Grilled Bacon Wrap Potatoes

中文： 培根烤土豆

We harvest some potatoes from our backyard.  We can’t wait to taste our own potatoes so I make grilled bacon wrapped potatoes with fresh rosemary which is also from my garden. 

Oh man, they taste so so so good!O(∩_∩)O~

It doesn’t look like much at first glance.

Do a little bit diggin 

What? We have red skin potatoes too? 

A big on

Some small one

And funny on 

All done

Although we buy local potatoes from local farmer’s market all the time.  But eating the ones we grow in our own backyard is totally different.  I am so proud, haha O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients：

3 to 4 medium size potatoes
7 to 8 slices of bacon, cut into halves
1 pinch of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
freshly grinded black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons of McCormick grill seasoning , flavor of your choice
1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

 

Directions：

Clean and rinse the potatoes under running water.  Add to a medium pot and enough water to soak them in the pot.  Cook over medium high heat for 14 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked though. 

 

Cut the potatoes into wedges or cubes.  Add to a big bowl along with black pepper, rosemary, grill seasoning, olive oil and salt. 

Gently mix them together.  Wrap each of potatoes with one piece of bacon.  Secure with toothpicks.

Preheat the grill to 400F/ 204C.  Add potatoes. 

Grill until both sides are golden brown. 

 

Do not rush the process by cranking the heat up.  Medium low heat works the best here. 

Sprinkle with extra grill seasoning on to

Serve immediately

I love to serve them on a sizzling plate

Bon Appétit! 

Beef Shank and Tendon Stew with Daikon

When it gets cold, I love to serve hot and bubbling dishes.  This beef shank and tendon stew with daikon is very comforting and appetizing in cold weather like now. 

Ingredients for beef stock：

2 large pieces of beef shank
4 to 5 large pieces of beef tendon
1 piece of ginger root
1 black cardamom pot
2 to 3 star anises
4 to 6 dry chile peppers, snapped or cut into pieces
2 to 3 bay leaves
3 to 4 cloves
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 pieces of dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices
1 small piece of cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns

 

For the beef stew (I use only half of the soup made from ingredients listed above):

1 large daikon, peeled and cut into cubes
3 to 6 fresh red chile peppers, coarsely chopped
2 to 3 gloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small piece of ginger root, sliced
2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 to 3 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1/4 to 1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil
salt to taste

 

Directions：

Fill a 6 quart pot  with cold water, add beef tendon and shank.  Heat over high heat until the whole pot comes to boil.  Allow it continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Drain and rinse the beef tendon and shank under running water.

Gather the spices for soup on a piece of coffee filter paper

Tie it up

Add beef tendon, shank, spice bag, ginger root, bay leaves and water to instant pot

Set it to cook under high pressure for 50 minutes.

The stock is done, fast and quick. 

With a sharp knife, cut beef tendon and shank into walnut sized pieces. 

The whole plate of meat is way too much for two of us.  So it use half of it, and save the extra meat for later use. 

Heat a wok over high heat; add oil, and then garlic, ginger, red chile peppers and Sichuan peppercorns;   sauté for half to a minute. 

Add beef tendon and shank cubes along with oyster sauce and rice cooking wine.  Sit fry over high heat until the liquid evaporates. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes. 

Add beef stock and daiko 

When it boils again, transfer the stew to a tagine pot.  I use a Le Creuset enameled cast iron 2 quart tagine pot .  Love it very much.

Simmer over medium low heat for 15 to 20 minute

Serve hot immediately.

During the cold winter, I love to a Staub fondue universal base  to keep stews or soups hot.  It doesn’t just look pretty but also very functional too.

Light the fire gel  up with a multipurpose lighter

Time to enjoy! O(∩_∩)O~

Roast Coffee Beans at Home

Both my husband and I are a little bit crazy about coffee beans lately.  We have tried a lot of beans available on the market and found the tastiest beans are from local coffee stores where they roast their own beans on the site.

So we decide to try to roast our own coffee beans at home.  And the results are pretty awesome!

As you can see in the picture, the Amerciano coffee and latter made from our beans are very pretty and taste good too. 

This batch is between full city and dark roast.  

The most common ways to roast coffee beans at home are popcorn makers, frying pan and oven. 

I love using cast iron pan because it heats up evenly and I have fully control of bean roasting; and the beans taste good too.

Heat a 12 inches cast iron skillet  over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Add 1 to 1 1/2cup of raw coffee beans. 

3 minutes later.  There isn’t much change yet.  Keep stirring with a stainless steel whisk  constantly. 

Beans start to turn colors after being heated for 6 minutes. 

Another 3 minutes later, the first crack is about to happen.

Another 2 minutes late

Another 2 minutes later, beans are roasted between cinnamon and light. 

Any further roasting will depend on your personal preference

Once they reach the desired roast, remove from heat immediately and transfer to a stainless steel colander.  Keep whisking to help beans cool down and remove the remaining chaff. 

When the beans cool down to room temperature, bag them with a Ziploc bag .  Squeeze out as much air as possible. 

 

Remember to wait for 24 hours before enjoying them because freshly roasted beans need time to degas and develop their flavors. 

24 hours late

Don’t they look awesome? O(∩_∩)O~

Can’t wait to try them!

Grind the beans with my beloved Breville espresso machine

Espresso is being pumpe

Look at the crema on top of it! O(∩_∩)O~

Feel free to make latte or cappuccino

By the way, my husband makes both of them! O(∩_∩)O~

Amerciano made from that espresso is very tasty too！O(∩_∩)O~

American Harvest Livonia, MI

I learned about American Harvest from a friend.  I was immediately attracted by the desserts she posted.  So I made a reservation online.  They only open on Thursdays and Fridays. 

 We arrived a few minutes prior our reservation time, and waited at the entrance with other guests. 

A display of trophies and media coverage of their school and restauran 

Love the details

My husband ordered merlot and I ordered Michigan local beers.  Both were very good. 

I wasn’t sure what went wrong.  South American and Latin American cuisine were listed for that Friday I reserved.  But they served Asian cuisine instead. 

As a Chinese, I wasn’t that into the Asian food served here.  To be honest, they just looked like Asian food, but the taste and flavor were definitely far away from authentic ones.  

Tuna was ok.  Beef was way too tough and chewy for fork and knife.  The rib was too dry.  Spring roll is ok. 

Not of fan of the Kong pao chicken

Teriyaki chicken was too lean and dry.

The scallops and shrimps, on the hand, were tender, juicy and very tasty. 

They were so good and I got some more O(∩_∩)O~

Salmon was very good too.  It was so tender that it could melt in your mouth.  

Not a fan of Vietnam pho either.  My husband thought it was ok.  So was the Pad Thai.

Dessert bar!  

The fruit tarts were outstanding!  The tarts were crispy and crunch, topped with fruits.

Macaron was ok.

Apple mousse was very pretty and tasty too!

I couldn’t tell what was the filling inside but it was good too. 

Chocolate mousse stood out in this plate. 

It had intense chocolate flavor, light and airy texture, and a beautiful presentation.  

What we love American Harvest are their awesome atmosphere, great service and nice staff, and all the fabulous desserts!   

Figs with Prosciutto

We went to Eastern Market in Detroit area last weekend again.  Guess what I found? Fresh figs! There were two kinds of fresh figs on the market.  One was kind of yellowish; the other one is deep dark purple.  The vendor told us the purple one is better but a little bit more expensive. 

We bought the dark purple figs.  And the vendor was right.  They are so juicy and sweet and fragrant that I literally couldn’t stop eating them.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

I bought some prosciutto later and made a beautiful appetizer with figs and prosciutto. 

Ingredients：

8 to 10 fresh figs
8 to 10 slices of prosciutto
shaved Parmesan cheese
fresh rosemary

Directions:

Split each slices of prosciutto into halves lengthwise. 

Rinse the figs under running water and pat dry.  Cut them into halves. 

Wrap each piece of figs with half slice of prosciutto.  Secure with fresh rosemary. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese.

Don’t forget to remove the rosemary before eating.

All you need now is a glass of wine! 

If you are not that into cheese, just skip the shaved Parmesan. 

Or you can just put the figs and prosciutto on the plate side by side.