Recently when I was looking through old recipes, I came across Aunt Rose’s Beef and Barley Soup. I had never made this recipe before, but decided to try it since I really like all her other recipes. It also sounded like a dish my kids would enjoy. The dish was fantastic and even better than a similar recipe that I have been making for years out of a Cook’s Illustrated cookbook. It’s not surprising that Aunt Rose’s soup recipe is the best of the best, just like her extra special chocolate chip cookies. And this soup dish is perfect winter fare.
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Korean BBQ Beef Recipe & My Korean Market Adventure
Once I saw the Korean market meat section and the thinly sliced boneless beef short ribs, I knew I found the perfect meal for my family. My kids especially like the Asian BBQ restaurants that are popular around town. To make this dish, I needed a marinade to go with the meat. I was hoping to grab a bottled marinade off the market shelf, but they all had artificial ingredients in them. I decided to make my own and got a sense of what the ingredients should be from the bottles, minus the 20-letter chemical ingredients of course.

Chinese Stir-Fry With Beef and Vegetables
The beauty of a stir fry is that you can personalize the ingredients to your preference or what is seasonal. My mom usually made the dish with Beef and Onions, just like they made at Liu’s Chinese Restaurant in Beverly Hills. We enjoyed many Sunday night dinners at this restaurant, but sadly this first-rate restaurant is long gone. Over the years my mom and I both tweaked Madame Wong’s recipe. For a long time I kept this dish simple with Beef, Broccoli and Onions. In the current version, I added an assortment of vegetables…

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu
This pasta ragu sauce has plentiful, tender meat coated with a flavorful tomato sauce. It’s meaty, not saucy. The ragu goes really well with a wide flat noodle like pappardelle or tagliatelle. What a delicious Italian feast.
Tips for tender meat and a flavorful sauce:
– Browning = flavor, so brown the short ribs in a skillet first.

Super Bowl Chili with Secret Ingredients
The key to making the ultimate chili is to layer the flavors. Start with the standard ingredients like ground meat, beans, onion, tomato sauce, and chili powder. Then add in some additional ingredients to bring up the flavor. My special “add-ins” or secret ingredients are

Casamiento Wraps: El Salvadoran Comfort Food Made With the Ultimate Rice and Beans
Today I am sharing an El Salvadoran dish and one of my “go-to” comfort foods: casamiento, which means marriage in Spanish. Casamiento is made by mixing together, or marrying, rice and beans. I make a wrap by filling a tortilla with casamiento and my favorite toppings. My kids love when I set up a topping […]
Welcome

Hi! I'm Dana, and I'm passionate about food and travel. I'm a foodie first, so every healthy recipe I create has to be delicious. You can find me tinkering in the kitchen or obsessively researching vacations. I have curated all the best things to eat and do at my favorite destinations. Hope you'll join my journey. [Read More]