I Am... Porchetta Recipe Redux
Guys, it's been an roller coaster week of firsts for me: first time holding my new baby nephew, first iphone dropped in a sink full of soapy water and...my first cookbook, Easy Gourmet, available for preorder!! I've been keeping my book on the down low because I'm not sure how to talk about it. I try to think of what to say and all that comes out is: maofeisao ioajoejaw oajfoewjafs YAS!!!!! So, instead, while I gather my thoughts, I'm going to give you this Porchetta Recipe Redux, which happens to be a sneak peek into the book.
Read More →
I Am... Shrimp Asparagus Pizza Recipe
How necessary is it for you to be food compatible with your other? Would you break up (okay, too extreme, let's say fight) with someone over pizza toppings? Would you truly be compatible with someone if they were an avid meat eater and you were a strict vegan? Luckily, Mike and I agree on most food things (aside from tofu: I love it, he pretty much doesn't love it), but I think that I would be intrigued if he didn't like eating the same things as me. We actually had a long discussion about it with a friend and he and Mike both agreed that they'd find it supremely difficult to be with someone who didn't share their basic taste in food.
Read More →
I Am... Porchetta Pizza Recipe
I made a batch of no-knead pizza dough the other day and proceeded to go on a pizza making binge. No-knead pizza dough is seriously the BEST. THING. EVER. Seriously, all you do is mix up flour, water, yeast and salt and then let time do all the work for you. One batch of no-knead dough will make up four of the best homemade pizzas that will ever come out of your oven. I've even been tempted to just stretch them out, brush them with olive oil and then eat them up like flatbread.
Read More →
I Am... Kalbi Baby Back Ribs Recipe
I used to be considered somewhat of a "baby back ribs expert" in my family. Back in high school I had an obsession with barbecue baby back ribs. I didn't have a DIY smoker or anything like that. Nope, I just had my mom's trusty oven (the one that locked the turkey in it on Thanksgiving, but that's a story for another day) and store-bought barbecue sauce. Still it was enough to impress my family and that was good enough for me.
Read More →
I Am... Asparagus and Eggs, Two Ways
I've been having lots of issues with soft boiled eggs lately. Not the soft-boiling part, but the peeling. It's strange because (not to be boastful or anything) I never used to have issues peeling eggs. I always wondered what the big fuss was - my egg shells always came off gloriously easily. I'm not sure if my eggs are too fresh, or if I'm being too rough, but egg peeling has become my most hated kitchen task.
Read More →
I Am... Thankful
I was sorting through the recycling on Monday morning when Mike said to me, "Bad news." I'm not too quick in the mornings so my first thought was, "what?! I broke the Nespresso machine again?! (I'm really bad with coffee machines.) "Nope," he answered, "Even worse!" A million things ran through my head: he said it was bad news, but he was smiling, even smirking a little, so it couldn't be bad. What could possibly be bad-good instead of bad-bad!? He didn't keep me in suspense for too long though. "You won!" There I was, literally down on my knees by the trash (we keep the trash and recycling under the sink) when I figured out I won Saveur Editors' Choice Best Cooking Blog.
Read More →
I Am... Peeps Coconut Cake with Mascarpone Frosting Recipe
Whenever Easter rolls around I get a kick out of seeing all the Easter candy at the store. I'm not a huge fan of candy — I didn't even taste Peeps until I was well into my twenties, but I do love pastels and marshmallows, so Peeps are definitely my Easter candy of choice. I just can't resist those neon sugar covered squishy bunnies. And yes, I know Peeps are called Peeps after the marshmallow chicks, but I think the bunnies are so much more iconic.
Read More →
I Am... Watermelon Burrata Salad Recipe
Are you a fan of watermelon and feta? I have to confess: I've never had a watermelon feta salad. I have no idea what people are talking about when they describe it's deliciousness. It's not that I have anything against watermelon and feta (although, it's true, I'm not a huge fan of feta), it's just that I've never felt the need to try it. Let's face it, if I'm out and I have to choose between french fries or a salad (even a salad with fruit in it), I'm choosing the french fries.
Read More →
I Am... Lemongrass Pork Meatball Quinoa Bowl Recipe
You know that awkward stage when you've just started dating someone and you go over to their parents' place for dinner? Everyone's smiling and making small talk about the weather and you're basically worried about sounding coherent and likeable at the SAME TIME? Well, one of the first times I went over to Mike's family's house, his mom prepared a massive Vietnamese feast. Luckily, it didn't end in tears, like the time we all ate spring rolls together.
Read More →
I Am... Blueberry Lemon Mini Crêpe Cake Recipe
Back when I was still in school, one of my girlfriends worked at a doughnut shop. She didn't fry doughnuts (the newest employees had that job) or sell them (usually the lazier employees) — instead she got to decorate and fill. I used to be so envious of the doughnut filling machine. It looked SO FUN! If you've never seen a commercial doughnut filler, it works like this: there's a giant well that sit on top of two tubes. You poke the tubes into the doughnuts, push the button (underneath the tubes) and the doughnuts are magically filled with a predetermined amount of filling. It was magical! It didn't matter to me that she complained about the early hours, smelling like fried dough or getting frosting in her hair. I totally coveted her job.
Read More →
I Am... Brussels Sprout Grilled Cheese Recipe
It's April! The month of spring showers, fresh greenery, Easter eggs, and baby animals. And...it's also National Grilled Cheese Month! I know, it sounds like some sort of wonderfully horrible April Fools joke, but no joke, it's Grilled Cheese Month and you bet I'm going to celebrate!
Read More →
I Am... Honey Mustard Chicken Thigh Recipe
Have you guys ever played that game where all the animals in the world disappear and you can only eat one kind of meat for the rest of your life? (I know this isn't relevant to all those non-meat eaters out there, so I apologize in advance!) I always, always, always end up choosing chicken. I LOVE chicken. Plus, bonus: eggs! But then I start thinking about it and I get really sad when I realize that I'll never get to eat cheese again (the horror!) or bacon (so tragic). So basically, I can never choose.
Read More →
