Ambitious Deliciousness – Dont Eat Lazy.

“I’m buying these because I hate them,” I said, as I bagged up a pound of Brussels sprouts at Wegman’s (aka best grocery store ever but not in NYC). “Not sure what I’m going to do with them but wish me luck!”

I’m not sure why I never had a taste for this small, cabbage-like vegetable. But I never liked them.

Not too long ago, while dining at Recette with Robyn, and there were 5 Brussels sprouts on my plate. I could only stomach 2 of them before giving the rest to her, since there is no point in wasting food.

So what made me give Brussels sprouts another chance?

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Here’s another quick recipe for you. The truth is – I’ve been busy lately, and find myself having to make dinner solely based on the ingredients I have on hand. It’s like a self-imposed Top Chef quick-fire challenge. Except my meals are not fancy, Padma is not here, and of course, there are no judges except for my starving belly.

This dish contains ginger, some fresh herbs that I had frozen from my CSA share, along with a hint of sesame oil. I found imitation crab legs in my freezer, so I threw them in there for color and protein. And if you did not know that topping off any dish with a well-cooked white and a slightly undercooked yolk equals a happenin’ party in your mouth – well, now you know. Looking at this picture makes me want to make this again tonight!

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Somehow, I managed to cook a green meal the other day. I don’t mean green, as in environmentally friendly, but a monochromatic meal.

I made this delicious meal on the spot using some Thai basil, along with steamed Yu Choy vegetables as a side dish. I didn’t even realize how green my meal was until I took a photo. As we often eat with our eyes, it was not as aesthetically pleasing to look at, though it tasted really good.

Instead of a non-green colored produce for garnish, all I could find was a lonely walnut. So there it is. Maybe my meal would be more appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day? In any case, this would definitely fall under the category of “delicious weeknight meal in under 20 minutes.” (If you make the pesto in advance, even quicker!)

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[I want to thank each and every one of you for clicking away for Haiti! Unfortunately, I'm unable to know how much was raised until later. I promise to keep you all posted!]

I recently came across this interesting article in the Huffington Post called Why My Food Is Always Gonna Look Better Than Yours. The author, Denise Vivaldo, states that her food pictures look so good that they “make vegans crave meat and forget about their animal friends.” Sounds great, right?

But if try to eat her food, “you will die of food poisoning.”

She points out that a lot of inedible ingredients are used to get the photos to look just right. After all, her goal is to get people to go out and buy the food she photographed! Fortunately for me, there is no shoe polish or glue in my kitchen, and I’m glad that I can eat the food afterwards!

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[Thanks to everyone for your support in helping me raise funds for Haiti. I can't thank you enough! Please keep clicking!]

Last time I made green curry, I added too many bamboo shoots, causing the curry to be extra sour (gross). This time, I got rid of bamboo shoots altogether and focused on slow cooking a flavorful curry. I achieved this goal by slow cooking the curry for about 3 hours total. The end result was a thick, hearty, harmoniously flavored curry that I am super excited to share about!

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Happy Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and memorable start to 2010! I’m humbled and honored that people want to read about my recipes. Thank you so much for reading this site!

I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a Dutch oven (aka French oven) for Christmas! I wanted to buy one for a while, as they are perfect for braising and cooking stews- something my stainless steel pots can’t handle. Modern dutch ovens are made of ceramic that is coated in enamel, distributing heat evenly once the lid is closed. It comes in handy for making wonderfully warm soups for bitterly cold winter days (like today).

After some research, I decided to go with a 5-quart Fontignac oven, from the same makers of Staub (since 1929!). I considered going with a Le Creuset, especially because of the lifetime warranty, but I think I’ll just wait to get that a little bit later.

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[Happy birthday to my dad, my cousin, yours truly and a few friends who are born two days before Christmas, and to anyone out there gets one combined gift every year. I feel your pain. Let us commiserate with peppermint bark. I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable break with loved ones! Merry Christmas! ]

Peppermint bark is one of my favorite holiday treats! It only contains only four ingredients (dark chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint extract, candy canes) yet tastes amazing!

Use high-quality dark chocolate, and you won’t be disappointed! Also, be careful while tempering the chocolate. I like to slowly melt it instead of shocking the chocolate into submission, especially since burning good chocolate would be a travesty.

The challenge here was to spread out the chocolate as evenly as possible. One of the things that I would do differently next time is to crush up the candy canes more carefully, and mix them into the white chocolate so that they don’t fall off.

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At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again: I love all things that taste similar to pumpkin! The good thing our fall butternut squash is that it’s here to stay, even through the winter months. That’s how versatile they are!

This dish is going to quickly become one of my favorites; a good candidate dish to make for guests so that I can take all the credit for its tasty goodness while pretending to have spent all day slaving over it. A simple sauce is features the sweetness of the squash, mixed with earthy spices, then a hint of milk. I would recommend going easy on Parmesan cheese, as to not overpower the delicate flavors.

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I was trying to recall how I came to make brownies. But truth is, do you ever really need a reason to enjoy some brownies from scratch? Butter and chocolate, baked with some flour – what’s not to like?

The first time I made it, I thought it came out a bit too crispy. I adjusted my oven rack and cooked it for about 50 minutes exactly. The second batch resulted in a crispy, gooey, caramel-like consistency, which I love. I thoroughly enjoyed every single crumb!

Since I didn’t have a brownie pan, I decided to bake them in cupcake form. This comes from Martha Stewart. And of course, I used my favorite dark chocolate from Ghirardelli (get in my belly).

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During Thanksgiving weekend, I had the pleasure of cooking a meal for our extended family of 13 people. The thought was overwhelming at first, but I had a lot of help, which made the entire process go by quickly. It ended up being a fun group project!

At the kitchen table, I overheard my dad giving directions on how to devein shrimp. The next time I looked over, my uncles and aunts were deveining and peeling shrimp together while my little cousin grated some cheese. My sister chopped onions on the island while my mom peeled the squid skin over the sink, not to mention my other two cousins who ran around slicing tomatoes, turning the basil into chiffonade, and seasoning the caprese salad with fresh cracked pepper and salt.

We started with a caprese salad. I paired this entree with a simple romaine salad with cranberries, walnuts and feta cheese, along with garlic bread that my cousin so successfully made.

This yummy Italian dish is originally made with littleneck clams and mussels. I chose not to use those, due to a lack of access. Be sure to scrub the clams and mussels well, and make sure they are cooked thoroughly, until they open up.

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