Last night, I whipped up this absolutely mouth-watering Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe, and let me tell you, it was a hit! Imagine juicy shrimp bathed in a rich and flavorful mix of fresh garlic and butter, each bite a perfect harmony of taste. What makes this dish a...
MiMi’s Shortbread Cookies
When I married my husband, I knew I was also marrying into generations of family holiday traditions. In fact, I think it was written in the marriage contract, squeezed right between not touching his BBQ grill and promising to love him even when he’s 80 years old and I...
Fried Green Tomato Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing + Menu For Hope
Because I live in one of the hottest states in the United States, and by "hot" I mean the moment you step outside, the crease in the back of your knees sweat as fast as spinach in a fry pan. In the summer, I curse the humidity, especially when my friends back in San...
Crispy Tofu with Citrus Soy Recipe
Crispy Tofu with Citrus Soy Ahhh...finally a tofu recipe. This recipe is from Eric Gower's The Breakaway Cook, which is a wonderful cookbook if you enjoy global flavors. In fact, it inspired me to start playing with Flavored Salts (that's Sichuan Peppercorn...
Fresh Ginger Tips
During cooking classes, my students always say that they love the taste of fresh ginger, but complain that it's a pain in the butt to peel and chop! Half of the students shamefully admit that they buy the pureed stuff that comes in a jar or tube. Eeewwww! Call me a...
Roast Chicken with Sweet Plum Sauce
As you can tell, I’m going through a de-cluttering phase, basically purging my home because I know that in order to make room for shiny new crap I have to get rid of all the old crap and tschotchkes , which I think is Yiddish for “shit I don’t need.” Ok, really, my...
Beef Congee (Rice Porridge) + PBS Show
Every morning in China, we would wake up to a smorgasbord of a breakfast buffet. The hotels and cruise ships had anticipated every kind of craving - from "orange sauce" to "dessicated potatoes" , Chinglish for orange juice and hash browns. But when in China, eat like...
Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce
Are you ready to dive into a dim sum classic that's bound to become a family favorite? Let me introduce you to the Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce, or as it's lovingly called in Cantonese, 'pai kuat.' This recipe is a nostalgic nod to my modest...
Aged Cheddar & Guinness Fondue
The conversation starts so innocently with, "What are your plans this week?" Before sensibility, 3 loads of laundry and my mile long to-do list can catch up to my big mouth, I've already invited half the neighborhood over for supper. As the "gourmet chef" amongst my...
Rolo Pretzel Turtles
This is my quick-fix snack, Rolo Pretzel Turtles. In a matter of 10 minutes, I can satisfy my sweet tooth, my salty tongue and my fat ass. Can you imagine anything more heavenly than glorious chocolate hugging a salty pretzel, topped with a crunchy toasted nut and...
Grilled Whole Fish on Banana Leaf
There are times when I should just shrug my shoulders in defeat, lay the camera down and just go make myself a Bloody Mary. Only after the first sip would I grab a blank sheet of paper, a black sharpie marker and just draw you a picture of my dish. Because there is no...
Perfect Steamed Rice Recipe
Hey guys! I just wanted to quickly say hello and to let you know that we're having a great time. So far I've managed to stay out of trouble and haven't been arrested for indecent language or deported for eating more than my fair share of Hairy Mitten Crabs. I...
Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese
I decided last month that our family should make a better effort to eat more seafood and less crap like deep fried nuggets of chicken fat. Not that I wasn’t trying to be healthy or anything, because that would be called a D-I-E-T, which is against my religion,...
15 Minute Asian Noodles
During freshman year of college, I lived off of Kraft mac 'n cheese and Cocoa Puffs. Not because I couldn't cook-but because Mother never let us have awful artificially flavored junk food in our household since it would "OH MY GOD, ROT OUR TEETH." Never mind...
Korean Glass Noodles – Jap Chae / Chap Chae
Photo of Korean Glass Noodles - Jap Chae/Chap Chae These past few days, I needed to cook healthy. Not for me, but for the sake of my children. You see, last week, I had Lasik eye surgery. As any reasonable mother would do, I milked it as far as I could go in terms of...
On Air: Ancient Chinese Secret Fried Rice
After a month, I FINALLY got this dang video up! It's my first time cooking LIVE on television - ABC morning news. Now how backwards is this: Live broadcast via very expensive digital news cameras -> transmits via fancy satellite somewhere up in space -> to...
Roasted Cauliflower with Dukkah
I'm addicted to Dukkah. It's a funny name, no? Dukkah is an Egyptian spice mixture made of roasted, coarsely ground nuts (hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios) and fragrant spices (coriander, sesame seeds, cumin, chili pepper, etc.) Different variations of this...
No Knead Bread: so easy a 4-yr old can make it!
A recipe so easy, a 4-year old can make it! My son will show you how, step by step. It's been almost a year since NY Times unveiled the secret to the revolutionary No-Knead Bread. And while fads come and go, this certainly is a recipe that has transcended the...
Grilled Prawns with Sichuan Peppercorn Salt
shhhhhh....... i did a naughty thing. last week my husband tromped off to Vegas for a 5-day vacation with this poker buddies. i had an affair. i heard the garage door close as he left for the airport. i waited 15 minutes to make sure he didn't return, in case he...
Steak Recipe: Turning Cheap “Choice” Steak into Gucci “Prime” Steak
If you are a steak-lover, I hope that the title of this post + the luscious photo is enticing enough for you to read though the entire article. Because I promise you that it's worth it. Even if you don't eat steak, this is a must-read, as you can impress the hell...