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.

  • Preheat broiler on low and place oven rack 4 inches away from heat source. Place a rack in foil-lined baking sheet, and spray cooking oil on the rack. Pat dry one 10-ounce skin-on snapper fillet with paper towels. Mix 1 Tbsp Dry Jerk Seasoning (recipe below), 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Place the fillet on the oiled rack, coat evenly with the Dry Jerk Seasoning mixture. Place under the broiler until cooked through (about 8-10 mins). Recipe based on Helen Willinsky’s Jerk From Jamaica cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580088422/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_f.RHybWSYH9KV Our modifications: Using a baking rack and increasing cooking time.

    We served this dish with oven-roasted Korean sweet potatoes, which are similar to their Jamaican counterpart, recipe here: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/114603785616/oven-roasted-korean-sweet-potato-gogoma-wash

    Dry Jerk Seasoning: Combine 1 Tbsp each onion flakes and onion powder; 2 tsp each dried thyme, salt, sugar, and dried chives; 1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp each allspice and black pepper; and ¼ tsp nutmeg and cinnamon. Store in a tightly closed glass jar.

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  • We tried this recipe from Food & Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/old-fashioned-strawberry-rhubarb-crisp Our modifications: first, the recipe calls for 2 lb rhubarb, but we could find neither fresh nor frozen, so we used 1 lb frozen peach slices instead. Because peaches are not as tart as rhubarb, we reduced the amount of white sugar by ½ cup (for a total of ¾ cups white sugar for the entire recipe) and reduced the brown sugar from 1 ½ cups to 1 ¼ cups. Second, we used old-fashioned oats in lieu of quick-cook rolled oats. Finally, we used a slotted spoon when transferring the fruit filling from the mixing bowl to the baking dish to prevent too much liquid in the filling. (Jan. 2017)

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  • We followed this recipe from Linda Lau Anusasananan’s The Hakka Cookbook, with some modifications: first, measure 2 rice cooker cups of jasmine rice, rinse well, and then measure water (I used a rice cooker inner pot to get the right ratio). Pour the rice and water into a large – 1400 ml (5.1 cup) – clay pot, and then cook uncovered on medium heat until most of the water has evaporated and the surface of the rice is exposed (about 8 mins). Cut 2-3 Chinese sausage links (see Note below): 2/3 of the sausages into 1/8 inch diagonal slices and 1/3 of them diced. Sprinkle the sausage pieces evenly over the rice, cover (I used a glass lid with a paper towel lining 2/3 of the lid), and cook on very low heat until rice is fully cooked (about 25-30 mins). Uncover and continue cooking until the bottom is toasted and slightly crisp (about 3-5 mins). Remove from heat. Separately, mix 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp sugar, and ¼ tsp salt, and pour over the rice in the pot. Sprinkle the rice with 1/3 cup fried shallots (we used a store-bought Indian brand). When serving, scrape the bottom of the pot so that guests can get a portion of the rice crust. (Jan. 2017)We served this with stir-fried baby broccoli, recipe here: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/144782993986/chinese-yu-choy-stirfried-with-garlic-infused-oilNote: Here is more info on Chinese sausage (lap cheong, which typically is part of Cantonese cuisine): https://www.google.com/amp/www.foodrepublic.com/2016/06/07/what-is-lap-cheong/amp/?client=safari

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  • We tried this recipe: http://www.goodinthesimple.com/favorite-soup-italian-wedding-soup-recipe-cant-beat/ Our modifications: first, because the meatball mixture was too liquidy, we supplemented it with about 4 oz minced beef and about 2 Tbsp plain breadcrumbs. Second, we used shredded (not ground) Parmesan in the mixture and did not add any additional Parmesan directly to the soup. Third, we increased the amount of tiny pasta (acini de pepe) by 50% to 12 oz (¾ lb). (Resist the urge to increase to 16 oz (1 lb), as it will expand and absorb most of the soup liquid; or else add 2 more cups broth.) Fourth, instead of frozen spinach, we added about 4 oz fresh baby spinach at the last 2 mins of cooking. Finally, we added ½ tsp crushed red pepper to the soup to taste. (Jan. 2017 and Aug. 2018) Note: To reduce sodium, we used 8 cups low-sodium broth and 4 cups water. We also reduced the amount of ground Parmesan from ½ cup to ¼ cup. (Dec. 2017) Note 2: If you don’t have fresh bread for the meatballs, you can substitute with 1/3 cup breadcrumbs soaked in 1/3 cup milk. Let the breadcrumbs absorb the milk, then add it to a food processor with the onion, parsley, and garlic.

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  • We tried this recipe, which is our favorite: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/french-toast-40039 (See Note 2.)

    The recipe is simple: using a flat, wide bowl (we use an 8×8″ baking dish), combine 3 eggs, ¼ tsp salt, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 cup milk (see Note 1) below, and ½ tsp each vanilla extract and ground cinnamon (see Note 4). Dip 6 slices of bread, one at a time, in the batter, then pan fry in a nonstick pan (with a little butter or neutral oil) until browned on each side. We used sliced ciabatta, but our favorite bread for this recipe is sliced pain de campagne.

    Note 1: We sometimes substitute a third of the milk with dairy or soy creamer.

    Note 2: We noticed a typo in the Epicurious recipe. The amount of salt should be ½ tsp (at most), not ½ Tbsp. We usually add only ¼ tsp salt.

    Note 3: In case you have only fresh bread (which would result in soggy French toast), you can dry out the slices by baking them on a rack at 300 for about 8-10 mins. This will yield a better French toast. We loosely followed some guidance from Cooks Illustrated: https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/12-food-hacks-for-perfect-french-toast-every-time-0157474/ (May 2018)

    Note 4: You can reduce the amount of cinnamon to ¼ tsp. Half a teaspoon appears to be a lot, but in the finished dish, the cinnamon is subtle and not overwhelming.

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  • Using an 8-inch nonstick pan, we heated the pan and then added about 1 oz uncooked center-cut bacon, cut into match sticks. Once the bacon browned, we added ¼ cup chopped scallions (mainly whites) and sautéed on medium-low heat until the scallions started to caramelize. We added 5 lightly beaten egg whites (seasoned with a little salt and black pepper) and cooked as a frittata until browned on each side.

    For basic frittata instructions: http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipe/simple-frittata/

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  • We loosely followed this recipe: http://www.coffeeandquinoa.com/2013/05/simple-cucumber-salad/ Our modifications: first, using a mandolin slicer, we thinly sliced three unpeeled Persian cucumbers (seedless mini-cucumbers) into a mixing bowl. Second, we thinly sliced one small shallot (about 2 Tbsp) in cross sections and added them to the bowl. Third, we used ¼ cup Japanese seasoned rice vinegar (Marukan Seasoned Gourmet Rice Vinegar, which has a yellow label) instead of white vinegar for a milder flavor. Finally, we finished the salad with about 1 Tbsp olive oil. (Jan. 2017)

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  • We tried this one-pot recipe (we used a 14-inch wok) from America’s Test Kitchen Dinner for Two magazine. The online recipe is available here:
    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/64-weeknight-pasta-bolognese (subscription required). Once we turned off the heat, I added about 2 tsp each of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. (Jan. 2017)

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  • Preheat oven to 375. Using a 9×13″ baking dish, add 1 lb (16 oz or 2 cups) each strawberries (cleaned and quartered) and grapes (here, a combo of red and black), halved lengthwise. Toss with ¼ cup each sugar and balsamic vinegar (we used a 3:1 ratio of regular balsamic and fruit-infused balsamic). Oven-roast, tossing midway, until juices release and the fruit is tender (about 40 mins). Serve a la mode. (Jan. 2017)

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  • We tried an America’s Test Kitchen recipe from their Dinners for Two magazine; access to the online recipe requires a subscription: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/361-simple-lasagna-with-hearty-tomato-meat-sauce Unfortunately, our loaf pan was too small to fit the recipe (which presumably requires a 9×5 loaf pan), so we ended up having to transfer it to an 8×8 baking dish, breaking the lasagna sheets into pieces to fit the dish, and reducing the layers from four to three. We also added some additional seasoning to the sauce: a few sprigs marjoram (leaves only), a tsp of crushed red pepper, and a few julienned basil leaves. This recipe was supposed to take 90 mins total, but it felt more like 2 hours. Nevertheless, the lasagna was the most delicious that I have ever had. (Jan. 2017)

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