Global Grub's Blog: Adventures in Cooking

For many Mexican families, a tamalada (the Spanish word for “tamale party”) is synonymous with the holidays. Multiple generations gather around the kitchen to make a ridiculous amount of tamales, oftentimes in the hundreds. The tamales are shared and enjoyed with family and friends throughout the season, sometimes given as a gift (I accept!). Traditional rituals include the Grandma’s prayer to the tamales,Spanish guitar music...

We’ve all been there. Your 5-7 go-to recipes are on rotation and they’re getting real boring! But they’re tried-and-true. I get it. I can be a victim to the dreaded rut too, especially when life is extra hectic (have I mentioned I recently sold my house? Moving is the worst!). However, I’m here to remind us all that there’s too many wonderful foods in this world to be cooking the same ol’ things.

Here are 7 easy ways to mix things up:

1. Easy Goal: Make it your goal to cook at least one new recipe per week. It’s a doable goal.
2. Seasonality: Let the season guide you! Head to the... 

Take your BBQ to the next level with Kalbi, a popular Korean dish (Kalbi or Galbi means “rib” in Korean). The marinade is a balance between sweet and savory, and kinda tastes like teriyaki but waaay better. While Kalbi traditionally equates to fine dining, you may have had the fun experience of grilling it yourself at a Korean restaurant where the grill is a part of the table (um, I need one of those tables for my house!).

If you’ve never had it, you’re missing out...

Meatloaf… love it or hate it? My hubs is not a fan, so I never make it, or so he thinks! I’ve actually evolved my mom’s “oldie but goodie” meatloaf recipe into our go-to slide recipe. If you love burgers, meatloaf or anything mini (like me), then you need to make these pronto! And they’re fun to eat! They’re small, so you can eat a couple, stick to your diet or save room for the sides.

The patties are bursting with flavor...

"You know, if you want to get something done, give it to a busy mom." This is a quote from the recent article, "Kevin O'Leary of 'Shark Tank' invests in 27 companies and says the only ones making money have female CEOs." I'm obsessed with Shark Tank and this article makes me smile ear-to-ear. I'm certainly proud of my self proclaimed title, "Mompreneur." But the truth is, the struggle to fit in being a mom and business owner is real...

The best day of our "eat our way through Europe" trip was when we rolled up our sleeves and made homemade Italian food in an authentic Florentine kitchen. If you ever go to Florence, please take this private cooking class, Let's Cook with Jacopo (it has all 5-star reviews for a reason).

In the meantime, bring Italy to you with this gnocchi recipe straight from Jacopo's kitchen. If pasta and potatoes had a baby, it would definitely be gnocchi! Follow my easy-to-follow adapted cooking instructions and let the tender pillows melt in your mouth. 

As you can see, we literally couldn't wait to try our homemade gnocchi, hence this half eaten platter of tender pillows in this photo. 

Gnocchi Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes (2.2 Ibs potatoes, such as russet potatoes)

Menu:

• California Roll: crab, avocado, cucumber (or substitute crab with salmon or teriyaki chicken, or additionally top with a salmon or spicy tuna)
• Spicy Tuna Roll: spicy tuna, cucumber
• Tempura Roll: shrimp tempura, optional avocado  
• Philly Roll: salmon, cream cheese, cucumber
• Veggie Roll: any assortment of veggies
• Sushi Sides: optional
• Sake and Beer: optional but highly recommended