A couple years ago I was fortunate enough to go to Japan. I travelled with a couple dear friends and we went to Tokyo, Kyoto, and this little town in the between called Hakone. It was one of the best trips of my life, hands down. Between the people, the sights and the food (most definitely the food) it was an amazing experience.
Read MoreWith this baby on the way I have started to think more about easy cooking. I have a feeling that - for a little while anyway - the days of leisurely cooking in the kitchen may be over. I have so many friends who say they don't have time to cook or are too busy with their kids to make dinner. Well this one if for them! It might be one of the easiest one pot pastas out there and it all comes together in less that 20 minutes. 15 if you can get that water boiling faster. So keep a lookout for more one pan wonders and sheet pan suppers, I am super excited to develop and share more of those recipe.
Read MoreI get asked all the time to choose my favorite restaurant in LA. Well...that is a hard question. To be honest we haven't tried too many so I am not ready to officially nominate a favorite restaurant, but if I had to stay one of my favorite ones so far, it would be John and Vinny's. Mostly because they serve this amazing chicken cutlet for lunch which is out of this world delicious. It literally is just a chicken cutlet, deep fried, served with a lemony salad dressing - so basically it is fried chicken.
Read MoreI am not one for gimmicky food - you know trendy food that is trying to be different just for the sake of being different. Like for example carrot hotdogs, if I want a hot dog, I will eat a hot dog. Maybe that is a bad example because vegetarians want hot dogs sometimes ( I would imagine) but you know what I mean. Or here is a better example - a ramen burger. A ramen burger is a hamburger that uses ramen noodles instead of a bun. Consider me old and uncool but that is not my jam at all. Give me an amazing hamburger or an amazing bowl of ramen - just don't give me a hybrid to both of them.
Read MoreWe serve mac-n-cheese at any and all holiday dinners. I know that some might consider that blasphemy but I love it... because it is mac -n-cheese! It is the perfect comfort food and when you make it homemade, it is a total game changer. Looking at the food that I like to eat, especially at the holidays, I tend to skew Southern. I am not sure why, I didn't really grow up in the South but when it comes to food, Southern food is my total comfort food. This mac-n-cheese is no exception.
Read MoreNext up in my Thanksgiving recipe series are my crispy skillet potatoes with garlic and herbs. I am not saying not to serve mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, but I am saying that these are delicious and a total showstopper. If you can’t imagine not serving mashed potatoes, you can also just make them for dinner and throw a fried egg on top, just saying, because this recipe is a keeper.
Read MoreI first discovered this chicken dish from one of my old co-workers a couple years ago. I was amazed chicken could taste so good and so flavorful. Here is my adaptation of the recipe - it is easy and delicious.
Read MoreHave you ever thought about the first person that dared eat an oyster? Or what about that first person who tried a mushroom and prayed that it wasn’t poisonous? I am not sure why but I think a lot about these people. Probably because I spend a lot of time prepping food and thoughts like these just pop into my head. Like why do we eat arugula but eating dandelion greens (until recently) has been avoided? Or who thought that if you blanch stinging nettles, which literally sting you when you pick them, they would be the most delicious pizza topping? This burning question is especially relevant when it comes to artichokes. Have you ever seen an artichoke plant? They are scary pre-historic bushes and if the artichoke is not picked in time it turns into this crazy gorgeous purple blossom that looks like it could eat you ( a la the man-eating plant in Little Shops of Horrors). Also the plant is so tough that people literally can make furniture out if it. So who in the world was the crazy person to dig deep inside that prickly center and figure out there was deliciousness in there? How did they know if you steam the center and then douse it with butter and serve with a lemon aioli that tastiness awaits? Who? Who? I need to know!
Read MoreI was recently reading the latest edition of Bon Appétit, (otherwise known as a food lovers Bible). I flip through their magazine each month looking for recipe inspiration as well as different ways to photograph food and style food. I stumbled upon their idea of back pocket pasta, this idea that pasta can be paired with so much more than your typical tomato sauce. You can pair it with just about any cheese, vegetable and/or meat. Most importantly it is a great way to eat through what it is in your fridge. This lemon and kale spaghetti is the perfect example of back pocket pasta and I bet you have most of the ingredients in your refrigerator right now.
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