Cooking The Books

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Cooking The Books

Each week, we choose a different cookbook from our collection and prepare dishes together. Join us!

04/27/2026

• Spicy Gingery Chicken and Cabbage Salad •
A grilled chicken salad is always a welcome dinner option in our home. This one has a decidedly Asian-flavored spin. Best of all, it comes together quickly and easily using nothing more than your blender!
The dressing is a mix of ginger, vinegar, lime sauce, honey, miso, garlic and a special guest - carrots! Toss with the cabbage and pile high to the sky! From ‘Obsessed with the Best’ by Ella Quittner (page 168).
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04/23/2026

• ‘Obsessed with the Best’ by Ella Quittner •
Author Ella Quittner has methodically tested various methods for achieving the best results for over 100 recipes. Now, you can be confident that you’ll have the best options for chocolate chip cookies, mac & cheese, roasted chicken, fluffy pancakes - and a whole lot more!
If you are the type of cook who loves to learn the “why” behind the “how”, you are in for a treat! These pages crack the code on so many common meals. You’ll definitely level-up your skills and immediately taste the benefits of this meticulous research. We’ll be sharing the recipes we chose shortly. Stay tuned!
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03/06/2026

• Scallops with Creamed Corn and Prosciutto XO •
It only took a few decades to revisit the creamed corn of our youth and give it another go. Thankfully, this preparation is a bit more upscale and tasty than the bland puddle we were forced to eat as children.
Conversely, scallops were NEVER on the menu at either of our households. The only seafood we were served was breaded fish sticks from a bag. Or maybe the occasional fried walleye fillets that Grandpa Harvey would bring home.
This dish did not disappoint. The homemade XO sauce is worth the extra effort to make. From ‘Cook Like a King’ by Melissa King (page 160).
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02/27/2026

• Green Beans with Pancetta and Caramelized Soy Sauce •
Another super simple banger of a side dish! This recipe also has the added benefit of flexibility with your ingredient choices. Don’t like green beans? Substitute snap peas, asparagus, broccolini or bok choy. Don’t have pancetta? How about bacon or Chinese sausage? Quick, easy and versatile is out kind of dish! From ‘Cook Like a King’ by Melissa King (page 152).
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02/25/2026

• Roasted Kabocha with Five Spice and Hot Honey •
Also known as Japanese pumpkin, kabocha squash is known for its sweet, nutty taste.
This recipe is super simple to make and yields huge flavor.
From ‘Cook Like a King’ by Melissa King (page 142).
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02/24/2026

• Roasted Japanese Sweet Potato with olives, Walnuts and Miso-Tahini •
The term “flavor bomb” gets thrown around a lot (particularly by men with goatees and polyester shirts with flames on them) but in this instance, it is completely true.
This is a great recipe for leveling-up your potato game.
After roasting in the oven, these sweet tubers are drenched in a miso-tahini sauce and hot under the broiler under caramelized. A generous scattering of black olives, walnuts, toasted sesame seeds and flaky s as salt finishes things off. These are a perfect companion to a protein of your choosing - we went with some spicy Chinese sausages from our friends at . From ‘Cook Like a King’ by Melissa King (page 134).
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02/23/2026

• Chicken and Ginger Jook •
For one night only, we transformed our kitchen into a jook joint!😂
Puns aside, this was really f*cking delicious! Jook, also known as congee, involves cooking short-grain white rice to a porridge-like consistency. From there, you can add the toppings of your choice. Per the recipe, we chose chicken thighs, diced yellow onion, garlic and ginger. To finish, we added a crispy bacon. So good! From ‘Cook Like a King’ by Melissa King (page 122).
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02/19/2026

• Garlic Soy Sauce Noodles •
We made the executive decision to add both tofu and chorizo. Not only did it make for a more substantial meal but it helped rid our fridge of leftovers.😂
This is a simple and quick dish to throw together. It features classic flavors of soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and ginger. Finish with a bit of chili crisp and you have a real winner for dinner! From ‘Cook Like a King’ by Melissa King (page 109).
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02/18/2026

New Book: ‘Cook Like A King’ by Melissa King ()
The subtitle of this book, ‘Recipes a from My California Chinese Kitchen’, clearly defines what awaits you inside the pages. Bursting with over 120 recipes, the collection showcases the food that Chef King is known for - a blend of Chinese, French, Italian and Californian.
We had no trouble finding meals to make. This book succeeds in keeping things accessible yet still interesting. We’ll begin sharing our picks tomorrow!
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02/09/2026

• Pad Prik King (stir-fry chili ginger) •
Pad Prik King is a popular dry curry found in Thai street food. The simple dish is composed of pork belly, green beans and steamed rice. While it may not be bursting with complex flavors, it was quite tasty and packed a nice amount of heat. From ‘Thai’ by Nat Thaipun (page 203).
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01/28/2026

• Thai-style Roast Potatoes •
This is the side we enjoyed with our previously mentioned fried chicken. Lots of carbs were consumed on this day!
The Thai flavor profile comes courtesy of coriander, fish sauce, lime, lemongrass, garlic, chilies and mint.
We took a shortcut and tossed these in our air fryer rather than roasting in the oven. From ‘Thai’ by Nat Thaipun (page 180).
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01/26/2026

• Southern Thai Fried Chicken •
Fried chicken is a regularly prepared dish in our kitchen. The Asian variations which make use of gluten-free rice flour are favorites. If you prepare in advance, an overnight marinade is the way to go. Speaking of the marinade, this one is bursting with flavors of coriander, cumin, garlic, fish sauce, soy and coconut milk. Maybe do this the day before you clean your kitchen. 😂
From ‘Thai’ by Nat Thaipun (page 167).
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