The Adventures Of Tummy

Update

2026-10-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

I will be back with more recipes and product reviews. Along with the usual posts I will also be adding diabetic-friendly meals!

Thank you for waiting!

Rosemary & Sage Potato Au Gratin

2026-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Let me first start by saying, this picture does not do justice to the absolutely delicious results of the rosemary & sage potato au gratin. There are some recipes that DO NEED to be handled by a food photographer. So, please don’t let the picture fool you - this recipe is FOR SURE one that you’ll want to try.

Some might be wary of the sage that goes in it. I say this because I was, at first. I thought maybe it would come out too pungent. But, to my pleasant surprise it wasn’t like I imagined at all. It was just the right amount of sage, just enough to taste it and not at all overpowering. Even my 12 year old loved it (and I honestly don’t know what kid loves sage).

The rosemary and sage potato Au Gratin is creamy, with just the right amount of umami, and has mingling flavors of rosemary and sage that is exciting to the palate. It is decadent and rich but if you’re serving a party of 6-8 people, there’ll be nothing left of it at the end of the meal.

Additionally, I’m always so surprised by how far 3 russet potatoes go when I make this dish.

Makes a 8x12 baking dish

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/4 cup of flour
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups of milk combined with 1/2 cup of cream
1 cup of water
2 tsp of Better Than Chicken bouillon
4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1 1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
3-4 large russet potatoes, about 3 lbs, peeled and thinly sliced with a mandolin
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced.
Roughly chopped rosemary and sage, about 1-2 tbsp total (1 tbsp for slight flavor / 2tbsp for strong flavor)
11/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

WHAT YOU DO:

Over medium-low or low heat, melt 3 tbsp of butter without burning.

To the melted 3 tbsp of butter add the 1/4 cup of flour and whisk to combine, until smooth — this should take less than a minute.

Turn up the heat to medium high and add the milk/cream mixture in increments, stirring the entire time.

Add 1 cup of water and 2 tsp Better Than Chicken bouillon, the garlic, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

Heat the sauce up to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium or medium-low. Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken and lightly coats the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter a large casserole dish (9x13 or equivalent)

Add 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom of the casserole dish, then layer half the onions, pour over 1/3 of the sauce, sprinkle 1/3 of the chopped herbs, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan. Do second layer just like the first: 1/3 potatoes, 1/3 of sauce, 1/3 of chopped herbs, and 1/2 cup of parmesan. Then, add a final layer of potatoes, sauce, chopped herbs, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Add a generous sprinkling of black pepper ontop.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in the 400 degree oven for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. The dish is ready when the cheese on top has browned and the edges of the dish is bubbling. Wait 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE

If you’re not keen on rosemary and sage, try thyme instead, or any combination of the three! (Although, it wouldn’t be a rosemary and sage au gratin at that point)
For a richer sauce, use 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream, instead.
Try adding a generous pinch of nutmeg to the sauce.

Rosemary Focaccia

2026-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Focaccia isn’t difficult to make. It just takes a bit of patience, most of it is waiting for the dough to get nice and puffy. It’s worth the wait though because homemade focaccia is absolutely delicious.

Because you can make a 9x13 slab of focaccia that can feed 18-21, this recipe is great for dinner parties. Keep in mind you can easily bake half the dough in a 8x8 casserole dish and save the other dough half to bake the next day (the dough will last 3 days in the refrigerator).

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 cups (512 grams) of all-purpose flour (I like to use 3/4 all-purpose and 1/4 bread flour)
13 grams of salt
2 cups of luke warm water
2 tsp (8 grams) of Active dry yeast
4 tbsp of good olive oil, divided
2 tbsp of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and kept whole
1 tbsp of minced garlic
Finishing salt

WHAT YOU DO:

Start by blooming the active dry yeast in two cups of luke warm water. Measure out two cups of luke warm water and sprinkle in 8 grams of active dry yeast. Let this sit for 15 minutes. The yeast will bubble and foam slightly, and smell yeasty (this is normal).

While we wait for the yeast to bloom, add into a large mixing bowl the flour and salt, mix to combine.

Then, add the lukewarm warm water and yeast into the bowl of flour. Mix the flour and yeasty liquid until a large wet dough is formed and there is no dry flour in the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes we’re going to knead the dough (this is an optional step and can be skipped, but this step does make for an airier bread). We’re going to do this while keeping the dough inside the large mixing bowl. Wet your fingers with water and then take the dough from the side of the bowl, reaching slightly under the dough ball, and pull it over and across to the other side. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and again reach slightly under the dough and pull it up and over across to the other side of the bowl. Do this about 8X.

Drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil (roughly 1/2 tbsp) and swish it around gently with your fingertips so that the top of the dough is covered.

Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set into the refrigerator to cold proof for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

When you’re ready to bake your focaccia, line a 9x13 casserole dish with parchment paper.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Deflate the dough by pulling it away from the sides of the bowl.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil into the casserole dish and dump the dough into the casserole dish. Roll the dough around in the olive oil and then let it sit uncovered for 3-4 hours (the second rise). If your kitchen runs on the warmer side only 3 hours is needed for the second rise. If it’s cooler, 4 hours will be needed.

Now, that your dough nicely fills up the 9x3 dish (it should be puffy, pillowy, and practically to the rim of the baking dish)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle the top of the dough with the whole rosemary leaves and minced garlic. Then drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Now, using all your fingers, dimple the dough by poking straight through to the bottom of the casserole dish.

Lastly, sprinkle the top lightly with finishing salt.

Set it on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top and bottom of the focaccia is nicely browned.

Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

NOTES:

Get playful by adding tomatoes, basil, olives and etc!
Serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or, marinara sauce!

Matcha Affogato, you’re welcome!

2026-09-03T06:16:09.277-07:00

Heavenly.

This recipe makes a semi-thick matcha cream, that’s full of robust matcha flavor, and poured on top of Neopolitan Ice Cream.

Makes roughly 1/2 cup

WHAT YOU NEED:

2-3 tsp Matcha powder (depending on how strong you like your Matcha)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2-3 tsp of half and half (can use more for thinner consistency)
2 tsp of sugar, optional
1 hardy scoop of Neopolitan ice cream

WHAT YOU DO:

In a bowl whisk matcha powder, heavy cream, half and half, and sugar (if using). NOTE: this recipe has a lot of ranges (ie. 2-3 tsp of matcha power, and, 2-3 tsp of half and half). This is because the creams sweetness and consistency is all a matter of personal taste, AND, depending on what matcha powder you have, it may need more or less of everything. I find that starting with 3 tsp of matcha powder, 2 tsp of half n half, and 2 tsp of sugar is best.

Whisk until the matcha cream is nice and smooth.

Taste test. Add more sugar if needed. If you’ve added too much Matcha and the flavor is bitter, add more cream to balance it out. If the matcha cream is too thick, add a drizzle more half n half. Remember to whisk well when adding more ingredients before tasting again. Another thing to keep in mind is that the matcha cream will be served with ice cream (which is sweet), keep this in mind when sweetening your matcha cream.

Add a 1-2 tablespoons of the matcha cream into the bottom of a serving bowl, add your hardy scoop of ice cream, and then drizzle more matcha cream on top.

NOTES:

Try topping with crushed graham crackers, homemade graham crackers, or pistachios! Topping it with some crunch is my preferred way of serving this simple yet heavenly dessert.

Tips For Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

2026-08-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Once again I’m having one of those moments when I feel the need for a food photographer. The image above does absolutely no justice to how fluffy and flavorful the mashed potato actually is. The fortunate thing is, the key to making great mashed potato is simple and so all you need to do is read the tips below. It’s not rocket science. If it’s for you, all you need to do is incorporate these tips into your next mashed potato night. And if it’s not for you — then don’t.

Here are the key notes to making fluffy mashed potatoes:

3 large russet potatoes will make enough mashed potatoes for about 4-5 people (about 1 heaping cup of mashed potatoes per person).
Peel and cut the potatoes into about 1” chunks before boiling.
Don’t overcook the potatoes, or you’ll end up with gummy mashed potatoes
Start the potatoes in salted cold water to allow the potatoes to cook evenly together.
Mash the potatoes over medium heat to get rid of residual moisture.
Mash the potatoes before adding in your dairy and butter.
Heat up your dairy and butter before adding in!

WHAT YOU NEED:

3 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
1 cup of whole milk + 4 tbsp of butter, heated gently in a sauce pan (for creamier mash potatoes use 1/2 cup whole milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream + 4 tbsp of butter)
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter for serving.

WHAT YOU DO:

In a large pot add your potatoes, then fill it with cold water until it comes up roughly 2” above the potatoes. Add about 1 tsp of kosher salt. Mix to combine. Then heat on high with the lid on. When the potatoes come to a boil take the lid off and put the timer on for 8 minutes.

While waiting for the potatoes to cook, in a small sauce pan add your dairy ingredients: Milk and butter. Or, if you’re using cream you’ll add cream, milk, and butter. Set the sauce pan on low heat and allow this mixture to heat up slowly. We don’t want to boil the dairy, we want to heat it up nice and hot (hot enough to stick your finger in it but not so hot you’d burn yourself).

At 8 minutes check your potatoes with a fork. If the fork goes into the potato nice and easy it’s ready. If the potatoes are still hard then cook for another minute or two and check again (mine are ready at about 8-9 minutes after it begins to boil).

Strain the potatoes in a colander, then dump the potatoes back into the same pot they were boiled in. On medium heat mash the potatoes until they’re mashed to your liking (we do this over medium heat so that the extra moisture that comes out of the potatoes while mashing will evaporate). When you’re done mashing turn off the heat. If you’re mashing for more than a couple of minutes I suggest turning the heat off half way.

Once the potatoes are mashed, add in 1/2 the dairy mixture, and using a spatula, incorporate the dairy into the mashed potatoes. Do this gently. Whipping and mixing too hard and for too long will make the mashed potatoes gummy (as does overcooking the potatoes). If you want creamier and thinner mash add in the rest of the dairy mixture (I normally use 1 cup for 3 russet potatoes).

Once your dairy is incorporated, add in the salt and pepper. I didn’t add measurements here because what flavorful is, when it comes to mashed potatoes, varies. I use way more salt and pepper than I probably should and think it’s heavenly. So when it comes to seasoning your mashed potatoes, you do you. I suggest starting at 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Taste and add more if needed, always adding a little at a time.

When serving, add a small pat of butter on top.

NOTES:

Make it garlic mashed potatoes by pressing a couple cloves of garlic into the dairy mixture before heating up. For extra garlicky flavor, add a few shakes of garlic powder into your mashed with the salt and pepper.

Other great add-ins? Herbs! Green onions, dill, and or chive! Fold the herbs in at the end.

Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan Bread

2026-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Trader Joe’s frozen garlic naan bread is an easy carb for any meal. It’s fairly quick to heat up in the oven and delicious.

A single package comes with 4 large pieces. One naan is enough for one adult, although my boys eat about 1 1/2 pieces.

A few bullet points on the frozen garlic naan:

If you simply heat it up in the oven and eat it as is… it will be dry and the flavors won’t pop. An added step totally turns it around — after the naan comes out of the oven, pat it thoroughly with a generous amount of melted salted butter. I don’t eat it any other way. It goes from ‘I don’t know if I’ll buy this again’ to ‘let’s stock up’.
The heating instructions say to bake for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on 400 degrees. I found this to be not enough time. I bake the naan straight out of the freezer at 400 degrees for about 3 to 3 1/2 minutes.
The garlic naan bread while delicious when baked and prepared correctly cools down quickly, and when it cools down it toughens up slightly. I suggest baking the naan bread just before serving.

Above is melted unsalted butter, finishing salt, and a brush. I didn’t have salted butter on had and so sprinkled finishing salt after patting the melted butter on the naan. I recommend simply using melted SALTED butter. I know, you’re probably thinking what’s the difference?? Honestly, I don’t know, but it does taste better with the melted SALTED butter.

Here’s the naan bread out of the oven and buttered up. It’s best when eaten hot and fresh out of the oven.

NOTE:

Try adding crushed garlic, red pepper flakes and a small amount of finely chopped cilantro into your butter before adding onto the bread — extra flavor!

How To Keep Your Bagels Fresh

2026-08-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Keeping food fresh, bread in particular, is like trying to crack an unbreakable secret code.

Recently, I tried storing my bagels in a way I heard about a couple of times but had never actually tried. I finally did it a couple of days ago… and it totally works!

So here it is: Cut your bagels in half, cross-wise, put them in a plastic bag (or ziploc bag), tie it up, and stick them in the freezer. When you want a bagel, simply stick it straight into the toaster oven from the freezer, and toast as you normally would. I toast mine on the bagel setting for about 4 minutes — they come out like I’ve just bought them!

Test the method on one bagel if you’re hesitant to try it.

Crispy Garlic Brussel Sprouts

2026-08-17T06:09:46.832-07:00

Brussels sprouts is a vegetable I cannot, for the life of me, get my child to eat. And then I made it like this, crispy, browned, and garlicky…

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb of Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, and quartered
A generous sprinkling of salt
A generous sprinkling of ground black pepper
An extra generous sprinkling of garlic powder (you can never have too much!)
Sunflower oil, enough to coat
Finishing salt

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss all the ingredients together and spread out on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.

Roast for 15 minutes. Then, toss around and roast for another 5-10 minutes.

The brussel sprouts should be crispy and dark brown.

Sprinkle with finishing salt if needed, before serving.

NOTE:

Feel free to add a pinch of red pepper flakes for some extra heat!

Tempura Popcorn Chicken

2026-08-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about this Tempura popcorn chicken is that it’s versatile. I like to dress it up as katsu over rice (as seen in the picture above), but you can easily serve it as simple popcorn chicken with hot sauce or ketchup. Another added plus, because it’s made at home with ingredients you handle, you know this popcorn chicken is much more healthier than popcorn chicken you get at a fast-food place.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs Boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 tbsp Garlic powder
1/2 tbsp Salt
1/4 tbsp Ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp garlic powder
Whole regular sized box/bag Tempura bread crumbs
1/2 regular sized box/bag Regular bread crumbs
3 Eggs, lightly whisked in a large bowl
2 cups All-purpose flour
Sunflower oil (or, other neutral high-smoke point oil) for frying, enough oil to fill up your high-sided skillet about 1 inch.
Green onions (optional)
Furikaki (optional)
Katsu sauce (optional)
Finishing salt (such as maldon)

Note that depending on how much chicken you have and how large the pieces are the measurements change. So if needed, add more breadcrumbs as needed.

On more than one occasion have I needed to grab an extra egg.

And naturally, if you want more salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder add it. This is all to taste.

WHAT YOU DO:

In a large bowl combine all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Give it a good mix.

In a second large bowl combine tempura bread crumbs and regular bread crumbs. Give this a good mix too.

In a large high-sided skillet, add roughly 1” of oil and heat it up on medium heat.

While the oil is heating, set your bread station. It should go something like this, from right to left (ending at the stove): Raw chicken, flour mixture, egg, bread crumbs (the bread crumbs will be closest to the stove).

Make sure to have a cooling rack set up inside a sheet pan, nearby. This will be for cooling the popcorn chicken once it comes out of the oil.

Cook the chicken pieces in batches. Because the pieces are small there’s no need to do everything one by one, it would take way too long. Take a handful or two (depending on how large your bowls at the station are and depending on how large your skillet of oil is.

When everything is ready, take your pieces of chicken and toss it around in the flour mixtures, shake off the excess flour. Then, toss the flour-coated chicken into the egg, making sure to shake off excess egg. Then, toss it into the breadcrumb mixture and coat it all up.

When the oil starts to swirl at about 350 degrees (do not let it boil- if the oil is boiling it’s way too hot). TIP: I always test the oil with a few pieces of the breadcrumb, if it starts to bubble and floats to the top right away, the oil is ready. If the breadcrumb sinks to the bottom and doesn’t bubble the oil is not ready.

When the oil is ready, carefully add the breadcrumb-coated chicken pieces. Make sure the skillet isn’t overly crowded or else the chicken will stick together. Fry the pieces until golden brown, flipping once in the middle (for me this takes about 2-3 minutes per side).

Lift the chicken pieces out of the oil with a spider or tongs, and transfer directly to a sheet pan with a cooling rack. The cooling rack will help to keep it crisp as it cools.

I love serving this over rice, with katsu sauce, sprinkled with green onions. If I find the chicken isn’t salty enough I sprinkle the finishing salt on top.

NOTES:

You can easily make extra and keep it in refrigerator, just heat it up in the toaster oven to get that crunch back.
Serve it over rice dressed as katsu, OR, serve it plain with homemade fries and ketchup!
Add in paprika or chili powder into your flour coating to give it extra flavor.

Tartarless Meringue Cookie Nests with Raspberry Compote and Fresh Berries (No cream of tartar needed)

2026-08-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to try out a Meringue recipe with two leftover egg whites. I’ve made pavlova’s before but not meringue cookies.

The meringue cookies came out well, albeit a little sweet for my taste when eaten by itself, but topped with tart raspberry compote and fresh berries, it was delicious! The fresh tart berries dramatically cut the sweetness, so I highly recommend eating it this way.

Read on for detailed instructions on how to make Meringue Nests, Raspberry Compote, and on How to serve it up.

FOR THE MERINGUE NESTS

WHAT YOU NEED:

A clean glass or metal mixing bowl and whisk. Any oil or grease will result in a flat meringue. If you have any concerns just wipe down your bowl and whisk with lemon juice by dipping a paper towel into lemon juice, or, halve a lemon and swipe it around your equipment. It is also fine to use a handheld mixer (which is especially good for making smaller amounts).
At least 2 egg whites, cleanly separated from the yolk
1/4 cup of sugar per egg white, do not cut the sugar — it’s very important to achieving the volume and peaks in the meringue.
Scant 1/2 tsp lemon juice per egg white (if using juice from freshly squeezed lemons, make sure to use a strainer so no pulp or seeds get into the meringue).
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (I use 1 tsp for 2 egg whites)

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.

Prepare your sheet pan with parchment paper.

Add the egg whites into the mixing bowl and on medium-high speed (NOT high speed) whisk the egg white.

When the egg white begins to get foamy, add in your lemon juice, and continue to mix on medium-high speed.

When the egg whites are between the foamy and soft peak stage, add in a tablespoon of sugar and continue to mix on medium-high speed. The sugar will be added in 1 tablespoon at a time, and with each time you add in the sugar it’s vital to take a spatula and give the inside of the bowl a good swipe so that everything is getting whisked, even the wall-clingers. The following tablespoons of sugar will be introduced when the previous tablespoon of sugar is completely dissolved. Depending on how fine your sugar is this can take anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute. My grains of sugar were on the larger side, so it took about a minute or more for it to dissolve. But a good way to tell is to take a tiny bit and rub it between your fingers, if you can feel the granules – keep mixing, and always on medium-high speed.

You know you’ve achieved the Meringue consistency when the egg whites are thick and glossy and stand straight up like a spike from your whisk. The meringue at this point will also be sticky! Totally normal.

Add in the vanilla extract, then manually fold it into your meringue with your spatula.

Take two large dinner spoons, put a spoon-sized dollops onto the parchment lined baking sheet, use the second spoon to help you with the meringue (they’re pretty sticky). Create bowls and swirls with the spoon that looks like a nest, this will give you a place to spoon your raspberry compote into.

Bake the meringues at 225 degrees for 1 hour. At the end of the bake, turn the oven off, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. Keep the meringues in the oven until they’ve fully cooled (roughly 2 hours).

NOTES:

Meringues will keep crisp in the refrigerator in an air tight container, for a couple of days. Store them immediately after being cooled.
You can add lemon zest, lime zest, or other add-ins when folding in the vanilla extract.

FOR RASPBERRY COMPOTE

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 small pack of raspberries (or more, if you’re making many meringues)
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar per 6-8 oz of raspberries
1/2 tsp lemon zest for 6-8 oz of raspberries
Juice of a slice of lemon for 6-8 oz of raspberries

WHAT YOU DO:

Add all the ingredients into a pot and heat up on medium to medium-low heat, stir until juices are released. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this time, it’s fine to do a taste test to see if more sugar is needed — keep in mind the meringues are also sweet and the tartness of the compote is a delicious contrast.

Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator until serving time.

NOTES:

Making the raspberry a day ahead. The one day in the refrigerator does wonders for the flavor, too!

WHEN SERVING THE MERINGUE COOKIES WITH RASPBERRY COMPOTE

WHAT YOU NEED:

Meringue cookie nests
Raspberry compote
Fresh berries (I used strawberries) rinsed, trimmed, and large berries halved or quartered.

WHAT YOU DO:

Make sure the raspberry compote is properly chilled. If not, it will melt the meringues.

Simply spoon a bit of the raspberry compote into the scoops and swirls of the meringue nests, top with a few fresh berries and serve right away.

NOTES:

Use any type of fruit and fruit compote you’d like — I DO think something tart offsets the sweetness of the meringue cookie making it a winning combination.
Instead of nests try little kisses or smaller dollops! Cute!
Passion fruit and/or blueberries would be heavenly!

Garbanzo and Leek Salad

2026-07-30T07:04:21.747-07:00

The great thing about beans is that they’re versatile and there always seems to be a can of beans in the pantry, which means on any given night you can whip up semi-fancy bean salad.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 - 14oz can of garbanzo beans or northern white beans, strained and rinsed
1 Leek, white and light green parts cleaned and sliced cross-wise
About 3oz of cooked tin fish, or alternatively any meat you have on hand, even leftover chicken or salmon will do
Enough olive oil to coat the pan
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Sumac to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced

WHAT YOU DO:

Coat a large pan with olive oil and heat up on medium-high heat.

When the oil is shimmering, add the sliced leeks, and sauté until softened.

Then, add the garbanzo beans, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix and heat all of this together for a minute.

Add into the pan, the tin fish or whatever cooked meat you’ve chosen to use. Break it into pieces and mix it in. Heat up altogether until the meat is heated through - this should only take another minute or two.

Transfer onto a serving plate, squeeze the lemon over it and sprinkle the top with sumac if using.

NOTE:

Add cooked pasta such as penne or bow-tie! Super delicious!
Sub the leeks for fennel!
Add diced onions and a splash of white wine vinegar!
Try it mixed into peppery arugula!

Endless options.

Burnt Honey Layer Cake

2026-07-23T07:55:32.536-07:00

The Burnt Honey Layer Cake is a Russian dessert that tastes slightly tangy, has strong flavors of honey and light notes of caramel. I’ve been told many times this cake has the perfect level of sweetness — I take that to mean it’s not too sweet.

The eight layers it takes to build this cake up might deter some of you from trying out this recipe, but this isn’t a difficult recipe, just a time-consuming one (it can take roughly 4 hours). And, there’s a lot of steps to it. It’s the perfect recipe to tackle on a day you have a lot of time. Make yourself a mug of tea or pour yourself a glass of wine, put on some easy-listening music, and just take your time… relax. Lean in to the experience.

One thing I will start with is this… you’ll want to have everything in order. So if there’s any ingredient that you can prep, do it. If there’s anything you can do ahead of time to make it easier for yourself, do it (ie. Preparing your parchment paper with the 9-inch circle drawn on it, having all the ingredients measured out, etc.)

Another option is to half the recipe. Instead of doing the full 9” 8 layer cake, do 4 layers instead.

WHAT YOU NEED:

For the burnt Honey

3/4 cup of Wildflower honey
3 tbsp of cold water (on ice)

The burnt honey is used for the pancakes and the frosting.

For the pancakes

3/4 cup of Wildflower honey
1/4 cup of burnt honey
14 tbsp of sliced butter
1 cup of sugar
2 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp of fine salt
6 large cold eggs
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 or 2 parchment sheets with a 9-inch circle drawn on it
1 or 2 silpats

For the frosting

4 cups cold heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup of burnt honey

This recipe is broken into five parts:

Making the burnt honey.

Making the pancakes.

Making the crumb.

Making the frosting.

Assembling

WHAT YOU DO:

First, we make the burnt honey because it’s an ingredient needed in the other parts of the recipe.

Pour 3/4 cups of wildflower honey into a small but deep pot and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. This portion will take roughly 8-9 minutes.

The honey will bubble and foam, and it will begin to change into a deep reddish brown (we don’t actually want to burn the honey though!) We’re cooking the honey to give it more depth of flavor.

Below are pictures of the honey cooking and slowly turning color.

Once the honey has reached the proper color, turn off the stove, and spoon in 3 tablespoons of water — it will sputter so watch out, and STIR.

Just a little sidenote here — it is difficult to tell when the honey is at the proper JUST burnt stage (you’ll be especially unsure your first time) but don’t worry if you feel you haven’t cooked the honey enough, as long as the color has turned a deep amber you most likely have, AND if in fact you haven’t cooked it long enough it’s still going to taste great! Trust me.

Once the burnt honey is made we can set it aside and continue to the next part — making the batter for the pancakes.

In a large metal pot over the lowest flame on the stove, melt 14 tablespoons of sliced butter, with 1 cup of granulated white sugar, 3/4 cup of wildflower, and 1/4 cup of the burnt honey we just made. Feel free to stir with a whisk to move it along.

Once everything is all melted together, and warmed (you don’t have to do this but I check by sticking my finger into the mixture. It shouldn’t be so hot you want to pull away, but very warm, and it definitely should not be boiling.)

Once it’s warmed, turn off the heat and whisk in the eggs, one egg at a time. Make sure to incorporate each egg completely before adding in the next.

After all 6 eggs are whisked in, turn the heat back on to low and warm up the mixture again. We’re looking for the same warmth as before (not so hot you want to pull your finger out, but a little more than warm)

Once the mixture is heated up again, add 3/4 tsp of fine salt, 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 2 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Mix to combine. Then, turn off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Then, we sift in 3 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, in 3 additions, making sure to incorporate all the flour into the wet mixture before sifting in more flour.

Below is a picture after the first addition of flour is mixed in. It’s still pretty watery.

After the second addition of flour (the batter is thick enough to make ribbons)

And after the third (last) addition of flour, the batter is thick and smooth (so thick I had to switch to a spatula).

We’re almost at the baking stage!

On a sheet pan, lay down your parchment paper with the 9-inch drawn on it, then lay down your silpat onto your parchment paper. You should be able to see the outline of your 9-inch circle through the silpat — this will be your rough guide when making your pancakes.

Pour 1/2 cup of the batter into your circle. Using a spatula, smooth out your batter to cover your 9-inch circle. It will be a pretty thin layer.

Bake in the 375 degree F oven for roughly 6-7 minutes. Take the pancake out when it’s reached an orange-brown color. In my Maytag oven it takes exactly 6 1/2 minutes.

Bake off all the batter in thin 9-inch rounds. My batch of batter will make about 10 pancakes.

I get a conveyor belt going using 2 silpats, 3 sheet pans, and 2 parchments with 9-inch circles drawn on them — when one is in the oven, I’m preparing the next one to go in right after, this way I’m not wasting too much time.

When the pancakes come out of the oven make sure to cool them on the drying racks. Once they’re cooled on both sides you can stack them with parchment paper between each pancake (but even with the parchment paper between they’ll still want to stick a bit).

Once all the pancakes are done, we’re going to trim the pancakes into nice 9-inch rounds so that the edges line up when assembling the cake. I do this with a lid that is 9-inch around and a sharp knife. (ALSO, do not turn off the oven yet!)

Start with the coolest pancakes first — and by coolest I mean, temperature-wise.

The cake is normally 8 layers, and if you’ve baked off all your batter you should have more than 8 layers. You may have 9 or 10. We’re gonna tear up the extra pancakes into small pieces and toss them back onto the sheet pan along with the trimmed scraps.

These will go back into the 375 degrees F oven for another 6-8 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye them, they burn in a flash.

Once they’re out of the oven, let them cool (about 15 minutes).

You can turn the oven off now.

Now, for the third part of the bake — frosting.

I use a stand mixer with a wire whisk attachment, but a handheld mixer will do just fine.

Before we make the frosting we need to rewarm the burnt honey, because it’s likely gone a little hard. Warm it up over low heat just until it’s slightly warmed and not as thick and tacky. Do not warm until hot. Turn off the heat.

Into the mixer, add 4 cups of cold heavy cream and whisk until there’s soft peaks. Once it’s reached soft peaks, add in 3/4 cup of sour cream. Mix on medium speed. And then slowly add 1/2 cup burnt honey in a slow stream.

Once all the burnt honey is added, turn the mixer on high and mix until you have stiff peaks.

Assembling time! Almost done!

On a flat dish or cake stand, lay down one pancake and cover with 1 cup of the frosting. Use a spatula to spread the frosting out nearly to the edge.

Add the second pancake layer on top, lightly press down on the pancake, then spread 1 cup of frosting on top of it.

Repeat this until you have eight layers.

After each additional pancake, press lightly down on it.

If you want to make sure you have a level cake and not a lop-sided one, get down to eye-level with your cake and look at the top of the cake — when you lightly press down on your pancake, make sure to press down lighter, harder, or not at all, depending on how level your cake is. Many times your cake will look taller on one side (try pressing down a little harder on the taller side).

Once all the eight layers are done, frost the entire outside of the cake.

You may not use all your frosting. I always have about a cup left (normally it’s because I tired).

Let the frosted cake chill in the refrigerator while we continue to make the crumb.

By now the twice baked pancakes are completely cooled and hard. Put all the twice baked pancakes into a large ziplock bag and bash it with a rolling pin.

Once you have your bag of crumb (and it doesn’t have to be all dust, just very small pieces mixed in with some even smaller pieces), take out your chilled cake and start adding it all over the top and to the sides — sprinkle, pat, sprinkle, pat, pat.. is what I do. It doesn’t have to look perfect, because… it’s going to taste great no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT.

Loosely wrap the entire cake with plastic wrap, this is to keep the moisture in. Let the cake chill in the refrigerator.

You can eat the cake 24 hours later… BUT… if you leave it for 48 hours, it’s going to taste phenomenal! The burnt honey flavor in the frosting will slowly seep into the eight thin layers of cake making the flavors more pronounced, but also allowing the pancake layers to soften.

Look at the beautiful layers!

NOTES:

You can make half the layers (4 pancakes instead of 8) this will cut 1 hour off the total time it takes to make this cake. I also found the 4 layers to be ideal for making it for home — it’s not as tall, making it much easier to fit in the refrigerator and also easier to cut and eat. The 8-layers shows the beautiful layers and makes for a tall show-stopping cake which I think makes it best for parties.
You can easily add walnuts into this recipe by adding 1 cup of walnuts and mixing it into the frosting before spreading onto the cake. The walnuts don’t overwhelm the flavor at all, and if you’re a nut lover you’ll most likely the addition of walnuts in the cake. I’ve found that some people love the smoothness of the cake without the nuts, while other loved the crunch and the occasional flavor of the walnut in a bite.

Savory White Bean on Toast

2026-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

It’s not like I absolutely love beans, but this recipe… wins hearts.

Imagine beans lightly heated up in a rosemary and garlic smashed infused olive oil, with a hearty splash of red wine vinegar, and a light grating of lemon zest. All, on top of a toasted crusty bread.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 - 14oz can of white beans, I try to use soft white bean such as Great Northern or Cannellini
3 cloves of smashed garlic
1 large sprig of rosemary
A pinch of red-chili flakes (optional)
Olive oil
A hearty glug of red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest of half a lemon
Slices of crusty bread, toasted

WHAT YOU DO:

In a medium pot, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Throw in the smashed garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes if using. Heat up the pot with its contents on medium to medium-low heat. We don’t want to burn the garlic or the rosemary. You can start on medium and when you hear it start to sizzle bring down the heat a couple of notches.

In the meantime, pour out your can of beans and rinse them with water in a colander. Shake out the excess water.

When the garlic and rosemary really begin to smell good and the red pepper flakes are dark but not black, add in your beans and mix to coat with the oil. You can turn up the heat a tad higher now.

Add in your salt and pepper to taste (always add in small amounts, then add more if needed). Add in a couple shakes of the red wine vinegar. Mix to combine and taste. If you want more tang, add a little more vinegar. I love the tang so I always add in much more, but you do you.

When the beans are heated through, which only takes a couple of minutes, take the pot off the heat, take out the rosemary, and transfer to a serving bowl. Shave lemon zest over the top.

Serve with toasted crusty bread.

I normally toast my crusty bread in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cover the bottom of the pan with a good amount of olive oil and lay the bread down when the oil just begins to give signs of sizzling. Flip the bread slices when it’s browned to your liking. Brown the other side. Keep the freshly toasted bread slices on a wire rack so the bottoms don’t get soggy.

The crunchy bread and the buttery white bean is a texture you don’t want to miss!

NOTES:

Go extra and shave Parmesan on top!
Instead of infusing with rosemary, try thyme! Or both!
DO make sure to toast your bread! That crusty crunchy bread with the buttery savory beans on top is a texture contrast not to be missed!

Make an easy bread Lame at home

2026-07-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Scoring bread isn’t just decorative, it helps for steam to escape and allows the dough to achieve height during baking.

I’ve tried scoring bread with a chef’s knife, a sharp paring knife, a serrated bread knife, even a regular razor blade! I was able to score the bread with all these different blades but it wasn’t easy. There was a lot of babying and gentle strokes needed, but it still snagged the bread or wouldn’t cut all the way through, sometimes a second or a third pass was necessary. After scoring about a dozen loaves this way, I was pretty frustrated. So I looked for a bread lame in stores (a tool specifically for scoring bread) — I could NOT find one. Apparently, bread lames are not everywhere. So then I went online and looked at all the bread lames available — there’s so many different kinds! Funny enough there really wasn’t one I liked. Many of them just looked too large, the smaller ones were awkward, or they had reviews saying the blades were hard to switch out.

By the end of two weeks of hunting around for a bread lame I decided to order bread lame blades and make my own. Oh boy was it easy! I had read about it online that you can simply slide chopsticks through the bread lame holes — that’s what I did, but instead of chopsticks I used wooden skewers that I had in the pantry closet. It works like a charm! It was affordable, takes little to no space, is super light, and makes scoring dough so much easier than snagging the bread dough with the kitchen knives.

If you plan on continuing to bake bread at home I highly suggest getting a bread lame.

Everyday Rustic Loaf

2026-07-10T06:30:06.531-07:00

Never in a million years would I have imagined that I’d bake my own bread.

Being a ‘pinch’ here and a ‘shake’ there kind-of-gal, I’ve always shied away from baking. Measuring out things has never been my strong suit. But I’ve recently learned this new technique, cold-proofing (thank you Zoe Bakes!), that not only is fool-proof, but is so very SIMPLE and you can have bread whenever you want! Seriously! It’s truly amazing and life-changing — I don’t say these words lightly.

Very simply, you put all the dry ingredients in a bin or container, mix it all together with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated into a damp shaggy mess, proof this on the counter for about 2 hours, and then stick the container into the refrigerator — this dough will be usable for the next 14 days! The longer the dough sits the more sour the flavor. We always use up the dough before a week, so I’ve never gotten to taste the 14-day proofed dough.

On the day you want to bake, simply grab a grapefruit sized amount (roughly one pound), knead it about 5x, proof it on the counter for 1 hour, and then bake it.

With this method you bake bread in less than half the time it would normally take you!

If you’re ready for a life-changing bread experience read on.

TO MAKE YOUR BREAD DOUGH

WHAT YOU NEED:

A kitchen scale, I highly HIGHLY recommend using a kitchen scale! It will ensure your bake will come out that much better.
An appropriate sized bin that has a lid - about 5-6 quart sized (my container is a rectangular 6”x12”x5” and I find it to be the perfect size.) Just a reminder, the container will need to fit into your refrigerator so keep that in mind.
910g (6 1/2 cups) All-purpose flour
10g (1 tbsp) Granulated instant active yeast
17g (1 tbsp) Salt
680g (3 cups) Luke-warm water (not hot! That’ll kill the yeast)

WHAT YOU DO:

Weigh/measure out all the dry ingredients and combine them into the bin/container you’re using. If you’re using a kitchen scale, you can simply put the bin/container on the kitchen scale, zero it out (TARE) and measure each ingredient in, making sure to TARE between ingredients (unless you’re awesome in math and plan to add it all up).

Before adding the lukewarm water make sure to stir your dry ingredients so that it’s all nicely mixed together. If you skip this step you will have clumps of yeast in your baked bread!

After you add in the lukewarm water.

Stir the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk. Make sure that no dry flour is left behind (especially at the bottom of the container). The dough should look damp and shaggy. if you have too much dry flour left in your container add more lukewarm water a little at a time until all the flour is incorporated.

The picture above shows the clump of yeast, and this is after mixing the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. So make sure to mix well.

Leave the dough out with the lid set on top of it for 2 hours. Do not seal the lid tightly on the container (gas will need to escape while proofing).

After 2 hours, transfer the container into the refrigerator, where it will sit for the next week or two, ready to be used.

This is what it looks like after 2 hours on the counter. It definitely more than doubled in size. If you end up adding less yeast it will be smaller. If your water is too cold it will also be smaller. When I first started making this cold-proof dough recipe I was measuring out instead of weighing the dry ingredients — what I learned was that a tablespoon of yeast wasn’t actually giving me the 10g of yeast I needed, as a result the dough was barely doubling and I was also getting poor rise in the oven. It was still good to eat, but it wasn’t that beautiful boule I wanted. So once again, I highly suggest weighing everything out.

NOTE:

Flour can have different amounts of gluten protein which can mean a little more or a little less water is needed. More gluten proteins means more water. So don’t worry if you need to add a little more water, it’s completely normal. That being said, I have accidentally added too much water and the bake still came out fine.
On flour. I’ve played around with my flour proportions between all-purpose and bread flour. Bread flour will result in a chewier bread. I’ve done a batch of fully all-purpose dough, the bread texture was very soft, very much like white sandwich bread. Then I made a batch of bread-flour dough, and the texture was too chewy for my liking. I found the perfect combination for me is 3/4 all-purpose flour and 1/4 bread flour. Because bread flour has more gluten proteins I need to add a little more water to my dough mix, about 1/2 cup more.
Yes, the inside of the bin/container will become slightly dewy from proofing. If the droplets on the underside of the lid become too big you can wick it away with a paper towel — I’ve only had to do this on one occasion when I accidentally added too much water when making my dough.
I use a salad storage container for my bread proofing and find it to be perfect. The size is perfect and the lid sits on top without sealing which is exactly what I need. If you don’t have such a lid and only have one that sits snuggly on top, you can simply set it loosely or if you’re so inclined, drill/poke small holes in it.
This amount of dough makes about 3-4 small boules.
You can easily half the recipe.
My dough never lasts very long, definitely not past a week. But there’s a huge difference in flavor between 1 day proofed dough and 3 day proofed dough — fascinating. 3 day proof dough is the yummiest.

ON THE DAY OF THE BAKE

WHAT YOU NEED:

Dutch-oven
A grapefruit sized amount of dough (roughly 1lb), I never weigh it out and go completely by sight.
A bit of flour for dusting and kneading.
A tsp of olive oil for coating
Parchment paper

WHAT YOU DO:

Take out your cold-proof dough bin that’s been sitting in the refrigerator.

This picture above is one-week old dough that’s been in the refrigerator. It smells like fermentation and looks kind of gross — don’t let that deter you. It’s going to be great.

flour the top of the dough in the bucket, this should help with taking it out without getting your hands too sticky. Flour your hands too!

Take your grapefruit sized dough and set it on your floured surface.

And, using scissors can help you cut the dough if it’s too stretchy and sticky). Knead the dough on your floured surface about 5-8 times. shape into a smooth round ball.

Set the your dough ball onto the parchment paper. Put the olive oil in your hand and gently pat the dough all around the top and sides to lightly coat the surface of it (this will keep a skin from forming).

Take plastic wrap and loosely cover the dough.

let the dough sit out on the counter.

After 20-25 minutes. Then, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F.

When your oven has reached 475 degrees put the empty Dutch oven with the lid on, into the center of the oven (the Dutch oven needs to reach the same temperature as the inside of the oven). Set a time for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes. Take the plastic off the dough. Sprinkle liberally with flour and take your bread lame (if you have one) if you don’t have a bread lame use your sharpest knife or a serrated one, and slice a large cross into your dough. The slice should be about 1/4” deep (slicing the dough is IMPORTANT to getting height on your bread).

Very carefully, keeping in mind the lid is also hot. Take out the Dutch oven from the oven, set your dough (still on the parchment paper) into the Dutch oven. Using mitts, put the lid back on and set the Dutch oven with the dough and parchment paper inside it, back into the oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, take the lid off the Dutch oven (USE MITTS!) and continue to bake for another 8 minutes (to brown the top of the bread properly).

Remove the Dutch oven with the baked boule from the oven. Using tongs, transfer the boule and onto a wire rack (or something similar) to cool completely, before slicing into it.

NOTES:

If you want to add in chopped rosemary or any other add-ins, incorporate it into the dough during the kneading step of the bake. I often will add in chopped fresh rosemary and find 1 tbsp is more than enough.
If you forget to make the slices on the bread before baking, it won’t be the end of the world, and the bread will be totally fine to eat, but it will keep your bread from reaching its full height.
You can skip the proof and go straight from kneading to baking, but the bake won’t be the same. I tried this as a test and the crust and structure of the bread inside was different, and not in a good way. That being said, it wasn’t inedible, but if you can, definitely do the 1 hour proof before the bake.

These are pictures of the test. The bread on the left is the dough backed with 1 hour proofing time. And the bread on the right is the dough baked straight from the refrigerator.

The crust looked to have exploded and the size of the boule is also smaller. Taste was similar, but the structure inside was different. The dough that had time to proof before the bake was structurally ideal, soft and chewy, while the dough on the right had a slightly tighter structure on the inside and the crust was also harder.

Egg Yolk Confit in Olive Oil

2026-07-05T08:00:15.021-07:00

Confit - a technique used to cook something low and slow, in fat or sugar syrup. Way back when, this was a cooking technique used to preserve food.

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 Egg yolks
1 cup of olive oil
1-2 sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme
4 garlic cloves smashed
Pinch of red-chili flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper
2-4 slices of crusty bread

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees F.

In an oven proof bowl just large enough to hold the 4 egg yolks, add the yolks, smashed garlic, sprig of herbs, pinch of red-chili flakes if using, and the 1 cup of olive oil. Cover the bowl with the eggs yolks with foil.

Set the foil covered egg yolk bowl into a larger oven-proof bowl, and add boiling water into the larger oven-proof bowl. The water should come roughly half-way up the side of the smaller foil-covered bowl. Carefully set this into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 1 hour.

At 1 hour, check the yolks. Use a spoon to gently nudge the yolk, if it gives little resistant (like it’s still soft/close to raw) then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. IF however, you nudge the yolk with the spoon and it’s slightly firm (gives a bit of resistance) — it means it’s ready to come out.

Take the water bath and the bowl with the yolks out of the oven, and allow it to sit AS IS, for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, take your slices of crusty bread and toast them with a sprinkling of olive oil on a cast iron skillet. Or in the toaster oven.

After the yolks have been siting for 15-20 minutes, uncover and prepare the egg yolk confit on toast. Using a spoon take a yolk (or two) and smear it on top of the bread, it should be smooth and jammy. Shave fresh Parmesan over the top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top it with a garlic or two.

NOTE:

I find that a single yolk is good for a single slice of bread, but some people love the extra yolk and go for two yolks on a single slice.
Try confit using duck fat!
Try adding a sprinkling of chives, or even pickled onions!
DO save the olive oil! I strain the olive oil into an air tight jar and use it for other dishes, even to make confit all over again! The oil is delicious because now it’s been infused with garlic and herbs! Don’t waste it. (I don’t know how long the olive oil will last, but I use mine within 24 hours and it’s fine).
DON’T skip the water bath. I’ve tried to make this two-ways. First without the water bath, it did not turn out, my eggs ended up fully-cooked. And the second time with the water bath, which came out perfectly.

Roasted Tomato Leek and Cheese

2026-06-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

The flavors of this dish is sweet, tangy, buttery, and savory.

Sweetness from the roasted tomatoes bursting with juice. Tangy from the melted cheese. Buttery from the leeks. And, savory from the mix of thyme and white wine vinegar, which comes through with notes so beautifully delicious it's hard to dismiss.

Serves 6-8

WHAT YOU NEED:

Roughly .75 - 1 lb. Small tomatoes (different colors are fun to use), washed, each tomato pricked once with a knife
1 medium leek, washed, white and light green section only, thinly sliced
1 - 5oz. semi soft cheese (you can use a combination of leftover cheese as well), roughly broken into big chunks (cut the rind off if it has one).
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed.
a few sprigs of thyme
salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil
A few shakes of white wine vinegar
2 tbsp of stock (chicken, vegetable, or beef) whatever you have.

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a 8x8 baking dish or pie plate, add everything but the cheese: pricked tomatoes, thinly sliced leeks, smashed garlic cloves, and thyme.

Drizzle with enough olive oil to generously coat, a few generous shakes of white wine vinegar, sprinkle of salt and pepper (to taste). Toss everything together.

Break the cheese into 2 or 3 pieces and nestle them into the tomatoes.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes.

Uncover, take out the thyme, and bake an additional 10 minutes. The skin of the tomato should be just split, leeks should be soft, and cheese should be melted.

Serve with crusty bread.

NOTES:

I made this using leftover cheese in the refrigerator (a part of Boursin and a part of a brie cheese) - came out fantastic!
Use a variety of small tomatoes: grape, cherry, and pear.
Next day, heat up in the microwave for 1 minute - perfect!

Salt & Pepper Lamb Loin Chops

2026-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Affordable, delicious, and easy to make.

I don’t know much about meat pricing other than the basics of supply and demand, and that for some reason there are some meats that are just way more expensive. I feel like lamb loin chops should be one of those meats that are worth more… thankfully they’re not.

If you like lamb, this recipe is one you should try. It’s delicious and takes only a few minutes.

Just as long as you have a meat thermometer so you don’t overcook the chops you’ll be fine.

There’s a couple of rules you shouldn’t stray from when making this:

Pat dry the meat and then salt and pepper generously (drying the meat first ensures a nice crust).
Make sure the cast iron skillet is piping hot, on medium-high heat.
Make sure to pull the meat off the skillet at 125-130 degree F (it will rise 10 more degrees as it rests and it is best served medium-rare).
Make sure to rest the meat on the serving plate, under foil, for 10 minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Lamb Loin Chops, 1-1 1/2” thick
Salt & pepper, to taste
Olive oil, to coat the pan

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pull the Lamb Loin Chops out of the refrigerator 30-minutes to 1-hour before cooking, allowing it to come to room temperature.

Turn on the hood vent to max. Put a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan.

Pat dry the meat on both sides, then salt and pepper GENEROUSLY.

When the oil is shimmering, add the lamb loin chops and sear 3-4 minutes on each side.

After searing the second side, put the cast iron skillet with the lamb loin chops into the preheated 400 degree F oven. Remove the chops from the oven when the internal temperature is at 125-130 degrees, Check the internal temperature after 5-6 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, transfer the chops to a serving platter, tent it with foil, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Perfectly Sautéed Garlic Greenbeans

2026-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve tried plenty of times to make green beans straight on the pan, but my one major gripe about this method is that it takes too long, and then it takes babying too. For this reason I prefer par boiling. Par boiling makes things much simpler, even though, technically, it adds a pot to the dishes… BUT, the green beans come out perfect every time.

Once the green beans are par boiled, they’re basically already cooked and could be eaten just so, but add them to the pan with your aromatics and you get to control the flavor and the browning (the extras) without worrying about doneness.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1lb Green beans, washed and trimmed
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil, enough to coat the pan
1/4 of red onion, small diced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp salt
salt & pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO:

Fill up a large pot with water and bring to a boil on high heat.

Once the water is boiling add roughly 1 tbsp of salt, wait a few seconds for the salt to dissolve, then add the green beans.

Once the green beans are in the water, time 3 minutes.

Strain the beans out into a colander and allow them to sit while you heat up a large pan with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, on medium-high heat.

When the oil is shimmering, add the green beans. Toss the green beans to coat in the oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss lightly.

After 3 minutes, add in the red onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using). Toss. Add more oil if needed.

Cooking for additional 3 minutes, tossing every so often. If you want slightly browned green beans wait for the green beans to show first signs of browning before adding in the red onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes - and then sautee for additional minute or two, or until it’s done to your liking. Remember the green beans will cook further with residual heat once off the heat, consider this when deciding when to take your green beans off.

NOTES:

Add oil as you sautee to keep it moist, if you have too — this will be the case if you didn't have enough oil in the pan when you first put in the green beans, which is fine, just add more as needed.
If the green beans came out under salted, sprinkle finishing salt right before serving.
Add a squeeze a lemon once the green beans are plated!

Sautéed Leek and Fennel

2026-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

I had fennel and leeks in the refrigerator that really needed to be used up. When I looked for recipes that included the two, all I could find was au gratins, and cheesy wasn’t something I was looking for. So instead I decided to saute the two in a little bit of bacon fat — the fennel became beautifully sweet and the leeks turned buttery. With each bite there was the salty crunch of crisp bacon and the zing and lift from lemon juice… it was… satisfying.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 medium leek, white and light green parts halved length-wise and cut cross-wise into 1/2” slices
1 medium fennel, tops removed, halved and sliced
3 bacon slices, cut cross-wise into slices
1 large clove of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp of chopped thyme
A slice of lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO:

In a large high-sided skillet or shallow pot, crisp up the bacon and render the fat. Once the bacon is nice and crisp, remove on a paper towel lined plate, and set aside.

On medium-low heat, add the chopped garlic into the same pan as the bacon fat. Stir. Then, add the leeks and fennels. Stir to combine, then turn the heat up to medium. Sautee until the veg begin to soften, and then add the chopped thyme and stir to combine.

Add 1/4 cup of water, turn the heat to low, cover it with a lid, and let it steam for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes remove the lid, crank up the heat to medium or medium-high, and reduce the liquid. The goal is to cook off the liquid until it’s mostly gone. During this time you can salt and pepper to taste (remember you will also be adding back in the bacon, which will also add salt).

Once most of the liquid has evaporated, turn off the heat, add the bacon, toss to combine, transfer to a plate, and squeeze the lemon wedge over it.

Creamy Parmesan Egg Noodle Pasta

2026-06-15T06:33:02.237-07:00

This dish is definitely a favorite with kids. This pasta recipe uses Better Than Chicken Bouillon for umami, and rosemary, thyme and garlic… for sophistication.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 bag of wide egg noodle pasta, cooked according to package
2 cups of reserved pasta water
1 cup of grated Parmesan reggiano
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary and thyme, combined
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tbsp of butter
Couple glugs of olive oil
2 tsp of Better Than Chicken Bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO:

Put the egg noodle pasta into the boiling water.

While the noodle boils make the sauce.

Begin by melting 2 tbsp of butter and couple glugs of olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or shallow pot. On med-high heat, add the onions and saute until translucent. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Lower to medium heat, add the garlic and herbs, saute for a couple of minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. If the garlic looks in danger of burning, lower the heat.

On medium or medium-low heat, add the cream and mix. After a few seconds, add the 2 tsp of bouillon and mix into the mixture. Cook for a few seconds, then taste for salt level — the aim is for it to taste more salty than perfectly salty, because once you add the noodles the salt level will adjust.

Reserve 2 cups of pasta water and set it aside.

Strain the pasta and then pour directly into the sauce. Toss the pasta in the sauce while the heat is on low. Add all of the grated Parmesan and toss into the noodles. Add 1 cup of the pasta water and toss again. When the cheese is all melted down, turn off the heat.

The pasta should look silky, but if the pasta is beginning to dry out add the last cup of reserved pasta water and toss again.

NOTES:

Try adding chopped fresh flat-leave parsley or a grating of lemon zest!
Serve with slice grilled chicken on top!

Beet Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese

2026-06-08T06:13:16.525-07:00

The beet salad with arugula and goat cheese salad is savory, sweet, and exciting all at the same time. And, is a wowwer for dinner parties.

If you’re preparing the beets the same day you’re putting the salad together it can seem like a long process, albeit easy. But, you can roast and peel the beets the day before and everything will be a lot faster the day of.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 Red beets
2 Golden or yellow beets
2-3 handfuls of arugula
1 large handful of micro-greens (optional)
1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, picked.
Half shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of chèvre goat cheese
1/4 slice of lemon
1/4 cup of chopped dill (tender parts only)
2 tbsp of chopped chives
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

FOR BEET DRESSING:

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar 3:1 ration (3 parts olive oil -to- 1 part balsamic vinegar)
1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 heaping tsp of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
Salt and pepper

WHAT YOU DO:

First, roast the beets…

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim the beet tops (leaving roughly 2-inches), then trim the tip of the beet tail. Leaving part of the tail and tops on the beet body will help trap moisture in the beet body while roasting in the oven.

After trimming and scrubbing. Pat dry the beets. Lightly oil the outsides of it (I use olive oil, because that’s what I usually have on hand), then take a small knife and prick the outsides of each beet, about 6x, all over.

Roast in the preheated 400 degree oven for about 1 hour. The beets are done when you can insert a knife easily.

In the meantime, make the dressing…

Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously to emulsify. Taste and adjust.

Set the dressing aside.

Next, pickle the shallots.

Put your thinly sliced shallots into a small bowl, squeeze a quarter of a lemon over it, add a large pinch of course salt and rub this into the shallots with your fingers.

Set this aside.

When the beets are done roasting….

Take the beets out of the oven and allow them to cool. When they are cool enough to handle trim the top and tail close to the beet body. The tops and tails can be discarded.

*Keep the red beets and golden beets separate — the red beets bleed and will make everything else red, including the golden beets.

Peel the skin off the beets (they should peel easily. You can simply use your fingers, or even a peeler, or with a paper towel).

Once the beets are peeled, cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Put the golden beets in a bowl, toss them with a couple spoonfuls of the dressing. Add half the chives and half the dill, and toss again. If it needs more dressing, add more and toss again. Do the same with the red beets.

On a large serving platter, lay out the arugula, then on top of the arugula lay out the microgreens and picked cilantro leaves, Lay out the red dressed red beets and then the dressed golden beets. On top of the beets, lay out the pickled shallots, dot with chunks of goat cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper (optional).

NOTES:

Try adding candied walnuts or toasted pine nuts for added crunch.
Add thinly sliced Fresno chili to give it a little kick of spice — I highly recommend!
Sub red wine or champagne vinegar, if balsamic isn’t your thing.
Want to go extra? Add thinly sliced green apples or halved green grapes!

Using what’s in the Giblet Bag to Make Chicken Heart and Liver Pate

2026-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

This pate recipe was created specifically for the liver and heart inside a chicken giblet bag (the ones that come inside the whole chicken you buy at stores). Frankly, I got tired of throwing it away, it always felt like such a waste — and it was, because this recipe which uses the heart and liver from it, is amazing!

This recipe makes a small dish of pate, which I think is the perfect amount (because honestly, how much pate can a person eat). The pate is absolutely delicious, even my 13 year old loves it! I kid you not.

What you end up with is a rich smooth pate with strong notes of thyme, rosemary, and garlic.

Makes about 1/4 cup

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 chicken heart and 1 chicken liver (from the giblet bag), you can also use the gizzard if you wish.
1 large sprig of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped, small
2-3 tbsp of butter + 1 tbsp
Salt & pepper to taste
3 tbsp of heavy cream
Roughly chopped parsley for serving (optional)

WHAT YOU DO:

Over medium heat, melt 2-3 tbsp of butter in a small pot. If the chicken liver is large, and it could be, use 3 tbsp of butter, but if the heart and liver are fairly small, use 2 tbsp of butter. If you’re unsure where you land on heart and liver size then compromise and use 2 1/2 tbsp butter. (This isn’t an exact science and I assure you the pate will be fantastic no matter what).

Directly below is a picture of one of the largest chicken livers I’ve gotten in a giblet bag. Normally they’re half the size. I’m also using the gizzard in this picture, as well as the heart.

At this point, we’re doing two things, infusing the butter with rosemary, garlic, and thyme flavors, AND cooking the liver and heart. What heat setting you’re doing it on doesn’t really matter, just make sure not to burn any of the ingredients.

So, once the butter is melted, add the chicken liver and heart, sprigs of thyme and rosemary, garlic, a couple pinches of salt and a small pinch of pepper. Cook until the chicken liver and heart look just cooked through (if you end up fully cooking it, it’s still delicious, so don’t worry). Depending on the chicken liver size you might need to take out the heart beforehand. If things are beginning to brown, turn down the heat and add just a little bit of neutral oil to give it enough moisture until the liver is cooked through.

Once all is cooked through, discard the sprigs of thyme and rosemary.

In a small food processor add 3 tbsp of heavy cream. Then pour the contents of the pot into the food processor. The food processor should now have the cream, the cooked liver, the cooked heart, the cooked gizzard if using, garlic, and melted butter.

Lastly, add 1 tbsp of butter. Run the mixture through the processor until smooth (it’s okay to have tiny bits in there. The texture is mostly preference, so if you want smoother pate, keep pressing that ‘pulse’ button). Scrape and process until you get the consistency you want.

Taste for salt and add if needed.

Pour the pate into a small ramekin and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is directly on top of the pate.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, to firm up.

Allow to come to room temperature before serving (about 1 hour). Best when spread on toasted crusty bread and a sprinkle of parsley on top.

I couldn’t wait, and spread the pate before it was fully at room temperature, but it was still awesome.

Leveled-Up Rosemary and Thyme Mac n’ Cheese, not just for kids

2026-05-25T08:40:34.315-07:00

This is leveled up Mac n’ cheese is not just for kids.

It’s creamy with flavors of rosemary and thyme.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb. Elbow pasta
4 - 4 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (I use a combination of Gruyère and Cheddar), set aside 1 cup for topping.
2 1/2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary & thyme (combined) + a little extra for sprinkling on top
1/3 cups of panko crumbs mixed with 1-2 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan reggiano (topping is optional)
3 cups of whole milk
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
6 tbsp butter
4 tbsp of flour
Extra butter for buttering the dish

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Shred the cheese and set it aside. (Do not use pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese have additives to keep them from clumping, which happen to keep the cheese from melting smoothly).

Cook the elbow pasta al dente (it will cook further in the oven).

In a pot or high-sided pan large enough to hold the pasta, on medium-high heat melt the 6 tbsp of butter and then add the 4 tbsp flour, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Mix the ingredients together into a paste (about 1 minute).

Add in the milk and cream, stir to combine. Heat the mixture on medium for about 5-7 minutes until the mixture thickens, when the consistency reaches a very loose gravy, turn off the heat add in the 2 1/2 tbsp of chopped thyme and rosemary. Stir to combine.

Allow the milk mixture to cool for 10 minutes — important for a smooth Mac ‘n cheese.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 325 degree F. And, butter up a large 9x13 baking dish, or a similar sized dish.

After the milk mixture has cooled off a bit, add in, a handful at a time, the grated cheese, making sure the handful of cheese is melted into the milk mixture before proceeding with the next handful (this will make for a non-grainy, gooey, smooth cheese sauce).

Once the cheese is all mixed into the milk and it’s nice and smooth. Add in the pasta (if the pasta has stuck together into large clumps, it’s fine, it will fall apart once inside the cheese sauce.). Stir the pasta into the mix so it’s nicely coated.

Turn out all the mac n’ cheese into the buttered dish. Spread the pasta out evenly. Top with the 1 cup of cheese, then top it with the panko crumb/parmesan mix (if using), and then sprinkle a little bit of the chopped rosemary and thyme on top of that.

Bake the whole thing in the preheated 325 degree F oven for 30 minutes, or until bubbling on top.

Frozen Broiled Unagi From the Japanese Market

2026-05-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

I went to the my local Japanese Market (Marukai) and bought a large frozen broiled Unagi to make for dinner: Unagi over rice.

Serves 3

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pack of frozen broiled unagi (about $20. Keep in mind there are different sizes, and I got the largest size, 14oz, which is a good size for 3 adult servings)
1 1/2 cups of white rice, cooked
Furakaki (optional)

WHAT YOU DO:

On the back of the packaging there were 3 different instructions. One, oven cooked. Two, microwaved. And three, boiled.

I chose the oven method which required me to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

I followed the instructions exactly, which said to run water over the FROZEN eel (still sealed in the packaging), it did not specify cold, warm, or hot water, so I ran cold water over the FROZEN unagi still in the packaging. It took less than a minute for the fish and the packaging to separate, which is what I was looking for.

I then slid the fish from the packaging onto a baking pan covered with parchment paper, covered the whole thing with foil, and cooked in the preheated 350 degree oven for 12-13 minutes.

After 13 minutes the eel was still cool to the touch, so I baked it for another 10 minutes, at which point it was ready — I’m still not sure what happened there. Was it the oven? Or was it the instructions? Either way I don’t think it did much damage because the eel was hot throughout (not burned or overcooked) and delicious.

I served the unagi over steamed white rice and sprinkled furikake on top.

It doesn’t compare to restaurant quality unagi over rice, but for frozen premade Unagi it wasn’t bad. It’s still tasty and so easy to make that every once in a while it’d be worth doing just to make life easier. And, if your kid loves Japanese food then they’ll love this.