Schupfnudeln can actually be eaten in a sweet or savory context. I’ve had them covered in sour cherries and some kind of yogurt-skyr-sour cream deliciousness, covered in butter and crispy bacon lardons, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, served plain alongside saurkraut, and even sprinkled with cocoa powder and drizzled with chocolate sauce with whipped cream on top. My favorite version is the one I’ve recreated and pictured here - seared in sage-infused butter and then topped with crispy sage leaves, served with apple cider-braised red cabbage.
Read MoreI’ve had many pierogi varieties throughout Poland, the Baltics, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc… and this filling is the one I prefer the most. If you’re interested in buttery indulgence, this is the dish for you!
Read MoreI’ve had blocks of parmesan in my fridge for months, and massive stockpiles of canned tomatoes since the beginning of the pandemic when we completely lost our minds and started hoarding canned foods, and it was just time to use it all up. I’ve also had this green chile vodka from St. George Distillers for months, and I’ve been wondering how I could incorporate it into some food. Then, the other day, as I was rooting through my spice cabinet for some dinner inspiration, my entire giant bottle of crushed red pepper flakes fell out onto the counter and the top flew off, spraying red pepper all over my kitchen and sending me into a fit of violent sneezing. Suddenly, it hit me: Vodka Sauce!!?
Read MoreIt’s been raining in the Bay Area this week, and I just really needed some comfort food to get me through it. I made a trial batch of these cookies this past Sunday, ate every single one of them, and then made another batch last night, and ate every single one of them, so I’ve eaten about 60 cookies over the past 3 days and I’m a little strung out because the only other thing I’ve consumed is coffee, but I have no regrets.
Read MoreEating so many butterhorns that I get sick is my Christmas tradition, and now it can be yours too!
Read MoreAs always, I completely covered this shit in butter, and sprinkled a little salt on each slice, and yes I may have done that with three entire loaves this week, so my arteries are feeling a little clogged right now but whatever I don’t care. I have no regrets.
Read MoreThe current political landscape just has me in a mood. Long story short, I made 30 cookies, ate them all at once, and washed them down with a full bottle of $5 wine from Costco. It did not help my outlook, but it did confirm that my chocolate chip cookie recipe is the best ever.
Read MoreWhat can I say, I just really wanted to make falafel.
Read MoreTraditionally, this recipe calls for a shortcrust pastry topped with raspberry jam, finely chopped walnuts, a layer of unsweetened whipped egg whites, and some more walnuts, baked until the egg whites are crispy on the outside but still fluffy on the inside. I updated the filling to use blackberry jam, and also replaced the egg white topping with a sweetened meringue. I also had 12 young apples lying around my kitchen, so I chopped those up, mixed the with red wine, cinnamon, more walnuts, and brown sugar, and threw those between the jam and the meringue. I topped the whole thing with a little fresh rosemary and blackberries to brighten it up. Soooooo gooooooood.
Read MoreI’ve made these about 4 times in the past two weeks, and I think I’ve come up with some helpful tips to get them just right: crispy on the outside but still with that great chew in the middle, that perfect flake, screaming green onion flavor, and the perfect accompaniments. I also spent about 11 months in Taiwan over the past 2 years, and I can say with confidence that these come pretty close to the flattened variety of scallion pancake (as opposed to 爪餅, which is a fluffed up version with barely connected layers) that can be found at at least one street cart in every neighborhood there. The flavor and textures really reminds me of my time in Taiwan, but the best part is the smell, which fills the whole house every time I make these completely mood-changing, mind-altering, tummy-filling treats. You asked for it, and now here it is - my recipe for scallion pancakes!
Read MoreMy mom recently told me about some peanut butter brownies she’d had at a restaurant in Florida, and demanded I make them for her. I told her that was basic AF, and that I would make something better. And then I did it.
Read MoreLove olives? This is the recipe for you. Hate olives? Suck it up and give these a try!
Read MoreI’ve done it. I’ve finally done it. I’ve created a cookie that my mom has deemed “Christmas-worthy”. This is no simple feat, people. Christmas is a huge deal in my house, and it is not easy to create a recipe which can rival any number of my grandma’s 50 time-tested and perfect varieties that she makes every year, but I think I managed!
Read MoreContinuing with my Eastern European obsession, I’ve ventured into desserts! I call these the pop tarts of the Czech Republic.
Read MoreI had persimmons, so…. I basically had to…
Read MoreSo I’ve been on this Eastern European kick, and it just keeps on providing. There’s just something about how rustic and simple, yet jam packed with flavor, their foods are that keeps me coming back for more. So there is a Georgian restaurant in San Diego that I used to go to all the time - That was the first and only time I’ve had it, much to my chagrin. I fully planned to go back once a week for the rest of my life just for that one dish, but then I moved and now I’m sad :( Or at least I was until I decided to make a new and improved version myself this past weekend!
Read MoreContinuing on with my Eastern European theme, after my recent trip to Budapest, i had to try my hand at making goulash. American goulash, from what I can tell, consists of elbow macaroni and canned chili, which I find to be fundamentally abhorent, so when I tried the true Hungarian version, I was blown away. Obviously they inundate it with Hungarian paprika (actually an import from Turkey, I learned), and it almost served the same purpose as MSG in Chinese food - it basically enhances the amount of drool that you invariably and uncontrollably produce after consuming a tiny amount of it. Other than that, there’s not much to it. I think it’s not really necessary to add much. It’s perfect in its simplicity.
Read MoreA few weeks ago I travelled to Czechia for work, and while I was there I spent some time eating foods in Eastern Czechia as well as Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. Now I’m back and over my jetlag, and find myself super inspired by all the Eastern European food I tried while I was over there. In particular, the pastries stand out in my mind. In Budapest, I saw something like a croissant, though less laminated in texture, filled with walnuts, some kind of fruit, and dark kind of sugary paste, and it instantly reminded me of rugelach. I resolved to make some, but wanted to update the traditional Jewish recipe, which originates in Poland. I replaced the raisins with cranberries, and updated the dough a little to make it flakier, more similar to what I had seen in Budapest. The result was a crispy, layered, chewy confection, super sweet yet balanced well by a relatively huge amount of butter (obviously) and nuts.
Read MoreK I know what you’re thinking. WTF is a muffcake? Well I made these zucchini bread muffins, but then topped them with cream cheese frosting, so they bear the resemblance of cupcakes… so… muffcakes?
Read MoreLife has been crazy over the past couple months. But mainly it’s been mega hot summer misery - Every time I cook, I end up needing a shower after just to clean off all the sweat. Boiling water and cooking meats especially is a killer on the temperature inside the house. Opening windows is clearly not an option, because spiders live outside. Needless to say, kitchen time has been kept to a minimum. That being said, I still require pasta.
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