Kettle Corn Style Pistachios

By Andrew Hunter

I remember as a kid eating pistachios by the sacksful. In those good old days, my fingers, palms and face would be as red as the pistachios. It simply didn’t dawn on me that pistachios weren’t naturally red. Now I know that in fact red pistachios should be avoided like the plague. Why, because inferior and even moldy nuts are dyed to hide any number of impurities.

Recently, we were wandering around a farm in Northern California and got lost in the pistachio groves. The nuts hung in bunches with split creamy beige shells exposing the tender green and rosy hued kernels, waiting to be shaken from their branches, roasted and sold at farm stands and country markets along the roadways.

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Deviled Eggs for Breakfast

By Marilyn Hunter

Nicky has always loved hard-boiled eggs or “boilers” as we call them in our house. His favorite part is the bright yellow yolk, while Benny eats all the white and leaves the “yellow” for his brother. In a never-ending quest to sleep just a little later in the morning, I decided to start deviling boilers at night, so breakfast is now both a novelty and a snap.

Sometimes well-laid plans come together…deviled eggs are the boys’ new favorite breakfast. Two deviled eggs (one whole egg) are plenty for each kid, along with their regular serving of fruit and ice water.

This method for hard-boiling the eggs belongs to Andrew. He’s done it this way for years and swears that 12 minutes will yield a runny yolk and 14 minutes will create the unwanted gray line around the yolk. He swears that 13 minutes is pure perfection. Being married to a chef makes for odd kitchen debates.

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K-Town Eats

By Marilyn Hunter

Stepping into one of the myriad Korean barbecue restaurants in L.A.’s Koreatown is the next best thing to dining in Seoul. Koreatown, or K-Town as locals call it, lies just west of downtown L.A. and is our city’s center of Korean culture, shopping and food.

Korean barbecue is one of our family’s favorite nights out. The boys love cooking their dinner on a grill built into the table, from the fancy spots with gas grills to the smoky dives with charcoal pits. After all, for two little boys, it’s all about the smoke and fire.

Here’s a recipe for our favorite Korean salad that pairs perfectly with grilled beef, chicken or pork.

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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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Chocolate = Love

By Andrew Hunter

Chocolate is the nectar of the Gods and it helps convey our sentiments for each other, especially when paired with flowers on Valentine’s Day. Chocolate is a cure-all for matters of the mind, body and heart. It brings joy, laughter and delight, no matter your age. For the boys, it’s a salve for skinned knees, a tonic for hurt feelings and a reward for any job well done!

As the boys are busy making “Happy Valentines” for their classmates and special gifts for secret admirers, Marilyn and I are busy whipping up a batch of chocolate mousse. We’ve decided to ditch the store-bought chocolates in red heart boxes this year for this fabled homemade chocolate classic that everyone loves.

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