While living in NYC, one of my husband and my favorite places to order in from was a Korean place called Bonchon Chicken. They made what we referred to as “Crack Chicken” which was basically twice-fried, dark meat, boneless, super crispy chicken in a Soy Garlic Sauce that was to die for. Crack Chicken got it’s name because we would order enough chicken to feed a small army and demolish it bwtween the two fo us. I had tried many, many times over the years to imitate the taste of the sauce at Bonchon, but could never get it just right…either there was too much garlic, or it was too sweet….I played with various flavor combos but never perfected the Bonchon Sauce. Fast forward a few years, we’re now living in Princeton, New Jersey, miles away from any Bonchon and yet, we found the next best thing. My daughter’s classmate’s ...

Recently I have been crowd sourcing my recipes from my friends on Facebook by creating polls asking them, “would you rather eat ­­­­_________ or ________?” The polls usually tend to sway heavily in one direction over another until this past week….the poll was: Beef Chimichangas or Korean Grilled Steaks. With only 1 vote separating the winner from the loser, Beef Chimichangas won. I have to admit, I was kinda hoping it would, but I will definitely be making some Grilled Korean Steak ASAP (especially since I just learned about a local Korean Supermarket with all kinds of yummy goodies!) I tested out a new marinade for this recipe, which literally consisted of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You marinate your steaks in there for at least a few hours and then either grill them up or sear them over the stove! But getting back to the chimichanga itself; a ...

I am not really sure where to start this post… There is nothing I love more in the world (family & dogs excluded) than building the perfect Cheese & Meat Board. It goes without saying that I absolutely LOVE cheese – in fact there’s only 1 cheese out there that I haven’t been able to fall in love with and that’s Feta (sorry, Feta, you just ain’t my jam). And as much as I love cheese, I love any and ALL cured meats even MORE: Prosciutto, Salami, Sopresatta, Pepperoni, Capicola….the list is never ending… When I am given the opportunity either professionally or personally to put together a Cheese & Meat Board, I am in my element. I joke that I have a PHD in Cheese and Charcuterie, but in reality, I really do (just not officially….). I have big ideas and future goals to open a local Cheese and ...

For those of you reading this post who haven’t been to Levain Bakery in New York City, my first piece of advice is to change that. For the rest of you who have had the privilege of feasting on probably one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten, this post should get your mouth watering in no time. Levain Bakery is a bakery on the Upper West Side of Manhattan which is known best for their massive and delicious cookies. They have other amazing treats like their sticky buns, and cakes, but the main attraction is the cookie. The first time I tasted a Levain Cookie I was about 400 months pregnant, and my husband came home with 3 packages of Cookies from Levain that he had gotten from a coworker (whoever this coworker was, you deserve a small parade and a gold bar for introducing me to these cookies.) ...

I don’t remember when I first made Tres Leches Cake for my family, but ever since I did, it has become the most requested dessert that I make. The first time I experimented with making the cake it was for a client who was hosting a “Spanish themed dinner”. Since I don’t really like making Flan, the next dessert idea I had was to make a Tres Leches Cake. I started out with a recipe I found online, which I have modified in various ways over the past few years to get it where I like it. There are many variations you can find in a Tres Leches Recipe but I have come up with what I think is the best recipe ever for this cake (excuse me while I pat myself on the back). You have to understand that I HATE baking, and when it comes to eating sweets, ...

I am a big fan of all things Short Rib, and an even bigger fan of Mexican Food….so when I thought of making Short Ribs Tacos, I took to social media to see if my Urban Cookery followers would be into learning this recipe. The results were resoundingly in favor of Short Rib Tacos and so I give you, my Slow Cooker Short Rib Tacos with Homemade Pickled Red Onions. Let me first state that the pickled onions in this dish are an absolute MUST. Do not make this dish unless you plan on having the onions on top. The acidity and crunch of the onions really helps cut through the heaviness and bold flavors that Short Ribs have. I am not usually a fan of pickled things, but have become a total convert because of these onions. Not only are they so easy a child could make them, but ...