Reflections from 2025 & What I Cooked These Last Two Weeks
Looking back on this year; steamed dumpling meatballs; melt-in-your-mouth chocolate snack cake; my favorite method for chicken parm; roasted creamy pomodoro; shrimp scampi linguine
Hi everyone,
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful time over the holidays. Doug and I spent the week of Christmas at my parents’ house with my two brothers, my oldest brother’s girlfriend who we love, and my grandma. We cooked a delicious prime rib dinner and wore matching pajamas on Christmas morning while opening presents.
We were originally supposed to ring in the New Year in Hong Kong and Taipei, but after a very busy stretch of travel and work, we both felt like our bodies were asking for a pause. So we stayed closer to home, relaxed in LA, and drove to Ojai for a couple of days, where my brother lives.
Below, I’m sharing a few reflections from this past year, including my most popular recipe, an ingredient I couldn’t get enough of, a favorite memory, and more. It was such a meaningful year, from finishing my book to cooking so many new recipes, and taking fun trips with Doug, friends, and family. I’m really excited to see what’s ahead in the coming year and I hope I’ll get to meet many of you when I go on the book tour in the spring!
First, here’s a recipe for a roasted creamy pomodoro I recently made. The method is similar to my roasted tomato soup, where you roast fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs, and olive oil to concentrate the flavors before blending it all with some milk. The result is a creamy, delicious sauce that clings to the pasta. I hope you try this one!
What I Cooked These Last Two Weeks↓
Roasted Creamy Pomodoro
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Steamed Dumpling Meatballs
No folding skills required! My family’s dumpling filling is portioned into meatballs and steamed over cabbage with wrappers draped on top. An easy, healthy way to get all the dumpling flavors.
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Snack Cake
This is the perfect chocolate cake. It’s incredibly moist, with a tender crumb and a deep chocolate flavor that’s accentuated by coffee mixed into the batter.
Shrimp Scampi Linguine
This pasta is buttery and bright, with a tang from lemon and a texture pop from toasted panko breadcrumbs. It comes together in minutes, and yet tastes like such a fancy meal!
My Favorite Method for Chicken Parm
The key is to cook the sauce and cheese on a separate sheet pan and then slide it onto the cutlets at the end. This way the cutlets stay crispy while the cheese is melty perfection!
Reflections from 2025
Most popular recipe 🍝
Mom’s Summer Pasta, which got over 12 million views! It’s one of those magical recipes where you don’t even need to cook the sauce. You just combine chopped tomatoes, basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and small pieces of Parmigiano-Reggiano, then toss everything with freshly cooked hot fettuccine. Growing up, I used to beg my mom to make this for us. That’s how fantastic it is.
Personal favorite recipe 🍅
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