Rosemary Ricotta Lemon Bars

After making a full ricotta-themed meal (appetizer, main, dessert) with the best ricotta ever (no exaggeration), I had exactly 2/3 cup of ricotta left. I figured that was the perfect amount to mix into lemon bars for a little creaminess to smooth out the lemony tang. I also used rosemary in the shortbread crust to…

Lemon Ricotta Torte

I had made an appetizer and a savory main course with the ricotta from my friend, and I still had a few treasured cups left. So it seemed appropriate to try my hand at something sweet. Ricotta is so versatile! A crumb crust provides a nice bit of crunch to complement the creamy goodness of…

Chipotle-Garam Masala Olives

Cookbook Club – Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food September’s Cookbook Club book was Nik Sharma’s Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food. Sharma’s stunning photography showcases his take on Indian cooking in this gorgeous cookbook. To see all the beautiful food, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! I got as far as…

Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich (Tamago Sando)

Before I went to Japan, people kept telling me I would love the 7-Eleven food there. I was skeptical to say the least. I have never eaten anything from 7-Eleven in the US, and with all the incredible food spots I had lined up for my trip, I just couldn’t imagine why I would want…

Air-Fryer “Boiled” Eggs

Yes that’s right, you can make boiled eggs in an air fryer. These eggs are “Boiled” because there’s actually no water involved. I love that there’s no water because I’ve heard all the debate about whether the eggs should be placed in boiling or cold water, and whether they should stay in the boiling water…

Air Fryer Butternut Squash Tempura

Continuing my air fryer experimentation. Tempura is a favorite treat of mine, but I rarely deep fry at home because it requires a lot of oil and effort. The beauty of the air fryer is there’s no vat of oil and you set it and forget it. The only thing with tempura is it’s a…

Pantry Chilaquiles

Whether for breakfast or dinner, these chilaquiles are great because they are made from items I’ve almost always got in my pantry and fridge (except for maybe avocados, which are an optional topping). You can use store-bought tortilla chips, or use an air fryer to make your own. Guessipe 28 oz can diced tomatoes 2…

Mini Lemandarin Pies

A Lemandarin, also known as a Rangpur Lime or a Mandarin Lime, is a hybrid between a lemon and a mandarin orange. The tree in my neighborhood had a ton of ripe lemandarins in December. I’m told they’re great for making marmalade, but since they’re a bit like sour oranges or Meyer lemons (which you…

Spinach Soup

This spinach soup is probably not what first comes to mind when you hear “spinach soup”. It’s not creamed or blended – it’s broth-based. But it’s what I thought of as spinach soup when I was growing up. I loved it whenever my mom made it. So when I got old enough to start paying…

Fun See

This is a really simple dish made of bean thread noodles that my family ate a ton when I was growing up, probably because it is so quick to make using ingredients we usually had in the house. Guessipe 1 package (10.5 oz) bean thread noodles 2 eggs oil for stir-frying 1 TBSP soy sauce…

Shoop’s Tomato Pesto Pancake

I’m not a huge fan of pancakes, but there’s a cafe called Shoop’s in my neighborhood that does a savory pancake I can’t resist. When COVID closed everything down, I realized I could very easily re-create this at home. I swapped in cotija cheese where Shoop’s uses feta because that’s what I happened to have…

Artichoke Dip Omelette

One day I was eating artichoke dip and had the inspiration that I could use the leftovers to make a kick-ass omelette. Silly me – there were no leftovers. For a long time I kept waiting for the day when I would actually have leftover artichoke dip… and then it finally occurred to me that…