Author: ellen

  • Caprese Salad

    I love ordering caprese salad when I’m eating at Italian restaurants… but I always felt a tinge of guilt that I was overpaying what I was actually getting. So of course my next mission was to recreate the caprese salad. This didn’t take much since there are only 4 ingredients! When you have so few […]

  • Salad Dressing Recipe

    I’ve already blogged about a simple vinaigrette dressing here previously.  However, my friend Sohee sent me another recipe called ” Sohee’s Emoe’s Delicious Salad Dressing Recipe” which I just had to try.  Since the recipe didn’t specify whether to use a dark vinegar such as balsamic or a lighter vinegar such as white vinegar or […]

  • Butternut Squash Soup

    In case you haven’t cooked with butternut squash before, it’s very similar to a pumpkin. It has a light yellow skin and orange flesh on the inside with seeds in the middle. Who doesn’t love butternut squash soup?! It’s a tasty and hearty soup that warms the soul. Plus, butternut squash is so versatile! It […]

  • Five Spice Pork / Lu3 Ro4 Fan4 [滷肉飯]

    This is one of my favorite Taiwanese meals (滷肉飯).  Usually it takes hours to simmer, but I’ve got it down to less than an hour. Just make a pot of rice (or if you have a Zojirushi rice cooker, just set it for when you get home from work), make this.. and viola- Taiwanese dinner! […]

  • Pickled Mustard Greens (雪裡紅) or xuělǐhóng

    Xuě lǐ hóng is pickled chinese mustard greens and is a vegetable that pairs really well with the stewed pork and rice dish (lu rou fan). You can also just cook and eat this with any other meat dish, or if you are feeling vegetarian, you can steam some buns (man tou) and use this as […]

  • Chinese style spicy tendon [麻辣牛筋]

    Ok, this may be a little “out there” for some of you, but for that small group of you that likes tendon, this is for you! For me, the tendon is always one of my favorite parts of eating pho! It may take some getting used to, but once you like it.. oh you like […]

  • Basics of stir-fry: baby bok choy

    I love going to the Chinese or Asian supermarket to buy my vegetables. However, nowadays you can easily go to Whole Foods or Berkeley Bowl and find a vast selection of Asian vegetables. We like to buy baby bok choy, because it lasts at least a week in the fridge and its super easy to […]

  • How to wash grapes

    Here’s a quick tip on how to wash dirty fruit such as grapes. They always seem to be covered in dirt when you buy them at the market and seem to be impossible to scrub off with just water… This is a little secret my mom taught me. Only one ingredient is needed- CORNSTARCH or […]

  • Three-Cheese Mini Macs

    It’s always hard to decide on what to bring to someone’s house, or what hors d’oeuvres to make if you are hosting a cocktail party. Food & Wine had another great recipe for these three cheese mini macs using a mini muffin pan! genius! (Note: these are not as healthy as the healthy carrot macaroni […]

  • Lasagna

    Everyone likes a good lasagna, especially Garfield! Whenever I need a quick and easy meal, I look to lasagna.  It’s also real easy to make a large amount to feed guests or bring to a potluck.  There will be many different variations of lasagna, but the basic steps are the same.  You can be creative […]