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…

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…

Mango Lassi Pie

What would be in the running for my favorite holiday? Well, Pi(e) Day, of course. March 14, aka 3.14, get it? I had convinced a bunch of friends to help me celebrate this mathe-magical day. Even though it fell on a Tuesday, they had all agreed to make homemade pies (go here to feast your…

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…

Mexican Hot Chocolate Pot de Creme

My family decided to do Iron Chef Christmas – special ingredient: Cinnamon (go here to check out the fierce competition)! Each dish would be judged on flavor, presentation, and creativity. Cinnamon immediately made me think of Mexican hot chocolate, which I adore for its dark spicy sweetness. But just making Mexican hot chocolate seemed boring,…

Deviled Eggs

My uncle makes these deviled eggs with bacon and cheddar cheese. They are fantastic. I’ve added a bit of Sriracha, which gives them an extra little kick. The deviled eggs are a hit at parties. People are always asking what’s in them. So here it is. Guessipe 12 eggs, boiled and peeled 1/2 cup mayonnaise…

Breakfast Toasts

I am torn about the fact that “Toasts” have become a thing in LA restaurants. On the one hand, I quite enjoy them. On the other hand, I think it’s absurd to pay $12-$15 for what really amounts to a dressed-up bit of something on a slice of bread, especially when that something is often…

Pineapple Cream Pie

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love pie. Not only is it one of my favorite desserts to eat (ok yes, one of my favorite breakfasts as well), but pie also tends to be one of the baked goods most forgiving of improvisation. That fits well with my Guessipe style of cooking. One…

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,…

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…

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…