Unearthing Old Recipes: California Raisin Cake

By Sandy Hu

Deep inside, I am a neat person. If you knock on my hotel room door on any business trip, you’ll find it tidy, all the clothes hung, shoes lined up in a row and everything in its place. I am also a meticulous packer.

But at home? Not so much.

Everything is fine until I get busy; then I let things slip. Recently, Dave and I have been working seven days a week on Special Fork and my house has paid the price. So, given it was the first free weekend I’ve had in a long while, I looked forward to getting my house back in shape.

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What’s for Breakfast? French Toast is Easy and Delicious!

By Sandy Hu

French toast is a snap to make and it’s a great use for leftover French bread. Simply slice the bread before it gets too hard, and store in an airtight plastic bag until you’re ready to use it. For longer storage, freeze the slices and thaw for later.

Serve French Toast dusted with powdered sugar or garnish with fresh fruit in season. Pass the maple syrup.

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Around the World Breakfast Memories

By Sandy Hu

When Dave was seven and Chris was two, we took them on their first trip to Europe. Since they were so young and likely to forget the experience, I made them a travel scrapbook incorporating a collage of tickets, brochures, daily diary and photos.

And since food can evoke a powerful sensory memory, when we got home, I replicated for the boys breakfasts we had on our vacation, having tucked away appropriate props in my suitcase: chocolate milk packets, little jars of jam, and sugar packets decorated with famous French paintings from our hotel in Paris. From Amsterdam, I had purchased fake Delft egg cups.

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Southeast Asian-inspired Stew Cooks up in a Hurry

By Sandy Hu

When I want dinner in a hurry, there's nothing like a quick, one-pot dish. Curried Chicken and Potato Stew cooks up in just 25 minutes and there are few dishes to wash afterwards.

Potatoes and chicken marry well with the sophisticated flavors of coconut milk, fresh ginger, garlic and cilantro -- bright seasonings inspired by the cuisines of Southeast Asia.

If you think of potatoes as a starch, think again. Potatoes are really a vegetable. They're an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. A medium potato has just 110 calories and no fat.

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A Sneak Peek at Special Fork, Our New Mobile Website

By Sandy Hu

About 15 years ago, the public relations agency where I worked conducted some major consumer research for a food client about how women, as the primary family cooks, felt about the dinner hour. In focus groups they drew some disturbing pictures: a bomb with a lit fuse…a jagged lightning bolt and roiling black clouds…one woman drew a stick figure of herself hanging from the hands of a kitchen clock set at 6 o’clock.

This research had a lasting impression on me as a working mother in a demanding job with two teen sons. I identified with their situation, although unlike most of the women, I am blessed with a husband who does his share of the cooking and all the grocery shopping. Through the years, I have been looking for a way to help people with solutions to this daily dinnertime dilemma.

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