World Cup of Yum

Shortcut Kimchi Cucumbers

When I was little, I got on a kimchi-making kick with my mom. Kimchi takes days to ferment, and can be pretty stinky (we did it in the garage). I give credit to my mom for going along with this for several months – I think she thought of it as good mother-daughter bonding. But…

MoCh4 Cookies

These are the best cookies I’ve ever had. Bold statement, I know. But seriously, they’re awesome – a hit at every party I’ve brought them to. People are always asking me for the recipe. So here it is! I even gave them a clever name. What the heck is MoCh4? These cookies have Chocolate Chips,…

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

Cookbook Club – Around the Fire For August’s Cookbook Club, we used Around the Fire by Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quinonez Denton, with Stacy Adimando. I chose the Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Ecuadorian Peanut Sauce and Hard-Boiled Egg. Go to my Cookbook Club site to see everything we grilled up at the event. For now – my dish!…

Eggs on Rice with Oyster Sauce

Weekend brunch in my family was a big deal. My dad was the brunch cook, and my mom, brother, and I would take turns getting to decide what was for brunch each weekend. When it was my turn, I almost always chose eggs on rice with oyster sauce. This may sound weird, but trust me…

Chengdu Taste Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #11 Chengdu Taste is in the San Gabriel Valley, the real Chinatown of LA (in my humble opinion). The outside looks pretty much like every Chinese restaurant in the area – kinda rundown, no frills, hopefully because all the focus is on the food! They do have one of the fancier menu covers…

Polenta Budino with Plum Marmaletta

Sheana texts me one afternoon to say that she has clipped a recipe for Polenta Budino with Plum Marmaletta from her Bon Appetit magazine, and would I like to come over to make some with her. I dunno what a Budino is, and I guess I betta learn about a Marmaletta. But she mentions something…

Crab in Black Bean Sauce

Whenever my grandma made this dish, we called it Lobster Sauce. Which is something of a misnomer because it is actually a pork-based sauce that the seafood is cooked in. And the seafood she used was rarely lobster – usually shrimp or crab. I’m sure there was something lost in translation. Whatever you want to…

Swedish Chocolate Balls

One of my best friends is Swedish. She taught me how to make these awesome chocolate balls, which are a common Swedish dessert. They have a great texture from the oats, and a flavor from the dark cocoa that makes them rich but not overly sweet. I added a bit of strong coffee, which gives…

Leek Fritters with Garlic and Lemon

Cookbook Club – Smitten Kitchen Bonus Recipe As I noted in my Buttered Popcorn Cookies post, while the cookies were a total fail, everything else in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook seemed to be quite good (see all the dishes on my Cookbook Club site). The Leek Fritters with Garlic and Lemon would have been my dish…

Chicken Adobo

One of my best friends when I was young was Filipino. There was always something good cooking in her kitchen. My dad used to joke that he knew when I’d been hanging out at her house because I’d come home smelling like food. That was totally ok with me. I was happy to partake in…

Hikers, Bikers, and Bakers

Hikers One day I had plans to hang out with my good friend, Sheana. She had seen a flyer for a pie contest that was happening that morning. Pie was one of the first things Sheana and I bonded over, especially for breakfast! But it was another beautiful day in sunny Southern California, so we…

Rosemary Walnuts

I try not to buy chips, because I will sit and eat the whole bag in one sitting. So I like to make a batch of these Rosemary Walnuts, which are a healthier snack that satisfies my craving for salt and crunch. It’s also a good way to use up leftover walnuts when I make…