VacatioNg cont...

Everytime we get together I am always requested to make my corn casserole. I have been making this dish for holidays, birthdays, and gatherings for many years now.

Every night on this trip along with helping each other with cooking, one of the sisters were in charge of making a dish and I could not wait until it was my turn! I made this on the same night Emily made her Ox Tail Stew and it went together very well. This is a super simple recipe and everyone finishes it everytime! As many times as I've made it, I still go for seconds and sometimes thirds :o)

Cindy's Corn Casserole

1 14oz can whole kernel corn

1 14oz can cream style corn

1 8 0z sour cream

1/2 stick of butter, melted

1 small package of Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg beaten

1 jalapeno minced (use more if you like it extra spicy)

Mix all ingredients together in a 2 qt casserole pot or baking dish and bake at 375 degress for about an hour or until the top browns and the middle is dry when you stick a toothpick or chopstick in.

A side corn dish that is sweet and spicy at the same time? It's always a winner! I hope this dish will be a great part of your dinners too!

VacatioNg- Braised Ox Tail

I'm still experiencing withdrawals from 7 days of fun and food with my family. I miss waking up everyday at 7 (that's really 4AM since we're west coast time!) just so I don't miss a minute of hanging out time with everyone! We all met in Orlando in the most lovely vacation rental house. It was a week of relaxation, tennis, swimming and EATING! We started the trip with a fun dinner at the Black Angus steak house! Then the next day we went straight to the Asian market with a pit stop at the Vietnamese restaurant next door of course. We stocked the fridge and pantry full of food and snacks and I mean FULL! Then the cooking began! I'm going to let my sisters talk more about the food but I would like to highlight my pride and joy for the week, braised oxtails!

We saved this dish for later in the week as you will see from the other Ngs that there were many nights of succulent roasted meats! We served it with rice, roasted zucchini and Cindy's delicious corn casserole.

Em's Ox Tail Stew

1 oxtail cut into pieces

1 can of whole plum tomatoes (hand crushed with juices)

1 carrot diced

1 onion diced

5 cloves garlic crushed

thyme - 1 teaspoon dried or 4 sprigs fresh

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon Goya sofrito (if not available, totally ok to leave out)

• brown oxtail in 9 qt dutch oven or other large pot
• remove oxtail and saute onion, garlic until caramelized
• add sofrito if using
• add tomatoes and bring to boil
• add bay leaf, thyme
• return oxtails and bring to boil
• add water to almost cover, bring to boil
• simmer for an hour and half to 2 hours until oxtails are tender

Vietnamese for Lunch

Three Treasure Rice - 3 style pork with soft fried egg

Grilled Pork with Vermicelli Dry / with Soup Bowl

Tomato Beef

We love tomato beef! Growing up, this dish would appear on the dinner table at least once a week, a memory of deliciousness and comfort.

 It is perfect with fluffy white rice, the sauce savory and a little sweet. For this dish we insist on the best ingredients since it is so simple. If possible use heirloom tomatoes, Chinese fermented black beans and garlic and organic beef.

4 medium tomatoes sliced in wedges

1 lb flank steak sliced

2 tablespoons chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 slices ginger

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon fermented black beans - Dau Si (soaked in water for 15 mins)

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch and some water
cilantro

• marinade flank steak in cooking wine and soy sauce for 20 mins
• wok on high heat, brown steak in a little oil for a few minutes, remove
• add garlic, ginger and black beans sautee for a few mins
• add tomatoes and cook down until soft
• add brown sugar
• return beef and add cornstarch slurry a little a time until thickness of sauce desired
• add salt or soy sauce to taste

Garlic and herb loin of pork

I've been making this recipe for many years and it never fails to impress. It is a Lydia recipe from her American Italian cookbook but I can't remember the last time I looked at the recipe, it is so easy! I use whatever herbs look fresh at the market usually a combination of a few of the following: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley. I made this for father's day and served it with pasta with tomato, basil and ricotta and roasted asparagus on the side. We had salad and burrata for starters!

For 6 people I use a 3.5 lb loin of pork roast. Cut with a sawing action starting at the eye and "butterfly" it until it is all about the same thickness. It is a cut while unrolling kind of action. Then I buzz garlic (4 cloves), olive oil, salt and pepper and herbs (handful of each) in the processor or blender until it is a paste and spread it onto the meat.

Then roll the pork back up and tie with butcher string.

Put the roast into a dutch oven or other sturdy pot. It is best if the roast fits snugly. This pot was way too big for the roast but it was unusually long this time. Fill the pot with water until it almost immerses the roast. Add a few cloves of garlic and whatever herbs you've used for the paste, generous salt &pepper.

Bring to boil and simmer covered for about 2 hours. At 1:45 in you should start checking the water level. The idea is to simmer until the water evaporates and then add olive oil to crisp up the outside of roast. Keep turning and browning the roast at a med flame until all of it is crispy. If you're getting close to the 2 hour mark and there is still a lot of water start spooning some out. The roast should be completely cooked and ready to rest by 2.5 hours. Otherwise it'll start drying out and will not be as tender.

Rest for 30 mins, slice and enjoy!

Roast Cornish Hen with Garlic Lemon Rosemary Butter

Cornish Hens are one of my favorite things to roast.

It's not that I don't like regular chicken, it's just that I find with a smaller bird the sauce and flavors distribute more evenly and with a shorter cooking time. Sometimes you will see they are labeled "Game Hens".

Don't let the name fool you, they are just young chickens and not gamy at all.

This birdie looks pretty big in the photo but only 2.5 lbs.

Shall we start!

Roast Cornish Hen

Ingredients:

1 Cornish hen - 2.5 llb

compund butter ( rosemary )

lemon - 1

garlic - 1

rosemary - few stalks

onion -1

salt + pepper

1. Clean bird, pat dry - dryer the crispier, season inside and out with salt + pepper (can let it sit in the fridge to dry more while you prep).

2. Bring the butter to room temperature

- add minced garlic ( half of head) into the butter use the rest for stuffing. Cut lemon in half.

3. Rub the bird with lemon and then use your hands to butter inside and out, gently under the skin.

- stuff with the lemon halves, rest of the loosened garlic cloves and some rosemary inside.

4. On a roasting pan or foil - I do not have a roasting rack so I layer the base with big slices of onion. This way it does not stick- extra flavor for the bird and sauce.

5. Roast the bird in a oven of 350' degrees for 1 hr 15 mins.

Covered loosely with foil for the first 45 mins then

uncover for the rest of 30 mins

( to check if it is cooked, place a tiny cut at the upper thigh - done if the juice is clear)

can you see my 4 slits.....

Came out delicious juicy and perfect for two.

Cheers!

** EXTRA CRISPINESS**

broil for a few minutes