Pancakes – Because Breakfast Should be more than Eggs

By Sandy Hu

Okay, I confess. Steve started making breakfast for the kids when they were growing up because he thought they should have more than eggs.

I love eggs and they’re my idea of breakfast –scrambled, sunny-side up, boiled, omelets or in the hole. Steve’s is pancakes, waffles, biscuits, popovers and muffins. Who do you think won out? The kids and I chose his, of course. And I blissfully relinquished breakfast-making duties to him.

Never one to let a recipe alone, Steve would improvise, experiment, research, try other versions of the recipe, until he created one to his satisfaction. And on weekday and weekend mornings, we would wake up to delicious smells from the kitchen of something freshly prepared, waiting for us at the breakfast table.

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Impress with Panko

By David Hu

Panko, Japanese breadcrumbs, is a hot ingredient these days, having moved out of Japanese kitchens and into the mainstream, appearing on fine dining menus across the country – and now even at Wendy’s! The difference between panko and western breadcrumbs is that panko has ragged, craggy surfaces, making for a crispier and lighter coating.

A classic Japanese dish that is synonymous with panko is tonkatsu – thin slices of pork that is coated in panko and fried until golden. While I often order tonkatsu when I eat out, it is extremely easy to make at home. It only requires five ingredients plus bottled dipping sauce, and shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Tonkatsu is usually served on a bed of shredded cabbage with a dip of tonkatsu sauce, available in most Asian markets or in the International products aisle of your supermarket. If you can’t find it, you can make a sauce with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce as a substitute.

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Dad’s Pistachio Pudding Cake (and Your St. Patty’s Day Dessert!)

By Katie Barreira

All this week, Special Fork bloggers will be sharing recipes for St. Patrick’s Day. And to celebrate, Special Fork is giving away a prize package of a year’s supply of delicious Kerrygold Butter and cheeses, imported from Ireland, courtesy of Kerrygold! It’s easy to enter the sweepstakes.

While reminiscing over a box of long-collected recipe cards my mom asked me whether I “was around” for dad’s pistachio cake. Now, my father is an ace on the grill and the man makes a mean pb+j, but in my life, I have never seen him navigate a baked good.

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Carrot Salad - a New Way to Eat Veggies

By David Hu

I’m always trying to eat more veggies but most of the time they’re really an afterthought. There are only so many times you can steam or sauté vegetables before they get boring.

Today’s recipe is a carrot salad which can be enjoyed year-round because carrots are always available in the market. This dish has a great burst of flavor that comes from sweet-tart dried plums and Moroccan spices, and the salad will add some nice, vibrant colors to your meal.

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Southern Fried Chicken

By Marilyn Hunter

When my niece first told us she was coming to L.A. for a visit last summer, the boys and I quickly made a list of things to do and places to eat. There’s certainly no shortage of tourist attractions or dining experiences in the City of Angels but the boys wanted to find the perfect spot to please their Southern cousin. They decided on The Ivy, not because it’s a paparazzi-heavy celebrity hangout, but because they have great fried chicken.

Fried chicken is a dish that has well stood the test of time…through generations of change and tradition. There’s a reason this comfort food can be found on menus from roadside diners to fine dining, and for a Southerner, it’s a dish that celebrates mothers, grandmothers and generations of cast-iron cooks.

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