Category Archives: Food

Chinese Sticky Ribs

 Recipe: Chinese Sticky Ribs Ingredients 3 tablespoons five spice powder 1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 1/2 cups Chinese cooking wine (I use Shaoxing wine) 1 cup light brown sugar 1 1/4 cup oyster sauce 5 pounds beef short ribs 2…

Roasted Jalapeño Sauce

   Doña sauce was the biggest reason why I needed to get my breakfast tacos from Taco Deli.  For years I’ve wondered how to make this spicy sauce, but since I couldn’t figure it out, I would snag an extra…

French Toast Casserole

 Recipe: French Toast Casserole Ingredients 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces) 8 large eggs 2 cups half-and-half 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Dash salt…

Osso Bucco and Parmesan Polenta

 Recipe: Lamb Osso Bucco Ingredients 1 pound veal shank (I use leg steak of lamb- doesn’t make much of a difference when braising) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 large yellow onion, sliced 1/2 cup carrots, chopped 1/2…

Flaming Strawberry Cupcakes

 So this is cake really.  Choose your favorite cupcake recipe and icing.  Hollow out the strawberry and fill with a 80+ proof liquor.  People seem to be recommending Bacardi 151.  

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

 Recipe: Butternut Squash Gnocchi in Sage Butter Sauce Ingredients 1 lb butternut squash (you can substitute with 1 cup butternut/pumpkin puree) olive oil 1 egg 1 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 1/2 cup flour (approximately) 3 tbsp butter…

Bacon Spinach Quiche Lorraine

 This time around I skipped making the crust.  I was far too impatient to wait.  =] Recipe: Bacon Spinach Quiche Lorraine Ingredients 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup ice water or refrigerated water) 6…

Lemon Icebox Pie with Chantilly Cream

 When I was a little girl, I remember watching grandma start down the long dirt road lined with orchards to pick fresh ponderosa lemons to make some icebox pie… OK, just kidding.  I’m Chinese, lived in suburbia and never saw…

Pan-Seared Cod with Mango Salsa

 Recipe: Pan-Seared Cod with Mango Salsa Ingredients 1 mango, peeled and diced 1/2 cup red pepper, diced 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno 1/3 cup diced red onion 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves Salt and pepper…

Bacon-Wrapped Poopers

 Bacon + Cheese = Sinful Goodness. Some things just don’t need to be “fancied up”.  It’s best to keep these babies basic! Recipe: Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Poppers Ingredients 20 large jalapeños 8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese (or 1/3 fat cream cheese) 10…

Tartines

 Tartine 1:  Goat cheese, olive tapenade, roasted red pepper, shaved parmesan Olive Tapenade Ingredients 3 cloves garlic, peeled 1 cup olives (black and green) 1 1/2 tablespoons capers 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive…

Crawfish Étouffée

 Recipe: Crawfish Etouffee Ingredients 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 small green bell pepper, diced 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce 1/3…

Tomato Caprese

 Recipe: Bite-Sized Tomato Caprese Ingredients cherry tomatoes fresh mozzarella perlini fresh basil balsamic vinegar olive oil fresh cracked pepper toothpicks Instructions Depending on size, slice cherry tomatoes into halves or thirds. Alternating tomato slices and mozzarella balls, skewer them onto…

Paneer

 Adapted from Manjula’s Kitchen  Recipe: Paneer Summary: Paneer is a homemade Indian cheese. Paneer is used many different ways making desserts, appetizers and main course dishes. Ingredients 8 cups (half gallon) milk 1/4 cup lemon Juice Instructions Mix lemon juice…

Spicy Tuna Roll

 Recipe: Spicy Tuna Roll Ingredients SUSHI RICE 5 cups Nishiki sushi rice (i.e., rice maker cups) 1/2 cup rice vinegar 4 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt FILLING 1 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise ½ tablespoon Sriracha sauce 1 teaspoons chili sesame oil…

Glass Jello

 So while I can’t take credit for coming up with this one, I can take credit for the adult version of this. Aren’t they just gorgeous? Adapted from justjennrecipes.com   Recipe: Broken Glass Jello Ingredients 4 – 3 oz boxes…

Homemade Pancetta

 The first attempt at charcuterie… a delightful success!  Pancetta is cured pork belly, the Italian equivalent of bacon. Unlike American bacon, however, pancetta is cured with a variety of herbs, spices, and garlic, and is left unsmoked. With the help of…

“Pickled Pink” Quail Eggs

 I’ve been known to consume a carton’s worth of deviled eggs in one sitting.  Little did I know pickled quail eggs were going to be equally addicting.  A tart zing and a soft, creamy yolk.  They both have it.  These tiny pickled…

Hua Juan… worth the trouble

 I miss my parents’ cooking. As children, my brother and I used to whine about how our friends got to eat out at fancy places… you know, places like McDonald’s and CiCi’s pizza.  Yah, yah, I know… we were kids and didn’t know any better.  We…

Niu Ro Mein… Just letting off steam

 Somehow still not exactly like my parents’, but still completely authentic. For five years that pressure cooker sat on the shelf.  I was a little scared of it.  I guess I had this notion that if used incorrectly it would…

Pepper Play

 Recipe: Pickled Jalapeños Ingredients 330g, whole or sliced 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup water 1 tbsp peppercorns (I used pink because I like colour) 2 bay leaves 3 cloves of garlic, lightly pounded 2 tbsp coarse sea salt…

Carmelized Onion Goat Cheese Tarts

 I’m always trying to come up with the perfect nibble for cocktail parties and gatherings. Through my few catering events, I’ve learned it’s not enough for the food bite-sized.  It shouldn’t require any assembly or utensils.  It needs to simply…

Chicken 65 with Saffron Rice

 After consulting my friend Wikipedia, I learned a few things about this famous dish from the Andhra region.  While the name “Chicken 65” is universally used to refer to the dish, there are many different stories for how the name…