Hello, Welcome and Thank you!

It’s been a few weeks since my last post because I was in the midst of a long illness that had been festering since the beginning of the year that came to a head the entire month of March. The fog is finally beginning to lift, thankfully, and I am ready to get back to real life. For those new here, I have an immunological disorder called MCAS. It’s rare but sometimes I am unwell for long stretches of time (more on that another time as this disease affects how I eat and the recipes I develop!). For those who struggle with auto-immune issues, you already know! In spite of me being mostly bedridden, it’s been a busy month out in the world.

At the end of February, my Japanese Ground Beef Curry recipe was published on NYT Cooking. Thank you to everyone who messaged me, shared photos of you cooking the recipe, commented and shared the love. I was especially excited to see that it inspired so many conversations and stories of nostalgia. Many people shared their favorite brand of curry block. I used the S&B brand in this recipe because it is the original brand and I wanted to respect the dish origins. I welcome anyone using their favorite brands and encourage the readers out there to try all of them and identify what their favorites are for themselves. In my opinion, this is not about right or wrong, it’s about getting flavorful food on the table in a short period of time. If you cannot source curry bricks, try ordering S&B curry powder. It has the same flavor profile but without the (gluten-based) binders that make the curry block inaccessible to some. For those concerned about MSG, here is your friendly reminder that the roots of MSG hate are rooted in racism. Everyone has the right to make whatever food choice is in line with their moral and dietary preferences or restrictions but I ask that you read up on it before you continue to spread misinformation.

Thank you to Melissa Clark for sharing my latest recipe Gingery Fish with Green Beans, in the NYT Cooking newsletter. This recipe was inspired by a tomato masala fish dish I had in Thailand that I loved. I developed this recipe using the most flavorful and ripe tomatoes and cooking the aromatic paste in oil release the flavors for a deeply flavorful and layered final dish.

What a lovely surprise it was to see Celia Funderburk at thekitchn.com write about this substack and my taco beef and cabbage recipe. This recipe is absolutely riffable and easily customizable. Swap the ground beef for any ground meat or vegetarian faux-meat, chopped firm tofu, switch up the meat and use sliced sausage, or try using a totally different flavor profile by switching up the spice blend.

Thank you to Maggie Hoffman’s newsletter The Dinner Plan for sharing her love of my Pork Adobo Slider recipe (published on Bon Appetit). Adobo, like most stews, always tastes better after the flavors have some time to meld and this recipe is no exception. This is a fantastic recipe for make ahead meal planning, or to serve up for gatherings of any season.

Thank you to my subscribers, new and old, for being here. I am always grateful that anyone chooses to be here and that my work resonates for some of you. If you’d like, please follow me on Instagram, YouTube or bookmark my website, as sometimes I post recipes on the site before I announce them other platforms.

I’m behind on production because of my illness but here’s a little of what you can expect from me moving forward: travel and dining recommendations, product reviews, the occasional personal essay, recipe video instructions and as always FREE RECIPES. Some recipes will be low cost and ease driven and some will be technique-driven to expand your knowledge, push your culinary muscles and have you eating a bit more refined in your home space. None of my recipes or words will ever be generated by AI. If you are feeling generous and would like to support my work monetarily, here is a Venmo QR code, if you would like to donate. Your donation helps offset the cost of the ingredients and labor it takes to create this newsletter. Again, thank you for being here. I am grateful for your support.