Subject: Recipes

• OC Philly Cheesesteaks Better than Philly Legends!

  While in Philadelphia last week, I was able to taste the city's two most famous Philly cheesesteak joints: Geno's and Pat's King of Steaks. Read my review of Geno's here, then come back. Read it? Geno's doesn't begin to COMPARE to some of OC's better Philly cheesesteak gems--I'm thinking Philly's Best or Philly's Famous Cheesesteak in Tustin. Pat's, on the other hand, is better than our places, but only because they offer dried chilies only a Mexican can love...

  June 10, 2008

• Its Food, Stupid!

  May 18, 2000

• Choc Tactics

  "Leftover chocolate." Just like "fun run" and "friendly fire," the two words just don't belong together. However, in the unlikely event that you did overbuy/undereat the stuff of the gods this past Valentine's Day weekend, here's an easy-to-follow recipe that will rectify this dreadful situation.Ingredients:6 ounces dark chocolate3 tablespoons half and half cream1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter20 large or 30 medium strawberriesInstructions:Combine the chocolate and cream in a glass bowl. Heat in a

  February 16, 2009

• Blogging All Over the World

  For all you armchair gourmands out there, here's a new roundup of the 50 best food blogs, courtesy of the Times in London. They range from the well-known (Chocolate & Zucchini) to the obscure (pretty much all the others), and are written by food lovers from across the planet.With useful recipes, hilarious asides and enthusiastic ramblings, if these don't get the juices flowing, nothing will.But if 50 aren't enough for you, scroll down to the comments sections, where readers have  chippe

  February 18, 2009

• Dangerously Good Desserts At Pizzeria Ortica

  It's not often that hubby and I nearly come to blows over dessert (or anything else, I hasten to add), but we had a very close call during a recent meal at Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa. (For Edwin's review of the sleek eaterie, CLICK HERE).Our bellies already filled with pies, we thought we were being "good" (I hate that expression) by sharing the Budino di Cioccolato. OK, I know, that's Italian for Chocolate Pudding, which really should've tipped us off. Then it arrived.Until that point, the m

  March 18, 2009

• Flip the Bird This Thanksgiving

  November 27, 2003

• 'Every Tamale Is Love'

  April 27, 2006

• This Hole-In-The-Wall Life

  November 27, 2003

• The Island of Lost Drinks

  July 25, 2002

• Chubby British Chef* Looking For American Town To Kickstart His Anti-Obesity Crusade

  *No, Not Gordon Ramsay, but Jamie Oliver.Not satisfied with a worldwide culinary empire that includes several charity restaurants, numerous cook books and various TV shows and appearances (over here, Jamie At Home airs on the Food Network), Oliver wants to take on the seemingly insurmountable task of changing the way we eat in America, both at home and in our schools. The former Iron Chef America contender (pictured here with Mario Batali) has already had major success in the UK, where he h

  May 13, 2009

• Seasonal Recipe From Sage

  While fast food chains, on the whole, seem to be weathering the recessionary storm, some upscale eateries are having to bite the bullet and cut back their hours. Sage on the Coast is one recent casualty, shelving its lunchtime service on Mondays and Tuesdays.  It's a shame, but thankfully its tasting menu is still available, albeit for fewer services (details below) than at sister restaurant Sage, where we recently sampled it. The meal was memorable for its unintentionally hilarious waiter.

  May 22, 2009

• Light, Summery Recipe: Wolfgang Puck's Chinois Chicken Salad

  I've had this dish a few times at the Wolfgang Puck Bistro inside Macy's at South Coast Plaza. At Chinois on Main, Puck's restaurant in Santa Monica, it's been on the menu for over 25 years, such is its popularity. It even includes Colman's mustard, which I blogged about yesterday.Cooking a chicken from scratch might sound a little drastic, but precooked chicken should work in a pinch. Chinois Chicken SaladServes 4 as an appetizer, 2 as an entréeFor the Chinese Mustard Vinaigrette:2tsp Chinese

  June 17, 2009

• Recipe: Taps' Seafood Ceviche Cocktail

  This is another light, summery, easy-to-prepare dish, courtesy of chefs Tom Hope and Manny Gonzalez at Taps Fish House & Brewery, Brea. The following quantities serve six as an appetizer. And if you're really too lazy to try making it yourself, go to the restaurant for the real deal, where it's on the menu as a starter (for both lunch and dinner). For the cocktail:¾ pound shrimp (preferably rock shrimp), raw, deveined, tails removed¾ pound fresh bay scallops2 cups freshly squeezed lem

  July 1, 2009

• Recipe: Craig Strong's Crab and Melon Salad with Micro Greens and Honey Sherry Vinaigrette

  Here's another light, summery one, this time from Craig Strong, the new Executive Chef at Studio, at the Montage Laguna Beach.The recipe serves four and Strong recommends using Dungeness crab.Ingredients½ pound crab2 egg yolksjuice of ½ lemon1 vanilla bean, scraped, reserving seeds½ cup grapeseed oil1 cantaloupe melon¼ cup honey¼ cup sherry vinegar¼ cup grapeseed oil2 cups micro greensMix the egg yolks, lemon juice and vanilla bean seeds in a small mixing bowl. While whisking, constantly d

  July 8, 2009

• Recipe: The Winery's Zinfandel Braised Bone-In Prime Beef Short Ribs, Carrot Pearl Couscous and Roasted Asparagus

  Here's a recipe that's more elaborate than others we've featured recently. It's from the Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar in Tustin (where Yvon Goetz is Executive Chef and Partner), so it should come as no surprise that a whole bottle of the drink of the gods is a key ingredient. And if you can get your version to look as good as his, you deserve a second one.Ingredients (serves four) For the short ribs:4 1lb short ribs, bone in1 bottle Zinfandel1 qt veal stock2 tsp vegetable oil1 cup flour

  July 15, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Cat's Slaw

  ​This side dish is available at the Cat Cora BBQ counter at Macy's Signature Kitchen, South Coast Plaza. Broccoli slaw, sold in bags at Trader Joe's, isn't everyone's go-to choice, granted, but once combined with the dressing (adapted from Cora's grandma's recipe), it makes this tasty--not to mention healthy--crunchfest. Here's a pic of the chef herself, as she is far more attractive than a plate of slaw*.The following recipe serves 8Ingredients:2 12oz packages broccoli slaw Dressing:1/

  August 5, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Mojito Chicken

  ​Warning: This recipe is from Guy Fieri. That sentence alone may lose half of you. But this dish sounds so good I'm going to try it tonight. After all, as the recent return to hot weather confirms, it is still summer. The white pants are staying on for now!The ingredients should be easy to get hold of; the only tricky part is removing the bird's backbone. Where's Julie Powell when you need her?The recipe serves up to six people, depending on how hungry you are.

  August 26, 2009

• More Proof Santa Ana is Racist at its Core: Jefferson Davis Pie!

  Davis: Culinary godfather of SanTana?​My one vice in life is buying books related to Orange County, and our fair land's numerous social organizations have gathered and published their recipes over the years. The oldest cookbook in my collection is one compiled by the Ebell Society of the Santa Ana Valley located in SanTana. It dates from the 1920s and has hilarious recipes for tamale pies, jellied this, and other culinary relics.But the most telling recipe included is for Jeff Davis pie--as in

  September 10, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Stonehill Tavern's Ocean Trout

  ​ Usually a euphemism for a sad old salad or lackluster soup, the term "Recipe for one" is enough to strike terror into anyone. Just because only one person will be enjoying the finished dish, doesn't mean it shouldn't be interesting or nourishing. After all, it's you!So here's acclaimed chef Michael Mina to the rescue, with this gorgeous recipe from the Stonehill Tavern, his classy restaurant in the St. Regis, Dana Point. As you can see from the photo, this is also a visually appealing dish,

  September 11, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Guacamole (In Honor of National Guac Day!)

  ​Yes, today really is National Guacamole Day!And where better to get an authentic recipe for the dip than the California Avocado Commission?The voiceover for the atmospheric video clip on the website's home page actually ends with the clichéd phrase: "Insist on California avocados."This version is so authentic, in fact, it's even called Guacamole Auténtico!And, even better, it's over and done with in ten minutes (bar the eating, which is bound to take even less time).

  September 16, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Chicken Cacciatore

  ​Stick a Fork In It always runs its recipes on a Wednesday, and sometimes that coincides with a yummy national food day. Today, however, is an exception: October 14 is National Chocolate-Covered Insects Day. Yikes!But instead of sharing my favorite recipe for cucarachas con chocolate, I'm bringing you Rachael Ray's easy-peasy, soothe-your-chillblains Chicken Cacciatore a day early. Yes, folks, tomorrow is National Chicken Cacciatore Day. Hurrah for normal food, and, it goes without saying, evo

  October 14, 2009

• Eyewitness Kogi Truck Report

  ​This just in from someone who spotted the Korean BBQ taco-spewing Kogi truck near the Barnes and Noble in the Orange Town and Country center across from Mainplace Mall in Santa Ana:"There was no one there before the truck pulled in the parking lot around lunchtime, but as soon as it stopped there were 40 to 50 people already in line--and they weren't even ready to serve yet. People were coming out of everywhere, from the bushes, jumping out of cars. It was a real spectacle. "The operators of

  September 29, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Zimzala's Farro Salad With Garden Vegetables and Red Wine Vinaigrette

  ​Courtesy of Vincent Muraco and Joyce Goldstein at Huntington Beach's Zimzala restaurant (within the Shorebreak Hotel), this is a gorgeous, easy-to-assemble salad that you can get away with for another month or so, while the weather's still warm enough. Apparently also known as emmer wheat (although I'd never heard that term), farro makes a toothsome change from deathly-dull pasta or potato salad.And, as an extra bonus, it looks mighty pretty in the bowl.

  September 30, 2009

• Recipe of the Week: Crème Brûlée in Apples

  Dave Lieberman​Quick, what's better than crème brûlée?How about crème brûlée in an edible bowl?The Catalans, those famously free-thinking denizens of northeastern Spain, Andorra and the adjacent part of France, claim to have pioneered crème brûlée. In a burst of national pride, they call it crema catalana, and some culinary savant in Catalunya decided to put the resulting custard in baked apples and then burn some sugar on top.In-geeeeeee-nious! And so this week, just past the jump, w

  October 28, 2009

• Drink of the Week: Vegan Friendly Gel-Glow Shots

  Grace Le​ In the ultimate clash between classy and trashy, we present to you the Vegan Friendly Gel-Glow Shot. No longer must you pass up a drink because its ingredients infringe upon animal rights. This animal-free recipe allows herbivores to join in and get eff-ed up along with everyone else! But the fun doesn't end there... Not only are these shots vegan friendly--they glow in the dark!

  November 13, 2009

• What Astronauts Do With Taco Sauce In The Space Shuttle

  ​I had to share this recent story with my fellow science geeks out there.  It's all about stuff you never knew to ask about food in NASA's space shuttle.  According to the article, here are some fun tidbits: - "Salt and pepper are available but only in a liquid form because astronauts can't sprinkle salt and pepper on their food in space - it would simply float away." - "In 2007, an astronaut was trying to make a pretend sushi meal with bag-packaged salmon and accidentally squi

  November 18, 2009

• Recipe of The Week: Butternut Squash Soup

  The hard-skinned, knobby squashes of fall and winter can be a bit confusing to shop for. A variety of names--the exotic-sounding delicata and kabocha, the more tame and familiar butternut and acorn--different colors and various molted patterns make it seem like cooking each variety might be as different and particular as their appearances. Not to say that there aren't differences in taste, but these winter squashes are largely interchangeable in recipes. The important to thing

  November 18, 2009

• Can't Find Canned Pumpkin? Use Kabocha!

  strata @ flickr.com CC BY-NC-SA 2.0​By now it should not be news that the U.S. is facing a severe shortage of canned pumpkin. News sites and blogs everywhere are talking about the effect on our Thanksgiving pumpkin pies.If you're depending on canned pumpkin to make your holiday pumpkin pie and you find you can't get any, never fear! Kabocha squash (also known as Japanese pumpkins) are plentiful at Southern California farmers markets. Knobbly and dark green on the outside, they're the same yell

  November 20, 2009