Pickles are controversial. Some people hate them. They take pains to remove slices from their burgers, leave them limp on their plates. I, on the other hand, have never encountered a pickle plate I have never ordered. I like classic pickles of the...
Read MoreKohlrabi Fenugreek Chips // Finding the Right Words
Why do you write? Maybe you have a story burning in your heart. Or a character with an unforgettable voice. Or maybe you like playing with words. That's why I like writing... and cooking, too. Dave Barry* once wrote that the reason he's a successf...
Read MoreChard & Sunflower Seed Furikake
Where the spice rack meets the crisper. Furikake is flavor. Traditionally, it has dried fish, sesame seeds, seaweed, puffed rice, and some other spices (including MSG). In other words -- pure umami. Steamed chard, on the other hand, doesn't have a...
Read MoreChickpea Butter
I know what you’re thinking... chickpea butter? Jess, sweetie, isn’t that hummus? No (darling) it’s not. Hummus is when you treat the chickpea like a bean. Butter is when you treat it like a nut. Here I pureed roasted chickpeas, which are hard and...
Read MoreOlive Onion Bean Cookies // Finding Your Voice
It helps to put olives and onions near this plate, or else people will think they are sweet cookies. Which might be funny, actually. Yesterday I got on the phone with my agent and the first thing she said to me was: I've been reading your blog. Yo...
Read MoreBerry Berry Muffin Biscuit
Most definitely not a scone! What in the world is a Berry Berry Muffin Biscuit? Well, allow me to unpack it for you. Berry Berry - It really should be Berry Berry Berry, but let's not be absurd. This snack contains blueberries, raspberries, and bl...
Read MoreCava Cranberry Pear Sauce
I loved cranberry sauce until I realized how much sugar it had. With some recipes, cranberry sauce is just an excuse to eat jelly by the spoonful. It seems people are afraid of the natural flavor of cranberries. Did you know Craisins contain mor...
Read MoreNew Year's Smoked Paprika Pea Soup
Southerners have Hoppin' John. Italians have cotechino con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils. Chinese have red bean soup with adzuki beans, peanuts, and chestnuts. Today around the world, people will be eating little seeds, nuts, pulses, an...
Read MoreBrooklyn Chirashi
When you don't want a bagel with your smoked fish. Brooklyn is pageantry. My pharmacist yells out my prescriptions, discretion be damned. My landlord smokes cigars all day in an art gallery he never opens to the public. Cashiers hit on my boyfrien...
Read More8 Rules to a Tang-Style New Year's Hotpot
Every year, my family has hotpot at my Uncle George and Aunt Shirley's house. Hotpot, also known as shabu-shabu, is an easy dinner to put together once you get all the ingredients. And yet New Year's at the Tang household has a special aura about ...
Read MoreSpecific & Pragmatic Writing Reflections
Seeing the light (through an almond croquant) In my last post, I wrote about big and abstract lessons I learned in the last year. That's the mantra stuff, stuff that I'd tell anybody pursuing any sort of creative endeavor or a teenage girl or real...
Read MoreBig & Abstract Writing Reflections
Dad's Oysters Rockefeller // Why, then the world's mine oyster/ Which I with sword will open.- The Merry Wives of Windsor, William Shakespeare 2012 will be a turning point for the book. I can say this without a doubt. But this year -- 2011 -- was ...
Read More5 Dessert Tips for a Merry Christmas
Matcha Pistachio Biscotti (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Biscotti recipe) Merry Christmas, everyone! Yes, I know I've been absent for awhile. But I have reasons. I even missed blogging about Thanksgiving, though I did tumbl about it. He...
Read MoreReasons I've Been Away From this Blog
This Cashew Fig Muesli is a small reason why I haven't been blogging 1. I've been doing NaNoWriMo, which is the craziest thing I've ever done!! No, just kidding, but it's very time-consuming. It's been an adventure and I feel light years ahead of ...
Read MoreInverted Makeup & Moments of Release
Middle pic by Linda Mason (more to come!) P.S. I still have the bleached panel in my hair. You just can't see it here. Every once in awhile, one feels an urge to get painted all over your face and neck. Call it recreational transformation (my boss...
Read MoreAbout My Pink Conceptual Hair by Tim Hartley
I was open to whatever Tim wanted to do. I just told him I still wanted to look "friendly." "Being cut by Tim Hartley is like being touched by a god." So said Justine of the L'Oreal Soho Professional Academy a month and a half ago. "Do you want to...
Read MoreA Chinese Saga
Summer's Last Gasp in the Hamptons
Corn, Bacon & Clam Stew. Recipe from Food52. Now is a good time. Corn and tomatoes are still sweet and juicy. Sunny basil hobnobs with moody rosemary. Wintry cruciferous veggies gesture towards the upcoming Season of Feasting, while roast fish wit...
Read MoreFamily Dinner in Montreal
Poulet au Vin Some people are born into money. I was born into food.* Last weekend, we went up to Montreal for our somewhat-annual family reunion. Every moment is spent eating. Mom is the youngest daughter of ten children, born ethnically Chinese ...
Read MoreBraised Rabbit with Parsnip, Pear, Fennel & Cabbage
I like rabbit. And frog's legs. And alligator. At restaurants, I can always be counted on to substitute salad for the rice pilaf, or ask if I can get the ginger pear ice cream with the fruit compote instead of the vanilla. But just because I'm par...
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