Crazy Girl's Kitchen

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:

• 4 Tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried theme
• 1lb barley
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup black olives, chopped
• 2 lb shrimp (thawed if frozen)
• salt and pepper to taste

Now let’s play:

Heat up 2 Tsp olive oil and saute chopped onion with a pinch of salt for 3 minutes. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add barley, basil, theme, and chicken stock. Bring to boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir in olives and beans. Set aside. Heat up the other 2 Tsp olive oil in a separate pan. Add the rest of minced garlic. Infuse the oil for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes on one side and another minute on the other side until it’s pink and cooked through. Scoop the barley mix onto a serving dish or plates, and pour shrimp with the garlic sauce on the top. Serve immediately (about 4-6 servings).

After-play thoughts:

It’s very easy to over-cook shrimp. I find it helpful if you only cook for 2 minutes on the first side at medium heat, flip, watch closely so you can fish the shrimp out as soon as they start to curve up. As to the size of the shrimp used in this receipt, “31/40 per lb” seems to be the best.

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.

Get ready:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tsp olive oil
• 2Tsp butter
• 1 can (10 3/4) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pound frozen green peas
• 2 cup cooked long grain white rice
• 2 pounds of flounder fillets, fresh or thawed and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 Tsp dried cilantro
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Turn the heat to medium high. Melt the butter together with olive oil. Saute diced onion (add a pinch of salt) until soft. Add garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the condensed soup, frozen peas, and rice. Mix together. Cook till peas just thawed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat. Pour the mixture into a 9*13 baking dish, and even out a bit. Layer seasoned flounder fillets over the rice mix. Double-layering and overlapping are fine and recommended, but make sure they are layered evenly. Sprinkle white wine, dried cilantro and oregano over the flounder fillets. Cover with foil, and bake it in a 350F oven for 45 minutes. Then let it cool for 15 minutes before serving (6-8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

I created this dish when my husband was on a week-long business trip and I felt I need a break from everything. It’s easy, light, elegant, and yummy. It was exactly what I wanted.

For the Pork Chop

Get ready:

• 4 (1 inch thick) pork chops
• 1 cup AP flour
• 2 eggs, whisked together
• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• salt & pepper
• vegetable oil

Now let’s play:

Pound the pork chops to about 1/4 inch thick. Season generously with salt and pepper. Coat the pork chops with AP flour on both sides, dip into egg, and coat with Panko bread crumbs (pat the bread crumbs on the chops for better results). Pour vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot, about 2 inch deep (the bottom of pot at your choice should be bigger than the pounded pork chop). Heat up the oil to 350F. Fry the pork chops one at time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain off the extra oil on a cooling rack over a sheet pan lined with paper towel. Serve immediately (4 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Panko crumbs make a huge difference on how crispy the pork chops come out. Most oriental markets carry them, or you can order from Amazon as I did.

For the Vegetable Curry:

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 medium carrots, diced
• 1 lb russet potato, diced
• 2 Tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• salt & pepper

Now let’s play:

Turn heat to medium high. Add oil. Saute the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic. Saute for another minute. Add the carrots. Saute for 3 minutes. Add curry powder and red pepper flakes. Saute for another minute. Add the diced potato and chicken stock. Bring to broil. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, and stir occasionally, until potato falls apart and the sauce starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over rice (4-6 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Potato is often used in Asian cuisine as a natural thickener. Using potato results in a more light but creamy texture while using corn starch or flour can lead to somewhat gluey sauce.