Recipe: Easy Butternut Squash Soup + Clover Giveaway

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year and for the past seven years (since I was pregnant with Lucas) I have hosted it at my house. Today, I've partnered with local family farm Clover to bring you this Easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe that has been on my holiday menu every year. When it comes to dairy, I always buy organic--local is even better, and Clover is in the north coast (where Nick is from!).

Clover is also giving away $100 in Clover Cash. Details below after the recipe.

Clover giveaway details:

• Follow me on Instagram and share your favorite holiday meals with hashtag #CloverCooks for a chance to win $100 in coupons for Clover dairy products
• This giveaway is only open to people who live in California.
• Winner will be chosen at random on Monday, November 14th. Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is @jessamynit.

+ Full recipe for Easy Butternut Squash Soup
+ Make these DIY Dessert Toppers for Thanksgiving!
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Favorites: Pain Bakery

A few weeks ago, I almost died from having the best bread of my life. It was a Country Loaf given to me by Theo's amazing preschool teacher Ayla's boyfriend, Chase, who bakes these lovely loaves for Pain Bakery. This loaf was 50 ounces of pure bliss--with a perfectly toasty crust and a super tender open crumb.

After eating one slice on its own, I decided to make avocado toasts the way they do at Bartavelle, one of my favorite spots in Berkeley--lightly toasted, drizzled with the best olive oil (I used ILA), smeared with organic avocado, a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt, and a little red pepper (if I had Marash pepper flakes I would have used that instead). SO. GOOD.

Man, if bread could be sexy, this would be Beyonce.

So this olive oil from ILA is the best one I've had with beautiful packaging to boot.

Look at that crumb! And I totally devoured that butt even though I normally don't even like bread crust :)

+ Find Pain Bakery bread here for now.
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Banchan Workshop No. 5

Lately I've been having a love affair with kimchi. We've been eating it at least twice a week with rice, seaweed, and a stack of tofu slices dipped and pan fried in egg--an easy weeknightmeal (perfect for #meatlessmonday).

I had so much fun a few weeks ago shooting Banchan Workshop #5 for Selina at SKYCreatives at the EatWith kitchen studio in San Francisco. Unlike Banchan Workshop No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, this workshop was all about making one dish--KIMCHI. The guests were so much fun and included some old and new friends including Shu from Aplat who also sponsored the event with her amazing totes, Leslie from Spotted SF, and my friend Carrie and her husband Chris (the class was her Valentine's Day gift to him!).

Here are some of my favorite shots. You could find more details, photos and recipes on the SKYCreatives blog and on her Instagram @skycreatives.

Shujan Bertrand, owner of Aplat, sponsored the event with one of her tote bags for each guest. It was my first time meeting Shu, and she was so sweet, easy going and kind. Stay tuned for an Instagram giveaway for one of her totes.

These cucumber ones were my absolute fave!

Selina's mom showing everyone how it's done.

Delicious kimchi pancakes!

Selina in action

+ Find more Korean food inspiration on Instagram @skycreatives
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Recipe: Black Bean Polenta

When nick and I met over 12 years ago, he was a vegetarian and I was a big time carnivore (growing up in a Chinese household meant some kind of meat protein with every meal). We came to a compromise on our dietary preferences very early on in our relationship (true love!) which consisted of eating mostly vegetarian but fish, chicken and turkey were okay. We weren't strict and my willpower was next to none--I mean, how could I resist the occasional slice of pepperoni pizza?

Fast forward to 2016, and many documentaries later, Nick has gone back to his vegetarian ways but includes fish (so, a pescatarian). I truly admire his tenacity but I must admit, as the cook/baker in the house, this was initially a bit of a challenge for me. Of course, Nick told me not to do anything differently and he'll just eat his own thing. But that would not be enjoyable for me-- the idea of the kids and I gorging on my Lemon Olive Chicken while he ate a bagel and cream cheese? So I've challenged myself to cook more vegetarian and fish meals--on the nights Nick isn't home for dinner, I'll cook my chicken dishes if I feel like it.

One of the biggest challenges as the cook in the house is making something that satisfies everyone. This Black Bean Polenta does the trick--we all love it, it's inexpensive, makes amazing leftovers, great for potlucks, plus it's vegetarian and gluten free. I love the version the Juice Bar Collective makes and found a version from Farmgirl Gourmet that I slightly modified.

+ Full Recipe for Black Bean Polenta
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Coffee and Donuts -- The Perfect Pair

According to Wikipedia, "Coffee and doughnuts" is a common food and drink pairing in the United States. I would go a bit further to say it's one of the most perfect food and drink pairings--the sweet and tender crumb of a fresh donut paired with a smooth and mellow cup of coffee can't be beat.

Today I've partnered with Williams-Sonoma to show you how the OXO On Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker makes delicious barista-quality coffee at home. And I've paired that cup of coffee (or two) with a delicious baked donut recipe with two kinds of glazes.

I can't tell you how many Oxo kitchen tools I have and use and love. So when they came out with a new line of coffee makers, I was really excited to try it out. I have loved coffee since my college days, switched to decaf when I was pregnant with both boys, and have been back on ever since. While Nick prefers his coffee black, I personally love an almond milk latte. But I will drink a regular coffee as long as it's not too bitter. And has milk in it. A lot of milk.

The OXO On Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker makes one of the best coffees at home that I've had. I had no idea how much science was involved in making coffee, but I really can tell the difference between our last coffee maker and this new one. It has a microprocessor that monitors time, temperature and volume from start to finish, resulting in barista-quality handcrafted coffee at home with one touch of a button.

I tested several kinds of coffee including Counter Culture Hologram, Counter Culture Idido, and Stumptown Guatamala Santa Clara (all from Modern Coffee, my favorite coffee shop in Oakland), as well as Philz Tantalizing Turkish.  The Oxo made each one taste like it says on the package.

Aside from making really good coffee, here are a few other things I love about the OXO On Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker:

• Super quiet
• Sleek and modern design
• You could see the water percolating which I think is pretty cool
• It shows you how long the coffee has been sitting
• The vacuum-insulated lightweight stainless steel carafe keeps coffee at the perfect temp
• Could easily make just one cup of coffee
• Easy to clean

The only con I would give is that I can't see how much coffee is in the carafe. But then again, if the carafe were made of glass, the coffee wouldn't stay at an optimal temperature.

Now on to the donuts! I made baked donuts with a blueberry glaze and also a chocolate one with some crushed pistachios on top. I love any kind of donut except for maple bars. This is the first time I've made them at home--sadly, the first batch tasted like play dough, but the second batch using the nonstick donut pan from Williams-Sonoma was a big hit.

+ Full Recipe for Baked Donuts
+ Donut pan and cooling rack from Williams-Sonoma
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+ Williams-Sonoma generously sent me the Oxo On Barista Coffee Maker to test out. I have received no other compensation for this post. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

West Elm Collaboration: Overnight Apple and Pear Cinnamon Morning Buns

I love Christmas morning at my in-laws' house (yes, my in-laws are rad and I'm so lucky!). I love making a cozy breakfast for everyone that we can eat in our jammies while opening gifts in front of a crackling fire. I'm super excited to collaborate with West Elm to share a recipe for Overnight Apple and Pear Cinnamon Morning Buns on West Elm's blog, Front + Main. Get the recipe here and see how we prepped and inhaled them at our house with my family. I will definitely be making these for Christmas morning!

+ See the full feature on West Elm's Blog
+ Photos except the 3rd and 4th ones are by Sarah Hebenstreit
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Recipe: Best Granola Ever No. 2

Remember last year when I said this was the best granola ever? Well, not that I changed my mind, but I decided that I can have as many "best" recipes as I want. And this recipe is aptly named Best Granola Ever No. 2. With its crispy coconut chips, maple glazed pecans, Maldon sea salt (that salty sweet combo effect!), and crackly texture, this granola is seriously addictive. I may or may not have eaten an entire Ball jar of granola in one sitting.

Granola shards! I've decided I like crispy shards over chewy clumps.

The original recipe is so damn good but I modified this recipe slightly to eliminate refined sugar. My modifications include using half olive oil and half coconut oil, adding unsweetened coconut flakes for more coconut flavor, replacing brown sugar with coconut sugar, adding raisins and only stirring once during baking.

+ Click here for a printable pdf
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Banchan Workshop No. 4

It was that time again--another opportunity to attend, pig out, oh and shoot photos for Banchan Workshop No. 4 hosted by Selina Lee of Skycreatives and Feastly. Remember Banchan Workshop No. 2 and No. 3? This time the workshop was held at the beautiful Feastly studio in San Francisco. With its flood of natural light and high ceilings, the space was a really nice backdrop for all the delicious food and fun guests.

Here are some of my favorite shots. Tons more details, photos and recipes on Skycreatives.

Love how Selina decorated with succulents for each guest sitting on top of Korean newspapers with white paint strokes.

Lots of goodies donated by the awesome Whole Foods Market Berkeley and Allegro Coffee from Whole Foods Market Gilman.

Look how cute my friends Nancy and Meg are!? ;)

View fullsize

Selina doing her thing.

Um, drooling! I need to make this for my kids!

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Recipe: My Favorite Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes (gluten free)

One of my favorite things to make on the weekends pancakes. Theo loves sitting on the counter and helping with the measuring, pouring and mixing of all the ingredients. I've been using this recipe for years and the pancakes always come out perfectly fluffy and delicious. Lately, I've adapted the recipe to be gluten free--they're still fluffy but swapping out the white flour with whole grain brown rice flour makes them healthier (um, so I could eat more!). Did the same thing with my Cardamom Coffee Cake and Carrot Muffins. The key to keeping these from deflating is not over mixing the batter.

I love eating these with butter, maple syrup and fresh berries. I usually keep any leftovers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for a quick breakfast for the kids throughout the week.

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Recipe: Oh Yeah, Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been a few weeks since I've posted a recipe -- the last post was about these Soft Baked Pretzels. It's not that I haven't been baking and cooking away, but rather I've been trying to perfect my version of the best classic chocolate chip cookie. After numerous recipe testings and listening to feedback from my select group of cookie critics, I finally found "the one" that met all my chocolate chip cookie criteria -- crispy around the edges, on the thinner side but not flat, chewy in the center, not too sweet, a little salty, perfect chocolate to dough ratio, puddles of melty layered chocolate, good the next day, and most importantly, not cakey. I hate cakey.

The recipe comes from Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt on Food52 (one of my favorite blogs -- have you seen their dreamy office kitchen workspace makeover on Remodelista?). I even tried altering the recipe just a bit to see if some of my favorite elements (espresso powder, semi-sweet chocolate chips, etc.) from other recipes would make this even better. But it is perfect as is according to me and my taste buds.

Puddles and layers and flaky salt -- oh yeah!

A few must do's to make this cookie perfect:
+ Use a high quality (it really makes a difference -- the cheap stuff doesn't melt/puddle the same or taste the same) dark chocolate bar such as Divine or Valrhona and chop it up. Don't think I'll ever go back to chips unless it's an emergency.
+ Don't overmix
+ Always refrigerate the dough
+ Always sprinkle that flaky salt on top before baking
+ Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes

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