Build Your Own Bowl

These “Build Your Own Bowl” restaurants have been popping up all over the place. We have an Asian-themed one near our local movie theater which we would occasionally patronize after seeing a movie… that is, until I decided it would be easy enough to re-create my favorite sauce flavors and build my own bowl at…

Spicy Garlic Tofu

Thanks to the air fryer I’m not avoiding frying tofu anymore, so I’m free to experiment with what I can do with fried tofu. At a local restaurant recently my boyfriend had a spicy garlic tofu that he wouldn’t stop talking about. I tried a bite and it was indeed tasty – spicy sweet with…

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…

Lettuce Wraps

I find myself drawn to lettuce wraps when I see them on a restaurant menu. But they’re also pretty easy to make at home, and people are so excited when I serve lettuce wraps. You can pre-assemble them, or just put out all the elements and let people build their own. Interactive dishes are always…

Garlic Cucumbers

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant chain renowned for its soup dumplings. But the dish that sticks in my memory most from the times I’ve eaten there is their Cucumber Salad. I’ve been craving those garlicky cucumbers, but since restaurants are still closed because of COVID, I decided to try to re-create the flavors…

Soy-Ginger Dinner Scramble

Cookbook Club – Virtual Potluck Well, COVID-19 happened, and that made dinner parties impossible… almost. But we can’t let anything stand in the way of Cookbook Club, so we figured out how to do a virtual potluck. We provided some recipe options from Bon Appetit for “when there’s nothing in the fridge”, and then we…

Caesar Salad

“Best Caesar Salad I’ve ever had in my life” – according to my friend who thinks Caesar Salad is the epitome of all salads. He also thinks he hates mustard, so I waited until after he was done eating his second bowl before I told him the dressing definitely contains mustard. Despite that, he keeps…

Pesto Spinach Breakfast Biscuit

I threw this breakfast biscuit together one morning using whatever I could scrounge up from the fridge. It was such a hit that it has since become a breakfast staple. 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 1 tsp rice vinegar 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces 1 TBSP pesto 1/8 tsp…

Pad See Ew

While Pad Thai is probably the most known Thai noodle dish in the US, I actually prefer Pad See Ew. It uses fresh wide rice noodles, which have a fantastic soft chewiness and also get crispy caramelized edges when cooked over high heat in the sauce. Guessipe 2 lbs fresh wide rice noodles peanut oil…

Asian Slaw

This is a super easy slaw with an Asian slant that I like to whip together especially during the summer. Works great as a sandwich topping, or a side salad. Guessipe 1 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced salt and pepper to taste DRESSING 3 TBSP miso 3 TBSP honey 1 TBSP Dijon mustard 5 TBSP…

Lemon Sesame Broccoli Salad

Blanched broccoli is so good for making a salad because it’s got great crunch and the tops absorb dressing super well so you get lots of flavor. And you definitely want all the sweet lemony nuttiness of this lemon sesame dressing. Guessipe 1 head broccoli, cut into florets DRESSING 1 TBSP lemon juice 1 TBSP…

Orange Chicken Sauce

The only time I’ve had Orange Chicken is in those Americanized Chinese restaurants you often find in mall food courts, but I have to admit there’s a time and place where “Chinese” fast food hits the spot. Occasionally I get that craving, and I’ve found it’s easy enough to make Orange Chicken sauce at home….