Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • Using a stock pot, saute 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces) in a little oil until browned.  Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Set chicken aside, and then add 1 large onion (chopped) and saute until wilted.  Add 16 oz cherry tomatoes (cut in half) and 4 garlic cloves (minced), and saute until wilted.  Add 1 liter low-sodium chicken stock and 2 Tbsp fish sauce (see Note 2 below), scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add chunks of 3 peeled chayote and cooked chicken.  Bring to a boil, cover pot, and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 10-15 minutes).  Separately, cook about 4 oz clear noodles (here, I used Korean sweet potato noodles, or dang myun), drain, and rinse.  Place noodles in a soup bowl, then cover with the soup.  This recipe is from The Adobo Road Cookbook by Marvin Gapultos, with modifications (I cooked the noodles separately to prevent them from getting soggy).

    Note: In lieu of 3 chayote, we have used 3 large zucchini or 3-4 yellow squash, cut into ½ inch thick quarter slices or half-moons.

    Note 2: For a brothier soup, we often increase the liquid to a total of 6 cups chicken broth and 2 ½ – 3 Tbsp fish sauce.

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  • Recipe is here:  http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/health/sweet-oven-baked-grits-and-millet-with-pecans-and-maple-syrup.html?referrer (Mar. 2015)

    Note: The photo shows our modification:  we swapped out medium-grain cornmeal for the grits and amaranth for the millet. We also garnished with walnuts instead of pecans. The result was less solid than the original recipe, but still delicious. (Nov. 2016)

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  • Recipe is here:  http://ansonmills.com/recipes/475 .  We recommend reducing the amount of salt to just 1/8 tsp (the recipe calls for 1 tsp). We also fold the hot milk (we use 1 or 2%, not whole) into the pot, rather than serving it on the side. (Mar. 2015)

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  • This recipe is based on http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mini-meatball-soup-recipe.html, with modifications.  We did not make the grilled cheese sandwiches in the recipe, either.  (Mar. 2015)

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  • This recipe was inspired by a delicious frittata that my friend Leah shared with me last week. I will try to post the recipe later. (Mar. 2015)

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  • We made this with Whole Foods brown rice cereal.  Recipe based on http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/the-original-treats  (Mar. 2015)

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  • We made this recipe:  http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/marinated-chickpea-salad/ except that we added about 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley.  For herbs, we added a little Greek oregano and thyme (fresh herbs that I stuck in the freezer) and crushed red pepper.  (Mar. 2015)

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  • Roasted beets are delicious and deceptively easy to make.  Preheat oven to 400.  Clean and trim ends off of beets.  Coat each beet with neutral vegetable oil, then place in a foil pocket, crimping edges so that nothing will leak out.  Roast in oven for 1 hour.  When cool, rub skin off each beet with a paper towel, then cut into bite-sized chunks and enjoy.  This recipe is from my friend Malini.  (Mar. 2015)

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  • I have tried out a number of corn muffin recipes, and this one is my favorite. Preheat oven to 425.  Stir 1 2/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup blue cornmeal, ½ tsp salt, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and ½ tsp baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together 1/3 cup unsalted butter (room temp) and ½ cup sugar, then add 1 egg, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and ¼ tsp nutmeg. Blend the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, adding 1 cup milk.  Then add 1 c. fresh blueberries and stir until just barely combined.  Pour batter into greased muffin tins (we also used a mini-loaf pan for the remainder) and bake until knife comes out clean (about 25 mins).  This yields 15 muffins (we use two 12-muffin tins, with one only partially filled). This recipe is from “Blue, Blue Blueberry Corn Muffins” in The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon.  (Mar. 2015)

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  • I grew up eating this dish at Chinese restaurants, and every once in a while my mother made this at home from a ma po seasoning packet. I decided to try a recipe from scratch. Cut 16 oz firm tofu into ½ inch pieces, soak in boiling water for 15 minutes, and then drain and set aside, reserving 1 1/3 cups of the tofu water for later use. Separately, toast 1 tsp (I reduced to ¾ tsp) Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then grind and set aside. In the same wok, saute about 1 lb minced pork in a little oil. When fully cooked, add 2 ½ to 3 Tbsp Pixian chile bean sauce, 1 Tbsp Chinese fermented black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 tsp microplaned ginger, and a dash of crushed red pepper. Cook on medium for a few minutes, stirring frequently, then add 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp soy sauce. Mix well, then gently fold the tofu cubes into the sauce. Add the reserved tofu water, then let cook until tofu cubes absorb the sauce (about 3 mins). Season to taste with salt or sugar (I added a bit more sugar), then add 2 chopped scallions. Season to taste (for ex, if too salty, add a few tsp of water). Add some cornstarch mixed with water into a slurry (here, about 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp cold water) until the sauce is slightly thickened, but still soupy. Sprinkle crushed Sichuan peppercorn overtop and then mix. Serve with rice (here, we used jasmine). This recipe is from Asian Tofu by Andrea Nguyen, who is one of my favorite cookbook authors. (May 2014)

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