Small Dice Challenge: Semi-healthy Shrimp and “potato”soup

A couple of weeks ago, I had my anniversary dinner at a French restaurant called Liaison Bistro.  I can’t remember the last time I ate so well.  Actually, I can’t even remember the last time my husband and I went on a date without a child.  I ordered a sole stuffed with crab drowned in…

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Cheeseburgers, badass chicks and cocktails

Rainy weekends always give me a great excuse to do two things–cook and watch television–not that I necessarily need a rainy weekend to do either.  In fact, I often find inspiration for my culinary experimentation just from channel-surfing.  A case in point, the other night I happened upon an episode of Best Bars in America…

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Small Dice Challenge: Sushi Rolls

The challenge this week is to see if I can make sushi rolls without all the necessary components that most sushi chefs have.  For one, I don’t have one of those fancy bamboo mat rollers and, two, I’m not exactly sure how their rice is made or what kind of rice they use.  I could…

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For your consideration…

  Even as a movie fan, I have to admit that, when it comes to the Oscars, I’m sometimes more interested in the fashion than I am about who wins, especially when the Oscar nominations by and large echo those of other awards, like the Golden Globes, Screen Actor’s Guild and BAFTA–call it a case…

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Binge Worthy

The weekend is upon us and like many people trying to wind down from a week of stress (which for me is pretty much all the time), we like to hunker down for some therapeutic binge-watching, catching up on all those recordings piling up on our DVRs or finally getting around to seeing what the…

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Small Dice Challenge: Last minute Valentine

This is late for Valentine’s Day, but my husband has been home lately in the evening and has been cooking.  Therefore, I haven’t, so I have been sitting back and enjoying the simple life (though not really because I have kids!)  My Valentine’s story, though, goes a little something like this.  Before leaving for work…

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An Affair to Remember…Now that was when people KNEW how to be in love.

We thought it was only fitting, given that it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, to celebrate the granddaddy of all classic Hollywood romantic dramas  An Affair to Remember (1957). Sure, there have been several versions of this classic tale about a playboy and a singer, engaged to other people, meeting and falling in love on a transatlantic…

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Comic: Downton Crabby

Aw, just in time for the next episode, so we can share our rage together! I know it’s hard to tell in this comic, but I actually like this show. I think I like it too hard that it hurts. So pull up a chair, make Mimi’s Crawley Pimm’s Cup cocktail, and enjoy! (Also, CAUTION, there are a…

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Small Dice Challenge: Asian Fusion

I think it’s been awhile since I have done a mystery challenge.  I guess it’s time to get back to my roots.  Plus, I had some lamb that was going to expire, so I had my daughter pick out other ingredients to go with it.  She chose the following:   I was having a craving…

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Gung Hay Fat Choy…Ringing in the Year of the Monkey

In San Francisco…hell, in the Bay Area…there is NO shortage of Chinese restaurants to go to for a celebratory Chinese New Year dinner.  However, as any local will tell you, all the decent ones (and even some borderline mediocre ones) are packed to the rafters during this time of the year with families of all…

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