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 Do spicy foods taste better when the temperature outside matches the heat of the food? Someone once told me that was true and at first I found it hard to believe. Sweating both on the outside and on the inside doesn’t sound like a good way to cool off from the summer heat. If there was ever a perfect time to test out this theory, any days from last week was it. With temperatures over 90 degrees here in… RECIPE:
Spicy Cold Udon Noodle with Sichuan Sausage, Pickled Mustard Steam, & Kimchi
 I’m a sucker for things that are pint-sized. Mini personal watermelons, baby vegetables, Lego, and I especially go gaga for baby booties. They are so tiny that you can wear them on your fingers! So when I spotted kumquats in the market a few weeks ago, I impulsively grabbed a handful of them. I didn’t know what to do or how to cook them. It sat in my fridge for a week. Every time I opened the door it was… RECIPE:
Fillet Mignon with Kumquat & Caper Marinade
 I never sleep alone. One side of my bed is always occupied with cookbooks, magazines, and notebooks. The drawback of this, besides occasionally waking up with a pen under my back, is reading food articles and looking at glossy big photos of pasta can and has lead to late night snack attacks. Two of my favorite sleeping companions for the past few months are Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home and… RECIPE:
Roasted Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Apple & Pickled Carrot Slaw
Caramelized Onion Mustard  My tiny kitchen cabinets are not bursting at the seams, it has already exploded. As I started to cook more throughout the years I’ve accumulated a large collection of print out recipes, subscribed to a handful of food magazines, a mountain of baking trays, pans, seasonal molds and cookie cutters I regretfully bought, and boxes of neglected kitchen gadgets that includes a juicer, an ice cream sandwich… RECIPE:
Armando Pasetti’s Braised Rabbit
 It was time to reintroduce my taste bugs to beets. I cut and boiled a few pieces and found it tasted similar to a radish, but much sweeter. Many different types of dishes came into my mind. Dessert was the first idea. Maybe a beet and persimmon tart? But I was worried how well the texture of the beets would go with the persimmons. My second idea was a beet sorbet, but I decided that would be my plan B idea instead. As my fingers turned redder and a few more bites later, I couldn’t stop thinking how much it tasted like a radish to me. I decided I would use it as a substitute for radish in one of my favorite Chinese dishes, braised beef.  Last Thursday was one of those days where the rain never seem to end and I didn’t mind one bit of it. It was the perfect lazy stay at home weather, order a pizza from Papa John’s, watch some past seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm on DVD, and call it a night. Instead, I only had one thing on my mind. Sukiyaki. I don’t remember the first time I had sukiyaki, but I do remember where. It was at Sagami in New Jersey.  Tsk…tsk…my oh my. I don’t know what to say. Has it really been 2 months since I lasted blogged? Sometimes we get so busy with life that we completely forget why we are busy in the first place. It all starts with timelines and goals, but before we know it things change and our tracks get derailed. Yup, that’s how I feel. An off tracked train stuck and immobile in the middle of nowhere.  Shhhh…be very quiet. If you don’t move or make a noise it might not sneak up on you. “Gobble-gobble” “Gobble-gobble” Ughhhh…it’s here isn’t it. Oh Thanksgiving, why must you sneak up on me like that. I thought I had weeks to prepare and figure out if I should cook a whole turkey or just the breast, if there should be soup, if anyone would like brussels sprouts, if I should buy new plates, what should I do about dessert, and it goes on. Like every love/hate relationship, the love seems to always edge out a bit more. |
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July this weekend. I'll be visiting the lovely city of Montreal in Canada over the holiday. Can't wait to report back!
- Shao
July 1st
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Maybe it’s just the winter blues.
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