Semiserious Chefs

This dish, with all it’s fresh chilies and the tomatillos is an absolute delight for any cool summer day. With just the right amount of heat, and topped with creamy avocado, you surely cannot go wrong! Now for personal flair I highly suggest picking your favorite garnishes from the list below. If you have guests, […]

As many of you know, at least at this time in my life, my go-to reads of choice have been cookbooks. Yes, I am currently reading other genres; several food magazines, Nat Geo, Voice of the Martyrs, and various publications about North Korea , but for the last little while I have been reading individual […]

This recipe was created when I was working on the beet and oranges recipe a month ago. Not only were they fantastically incorporated into that recipe, these onions are perfect as a topping for sandwiches, hotdogs, hamburgers, or pork chops. Serve them cooled with the sauce as a dressing over romaine for a salad, or […]

I am absolutely addicted to the banchan of Korean cooking! These fantastic little ‘snacks’ are a staple part of every bapsang meal, usually easy to make, and each unique. So far I have been able to make dubu jorim (braised tofu), kongjang (braised soybeans) and kkakdugi (radish kimchi), but this one, gamja jorim, holds a […]

Over the last couple of years I have really expanded the line of products I purchase from The New Central Market here in Anchorage. Given, they have expanded, too. The one thing I don’t usually go for, and probably because I simply like to cook myself, are their pre-made dishes. The owner, Somya, is always […]

While shopping for Christmas gifts last year we took our annual trip to the 5th Avenue Mall. Yup, you heard right, annual. As much as I would love to go on a mini rant about the fact that the shopping ‘situation’ in America is completely blown out of proportion, and don’t get me started on […]

I’m pretty sure that everyone knows by now how precious the little red stigmas from a saffron crocus are. The common rumor is that they are more expensive than gold, and at around $5,000 per pound wholesale it is no joke, but let’s compare that to the price of gold today; around $1200 per ounce. Immediately […]

I originally created this sauce for a green papaya salad, but soon discovered that it was great for a variety of uses. It’s particularly easy to toss on rice noodles, and it’s perfect to serve with mixed berries, but you can also use it to dress a cabbage slaw, or simply use it as a […]

I know I say it in practically every post, but I LOVE to peruse the isles and produce sections of any market I can find. This week I scored a green (unripe) papaya! Of course I have never had one and, without a smart phone like most people, I had to actually ask a living […]

Not always, but at some ?most? sushi restaurants in the US they offer a small green salad with a ginger carrot dressing. I have those question marks in there because one of our local sushi ‘places’ here on Muldoon in Anchorage offers said salad, and one does not. It seems like it’s as much a […]