Beef Ho Fun

I’ve tried to make this dish twice now, going so far as to claim that it was great the second time.  This isn’t true.  It was only alright, thought BF did enjoy it – over a year and a half ago now.  I’ve mentioned before how wary I am when making Chinese food… so much labor when I can get something generally comparable or better from the takeout place down the block.  Or, since I now live in Manhattan, I can even hop on over to Chinatown for real deal stuff!  In any case, I was determined last week to [...]

Watercress Soup Update

Ironically enough, someone recently posted a comment to me about my watercress soup.  Wait, I didn’t tell you why it’s ironic: I’d just the day before whipped up my second-time-ever-making-this-soup batch.  And taken pictures.  A few minor changes, though the essence is the same: I seared my pork bones on all sides after rinsing, patting dry and seasoning.  Why?  I don’t know, I felt like it.  I added carrots earlier in the process and just let the thing simmer away on low heat for hours… and even now, I just turn on the heat and let it simmer for a while.  [...]

Byblos (Lebanese)

Despite eating more than my fill of kebab in Turkey & Greece, Byblos- a Lebanese restaurant – caught my eye when I saw the many positive reviews on MenuPages.  I was curious to see how good their lamb would be in comparison to Greece/Turkey, though I had a good idea it wouldn’t be as good, perhaps it would come close.  For those of us who were early/on time/not quite that late, they’d placed on the table some pickled vegetables and some flatbread.  The pita was thin and delightfully chewy, but cold and not that interesting, unfortunately.  We decided to order [...]

Vintage Wine Bar

Recently, BF took me on a date to Vintage Wine Bar.  After having been together for 4 years, an actual date- much less one that he’d planned- is quite an unusual occurrence.  (Spoiler note: This was not a special occasion, and no, we didn’t get engaged, for those who are wondering…)  He’d found the place while Googling something else and decided it might be nice to try it; I was definitely game, considering these sorts of suggestions are usually spouting from my mouth, not his.  I wasn’t quite thrilled with the location at Wooster and Broome Streets, if only because [...]

Portobello Pasta

So easy, so delicious, this is quicker than a 30 Minute Meal by quite a lot! I bought sliced portobello mushrooms so all I had to do was toss them with some olive oil in a hot pan, salt, some pepper. I splashed some Worcestershire sauce over them and let them cook a bit; when they were close to done, I poured some homemade pasta sauce on top and let that heat through to finish off cooking the mushrooms. In the meantime, I cooked some penne, drained but reserved a spoonful of the cooking water. Then, add the penne, toss [...]

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