My Honest Thoughts on 5 Food Trends & What I Cooked Last Week

My takes on cottage cheese, soufflé pancakes, crispy rice, and more; healthy frozen cookie dough bites; Aunt Susan’s chicken ricotta meatballs; coconut chia pudding with mango

Hi everyone,

Hope you’re having a great week! The weather in LA has been beautiful, and Doug, Kimchi, and I have been spending more time at our local parks (Silver Lake Meadow and Griffith Park). Of course, I always bring snacks.

Lately, I’ve been putting together snack trays on a sheet pan. I don’t know why I never thought of it before, but a sheet pan is the perfect way to transport a bunch of different snacks. I’ll usually pick up cherries, grapes, veggies, cheese, crackers, and sweets, then arrange everything on the pan. Sometimes I’ll even add flowers so it feels more festive. I love that there’s always something for everyone.

I recently brought one to a doggie meetup, but because there were so many dogs around, we had to take turns holding the sheet pan overhead to keep them from getting to the food!

A fun snack tray from a couple weeks ago!

Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on a few food trends I’ve been noticing lately. There are obviously endless food trends floating around the internet, so I limited myself to five. I thought it would be fun to weigh in and give you my honest take on each one. I’ll tell you what I really think about the cottage cheese craze, protein powder in desserts, Japanese soufflé pancakes, and more.

First, here’s a recipe for my Aunt Susan’s chicken ricotta meatballs, which my mom has been raving about nonstop. They’re incredibly tender and flavorful, and they freeze beautifully, so you’ll have leftovers ready for weeks to come.

As always, my cookbook Maxi’s Kitchen is now available for purchase at your local bookstore or online:

Thank you so much for your support 🤍

What I Cooked Last Week! ↓

Aunt Susan’s Chicken Ricotta Meatballs

My mom has been raving about these meatballs, made with chicken, ricotta, Parmesan, and parsley. My aunt makes a big batch to freeze for easy meals throughout the week.

You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)

Aunt Susans Chicken Ricotta Meatballs

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My Honest Thoughts on 5 Food Trends

Cottage cheese on everything

I personally think this trend is worth the hype. Cottage cheese is packed with protein. For example, half a cup of Good Culture cottage cheese contains 14 grams. Because it’s so protein-rich, it’s also incredibly filling.

I especially love incorporating it into lunches and afternoon snacks. I used to snack on lower-calorie foods like SkinnyPop, but I found that I never felt satisfied afterward. If anything, I was hungrier. These days, I focus on snacks made with whole ingredients that keep me full for longer, like cottage cheese.

I also love cooking with cottage cheese. Even if you don’t enjoy its flavor or texture on its own, I find that it melts right into recipes and becomes almost undetectable. In my cookbook, you’ll find it in my mom’s delicious Southwestern frittata (page 219), made with green chiles and corn. The cottage cheese gets folded in with the eggs, adding a subtle creaminess without standing out. She also makes a fantastic zucchini pie with cottage cheese.

Another way I like to enjoy it is as part of a lunch plate. I’ll add a generous dollop sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning and serve it alongside eggs, toast, cucumbers, to mix and match bites.

Doug’s favorite comfort food from childhood is Túrós Csusza, a Hungarian dish made with egg noodles, bacon, cottage cheese, and sour cream. It reminds me of carbonara, and the cottage cheese blends in so well, adding a little tang.

Doug’s ultimate comfort food made with cottage cheese, egg noodles, and bacon 😋

I haven’t tried too many of the sweet cottage cheese recipes yet because I’m usually in the mood to cook savory dishes, so the cottage-cheese-dessert trend is still up for debate. I recommend looking for Good Culture. (I think it tastes much better than many of the other brands!)

Japanese soufflé pancakes

I’ve noticed that these have really been taking off lately, and more broadly, people seem fascinated by all things Japan. (I can’t blame them. I love Japan and went twice last year!)

I never got around to trying soufflé pancakes while I was there, so I can’t compare them to the real thing. But I have made them at home.