Lunch with mom has always been a treat I’ve enjoyed since my early college years in the Philippines. And by “early” I mean as early as the first of my three majors. (Just call me Ms. Decisive.) I still remember one of the first places we frequented on our Wednesday lunch dates: Cosa Nostra in Manila, which at that time was a tiny restaurant with only a handful of tables, where I had some of the best puttanesca ever.
Then we moved to the New York area, and suddenly, it was like an invitation to the big league. So many different restaurants, celebrity chefs, dinner-and-a-show packages … my mom was soaking it all in, and I was right there with her. Alas, much as I enjoyed being my mom’s date as she explored what the big city had to offer, I eventually had to give up the student life and join the working class. (In other words, I realized how old I was and stopped mooching off my mama.) And, as one of our many family mottos goes, work got in the way of having a good time. Continue reading Lunch at Khun Thai →
I love Thai iced tea, and so does my son Tim. He always orders it if we’re at a restaurant that has it on the menu. So it was only natural that, as I started experimenting in the kitchen to come up with a good recipe for Green Tea Ice Cream, I couldn’t help but think that Thai Tea Ice Cream would be just as good. Or even better, since it already is typically served sweet and creamy. Continue reading Simple Thai Tea Ice Cream →
My mom and I try to have lunch together as regularly as we can. Even when I was still living at home in the Philippines, we would have regular “Wednesday club” dates and movie nights. We always found reasons to hang out together, which would explain why I’m such a mama’s girl.
Last week, our lunch date took us to Woo Jung, a Korean restaurant in Palisades Park, New Jersey. I happened to mention to my mom that my husband Tom had never been to a Korean restaurant before, and while galbi jjim (Korean braised short ribs) happens to be one of my earliest specialties, my version is probably not truly authentic. So, rather than schedule our usual sushi lunch, she decided we’d introduce my husband to Korean cuisine instead.
Continue reading Lunch at Woo Jung →
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