Momo (i.e. Nepali Dumplings)

Mmmmm....I want some mo' momo!  At least that is what my husband always says.  He's so punny!

I once spent a summer in San Francisco.  It was the summer after my freshman year of college.  And it was amazing!  I credit that summer with making me much of who I am today.  I spent a lot of time wandering the city and soul searching.  Spending most of my free time alone or with my 6 month old niece (who I was a nanny too).  I think I wrote lots of poetry sitting on the beach.  You know, being artsy and all that.

But you know what was the most life changing part of that summer?

Learning how to make momo!

My brother-in-law is from Nepal.  Much of the food we ate that summer was rice and dahl (lentils).  He also had an amazing ability to make the most delicious vegetable pasta dishes--I'm not sure where that come from.  But one day we went to some friends' house for momo.  I had no idea what a treat I was in for.

Rumbi Rice Bowls

The husband, the kid and I are visiting family in Utah for a little over a week.  One of the most difficult parts of visiting our home state is trying to squeeze in all the things we want to do into a short amount of time.  There are too many people to visit with, places to see, and (at least for me) food to be eaten.  Food is a very nostalgic thing for most people.  Tastes are strongly connected to memory.  

 The husband insists on visiting the Dairy Keen in Heber City every time we are in the area and scarfing down a train burger.  Me, I have a lot.  My first Utah food priority is chocolate covered cinnamon bears.  A-MAZ-ING!  Unfortunately the store we went to today was a big tease.  It had not one, but TWO empty bins where chocolate covered cinnamon bears should go.  I'm on a mission now.  My number two priority is soft serve frozen yogurt from the Maverick gas station chain.  Still waiting on that one too.  There are a number of restaurants found here that are not in the south.  Unfortunately we do not have the time (or the funds for that matter) to visit them all.  

Chicken Ashley

I discovered my love for cooking quite early in life.  One of my earliest memories is of my parents anniversary.  I proudly presented them with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cake--my own creation.  In my mind it was a exquisite layer cake, expertly pieced together and decorated with swirls of peanut butter and grape jelly.  

But...as I was only 3 or 4 at the time, I'm guessing my memory might be tainted.  I can only imagine what a mess I left in the kitchen.

As a teenager I started making meals for my family once or twice a week.  I would browse the cookbooks in my moms arsenal and narrow it down to something that looked delicious.  I even experimented creating my own recipes.  Fortunately for my mother, at that age I was old enough to clean up after myself, and I like to think the outcomes were tastier.

Key West Grilled Chicken

What's your favorite flavor?

Is that a weird question to ask?

I don't mean flavor of ice cream or anything quite that specific.  I mean, what is your favorite flavor in general.  What flavor do you think magically enhances almost every type of dish?

Do you even have one?

I do, it's lime.  I love limes so much that I once dressed up for Halloween as a superhero whose weapons was the incredible lime.

Think about it, lime makes everything taste better.  Lime sherbet, limeade, guacamole, lime salt.  Seriously, I don't think there can be more than a dozen things that wouldn't taste better with a bit of lime juice spritzed on.  In fact, at the moment I'm having a hard time thinking of one.

Greened Asian Steamed Buns with two dipping sauces

I love steamed buns. When I was living in San Francisco one summer I rarely missed an opportunity to step into a little shop with display cases loaded with these warm buns filled with some exotic (to me) ingredients.  They were a cheap and filling food.  A dollar could buy me 2 or more steamed buns which would last me a couple of hours exploring the city. 

Among the many things I miss about San Francisco, these buns are high on my list.  I never thought about making them at home until I saw a few bun recipes online.  They had seemed so shrouded in mystery before then.  I guess I assumed it took years of training with some guru of steamed buns to produce good results.  And of course, being of Asian decent or having immersed yourself in the culture for several years would also be a requirement.  Sadly, on both counts, I was out of luck.