Homemade Mushroom Soup

Homemade Mushroom Soup

In the hopes of reaching the moon, men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet. ~Albert Schweitzer It was with some effort that I managed to haul myself out from under the covers, somehow managed to put on the right clothes, even matching socks, and crept my way out onto the trail. It was […]

Easy Turkey Meatball Soup

Turkey Meatball Soup

May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs. ~ ‘Twas The Night of Thanksgiving’, C.J. Beaman There is a collective gentle sigh as we see the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Despite our best intentions to limit our portion sizes, the intentions remained just that – intentions. Folks generally go all out with the food for this […]

Healthy Meat Sauce and Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Whole Wheat Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner.  ~ Sophia Loren These days, the mornings are misty, the chill is nippy, and here in California, Uggs® are making their annual appearance. It is not so bone-shatteringly cold as it is in the northeast, though fear not, west-coasters have their own […]

Egg-free, Butter-free Honey Walnut Cookies

Honey Walnut Cookies

“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” -Barbara Johnson Pumpkin season is here. Can’t miss it. Decorating nearly every store, restaurant, office, door stoop are the bulbous orange fruit. It’s one of my favourite sights for it means the holiday season is just around the corner. Try our Honey Walnut cookies for a change this […]

Ginger Beef and Broccoli

Ginger Broccoli Beef

So long vegetarian is not the goal; or you might need to find new dining companions. I am not really sure how beef and broccoli became an American Chinese food staple. I know it is a safe bet to order it for a table of folks new to Chinese food or generally less adventurous diners. […]

Easy Gajar Halwa

Easy Gajar Halwa

“Festivals are the secret to youth; show me a person who doesn’t remember a festival that was all about sweets, treats and friendship and I will show you an unhappy person.” Here in the United States and most of the western countries, grown-ups and children are preparing to enjoy Halloween. Front lawns are adorned with lights and ghoulish decorations in a festive spirit. […]

Cold Tofu with Bonito Flakes

Cold tofu with bonito flakes

“If turkey vultures think it’s too warm to hunt, who am I to disagree?” Tofu ranks high on my list of pantry staples. There are always 2 or 3 packages in my cart on every grocery run. The best parts (my grammar teacher may remind me that the superlative of good describes a singular noun but hear me out) are how versatile it […]

Easy Water Spinach 空心菜 (Kangkung)

Easy Water Spinach

All things are difficult before they are easy. ~  Thomas Fuller Here is recipe that starts easy and stays easy. It will make a cook out of anyone. It’s that easy. Water spinach is more closely related to the sweet potato than to spinach as we know it in western countries. It is also called water morning glory, water […]

Taiwanese Gua Bao 刮包 (Braised Pork Belly)

Taiwanese Gua Bao

“Sweet and salty, creamy and bouncy, tart and sour, sweet and salty again.”  ~ TAIWAN STREET FOOD SERIES – Part 3 ~ Few things beat waking up to the warming, intoxicating scent of braised pork belly cooking on the stove. The dish was often made the day before it was meant to be eaten, usually a […]

Chinese Green Bean Dessert Soup 绿豆汤

The wonder, The hunger, And the sound of distant thunder.  ~ “Indian Summer”, Brooks & Dunn (released 2009) Warm, hazy, windless weather prevailed all last week following a few weeks of a cooling trend. This kind of tank-top-and-shorts weather right around Halloween means  it’s Indian summer for us living in California. Soon after it will be time for […]