This post is one of several as part of the Mushroom Council's 30-day weight loss challenge called the #MushroomMakeover. I am being financially compensated for my participation as an ambassador for this program but the opinions and anecdotes posted are my own.

I am absolutely shocked that I am still sick! Well, I say sick in the sense that I still have sniffles and cough every once in a while. Other than that, I feel fine so it's a bit of bummer since I appear to others sicker than I really feel/am. Dang. What it has certainly also done is made it a little bit difficult to get through my workouts through the Mushroom Makeover schedule but I PERSEVERE! I'm still getting through them one by one. This past week, I spent most of my days in San Diego at the Social Media Marketing World conference so I admit that I did not have much of a choice in adhering to the guidelines 100% when it comes to the lovely nutritional plan given to us by Corinne Dobbas. Nevertheless, I still managed to get my mushrooms in! I would attribute my straying from the plan to why I did not lose any weight this week but I would credit the workouts to why I also did not gain. That's right - I stayed precisely the same to a tenth of a pound. Yay, no gain!

If you haven't seen the past posts, I am heading into the final week of this Mushroom Makeover challenge held by the Mushroom Council and Mamavation where I replace mushrooms for meat (or just make mushroom-centric dishes) four times a week in addition to following some dietary guidelines and a defined workout schedule. So far so good, and I have been losing some weight along the way. Given that they are low in sodium and quite filling though lesser in calories than other protein sources, mushrooms are a great way to go when it comes to making meals. I was already a fan of the fungi but after these past few weeks, am a bigger fan! For Week Three, I had gone a little bit in the direction of comfort food. Check out the recipes after the jump:

It is quite beautiful sometimes just how simple some dishes can be. I have made it one of my (most likely far too many) goals in 2014 to start cooking more Asian cuisine. When I found an amazing steal of a deal on enoki mushrooms at a local supermarket, I had to figure out how to best use it. I recalled that my mom used to put it in her own soups often, and considering the abundance of ingredients needing to be used in the fridge, I decided to finally clean up the coffers. Duc had just finished the last harvest of his first batch of hydroponically grown Tuscan kale - such beauts! - so he had plenty to use. We also had a bag of shirataki noodles, traditional Japanese noodles made from yam, and a small bit of miso paste left so a Japanese-inspired dish was the way to go. If you can't find shirataki noodles, you might want to use cellophane noodles also known as Chinese vermicelli - these are the translucent ones. Anyhow, this was a healthful and satisfying soup that was just plain easy to make so give it a whirl yourself.

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the Grand Californian Resort at Disneyland was the home of hustle and bustle as the Grand Ballroom was being set up for a grandiose event. Wells Fargo, Disneyland Resort and the Illumination Foundation had come together for one cause and brought with them more than 30 of Orange County's finest chefs. The Table for Ten event seemed too good to be true - guests had personal chefs cooking for them table-side at uniquely decorated settings personalized by the chefs themselves. More than 320 guests were expected to congregate at special tables and help raise both money and awareness on the plight of the homeless in Orange County. Tickets for this event sold out quickly as its one-of-a-kind experience has been a draw for donors year after year. Prior to enjoying their exclusive five-course meals, guests imbibed and enjoyed themselves at the cocktail reception while perusing live and silent auction sheets, participating in activities, and mingling with others who were supporting the same cause.

It has been a long time since the very first Test Kitchen post but I have tremendously enjoyed doing them. Uncommon ingredients get me excited, and there have certainly been a plethora of those. When red rice cropped up as one, I went online to search for what exactly the rice was. Seeing that it had a bite to it texturally and somewhat of a nutty flavor, I decided to pair it with some black lentils and (continuing with my mushroom habits lately) oyster mushrooms. You might not find the result visually appealing mainly because it's dark reds and blacks (though those ARE my favorite colors...) but it definitely is a filling dish that is worth having. I also love that you don't need too many ingredients!

This post is one of several as part of the Mushroom Council's 30-day weight loss challenge called the #MushroomMakeover. I am being financially compensated for my participation as an ambassador for this program but the opinions and anecdotes posted are my own.

How long is it that people say you need to do something daily before it becomes a habit? After Week 2, this Mushroom Makeover feels more like a habit which is fantastic. In fact, I think both Duc and I are starting to get the hang of it, eating mushrooms often and filling our days with healthy foods. If you are just tuning in on this post about the #MushroomMakeover, I'll give you a brief rundown - for 30 days starting March 10th, I have been participating (along with other bloggers) in a weight loss "challenge" by the Mushroom Council and Mamavation where I have to replace four meals per week with mushrooms, follow a dietitian's food plan, and participate in a workout plan. It was a tough start at first just because I had to find ways to add in workouts to my already jam-packed days but it has been great since I need that kind of structure to get back into shape!

For Week 2, we found some beautiful mushrooms in a local Asian supermarket that we know as a good source of great produce. This resulted in our abundant shopping cart that held several varieties of mushrooms typically used in Asian cuisine so I decided to do an Asian Week for the Mushroom Makeover! Luckily for us, there is already so much umami in mushrooms and a lower salt content that I didn't have to worry too much about seasoning my dishes. I was also surprised at how quickly these dishes came together, and I absolutely recommend working some mushrooms into your meals. As for the physical progress, I've lost a total of 1.4 lbs since the last weigh-in last week so whoohoo for that! Our dietitian, Corinne Dobbas, has been a fantastic and supportive resource these past two weeks. Anyhow, recipes below!

If you're going to call it a "Brunch Extravaganza," you better deliver. I must say though, that TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea really did. There is no shroud over how excited the restaurant is for their brunch every Sunday nor can you find any shortcuts taken. If you plan on trying out the TAPS brunch, you best come with a large appetite because their buffet-style approach to the weekend ritual will have people rolling out of the restaurant, literally. When we visited and got to talk to General Manager Kerri La Torre, it became even more apparent how TAPS is able to achieve the level of brunch success it has - La Torre has had years of restaurant experience in Las Vegas and seen her fair share of lavish buffets throughout her career. The result? A feast for eyes and stomachs right in the heart of downtown Brea - try it if you dare.

It doesn't take much convincing to get me to stuff my face full of mushrooms. Sometimes when I go into restaurants, I get tempted to order their Portobello burgers because the thought of a giant Portobello as my patty makes me salivate. Roasted mushroom goodness that will consume my plate? Yes, please! I never thought of making it at home though because I don't currently have a grill I could use. However, after some looking around online, I realized that I could always just roast the "patty" and enjoy it. Then I wondered more about roasting...what would happen if I cracked an egg directly onto the mushroom?! The gills could hold it (some people scrape gills off but I like them intact), and you could season with a spread of some sort. Duc had also just finished his last kale harvest of the season so we needed to use those up. Thus, a burger was made from the mushroom, kale, tomatoes, and some whole wheat thin buns. Give this simple recipe a try yourself!

So something random happened the other day - I got tagged for the Liebster Award. What even is that? The lovely Megan over at Yumology seemed to think it befitting to round me up with a few other people whom she felt should get the nomination. I was humbled to see my name tagged along with some other great ones and to even think that she thought of me! Thanks Megan - hugs and cookies your way for sure.

Anyhow, there are rules to play by for the Liebster Award, and it is almost like a chain letter that gets passed from blog to blog. Who knows how spread out the network has become over the years?! The neat thing about this "award" is that it gives both the tagger and the tagged blog's audience a bit of insight into the tagged person no matter how droll that may be (hint hint, possibly me). So yeah, here we go:

This post is one of several as part of the Mushroom Council's 30-day weight loss challenge called the #MushroomMakeover. I am being financially compensated for my participation as an ambassador for this program but the opinions and anecdotes posted are my own.

Wow. The first week is over already? I can hardly believe it. I started the Mushroom Makeover Challenge just last Monday but I have definitely learned a lot more about myself than I thought I would. I posted last week about what the program was about but in short, it's a 30-day challenge sponsored by the Mushroom Council and hosted by Mamavation for 15 bloggers to replace at least 4 of their meals' meat with mushrooms. I love mushrooms so I was more than happy to be a part but then I started learning more about their nutritional value, their overall health benefits, and creative ways to use them. We also have the lovely guidance of an oh-so-helpful dietitian, Corinne Dobbas, and a personal trainer, Mark Segedie, who both have meal and workout plans ready for us!

So what's been happening so far? It's called a weight loss challenge, right? I weighed myself at the start of the program and want to track that progress weekly. Bodily measurements, I'll be checking at the end of the 30 days to see where they've gone. For Week 1, I'm actually quite happy to say that my weight stayed exactly the same to the tenth of a pound. Why am I not disappointed in that? Well, with the workout plan in place, I know for sure that I have been building muscle back in my body and muscle "weighs more," as in it is denser than fat. If I'm regaining muscle mass but my weight hasn't changed, I must have lost weight somewhere (is my logic right? haha). I'd say that's pretty good considering that a sore throat came on Friday afternoon and I had to miss that day's workout! Aside from the exercising, a good food regimen helps manage the weight, and having mushrooms fill me up just the same as meat does while taking in less calories is a major bonus. I've got my mushroom meals posted after the jump!

The first time I went to Anepalco's Cafe, I had absolutely no idea what chilaquiles were but the buzz about the restaurant was around this dish. It must have been around for about a year or two when I first started frequenting this first location of theirs in Orange near the CHOC Hospital (located at 415 S. Main St., Orange, CA 92868), waiting for nearly an hour every time as the small space filled up to the brim every single morning with people hankering for hearty Mexican breakfast dishes. They started in August 2008 in this tiny hole-in-the-wall spot but in April 2012, expanded to a much larger location just up the street at the Ayres Inn which has the capability of serving more than just breakfast. Lunch and dinner menus can also be found here (and I promise they are phenomenal as well) but we visited one weekend afternoon to get a better peek at Anepalco's brunch.

If you've noticed in the past week, I've been participating in something called the Mushroom Makeover challenge which requires me to make at least four meals every week for 30 days with mushrooms. Of course, I love the dang things anyway so this has been quite an enjoyable journey so far. In my excitement, I dragged Duc with me to the Hollywood Farmers' Market last weekend in search of a mushroom vendor that was supposed to be amazing. Was it? Absolutely. I spotted some varieties I had never seen before so of course, I had to swipe them up. I only managed to get a few types before my wallet cried at me to please stop the torture. Sigh.

Well, one of them happened to be these gorgeous Blue-foot Mushrooms that had a blue shimmer around the stem which lasted even through cooking. After reading more, I realized it can have a psychedelic effect if eaten raw and improperly so I suppose the blue has a reason for being there...but I did cook them and didn't suffer any side effects. I would very strongly recommend that if you were to try using these, you get them from a trusted and reputable source because you wouldn't want to eat the wrong shrooms! I paired them with kale for its inherent earthiness and cooked it with farro for a very rustic dish. If you can't find Blue-foots, I suggest using Shiitake mushrooms instead which still have an earthy feel to them and are definitely more easily accessible.

"Michelin is the only guide that counts." - Chef Paul Bocuse | Do you believe that? There are slews of people who make it a part of their bucket lists to visit as many Michelin-rated restaurants as possible. The Michelin star's impact on a restaurant's success and a chef's career is almost immeasurable. It is an honor and perhaps a curse for those who lose their ratings. When Orange County heard that a Michelin starred chef was in town, the buzz was nearly palpable. I first associated Chef Conrad Gallagher in Orange County with Ways & Means Oyster House in Orange just outside of Old Towne, a restaurant that opened just a few months ago in late fall of 2013. Duc and I attended a media tasting there and found some favorites on the menu as well as an impressive wine pairing selection. Then, nearly as quickly as he had come, Conrad left the restaurant to work on his own project - Vanity Catering & Events, a boutique catering and events company. It was curious that he would shift gears but once we got to know him and his story, it only made sense why this dedicated and passionate chef would veer in that direction. Luckily, Orange County gets to keep him despite the "move."

When I make the mistake of choosing a Test Kitchen ingredient that is already a full product on its own, it becomes difficult to come up with ideas on what to do with it. Several of you lent your suggestions over on Facebook but I have to say, nice try but sorry, I'm not sending everyone the delicious Dark Matcha chocolate bars, haha. If I had an unlimited supply, I would but alas, my coffers were reserved for making something. So I thought and thought and though I wanted to avoid going the dessert route, it ended up being the way to go. However, a challenge must be a challenge so I opted for a type of baking I haven't done before - I wanted to make those light and fluffy cakes I see in Asian bakeries. After some snooping around the internet, I came across what was called an opera cake and was basically what I was looking for. The inspiration came from this recipe here which is a coffee and chocolate version but I green tea-ed it completely for a delicious and different approach. It requires multiple steps but oh, trust me, it's worth it.

This post is one of several as part of the Mushroom Council's 30-day weight loss challenge called the #MushroomMakeover. I am being financially compensated for my participation as an ambassador for this program but the opinions and anecdotes posted are my own.

All of us need a kick in the butt every once in a while. At the start of 2014, I told myself that I would be more focused on my health this year because the food blogger habits were catching up on my waistline and sleep schedule. I am the biggest now that I have ever been, and that is troubling to me. When I went to my first blogger/media event in late 2012, I took a look at the copious amounts of food we would be tasting and promised to Duc and myself (he promised too) that we'd continue to stay fit throughout all of the events. Less than two years later, we look down at ourselves and know that we broke that promise long ago.

The problem is...it's so much easier to gain that weight than lose it, isn't it? Working full-time (with an hour-long commute each way!) and running Much Ado About Fooding while trying to balance other responsibilities doesn't leave many hours in the night for sleeping nor time for exercise. Even though I said 2014 would be a huge change, I've only done little things here and there that are different. Then came the #MushroomMakeover challenge.

We are no strangers to the wonders that LUCCA Cafe has to offer in Irvine but we were embarrassingly unexposed to Chef Cathy Pavlos' brunch until we started this brunch series for LOCALE Magazine. While the lunchtime mimics a European bistro and dinnertime lifts to a higher, fine dining experience, the weekend brunch adopts a feeling of comfort and home. It would have been appropriate had there been stairs to pad down those slowly while rubbing the sleep from our eyes and come upon the Cathy's food. Welcoming and warm, the dishes we saw each had their own expert twist that had us craving more and more. It didn't help that the restaurant itself had a gorgeous interior accented by shelves of enviable wines and highlighted by an open kitchen. Not into stopping in for a bite to stay? There is an exquisite display of cheeses and meats to the left of the kitchen that has been carefully curated. We won't say anything if you decide meat and cheese is a perfect breakfast to you!

[Original post published December 2010] It has been a long while since I have baked cookies. However, I didn't realize how long it has been until Duc mentioned I hadn't made chocolate chip cookies for him before. I believe on more than one occasion during our relationship, I had boasted that I make damn good cookies and here I was, withholding them from him. I suppose it's because they get swiped up immediately after I make them that I haven't dedicated time to make more. They are eaten too quickly! Case in point: after my first batch of these to photograph, I made a second by request of my brother. I'm going to put my money on the fact that these will always be soft even after a few days (if they last that long) and are not too sugary. There's a trick to that which I'll share below. Oh also, I need a new hand mixer. My years-old one finally threw in the towel toward the end of my mixing this dough. Luckily, I'm handy enough with chopsticks to finish the job!

With St. Patrick's Day not too far away, I asked Duc to kindly put his alcohol knowledge to (e)paper in a compilation of ways to enjoy the holiday. Below are his informative and detailed suggestions on how best to celebrate. I am all for his recommendations - hope you are too!

As I was enjoying my Armagnac after the recent rains, I was thinking about how St Patrick's Day is not about wine. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland as well as celebrates the heritage and culture of the country in general. So, with Lent restrictions lifted for the one day, people might celebrate by eating too much and drinking a lot of alcohol.

You probably think of it, though, in terms of green beer, green everything else, and drunken college kids. You'd be right about 80% of the time but one can still celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with class with some authentic Irish whiskey.

"We embody the Turkish culture and how we share those values with our customers. To ensure quality and freshness, we make everything made-to-order and get our ingredients from local vendors that we know and trust. This is our recipe for perfection."

My stomach is making grumbling noises as I write this article because I am imagining again the tender, flavorful meats and addictive rice that came to our table during our visit, wafting tempting savory steam. I have always known that I loved Mediterranean food so my interest was definitely piqued when Yalcin Aslan, founder and owner of DonerG, invited us to try out his restaurant which said both Mediterranean and Turkish in the name. Curious at the differences or similarities between the cuisines, I readied up for a visit at the Irvine location, the second in this line of soon-to-grow restaurants. Immediately upon entering, Duc and I could tell that this was a place that really cared about its food and appearance. My favorite color combination of red, black, and white covered all parts of the restaurant from the walls to the counters. It was chic and modern enough to entice young and old in but casual enough in concept that everyone could enjoy a stop. The food was obviously not of modernist cuisine about which we were happy - we much prefer the sight of a spinning spit of meat, glistening in its juices and oils. Spotting Yalcin was the one thing that snapped us out of the moment of staring (and perhaps drooling over) the stations.

"Brunch is a reflection of my inner fat kid. Everything on the menu is big. We take all the extremes of my being from Texas and put it on a plate - anything we can do to push the limit. My goal is to make it a third more than anyone can eat. If we're going to do it, we're going to kick it off the cliff." - Cody Storts, Executive Chef

It was no surprise when Chef Cody told us that his brunch menu was bigger than one could imagine. We've known him from previous experiences at Hopscotch to be a tad over the top (in a good way) and just downright indulgent with his food. If you are looking for some small bites for brunch, you shouldn't come here. Wooden rafters, taxidermied animal head mounts, and a whole wall of alcohol should be your clues that this won't be a place to take your mom for Mother's Day (unless she's that kind of mother). I'm not discouraging you from coming by though. Oh no no no. You do need to get a taste of Chef Cody's crazy creations because they are one part Southern food and two parts awesome. Then again, Southern food is awesome too so I suppose there's more awesome for your buck here.

[The original post for this recipe was published December 2010] This is going to seem like a cop-out because fried rice is just one of those dishes that could contain just about anything. It's usually something people whip together when they have a lot of day-old rice and a mishmash of vegetables to mix in. I'd say that it becomes quite  a good quick dish when you’re hankering for something but don’t know what to make. Despite all of that, I wanted to share what my own version of fried rice is since I tend to opt for one rendition of it.