
Instant Pot
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Regular readers of my blog already know my love affair with cheesecake. The flavor options are absolutely unlimited. Depending on the season— and my mood—its exhilarating to discover new flavors that play on the sweet and savory motif inherent in this creamy delicacy. Matcha has a strong hold on me. Years ago I came upon…
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You can’t go wrong with a classic NY Cheesecake (recipe here). It may be the perfect dessert—everybody seems to like it yet it’s hard to find a really good slice. But what if I told you I not only have the BEST cheesecake recipe of all time, but I’ve one-upped it!??? Now that Halloween is…
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My family loves it when I make Chocolate Flan Cake (recipe here), so I created an alternate version for my favorite season, Pumpkin Flan Cake. It’s creamy flan on top of a moist pumpkin cake with a caramel topping – absolutely delicious. When you put the cake together, you place the pumpkin cake batter on…
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You won’t find this dish in many Vietnamese restaurants, but every Vietnamese family makes this dish at home, especially around Lunar New Year (Tết). It’s one of the most flavorful and delicious dishes—the pork belly is braised in coconut water and becomes super tender in no time thanks to the Instant Pot. You get that…
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Costco Samples have a magical way of influencing our eating habits. On a routine shopping trip my daughter tried a sample cup of Tasty Bites Madras Lentils—and proceeded to talk about them the entire trip. I reluctantly conceded and went back to purchase the package of pouches—thinking I’d be lucky to use just half of…
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Oui is Yoplait’s best yogurt, minimal ingredients are used and the yogurt is cultured in adorable glass jars – it creates a creamy texture without any thickeners or straining. The coconut flavor is one of my favorites, my copycat of their yogurt doesn’t include the coconut jelly on the bottom – it’s just pure creamy…
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My favorite potato salad has to be Japanese Potato Salad, its creamy, slightly tangy and the carrots and cucumber give it a wonderful texture and flavor. Kewpie Mayonnaise is a must have for this recipe! If you haven’t tried Japanese Mayo before, you’re missing out – it’s so much better than your standard Hellmann’s or…
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If you’re from Southern California you can understand my obsession with Tommy’s Chili Burgers. Their tomato-less chili con carne is very unique to the SoCal Region, often found smothered on anything you can imagine—from fries & hot dogs to burgers. The Original Tommy’s was opened in 1946 by Tommy Koulax. The original location is still…
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Bánh Canh Cua is a crab noodle soup dish that’s quite popular in Vietnam. The noodles are hand made with tapioca starch – they look very similar to udon noodles, but are slightly chewier. The noodles are cooked right in the broth which gives the broth a thick consistency more similar to a stew broth.…
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Anthony Bourdain revolutionized the way we think about food. His no holds barred approach to world travel and cuisine introduced me to so many culinary delights I would have lived a full life without experiencing. Due to his immense success as a “travel show” host we forget that he began as a restaurant cook routinely…