Luxirare

Is McDonald’s a luxury? Well surely. That indescribable smell of fries while you’re close to one, the super cheap meals…(one of my favorites are the grilled chicken chipotle wraps). When you have just left a party or bar a little too drunk, it would be hard to deny a box of chicken nuggets. And whenever [...]

So it’s pretty clear by now that I’ve made more than enough attempts at difficult recipes, things that aren’t exactly realistic for a person who has a serious job, or someone who has a family, kids to pick up from soccer practice, or for a typical twenty-thirty something that works 9-7 and then goes out [...]

This post is for all my readers who are either getting over a painful breakup, recently divorced, or single. But you know Valentine’s day is just another excuse for couples to go out to dinner or drink (or both)… and why shouldn’t this apply to people who aren’t coupled up?? Valentine’s day is pretty open [...]

This was probably one of the most difficult projects I’ve had to take on thus far, and it wasn’t for this website. It was a project I had to complete for Nowness.com, which is a online magazine that features work by people who contribute creatively to the fashion and arts. As always I was a [...]

One of my late night favorites: Crab Souffle. You’ll like this dish too if you’re into whole crab leg meat and spicy casseroles. This recipe looks complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. Some easy stacking and whisking and voila..you’ve got the perfect dinner. Two really important ingredients you’ll need, vodka and lemon juice + it’s [...]

A while ago I had a wonderful package of stone crab legs from Florida sent to me. There were two different sizes, a bunch of medium sized ones, and two huge claws, this was really the first time I saw a crab claw so huge. I didn’t know what I was going to do with [...]

I should have done this months ago, like during the summer as these are frozen alcoholic treats, but better late than never.. I’ll start out with making the Grapefruit Margarita shot glasses first. I used fresh squeeze grapefruit juice, jalapenos, mint and lime juice to flavor the juice. Also added a bit of vodka in [...]

Russians love their caviar and vodka, but Koreans love caviar and soju. I hate soju though. Anyway, super special delivery direct from Korea, some amazing korean caviar (spicy whitening roe). This small jar/package that houses about 30 sacs of roe is quite expensive and you can’t even get it in the US. Of course they [...]

For years I wondered what made restaurant pancakes taste so good. I’ve made them at home and they never looked like pancakes. The looked like FRIED cakes. Look at this picture here for an example. The restaurant pancakes were always slightly chewy, soft, airy, and the batter was never fried. In fact they had a [...]

I always like a little variety, even with pasta. But in really small portions. Here are two kinds I like. I dunno, having two kinds makes you feel fuller at the end, even though you eat less of each. My mouth gets so bored.   Egg noodles, parmesan cheese, and white truffle oil. And the [...]

Always on the look out for cute food packaging ideas, and I really liked this one by Hugo & Victor for chocolates. The chocolates were so delicious too, very light shells with loose caramels or fruit jams inside.

One reader named Nikki had left a comment about almond milk, it’s something I like to drink now because it lacks that animal-scent you get with cow’s milk. I’ve never really been a fan of soy milk but almond milk is amazing. Anyway, in the comment she mentioned that it is so easy to make [...]

What do you do with an empty Diptyque candle jar…too nice to throw it out..right? Use a damp towel to line the roots, I would even cut darts into the towel so it doesn’t pleat too much. ..from Balthazer..look at those vanilla seeds.

I love baked penne sometimes and the best part are those little crunchy edges. I boiled my penne until it was really soft and then I coated them in a little water and olive oil..Then I just baked them until they got very blistered and crispy on top. For flavorings, I used all the same [...]

Quick post here, this is part of a bigger post but I had to break it down because it’s too much. If you like rose scented things you will love this. I love rose flavored macarons, but it works beautifully with granola. Dip rose petals into the agave nectar. I use agave nectar because it [...]

Many times when I shoot food for the blog, I go the extra mile (maybe even 10 more extra miles) to label, package, and present the food..sometimes the recipes are complicated and I have an image I want to produce so I go out of my way to get the exact image I want..BUT most [...]

Can’t get enough of Almond Milk and Raisin Bran with a hint of cinnamon thrown in. How do you guys take your fiber ? Cereal Bowl available here

It’s amazing what kind of magic a $2 cake batter can do, if you know how to tweak it. This moist supreme batter by Pillsbury is the best I’ve tried for quick cakes, I think it’s the 1 cup of jello that’s included inside the batter. The only problem is that if you don’t do [...]

I know not everyone who reads this blog lives on the east coast but I am having some major hurricane anxiety right now. Nobody else around me seems to care much! I’m staying in tonight but I just heard on the news someone is in Long Island trying to surf the waves. Had to pick [...]

Here are the flavorings. You’ll need dry seasoning (powders and fine flakes) as well as infused oils. It’s nice to use flavored oils for the popcorn. Oil is required when you pop the corn so it’s the perfect way to infuse extra flavor. For my candied orange and poppyseed flavored popcorn, I use orange oil [...]