Friday nights are date nights for Kevin and I. After work on Fridays, Kevin and I like to squeeze in a quick workout before we go to dinner. Our typical dinner rotation is pizza, sushi, or Vietnamese. This Friday, we ended up going to a local Vietnamese restaurant for pho, rice vermicelli, and summer rolls. We were both hungry so we started out ordering summer rolls.
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Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
The three cheese macaroni and cheese was inspired by the macaroni and cheese I had at a local restaurant in Ann Arbor when I was a student in college. Whenever I completed a final exam, I would treat myself to Sava’s macaroni and cheese. Sava’s macaroni and cheese had a wonderful smokiness, saltiness, and creaminess to it. The menu description for the macaroni and cheese listed smoked gouda, white cheddar, and parmigiano reggiano as the cheese ingredients. After I graduated from college and moved away from Ann Arbor, I still occasionally crave Sava’s macaroni and cheese.
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Palmiers
Palmiers are one of my favorite cookies to snack on whenever I’m drinking milk tea. I always referred to them as butterfly cookies because that was what my parents always called them in Chinese when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I got older that I learned these cookies were called palmiers in English.
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Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is a simple lunch staple for me. It is easy to make and tastes great the longer it sits in the refrigerator. For Labor Day this weekend, I made a chicken salad for lunch served over butter lettuce. There are many variations of chicken salad out there, but I prefer my chicken salad with fresh and dried fruit mixed into it. The mixture of the fruit brings a nice texture and wonderful sweetness to the chicken salad. I mixed up all of the ingredients in a large bowl the night before and served in for lunch today. I typically like to sandwich the chicken salad between two toasted pieces of baguette, but I had some leftover butter lettuce in the refrigerator so I served the chicken salad over it.
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Pork Potstickers
The perfect pork dumpling came about through many trials. Pork dumplings (or 餃子 in Chinese) are made with a combination of ground pork, aromatics, vegetables, and seasoning. There is no such thing as a bad pork dumpling, but there is such a thing as an under-seasoned dumpling resulting in an average experience. I’ve been making pork dumplings for years. It was only recently that I developed the right combination of flavors to yield a tasty, juicy, plump pork dumpling.
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Dutch Baby Pancake
The Dutch Baby pancake is a perfect quick breakfast served on Sunday mornings. It consists of a few simple ingredients, but yields such a large, beautiful looking puffy pancake. It is absolutely delicious dusted in confectioners’ sugar and served with some maple syrup on the side.
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Baked Meatballs and Spaghetti
Meatballs and spaghetti is one of Kevin’s favorite foods. He craves meatballs and spaghetti at least once a month. I love pasta in general, so it is always an easy decision for me when debating what to make for dinner. When I first started making meatballs, I combined different types of meats, but I found out just using ground beef also works very well.
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Parmesan Black Pepper Biscuits with Mushroom Gravy
Two years ago, Kevin and I traveled to Tennessee during one of our friends’ trip weekends. We stayed at a cabin, hiked, and had some very good southern food. One of the staple foods popular in the south is biscuits. More often than not, the biscuits are served with gravy. These biscuits were not the same as the biscuits I got at the local fried chicken chain shops in Brooklyn.
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Shortcut Garlic Knots with Marinara Sauce
My first experience with garlic knots was when I was just a teen living in Brooklyn. The childhood home I grew up in was located on the same block as a pizzeria. My family always had pizza night on Friday nights and would order a large cheese pizza for my brothers and I to share. One day, my younger brother asked for garlic knots with a side of marinara sauce. I didn’t know what to expect, but the moment I tasted a garlic knot, I immediately loved it.
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Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
My go-to, most requested dessert from friends and family is my blueberry lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting. The first time I made these cupcakes for friends was when one of my friends got engaged and threw an engagement party. I brought strawberry cupcakes and blueberry lemon cupcakes. Her family raved about the cupcakes especially the blueberry lemon cupcakes.
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