy Peanut Noodles

This was my aunt’s go-to dish for parties. I think it’s an Americanized version of a peanut noodle dish that probably originally called for egg noodles. But she always used spaghetti, which is so convenient because I always keep a package of dry spaghetti around. It’s a simple, make-ahead dish that people will rave about….

Korean Slaw

Korean slaw has all of the crunchy freshness of coleslaw, but with the spicy kick of kimchi (without having to wait for days of fermentation). It’s also great for using up bits and bobs of fresh veggies. I threw in some carrots and green beans because I happened to have some that needed using up,…

Chinese New Year Crafting

Crafting In preparation for our Chinese New Year Cookbook Club (check out the event here), a few of us got together for a little crafting session. We made these paper lanterns with roosters to give away as party favors, in honor of The Year of the Rooster. It was quite the production – cutting and…

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Whenever I go out for Vietnamese food, I like to start my meal with Vietnamese Spring Rolls. They are fresh and crunchy, and a great vehicle for yummy dipping sauce. I learned from a Vietnamese friend that they’re actually pretty straightforward to make. The hardest part is getting the hang of working with the moistened…

Ravioli, Gnocchi, Marinara, Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Cookbook Club – Handmade Pasta The holiday season tends to be filled with gatherings that heavily involve eating (and therefore cooking). It’s a wonderful time for the kind of people who would join a Cookbook Club, but we were worried that people might need a bit of a break. We didn’t want to skip December’s…