Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

The Ease of Sheet-Pan Steak Tacos

Posted on by 2 comments
Skirt steak and veggies cook all together on a sheet pan for tacos in a flash.
Skirt steak and veggies cook all together on a sheet pan for tacos in a flash.

Taco Tuesdays never tasted so good.

It’s hard to beat the snappy ease and warm flavors of “Steak Tacos with Poblano Peppers and Corn.”

The recipe is from “Sheet-Pan Meals” (Hardie Grant, 2025), of which I received a review copy. It was written by By Jessica Darakjian, a cook, writer, and research editor based in Claremont, CA.

Who doesn’t love a sheet-pan dinner, right? Darakjian provides 100 of them, arranged by the seasons.

Enjoy everything from “Potato Pizza” in spring and “Persian Herb Quiche” in summer to “Gingerbread Pancake” in fall and “Soy-Glazed Meatballs with Mustard Greens” in winter.

Read more

Handy-Dandy Garlic & Pepper Pork Ribs

Posted on by 2 comments
A delicious dish perfect for harried households.
A delicious dish perfect for harried households.

Because my parents worked full-time while raising three kids, my mom always had a stash of recipes in her arsenal that she could prep and cook in a flash. There were tender strips of flank steak stir-fried in black bean sauce. Prawns sauteed with slivers of broccoli stems in oyster sauce. And chicken steamed with shiitakes and plenty of ginger.

So, when I came upon “Garlic & Pepper Pork Ribs” it hit home in so many ways.

This easy recipe is from “My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook” (4 Color Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Nite Yun, chef-owner of Lunette Cambodia inside San Francisco’s Ferry Building, with assistance from Tien Nguyen, a food and culture writer who teaches food journalism at the University of California.

Yun was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after hear parents escaped war-torn Cambodia. When she was 2 years old, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in Stockton. She’s made it her mission to highlight Khmer cuisine, not only to preserve its history and traditions, but as a way to better comprehend her parents, as well as herself.

Read more

Ginger-Braised Chicken — With the Emphasis on Ginger

Posted on by Leave a comment
Fabulous Vietnamese-style chicken wings.
Fabulous Vietnamese-style chicken wings.

Anyone who knows me well knows full well how much I love ginger.

In baked goods. In beverages, hot and cold. In soups, stir-fries, and stews. And even inhaled by the handful when candied.

So, when I came across a recipe for a dish that uses an entire cup of julienned fresh ginger, I was all in.

“Ginger-Braised Chicken” did not disappoint.

Shards and shards of ginger flavor chicken wings in a sweet, sticky, savory sauce full of sharpness and warmth.

This ginger-loving recipe is from “Vietnamese American Recipes from Phu Quoc, Oakland, and the Spaces Between” (4 Color Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It is by Tu David Phu, a Vietnamese American chef raised in Oakland, who competed on “Top Chef” Season 15. He is now the owner of Gigi’s, a Vietnamese wine bar in San Francisco.

It was co-written by Soleil Ho, a Vietnamese American writer, podcaster, and former restaurant reviewer at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Read more

Butter Up, Part II: Dressed Up Tater Tots

Posted on by Leave a comment
Tater tots get dressed up with an easy garlic-Parmesan-date butter.
Tater tots get dressed up with an easy garlic-Parmesan-date butter.

Tater tots. Even the name evokes an immediate smile, not to mention joyful memories of being a child.

That’s more than enough reason to stash a bag in your freezer at all times.

Another?

This recipe for “Tater Tots Tossed in Hot Date! Butter.”

As always, they get baked in the oven until super crunchy all over. Then, the magic happens: They get tossed in a garlicky, herbaceous butter with dried dates to boot.

The recipe is from “Hot Date!” (Chronicle Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Brooklyn-based Rawaan Alkhatib, a cook, writer, and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent. She even illustrated the book with her own exuberant watercolor paintings.

Read more

Butter Up, Part I: Something Fishy — And Delicious

Posted on by Leave a comment
Good-for-you roasted branzino gets a little indulgent when finished with a delicious green anchovy butter.
Good-for-you roasted branzino gets a little indulgent when finished with a delicious green anchovy butter.

Olive oil is a hallmark of Mediterranean cooking.

But creamy, decadent butter has its place, too, adding a disarming voluptuousness to anything it touches.

I’m sure Julia Child would agree.

I know that Daen Lia surely does. Her cookbook may be titled, “Garlic, Olive Oil + Everything Mediterranean” (Simon Element, 2025), but butter definitely plays a role. There’s even an entire chapter devoted to recipes that use butter, including one to make “Homemade Butter.”

That includes her “Whole Roasted Snapper with Green Anchovy Butter,” in which whole fish get roasted in the oven, then finished with a dazzlingly green and herbaceous compound butter.

Lia is an Australian home-cook and creator of the digital brand, Daen’s Kitchen, who counts more than 8 million followers across her social media platforms.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »