Here’s an ode to Chris’ recent Rogue movie review.
Since we were under false pretenses that it might actually be a good ‘n scary giant crocodile flick and it turned out to be kind of a flop instead, I thought I’d surprise Chris with some yummy nummies shaped like the famed swamp creature for him to devour, mwuahaha.
I even made some goopy apricot syrup (top most photo) to make the pancake monster look all oozy after splashing in stagnant swamp muck.

When the spinach e.coli outbreak of 2006 arose, I almost died. Died because I couldn’t eat spinach. I luuuuurve spinach; raw or sauteed, it’s so good. I was doing Consultant work for Apple then, enjoying piling up the spinach from Caffe Macs‘ salad bar, but not enjoying their method of pay-by-weigh (heavy glass bowl included?!). When I first grabbed a salad, it totaled nine bucks. Get outta here. A huffy cashier once tried to charge me fifty cents for five pieces of spinach I …

Ginger is so Autumn, doncha think? The warmth of fresh Fall spices really inspire the soul and tempt the palate.. why, the very mention of it causes me to spout jenky poetry, apparently.
These Ginger Spice Iced Cookies are so soft and chewy and gingery that someone better stop me.. I feel a haiku bubbling up.
“inviting fresh warmth
the Ginger Spice Iced Cookies
tickle the tummy”
Hoo boy.
I recently made these with a dual variation on the pristine white Royal Icing; thick and creamy or thin and crackly. These cookies …

Curry is welcome at our house any time, be it Japanese-style or Indian-spiced, and I love fatty thick noodles, so I thought I’d try my hand at merging both with Curry Udon. I just subbed seitan for chicken but it’s just as yummy without meat or “meat”, too. I sent Chris off with a little bento box of this with some freshly fried naturally-filigreed lotus root (renkon) crisps which perfectly complemented the thick, savory, spicy noodles. Just make sure you coat the Lotus Root slices in flour …

When I was a kid, I wanted a sweet potato pie, but noone I knew made or sold the stuff. Then my dad grew sweet potatoes, but still no pie. When I finally had some (even an authentic Southern recipe I trekked to “wrong side o’ the tracks” Bayview on the Muni to try), I was a little disappointed, so I set out to make my own. I found a kickass recipe a few years back –verrry gingery and spicy– but I was determined to experiment more …

I’m sure if you made these with actual animal flesh, you’d have a coronary right on the spot. I don’t do well with exact measurements or repeating routines (even if I’m following a baking recipe, I experiment and change it up often), so bear with me. I created this when I couldn’t find those readymade taco seasoning packets and didn’t have any veggie ground beef (added in a subsequent round).

Meatless “Meaty” Tacos (Serves four starving monsters or eight with normal appetites)
INGREDIENTS
* …

Banana cream pie has oft been the glut of paranoia for amateur bakers. Soggy crust, bruised bananas, lumpy custard; it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the trouble. Well, I can attest that your woes will be unfounded with this super easy Martha Stewart recipe. The only pain-in-the-ass step is straining the custard (and waiting for the bananas to ripen), but well worth it for the beyond silky results. See it below left, before the whip cream madness.

Banana Cream Pie (Makes one 9-inch pie)
INGREDIENTS
…

Thought Oktoberfest was only for omnivores? Turtle Island Foods, the wonderful people who brought us modern-day marvels (vegan fare that doesn’t taste and look like cardboard), have quite a delicious selection of tasty pseudo sausages. Brown up sliced Tofurky Italian Sausage and Beer Brats (the first veggie sausages that were made for the grill) with some sauteed tri-color bell peppers and carmelized onions and serve with some homemade buttery* garlic-cilantro-dill mashed red potatoes, and you’ve got a meal that’s Oktoberfest worthy. Why, I feel more German already. …

This was the “Inadvertent Lycopene Dinner” with Stuffed Red Bell Peppers and Strawberry Shortcake. I have no idea how you’re “supposed” to make stuffed peppers ‘cos I’ve never researched a recipe, but my way is verrry simple.. I just make some fluffy Spanish rice (simmered in veggie stock), stir in some paper-thinly sliced carrots, minced tomatoes and bell pepper (don’t be wasteful, chop those tops!) and whatever vegetables are around, cilantro, vegan “ground beef”, grated pecorino romano and parmesan cheese, and fill up the bell pepper “cups”! I …

I tells ya, if you ever want to work out your upper arms, whip your way into shape (literally) by making an Almond Sponge Cake Strawberry Shortcake (from scratch by hand) with freshly whipped cream. Owch.
You separate the eggs, whip the egg yolks until they become “thick and pale”, which is basically forever (just kidding; it actually was surprisingly quick thanks to fast twitch muscles– also handy for putting a mean spin on a tennis ball, but that’s another story). Then you whip the egg whites …

Baking Bonanza! Earlier in the week, I timed it juuust perfectly so I could bake not one, not two, but three things! This is a job forrrrr Oven Efficiency Girl dunduhduhnaaa!! I made a super dense Ginger Choco Cake, a Mushroom Spinach Pecorino Romano / Parmesean Habanero Quiche, and a super-sized Sweet Potato tart with freshly whipped vanilla cream. I did it all while Chris was doing his homework and when he stepped into the kitchen, he actually drooled! A badge of accomplishment for all …

When I was young, I didn’t much care for kinako, roasted soy powder. The antique-y ochre color, the moldy texture, the bitter taste.. bleh! Now I can appreciate its earthiness, generously dusted on homemade naturally green yomogi (mugwort) daifuku. Sure sounds like some Harry Potter spell (not that I would know, I’ve never watched or read any of that). *Poof*

About the Author:

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson is an avid food adventurist who has tried everything from jellyfish to sea cucumber to chicken gizzards. Mochi can be …

Mochi is as traditional as you can get, but it doesn’t have to be boring. You can now find the sweet little ricecakes boldly stuffed with fresh whole strawberries or peanut butter. I decided to take it a step further and combine both “crazy” fillings with tsubushi an. I also tinted the homemade mochi a pale turquoise blue, and it sort of reminds me of glaciers. It was surprisingly yummerific! Try it for yourself.. if you dare, hehe.

About the Author:

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson is an avid food …

I know it’s a lot of butter (2 cups = 1 whole box), but by golly I was searching high and low for an awesome CHEWY choco-chip cookie recipe and by golly I think I’ve found it. These were gone in a couple of days even though we didn’t give too many away. Recipe (from allrecipes.com on Yahoo! Food) below. I subbed mac nuts for walnuts and used chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. Gimme dat brown on brown. I don’t have a food processor or …

I’ve been on a cooking/baking kick since Chris has begun Fall classes; gotta make sure he’s fed well! This is how much I loooove my hubby.. the other day I surprised him with homemade heart-shaped kabocha (japanese pumpkin)/pine nut/parmesano ravioli with browned butter and fried fresh sage. The pasta was also homemade beet pasta that I rolled out on the nifty new pasta press Chris got for me that I probably will never put away.. just keep making more and more fresh pasta! It is so fun.. …