Jason really wanted to take me out for my birthday yesterday but he’s been really swamped at school so I told him that we could just celebrate over the weekend. But he insisted that he at least take me to lunch so he rushed on home during his lunch break and took me to this food truck that I really wanted to go to.

It’s called The Chairman, located in San Francisco, and they sell gua bao, a simple Taiwanese bun sandwich. The buns can be either steamed or baked – although I don’t know why anyone would want it baked – and you can choose between 4 sandwiches: (1) tender pork belly with pickled daikon, (2) coca-cola braised pork with savoy cabbage, yellow mustard seeds, and kewpie mayo, (3) spicy chicken with toasted sesame puree, pickled carrots-cucumber and cilantro, and (4) crispy miso cured tofu with garlic-tofu mayo and baby choy sum. I do like tofu but if the tofu bun sandwich is $3.25 and the other meat bun sandwiches are $3.75, I’m getting the meat!

So we got (1), (2), and (3), which are pictured above left to right. Now I am a HUGE (very, very very huge) steamed bun fan. I only get to eat it 1-2 times a year, and that’s during huge family gatherings when we order peking duck. Jason and I would order it for ourselves but it’s just too much food for 2 people so we tend to wait for the big family gatherings. But now, I have found this amazing truck where they have these little steamed bun sandwiches filled with tons of goodies.

I loved all three sandwiches, although my favorite has to be #1, the tender pork belly with pickled daikon. The pork belly had such a wonderful crisp exterior, kind of similar to the peking duck skin, and the pickled daikon went so well with the meat. My second favorite is #3, the spicy chicken. Once you drizzle it with a generous amount of Sriracha, you will be in heaven. Sandwich #2 was good too, but not as good as the others. I got ambitious and ordered 7 of these but only managed to eat 3. Thankfully, Jason was able to finish them off. Whew.

I’m thrilled to have found this truck, and I can’t wait to come back here again. It was seriously the best birthday lunch ever.

Oh yeah, this picture is just for your viewing pleasure. We passed by this on our walk back to the car and gave us a good laugh.

Now let’s talk about these cookies.

As you know, I’m not much of a cookie fan. I love muffins. I love cake. I love cupcakes. But cookies? Eh. I mean, it’s not just eh. It’s good but it’s not my favorite thing in the world but I think I might have just found my favorite cookie recipe right here.

These babies are packed with all sorts of stuff, from dried cranberries to pistachios to white chocolate chips. I love that it’s not too sweet of a cookie, and there’s all sorts of textures in these. Plus, they have to be somewhat healthy, right? You have nuts and dried fruit and a little bit of chocolate so yeah, they’re good for you. Plus, they make a beautiful looking cookie with all these colors to play with, making it perfect to give as gifts or even bring to a gathering.

Cranberry Pistachio White Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Dulce Dough):

Yields 28 cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 3/4 cup pistachios
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.

Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated.

Gently fold in the cranberries, pistachios and white chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheet.

Place into oven and bake until slightly golden at the edges, about 8-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

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