On to the next ice cream! Every summer, the company my parents worked for had a huge beach party. This involved copious amounts of food for thousands of people; burgers, hot dogs, snow cones and anything else you can think of. It was all amazing food, but the best part? Ben and Jerry’s ice cream carts….
Pork, Chive & Cabbage Dumplings
When every culture has their version of a stuffed dough pocket, you know they’re on to something. The Italians have ravioli, Spanish empenadas, Polish perogies and the list goes on and on. Of course, I am most familiar with Chinese dumplings and those varieties are my favorite. Of all the dumplings in Chinese cuisine, the…
Banana Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I’ve been traveling and on vacation for about a month and am finally back in St. Louis. One the of the first things I was told after arriving back at the apartment: “There are 10-ish really overripe bananas in the fridge.” Sure enough, I crack open the fridge door to find the top shelf almost…
Spicy Asian Peanut Noodles
Let’s talk about summer and all of it’s problems. More specifically, my problem. It’s this pair of jean shorts that sit in my dresser, never seeing the light of day until it’s too hot to wear jeans or when it’s “socially unacceptable” to wear leggings. Yeah, I keep working out over the winter, but when…
Jalapeño Garlic Cheese Crackers
When I was working on my thesis, I ate nothing but oatmeal, dark chocolate and Tabasco Cheez-Its. Weird. I ended up with a lot of heartburn from those tiny spicy crackers and haven’t have any since. I went through a box every couple of days and haven’t been able to bring myself to buy them…
Green Tea & Red Bean Cake
I have a confession to make. I’m kind of obsessed with matcha and green tea flavored things. Maybe it’s because of the crazy bright color it imparts on everything, its fragrant taste, or that I see it everywhere now. Regardless, it’s a beloved childhood flavor and a staple of many asian cuisines. This Green Tea & Red…
Mocha Cake & Espresso Whipped Cream
Ah, spring. The season of intense allergies and graduations. This Mocha Cake & Espresso Whipped Cream is for my friend James because he just graduated from the 20th grade! For those of you confused out there, it’s a celebration cake for the end of his medical school education and the beginning of his career as an…
Roasted Garlic Panzanella
Let’s pretend we’re in Italy, specifically, Florence. We’ve just spent a morning copying statues in the bust room at the Galleria dell’Accademia and now we’re heading back to the river for a quick lunch at home. The sun is beating down on our heads and shoulders as we hurriedly navigate between throngs of slow moving tourists and…
Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Cookies
Now let me preface this with a statement. I am not gluten free. But some of my friends are, so I’m learning to adapt recipes so they can be part of the yummy fun too. These Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Cookies are my first foray into that area. My original recipe uses a small amount of flour…
Kashkeh Bademjan – Persian Eggplant Dip
One of my favorite cuisines is Persian food. Not terribly mainstream, but some of my best childhood friends are Persian and introduced me to this fabulous world of flavor! My surprise sweet 16 party even consisted of beef and chicken kabob, roasted tomatoes, and rice. Needless to say, it’s a bit harder to pick up…