Today is my husband’s birthday! Happy Birthday Ga, Thank You for everything! You’re the best:) We love you!!
Happy Birthday Ga!
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Grateful!
Happy Thanksgiving All!! Every day I thank God for all He has given me:) I’m truly blessed and I do not take that for granted. I’m so grateful for:
1.)The knowledge of Jesus Christ, accepting Him and for that my life is forever changed!
2.) My husband
3.) Family
John Howie Steakhouse!
My parent In-Law’s gave us a gift card as part of their birthday gift and we immediately used it at this restaurant! I’ve only been here twice because the place is really pricey (but in fairness the steaks are superb) and we always have a nice experience. I was excited to have my sister with us because she had some good steak experiences in New York and I’m glad that she said “John Howie’s was the best steak of her life”. As part of our birthday celebration we got free dessert:) I love their creme brulee!
Who Loves Ya Baby-Back?
My Husband has been craving some baby back ribs lately, and I like ribs and the eating part but to make it from scratch is such a pain! It’s so time consuming from the marinating, smoking, brining, 24 hour process cooking! That’s so not my kind of cooking, so Hubby did all of it and I prepared the side dishes. I made grilled veggies and smoke gouda mashed potatoes! We invited our In-laws to share in the yummy goodness:)
Ingredients (Recipe By Alton Brown)
- 3 whole slabs pork baby back ribs
Dry Rub:
- 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Braising Liquid:
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour. In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.
*This recipe makes several batches of dry rub. If more rub is needed, it can be extended by any amount, as long as the ratio of 8:3:1:1 remains the same.
Birthday Dinner!
Last Sunday we had an advanced celebration for our Birthdays (sisters’ bday 11-15, my bday 11-16, Hubby’s bday 11-26). It was my parent In-Law’s bday treat to us:). We had dinner at my fave chinese restaurant here in Issaquah, and it was delicious. We had peking duck and my favorite shrimps in sweet spicy sauce(I always have this whenever we have dinner here!) After dinner we went to my In-law’s house to open gifts and have our birthday cake! Carrot cake was YUM!! Thank You to my In-laws for the wonderful Birthday treat:)
Weekend Fun!
The weather this weekend was so nasty that we decided to stay at home (we wanted to watch the movie J. Edgar!). I’m a real homebody, so I really don’t mind spending my weekend like this:). It doesn’t mean we didn’t do anything, we finished watching season 4 of Breaking Bad (mind-blowing Finale,if you ask us!). We enjoyed some wine, guacamole and chips (hubby made the Best Guacamole, thanks Ina Garten). Saturday morning was brunch at Ihops, we chose not to count the calories and just enjoyed some pancakes:). Then Sunday evening we had dinner at my fave chinese restaurant here in Issaquah, and celebrated our birthdays with my In-laws(they’re the best!)
Serious Pie
Couple of weeks ago, we had a nice sunny saturday afternoon here and it was just the perfect time to visit Pike Place Market again. I so love that place! We decided to have lunch at Serious Pie, some of the best pizza of your life! This is our fave Pizza place in Seattle! The wait time was like 30 minutes so we had an excuse to go to Tom Douglas’s other restaurant Lola, and get their famous doughnuts. Giada De Launrentii mentioned that they were the best doughnuts for her:) We agree!
Sip Bar and Restaurant
Sip Bar and Restaurant is the 2nd resto that we dined at during the Seattle Restaurant week last month. So convenient because it’s located in the same neighborhood that we live in. It was my first time to visit the place and we all loved it (though we all agreed that it’s a pricey place!). The place is so cozy and their food is great. Their creme brulee is to die for:)
Real Meatballs and Spaghetti
One of my fave comfort food! This is an Ina Garten recipe and you can get this from the food network website:)
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1/2 pound ground veal
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
- 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- Vegetable oil
- Olive oil
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
- 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
- Freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
My sister Rosell is in love with short ribs lately that she requested this dish again. I’ve been wanting to try the short rib recipe from the Bon Appetite October 2011 issue. I think by far this recipe has taken the most prep time yet. I tried 3 different recipes already and this was the tastiest by far, so we all agree that it was worth it! So most likely, I will stick to this one and will definitely make this again:)
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs ( 6 servings; Bon Appetit,october 2011)
5 lb. bone -in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2″ pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 medium onions,chopped
3 medium carrots,peeled,chopped
2 celery stalks,chopped
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 750 ml. bottle dry red wine(preferably Cabernet Sauvignon)
10 springs flat-leaf parsley
8 springs thyme
4 springs oregano
2 springs rosemary
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 head of garlic,halved crosswise
4 cups low salt beef stock
1. Preheat oven to 350. season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium- high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 Tbsp. dripping from pot.
2. Add onions,carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.
3. Cook until short ribs are tender, 2-2 1/2 hours. Transfer short ribs to a platter. strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls over mashed potatoes with sauce spooned over.