Fire Grilled Sizzling T-bone Steak

中文菜谱： 铁板T-bone牛排

The weather in Michigan is finally nice and sunny.  You know what that means?  Of course it is BBQ time! O(∩_∩)O~ 

We do fire grilled sizzling T-bone this time.  The steak is tender and juicy, just the way I like it.

Ingredients：

2 pieces fresh T-bone steaks
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

I usually season my steaks with sea salt and pepper only, because I think it is the best way to taste the great beef steak flavors.

Take the T-bone steaks out of the refrigiator 20 minutes ahead of time to allow them warm up a little bit to room temperature.  

Actually after I take them out of the fridge, I decide they are too big for a dinner for two people.  So I grill one piece at a time.

Season both sides with generous amount of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper using a pepper grinder.

Preheat the grill to 500F / 260 C.  Preheat the cast iron sizzling platters together in the grill.

Grill for 2 to 3 minutes.

It sears really fast under high temperature.  That is how we get these pretty grill marks.

Flip the steaks and grill the other side for 2 to 3 minutes depending how you like your steaks.

Ahhhh, fire grilled steaks!  That is what I am talking about! O(∩_∩)O~

I don’t know about you, but I start drooling at this point.

Transfer the steaks to cast iron sizzling platters.

Serve immediately.  The sizzling sound is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world!

Because the sizzling plate is super hot too.  It will continue to cook the steak in front of you.  So be careful not to overcook your steak on the grill.  Otherwise, the medium rare you are hoping for may turn into well-done. 

Fire Grilled Sizzling Ribeye Steaks

中文菜谱： 铁板牛排

Ribeye steak is one of our favorite meats.  When the weather is warm and nice, we love to make our own fire grilled sizzling ribeye steaks in the backyard.

Ingredients：

2 pieces fresh ribeye steaks
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

I usually season my steaks with sea salt and pepper only, because I think it is the best way to taste the great beef steak flavors.

Take the ribeye steaks out of the refrigiator 20 minutes ahead of time to allow them warm up a little bit to room temperature.

Season both sides with generous amount of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper using a pepper grinder.

Preheat the grill to 500F / 260 C.  Preheat the cast iron sizzling platters together in the grill.

Grill for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

It sears really fast under high temperature.  That is how we get these pretty grill marks.

Flip the steaks and grill the other side for 1 to 2 minutes depending how you like your steaks.

Ahhhh, fire grilled steaks!  That is what I am talking about! O(∩_∩)O~

I don’t know about you, but I start drooling at this point.

Transfer the steaks to cast iron sizzling platters.

Serve immediately.  The sizzling sound is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world!

 After the wonderful steaks and wine, I serve homemade dark chocolate ice cream with caramel sauce which is also made from scratch too! O(∩_∩)O~

Now the meal is the complete! O(∩_∩)O~

Lemonade with Chia Seeds

中文：奇亚籽柠檬水

Recently chia seeds have been really popular that several friends recommend it to me.  It is gluten free, high in fiber, antioxidants, protein, omega-3, but low in calories.  All in all, it is a super health food.

I like to add chia seeds to my drinks.  Those tiny seeds are almost flavorless so that they pretty much go with everything.

I bought some cute and beautiful fresh lemons from local farmer’s market.  I make lemonade with them and add chia seeds.  And it is awesome! O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

4 lemons
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons chia seeds
6 to 8 cups of water
fresh mint
ice

Directions：

Roll the lemons on a board for a few seconds.  It helps to make more lemon juice.  Cut each lemon in halves.  Use a citrus squeezer to squeeze out the lemon juice.

3 lemons can make 1/2 to 2/3 cup lemon juice.

Heat 1 1/2 cups of water until it boils.  Add sugar.  Whisk until sugar dissolves.  Allow the simple syrup to cool down to room temperature.

In a large bowl, mix lemon juice, simple syrup, remaining water and chia seeds with a whisk.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Thinly slice 1 lemon.

Stir in ice cubes, mint, and lemon slices.

It is the taste of summer! O(∩_∩)O~

Holland-Grand Rapids Tour - Day Two

中文： Holland - Grand Rapids 二日游第二天

We got up early next morning to go to famers market.  The best way to explore a city is through its market.  O(∩_∩)O~

And then we went to San Chez for breakfast. 

Forgot to take restaurant photos again.  This one is from internet.

When visiting a restaurant where I have never been to before, I usually ask the waiter or waitress to recommend their signature dishes.  And we ordered Cuban Pork Omelet and Breakfast Empanadas according our waitress’s recommendation.

One pot of French press coffee.  It tastes kind of sour and bitter, not good at all.

The kitchen is semi open.  We had a good view of what was going on the kitchen from our table.  Contradictory to what we usually see on TV or movie, the kitchen staff didn’t seem busy at all.  Everyone was moving kind of slow.  When I am cooking in my kitchen, I move a lot faster than these guys. 

Remember Flash from the movie Zootopia?  What I saw in the kitchen this morning reminded me of that DMV scene in the movie. Well, not a good sign anyway.

After waiting for a while, our food finally came. 

Whatever in this plate was hard and chewy.  A couple bites later, I totally ost my appetite to continue.

So I switched mu plates with his.  Bad decision.  The omelet on the plate was greasy, fatty, salty and interestingly tasteless all at the same time.  The worst omelet I, no, we have ever had.

Although the food is poorly cooked and unappetizing, the service was pretty great.

It is a myth how this restaurant scores so many good reviews on yelp.  This restaurant would never ever make a dime from me.

Grand Rapids Art Museum is another our favorite spots in town.  After two hours in the museum and one hour walk in downtown area, we still had no appetite for lunch.  So we skipped lunch and continue to walk around in the downtown.  Wow, that breakfast really sucked for a long time.

In the afternoon, we want to Hopcat.  Grand Rapids is also called beer city.  Hopcat is famous for its beers too.  I was told that if you can’t find beer you like in Hopcat, you won’t find it anywhere else. 

I ordered a glass of Whitsun ale, with lighter color on the left.  He ordered Full Circle, with darker color on the right.  Both are really good.  They are light, fruity, with a hint of citrus.  I like both of them very much. 

The crack fries are one the ten best fries in America according to Foodnetwork magazine.  I am a huge fan of Foodnetwork, so we had to try the fries.

The fries are beer battered, deep fried and sprinkled with herbs.

It is good, and it is even better with the sauce.

I ordered Vladimir Poutine, which is crack fries with raviolis, sour cream sauce, bacons and green onions.  It is good when it was served hot.  When the plate cooled down, everything becomes tough and greasy.

We continued our walk to La Grande Vitesse statue park.  Guess what?  The annual American Home Brewers Association Big Brew was going on!

Homebrewers and craft beer lovers were here to celebrate their enthusiasm for beers.  We got there a little bit late, but there were plenty beers left to taste.

A lot of these beers were really awesome and so much better than the ones you pay for in bars and nightclubs.  Unfortunately they were not for sale.  Want more beers?  Come by here earlier next year!  O(∩_∩)O~

One cappuccino

One latte

Their coffees are always as good as I remember. O(∩_∩)O~

There was a strong intense aroma from espresso and its crema.  Frothered milk was silky and creamy.  Just one sip, you will know what I am talking about!

We sat on a table outside the coffee store, surrounded by those beautiful spring flowers and afternoon sunshine.

With a great cup of coffee at hand and the person I love across the table, I feel so happy!

The trip ended with two cups of frozen yogurt.  Blackberries made really great topping for frozen treats.

Holland-Grand Rapids Tour - Day One

中文菜谱： Holland - Grand Rapids 二日游第一天

Finally spring is in the air!  The weather is getting warmer.  And flowers are blooming.  We drove to Holland and Grand Rapids for a weekend getaway.

 Every year there is a tulip festival in town.  We went on Friday to avoid tourist peak.  That was such a wise decision because we enjoyed some really nice and quiet walks around downtown and parks area.

For brunch, we headed for Windmill restaurant in downtown Holland. 

The restaurant is a bit small.  We waited for while for a table.  The staff was super nice.

My husband ordered pancakes.  They are soft, warm and fluffy. 

Eggs and bacons.

Cinnamon toasts.  We were hoping for French toast.  This is the closest one they have.  The bread is good, soft and fluffy.

I wasn’t sure what to order.  So the waitress recommended harsh brown omelet.

It came in a huge plate.

Just one bite, I was hooked.  Wow, that is really awesome!  The harsh brown is crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, with tons of bacons bits in it. 

We ditched everything else on the table and shared my harsh brown together.  That was so good.

Flowers are blooming everywhere.

We went for a nice walk in the Holland State Park.  It is right next to the Lake Michigan. 

After the walk, we went to JP for coffee.

Latte and cappuccino

Aroma was great.  Crema was thick and beautiful.

What a nice afternoon!

We took another walk in downtown area.  It was a perfect day for ice cream.  Apparently a lot of people thought so, because the ice cream shop was really crowded. O(∩_∩)O~

We had strawberry and chocolate frozen yogurt.  They were really good and creamy, but too sweet for my taste.

After the ice cream, we drove to Grand Rapids and checked in our hotel. We decide to skip dinner and went directly to his favorite bar in town, Founders.

See, flowers are indeed blooming everywhere, even in the parking lot.

Founders is one of best local breweries.  We have to stop by here every time we are in town.   Their beers are also sold in grocery and liquor stores.  But being here is a total different experience. 

I forgot to take pictures from outside.  So I found a couple pictures online.

We ordered a Founders All Day IPA and a Dirty Bastard.  They are both quite good, intense flavor and earthy, but just a little bit too dark for me.  I personally prefer light and fruity beers.

Guacamole and chips to go with the beers.  It is very light, bland and kind of lack of taste.  Well, we are here for the beer, not the food.