A great Caesar salad lives or dies by the dressing… and I say that as someone who spent years ordering Caesar salads at restaurants specifically to reverse-engineer what was going on in that bowl. The store-bought versions? They’re fine. They’re just not that. This dressing — my Tiny Kitchen Caesar Dressing — is creamy, zesty,…
No-Cook Recipes
Zero heat required. These recipes are assembled, mixed, or blended — no stove, no oven, no waiting. Perfect for hot summer days, quick lunches, or anyone who wants something great without turning anything on.
Kansas City BBQ Dry Rub
If you’ve made my Instant Pot Brisket, you already know this rub. It’s the reason that brisket tastes the way it does — sweet, smoky, with just enough heat to keep things interesting. I’ve been using this Kansas City-style BBQ dry rub for years and I put it on everything: brisket, ribs, chicken thighs, even…
Chinese Chicken Salad
I am in love with this Chinese Chicken Salad. That was true the first time I had my first bite of my first Chinese Chicken Salad when I began waiting tables at Stanley’s Restaurant in Sherman Oaks. If you read my blog for the Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette, you know that the Chinese Chicken Salad that…
Homemade Honey White Balsamic Vinaigrette
When I have a really good salad dressing, I can’t get enough! It almost becomes an obsession…I seem to want it on every salad that I have for weeks on end. That was the reaction when I first started developing this amazing Honey White Balsamic Vinaigrette. Truth be told, it went through a few iterations…
Homemade Sesame Ginger Salad DressingA Great Asian-inspired Salad Dressing
This homemade Sesame Ginger salad dressing is the bomb! I absolutely love this Asian-style dressing. It all stems back to when I used to work at a restaurant called Stanley’s my first year in Los Angeles. It was a local’s joint just down the street the from where I used to live in Sherman Oaks….
Homemade Avocado Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
When I was a kid, I loved store-bought salad dressings and, admittedly, I was a bit of a dressing snob. Wish-Bone was the only brand I liked…Italian, Thousand Island and those two sugary red dressings, French and Russian, that I could never really figure out the difference. Thinking about it, they don’t really seem French…
Homemade Shallot Vinaigrette
Is it wrong that I consider myself a Salad Dressing Connoisseur? I know, it’s probably weird to be a self-proclaimed expert on Salad Dressing of all things. But, I don’t know if you’ve heard, my salad dressings are kinda a big deal. Haha! I’m totally kidding but, in all honesty, when people try them, I…
Tiny Kitchen Cocktail Month:The Manhattan!
“I’ll have a Manhattan, please.” Just saying it sounds so sophisticated. Perhaps because it is one of those classic cocktails that has been around forever…so, it definitely has clout. I remember having my first Manhattan when I was training to be a bartender. I had heard about the drink, but never really knew what was…
Tiny Kitchen Cocktail Month:Mixing up a Moscow Mule!
As it’s described, the Moscow Mule is the drink with a velvet kick! That says it all! Smooth and refreshing with a squeeze of lime, this Vodka drink gets its sweetness and spiciness from Ginger Beer, which is a non-alcoholic bubbly soda that’s traditionally made by natural fermentation of ginger, sugar and brewer’s yeast. The…
Tiny Kitchen Cocktail Month:The Classic Old Fashioned
In the words of the great American philosophers Pop duo, MKTO: You’re over my head I’m out of my mind Thinking I was born in the wrong time One of a kind, living in a world gone plastic Baby, you’re so classic! While they may have been singing about a girl in their very catchy…
Tiny Kitchen Cocktail Month:Let’s Make a Martini!
My Dad always loved a good Martini and I always loved stealing the olives that were soaking in his Martini. The way I saw it, I was doing him a real favor getting rid of those pesky olives from his drink. So yum! The first few times I did it…he never said anything. He acted…
Valentine’s DayMini Ice Cream Love Pies
Love or hate Valentine’s Day, the way I see it, it is a good excuse to make a great meal for someone you care about. Notice I said, “make a great meal.” I didn’t say, “drop a chunk of change on a pre-set or limited Valentine’s Day menu at your local fancy restaurant.” That’s right!…