Part of what makes a meal at Culina so lovely is the celebration of the seasons via their specials menu, and, with their Panzanella Salad in particular, the way the ingredients come together before your eyes before you take that first bite. more ›

Last weekend Barbara Treves' Forever Favourite Apple Pie took two top honors at the 1st Annual KCRW Good Food Pie Contest, winning first place in the Fruit & Nut category as well as being named "Best in Show." more ›

Occasional LAist contributor Aarti has been slaving away over a hot stove for some time now on her self-produced cooking video series, Aarti Paarti, and with spring most definitely in the air, and wonderful springtime finds like green garlic and fava beans plentiful at area farmer's markets, she's whipped up this video recipe how-to for Fava Bean Pillows with Brown Butter. This episode features a guest musical appearance by Paul Newman aka Beep Beep, of Helios Jive, who also helps sample the tasty, easy-to-make, and affordable meal based on locally-sourced seasonal produce. more ›

Huevos rancheros are a classic hearty Mexican breakfast: fried corn tortillas topped with a fried egg and tomato salsa (warm or cold), along with a side of refried beans and rice. It's filling for sure -- but hardly healthy. However, with a few tweaks you can customize this delicious dish into a health-conscious, flavor-filled breakfast or lunch. more ›

It's 8:30 a.m. and by the count on this list, at least five Irish bars are open right now: Brennan's Pub, Casey's Irish Bar and Grille, Clancy's, O'Brien's Irish Pub, Patrick Molloys and Tom Bergin's Tavern. Whoops, make that six (derrr, the morning O'Doul's is already kicking in). more ›

">Weekend America report about urban foraging in Los Angeles. That is, can you take a walk in your neighborhood and find and eat lunch without any cooking or prep back in the kitchen? Why, yes, yes you can. more ›

I fucking HATE Costco. I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! more ›

Welcome to a two-part review of the year’s best cookbooks. In part one, I’ll list five new books that inspired me in the kitchen in 2007…part 2 will include five rediscoveries that you might want to add to your shelf. more ›

I think it started about a year ago, when the students in one the classes I was teaching found out that I was going to cooking school. "Will you make us something?" they begged. I pictured myself whipping up something in the French tradition from my growing pile of recipes and modifying it to serve thirty or so college freshmen. "No," I replied sensibly. "But if you're good, I'll make you cookies!" more ›

more ›

Cream butter, sugar, eggs. Sift together (twice) flour, cream of tartar, baking soda. Add to butter mixture. Drop cookies on ungreased baking sheet. Mix 2 Tablespoons sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon and sprinkle on top each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't recall how many cookies this makes, but it must have been a lot, because I always halved this recipe. more ›

Photo by santa barbarian via Flickr more ›

" src="http://laist.com/attachments/lindsayrebecca/gingersnapsinapile.jpg" width="375" height="318" class="left"/> I can't remember a time when I wasn't baking cookies. My mom used to sit me up on the counter and let me pour ingredients into the mixer. I had to hold the measuring cup with both hands. more ›

These come straight from my mom, the master. (Complete with long disclaimer about how we used to use margarine, but now that's bad for you, and we really should use oil instead of butter, but she hasn't figured out how much yet, so this'll do.) more ›

All right, I know this was only supposed to be a cookie recipe exchange, but the power of Santa compels me to share my Italian American aunt's killer "Frangelico Balls." more ›

My mother has been making these Central/Eastern European influenced cookies since before I was born. Every Christmas, we have these delicious powdered sugared, jam filled treats. It turns out, the dessert is also interchangeably a cookie and/or a pastry and has quite an old and varied history:The oldest ritual leavened loaf which came into being soon after the Slavs embraced Christianity is shaped in a round, ring or like a cart and is called... more ›

Italian cookies are always a bit of puzzlement. The food of my ancestors is so damned delish, but their cookies—not so much. Take it from my semi-Italian American childhood, most of the time you’re cracking your tooth on something twice baked and/or steeped in anise. When my Nona brought out the cookie tin, I used to pray for a Pogen. Instead, I’d get something you had to dip in hot tea to chew. Of course... more ›

Biscotti have been my passion and my specialty for over 10 years. It all started in high school with one side of my family being Molto Italiano and everyone had their own specialty. I wanted something of my own so I took stock of what was missing. We already had an amazing cook in the family, my step-dad. His greatest pleasure in life might just be cooking, taking an entire Sunday to create a... more ›

Tis the season - for cookies!!! Cookies are one of the most versatile treats you can make. They are perfect for gift-giving, office parties, dessert, or a quick snack. They please children and grown-ups alike. Most cookie batters freeze well so you can make cookies anytime you feel like it. Cookie recipes are easy to make and hard to screw up. You just need to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.... more ›

I'm a total cooking-show whore, I'll admit it right up front (although Sandra Lee's "open a can of crap and put a marshmallow on it!" school of cooking has never sat right with me). I have a long long queue of Jamie Oliver and Mario Batali cooking shows on my DVR, since they play them at odd hours, either when I'm asleep or at work. I know that Anthony Bourdain would gladly put a cigarette out on my arm for saying this, but I kinda love Jamie Oliver, with his cute little lisp and cute little motorbike and cute little wife and kid. I know his dishes aren't what you would call authentic, but I like his style and his ingredients and his cute little lisp. Did I mention that already? more ›

Last weekend we were lucky enough to snag at seat at the demo-style Holiday Cooking Class hosted by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, aka The Two Hot Tamales, at their Border Grill restaurant in Santa Monica. The room was packed with enchanted attendees focused on the endearing antics of the celeb chefs and the amazing food they were making, which we were served in tandem with the recipe demos. The menu was set to... more ›

Hanukkah is the one holiday of the year that celebrates oil. How could I not love it? Luckily for me, I grew up next-door to Mrs. Barton, an excellent cook and my "adoptive Jewish mother". Every year I remember her up to her elbows in the world's biggest Tupperware bowl, mixing up the potato pancakes. As a newlywed, I was terrified hosting my first dinner party. I went over to Mrs. Barton's house to... more ›

It's tamale season! Every year around this time, our family spends one Sunday wrapping tamales for Christmas Eve. It's easiest to make the meat the day before, then have the wrapping party the next day. This is not a solo project. Stock up on beer and make something easy, like chili, and invite all of your friends over. Call every Mexican restaurant/deli/store in your phone book and find one that sells the masa pre-prepared. Some... more ›

It all started with Anthony Bourdain's Mexican border episode of his show No Reservations. At one point he picks up a riding crop in a leather shop. He slaps it confidently against the palm of his hand, and says, "Yeah, this is coming home with me." I've always been attracted to his superior punk New York attitude. But the "whack" of that riding crop took it somewhere new. I confessed to my boyfriend, "I'm sorry... more ›

OK, maybe I lied about the mashed potatoes. What I love most is the stuffing. Man, it's like Sophie's Choice trying to decide. I don't see any reason to deal with the hassle of making cornbread just to use in stuffing. But straight out of the box is boring. My mom has always used ground pork sausage in hers and it is killer. Ask the guy at the meat counter. more ›

Mashed potatoes are one of then few dishes I can't live without on Thanksgiving. Luckily, it is super-easy. Just make someone else peel the potatoes. Peeling is an easy thing to do while watching TV, so recruit those football fans. You can also peel them Wednesday, and as long as you keep them covered with water, they will not discolor much. I don't do the green bean casserole thing. It's a love-it-or-hate-it dish. I... more ›

Remember that tear-jerking story-song, Rocky? She said, "Rocky, I never cooked Thanksgiving before, don't know if I can do it... but if you'll let me lean on you, and take my hand, I might get through it..." Thanksgiving is actually much easier than a lot of dinners I've cooked. It's one of the easiest. People just become intimidated by the sheer size of everything, and the fear of being judged. Just think of it... more ›

A good friend recently introduced LAist to this clever user-driven food review site. What makes these reviews unique from LA Citysearch are the pictures that accompany all of the food. People casually browsing can "lick" up entries to show their approval, everyone gets to comment on each review -- and best of all, it's LA-Centric. Each review goes dish-by-dish, often with the exact price attached to the picture of the food items. This little... more ›

Thai food can be an issue for vegans. Everything has hidden fish sauce or oyster sauce in it. Luckily, here in LA there is always Bulan Thai, California Vegan, Vegan Glory, and Vegan House. Some Thai Town restaurants will prepare the food vegan upon request. But depending upon where you live, you still might not have a convenient corner takeout. So why not make it at home? I've made authentic Thai curries from scratch,... more ›

Recent studies from both Dutch and Norwegian researchers are confirming that consumption of omega 3 fatty acids, which are most often found in fish and nuts, may make you smarter (or at least help you utilize what you've got): People who reported eating on average at least a third of an ounce of fish per day -- 10 grams -- outscored those who skimped on fish, regardless of factors including age, education, and heart... more ›