The Full Kitchen

Culinary Adventures in a Tiny California Kitchen

Citrus Roast Duck Adventure

March 06, 2025 by Alyssa D in main course

David Chang had us at duck and oranges. When the chef talked about foraging citrus tree leaves for a futuristic roasted bird on his Netflix show Dinner Time Live before the holidays, we looked at each other and smiled.

This was during the proverbial calm before the storm. Ripening fruit filled the towering navel orange tree in our backyard. Roast duck is one of Guillaume’s specialties. All the ingredients were straightforward and this seemed just right for a small, cozy Christmas dinner.

But we didn’t have a recipe, just the official blog post where Dave described generally what he planned to make — and clearly had to change at the last moment. This is how I found myself scrutinizing the video replay over and over, trying to decipher a wine bottle label and gas flame height.

West African Hot Red Pepper Sauce Adventure

December 19, 2024 by Alyssa D in appetizers, sauces, main course

Coping with fear is a deeply familiar struggle, especially lately. Much can go seriously wrong just in the kitchen. There were times I couldn’t take the heat, literally and figuratively.

As a kid, I was mixing herbs and spices together for a witchy potion and got cayenne pepper in my eye. Screaming ensued. You’d think adult me would know better, but Guillaume and I inadvertently produced tear gas during an experimental recipe involving extra hot Hatch green chile peppers.

Then, last summer, bright red habanero peppers covered our three leafy green potted plants like pre-decorated holiday trees almost overnight. Would they be welcome gifts or pure pain? I’d never been so scared of something I grew myself.

Baked Jalapeño Poppers Adventure

October 05, 2024 by Alyssa D in appetizers, baking

Gardening in California is ridiculous. One moment the jalapeños and habaneros were seeds, the next moment we were giving away a dozen peppers at a time to anyone willing to take them.

Several jalapeños turned red before we could harvest them. And they were hotter than hell in an experimental Greek yogurt dip. The green ones tended toward bell pepper mild with occasional surprises.

Our rapidly proliferating peppers required a big-batch recipe.

Homemade Poke Bowl Adventure

July 18, 2024 by Alyssa D in main course

I sat down outside with the precious paper boat and began to dig into a long-awaited food truck poke bowl with wooden chopsticks.

The serving didn’t look like much: a sushi rice mound with furikake sprinkles, lightly pickled cucumbers, and glossy pink raw ahi tuna cubes dressed in spicy mayo. Not particularly photogenic. Yet this modest version is my favorite.

After a rough spring, I kept thinking back to that day spent outdoors with family, listening to music, beautiful flowers blooming, savoring each cool bite.

Elusive Spicy Mexican Orange Sauce Adventure

April 07, 2024 by Alyssa D in sides

One of our favorite taco trucks in the South Bay didn’t invent spicy, creamy, addictive orange-colored sauce, but theirs was the first we ever remember wanting to eat again as soon as humanly possible.

While enjoying a leftover loaded quesadilla the next day for a solo lunch, I shotgunned the extra sauce directly from the container. No regrets.

After following the truck to its new location, though, we noticed a sad handwritten note in the window: “No orange sauce today.” The sign stayed up.

Savory Not-Exactly-Waffles Adventure

February 29, 2024 by Alyssa D in main course

Do not buy a waffle maker. Do not buy one. Don’t do it.

Every few years I contemplate the purchase. Imagine the brunches. Sweet waffles! Savory waffles! Chicken and waffles! Everything waffles!

After a few fun meals, though, the contraption would probably end up occupying valuable space deep in a cabinet never to be used again. By us, at least.

The familiar pang returned recently while watching a Junior Bake Off episode where Ravneet Gill challenged the young contestants to make crispy baked chicken sandwiched between cheesy waffles.

Butternut Squash Cornish Pasties Adventure

December 08, 2023 by Alyssa D in baking, main course

My cooking mojo felt off for a while. Then I realized it wasn’t a dearth of inspiration or motivation or interesting ingredients, but stress from major issues with our house. Moving proved wrenching yet necessary.

As we unpacked and relied on takeout from various specialty eateries in the new neighborhood, a return to culinary adventures started to seem realistic. Just in time for the holidays, too.

Green Gazpacho Adventure

August 24, 2023 by Alyssa D in appetizers

We had a mostly mild summer in the Bay Area, to the point where I felt a pang about wearing a cardigan on work calls while other areas grappled with searing heat. Several weeks had a local high of 72°F. Mid-July, we donned puffer jackets for outdoor dining in San Francisco.

Then the sun began beating down and our air conditioner rumbled to life. I craved something green and cool.

Tamarind Boba Adventure

May 31, 2023 by Alyssa D in drinks

“What does tamarind taste like?”

We were at a Mexican grocery store food court in California with a friend from Serbia pondering flavored drinks. While I searched for the right descriptors, an employee offered him a tamarind agua fresca sample. Nothing beats actually trying it: sweet and sour, light and deep.

That was on my mind when I tasted a horchata boba drink one afternoon in Los Altos. Culinary fusion is next-level in the Bay Area. The creamy, subtly-spiced Mexican drink contrasted delightfully with dark, chewy Taiwanese tapioca pearls.

After Guillaume brought home a box of whole tamarind pods on a whim, I imagined tamarind boba must be someone’s specialty out here.

Homemade Portobello Mushroom Ravioli Adventure

March 19, 2023 by Alyssa D in main course

Homesickness is new for me. The South Bay is beautiful. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, fresh produce and delicious food abound, and many people wave back at me. But I miss Colorado.

Some wistfulness is normal: Friends, places, the comfort that comes from being in an area for so long. Not getting to watch Louisville rebuild from the fire. Other small things took me by surprise, like discovering that a super-effective generic laundry stain remover doesn’t exist here — and can’t be shipped.

Local eateries have produced more delights than duds. But the fresh ravioli we picked up at an upscale grocery couldn’t hold a candle to the ones from our favorite Denver-based pasta company. That’s it. Time to stop moping and start making.