This Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken Recipe is a lighter version of a traditional Chinese braised chicken dish. I love authentic Chinese food but unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to come by where I live. Most of the restaurants around serve either Asian fusion food or Chinese American food. So, whenever I crave real Chinese food, I make it at home. Fortunately, most Chinese food is not hard to make in a home kitchen. Although you can’t replicate the high heat stir-fried dishes, braised dishes and steamed dishes can be easily made at home. I made this for my niece from Taiwan recen ..read more

Chinese Lamb Noodle Soup is humble comfort food, perfect for a chilly day. In the Chinese culture, certain foods such as lamb, cinnamon, anise, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, scallion, and chili,  are believed to be “warming.” Warming foods, also referred to as “yang” foods, are thought to add heat to the body, helping to improve circulation and stave off colds. The opposite of warming foods or yang foods are “cooling” foods or “yin” foods. When your body is too yin, you need to balance it out with yang foods.  Growing up in a Chinese family, I remember my grandmother making certain ..read more

Enjoy your favorite pesto in these healthy Recipes Using Pesto. Each summer, I grow basil, mint, cilantro and parsley in my container garden. I love making fresh pesto using these herbs and often add leafy greens such as kale and Swiss chard. Traditional pesto is made with basil; however, I love adding leafy green vegetables to pesto. It all started as a sneaky way to get my boys to eat kale and Swiss chard. However, I soon found it was also a great way to make a big batch of pesto when I didn’t have enough basil. Pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan-Reggiano are also traditionally used in pesto r ..read more

Air Fried Spicy Chinese Eggplant is a light version of a traditional Chinese dish where the eggplant is typically deep fried.  This is one of my favorite home-style Chinese dishes. I used to make this eggplant dish quite often, but didn’t like all the oil needed to fry the eggplant. Thankfully, I have an air fryer that eliminates the need to use a lot of oil. Not only is the cleanup a lot easier, but this dish is much healthier as well. I love eggplant, and look forward to spying Asian eggplant at our local farmer’s market each year. Chinese people are very fond of chewy textures, so the ..read more

This Tomato Peach Salad features summer tomatoes and peaches at their peak juiciness and sweetness. There’s nothing more delicious than freshly picked tomatoes and peaches in the summertime. Each Saturday, I look forward to our local farmer’s market. Although this year we have limited vendors and we can’t handpick our own fruits and vegetables, I feel incredibly grateful that our local farmers are offering their best produce each weekend. The last four months, I’ve been ordering our groceries from a wholesaler. The advantage of doing this is that I have access to restaurant quality products ..read more

Brighten up your summer meals with this huge collection of Summer Salad Recipes. Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and so many more vegetables are at their peak now, so take advantage of all the fresh produce and try a bunch of these recipes. When summer produce first appears at the farmer’s market, I’m always excited to make all our favorite salads and side dishes from past years. However, as the summer goes on, I look for new recipes and ideas to enjoy the bounty of summer produce. The following collection of summer salad recipes was shared with me by my blogger friends, and I h ..read more

This College Move-In Checklist will help make sure you have everything you need for your dorm. My youngest son is going to college this Fall, and I’ll officially be an empty nester. I’ve been shopping for everything he’ll need for his college dorm, as well as digging through our house for any extra items he can use.  This is my fourth son going to college, so I’ve got a comprehensive list to share with your college student. Although many items can be purchased once you’re on campus, I find it less stressful to start accumulating what you need ahead of time. I set aside a space in our hou ..read more

This is my Favorite Kale Salad. I’ve been making this kale salad almost once a week this last couple of months, and has become a staple in our house. Massaging the kale leaves makes for a tender salad – no more prickly edges. The first time I had massaged kale salad, I was intrigued by the unique texture. The typical rough kale edges were tender, not prickly. Although “massaging” kale might sound strange, the technique is similar to a shoulder massage. You literally use your (clean) hands to massage the kale. Massaging the kale helps break down tough cell walls and fibers. Lemon juice and sal ..read more

Choose from this collection of Healthy Summer Side Dish Recipes to round out your summer dinners, barbecues and picnics. I love going to the weekly farmer’s market to see what fresh produce is in season. By mid-summer, the stalls are full of fresh tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini and more.   This summer, I’m growing a few tomato, cucumber and hot pepper plants on my patio. However, I will need to supplement our vegetables with produce from the farmer’s market. Although we have our family favorites such as Tomato Caprese (sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh pesto, extra ..read more

This Baked Zucchini Tomato Summer Squash Goat Cheese Gratin is so elegant, it’s perfect for potlucks and entertaining. I love farm fresh summer vegetables. The most bountiful seem to be zucchini and tomatoes. Although I don’t have a garden, I do plant tomatoes and herbs in containers on my patio. In addition, I visit our local farmer’s market weekly to pickup whatever is in season to meet my produce needs. I’ve always wanted to travel to Paris, but haven’t made it there yet. It’s definitely on my bucket list, but in the meanwhile, I will resort to cooking French inspired food in my kitc ..read more