I had some left over persimmon after making this salad for Thanksgiving, so I sliced them into wedges and made these little appetizer sandwiches, which people seemed to really like! You could use any kind of cheese, really… but do make sure you choose Fuyu persimmons (the squat tomato looking ones that are eaten when crunchy and don’t leave a pasty taste in your mouth like those soft oblong ones).

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Crostini are great for entertaining, and this caper/shallot mixture can be made ahead of time. Burrata just makes everything better, so the combo of these ingredients is absolutely delish! Burrata is like a super soft fresh mozzarella that comes in water in a tub (you can get it at Trader Joe’s). If you can’t find it, use any soft cheese.

You could simply use onion instead of shallots as well.

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If this is posted on 10/30, it means I survived Hurricane Sandy.

My friend Chisa told me numerous times that I should start teaching cooking lessons. I was a bit skeptical in the beginning, and didn’t have time to think about it. Now I have time to think, and to do, so I decided to give it a try.

As you may know, my cooking doesn’t come with exact recipes, since eye-balling is my forte.

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Izakaya MOTO is an invite-only, very exclusive izakaya, located in the heart of Financial District in Manhattan (aka my apartment).

I had my friends over one night, and decided to host an izakaya-style evening. I have a large counter in my kitchen where guests can sit (well not so comfortabely yet, since I don’t have counter stools and my guests had to sit on regular stools, which made them very short, but hey, one step at a time, ok?), and get served whatever I cook.

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Last weekend on a warm Sunday evening in the woods we hosted A Forest Fiesta in honor of the recent opening of the Umami Mart shop in Oakland.  Guests who came were contributors and supporters of Umami Mart and all brought amazing things to share. Mike made some amazing pao de queijo aka brazilian cheese bread (I need to try this recipe!);Kishi brought his delicious home made cheez-its (based on Mark Bittman’s recipe); and Anders made his incredible Strawberry Pavlova for dessert.

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I just got back from the most lovely weekend in New York City. A dear friend from college is getting married this summer so we threw her a “Spice Shower” dinner party in our friend’s backyard in Brooklyn. It was a warm evening so we passed out fans (which we needed!!) and served summery drinks.

We made Basil Lemon Cocktails with basil syrup, vodka or gin, seltzer and a lemon slice (for the basil syrup, just make some simple syrup and toss it in the blender with fresh basil).

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Last weekend we hosted some people from my husband’s work for a little late afternoon cocktail party. While Jack set up the bar on the deck, I put together some snacks. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I went for colorful and easy: crudite and several dips, cheeses garnished with fresh herbs, dates, sliced baguette, crackers, nuts, and fresh fruit.

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This asparagus tart is SO easy it’s kind of fail-proof. Buy some frozen puff pastry (I like Pillsbury). Place one of the sheets of dough on a cookie sheet. Let it defrost a bit then pinch up the edges to make a little crust-like rim. Spread some cheese all over (I used brie, but cream cheese or grated cheese works as well), then spread a beaten egg over that.

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Spring has sprung in the woods! Passover is this week and to kick it off, we hosted a first-night Seder.  We spent two days cooking all the traditional Jewish dishes: matzah ball soup, haroset (a paste of dried fruit and nuts), farfel (quiche-like squares), tzimmes (a sweet potato carrot dish), plus a roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon.

The seder plate in the top photo has items that represent different parts of the meal and the Passover story of slavery and freedom, including a hard boiled egg, horseradish, parsley, matzah, a shank bone and the modern addition of an orange.

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Confession: I’m kinda tired of Asian food.

Maybe because I eat it every day.

So when my Mile High Dining Club friend declared he wanted to throw a Moroccan inspired dinner I was totally there. Moroccan, African and Arabian are probably the less trendy food cultures compared to the Italian, French and Japanese kitchens these days. Which is a shame because that world of taste and food craft is neither hard to make nor expensive to eat.

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