For the longest time, it felt like we should be getting ready for the 5-hr drive back at any moment.

Blend everything but the oil with a powerful immersion blender, and then stir in EVOO by hand. (Blending EVOO will make it bitter.)

One whole beef tenderloin, eaten six ways over four days.

A cloud of fluffiness, that doesn’t take that much effort to make!

Easy and delicious. We loved this recipe so much, we made it twice in a row!

My two favorite Zahav recipes, 2 favorite non-Asian veggie dishes of all time

What I’ve been eating recently:

The 50ft leash I bought for Rosie finally arrived from Amazon last week.

Though you won’t be able to eat it until the third day, it’s super simple and requires minimal active time. To me, this is a perfect recipe for quarantine time. Overall, it’s very low effort, high reward.

We made an addition to our family!

It was hard not to think about my original birthday plans: gallivanting around Japan, ryokan stay with private onsen and kaiseki meal, dinner at 3 Michelin-starred Narisawa, and general vacation bliss. I know there’s a lot to be grateful for, but yesterday was one day where it was hard not to think about all that could have been.

Noah must have felt sorry for me; he made me ramen for my birthday

We regularly eat bossam at home, once every few months. It’s always a little different and never traditional. Over the years, we evolved into a few standbys that I usually prefer to have, and some I can do without most of the time. Here is my collection. Mix and match.

My vacation checklist is going horribly.

So far I have…

As we all ponder our personal and collective futures, kill some time by trying this delicious Bolivian treat.

Saltena is basically a soupy empanada, as if a xiao long bao and an empanada had a big fat baby. All 3 parts (stock, filling, dough) take some devotion and care for the end product to be worth your effort and time. But it is worth it!

This is the easiest recipe ever and acts as perfect side to any Asian meal, especially one with a heavy protein. You can slip it easily into your dinner prep between other tasks.

It requires few ingredients, all of which are pantry staples/last forever in the fridge. The finished dish itself lasts a long time in the fridge and packs well in a lunchbox.