Texas Red-Braised Beef Short Ribs

Confession: I have been sleeping with the Lee Brothers these past two weeks-- I mean The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook.  Their adventures and stories of growing up in the South is very entertaining. I have prepared since, their different versions of grits, the bird’s head biscuit, and have a couple of jars of the Pickled Peaches in my pantry. By the way, the bird's head biscuit-- the best biscuit I ever had! And that’s saying a lot since I live in the South and have had my ample share of biscuits

Today, I am making their Texas Red-Braised Beef Short Ribs, which is mole-based. I am in the process of developing my personal mole recipe, after sampling the tastiest Guatamalan Tamale Negro from a hole in the wall Mexican Tienda in Buford Highway. I love this tamale so much; I had been driving 16 miles per way every Saturday to get my fix.

Veal Chops with Cherry-Port Reduction and Saffron Polenta

I learned from a really early age from my grandmother (my Dad's mom) to save rendered fat-- drippings from bacon, turkey, beef, pork, chorizo's/sausages and of course, duck.  My family is very frugal (not cheap) that they would save anything worth saving.  My Papa, God bless his soul, used them as substitute for Vicks(tm) and rubbed us with rendered grease when we have colds or fever when we were little.  It used to drive my mother crazy since we would be smelling of chorizo or adobo, *LOL*!

Chunky Chili

It's a Snow Day in Atlanta!  We have at least 4-5 inches of snow, the most I have seen since I moved here seven (7) years ago.  It's no surprise that I am craving chili-- chunky chili-- soup of chunky bits of beef, beans and tomatoes, with hints of smoky paprika, cumin and mexican oregano melding with the mild heat from the ancho chile.. mm-mm-mmm!  I better get started :)

Nikita's Five-course Birthday Dinner

Poaching the Sea Bass on Beurre Monte

I met Nikita while visiting  BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta through a Social Networking Group about five (5) years ago.  We were both new in Atlanta and trying to mee

Summer Grilling

Bone-in Rib Eye Steak

Grilling is very primal, yet sheer genius! I can imagine how our ancestors must have felt when they first bit into that grilled meat... must have been same time they came up with the word orgasmic! Everything tastes better grilled, and these days, just about anything can be grilled.

Stuffed Beef Rolls with Pineapple-Philly Sauce

Like Elizabeth Mccracken, that basically sums me up. When I remember my childhood or the major events in my life, I also remember the food that came with it..

.. the morning of the day I went into labor with my daughter Meghann, I was at an open market eating the sweetest boiled corn in a cob I can remember...

.. the day I gave birth to my son Khalel, I remembered having labor pains at 5AM thus I went to see my OB by 7AM and I was told to go straight to the hospital because I was 5 cm dilated; I did not go straight to the hospital, as a matter of fact, my OB got there before I did; I did a detour at home since my grandma was cooking "Chocolate Meat" and I didn't want to miss out specially since I will be on hospital food for days!...

Braised Beef with Citron Confit and German Beer

I was pretty harsh, mean and nasty to Bill today. I had a deadline for the Iron Cupcake at 1PM and by 12:45, I was palpitating and was taking it out on him since it took him a while to take those gorgeous photos, leaving me so little time to make it for my deadline. Well, we made it on time, and after seeing the final post, an overpowering sense of guilt came over me. The photos are beautiful, and all the while, I am rushing him to finish up. Note to self: Never rush an artist. So, I decided to make it up to him by making him pot roast for dinner. And hey, it's not called bribery, it's called an apology.

Shepherd's Pie

My friend Erin is leaving to visit her family for Thanksgiving tomorrow, so I decided to make a simple dinner and have her and our other friends, Yusuke and Biljana joined us for a round of food, wine and men-bashing session before she leaves.

I am an advocate of one-dish meals... they are convenient and healthy for the most part. I usually make this Shepherd's Pie for St. Patrick's Day dinner, easy enough for me to prepare even in my drunkenness.

For the Beef Filling

3 lbs of beef

1 onion, minced

1 bottle dark (Irish) beer

1 tbsp. beef bouillon

salt and pepper

1 bag frozen vegetable medley (the one with carrots and peas and corn and green beans)

Hanger Steak with Pesto

Hanger Steak with Pesto in a bed of Pappardelle

I love steak, and I prefer mine medium rare. Being the purist that I am (in most things), the only seasoning that touches my steak is salt and lemon. But it's the height of summer, and my basil plant is growing like crazy, so I decided to top the steak with pesto. In a bed of pappardelle and a side of steamed broccoli, it is very yum!

Boeuf Bourguignon & Clafouti: my salute to "Julie & Julia"

About a month ago, my cooking group was invited to the screening of the movie "Julie & Julia." I had seen previews of the movie earlier (it was in my "to watch list") so it was a treat to see it a month in advance, and for free! Sweet!!

The movie was heart warming. I was able to relate with the joys and frustrations both women went through in and outside of the their kitchen. Like them, cooking to me is therapeutic, my safe place when things are just not the way it should be. I also got the affirmation that I am "normal", in the sense that there are people like me who are way too passionate about cooking and food, and can get overly excited over a microplane. LOL!

To salute both women, I decided to make the infamous Boeuf Bourguignon, the recipe that gave Julia Child her break, and to have a taste of Julie Powell's most "challenging" day.

For side dish, I made boiled potatoes, Julia's recommendation from the book, using the fingerling potatoes from my last visit to the farmers market. I have cherries from when I made Valrhona Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes earlier this week so I decided to make the Clafouti for dessert.

It took me (7) hours from start to finish, including food shopping & cleanup, to cook 4 recipes (technically, if I count the brown braised onions and sauteed mushrooms) from the book. For Julie Powell to cook through the book in one year, she really is something else!

Verdict: SO WORTH IT! I thought that with that much wine in the recipe, it will overpower everything. Instead, the beef complemented and brought out the sweetness of the onions and the earthy, buttery taste of the mushrooms. It truly is one of the best known way to prepare beef!

To Julia Child and Julie Powell, I salute you both! And to all of you, Bon Appetit!