I’ve been a bit MIA because of our new business. I’m still trying to work out the balance of running a business and being a blogger at the same time. I’m not gonna lie, some days I just can’t motivate myself to be creative, entertaining, or charming. And not to get all depressing on you or anything, but I’ve been having a few health issues too. But everything is on its way to getting resolved now, so it’s time to saddle up the horse again.

This recipe was invented after I felt like eating a California Roll, you know the Japanese maki or rice rolls that are filled with crab, avocado, and cucumber. But the problem was, I didn’t have crab or cucumber. However, I did have turkey bacon, perilla (sesame) leaves, and alfalfa sprouts! By the way, if you put turkey bacon, avocado and sprouts together in a sandwich, it’s the bomb diggity- which is probably why I had those ingredients in the first place.

In an earlier entry, I gave you the recipe for traditional beef kimbap, or Korean rice rolls, where the flavor comes mostly from sesame oil and individually seasoned ingredients. At the end of the entry, I promised to one day post a “Julie version” of kimbap, which requires simpler ingredients and less prep time. So today is the day I deliver. [...]

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Do you like comfort foods as much as you enjoy light, fresh, and healthy dishes? If so, I’ll be nice and tell you one of my secrets on how you can enjoy both at the same time. Anytime you have a craving for a nice creamy or cheesy pasta dish, cut the cream way down by adding in chicken stock! Who knew, huh? Since I graduated from a French culinary school, I’m a big believer in using real butter, cream, and wine. But it doesn’t mean that you should use an excessive amount, especially if you’re trying to watch your girlish figure! Sometimes all you need is just a touch.

So this delicious mushroom pasta is the perfect recipe for you to try to test my theory. I adore orecchiette pasta, because the little cute “ear-shaped” pieces are like little cups that hold all your glorious sauce. If you don’t like the taste of mushrooms, you can skip this recipe, because the flavor base comes mostly from cooking mushrooms and cooking them right. Intrigued? [...]

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It’s after the holidays and you’re probably craving something light and healthy right about now. We’ve been trying to be more conscious about what we consume as well. That means we’ve been eating lots of fresh veggies and less carbs. But just in case you need a break from all that healthy eating and crave an easy and satisfying recipe to comfort your soul, here’s my almost non-recipe for tortellini and meatballs.

Eating this reminds me of my childhood, when my sister and I ate Chef Boyardee after school. And although it’s not a meal from a can, it’s almost just as easy to prepare because, oh yes my friend, this recipe uses refrigerated pre-made tortellini and frozen meatballs! I figured I gave you a more complex recipe last time, so why not ease it up a bit today? [...]

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We were en route to watch a Christmas presentation at our church, when we decided to grab something quick to eat along the way. Luckily, there was a Korean grocery store nearby, so we grabbed a $3.00 package of kimbap and ate our dinner in the car. Normally I would not have given the saran wrapped, cheap, and convenient kimbap much thought, but after being challenged to make it for a guest blog spot on rasamalaysia.com, I have a new-found appreciation for it.

The ladies at the Korean market always make it seem so effortless to make, but I realized that it’s because first of all, they’re probably used to it, and secondly, they have all the ingredients already prepped in bulk. The assembling part goes quickly, once you get the proper drop, tuck and roll method going, but getting to that point requires a little prep time and several different ingredients. Here’s the how-to. [...]

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Around this time of year, I get amused by the countless chocolates, cookies, and treats, wrapped in some kind of festive holiday packaging, available at every store. I have to admit, when I’m shopping for gifts, although it is pretty tempting to reach for that Santa Claus mug filled with Hershey Kisses, I always stop myself. I find that you always get a better reaction from people if you give them an edible gift that you made yourself.

And although I’m not at all against making desserts, what about making something people can enjoy for breakfast? One day, my friend Vanessa and I decided that we wanted to make granola. The funny thing is that we had both been wanting to make some for a while, but were too lazy to go out and buy all the separate little ingredients required to make it. But after we shopped for everything together, and rummaged through my pantry, it ended up being kind of a fun and nice activity to do with a friend. And the best part was that we got to split our batch and have yummy toasty granola to eat with our yogurt in the mornings. [...]

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Good thing we live in California. My husband loves in-n-out burgers. In fact, any time we’re on the road somewhere and have to grab a quick bite, without fail, he rhetorically asks me, “so what do you want to eat…(polite pause)…in-n-out?” In fact, he just asked me this on our way home from Vegas last week, from our impromptu Thanksgiving trip there.

I thought it was fitting to post this recipe as a tribute to Joe since we actually did not end up grabbing in-n-out this time. This dish tastes like a yummy hamburger in a bowl, mainly because the sauce is made with a little ketchup and mustard! Sounds weird, I know, but I guess you can say it’s kind of like my American take on “beef and broccoli.”

On another note, I’m pretty sure that right now, most bloggers are probably writing about what to do with your leftover turkey. But what about the rest of us who ate at a sushi buffet for Thanksgiving and have no leftovers? Oh okay, maybe that’s just us. But in any case, why not take a break from turkey sandwiches and try out an easy hamburger stir fry instead? [...]

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