Some recent asian-inspired meals.

Vietnamese squid salad (recipe from Food Network).

Salad with poached chicken topped with Bittman carrot miso dressing.

Yogurt & Granola

I've been making yogurt pretty consistently every week. it's become a saturday morning ritual. I wanted to add some crunch so decided to test out granola recipes. here's a pretty simple one (in the best possible way) - a combination of oats, cocout and chopped almonds. sweetened with an equal combination of honey and brown rice syrup, it was the perfect level of sweetness.

toasted in a low oven (300) for 30 minutes, it took on a warm, toasty color and crunch.

Breakfast to go.

Mocha walnut marbled bundt

Here's the mocha-walnut marbled bundt cake from Dorie Greenspan's baking book i made for dad's confirmation. After much going back and forth, I made a last minute decision to go with this. it was my first attempt at "marbling" and thought it turned out pretty well.

Super moist and on the dense side; i'm not sure if I needed to beat the eggs and sugar longer for a lighter crumb or if this is how it's supposed to taste/look. Nonetheless, pretty delicious and one of those desserts that melded together and improved in flavor as the days went by.

This was dinner tonight. I sauteed ground beef with some garlic, chili paste, ground pepper. then added schuan peppercorn, chinese black beans. Then i added chicken broth/soy sauce and simmered the tofu. Delicious. fast. very filling and flavorful. My tongue's still numb and tingly from the sechuan peppers.

Pilar picking ingredients for the lunch.

Making tomatillo salsa

Mother's Day walk to school