Valentine’s Day Issue & What I Cooked Last Week
Our love story through the meals we’ve cooked, Chicken Milanese, Gyoza with a Crispy Dumpling Skirt, Four-Ingredient Jalapeño Popper Bites
Hi everyone,
Hope you’re having a great week! We’re now just two and a half weeks from pub day for my cookbook. As a reminder, you can pre-order my cookbook and purchase tickets for the book tour here. Thank you so much for your support 🤍 I really hope I get to meet some of you in person!
With Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to share a bit more about my relationship with Doug through the meals we’ve cooked and enjoyed together over the years. You’ll also hear about how we were friends before we ever dated, who said I love you first, and the recipes I used to make when I wanted to impress him.
First, here’s a recipe for a Chicken Milanese I recently made. A warm crispy chicken cutlet gets topped with a bright arugula and cherry tomato salad. Every bite is the perfect balance of textures and flavors. I hope you try it!
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
Chicken Milanese
In this dish, opposites attract. Two components that are good on their own become even better together. You’ve got that bright, refreshing arugula salad paired with the warm crispy chicken cutlet. Every bite is the perfect balance of textures and flavors.
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Gyoza with a Crispy Dumpling Skirt
My mom and I discovered this technique for crispy gyoza in Tokyo and it blew our minds. The crispy skirt is called “hane” in Japanese and is so simple to make, with just flour, cornstarch, and water.
Four-Ingredient Jalapeño Popper Bites
These cheesy bites come together with just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time (no special folding skills required!). They’re crispy on the outside and warm and creamy on the inside.
Valentine’s Day Issue! Our Love Story Through the Meals We’ve Cooked 💘
Friends at first 👫😎
Doug and I met at my first job out of college at Square in San Francisco. I can still picture exactly what he was wearing the first time I saw him: a denim vest, aviator glasses, and a necklace I later learned he’d picked up at Burning Man. I didn’t think, oh, that’s my future husband, but I did think, wow, this guy looks cool. I definitely wanted to be his friend. We both moved to New York separately to help build out the sales team, and that’s when we really became close. We’d hang out with this tight-knit group of coworkers who were all in their twenties and early thirties (and many of whom are still some of our closest friends today).
The first time Doug tasted my cooking was at our friend Joey’s house. I always call it a potluck, but now that I think back on it, I was the only one actually cooking, lol. I went to the Chinese grocery store, did most of the prep at home, and then showed everyone how to make wontons from scratch. I also made my mom’s Benihana fried rice, both of which are in my cookbook. Even though Doug and I were just friends, I definitely had a crush and wanted to impress him, so those were my two signature dishes that I hoped might reel him in.
Falling in love 💘
We stayed friends for a while, and at some point I realized I’d fallen in love. It was my first time being in love, and I had no idea if he felt anything more than friendship. I waited a few months before telling him. It was the scariest thing I’d ever done, but I’m so grateful I said something because he felt the same way, and the rest is history.
When I think about those early months of dating, the dish that stands out most is túros csusza, a Hungarian recipe his mom used to make when he was a kid. You boil wide egg noodles (I usually prefer al dente, but Doug says these should be softer), then mix them with cottage cheese and crispy bacon, and serve with a spoonful of sour cream. It’s so yummy and reminds me a bit of carbonara. Since it was his ultimate comfort food, I’d surprise him with it when he was sick, and when his brothers came to visit, I made it for everyone.
On weekend mornings, I’d also make my mom’s fluffy pancakes. One of the ways I convinced him to move in with me was by offering breakfast service almost every day, even before work. Weekdays I made smoothies and eggs on toast, and weekends were for my mom’s incredible pancakes (also in the book!). I always joke that the service was so good he agreed to move into my tiny 300-square-foot studio in Nolita. You could see the entire apartment from the bed, but it was a great test for our relationship, and we never had any issues living in such a small space.
Dating in NYC 🌮🥗
We dated for several years in New York before moving to Los Angeles. We got into a routine of going to yoga three times a week and making a quick, easy dinner afterward. Mondays were usually yoga followed by a grocery run for ingredients for our favorite taco salad. It became our go-to healthy meal: shredded iceberg lettuce, ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning and water to form a little gravy, diced jalapeño, onion, tomato, sour cream, cheese, green salsa, and avocado.
Married life in LA ♥️👩❤️👨
After seven years in New York, we moved to LA and got married about a year later.
One of the meals I love making for Doug is a cast-iron steak dinner. We used to go out for birthdays, but the past two years he’s requested having dinner at home, which feels like such a sweet way to celebrate. Both years we’ve gone to McCall’s, a great butcher near us, to pick out steaks. This year we chose a flat-iron and a filet mignon. I used to get a bit nervous cooking steak, but since it’s one of Doug’s favorite meals, I’ve gotten much more confident. I salt the steaks early in the day and let them dry in the fridge, then sear them in a very hot cast-iron pan. (You can use stainless steel, but it gets dirty and is hard to clean.) For thicker cuts like filet mignon, I flip the steak every minute. For thinner ones like flat iron or skirt, I cook them for 3 to 4 minutes per side with one flip halfway through. I’ve never found meat thermometers super helpful for steak, and I really believe that with practice you get better at knowing when they’re done.
I almost always serve steak with a garlic-parsley compound butter made with Kerrygold, my favorite. I form it into a log, slice it into medallions, and freeze them so I can defrost them as I need. Last year we picked up fries from Doug’s favorite spot for a steak-frites vibe, and this year we made a beautiful salad and a pesto pasta.
There’s even a whole chapter in my cookbook dedicated to restaurant-worthy date night meals. It’s the Thursday chapter, since by then I’m always ready to indulge a little. After the book comes out, you’ll have so many dishes to choose from for your next cozy date night at home.
I hope you have an amazing Valentine’s Day, and I’m sending lots of love!
Love,
Maxine