We eat a lot of Bánh mì  sammies in our house and they always seem to become more of a frequent flyer once the Spring and Summer months push through. Maaayybbeee that has to do with how perfect they are to enjoy in the park or on the beach – just sayin’. This Vietnamese treat is super easy to throw together and never shuts a party down.

In fact.. this sandwich is a party animal (insert: confetti canon).

Tofu, chicken, pickled cauliflower, there are endless limits to creating the perfect fiesta between a sliced baguette – but this particular Bahn Mi recipe is the stead-fast classic guaranteed to get you started off on track.

 Here’s to a beautiful weekend layered high with deliciousness.

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What’s your summer sammie go-to?!

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The post The Summer Sandwich Must Have: Bánh mì Recipe appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

I have never been to Paris. It’s been on my list of travel desires for nearly two decades and I’ve somehow managed to find myself in many other places but. Thankfully I live in a city with countless local Parisian escapes, where I can pretend streets are made of cobblestone and that chic striped shirts and perfectly coiffed brunette bangs are walking upon them.

Next time you prance through Los Angeles, be sure to visit either the timeless romance of Figaro Bistrot…the ultra hip that is Cafe Stella…or the artisinal mercantile wonderland of Monsieur Marcel.

I recently introduced my mom to Monsieur Marcel where we sipped on afternoon wine, got in some ridiculous Beverly Hills people watching, ordered dessert even though we were already too full and enjoyed a moment that I can now only realize is the magic of having a relationship with your parents as an adult.

My mom has always given me real talk, but let’s be honest – it’s more enjoyable during this time of my life when conversation is about life, love, laughs and not about the stress of maintaining a 4.0 or balancing your college checkbook at the end of each month.

Sorry Momacita, but true…you’re responsible for keeping me on track, grounded and motivated all these years.

I love you to the moon for it and I apologize for being a horrible speller.

Nothing transports me quicker onto a {local} France vacation like a glass of pale rosé and a carefully thought out nicoise salad…be it at home or at a cafe, I indulge on this taste trip year round. This “Californian” Nicoise is a somewhat modernized approach which replaces anchovies with Spanish Boquerones, adds in crisp cucumbers and brightens up the usual olive and vinegar party with a bright and wild champagne vinaigrette.

I don’t know about you, but I’m packed and ready to go, yo!

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Why not serve up that updated nicoise with a few design twists of the classics of Parisian café? These Modern French kitchen accents are the perfect way to add just a little bit of ooh  to the la la to your table – be it bistro chairs in unexpected pops of colors or just a healthy stack of gorgeous macaroons, you’re going to be screaming merci beaucoup with each item tossed into your digital shopping cart and placed into your own private café. Lastly…Can we talk about the collection of Cooking Attitude Books up there?! My eyes are weeping with bliss. I wish I spoke French.

Le sigh.

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The post Modern French Kitchen Design & Californian Nicoise Salad Recipe appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

Certain things can become mundane and feel a bit routine in life. Let’s face it we all get into ruts..Like eating the same flax seed flakes in the morning or tossing in the ol’ usual suspects into a blender. Guilty as charged. So when Silk Soy Milk asked me try out their new taste I was up for the pace change.

It felt like a surprise party for my mouth! And naturally I immediately decided to stick birthday candles into a bowl of cereal. That’s just how I guacamole.

Here’s the way I see it: Silk Soy Milk is  the straight A, water polo stud / masked super hero that shows up at any occasion and instantly turns the situation (and tea, smoothie or cereal) into an instant party.

He’s amazingly thoughtful like that (and always calls his mother).

Take a peep at  this party for your eyes and then go check out Silk’s delicious soy and almond milks and join in on the taste party too! Woop!

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What are you going to spike with Silk!?

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This post is brought to you by Silk.

The post Silk Soy Milk: Now That Tastes Like A Party appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

Hola at me party peoples!

Spring fiesta-timing is in full swing and this month I’ve been incredibly honored to be producing festive entertaining content for HGTV.com. Cinco De Mayo might be one of my favorite holidays eating/hosting-wise and living in Southern California certainly allows me to indulge in authentic Mexican culture any day of the year.

I am known to crush hard on our many taco varietals and dedicating weekends honing in on perfecting the most authentic salsa verde possible… it’s a tough job but I’ll slather that research over anything once I’m done.

Here’s a peep at my spicy neon-bold Cinco De Mayo inspired food & entertaining design that I shot out in Joshua Tree. If you don’t think you’re a desert person (like my fair sunburning, heat wilting self), this desolate landscape will change you..at least if you visit when it’s not 110 degrees.

One word: Georgeous!

Second word: ¡Vamanos!

Can a table scream fiesta without the use of pom-pom trim? Maybe..but why not kick up the fun richter with brightly colored textures and traditional Mexican textiles in unsuspecting hues?! Check out all the amazing fabrics I sourced over here on Etsy. I apologize in advance for the sudden urge to re-do all of your table linens, pillows…heck curtains…at first glance at these amazing textiles. While you’re at it – throw some papel picado banners into your cart and crank up your party a few more decibels.

 Check out the fiesta table linen DIY here!

If you’re going to pull out all the stops with the decor, you best take a little hand holding with the menu as well. Making your own tamales or tortillas doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, it’s maybe one of the easiest most satisfying culinary adventures you could take. Simple, delicious… check out the recipes already and if the very thought makes you break into a sweat ~ fret not! I’ve also got a spicy citrus tequila recipe that’s going to knock everyone’s socks (and tongue depending on how long you infuse your booze) off.

Side note: Who doens’t love a piñata? Here in LA we actually have an entire district designated to them, true story!! If you’ve got a box and some crepe paper you’re going to be in some serious candy-stuffing, bat-swinging business before the weekend.

Recipe: Sol De Flare Spicy Tequila Cocktail with Blood Orange & Chartreuse

Recipe: Mini Chipotle Shrimp Blue Corn Tostadas

Recipe: Adobo Chicken Tamales

Learn how to make an adorable piñata now!

While brainstorming ways to unexpectedly update the traditional piñata by using new materials, I immediately thought about flowers…and party hats (I’m weird like that). Thankfully my dream became a reality when the kind Floristry Experts at Flower Muse shipped over countless stems for the mission at stake.

Wedding planners, florists & event connoisseurs take note: These roses lasted over two weeks. The selection of colors, varietals and overall freshness of the ranunculus was mind-boggling. These guys ship directly from the farm and I will forever weep the days ahead when my kitchen isn’t full with 10 Home Depot buckets of perfumed goodness.

Check out the floral piñata DIY over here!

♫ Listen to my Cinco De Party Soundtrack here ♫

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The post ¡Fiesta! Cinco De Mayo Recipes & Entertaining For HGTV.COM appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

I am guilty. Some days I am very guilty. I’m talking about the days when I forgot my reusable shopping bags in the car or in the kitchen drawer. The days I am then forced to pick between paper or plastic and then stuff said waste under my kitchen sink, reusing my mistakes as a trash can liner and then kicking myself to be more mindful on future shopping trips.

I’m sorry Miss. Earth, I’m really trying here.

I’ve used a lot of different kinds of shopping bags over the years. Canvas totes are cute, but they are bulky and take up too much space. With other kinds reusable bags, I’ve lost the pouch that makes tucking the bag away a little more space-friendly…thus making it not space-friendly at all.

I’m not making excuses here (well maybe a little) but seriously!!! Neither of these options are making my chances of remembering a bag at all any easier.

But wait!

I was recently introduced to Koteli reusable shopping bags. At first I was like – meh, just another brightly colored option certain to get lost, stowed or forgotten on that inevitable “oh man, I forgot the garlic..and pretty much everything for dinner” market dash. But I was wrong! This little unassuming parcel exceeded all my toting expectations. Listen up:

(1) The tuck-away pouch is connected to the actual bag – impossible to lose & compact enough to store in the smallest of purses (see up top). Side note: folding the bag after use was a breeze, especially for someone like me who admittedly points out my fitted sheet failure in my linen closet.

(2) Despite it’s petite folded state – this bag is massive when opened! I mean, I packed in an entire over flowing basket from Whole foods without making a spacial dent in the thing…it’s strong to boot. I snuck in some much needed exercise / bicep curls across the parking lot.

(3) Hello Dr. Feel Good: 10% of all sales go to supporting environmental charities (such as Billion Baby Turtles). Now that’s something we can get  behind and make an excuse to purchase a few more bags in the name of keeping Lady Earth all purdy.

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What’s your BYOB stich like these days?

Check out the line of Koteli products over here and high five your green zero-waste self!

~ Happy Earth Day Peeps ~

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I’m a little obsessed with this set up.

Hexagon tile work and bare wood cabinets….simple at it’s best. Perfection. I’m drooling actually and I need this look in my life pronto. Those cupboard knob cutouts!? Stop it. Just stop it with your gorgeous minimalist self. I’ve found myself going back to this image countless times and many days after pinning it and it just never fails to make my heart swoon.

Swooning like a pre-teen standing in line for her first One Direction concert.

I’m talking hard core crushing with paper cut out hearts and “I LOVE YOU” posters waving in the air. I’ve got it bad.

Luckily this slick space is a look that can easily be translated in our own kitchens by highlighting hexagon details, a sprinkle of ceramic/wood and a slight color pop of pale flowers in vintage apothecary jars. Good grief, what a dapper look…

I’ll be honest with you, It’s going to be pretty difficult for me to not take a sledge hammer to my back splash this weekend. I’m going to send you some demmo discipline as well….God help us all!

The post Minimalist Modern Design For The Kitchen appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

I am one lucky lucky, let me tell you!

Over the past few years I’ve gotten some awesome surprise deliveries. Like the time 24 perfectly bubble-wrapped avocados arrived in need of a signature and a case of ol’ blue eyes showed up asking to be used in a new recipe….annnnd just recently this here “recipe in a box” sent over by Health Warrior which delivered one satisfying smoothie on demand.

I know what you’re thinking – what’s so special about a smoothie? It’s not rocket science, tho I applaud whomever invented the blender. And where I have made and drank plenty of these icy treats I’ve never (not once) thought to throw in a bar of any sort…well maybe a candy bar…into it.

Let alone Chia. I’ll be honest…it always seemed a little too healthy, like dirt or flax.

Luckily I was wrong and I’m going to drop a little health knowledge here: Did you know one bag of Chia seeds = ten pounds of salmon? I  mean that’s crazy talk omega 3 action happening up in there. I had no idea it was that powerful and I had no idea these bars were that tasty. So in they went and my day started off with a belly full of yum.

Move over protein powder, there’s a new dame in town….let’s blend!

The post Health Warrior Recipe In A Box: Acai Berry Chia Bar Smoothie appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

Recently my blog-buddy, neighbor and good friend Mr Nathan Hazard set out on the streets of Los Angeles’ Koreatown on an adventure with me to test drive a brand spankin’ new Korean Restaurant Guide Book. This obsession of indulging in a Korean feast together started a few weeks ago when we were both swooned by a multi-course Ssam presentation hosted by The Taste of Korea. Words cannot describe the level of sophistication in these wrapped bites…in a word (or few) it has changed me.

People…There is more to Korean food than BBQ!!!! A heck of a lot more.

We both live relatively close (read: stones throw) to this LA neighborhood and were both shocked that we haven’t taken more advantage of the diverse food. A place that solely specializes in tofu!? Yes please! A tiny one-woman shop stocked with unmarked mason jars filled with fermented delights?! Check and check.

We ate…a lot. We got a little too excited about the housewares section in the Han Kook Supermarket. Oogled over kimchi of various sized containers and potencies….aaannnd at the end of it all we may or may not have indulged in a few sticky wings and a mug (or two) of Hite. Yup, it was a good day.

Outfitted with our Los Angeles Korean Restaurant Guide, provided by The Taste Of Korea, we hit the street in search of our first meal… lunch at OO-KOOK! Let’s go!

Nathan: A cartoon cow; what better way to convey this is gonna be fun!? Determined to reach beyond our KBBQ comfort zone, we started with the Korean-style Kimchi Jjigae, a spicy stew comprised of tender pork, shellfish, tofu, and of course sour kimchi. Deeply savory and comforting, I noticed my palate adjust to the strong flavors, ultimately scraping the bottom of the bowl.

Kristin: If it’s possible to fall  hearts in your eyes love style for a restaurant…it would be OO-Kook. The purple cow sign out front, the jasmine vinyl floral booths and the excitement of cooking your own meat at your table? Yup, it’s pretty spectacular. Having both eaten our fair share of BBQ in this part of town, Nathan & I decided to try two new dishes. I’m pretty sure that was one of our best decisions ever. Mostly due to this bubbling pot of meat, tofu, mushrooms and fermented cabbage.

Bottom line: If  I could write a love sonnet in the key of kimchi, I would. I would also sneak in a grilled cheese sammie to dunk into this magic sauce, just because it knocks the socks off of any tomato-based stew I’ve ever laid lips on. I’ll be back, I’ll be eating the whole bowl myself, I will not apologize.

Nathan: To follow, we went for the 10-Greens Raw Meat Bibambap, an elegant display of pickled and fresh vegetables, raw egg yolk, steamed rice, raw beef, and spicy gochu jang sauce. Unlike Dolsot Bibimbap, a cold brass bowl sat in for sizzling stone, where we mixed all of the ingredients with chopsticks for a bright and refreshing main dish. Fun? You bet!

Kristin: They weren’t kidding when they knighted this the “royal” bibimbap. Holy wow that’s a lot of food! I was personally a newbie to this excellence and kinda needed some sort of drivers manual on how to mix up all the goodies. Luckily it turns out you just dump and mix – pretty straight forward. You know what’s not straight forward? The flavors. Out of this world combo of sweet, salt, sour and the texture…who needs BBQ when you can get a pile of everything that’s right with this world!? Including raw beef…there I said it. Just go with it.

Nathan: With its handy size, sleek design and crisp color photographs, the Taste of Korea Los Angeles Restaurant Guide is a sexy and sophisticated resource that would fit as nicely on the bookshelf alongside your Wallpaper* city guides as close to the hip in your purse. The reviews are concise and cut to the bone, bullet-pointing vitals and house specialties, in both English and Hangul. When in doubt, celebrity foodie and restaurant critic testimonials weigh in, helping demystify the healthy and diverse cuisine that Los Angeles is so lucky to be chock-full of.

Head over here and check it out for yourself! (OR… Enter below for two copies we’re giving away – holler!)

Kristin: As much as I love the tactile nature of books…I’m leaning on the app over here. Especially when not wanting to look overly tourist-y on my hometown streets. This app is discrete and has your back… Need to know exactly what budae jjiae is? No problem. Flip open the Los Angeles Korean Food Guide App and take a gander at their glossary. No one will know the wiser and you’ll take comfort, for once, that everyone thinks you’re just an anti-social junky of text-eating.

Here’s hoping they continue to add new restaurants and content to this app to keep things fresh and adventures on-going. We suggest you pop over to the iTunes Store, download the app and hit the streets STAT!

Nathan: Outside of this pub there are two signs. One reads OB Bear, and the other OB Beer. As this institution slings Korean OB beers as most do Bud, I have to wonder if the name was incidental, if not altogether an accident. I digress. Any pub known for their spicy-sweet chili-glazed chicken wings and pitchers of Hite cheaper than domestic bottles is a pub I want to frequent. With dark, cozy booths and friendly push-bell service, be warned, happy hour holing up at OB Bear could be habit-forming.

Kristin: After an extensive detour at the HK Market and ponderings which included whether or not to purchase a rustic wooden machete and a 15 pound vat of kimchi (truths) we took a break at good ol’ OB Bear before heading back home. I’ve heard countless tales of loud Lakers game viewings and wing-age up to your eyeballs, but I had no idea what a treat this pub would be.

I confess, I’ve maybe had chicken wings 5 times in my life…this is sadly about to change because I have never met an uglier, more delicious plate of crispy sticky bits of awesome.  Return visit already scheduled…

What a fun day rediscovering our own city! I cannot wait to check more places off this list and discover all the new flavors of Korean food that I never knew! If you live in Los Angeles or plan on visiting soon, Koreatown is a a tiny neighborhood just outside of downtown and is a must that needs to make the top of your eat-sheet.

The post The Korean Restaurant Guide, Los Angeles appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

Who says this time of year has to be about shamrocks and rainbows?! Who says you have to dye your food weird colors in order to celebrate? That is so not happening! Spring has sprung and I want my house to look like the smell of fresh cut grass. Yes, I’m talking about green, baby! Emeralds of every shade, every shape…the color that exudes calm and new life…not to mention extremely on trend (Hellllo color of the year!).

Incorporating this shade into your life can be as easy as growing some fresh herbs on your windowsill or as dramatic as  crushing your piggy bank and running full-fisted with coins to your nearest home ware boutique of choice. Sometimes I do both, at the same time. No judgement…just reality.

From kelly stripes to lime-saturated linens, I’ve got some of the season’s brightest hues of emeralds and greens sure to  shock new life into your kitchen and onto your table. Kermit was wrong — this business is a breeze.

:Shop Guide:

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What’s your green go-to?

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The post Emerald Inspired Design For Your Kitchen & Table: It’s So Easy Being Green appeared first on The Cuisinerd.

Instagram continues to perplex me. I’m always surprised that my photos with the worst lighting during late night dinner prep are the ones that get some of the most positive responses and pleads for recipes. Sometimes a shocking amount more than any other (in my option, better looking) photos I take. I never think that the daily dinners would be of interest to you guys and clearly I am wrong – we all want attainable, easy and delicious meals.

Life’s too busy for curry pies and lobster risotto. I get it. I need quick too.

I’ve been eating A LOT of kale over the last few weeks. And by a lot, I think I clocked in at least 4 alone the past few days for either dinner or lunch (or both). I am pretty sure this has everything to do with the fact that I’ve been busy rounding up articles (and my waistline) researching  pasta and dessert for Refinery 29.

I never want to see either of those menu items in front of me again. For reals.

Salads provide me a health balance (nutritionally and mentally), but they do have the potential to feel routine, bland and even boring…so I always try to keep up at my greens game.  That being said – You asked and I’m here to Insta-feed you with this Southwestern Kale Salad.

I don’t believe in recipes for salads. I do believe in providing an ingredient blue print and let you build to your personal specs. Think of it as a pre-fab meal. One thing I’ve got to point out is the vinaigrette. It’s tart with lime, has a tiny kick and breaks down the bitterness of the kale with style. Note: those 15-25 minutes of toss time are key  to a great hearty green bowl, patience.

Check out how to make the jalapeno & cumin vinaigrette and get some other tips on how to treat your salad with respect by clicking above or giving a little link love tap  right here!

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What gets you bowled over when mixing together some greens?

I want even more ideas and would love some inspiration!

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