Easy Pumpkin Muffins

I had some extra Kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) leftover from making my Creamy Kabocha Squash Risotto and so I went on the handy ingredient search engine on AllRecipes.com to figure out what to do with it.  I essentially had pumpkin puree leftover and an initial search resulted in many recipes for pumpkin pies, pumpkin smoothies, … Continue reading

Creamy Kabocha Squash Risotto

To get into the autumn mood, Natalya and I decided we should try to cook something involving a pumpkin!  I found a recipe from the The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook Volume II called “Carol Field’s Creamy Pumpkin-Flavored Risotto” and decided to give it a go. When I went to the grocery store, I decided to … Continue reading

Harissa Salsa

When I attempted my first “Kei Kurobe” recipe, Roasted Beets with a Curry Vinaigrette, I had to buy a lot of spices that I had never used before, such as whole cumin seed and coriander.  When I asked him when I would ever use these spices again, Kei sent me this recipe in response.  Of … Continue reading

Housemade Ricotta

When I told a friend I was trying to make my own ricotta, she responded: “Leave a cup of milk in your fridge for 90 days and BOOM!  Ricotta cheese.” – Shanmei So that is not really how one makes ricotta and I highly do not recommend trying it to see what happens…  Ricotta, which … Continue reading

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

Red Velvet cupcakes seems to be all the rage now with super cute and yummy bakeries like Sprinkles Cupcakes around. Last February I made these cupcakes for BF & BFF on Valentine’s day. I got this awesome recipe from pinch my salt . Instead of regular cupcakes I made  them mini-sized for added cuteness. Red Velvet … Continue reading