Crazy Girl's Kitchen

Get ready:

• 12oz ground beef
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Korean red pepper paste
• 1 tsp whole pink peppercorn
• 1/2 tsp ground black peppercorn
• 1 Tbsp Chinese hot board bean sauce
• 2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 Tbsp Chinese light soy sauce
• 1 19oz container of tofu, drained and cubed
• salt and pepper to taste

Now let’s play:

Heat up a 12 inch nonstick skillet.  Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Add beef into the pan and use a spoon to break up the beef. Cook through, and then set aside. Infuse the fat left in the pan with minced garlic, Korean red pepper paste, pink peppercorn, and black peppercorn for two minutes at medium heat. Add Chinese hot board bean sauce, cooking wine, light soy sauce, and tofu. Cook for another two minutes. Add cooked ground beef back to the pan, and cook till everything looks coming together. Serve immediately with white rice (about 4 servings).

After-play thoughts:

The easiest way of cubing tofu is first, poke a hole at a corner of the container top; second, pour the water out through the hole; third, remove the container top entirely; finally, insert a small paring knife and slice/cube tofu when the tofu block resting in the container.

Get ready:

• 1 4-5lb boneless beef chuck roast
• 4 Tsp olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 yellow onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 cups Burgundy
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 6 cup beef stock (more if needed)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tsp dried rosemary
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and black pepper

Now let’s play:

Heat up oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat while season the roast with salt and pepper. Sear all sides of the roast till golden brown. Set aside. Saute chopped onion with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic, celery, carrot, bay leaves, dried oregano, and dried rosemary; saute for two minutes. Add tomato paste, and pour in Burgundy to deglaze the pot. Add the roast back into the pot, and pour in beef stock to cover the roast by one inch. Bring to boil. Then cover, turn town the heat to low, and let it simmer till the roast is tender but not falling apart. When it’s done, take the roast out of the pot. Let it rest on a carving board for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add heavy cream to the braising liquid. Bland the liquid into gravy with a immerse blander. Then cook the gravy to the right consistency and adjust the seasoning if necessary. When ready to serve, slice the roast horizontally against the grain at 1/2 inch thickness, and serve with gravy along the side.

After-play thoughts:

When there’s leftovers needed to be reheated, I find it better reheating the meat in the oven, with adequate amount of gravy spread on top and covered with foil.

Get ready:

• 1.5lb ground beef
• 2 Tsp canola oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 Tsp dried cilantro
• 1 14oz can tomato sauce
• 1 16oz can black beans, drained
• 40 tortilla chips
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Heat up canola oil in a large saute pan. Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Brown and break apart the beef with a spatula till no longer red. Add onion and saute for another 3 minutes. Add chili powder, ground cumin, and ground cayenne. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add beans and tomato sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Fold in dried cilantro leaves. Spread tortilla chips at the bottom of a large roasting pan. Spoon on half of cooked mixture on top of the chips evenly. Top off with cheese and scatter jalapeno slices over the cheese. Place the whole thing under a broiler (set on high) for about 3-5 minutes or until cheese melted. To serve, using a lasagna server to scoop out a small portion onto a plate. Then scoop out another small portion and lay it on top of the previous scooped out portion, so each serving has two layers. You can make another batch of nachos with the other half of cooked mix, or store it for later use (about 2-4 dinner servings).

After-play thoughts:

It’s a quite lean dish if you opt for 90% or above lean ground beef.

Get ready:

• 3 lb ground beef
• 1 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 3 whole large eggs, whisked
• 1 Tsp dried basil
• 1 Tsp dried parsley
• 1 Tsp garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

Now let’s play:

Mix all the ingredients together by hand, and then use palms to form into 1.5-inch balls (make about 48 balls). Bake in a 400F oven for 20-25 minutes.

After-play thoughts:

Thanks to Alton Brown’s perennial effort of turning gadgets into multitaskers, mini-muffin pans are hands down the best tool for the job. The pans promote even proportion (meatballs should just fit comfortably into each cup) and even browning while holding the shape. If you use those pans that make 24 mini-muffins per pan, this recipe conveniently makes 2 pans of meatballs.

Get ready:

• 2x salt
• 1x ground black pepper
• 2x granulated garlic
• 2x granulated onion
• 2x dried basil
• 2x dried oregano
• 2x dried rosemary
• 2x dried parsley
• Top round beef roast
• Extra virgin olive oil

Now let’s play:

First, let the raw beef roast come to room temperature (resting on a counter top for 40-60 minutes usually does the job).  Meanwhile, well mix the first eight ingredients in a container. “x” stands for any measurement you prefer to use, such as cup, spoon, lid, and etc. Then rub the roast with the mix until it’s well coated. Place the roast in a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the roast. Roast in a 300F oven until internal temperature reaches 135F for medium rare. When the desired temperature is reached, take the roast out of the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes (assuming a 5-7lb roast) before thinly slicing the roast.

After-play thoughts:

If you don’t have time to let the roast come to room temperature, instead of preheating the oven, try heating up the oven after the roast is placed inside the oven for roasting. This way, the roast is more evenly roasted.

Get ready:

• 1lb (16 counts) lasagna noodles, cooked to barely al dente, drained, and sprinkled with olive oil
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 4 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1 Tsp dried parsley leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper
• extra Parmesan and shredded mozzarella, for topping

Now let’s play:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat up 2 Tsp olive oil in a large saute pan, add beef (seasoned with salt and pepper) and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic to the pan, and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cans tomato sauce.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, eggs,, basil, parsley, oregano, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Measure 4 cooked noodle to the width of the pan and cut off  the portions where the noodles are longer then the pan width. Coat the bottom of a 14 inch lasagna pan with olive oil and 1/4 can of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line one end of the pan with a lasagna noodle that was measure to the width of the pan. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the pasta (make sure to cover the edges). Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta, and top with 1/4 can of tomato sauce. Repeat with the next layer of noodles (the only difference is to line each end of the pan with a cut-off portion of the lasagna noodles from step one), cheese mixture, meat mixture, and tomato sauce. Top last layer with noodles as the bottom layer, tomato sauce, extra shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour, and let lasagna rest for 30 minutes on the counter top before cutting and serving.

After-play thoughts:

For the best result, a large deep lasagna pan or a small roasting pan should be used. From my own experience, the Pyrex 13*9 baking dish is too shallow for the job.

Get ready:

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 pounds Asian thick cube-cut beef short ribs on the bone
• 3 celery ribs, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 Tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaf
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups dry red wine
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 Tsp of the olive oil in a large dutch oven. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add the short ribs to the dutch oven, and sear until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Repeat in batches (you need another 2 Tsp of olive oil when the dutch oven get dry). Add remaining 1 Tsp of olive oil celery, carrot and onion to the dutch oven. Saute for 3 minutes.  Add thyme, bay leaf and garlic. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and reduce until glossy, stirring often. Return the short ribs to the dutch oven. Add chicken stock, wine and vinegar and bring to a boil, then cover and braise at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Decrease oven temperature  to 250 degrees F and bake for another 2.5-3 hours or until meat is tender. Cool for 15-20 minutes. Serve the short rib with braising liquid (about 8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

When browning the meat, you should be looking for the golden brown color (but not burned). Remember, “color is the flavor”.

Get ready:

• 3.5 lb  chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 Tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 12oz bottle dark beer
• 6 cups beef stock
• 2 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2.5 lbasparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch long pieces
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt an pepper to taste

Now let’s play:

Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Brown the beef in batches. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic and celery, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Cook for a minute, and then return all the meat to the pot. Cover the meat mix with beer and beef stock. Cook at medium low heat for 1.5-2 hours until beef gets tender. Then turn off the heat, fold in raw mushroom, and let the heat from the beef mix slowly welt down the mushroom. In a separate saute pan, heat up the remaining 2 Tsp olive oil at medium heat. Saute chopped asparagus until tender.  Fold in cooked asparagus and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately (about 6-8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

The taste of asparagus goes well with this fabulous comfort dinner while turning it healthier. Or, you can replace asparagus with 3 green bell peppers if so desired.

Get ready:

• 6 pound coarsely ground beef chuck, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 5 Tsp olive oil
• 3 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 10 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded chopped
• 4 Tsp chili powder
• 2 Tsp ground coriander
• 1 Tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tsp sweet paprika
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 Tsp dried sage leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 12 oz bottle dark beer
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 3 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) cans light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded cheddar for garnish

Now let’s play:

Heat up 2 Tsp olive oil in a 7-qt or larger dutch oven and brown half of the grounded beef for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Add the remaining 1 Tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Saute onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno pepper. Saute for another 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme leaves,  dried sage leaves, ground cinnamon, and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes. Add beer and chicken stock. Add back browned grounded beef. Stir to combine. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and beans. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with cheddar cheese and serve (about 8-10 servings).

After-play thoughts:

This receipt is perfect for friends gathering, cold day dinner, and brown-bagged lunch since it re-heats excellently.

Get ready:

• 1/4 lb smoked bacon, cut in chucks
• 2.5lb beef stew meat
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 14oz cans of tomato sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 large russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch wide stripes
• 1.5 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb frozen green peas
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Heat up a 7 qt dutch oven w/o the lid on medium high heat. Season stew meat generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat in batches until gold brown on all sides. Set meat aside. Saute the onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Put meat back into the dutch oven. Pour in the chicken stock. Scrap off the brown bites on the bottom of the dutch oven with a wooden spoon. Add tomato sauce and bring to boil. Cover with the lid, turn down the heat to medium, and simmer for 2-3 hours until meat is tender but not falling apart. Fold in sliced mushrooms and stir until they are slightly cooked. Fold in the frozen peas and cook through. Serve immediately (6-8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Baby bella mushroom has more flavor than the white button mushroom, but you can substitute it with the latter if so desired. Also, it’s better not to fold in the peas before mushrooms. Otherwise the peas will be overcooked while the mushrooms are barely cooked.