Red (Kidney) Beans & Rice

My neighbor, Chris, gave me his mom's "Red Beans and Rice" recipe back in November 2011. I've made it a few times since then, and I've altered it to my liking, but I put the original recipe (that Chris sent me) at the bottom of the post.

Beef and Broccoli

I've been super busy with work lately, and haven't really had time to cook elaborate fancy-pants meals. But lucky for you, that means this recipe will be really simple. Yay. I've been making a lot of beef and broccoli because it is seriously the easiest thing in the world to make. The only think that might be hard is getting the Oyster sauce if you don't have access to an Asian grocer.

Chicken Tikka Masala

(Click photos for larger image)

You know what is ridiculous? Chicken Tikka Masala take-out from an Indian restaurant. Whenever we order this, we only get about four pieces of chicken with a lot of sauce. It's like I'm just buying a tub of sauce to dip my naan in. This is why I've decided to make my own chicken tikka masala. It's a lot of spices, yes, but once you have your cupboard stocked, you'll be able to make a ton of other things too. (Also it might help if you knew the Chopping Block... because that's where all my spices came from. :D)

Chinese Beef Belly (Ngow Nam)

(Click on photos for larger images)

I was talking to my Chinese friend, Carrie, the other day, and she said that she really wanted to make ngow nam and her mom has a recipe. After she mentioned this to me, I was obsessed with making ngow nam. Ngow means cow, and nam means belly in Cantonese. Basically it's stewed/braised beef brisket with diakons and a very complex flavor that I can't describe. This dish may not be for everyone, but I know that if you're Chinese, you probably like it. Not very many restaurants serve this dish because it takes a while to make. It also includes lots of ingredients (that you can only find at a well stocked Asian grocery store).

No Recipe's Lamb With Green Chili Masala

Winter is finally here! Time for warm stew-like dishes to replace a real heater. Not only that, these usually require little real hands-on time and the end results make me look like I'm a cooking genius to other people.

Of course I'm not a cooking genius! That's why I got my recipe from No Recipes. Haha! You didn't really think I could come up with stuff like this myself, did you?

Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken

I don't think they serve this dish at many Chinese restaurants in America because this is just too... Chinese? I just know that this stuff is delicious and we used to eat it infrequently as a kid. I'm not sure why, but that was how it was. If you have access to a well stocked Asian grocery, you should be able to find bottled soy sauce chicken marinade similar to this. That's similar to a soy sauce chicken marinade as far as I can tell, and that stuff is delicious.

Soon Dubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Soup)

At first I wanted to make a portabello mushroom and cabbage soup because I just happen to have those things and I wanted soup. It somehow evolved to watching Maangchi make this Soon Dubu Jjigae, and then I wanted it so badly!

Pulled Pork

First off, I have a few of apologies that I need to get out of the way; but I have a peace offering in the form of a cat picture.

1. I'm so sorry for neglecting this blog.

2. I'm so sorry for not having a pretty final product photo for this recipe. The reason being is that I was getting ready for finals, so I planned to cook a pot full of pulled pork to feed myself for at least 2 or 3 days. The way it actually turned out was that when it was finished, I got so hungry that I ate all of the pork in one day. Then I spent the other days starving.

3. I'm sorry, Helen, for making you do all of the updating!

Garlic Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

You know what I love? The Cheesecake Factory. I know, I know. The Cheesecake Factory is probably the worst food in the world, but who can resist their avocado eggroll appetizer or their delicious cheesecakes? You know what is one of my favorite things from them? Their mashed potatoes. With a little snooping around the internet, I found a little recipe (that I've adjusted) just floating around on a whole bunch of different sites. There seems to be some mixed reviews, but I can honestly say that this mashed potato recipe comes pretty darn close!

Beef Chuck Pot Roast

(Image courtesy of The Chopping Block)

The Chopping Block has been really nice to me (strange, right), so in return I invited her over for dinner along with our friend Brendan and my neighbor Chris. My sister and I went grocery shopping, and we got this four pound beef chuck, which is perfect for a beautiful pot roast!

Mac 'n Cheese

I invited the Chopping Block over for dinner, and I made her some macaroni and cheese! I also served it with some sweet carrot mash, some cornbread (with corn kernels hidden inside), and some barbecue ribs.

Pork Lettuce Wraps

Pork. Pork pork pork pork. I don't think I eat much pork. Oh wait, yes I do. I eat a lot of the Chopping Block's Lemongrass Pork Chops, bacon, some barbecue pork, some roast pork and .... more bacon. But you see, there's not a whole lot of ground pork in the mix. To be honest, I bought the ground pork to make some fish paste & pork patties. Sounds gross? Eh. I can't tell you because I decided to make this dish instead.

Beef Stir-Fry with Green Beans

So I had a lot of vegetables left over from some previous meals that I had to get rid of. The perfect way to get rid of vegetables is stir-fry; I'm sure Drea would agree. So this is just one of those random-let's-throw-everything-in kind of meal post.

Pri's "Thai" Fried Rice

I was taking a stroll in the jungle one day and all of the sudden, a guerrilla chef and his pet gorilla jumped out in front of me.

Chicken & Shrimp Lo Mein

When my friend, Iva's, mom came to visit her, I was invited back for dinner! Yay! So her mom made a seafood lo-mein, and she got all her ingredients from Whole Foods, so there's no need for an exotic trip to the asian grocery store. Her mom's was way better than mine, but I've only attempted this dish a couple of times. Her dish was a little saucy, and she used corn starch (a staple in a Chinese kitchen), which I don't have with me in Pittsburgh and I was too lazy (and cheap) to buy some.

Tofu, Mushrooms, and Bamboo

I went over to Iva's while her mom was visiting, and her mom made a similar dish for us (among other tasty dishes). So this is my take on her tofu dish. I was snoopy enough to ask her what she put in it.

Oxtail Stew

"Have you ever had oxtails? Most people I know haven't even heard of them, which is really quite a shame. Think braised beef short ribs, but with even more flavor, and you'll get a sense of why those of us who eat oxtail get dreamy eyed when we think about them. Yes oxtails come from a steer's tail, a well exercised muscle, marbled with fat. The segments are vertebrae so they have lots of iron-rich marrow as well. My father, who grew up during the Depression, remembers oxtails as being food for people with little money, because they could be had so cheap. You could get them for pennies a pound. These days, they're somewhat hard to come by and no longer cheap (though you can sometimes get a good deal on them at Costco and Asian markets). As with most tough cuts, oxtail are best slow cooked for several hours. They tend to be fatty, so we like to cook them a day ahead, so we can chill them overnight and scrape off the fat from the top the next day." - Simply Recipes

The above is an excerpt from Simply Recipes' Oxtail Stew recipe. It's a little similar to the one in this recipe, and I thought it was a good introduction to oxtails if you've never heard of them. I decided that I wanted to have some of my mom's cooking, so I called her up for her oxtail stew, which is one of her staple recipes. While I was on the phone with her she told me how Gandalf likes to sleep with her, aw! And Gandalf stole my mom's fish while she was cooking, and my mom had to chase her around the house to get it back. My sister says Gandalf also stole her chicken. In case you forgot who Gandalf is, she's this little kitty cat. Anyways, less cats more food!

Chez Pim's Roast Chicken

Can't you tell already that I like to peruse food blogs? This dish is a result of hours and hours of reading through more than 60 food blogs. I know, I know, I'm crazy sometimes. Pim from Chez Pim is living my dream life. Travelling all around, meeting all sorts of people (mostly awesome people), and eating extraordinary food. Who can say no to that?

Recently, Pim posted this roast chicken recipe which she learned from her friend, Laurent. One look at it and I decided that I had to make it!

Baked Chicken with Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

I thought of how to cook this dish all on my own. I said "Baked chicken, pshaw, I don't need a recipe for that, I'm too hip!" And for once in my life, it turned out that I am able to create a dish without a recipe that did not turn out to be a disaster. However, I'm sure during my years of eating and perusing through recipes, I probably have came across this type of baked chicken before. So, I'd like to say that this recipe was inspired by all of those other baked chicken recipes in the world! I love being inspired.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan

1 Italian Eggplant
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 clove garlic
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp rosemary
1 26 oz can marinara sauce
1 3-4 oz can of sliced olives
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
1 stock of green onion, chopped


I love eggplant. I think it's my inner yearning to return to vegetarianism. But, I know from experience and past doctor visits that -- no matter my love of cooking-- I make a rotten vegetarian. So unless or until I get better I am resigned to my current, if infrequent, exploration of vegetarian dishes.

Veggie-filled sauces are my favorite. This is no wimpy sauce and it is quite filling. Other than the canned items (naturally) I found all vegetables at the local Farmer's Market. Fresh (mostly), healthy and yummy!

Eggplant Parmesan:

Preheat oven to 400

Slice the eggplant.
In a bowl pour the white wine.
In a separate bowl mix the breadcrumbs, rosemary, basil, 1 clove garlic and Parmesan.

Dip eggplant in the wine, be certain to soak both sides. Next press the eggplant in the bread mixture. Place on an oiled oven safe roasting pan or rectangular casserole dish. Lay slices side-by-side, and avoid layering if at all possible. This helps it cook faster and more evenly.

Spread marinara sauce over the top, then green onions, the second clove of garlic, olives, mushrooms and bell pepper.

--Usually I would mix these before hand, but I didn't this time. It turned out well, so I think I will layer the veggies for this dish from now on.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until eggplant is brown when cut, or soft enough to be cut by the side of a fork.