Brunch-mas

Towards the end of December, people scatter to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and other holidays with family. Before that happened, we decided to gather our foodie friends for one more feast… which we called Brunch-mas. In the spirit of enjoying each other’s company as much as the food, Colin invited us all to cook our dishes…

Ramen Eggs

One of the best things about getting ramen is that flavorful egg with the just-a-touch cooked yolk. You can make this magical treat at home and use it to punch up instant ramen in a pinch. I’ve also been known to just gobble ramen eggs as a snack. Guessipe 2 eggs 1/3 cup water 2…

Joe’s Special

Who is Joe? I’ve no idea, nor does my mom who made this dish often throughout my childhood. I’ve occasionally seen it on restaurant menus, but usually as a breakfast scramble. My mom’s version is lighter on the eggs, heavier on the ground beef. We ate it for dinner. Guessipe 2 lbs ground beef 2…

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Do you remember when it was your birthday and your mom would send you to elementary school with cupcakes for everybody in the class? Well, my mom would make these awesome mini cherry cheesecakes, which made my birthday the most looked-forward-to of the whole school year. These are easy to make, but look fancy, taste…

Post & Beam Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #45 Post & Beam is the only restaurant on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list in the Crenshaw District. I find it strange that such a cool, modern restaurant is located in Baldwin Hills Plaza, but at least the mall location means plenty of parking. The inside has a big bar seating area where…

Cambodian Kaw

My Cambodian friend introduced me to this dish of pork belly and eggs in a soy and caramelized sugar sauce, and it’s been a favorite of mine ever since. He gave me his mom’s recipe, but just like my family’s recipes (and I’m beginning to think all Asian families) it was more of a half-complete…

Parmesan Fried Eggs

Ever buy a nice chunk of Parmesan to grate over a pasta dish, and then wonder what you could do with the remainder? Use it to make this awesome Parmesan fried eggs breakfast, which will feel and sound fancy if you’re making brunch for someone, but is actually so easy to make that you could…

Lincoln Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #39 Lincoln is one of just a couple Pasadena eateries that make Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. They do breakfast and lunch, a nice selection of baked goods, and good Stumptown coffee. The building is a refurbished machine shop, which they have transformed into an airy space with lots of natural light, a view…

Grand Central Market Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #36 Grand Central Market isn’t so much a restaurant as it is an experience. It is an indoor market in Downtown LA, filled with stalls of cooked food, fresh produce, breads, cheeses, and spices. I have somewhat mixed feelings about it being part of Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. I understand his love for…

Warm Spinach Salad

Warm Spinach Salad always makes me think of eating in a nice restaurant. But do you know how much extra effort it takes? …about 30 seconds! If you put dressing on some spinach leaves and throw them in the microwave for half a minute, you can serve what seems like a fancy salad and class…

Cinnamon Chouquettes

Chouquettes are small round pastries sprinkled with pearl sugar. They’re often eaten in France as an afternoon snack. You can fill them with custard to make cream puffs. These airy pastries are pretty cool, because they puff up without any kind of rising agent. Apparently the high water content makes steam when baking, which is…

Mango Lassi Pie

What would be in the running for my favorite holiday? Well, Pi(e) Day, of course. March 14, aka 3.14, get it? I had convinced a bunch of friends to help me celebrate this mathe-magical day. Even though it fell on a Tuesday, they had all agreed to make homemade pies (go here to feast your…