This is a ridiculously easy way of cooking mouthwateringly tender beef brisket. Beef brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of a cow. The brisket muscles support about 60% of the cow’s body weight, resulting in a lot of connective tissue. Hence, cooking the meat for several hours until the connective tissue is properly tenderized is a must!

All you really need is barbecue sauce and soy sauce for the marinade. I added garlic and lime to give the dish some additional kick. 3 to 4 lbs of beef is a lot of food, so I definitely recommend cooking this for a larger group (this recipe will serve about 6-8 people)! I originally made this for a winter potluck with friends, and the slices of beef went fast. Now I’m proud to include the recipe as part of Gojee‘s Potluck event.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 lbs beef brisket
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup of water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lime

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In a bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, soy sauce, water, garlic, and juice from the lime.

3) Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. This first layer of foil is to prevent potential sauce spillage from sticking to your pan and burning during the cooking process. Place the brisket on top of another large piece of aluminum foil. Spread the sauce mixture generously over the meat. Wrap the brisket in the foil and place it in the roasting pan.

4) Bake the brisket for 4-5 hours. As a general rule, bake one hour for every pound of meat. I kept mine in the oven for 5 hours to ensure maximum tenderness.

5) Remove from oven and let rest in the foil for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

To round out the meal, I served the slices of brisket with some potatoes cooked in olive oil and salt/pepper. The brisket is also great for making sandwiches with the next day (if you even have any leftovers!)

Recipe inspired by Simply Recipes

Hello world! Tried and true, no matter how busy life gets, I will never abandon Ling Li Eats. Wearing many different caps has kept me running around the last few months, but believe me when I say I would never give up the invaluable opportunity to do what I actually enjoy. Priceless :)

The potato leek pizza, a la Pioneer Woman, is a tribute to my favorite food group on the food pyramid (though to be fair, it’s pretty much neck-to-neck with the meats). Forget the Atkins diet, carbs make such excellent comfort food. Add some crumbled dairy on top, some thinly sliced meats aka bacon, a few strands of vegetables, and voila! You have yourself a well balanced meal. I usually go for your standard marinara sauce pizza with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni/mushroom/sausage, so adding potatoes, leeks, and my goodness, goat cheese?? to my pizza was a fascinating new concept.

I cheated last time I made pizza from scratch, using Boboli pizza crust as a base. No shortcuts this time. I had serious concerns about the dough being too sticky, but setting the covered dough in a warm area fixed that right up. Watching the yeast work its magic on the dough was well, kinda magical!

Thin layers of sliced red potatoes.

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe for Pizza Crust (see below)
6 slices thick-cut bacon, 1-in pieces
3 Leeks, rinsed well to remove grit and thinly sliced
5 small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spread pizza crust in baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

2) Fry the bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp. Set aside.

3) Leave some of the bacon fat in which to saute the leeks. Cook the leeks until soft, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

4) Use a sharp knife or mandoline to thinly slice the potatoes. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

5) Lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Place the leeks on top of the cheese, then arrange the fried bacon pieces over the leeks.

6) Sprinkle more crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, and pepper on top.

7) Bake the pie for 8-11 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice and serve immediately.

How to make Pizza Crust:

Yield: 2 pizza crusts

Ingredients:

1 tsp or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

Instructions:

1) In a mixing bowl, pour the yeast over 1 1/2 cups of warm water, stirring gently.

2) Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and mix well.

3) Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until the dough forms a ball. (I used my hands)

4) Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the dough into the bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours. You can also cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

5) Once the dough has risen, divide it in half and stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing it into an oiled 13×9 pan with your fingers. The thinner the better. The surface of the dough should be lumpy from finger marks so it receives and holds toppings better. The remaining dough be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to 6 months.

Mmhmm…Delicious pizza, fresh out of the oven. With the pizza loaded with toppings, it was actually easier eating with forks and knives. Excellent flavors with the potato, leek, bacon, goat cheese combination.

Silly me overestimated the amount of dough necessary per square inch though, resulting in a thicker than desired pizza crust. If that happens to you, I recommend either sticking it back in the oven for a few more minutes or doing what I actually did. I placed a few pizza slices in a frying pan and crisped the bottoms over the stovetop. Yum.

To continue the story of my Florida adventure, which unfortunately already feels like a faint memory of the past, we roadtripped to Orlando that Friday after 2 nights of warm sunny Miami beaches. Amidst the mandatory BCG mingling and organized events, we were still able to scrap together an entire day of doing whatever we wanted. First choice without even the slightest doubt in our minds: HARRY POTTER WORLD, HERE WE COME!

Now getting off the Hogwarts Express!

This absolutely had to be my most favorite part of the trip. I was giddy with excitement the moment we stepped foot into Islands of Adventure. We started the day off right with a giant turkey leg for breakfast, and then it was off to Harry Potter World!

Town of Hogsmeade

Very cool architecture in the Harry Potter world

Poor car beat up by Whomping Willow

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic girls

Ferocious Monster Book of Monsters

What an awesome day, being able to indulge in what has to be my favorite book series of all time. (And yes, I did make time for the other park attractions). I left the park happy, filled with frothy Butterbeer in my belly and Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans in hand.

Yay! Me with my Butterbeer in front of Hogwarts Castle

Butterbeer…so good we got seconds

U-No-Poo :)

Great cookbooks are no longer limited to the commissioned writings of famous chefs or household TV personalities. The democratization of the cookbook (food52′s crowdsourced cookbook comes to mind) allows more people with a good story and recipe to get their works published.

I stumbled upon the Pioneer Woman’s blog while googling for Photoshop actions one afternoon, and I’ve been a devout fan since. Ree Drummond’s cookbook “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” was actually my first cookbook purchase in years. Worth it? I think so! Nothing like step-by-step photo tutorials of how to make some finger-licking, lip-smacking southern comfort cowboy food. Makes me want to take a trip down south to experience the real thing. Her food blog also offers countless recipes and gorgeous food photos to boot.

So I decided to try my hand at some of the dishes Pioneer Woman would serve to Marlboro Man and the kids. Nothing too heavy since I was still trying to get in shape for a Disney trip later in June (which, by the way, was fantastic fun. Didn’t actually go to any of the Disney parks but had a blast at Harry Potter World. More on that later).

Final choices? Huevos hyacinth for the appetizer and potato leek pizza for the main course. Can’t tear me away from the eggs or carbs :)

Ingredients:

2 thin slices ham or turkey
2 large eggs
2 tomato slices
Picante sauce (optional)
Butter
Salt
Black pepper
Crumbled goat cheese (or Monterey Jack)

Instructions:

1) Butter individual ramekins and place a piece of thinly sliced ham or turkey at the bottom. Add a tomato slice on top of the meat.

2) If you’re feeling spicy, use a couple tablespoons of picante sauce instead. I used both tomato slices and a few drops of Frank’s hot sauce.

3) Gently crack an egg over the top of each ramekin. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

4) Top each ramekin with ¼ cup grated cheese. Monterey Jack works nicely, but I used some of the leftover goat cheese from the potato leek pizza.

5) Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, removing when the yellow of the egg is still soft but not overly runny.

Serves two.

The egg whites came out too runny after 4 minutes, so I stuck the ramekins back under the broiler for a few more minutes. While tasty, I’m sad to say I wasn’t an immediate convert. There was too much liquid in my ramekin, a combination of the hardly-solidified egg white and juice from the tomato slice. Great flavor from the goat cheese and deli meat though. (Goat cheese, my new cheese love…)

Had much better results with the potato leek pizza though..here’s a preview of what’s to come next post:

YUM. Carbs upon carbs galore. Hallelujah :D

And what of my Disney trip? Let’s just say there’s no place I’d rather be right now than on the warm Miami sands, sipping my mojito and enjoying the cool breeze from the water. Best mojitos I’ve ever had by the way. If you ever find yourself in Miami Beach, check out Ola! Delicious Cuban food, delicious drinks. Some photos of Miami…

First night – Laying by the infinity pool at The Delano Hotel.

Staying classy. Canned Coronas and mojitos on the beach.

Are they shooting a commercial or an adult film? (the guys like to imagine the latter)

No! Don’t wanna leave the beach yet :(

I find the smell of bacon absolutely irresistible. I love watching the thin strips sizzle on the griddle, bathing in its own fat, the meat slowly curling up as it browns to a crispy perfection. Shark Tank featured an entrepreneur with a prototype of a pig-shaped alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning with freshly cooked bacon. I want. Now. (The idea, unfortunately, could not find an investor on the show. Potential fire hazard… plus I guess I would prefer to have the smell of bacon drifting in from the kitchen rather than from the adjacent nightstand).

Bacon is a great enhancement to any dish (bacon bits in salad? YUMM), and it was just one of those fatty, lazy weekends. Bacon wrapped around scallops is amazingly good, and make for great appetizers at parties. Of course, I was cooking for two, so the leftovers just made for a great snack the next morning. The spicy mayo dip provides a great kick to the dish, and you should definitely adjust the amount of Sriracha based on your spiciness tolerance.

Ingredients:

8 sea scallops
8 slices bacon
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
Olive oil
8 toothpicks

Spicy Mayo Dip:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha Hot Chili
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions:

1) Marinate the scallops in the teriyaki sauce for 20 minutes.

2) Wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place the scallops on a lined baking sheet. Cook under the broiler for 10-15 minutes until bacon is thoroughly cooked.

3) Combine the ingredients for the Spicy Mayo dip. Stir well. Enjoy with the bacon wrapped scallop!

Inspired by Tyler Florence’s recipe

Soft, warm shortbread cookies fresh from the oven are amazing. And they can only taste better with some ground Earl Grey tea leaves added to the mix. We were concerned that 2 tablespoons of tea leaves would overpower the cookie, but it turned out to be the perfect amount. The ground leaves also added mini dark flecks and a slightly gritty texture, something which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Instructions:

1) Mix the flour, tea leaves, and salt in a large bowl.

2) Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and butter. Mix until a dough is formed.

3) Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap and shape the log into a long rectangular cube. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice the log of dough into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to plates and cool to room temperature.

While warm, try the shortbread cookies with some vanilla ice cream! Whoever popularized the combination of hot, freshly baked cookies and scoops of cold vanilla ice cream is genius. The cookies were also a hit with the coworkers, a perfect little snack for everyone around the Holiday season. English Breakfast cookies next?

Inspired

Yes we’re dorky <3

I wanted something savory yet light for LJ Bistro #8′s main entree. Something creamy but also a dish that wouldn’t make me feel too guilty when I was stuck bringing in leftovers the next two days. What I wanted was lasagna; cheesy, melted layers of ground beef and pasta sheets soaking in tomato-y marinara sauce. What I compromised in my mind as a healthier, more creative alternative? Baked seafood lasagna, with salmon, shrimp, and imitation crab meat replacing cow as the true stars of the dish. (I wanted lobster meat, but alas, I couldn’t find frozen lobster meat at the supermarket. Nor did I have the time to steam several lobsters and extract the meat.)

Ok, so this wasn’t exactly healthier or guilty-free, especially since Alfredo sauce replaced the marinara and there was still plenty of cheesy layered goodness. I worked with what I had, layering the meat and pasta sheets in a round glass pan and adjusting my portions accordingly. However, I would opt for the 9×13 3 inch deep pan to prevent a bubbly overflow.

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon
1/2 lb imitation crab meat
1/2 lb shrimp, deveined
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (16 ounce) jars Alfredo pasta sauce
16 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 (10 ounce) package baby spinach leaves
Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

2) In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, half of the Cheddar, half of the Mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix in the minced onion, garlic, and pepper.

3) Heat some olive oil in a pan and cook the salmon so it is medium-rare, about two minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.

4) Heat more olive oil in the pan and cook the shrimp and imitation crab meat for about three minutes. Cut the salmon, shrimp, and crab meat into bite size chunks.

5) Spread 1 1/2 cups of Alfredo sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Arrange 1/3 of the cooked salmon, shrimp, and crab meat over the noodles. Cover with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, 1/3 of the spinach, and another layer of Alfredo sauce.

6) Repeat the layering two more times, ending with the cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top. Gently shake the pan to make sure everything settles in.

7) Bake, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until the top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I think I’ve emphasized this in the past, but you really can’t go too wrong with fatty foods. The cheesy seafood concoction did not fail to please. My only complaint? Either go lighter on the minced onions next time or caramelize them first. The semi-cooked onion taste overpowered some of the more delicate flavors of the dish (even after baking for 55 minutes) You should also avoid leaving any spinach leaves uncovered with the cheese sauce – it will dry up and burn in the oven. Enjoy! :)

In case the butter alone in biscuits wasn’t enough to tempt your natural human instinct for fat, try this recipe that also incorporates cheddar cheese into the warm fluffy buttermilk biscuits. Created to imitate the complimentary Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, this homemade version tastes less buttery but just as delicious (and less butter = more heart healthy!)

I served the biscuits alongside a nice thick slab of cheesy layered seafood lasagna. Recipe coming next!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Bisquick (I used Jiffy buttermilk) baking mix
3/4 cup cold whole milk
4 tbsp cold butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Spreading sauce:
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch salt

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a large fork, leaving small chunks of butter after mixing.

2) Add cheddar cheese, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic to the Bisquick and mix.

3) Shape the dough into approximately 1/4-cup portions and drop them onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I actually used a measuring cup to shape my biscuits. Be sure to leave enough space between the biscuits so they can expand!

4) Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5) When you take the biscuits out of the oven, combine the ingredients for the “spreading sauce”. Brush this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits.

Makes one dozen biscuits. << Inspired By >>

What made this simple salt and pepper steak taste so damn good was the substitution of duck fat for butter. Yes, you heard me right. Duck fat. I grilled the sirloin over the stovetop in duck fat and then shamelessly drenched the meat in rich, buttery duck fat garlic sauce. Absolutely fantastic. Of course, one can’t just buy a jar of duck fat from the supermarket. We had cooked duck breast a few nights earlier and I couldn’t bear to throw away the two slabs of pale, smooth fat we pulled off the breasts. I found an awesome guide at Sugar Laws on how to properly render duck fat, complete with photos. After about an hour of simmering my duck fat in water and skimming off the rendered fat, I had the clear, golden liquid as promised.

Rendered duck fat with the dried up fat on top.

Ingredients:

1 piece sirloin steak
1/4 cup duck fat (or regular butter)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Pat dry the steak and rub both sides with a little bit of duck fat. Season both sides with salt and pepper and let the meat sit at room temperature for half an hour.

2) Heat some of the duck fat in a medium sized pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, place the steak into the pan and grill about 3-4 minutes per side depending on how thick the meat is. Mine was fairly thin and I wanted a medium rare steak, so about 3 minutes per side worked for me.

3) Once the steak is cooked, transfer to a plate and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes. This allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat.

4) Heat in the pan the remaining duck fat with the minced garlic. Brush the top of the steak liberally with the “garlic duck butter” and serve immediately.

I couldn’t get enough of the rich, savory slices of red meat. Neither could my lunch box the next two days.

Since I had two large pieces of steak at my disposal (which then became my leftovers for lunch the following 2 days), I wanted to try the free sample bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, courtesy of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program. I followed the Steak Marinade recipe on the bottle wrapper, which is replicated below. I must say though, this version couldn’t compete at all against the duck fat garlic version. The marinade was a bit overwhelming and too sour from the balsamic vinegar, and it tasted better when microwaved the next day. On a positive note, the meat was very tender as a result of the marinade, which broke down some of the tougher fibers and connective tissues.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
3 tbsp Heinz Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

1) Combine ingredients and refrigerate in large, shallow non-aluminum baking dish or plastic bag, pour marinade over steak; turn to coat.

2) Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove steak; discard marinade.

3) Grill or broil to desired doneness, brushing frequently with extra Lea & Perrins sauce.

You really don’t need an expensive piece of meat to achieve mouthwatering results.

And no, I really don’t eat like this every day. :)

The onset of cold weather has always been an excuse for me to work out less and eat hot, creamy, heavier foods. It’s a terrible combination that’s just become a fact of life year after year. I guess it doesn’t help that I recently quit my Crunch gym membership in lieu of a membership in my building’s gym (though the reason why I paid such a premium for Crunch was for its spin and body sculpting classes, neither of which is offered by my building’s gym…) It just means a lot more proactiveness on the treadmill if I want to avoid gaining 20 lbs this winter. I think Andrew set the threshold at 15 though?? Sigh.

Originally I had pure, nutritious intentions for LJ Bistro #7. I wanted to serve a nice healthy meal, and spinach naturally came to mind. Chock full of iron, calcium, Vitamin A, C, E, K, etc, I really don’t understand how such a delicious vegetable could have been villanized so in the past. One can easily sautee spinach with a little bit of garlic and olive oil. I’m also rather fond of the spinach and egg soup my parents make. Yes, it’s boiled spinach, salt, and you drop an egg into the soup at the end and stir. While boiling spinach can halve the level of folate left in the spinach according to Wikipedia, I always make sure to drink every last drop of the soup to capture whatever nutrients have been boiled off into the water. :D

So yes, healthy intentions. Until I saw that top sirloin steak was on sale at Morton Williams, and I knew I wanted to imitate the real steakhouse experience by pairing the steak with creamed spinach. Thankfully I opted out of making potatoes too..didn’t want a heart attack quite just yet.

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh spinach
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1) Wash the spinach (or be like me and buy pre-washed). Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the spinach. Cook for 1 minute.

2) Drain in a strainer and press with a large spoon to remove as much water as possible. Finely chop and set aside.

3) Melt the butter in a medium sized pan and add the chopped shallots and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Add the spinach to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring. Add the cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

The creamed spinach was absolutely delicious, warm globs of creamy vegetables that paired well with the medium rare sirloin (recipe for that to come next post!) spinach shrinks a lot after cooking, so 2 lbs of spinach really isn’t too much. I was a bit horrified when I saw the nutrition facts for the heavy cream, but honestly, what did I expect? The secret to so many good foods = fat and salt. There’s a reason why we gravitate towards French Fries :)

I had always used the words sweet potato and yam interchangeably. It wasn’t until recently that I learned the difference. Here in the US, we are more accustomed to the yellow orange “sweet potato” with the pale yellow flesh. There is also the darker-skinned “sweet potato” with a sweeter, orange flesh. (This was the kind I used for my sweet potato fries!)

Sporting a brownish black skin, real “yams” are popular in Latin America and are even sweeter and contain more moisture than sweet potatoes.

Vegetable history aside, I wanted to make a nice Fall accompaniment to the Dijon Mustard Rack of Lamb. Baking is my way of compromising, my way of enjoying the crispy fries without the greasy, deep-fried feeling. Look at those delicious fries next to the lamb and green beans. :D

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the sweet potatoes but leave unpeeled. Slice into 1/4 inch long slices.

2) Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet. Drizzle oil and sprinkle cayenne pepper, salt and pepper over the fries. Mix well.

3) Bake for about 30 minutes until edges are crisp and potatoes are cooked through.

My roommate also likes to drizzle honey or maple syrup over the fries after they’re cooked! Really depends on your sweet tooth. =) Happy Autumn!