Coconut Cardamom Rice Pudding

Coconut Cardamom Rice Pudding

While I love to make Western-style desserts to feed my sweet tooth… every now and then I like to mix it up and make an Asian-style dessert.  This is a quick and easy Asian-style rice pudding that is lactose/dairy free, and also gluten free.  It makes a great dessert for people who are lactose intolerant [...]

Corned Beef Fried Rice (what to do with leftover corned beef)

Corned Beef Fried Rice

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  I know many people feasted on corned beef and cabbage for dinner tonight to celebrate…  And – it means that tomorrow, packages of corned beef are probably going to be on sale for about 50% off at the supermarket!  The day after St. Patrick’s Day is a great day to fill [...]

Tsao Mi Fun (Taiwanese Stir-fried Rice Noodles)

Tsao Mi Fun

One of my husband’s favorite Taiwanese dishes, is “Tsao Mi Fun” (stir fried rice noodles).  Everyone has their favorite version of this noodle dish (using slightly different ingredients and additions) – and his favorite happens to be the version that his sister makes.  Over Christmas, my sister-in-law decided to make Tsao Mi Fun and agreed [...]

The secret to making perfect risotto (Basic Risotto Recipe): Artichoke Risotto

Artichoke Risotto

Last month, I posted a recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto that you can make with pretty much any vegetable puree.  However, I also wanted to share a  Basic Risotto Recipe that you can easily sub ingredients for whatever you have on hand.  This version calls for Artichoke – but you can use mushrooms, sun dried [...]

Butternut Squash Risotto (or Pumpkin Risotto)

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash risotto is a wonderful warm fall dish – it’s comforting and is a rich and satisfying meal for a cold fall or winter evening!  If you have a lot of pumpkin puree leftover from Halloween… you can even substitute the butternut squash for pumpkin with no problem! In the produce section of the [...]

Avocado-Cilantro Pesto with Spaghetti

Avocado Cilantro Pesto with Spaghetti

It’s still avocado season, here in San Diego!    Sometimes at the market, I can find wonderful deals on avocados… 5 for $5.  Or, if we get lucky, friends who have avocado trees will drop off a bag or two.  (I tried planting a Hass avocado tree 3 years ago, but it died!) When I [...]

Costa Rican Fried Rice: Gallo Pinto

gallo pinto

(Original Post Date:  January 24, 2011) When I lived in Costa Rica for the summer, many years ago, one thing you could always count on was being served some form of black beans and rice at EVERY meal.  I was staying the La Selva Biological Research Station in the heart of the rain forest, and [...]

Pork Zongzi: Steamed Bamboo Leaf Glutinous Rice

Pork Zongzi

(Original Post Date:  October 24, 2010) Zongzi (Chimaki in Japanese) are steamed bamboo leaf packets filled with glutinous rice and various flavorings.  They can be sweet or savory – and the leaves used can also vary.  If you cannot find bamboo leaves, you can use dried banana leaves from the Asian Market instead. So far, [...]

Fresh Fettuccine with Garden Tomato Vodka Sauce

fresh fettuccine with garden tomato vodka sauce

(Original Post Date:  September 3, 2010) This has probably been the coldest summer I can remember in Southern California.  It looks like summer is finally here though… (now that fall is right around the corner). The weather has been nice and warm for about a week straight, and it looks like most of my tomato [...]

Farfalle with Tomatoes and Marsala Cream Sauce

farfalle with tomatoes and marsala cream sauce

(Original Post Date:  July 26, 2010) Now that summer is finally here, I can finally find the perfect tomatoes… home-grown, vine-ripened orbs of perfect sweetness.  No zombie tomatoes here!  What a difference in taste it makes to have real tomatoes to add to recipes.  (I have to hold myself back from eating these whole tomatoes [...]