I went skydiving on Memorial Day and after wards we spent the evening in Philadelphia were we ate at Amada, a tapas restaurant. We had quite a few AMAZING dishes at this restaurant, in particular a few with Manchego. I’m not sure what was more exhilarating, jumping from a plane or the amazing food. I had already picked this menu but became more excited about it after the manchego tapas consumed in Philly. It’s probably the reason that I got a huge chunk of it at Costco, when I didn’t need Read More....

If you love to cook, you can’t let any of the holidays pass you by – traditions, decorations, and friendships – what more can you ask for? This early Easter Test Nest was a treat of happy spring infused flavors like lemon and ginger and of course some seasonal influences of Asparagus and Leeks. I also wanted to challenge myself by making my first whole chicken (its pretty easy too, so not sure why I’ve been so reluctant to do it). My guests included Todd Stevens, Paul DoRead More....

My best friend Hilary requested that I come down to DC to visit and prepare a Test Nest for her birthday, so I had to oblige. Sally, Tim and I traveled down from NYC for the party and to cook and Hilary invited some other friends in the area. We had a group of 11 for the evening and it was great fun to meet new friends and catch up with some old acquaintances as well. Everyone was really supportive of my cooking experiment and I was honored Hil wanted me to cook her special birthday feast...she'Read More....

While on vacation in Alaska, my family wanted me to do a Test Nest, and I was happy to do it. A Test Nest in Alaska must include Salmon, while locals eat a lot of it, I don’t eat Salmon unless I’m in Alaska. From the short time I lived there however, and caught a few of these beauties myself, I experienced the taste difference between the varieties of Salmon. I knew my brother would have plenty of the best Salmon in their freezer so I was pretty excited to try this recipe. I had Mary teach mRead More....

I’ve been working really hard this year to try to perfect cooking fish, so I was extra nervous about this menu and the sea bass since the last few times I’ve done Halibut it turned out a little dry. I watched the fish extra carefully this time. I was very excited to be joined by two of my old co-workers Meghan O’Hara, Bennie Sham as well as dear friends, Joon Shin, Suzi Yebio, Lisa Higbee, and Rich Atkinson. We had a great evening and everyone was extra patient with me. I had such a busy wRead More....