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the626foodie, 150 E Saint Joseph St, Arcadia, CA (2026)

11/16/2024

[ 🫐💙 ] I went grocery shopping two days ago. As I walked by Sara Lee's blueberry bagels, I considered grabbing a bag but they weren't on sale.

So I stood there for a moment and said to myself, "It can't be that hard to make at home." So instead of a bag of bagels, I ended up leaving with bread flour, some yeast and a box of blueberries.

I made sixteen 🥯 with the help of my sous-chef (this little chipmunk has been helping me in the kitchen since she was only 18 months old). We are down to three bagels in just one day.

I think it's safe to say I will never buy bagels again. I'm still working on perfecting my recipe and learning how to shape them but I love them.

Ripping apart and eating a fresh, hot bagel is definitely one of those little joys everyone should experience— the soft crunch on the outside, that super chewy inside ... 🤤 So worth the time and effort.

Baking tip: Bagels should be boiled before baking. Otherwise, you won't get that nice brown color or the chewy texture.

Side note: I never knew bagels were !

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09/16/2024

[ 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕 ] Mid-autumn Festival is this Tuesday, September 17th.

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon or Mooncake Festival, originated from the custom of worshiping the moon back in China's Zhou dynasty over 3000 years ago.

It celebrates the hopes of a good harvest, weather and peace for the country. It happens on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night.

Sharing and eating mooncakes is the most important way to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.

The roundness of the mooncake signifies completeness and reunion, particularly family unity. So family members give mooncakes to one another or cut and distribute pieces from the same mooncake.

Every year I make mooncakes to gift to friends and family but I'm not sure I have the mental capacity to deal with it this season between PTA and everything else going on in my life.

The problem is that I don't have a solid recipe. I tweaked a few to make it gluten friendly but I have never written it down, so it's a pain to make it every year because I have to recreate a recipe each time. It's like I enjoy punishing myself. 🥴🫠

Anyway, these are some that I made last year. I've been asked why mine taste better than ones that other people make and I honestly can't tell you. I just know that I will make and adjust something repeatedly until I think I like it. I won't share it until then.

Anyway, happy moon festival! May it be a time of joy, love and creating good family memories. 🌕🥮💛

07/28/2024

[ 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚡 𝚖𝚒𝚡 ] Anytime I make this snack, I get bombarded with requests for more or how I should be selling it at the farmers market.

This perfectly balanced snack is a party in your mouth. 🥳🎉 It's a mix of airy, crispy and crunchy textures coated in a baked butter glaze combination of sweet, salty and umami flavors. 🤤

While there have been a couple of store bought versions out there (my husband excitedly bought a giant bag at Costco, then sheepishly had to admit to me that it was a mistake because mine was so much better).

It took several tries to get just right. I make a giant ten-quart bowl every time but it only lasts about two days. Sometimes I'll make a batch for certain friends. I exclusively use the furikake from . They make so many different kinds but the nori one is my favorite!

Time for me to bag this baby up and give it away again!

Featured 📸:
•Chex Rice cereal
•Chex Corn cereal
•Honeycomb cereal
•Pretzels
•Bugles

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06/18/2024

[ 🥭🥭🥭 ] It's the season!

This is an Ataúlfo mango. It's known by a few other names: honey, champagne and Adolfo. Because it comes from Mexico, it's very easy to find here in California. It is not the same as the Carabao mango from the Philippines, although they're similar.

The Ataúlfo mango is known for its honey sweet flavor and buttery soft, non-fibrous texture, which makes it ideal for blending into smoothies and sorbets.

Here are a few tips on how to pick and eat it:
•Try to buy it fully yellow or brighter yellow (if it's pale or green, esp out of season, it's not going to get very sweet).
•Wrinkles are good!
•If you give it a light squeeze or push it in the center where the stem is and it's soft, then it's ripe.
•When it's ready to eat, you can literally smell the flavor coming off the fruit.

The sweetest part of the mango is the stone! That's my favorite part to eat, even though it has the least amount of flesh if you're cutting it up.

Also, there is no dignified way to eat a mango. If you don't look like a starved maniac murdering it, you're not eating it right.

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06/17/2024

[ 𝚙𝚝𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚛 ] 🍻 Cheers to the best PTA in town! They not us like us, they not like us ...

Thank you to Mt. Lowe for being so quick to respond and easy to work with! It was so much fun, the perfect spot for our gathering. The vibe was so welcoming and chill that it felt like I was a regular there, even though it was my first visit— definitely not my last! Almost all the dads got a flight of their beautiful craft beers and then some. The Scooby-Doo was a clear favorite of everyone, highly recommended!

Welcoming those new to our board and saying, "Thank you and farewell" to those who were leaving us for good was bittersweet. 😭💔

We have been fortunate to have one amazing principal after another, working together with us to create an environment for families that feels like a tight-knit community. We went from an unknown school to one with a wait-list because word had gotten out about how incredible it is in which to be a part.

Until next year ... Go, Dragons! 🐲🐉 💚

Featured 📸 (clockwise 1-5):
•Scooby-Doo
•Pacific Electric
•The Hills
•A Cold One
•What She's Having

07/16/2023

[ 🍋🍋🍋 ] A girlfriend had a bunch of key limes that she picked and didn't know what to do with, so she made me take them. I screwed up trying to make ice pops, so I converted them into key lime trifles with crushed graham crackers, blueberries and fresh Chantilly cream.

Tip: you can stabilize any kind of whipped cream with simply a little cornstarch. I did that because I wasn't able to give away all the trifles immediately, so I needed the cream to stay put at least for a day or two. The cute dessert cups came from Daiso.

With so many leftover key limes, I was also able to make this amazing curd. 😍 It was my first time trying that out, didn't know something so yummy was so simple to make.

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06/08/2023

[ 🥑💚 ] I have a theory that the more colorful the avo toast is, the tastier. Wouldn't you agree?

A generous spread of avocado mash served on a thick slice of perfectly toasted sourdough and a beautiful garnish of thinly sliced radish, arugula sprouts, pickled chilis and a fried egg. YUM. 😋

It's so hearty and filling, I can never finish one by myself. Paired with any one of Syndicate's amazing dairy-free coffee offerings and I'm in heaven! My favorite is their Coconut Head latte.

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#🥑

06/02/2023

[ 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚏𝚏 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ] While it's technically called "Teacher Appreciation Week" across the nation, our school refers to it as "Staff Appreciation," because educators, aides, school nurses, cafeteria employees and janitorial workers all deserve to be shown love and gratitude for what they do for our children.

This is a late post. Staff Appreciation Week happened between May 8th-12th this year. I'm also posting photos of last year's boxes.

My grazing boxes have become really popular with teachers and staff and are gifts that they look forward to getting. They've become pretty quick to make. It's the dietary restrictions and food preferences that I have to remember— this person's gluten intolerant, these two can't have dairy, another is on a special medical diet and can't eat processed sugar.

I always make an effort to pick out the sweetest, most expensive fruits I can find, the best cheeses, the best tasting Italian cured meats ... In the end, it's so worth the effort to see the joy in people getting them again or those being surprised in receiving them for the first time because they aren't even familiar with what a grazing box is. And I love all the handwritten notes with their heartfelt messages!

Anyone who knows me knows that feeding people is my love language. 💌💕

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04/01/2023

[ 🍊🍊🍊 ] The last day to get this absolutely beautiful, fragrant coffee is tomorrow! 😭

The Smudge Pot is a dairy-free espresso drink made with the perfect combination of orange extract, housemade vanilla syrup and oat milk. You're hit with this uplifting citrus aroma before every sip. It does not disappoint! I'm so sad this drink is only for a limited time.

It's my husband's new favorite, especially since he can't have dairy. He'll have one in store and order another one to go because, yes, it's that good. We'll be back for another tomorrow!

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03/30/2023

[ 𝚖𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚒 ] The oldest and most famous mochi shop in the US is celebrating its 120th year! They have survived two world wars, the Japanese internment camp, the LA Riot and COVID-19.

Each mochi is beautifully and lovingly handmade. It's the most delicious you'll find anywhere. Located in its original location in Little Tokyo, come early or on a weekday, or you might end waiting in a line for these bite sized goodies.

If you don't live close enough to LA to make the drive, no worries— you can also order online for a delivery!

My family and friends love . My husband's request anytime we go to Little Tokyo is to bring him back their popular Peanut Butter Mochi.

Do you have a favorite?

Featured 📸 (clockwise):
•Ichigo Daifuku (fresh strawberry, red bean center)
•Orange Fruit Mochi
•Kiku ("chrysanthemum", white bean center)
•Suama
•Blueberry Anko (white bean+blueberry)
•Strawberry Anko (white bean+strawberry, hazelnut chocolate ganache)
•Peanut Butter Mochi

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03/30/2023

[ 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜' 𝚍𝚊𝚢 ] This is probably the most stressful event of the year, every year for me. But like a dummy with short-term memory, I keep agreeing to do it anyway. 🙃

This year, the headcount was about 52 people. If not for the help of and helping with the washing, prepping, cutting and chopping of fruits and veggies, baking of scones and peeling of frozen jumbo shrimp until they couldn't feel their fingers 😂😂😂 I would not have gotten anything done on time.

Thank you to my sister for her curried butternut squash soup that she managed to make *literally* in between cooking dishes for the Oscars Governors Ball as well as for his avant garde ginger cupcakes with a cinnamon cayenne whip and homemade caramel. Those two items were the arguably the favorites of the evening.

The theme for this year's Founders Day dinner was "tea party" but due to the rainy weather, I had to scrap my original menu of cold sandwiches and other typical tea dishes in favor of mostly hot foods. But we still kept the cute things like serving soup in the paper tea cup! ☕

Menu:
•Iced 🦋 Butterfly pea flower lemonade
•Charcuterie board
•Creamy stuffed mushrooms
•Garlic lemon butter shrimp
•Asian pear salad, w/romaine, endive, shaved watermelon radish, candied cashews, lemon herb vinaigrette
•Curried butternut squash soup, coconut creme, toasted pepitas, pomegranate seeds
•Korean BBQ salmon w/rice, guacamole, Sriracha mayo
•Vegan, gluten-free spaghetti with caramelized onions
•White chocolate raspberry scones
•Ginger cupcakes w/cinnamon cayenne whipped cream and dry caramel

🫠💀 I've already agreed to cook next year's celebration.

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03/21/2023

[ 🍜🍜🍜 ] Did you know that March is National Noodle Month? The rain we've been getting is absolutely bananas! But perfect noodle soup weather. 😋

opened up at The Shops at Santa Anita not too long ago, so I had to take my daughter as udon is one of her faves.

The service was excellent as were the noodles. They're handmade right there in front of you. It doesn't get fresher than that! You select your broth, meats and other toppings before heading off to the mini tempura bar to pick out what you'd like from there.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves udon!

Featured 📸:
•Tonkotsu (pork broth)
•Nikutama (variation on Hiroshima-style okonomiyak) with sweet meat

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the626foodie

11/16/2024

09/16/2024

07/28/2024

06/18/2024

06/17/2024

07/16/2023

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