A funny thing happened on the way back home from Phoenix. A couple of years ago, we went there randomly for a 4 day trip because we had free plane vouchers and had never been there. From there, we decided to go to the Grand Canyon and so I wanted to buy some snacks for the road. I ended up buying a small bunch of bananas and we only ate 2.

Well, while boarding the plane going back home, I brought along the remaining 3 extra (pretty ripe) bananas from Phoenix as a “carry-on” item in a plastic bag. Joe thought I was being a crazy lady and actually got annoyed at me. Of course we even argued a bit. [...]

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Ever since moving to California, my palate has been craving more and more Mexican food. Living in New York, I got my fix from a Chipotle down the block. Now, I have access to a delicious mom and pop Mexican restaurant or stand at every corner. But I especially have been into fish tacos, with the crunchy cabbage slaw and creamy white sauce. I wanted to make a twist on this dish by laying the fish on a sturdy tostada mattress.

Tostadas are basically deep fried corn tortillas, usually made when the tortillas are no longer fresh, but it’s too wasteful to throw them out. They are usually served with the regular taco fixings, like beef, lettuce, salsa etc, but I wanted to see if it would be good with the soft spicy fish and crunchy shredded cabbage. [...]

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I love stir-fry, as a lot of people do, mostly because it’s quick and easy to make. One day, I decided to make one using what I had in my fridge, which happened to be tofu and ground turkey. But knowing that ground turkey has a tendency to be bland and get dry, I thought to add sauce, and I mean a lot of sauce to help keep it moist and flavorful. Then I looked at the tofu and realized that I could sort of make a mapo tofu type of thing, minus the spicy bean-based sauce. [...]

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What in the hey are crepe monsieurs (or crepe misters in English) you might ask? It’s my made up spin on a classic French croque monsieur. What is a croque monsieur? It is basically a glorified, yet glorious rich ham filled and cheesy bechamel covered sandwich. I got the notion to make this from watching one of my new favorite movies, It’s Complicated. Remember that scene where Meryl Streep pulls out a delicious croque monsieur hot out of the oven? Yum! I figured that since I blogged about making crepes, I might as well show you how I use them AND satisfy my craving for a deluxe ham and cheese sandwich at the same time. The best thing about these stuffed crepes is that they taste very identical to the classic croque, yet feel lighter. [...]

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Crepes are one of those things that are really easy to make, but can seem intimidating. I learned how to make my first crepe in culinary school and I was scared too. In fact, the first one I ever made was a complete flop and I got discouraged. But, you have to get past that failure and press on. And when you do, the 2nd, if not 3rd one will come out perfect, and you’ll feel so proud. The best part is that there is no special equipment involved. [...]

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