I mentioned on a recent post that my Kindle reader has been practically attached to my left hand for the last two weeks. If not in my hand, it's been conveniently in my bag, ready to be pulled out at the first break in activity. I've loved books since I was a child and when we moved to the ... Read More
Asparagus-Salmon Fried Rice (and Pescadero, CA)
If you read one of my recent posts about wishing for a simpler life, these pictures would illustrate perfectly what I envision doing were I to drop everything and move to the rural coast. It had been a couple of months since my last visit to Pescadero so I tagged along with my husband when ... Read More
Stir-Fried String Beans
On busy weeknights when I want dinner on the table in less than half an hour, vegetable stir-fries become the default meal. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, eggplants and asparagus are the usual choices but I've added a new vegetable to rotation recently--string beans (also known as Chinese long ... Read More
Tofu-Making Class at Cavallo Point Cooking School
It all starts with quality soybeans, mature and fully-grown. They are soaked overnight then steamed and ground to a pulp with water. The okara (soy pulp) is then separated from the liquid. The liquid from this seemingly-simple-but-nuanced process is soy milk--thick, creamy milk that is ... Read More
Chinese Chili Sauce
It is an ongoing joke in my family how out of control my father can be when it comes to picking up unusual items at the Asian market (oddly-flavored drinks, chips, crackers, condiments). Where my mother will come home bearing only the items she put on her list when shopping alone, excursions ... Read More
Stir-Fried Eggplant with Sambal over Red Rice
This is the kind of meal that I generally don't even consider sharing here, not for its lack of merit but because I wonder if you would be interested in it at all. But somehow when I do share a dish like this that takes mere minutes to put together, you seem to like it and it makes me happy ... Read More