The anatomy of the perfect salad for me goes something like this: happy produce + vivid colors + variety of shapes and textures + big crunch topping + light, tangy dressing For Scott and the boys, it's: cheese + cold, crispy lettuce + cheese + crunchy croutons +...
In a previous life, I used to work for a giant booze company. I used to commute between my home in the San Francisco (which was only 7 miles away from the office but took 40 minutes to drive sometimes) to the office near the Embarcadero or to the winery in Napa Valley...
The recipe for Skirt Steak Tacos is simple and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish. Instead of drowning my taco in a heavy salsa, I like to keep it simple and fresh with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, crumbled Mexican cheese and a slice or two of avocado. A...
I'm so thrilled to introduce to you Debi Shawcross and her new book, Friends at the Table: The Ultimate Supper Club. I have a small group of friends here in my hometown that regularly get together nearly once a week for a dinner party. We often rotate houses, and...
But don't be fooled by the name "baby artichoke" as they're not "baby" or "immature" artichoke at all. An artichoke plant will sprout several regular sized artichokes near the top of the plant and much smaller ones near the bottom of the plant, which are...
We planted a few citrus trees in our backyard 7 years ago, but shhhh....don't tell anyone in my neighborhood watch program because technically us homeowners in this lovely planned community are not allowed to plant anything that's not on THE LIST OF APPROVED GREENERY...
Chimichurri is an Argentinean condiment that I love slathering on grilled steak, especially skirt steak. While the recipe varies from town to town, family to family, the basics are olive oil, parsley and oregano. Other ingredients, like red wine vinegar, garlic, and...
Sticky, sweet, salty, spicy ribs that are so crazy simple to make (the only cooking equipment you need is tin foil and an oven!) We normally enjoy our baby backs fall off the bone - they are so tender that when you lift up the bone, the meat really does fall off. But...
I was a-browsin' for crab rangoon recipes when I came across Philadelphia Cream Cheese's version that included baking the wonton wrapper into a cup-like shapes in a muffin pan instead of deep frying. What a fab idea! I had to give it a shot, the presentation was just...
Last week, on a surprise visit to see family, Mom made a couple of dishes that I normally don't cook myself. One of them is this Chinese Fried Sticky Rice Cake Noodle dish (long name!) In Chinese, it's called 炒年糕 Chǎo Nián Gāo. The recipe is from my Dad's hometown of...
My husband's second favorite restaurant in the world is The Cheesecake Factory. We don't go for the food, we go for the cheesecake. All of them. Okay, well maybe not all of them, unless we're in a large group, but we always order at least 4 different cheesecakes to...
Do you enjoy wasabi with your sushi? If you dine at sushi bar restaurants here in the United States, chances are the vast majority of green wasabi paste served is not real fresh wasabi, but rather regular horseradish with green food coloring. Today's guest post is...
I've gotten so many requests for a recipe for miso ramen soup, so I decided to show you the one I published in our Steamy Kitchen Cookbook! This Miso Ramen Recipe includes a flavorful broth anda mix of toppings such as hard-boiled egg and corn. There truly is...
Wednesdays are the craziest days in our household. Not only do the boys get out of school 2 hours early each week, but Tae Kwon Do classes start at 5:45pm. Because the boys take separate classes, they normally don't get out until 7:30pm which means dinner has to be...
This delicious Glazed Ham recipe is perfect for Easter (and other special occasions) and only uses 5 ingredients! Easy to make, with a great glaze that is rich and tangy, perfectly complementing the ham - a match made in heaven! Why This Glazed Ham Recipe...
Flank steak is quickly becoming one of my favorite steak cuts, and it's taken me this long to really fall in love with it because I normally opt for the skirt steak when shopping flatter cuts for grilling, tacos, fajitas, etc. It wasn't until the price of skirt...
This recipe for Asparagus Gratin originates from Cook's Country Magazine, May 2011 issue. What I found fascinating about this recipe: instead of just discarding the woody asparagus ends, it is used to make a flavorful quick broth that will be used to create the...
This is a sponsored review by BlogHer and Kraft. This dish is what I call my "company asparagus" - even though the last time I referred to dinner guests as "company" was in 1979 when my parents had "company" over for dinner - I think it was either my Dad's boss and...
To me, cabbage, beans and potatoes are the best Western comfort food ever (just in case you're curious, at the top of the list of my Asian comfort food are: white rice and ramen). And to have cabbage, beans and potatoes all in one dish that only takes 15 minutes to...
While we were in Mexico for Food Blogger Camp back in February, I got a sneak peek at the photos that my good friends, Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple shot of Cristina Ferrare's new cookbook. I'm sure you heard of Cristina - she's got a cooking show, "Big Bowl...
