Oxtail and Tomato Soup

What’s better than a bowl of tasty steaming soup on a cold winter day? Oxtail and Tomato soup is my childhood favorite. The original recipe is from my stepdad. I tweaked it a little to make it healthier.
This version is low in fat and high in protein as well as vitamin A, B, and C. It also fights free radicals and is great for your skin and digestive system.

Main ingredients:
1 package of oxtail – trim the fat
4 gloves of garlic
4 slices of fresh ginger
1 and half star anise
10 whole Sichuan peppercorns (you can find them in Chinese grocers, if not, use 15 regular peppercorns)
5 large beefsteak tomatoes

Brown the oxtail in a pan along with garlic and ginger.
Fill a 4-quartz Crockpot a little over ½ ways with boiling water.
Add the oxtail, garlic, ginger, star anise, and peppercorns.
Turn the Crockpot on to high, cook the soup until it is boiling, and then turn the Crockpot to low.
Add 5 whole tomatoes to the pot and let it cook for 6 hours.
Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Walla…. Enjoy!

graceland cemetery

Saturday October 30th, 2010.

The day before the Halloween, Joe Mama and Lovehandle joined Goldie Locks on a tour of Chicago's famous Graceland Cemetery. Armed with a fresh copy of the "A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery: A Chicago Architecture Foundation Walking Tour", Goldie Locks guided and provided us with an interesting prospective on the most grand mausoleums and tombs found in the city. I recommend checking out the cemetery, which is located at 4001 N. Clark Street (Clark and Irving Park Road).

Goldie Locks looking for the next stop


Eternal Silence


Schoenhofen was a brewery owner in Chicago.  His decent was involved in the attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1945.  His mausoleum is shaped like an Egyptian Pyramid.  It has an angel and a sphinx guarding the gate.  The unique door knob certainly caught my attention.


Nail in the coffin




Beautiful stainless glass art inside the Boldenweck mausoleum .


William Kimball (1828-1904) was a manufacturer of pianos.  His tomb was the biggest in the Graceland.  A guarding angel keeps vigilance over his resting place.


One of my favoriate tombstone.


A happier reminder of a life long gone.


photos by Lovehandle. all rights reserved.

Miso Ramen Noodle

1 pound of pork belly meat
2 packages of Japanese ramen noodle (serve 2)
6oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
Bean sprouts
2 baby bok choy
Japanese pickled bamboo shoots
Fresh green onions (chopped)
3 tablespoon of the dark miso paste
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
½ cup of Melbac (or other dry red wine)
3 slices of ginger
2 Star anise
5 pieces of dry red chili
6 cups of water

1. Add pork belly, water, dark miso paste, soy sauce, Melbac, ginger, star anise, dry chili to a stock pot and bring to boil. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 1 hour or till the meat is tender.
2. Remove the pork belly from the stock and cut it into half inch slices and set it aside.
3. Add the bean sprouts, baby bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms to the stock and bring to boil. Turn the heat off and set the pot aside.
4. In another pot, boil hot water and cook the ramen noodles till it is done. About 5 minutes.
5. Add two cups of the stock to a noodle bowl, and add 1 serving of cooked ramen.
6. Add prepared pork belly, bean sprouts, mushrooms, pickled bamboo shoots, and chopped green onions to the bowl.

Wonton

The Wonton has a lot of names in Chinese. 馄饨(Hundun), 云吞(yuntun), and抄手(chaoshou).　In my hometown Sichuan Province, it is called 抄手 (chaoshou). The translation is literally "Cross Hand”.

Joe Mama's culinary skills stop at operating the microwave or making a bowl of cereal. Watch him make his first wonton was like watching a baby taking his first step!

Main Ingredients
1/2 pounds of all natural ground pork
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 green onions, minced
1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger
1/2 head of napa cabbage
1/2 tablespoon of corn starch
1 teaspoon of seasame oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon of soy saurce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 package of wonton wrapper

To make the fillings: Cook the cabbage in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain the water and pat dry with paper towl. Mince the cabbage and squeeze excess water out. Mix all the ingredents with the minced cabbage in a large bowl.

Follow the demo below to make wonton. Be sure not to overfill the wrap. Wet the edges of the wrap to help the sealing.

East-West Salmon

Lovehandle is on day six of her diet. After laying in bed admiring the Germany soccer team display of amazing speed, endurance, and strength for pretty much the whole Sunday morning, Lovehandle and Joe Mama decided to get their fat butts out of bed. After running around the park with a Mickey Mouse soccer ball, Lovehandle decided to prepare a tasty low carb meal that is approved by her diet.

Main Ingredients:
Two 6oz portion fresh wild caught salmon
Parisian Salad Mix
Steamed broccoli and cauliflowers

Seasonings for the salmon


1/2 tablespoon of Chili Black Bean Sauce
1/2 tablespoon of the Sweet Mesquite Seasoning
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
5 cloves of garlic (pressed)

Cooking steps:
1. Mix the above four seasonings.
2. Rub the seasoning mix on the salmon. Let it marinate for 30 minutes
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
3. Place the salmon in a cast iron pan and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the salad with steamed broccoli and cauliflowers and place the mixed salad and cooked salmon in a plate.

This meal is delicious with no added fat! You can get the black bean sauce from most Asian grocery stores and on Amazon.com. It is great for baking, grilling, and stir fry.

Lobster Tail Three Ways

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Here is the latest addition to the Lovehandle Recipe book. Enjoy!

Lobster Tail stuffed with Spicy Italian Sausage


Cooking Steps:
1. Slice 1/3 of the lobster tail into three sections (do not cut all the way through)
2. Squeeze 1/3 of the spicy Italian Sausage out of the casing
3. Stuff the sausage into each section of the lobster
4. Lightly dust the stuffed lobster with flour
5. Sear the stuffed lobster in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter until the lobster is no longer opaque and the sausage cooked through

Lobster and Green Apple Napoleon


Cooking Steps:
1. Dice 1/3 of the lobster tail
2. Marinate the diced lobster tail in ½ cup of the Orange Muscat wine (or your favorite sweet white wine)
3. Sauté the marinated lobster in a pan with ½ tablespoon of butter until the lobster is no longer opaque
4. Sprinkle with basil infused sea salt
5. Place the cooked lobster between three thinly sliced green apples

Poached Lobster with Baby Radish


Cooking Steps:
1. Poaching liquid: Add 1 cup of water, ¼ green apple, 2 cubes of sweet pineapple, 1 sprig of mint thymes, and three small radishes to a small pot. Add salt and pepper to taste and then bring the liquid to boil.
2. Poach the lobster tail in the liquid until the lobster is no longer opaque.
3. Remove the lobster tail immediately and add to a bowl with ice cubes.
4. Place the chilled lobster tail in a dinner plate along with the poached radishes

Gardening Anyone?

The warm weather is finally here! The whole city is buzzing with energy. In addition of the spring cleaning, Lovehandle decided to try her hand at gardening this summer. Being the supportive hubby he is, Joe Mama hauled a 20-pound bag of potting soil, various gardening tools, and several boxes of jalapeno peppers, tomato, lettuce, basil, and thymes from the nearby Home Depot nursery back to our 5X5 back yard.

Unfortunately, the basil plant did not survive the first week of the trial period. However, the rest of the crew not only survived couple cold spells, and my unintentionally neglect (forgot to water them for a few days), they blossomed! Joe Mama and I had our first “Garden Fresh” salad last Friday!


Thyme is a good source of iron and is widely used in European and Middle Eastern cooking. Although not often used in Chinese cuisine, I have learned to embrace its elegant flavor since it was first introduced to me 12 years ago. My mint thyme is thriving in the little planter box...


Tennis ball lettuce was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. Jefferson noted that "it does not require so much care and attention" as other types. Not only did Thomas Jefferson have good penmanship, the founding father was right about the lettuce!