This is Mama Miche, and today in my Magic Kitchen: Wonton Soup.

Ordering in Chinese food was affordable once upon a time. Seriously, the prices are through the damn roof for meals you can make at home for a fraction of the cost. I think at this point in time, many families are having trouble making ends meet, and eating at restaurants or ordering in isn't an option. That doesn't mean you have to do without the tasty food. Buy the spices! A well-stocked pantry is essential. Use resources, like my cookbooks that you can pre-order on our website, and cook quality meals, even better than the restaurants. You can do it!

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Honey Sweet Chili Chicken

Wait a minute. It's not deja vu. We shared this recipe last year and I say it's worthy of a re-share. It's that good. It's that easy and I hope it becomes a staple on your menu like it is on mine. Perfect for Rosh Hashanah! This recipe is for 4 but it's easy to quadruple for a large gathering. 

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Crab Rangoon Dip

It's always dip season. I mean, seriously, think about it. Everyone loves a good dip, which everyone should serve at all their gatherings—summer, winter, indoor, outdoor, and all the holidays and game day parties. Crab Rangoon dip is the perfect addition to your dip rotation. I guarantee it will be the top request to make and serve at all future events you host or attend.

This is Mama Miche, and today, in my magic kitchen: Hibachi Chicken

Hibachi is a family favorite for celebrations for many families in the US. I think life is cause for celebration, and now restaurants are more expensive than ever, so if we just feel like celebrating life without the expense, here's how we do it! We love our "outdoor kitchen". It's nothing fancy, but we grill and smoke to our heart's content on our little side porch. There's nothing more iconic than hibachi chicken and fried rice and zucchini!

I love to eat fish. I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to food, generally speaking. I will try just about anything once. Maybe twice. If you enjoy sushi, you'll love this!

This amazing recipe is quick, simple, and thoroughly scrumptious. Ahi tuna is known for its high-fat content, rich flavor, and meaty texture, while Albacore tuna, the one you find canned and made salad with, has a milder flavor and softer, more delicate texture. Searing fish is a very simple process. The most important aspect is the quality of the fish. Buy the good shit! You can marinate the tuna for up to 1 hour before searing. If you marinate it longer, the fish protein will actually "cook" in the acidic ingredients. That's science! I won't blind you with it.

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Crab Rangoon

It's as American as baseball and apple pie. That's right. In case you didn't know, this appetizer may have the name of the Burmese city of Rangoon but was probably invented in the United States by Asian American chef Joe Young in the 1950s working under Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic's. That's the story.

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Chicken Yakitori

With Father's Day approaching, I thought we'd share an easy and delicious recipe that's perfect all summer long, but you can make it for Dad on Father's Day; use his grill but let him chill.

It is well-established that I love meat on a stick, and Japanese yakitori is no exception. Bite-sized pieces of meat grilled to perfection can't be bad.

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Chicken Wonton Cups.

In New York, the joke is, "How do you get an actor's attention? Waiter." In Nashville, that's how you get a singer/songwriter's attention. Lucky me, I got to be a server in both cities. Yippee. The life of an artist, at least the struggling artist, is fraught with bullshit jobs needed to just pay the bills and hopefully have a minute to actually make art. The best gigs I had were catering jobs. Hard work, but always in a different setting and usually with like-minded people.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Pho

I was born in Vietnam. Technically, I am not Vietnamese. It's the place of my birth, but it's not my family ethnicity. Most people do not look at me and see a person with Asian features, but I swear on all that's holy, when I was growing up, and people would ask where I was born, and I would tell them, they'd look confused and then nod and say, oh yeah! I see it a little around the eyes. And then I'd roll them. My eyes, I mean. Like seriously? My ethnic look isn't Asian at all. Eastern European, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Jewish. I can play any of those roles if any casting directors happen to be looking. But, since the days of Rita Moreno playing an Asian in movies, and yes, she did. (Tuptim in the King and I), casting me as Asian is about as obvious.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: "Ajun" Shrimp Pasta

So, let's establish right off the bat before some bitches get offended, I'm an equal opportunity lover/hater. I don't give one actual fuck about a person's skin tone, how or if they pray, their sexual orientation, their politics or pronouns; none of it. I will feel however I feel about a particular person based on how they make me feel when I am in their presence. Assholes need not apply. Liars can fuck all the way off. I am attracted to people who are honest, intelligent, creative, non-judgy, and authentic. That is all.

That said, I don't want to offend anyone by calling my new recipe "Ajun" which, in my mind, is a cross between Asian and Cajun influences. Another fusion of cuisines.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Honey sweet chili chicken

The catch-all Jewish New Year greeting for the entire season is “Shanah tovah” (שנה טובה), which means “Good year.” The words “u’metuka” (ומתוקה), and sweet, are sometimes appended to the end.

I tell people, quite honestly, that I'm Jew "ish." My Momster wasn't very religious and did not keep a kosher kitchen. We didn't usually go to High Holy Holiday services when I was growing up. Once in a while, we would go to my orthodox Jewish paternal grandparents' synagogue, which was very austere to me. I sat upstairs with the women, separated from the men, as tradition dictates. (Cue music from "Fiddler on the Roof", "Tradition")

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Viral Sushi Bake

When my hubster and I started dating 20 years ago, he lived in Memphis, and I lived in Nashville. Our first dates usually lasted a weekend and involved a lot of going out to dinner to all the different restaurants that I loved in the area. He came to trust my taste in food.

So when I was craving sushi and said, "Hey, I'm in the mood for sushi tonight. Do you want to go get some?" He told me that he had never had sushi, and I literally felt my heart drop into my stomach. Thinking, “It's over. This will not work out.”

He's not the best dancer. Lord knows he was born with two right feet. He's a lefty. And he doesn't eat sushi? Total dealbreaker. But to my surprise, he said, "Well, it's called BAIT where I'm from, but every place you've taken me has been awesome, so let's go." I told him I would give him the beginner sushi, and he said, "Nope! If I'm gonna try it, I'm gonna do it for real. Give it to me raw." And I did.