Sloppy Joe Tacos

By Katie Barreira

A recent unearthing of my great-grandmother’s acclaimed Sloppy Joe recipe got me thinking about the nostalgic loose meat sandwich. I admit, the soupy sando has never been on my list of faves. Perhaps it’s the association to the commercially canned sauce, or maybe it has to do with the way it’s served – on fluffy white buns that begin to disintegrate the moment they come into contact with the saucy filling. The whole mess really puts the slop into Sloppy Joe.

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Dim Sum with a Twitter Friend

By Sandy Hu

Joining Twitter is like being the new kid at school. Everyone else already has friends, everyone is chattering away in their little cliques, and you are standing alone on the sidelines, trying to find a way to break in.

You begin to follow people and start commenting – tentatively, at first – looking for common ground. Like any in-person conversation, you try to engage in the conversation going on around you. Someone tweets that they are cooking a certain dish. You tweet back, “How do you make it?” Someone is back from vacation. You ask, “How was your trip?” And you hope these strangers will respond and follow you back.

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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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Remembering Nana

By Lori Powell

My Nana…I wish I could say that I got my love of baking while sitting in the kitchen at the side of my Nana. But in fact, the opposite is true.

You see, she used to bake a long time ago but that was before she had a fire in the oven. So, as the story goes, that was the end of her baking career and my chance of ever making a cake or brownie alongside her.

However, my Nana was a marvel cooking on top of the range. I like to think that at least that part rubbed off on me.

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