162: Greek Style Beef Kebabs

Emeril Lagasse is one of the first celebrity chefs I saw on TV. His energetic “Bam! Bam! Bam!s” were what I most remember about him, sadly. 

I can’t even remember the type of cuisine he cooked! Luckily, I was reintroduced to him through Food and Wine’s Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes (which I got at half price. Bam!)

His kebab recipe originally used lamb, but I used beef here because lamb is very seldom sold in my neighborhood supermarket. It tasted delicious, though admittedly, the flavors are better suited for lamb. 

148: Beef, Mushroom & Red Wine Pies

It’s been raining like crazy in my part of the world. The news said we’ve never had rain that lasted this long in almost 2 decades. Gasp. 

The silver lining (ah ha ha ha) in all of this is that I now have an excuse to make something rich and hearty and warm. Recipe from here.

Stay warm and safe, guys!

124: Spicy Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi

I’m on a Vietnamese kick. I blame the pho. Here’s another attempt at a Vietnamese clssic: the banh mi. Cue dramatic music, please.

Similar to the pho, everyone has their own banh mi recipe - pork, chicken, beef eggs - all marinated and cooked in various ways. But despite the differences in fillings, people seem to agree on one golden rule: always use good bread.

I found it hard to choose, but in the end I went with this recipie, but instead of chicken, I used thinly sliced beef. Yummm, lemongrass!

Oop, careful, it can get messy.

122: Pho Bo

It has started to rain here. Summer went away as quickly as it came. With the rain came the cold and there’s nothing more satisfying than the bowl of hot soup during cold weather.

Everyone has their own Pho Bo recipe - some can be delightfully detailed while some cater to those in need of a quick fix. I did this on a Saturday afternoon, so I had plenty of time to make my own broth - highly recommended if you have the time. I’ve tasted my fair share of phos and none of them tasted like Maggi beef cubes. The aromatic spices (cinnamon, star anise, etc) gives it an edge but the fullness of the broth is what gives it the ultimate umph!

121: Osso Buco Alla Milanese

This can explain my feelings about this dish (and food, in general) more accurately than my words:

I used beef shanks since finding veal in my neighborhood grocery store is like finding a unicorn. Nevertheless, swoooon. The aroma from the gremolata made me want to cry the first time I smelled it. Recipe from here.

118: Steak Au Poivre

A quick, yet delicious weekday dinner. Thanks, Alton Brown. The sauce was so good I had daydreams of licking my pan clean - oh wait, I think that happened in real life. 

100: Cheesesteak Sandwich

Oof! I’m in the 3 digits now. Feels like yesterday when I made those eclairs. I didn’t even realize this cheesesteak was my 100th when I made it.

Recipe from here. I didn’t do the peppers. I made this very last minute and didn’t have time to make sure I had all the ingredients. Nevertheless, it tasted delicious, though I kinda had the urge to eat like a rabbit for the next few days. I am too old for indulgent stuff like this. Oh, what I would give to be twelve years old again.

094: Swiss Mushroom Burgers

An easy lunch for me and my sister. She’s so lucky to have me. ;)

Recipe from here.

079: Beef Bourguignon

I still can’t believe I managed to pull this off. Me! This is probably the most difficult recipe I’ve tired so far and also the most rewarding. I think I fell in love with food all over again. 

Recipe from here.

French, An Attempt

French Dinner, An Attempt