Dinner from Leftover Pasta and Two Chicken Breasts

By Sandy Hu

The other day, I was wondering what to do with some angel hair pasta in the fridge. I hadn’t made enough pasta sauce for the leftover and besides, I wasn’t feeling like a hot and heavy meal.

So, I began to think of what I wanted to eat: cold noodles…an Asian flavor profile with citrus and soy sauce…crisp sliced cucumber…the bite of green onion. I wanted to keep everything light and refreshing.

I had a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that needed cooking so I thought I could make one sauce, divide it up using some for the pasta and some for a marinade for the chicken. Then grill the chicken, slice it and fan it over the noodles. So far, so good!

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Spare Ribs, Asian Style

By Sandy Hu

In our house, “spare ribs” in the summer means succulent meaty bones on the grill with a spicy rub or barbecue sauce. But come fall and winter, when we don’t grill as much, “spare ribs” is something marinated, then slow-roasted in the oven.

Chinese spare ribs are cut across the bone so you can pick up the pieces with chopsticks. You can find this type of spare ribs in a Chinese butcher shop or get your supermarket butcher to cut them for you. Chinese spare ribs always seem to be pork ribs, the better to add some sweet-tart flavors to complement the richness of the pork.

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Weekday Company? Try this Easy Moroccan Chicken

By Sandy Hu

Recently, I came across this tattered recipe for Moroccan Chicken in a recipe folder. The recipe was from my friend Carol who was also my neighbor, living a few floors below us in the same high-rise on West 14th Street in New York City. It was one of the first things I learned to make when I started cooking.

This was long before the days when we were exposed to real Moroccan food, so today, we’d just say it’s loosely “inspired” by Moroccan cuisine. Nonetheless, it’s a great meal for company on a busy weeknight, since the chicken is marinated the night before and only needs to be floured, browned and popped into the oven to bake unattended while you set the table and tidy the house. Serve it with instant couscous, another quick-to-fix dish.

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Keep on Truckin’

By Andrew Hunter

Food trucks are all the rage in cities across the country. In Los Angeles, there’s a food truck gridlock with offerings ranging from grilled cheese to cupcakes. But the one who started the craze – with a compelling taco, savvy use of social media and a dedication to serving healthy and delicious food to all people regardless of circumstance – is my friend Chef Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ fame.

I first met Roy at a holiday event at our kids’ school. I was in my chef whites looking for Ben and Nick in a sea of kids when I heard a little voice say, “chef, chef, daddy a chef.” I looked down to see a sweet little girl smiling up at me, and the telltale sign of a working chef … Roy’s black clogs splattered with sauce. The Kogi Taco Truck phenomenon hit many months later and quickly developed a cult following on Twitter.

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An Anniversary Weekend in Healdsburg

By Sandy Hu

Take my advice. Don’t get married the day after Christmas.

Steve and I were living in New York City facing our second Christmas away from home and planning our wedding. So why not kill two birds – get married AND be home for Christmas in Hawaii?

Not so smart. Christmas was incredibly hectic that year and the annual residual fallout is that we’re too partied out after Christmas to celebrate our anniversary.

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