Prompted to cook
For some people, all the world's a song cue — everything makes them think of a song lyric. For me, all the world's a cooking cue — everything I experience seems to make me think of something I want to eat, cook or bake. We're watching "Robin Hood" with Russell...
A sweet taste of Portugal
Over the years, I've reduced my magazine budget and now I'm down to subscribing to two food magazines: Cook's Illustrated and Fine Cooking. The two have in common that they are teaching tools. Cook's Illustrated is terrifically technical; if you want to know...
Too busy to cook? Wanda?
Funny thing about getting laid off. You're suddenly busier than you ever were when you had a job. I've heard this from every one of my former Advertiser colleagues. You're suddenly hussling so hard to get work, volunteering (or being volunteered) right and left,...
Everything I know….
... I learned from "Top Chef." Have you noticed that every time a chef on "Top Chef" brags on themselves they come in on the bottom? Every time they say I've made this a million times in my restaurant, I've got the win in the bag, something disastrous happens? And...
‘Top Chef’ vs. the real world
In my morning dose of "Top Chef," I heard a contestant say, "Chefs who make desserts go home." But in the real world show, "Home Cook," desserts, particularly baked goods, are another matter. Wish I had a buck for every time I heard someone say, "I don't cook but I...
A tribute to the Tot
I enjoy a little romance every now and then — something innocent and simple, with no sex and a happy ending. (I'm talking about romance novels, of course). Among my favorite authors is Lavyrle Spencer. When I heard she was retiring a few years ago, I was sad...
Will she ever stop with the mangoes?
Just finished testing the mango manju recipe I'm going to be demonstrating at Mangoes at the Moana. They're yummy, but I'm going to give it one more go to see if I can improve them even futher. If you're interested in learning how to make these and other mango things,...
Whither HRC?
Spent a pleasant lunchtime talking about Hawaii Regional Cuisine with historian Stan Sam Yamashita, who is writing an article and possible a book about the subject. He's a local boy who is now the Henry E. Sheffield Professor of History at Pomona College in Claremont,...
A little mango amendment
A change in the Mangoes at the Moana Recipe Contest, just a slight one: You can enter online or via fax only until 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6 or you can enter from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. the morning of the contest, Aug. 7. Some sources had a deadline of Aug. 2 but that's...
Goodness from goats
The other day at a meeting for the Mangoes at the Moana event (see pupu platter or previous posts), chef Rodney Uyehara said he'd be demonstrating a recipe for chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and mangoes. Oh, yum. I couldn't get that image out of my mind. So...