At the start of quarantine I made what many people would consider an impulsive, if not excessive purchase–35lbs. of cooking oil. No, it was not pandemic-induced temporary insanity. I did not accidentally click on the wrong item while grocery shopping online with Instacart. It was a calculated move. You see, I like deep-frying stuff. I…
Tag: featured
Chinese Bakery Buns…or I’ll take one of each
There have been only a handful of times in my life when I didn’t live in relatively close proximity to a Chinese bakery/cafe, or at the very least, within driving distance–my college years in Santa Cruz (a veritable culinary wasteland when it came to authentic Chinese cooking) and my brief stint working/living in Monterey. I’d…
Steamer Basket Time Machine
Steamer Basket what?! Weird title I know–mixed metaphors, film reference to Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Chinese food, me lifting up a steamer basket lid to travel back in time. Stick with me on the visuals. Lately, being mostly stuck at home in self-isolation with my mom–passing the time watching the latest video uploads from…
Big (Lasagna) Night
During these seemingly endless days in quarantine many of us find ourselves, for better or worse, relying even more than usual on social media as a way to safely connect with the outside world–exchanging biting political memes (no shortage of those!) with friends (and strangers) on Facebook, hosting virtual happy hours, watch parties, cooking classes,…
Gimme shelter…and 50 lbs of flour
Anyone who knows me well would not find it the least bit odd that while everyone and their neighbor were out panic-buying seemingly ridiculous amounts of toilet paper in preparation for the coronavirus pandemic (my mother included), I was nervously assessing my pantry staples and baking supplies–specifically flour. After all, even two adults sheltering in…
I get no kick from champagne…but a little N2O can infuse some flavor into the New Year
So like many people whose eyes glazed over at the sight of handles of liquor at Costco or BevMo on sale over the holidays, you stocked up…A LOT. Cut to New Year’s Eve and you’re still sitting on a stockpile. While everyone expects champagne corks to be popping tonight–I for one see it as launching…
Procrastination…and coffeecake
Procrastination, as I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, is a good thing…sort of. Sometimes it’s a way for the brain to process all those seemingly random ideas bouncing around in your head, to connect the dots…or so I’m told. And other times, like today, procrastination is mostly a way of avoiding unpleasant tasks—like beginning the process…
Weekend Bake…pretzels, cocktails, and pandesal
Fall leaves are piling up on the walkways and lawns all around our apartment complex. Changing times, changing lives, changing neighborhood. Every weekend it seems friends and neighbors move out, driven away by rising rents. I know change is supposed to be good…but frankly I’m devastated. I cherish this community we’ve formed–bonds forged through our…
A Tale of Two Doughs
I’m not exactly sure what came first, my craving for chicken pot pie or desire for some flaky pastry. Or maybe the chicken pot pie filling was just an excuse to make my favorite cream cheese dough? All I know is I was standing at my frig sizing up my options, pleased to discover I…
Just Wing It! (when you’re not sure what to cook for dinner)
For many people chicken wings are the ubiquitous bar food, perfect for noshing with a cold brew–not necessarily the main course. For me, chicken wings often take center stage at dinnertime, especially when I’m short on time or just feeling lazy. One package of wings, broken down into drumettes and flaps, is enough for two…