Last week was the finale of season 10 of the Great British Bake Off, one of my favorite TV shows ever. To celebrate the finale, I decided to throw a finale-watching party, complete with quintessentially British baked treats. In my research on appropriate baked goods, I found out that something called a “Banoffee Pie” is…
Category: Food and Drink
Five-minute, Three-ingredient Cashew Sauce (recipe)
I love this nutty, low-carb, creamy sauce that goes with about everything. I enjoy this over zucchini noodles, roasted chicken, or any roasted veggies. INGREDIENTS 2 cups cashews 1–2 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon salt INSTRUCTIONS Place cashews in a bowl. Cover with water and soak for about 2 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Place soaked cashews in…
Experimenting with Eating Carbs Again
After the bacchanal of my 50th birthday celebrations, I decided to go off my low-carb, no-sugar diet for a month to see what would happen. I’ve been operating under the theory that my food choices have been keeping me slim and healthy, but haven’t really tested it for awhile. So — for science — I’ve…
Review: Trader Joe’s Chocolate and Almond Croissants
I’m very passionate about croissants. I spend weekends scouring the city for the best French pastries, looking for that crispy exterior, beautiful “laminated” layers of dough, and buttery goodness of a perfect croissant. I went to Paris last Spring to eat my weight in croissants. So I was surprised to hear from my fellow pastry-nerd…
My 50th: Best Birthday Ever!
Last December, it hit me out of the blue what I wanted to do for my 50th birthday. I was having dinner with my mother in a Filipino restaurant. In an adjoining dining room, we could hear some kind of party taking place. There was music, cake, food, dancing — the works. I thought to…
Lemon and Herb Spatchcock Chicken with Brussel Sprouts (recipe)
I love this recipe from “Struggle Meals” : Lemon and Herb Spatchcock Chicken with Brussel Sprouts. This was the first time I’ve ever spatchcocked a chicken, and it was so easy and resulted in a perfectly roasted, crispy chicken. I’m going to do it this way all the time from now on. The brussel sprouts…
Coconut Lentil Curry with Cauliflower & Spinach [recipe]
From Struggle Meals YouTube channel. So easy, so tasty, so healthy. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 inch fresh ginger, minced 3 tablespoons red curry paste 2 cups lentils 2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk 2 cups cauliflower florets 2 cups baby spinach leaves, tightly packed 1/4 cup…
The Best Pastries I Ate in Paris
A a huge pastry nerd, a big priority for my trip to Paris last week was to get to experience French pastries, particularly croissants, from the source. I had a huge, impossible list of bakeries to hit up, but alas only got to visit a handful. Anyway, I experienced some amazing viennoiserie, and frankly don’t…
Spinach Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust (recipe)
I love making quiches, but the crust is sometimes more work than I want to put in. This quiche uses the simplest crust I’ve ever encountered: thin slices of sweet potato! I honestly didn’t think this would work. But the two quiches I made came out really well and were a hit at the brunch…
Coconut Lime Baked Chicken (recipe)
I tried out this “struggle meal” from Tastemade and liked it a lot. Super easy, cheap, healthy, and delicious. Ingredients: 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs 1-14oz can full fat coconut milk 1 lime 3 garlic cloves grated 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 in fresh ginger, grated 4 whole sprigs of cilantro 1 tablespoon brown…