Honey Garlic Pork Chops and Papas Fritas with Paprika Garlic Sauce

Phew, is it just me, or is there a lot going on in that recipe title?

I know, I might have gone a bit overboard, but all of the elements in the meal are so delicious, I wanted you to know about each individual one!

So, with so many elements, where should I start?

Ep. 16 – Japan – Nigori Martini + Okonomiyaki

I’ve been making Okonomiyaki for a long time. It’s my favorite Japanese dish to make at home, for sure. However, one thing I haven’t really gotten into yet is sake. My mother-in-law loves sake, so I’ve started trying it when I’m with her, and it’s really grown on me.

Some say that Nigori sake is a type of sake often known to be for sake newbies, because it’s on the sweet side, and quite mild. That also means that it tastes great in cocktails, since it mixes well. So I created my own version of a sake martini with nigori sake.

Ep. 11 – Indonesia – Dragon Fruit Coconut Cocktail + Beef Rendang

I thought it was about time that my blog series traveled to Southeast Asia. When I lived in Australia, I had a long list of places to see. Firstly, I wanted to see as much of Australia as possible, I wanted to pop over to New Zealand, and — even though there aren’t THAT many other countries in close proximity to Australia, I hoped to take advantage of being on that side of the world and check a few out. Indonesia was always on my list, and Bali in particular was high on my husband’s wish list. Despite all of this bucket list planning, we ended up moving back home to the US without ever having visited Indonesia. Heartbreaking! However, since Indonesia is relatively close to Australia, the good news is that I did get to eat a variety of Indonesian-inspired dishes during my 2 years on that side of the world.

Oddly enough, my strongest memory of eating Indonesian food was actually from my vacation in Fiji. Fijian cuisine takes inspiration from many surrounding countries, one of which was Indonesia. And one of my favorite Indonesian dishes that I had there was beef rendang.

Sweet Sesame Ginger Veggie Salad

This recipe is inspired by my trip to Fiji in 2017. Mitcher and I, on a whim, decided to go to Fiji to celebrate his birthday. We were living in Sydney at the time, so Fiji actually was close enough to classify as an “on a whim” trip.

We went to an amazing resort. It was tiny – one of only 2 resorts on Tokoriki Island – so it only had one main restaurant, but luckily, the restaurant was incredible. We went in January, which is the middle of summer in Fiji, and so it was pretty warm. So come lunch time, I rarely wanted something hot. Luckily for me, they had some amazing chilled veggie salads. Fijian food gets inspiration from nearby countries, including Australia, southeast Asia, and Indonesia, so some of my favorite salads at the resort had Asian flavors.

Now, years later, I finally took the time to recreate a salad recipe from my time at the Fiji resort. So if you want to daydream that you’re in Fiji along with me, read on for my recipe.

Korean sloppy joes

I’ve never been to Korea, but I do dream of traveling to Korea, and 90% of the reason why is because of Korean food. I recently discovered the best Korean secret ingredient, gochujang. Gochujang is a fermented chili paste that’s kind of sweet and spicy. It’s a pretty common condiment for many Korean households, but I hadn’t cooked with it until recently.