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.

  • We had about half a baguette leftover, so we tried this recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/garlic_bread/ Based on our pantry, we omitted the parsley and parmesan. (Sept. 2020)

    Note: If the bread is too soft when you cut it, you can toast it in the oven (350 for 5 mins) or even lightly place in the toaster for a few mins. (Aug. 2025)

    , , , , ,

  • We tossed this together while on vacation. First, preheat oven to 425. Wash, drain, and pat dry 8 oz cremini mushrooms, then trim and cut into ½” slices. Place sliced mushrooms in a medium bowl, add 2 sliced shallots, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Toss with 1 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil, then lightly season with salt and black pepper. Place the mushroom mixture in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, and set aside. Second, wash and pat dry four drumsticks with paper towels. Line a baking sheet with foil, then coat with 1 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil, and lightly season with salt and black pepper. Place the drumstick, skin side down, on the foil and bake for 15 mins. At the end of 15 mins, turn chicken over and continue to bake at 425 (place on the lower rack) for 30 mins. About 10 mins later, place the baking sheet mushroom mixture on the middle rack (so the mushrooms and chicken roast concurrently for the last 20 mins). (Sept. 2020)

    , , , ,

  • While we were on vacation with a limited pantry, we tried this recipe: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-graham-cracker-cookies-232300 Lacking a food processor, we pulverized 15 planks of Annie’s graham crackers in a blender (using the “crumb” function), and we manually crumbled remnants that survived the blender. Our modifications: first, in lieu of vanilla extract, we enhanced with: ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp each ground ginger and nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ground cardamom (see Note below). Second, we found that after rolling the dough into balls, we needed to gently flatten each ball in order to bake into cookies (and not round nuggets). This yielded 23 cookies. We served the cookies a la mode. (Sept. 2020)

    Note: We couldn’t detect the spices well in the finished cookie. We may try to double the amounts of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom the next time.

    , , , , , ,

  • This is a supreme shortcut version. We took inspiration from this recipe: https://mykoreankitchen.com/manduguk-korean-dumpling-soup/ Our modifications: first, for the broth, we combined 6 cups water with 1.5 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef concentrate (from a jar). When that came to a boil, we added 1.5 tsp soy sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp Korean beef soup powder (sogogi dashida). Second, we separately boiled 1 bundle sweet potato cellophane noodles (dang myun) until al dente, rinsed, drained, and set aside. We also chopped two scallions and set them aside. Third, we brought the seasoned beef broth to a boil, and then added 8 large frozen beef and vegetable mandu and 1 ½ chopped scallions. We covered the pot and let the soup boil on medium heat until the dumplings were tender (about 7-8 mins). We served in a large bowl with about ½ cup of the cooked cellophane noodle, with the dumplings and soup poured overtop, garnished with chopped scallion (we had ½ scallion leftover). (Sept. 2020)

    Note: The next time, we might make the Korean dashi broth (kombu and anchovy) in the MyKoreanKitchen recipe. Or if we start with Better Than Bouillon again, we would add 1 tsp microplaned ginger and an additional minced garlic clove to the broth. We also did not love the brand of mandu (The House Mandu), which was unremarkable in flavor and quite heavy. We may try Pulmuone bulgogi dumplings the next time.

    , , , , , ,

  • This was a good use of 3 cups leftover homemade mashed potatoes. We tried this recipe: https://www.thespruceeats.com/potato-korokke-2031283. Our modifications: for the patties, we folded in 3 cups mashed potatoes, ½ cup frozen sweet peas (rinsed and drained), ½ cup frozen yellow corn kernels (rinsed and drained), and a dash each salt and black pepper. For the coating, we used ¼ cup flour, 2 eggs, and 1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs. To form each patty, we used an metal oval ½ cup measure, and then we gently flattened each patty to 1″ thickness. We heated a 10″ cast iron pan on medium, and then added enough neutral vegetable oil to ½” deep. We placed 3 patties in the pan at a time. We let the patties brown on each side and then placed on a paper towel-lined plate. This yielded 6 patties total. This turned out to be a labor-intensive recipe, even though it was tasty. (Sept. 2020)

    , , , , , , , ,

  • Preheat oven to 425. Rinse and dry two medium stalks broccoli. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil, and sprinkle with a dash of salt, black pepper, and Aleppo (mildly spicy) pepper. Place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven until browned (about 15-18 mins), turning pieces midway. (Aug. 2020)

    , , , ,

  • We had 3 cups of leftover cooked rice (a mix of jasmine and basmati), and we tried this recipe: https://anoregoncottage.com/parmesan-rice-cakes/ We found 4 (not 3) large eggs achieved the right batter texture. For the parmesan, we used slightly over ½ cup (not quite 2/3 cups) Kraft shredded parmesan (which we prefer to the crumbled kind) and ¾ cup storebought unseasoned bread crumbs. We omitted additional salt. We also added about 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves to the batter. We formed the batter in a round metal dry ¼ cup, and we flattened the pancakes to about ¾” thick with a hard spatula. We seared these in a well-oiled cast iron pan on medium heat. This yielded about 14 pancakes. (Aug. 2020)

    , , , , , , , ,

  • Using a traditional high-domed, metallic Chinese steamer, we tried this recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/steamed_broccoli/. We found 5 mins on medium-high heat (with the steam at full blast) worked well. (Aug. 2020)

    Note: We added this as a layer in our steamer during the last 5 mins of steaming the Chinese salted chicken thighs for 30 mins at high steam: https://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/114744306141/chinese-steamed-salted-chicken-dry-brine

    , , , , , , ,

  • During this pandemic, I felt inspired by a French baguette sandwich I had in Bordeaux many years ago. Based on our pandemic pantry, we used ¼ baguette (halved lengthwise), mayo (enough for a light spread on both sides of the baguette), 2 hardboiled eggs, ½ tomato (three ½” slices), and 1 Tbsp minced parsley. Here are directions for the eggs: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thekitchn.com/how-to-boil-eggs-perfectly-every-time-video-202415%3famp=1 (we let sit for 8 mins). (Aug. 2020)

    , , , , ,

  • Another good use of cooked basmati rice. We tried this recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/indian-rice-pudding-recipe-1943299. We toasted the pistachios before adding them along with golden raisins. This is our favorite kheer recipe to date, perhaps because of the addition of half-and-half and coconut milk. (Aug. 2020)

    , , , , , , ,