I have a friend who is a self described Pinterest addict. She has told me that her evening routine after she puts her two boys to bed, involves scrolling through and pinning recipes, crafts and redecorating ideas on Pinterest. Because of this addiction, my friend has found a bunch of great recipes, a few of which she has passed along to me. Continue reading creamy but no cream?
Category Archives: Appetizers
tomatillos in the house
I spotted a pile of beautiful tomatillos at my local farmers market last week, and decided to give them a try. I remembered running across a recipe for tomatillo jam a while back and saved it, with the thought that someday I would make it. This is what happens with a lot of my recipes and best intentions. They get filed away, and when I’m at the store or farmers market, I see an ingredient that jogs my memory, I go home and spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for the filed away recipe. Not the greatest system. Luckily, I found this particular recipe with not a huge amount of effort. And so my first experience with tomatillos commenced. Continue reading tomatillos in the house
dressing trickery
I love trying to trick people into thinking they’re eating something they’re not. No, I’m not mean spirited or a trickster, I simply enjoy surprising people with unexpected ingredients. A ‘cream’ sauce that doesn’t contain an ounce of dairy, a ‘blue cheese’ dressing that doesn’t have a bit of cheese, a dessert that has beans in it. You get the idea. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a dairy loving and meat eating individual. I just like the idea of messing with people’s tastebuds.
it’s bitchin’
My husband has a tendency to bring home edible treats from his work trips. Dumplings from Southern California, Nutella from Belarus, you name it, he has probably hauled it home. Continue reading it’s bitchin’
time to party, with tea eggs
This year my husband and I are hosting our eighth annual Chinese New Year party. Our first party was in 2008, and we had just moved to the Bay Area. Now, eight years later, we’re combining a housewarming Chinese New Year party in our new home in Portland. Continue reading time to party, with tea eggs
thanksgiving-winning appetizer
One of the many things I love about making food for others is the unintended impact it sometimes has on people. Toward the end last summer I got together with three friends from Portland for a girls weekend. The four of us have been friends since we were in our twenties living in Portland. During the weekend, in between a lot of wine drinking, we talked about cooking and recipes. One of my friends mentioned an appetizer that I used to make. She remembered everything about it, but I had never shared the recipe with her. Another one of the trio, whom I lived with in Portland, told me she still makes an appetizer that I introduced her to when we lived together. A tiramisu recipe I’ve adopted as my own, was shared with me by another friend from the group. During that girls weekend we discovered we all had recipe memories about one another.
relishing my favorite holiday
Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. There’s an entire industry dedicated to Christmas excess, but Thanksgiving evokes no such feelings. There are no gifts to worry about giving. There’s no annual slog of parties to get through—and no subtle competition for who can throw the best of them. Thanksgiving lacks the kiss-at-midnight ritual that leave the unkissed feeling unloved. There’s little pressure to drink more or carouse later or otherwise engage in forced jollity. No one spends time worrying about costumes. It’s all about food, family, friends and sharing together around the same table. It’s the best.
the cure for homesickness in a dip
Every time I visit my home state of Oregon, which incidentally usually occurs during the summer, I breathe in the state and enjoy my time to its fullest. Family, friends, green as far as the eye can see, inexpensive (relatively speaking) housing, roadside wild blackberries, no sales tax, no getting out of the car to pump your gas; Oregon is easy living at its best. After a visit, I need to remind myself that the wonderland of greatness in the summer turns into a sunless, rainy, gray, borderline depressive state during the remaining eight, sometimes nine months of the year. Continue reading the cure for homesickness in a dip
origami animals and onion dip?
I’m sorry to admit that I’ve been busy enjoying summer and haven’t been as dedicated to writing and sharing recipes as I had originally hoped. It’s been a whirlwind 10 days of obsessing over the plethora of hummingbirds in my yard as well as cooking, picnicking at an oyster farm, hiking and playing the role of tourist in Vancouver BC. Continue reading origami animals and onion dip?
learning chinese cooking from the best: green onion shao bing
I share many interests with my mother-in-law. We both love her son, we both love to travel, and we both love cooking, eating and talking about food. She is a woman who has instilled in her two sons an appreciation for food and cooking. They are both skilled in the kitchen, and they both love their mama’s Chinese cooking. I remember a story my husband told me back when we were dating. When his extended family gets together, their daily routine consists of eating breakfast, then immediately discussing and planning their next meal. Needless to say, I adore my husband’s family. Continue reading learning chinese cooking from the best: green onion shao bing
planks and sticks 