Summer may be winding down, but grilling season is far from over. I've been obsessed with burgers and really, anything on a bun lately. While nothing beats a classic beef hamburger, my a-ha this year is that chicken thighs actually make a better burger than turkey. And if you're willing to go an extra step, grind your…
Ramen has officially gone mainstream. Target is offering “premium ramen” under its Archer Farms brand in four varieties – pork, beef brisket, mushroom and chicken teriyaki. {Record scratch} Chicken Teriyaki?! The new offerings use “ramen” as an Asian noodle soup catch-all and actually include rice noodles along with the ramen and udon options. If you…
Stir-fried dishes get all the glory for being quick to prepare. If you're working with tofu or chicken or just doing a quick vegetable side, it lives up to the hype. But bring noodles into the equation, as you would for chow mein, and your quick fix dinner goes out the window -- if you're…
Read recipe headlines or captions and you might think cooking has turned into a version of Name That Tune. Take any dish, let’s say a salad in this case. Can’t you just see it, opponents stand across from each other on a cardboard cut out game show set, sizing each other up, looking for tells. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly practically plays in the background.
“Jim, I can make that salad in 7 ingredients,” says Contestant #1.
“I can make it in 5,” replies Contestant #2.
#1 rocks from left foot to right to left again. “Uhhh, Jim, I can make it in 3.”
Sensing uncertainty, #2 points, “Make that salad.”
Alright, let’s do it. Easy peasy Sesame Sugar Snap Peas.
Ramen is going through something of a renaissance, a resurgence. Whether on the kitschy side with ramen burgers or the explosion of ramen joints in NYC, most notably Ivan Ramen on the Lower East Side, the food world is paying attention again to those squiggly noodles in broth. And for the first time in years, we’re seeing new entrants to the ramen market on grocery store shelves, like Lotus Foods’ Rice Ramen.
There’s a critical step that often gets missed in this whole reading food blogs thing.
Observe:
Step 1: Ooh, I really want to make something with potatoes.
Step 2: Google potato recipes
Step 3: Scroll past the text and ogle hasselbeck potatoes, stuffed potato skins, potato salad, tater tots, hash browns, etc.
Step 4: Read recipes
Step 5: Possibly comment “Ooh, looks yummy.” Alternatively, pin recipes to your “Yummy Potatoes” Pinterest board.
Step 6: The End.
What’s missing here?
Growing up not far from Little Saigon, pho shops all had numbers -- Pho 79, Pho 84, but somewhere along the line pho went mainstream and so did the names of the shops. So let's get the jokes and gimmicky names out of the way upfront.
"What the Pho?" -- Kids in my class were using this one as far back as junior high -- in the late '80s. Now, it's a noodle shop in Bellevue, WA.
"9-0-2-1-Pho" -- This is real. And yes, it's in Beverly Hills.
"Jenny Pho" -- Also real. In Issaquah, WA.
And of course, the king of all Pho shops...well, there's an, um, king and he don't serve burgers.
Creating a good pho broth takes hours, but there's no reason you can't do it. Put aside your worries about leaving a pot simmering on the stove unattended overnight, because you can make a good traditional pho broth in the slow cooker. I never would have thought of it, and then a lightbulb flicked on over my head when I saw the recipe on Serious Eats.
How many times have you moved as an adult? Me, 11 times. It’s never fun, and it gets worse, the older you get. Once, early on when I moved from LA to the Bay Area, I shipped a bunch of stuff by mail. Moving by mail is not a great idea. Unless you want to buy all new stuff. Then finally there comes a time when there’s no more rounding up friends with promises of beer and pizza. You just bite the bullet and hire movers. After 11 moves, I can’t believe some of the things that have made the trek. I’ve been looking for a peach pit ring that my grandpa carved, at least that’s how I remember it. I'm convinced I have it somewhere. And I can’t find it.
You’ve got a pile of fried chicken in front of you on a platter. You get first dibs on whatever piece you want. What do you pick? The pragmatist in me says, go for the breast. More meat, less skin. But the eight year old in me wins out, I’m going right for the drumstick.
You know that thing I said about tiptoeing into fall? It’s on hold. Well, temporarily. Ma Nature has gifted us with an extended summer and around these parts, you don’t look a sunny and 75 gift horse in the mouth. You bypass the pumpkin lattes and keep on making cold brew and enjoy every last bit of summer you can, because there’ll be beets and parsnips from the moment it ends until July comes around again next year.
I’m sure I’ve committed some kind of culinary crime with these vegetarian summer rolls. Violated a sacrosanct law by bringing quinoa into the picture. A grain that’s as hipster as skinny jeans and typewriters. But if you’re trying to get more whole grains, more fiber, well, then you work it in where you can. These summer rolls are a perfect little snack, a perfect little starter and they’re chock full of vegetables.
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