Sizzling Grilled Lamb Loin Chops

中文菜谱：

铁板羊排 (lamb loin chops)

Summer is the perfect season for backyard grilling and BBQ.  Grilling can be addictive. Once you try a perfectly grilled steak right off the grill, you can never go back to and be happy with the stove top version.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients：

6 pieces lamb loin chops (weighs between 1 1/2 and 2 lbs)
freshly ground black pepper
McCormick steak grill seasoning or other seasonings of choice
sea salt to taste

Directions：

Quickly rinse the lamb loin chops under running water.  Pat dry with kitchen paper towel.

Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on one side.

Flip them over and sprinkle the other side with McCormick steak grill seasoning.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 425F/218C with 2 sizzling plates in it. 

Add lamb chops.  Grill for 2 to 3 minutes.

Flip over and continue to grill the other side for another 2 minutes.

This is what lamb chops look like after 2 minutes’ grilling.

And this is after another 2 minutes’ grilling.  They are getting more and more golden brown and delicious. The extremely hot sizzling plates will continue to cook the lamb later.  So don’t worry if you think grilling time is too short here.

Transfer the lamb chops to sizzling plates.

And now get the plates out of the grill and serve.  That beautiful sizzling sound is like wonderful music to a foodie like me O(∩_∩)O~

Sizzling plate steaks are always on the top of my comfort food list.  I posted some before:

Sizzling Grilled Dry Aged Ribeye & New York Strip Steak

Fire Grilled Sizzling Ribeye Steaks

Fire Grilled Sizzling T-bone Steak

Coffee Popsicles

中文菜谱： 咖啡冰棍

Hot, hot and very hot!  That is how I feel these days when summer is here in Texas.  I literally crave for frozen treats every single day.  So I am happy to make different kinds of popsicles every day.

This batch is coffee flavor, which is made with freshly ground and pumped espresso shots.  There is a strong, intense but smooth coffee flavor because of that.  Dripped or pot brewed coffee can be used here too, but the flavor and taste would not be as good though.

Ingredients：

4 to 6 shots of espresso
1 1/2 whole milk
1/2 to 2/3 cup condensed sweetened milk (or adjust the amount to taste)
1 teaspoon coffee rum liquor

Directions：

Make the espresso shots with espresso machine

Repeat the process until there are 6 to 8 shots of espresso coffee

Add espresso, milk, condensed milk, and coffee rum liquor in a medium bowl or cup.  Whisk until well blended. 

Pour the mixture to a popsicle mold

Cover with popsicle’s lid and insert popsicle sticks

Add a flat plate to the top so that these popsicle sticks will stay in place.

Freeze for 4 to 6 hours or until firm. 

Ready to be unmolded

Unmold all popsicles and wrap them up individually so that I don’t have to pick a fight with the popsicle mold every time I want to enjoy a popsicle O(∩_∩)O~

Oh, what a pleasant treat in a hot summer day!

Mango and Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles

中文菜谱：

芒果蓝莓酸奶棒冰

Houston has been known for its long and hot and sticky summer.  How do I prepare myself for it?  The answer is popsicles and ice cream! O(∩_∩)O~

Mango is a stable fruit down here in the south.  It is very juicy, creamy and sweet when ripe.  I love putting mango into drinks and desserts.  Not only the bright yellow color looks great and cheerful, more importantly it tastes fruity and awesome! 

Ingredients：

1/2 cup Greek honey yogurt
2/3 cup blueberry jam
1 large/ or 2 medium ripe mangoes
water as needed

Directions：

Peel the mangoes, and dice the fresh.  Add to vitamix along with some water.  Blend on high speed for about 10 to 15 seconds.

Add a couple teaspoons blueberry jam to ice popsicle mold, followed by Greek honey yogurt and mango puree.  Add more blueberry jam and yogurt on top.

Cover with popsicle’s lid and insert popsicle sticks

Freeze for 4 to 6 hours or until firm. 

To unmold the popsicles, just dip the mold in warm water for 10 seconds.  And then they shall be easily removed from mold. 

Here you go.  Here are some most beautiful and tasty popsicles ready to be eaten O(∩_∩)O~

Mango Orange Smoothie

中文菜谱： 芒果甜橙smoothie

Summer in Texas comes a lot earlier and faster than I thought.  The temperature bumps up from seventies to eighties, and then to nineties in merely a couple weeks.  It looks like we are going to enjoy all kinds of icy drinks for a really long time.

Mango and orange go really great together.  The combination is refreshing and very tropical-like.  

Ingredients：

1 ripe ataulfo mango
1 sweet orange
1/2 cup ice cubes
water as needed
1 to 2 teaspoons honey (optional)

Directions：

Peel mango and orange.  Cut into small cubes.

Add mango and orange, along with ice and water, to Vitamix  

The fruits are super sweet this time, so I leave out the honey.

Turn on Vitamix.  Blend on high speed until smoothie is smooth and silky.

Pour into a tall glass 

You have a glass of 100% pure fruit smoothie and 100% deliciousness!  O(∩_∩)O~

Sizzling Grilled Dry Aged Ribeye & New York Strip Steak

中文菜谱：

铁板dry aged ribeye & new york strip steak 牛排

Dry aged steak is one of our favorite.  But they are hard to find on the market.

When beef has been aged in a carefully temperature and humidity controlled room for a certain amount of time ranging from weeks even to months, beef will be broken down by enzymes to produce amino acids, fatty acids and sugar.  That is to say, the beef will transform into good eats with better taste, tendered texture and intensified flavors.

It is a very expensive and time consuming process.  Besides, the beef needs to be trimmed before selling or cooking.  All costs add up quickly.  No wonder dry aged steaks on steakhouse menu are always so pricey.

Imagine how exciting I was when I found out Central Market in Houston sells dry age beef! O(∩_∩)O~

There are two types of dry aged steak available in Central market.  One is ribeye, and the other one is New York strip steak.  

Marbling is gorgeous

Price is more expensive than regular steak.  But it is quite reasonable when compared to what you paid for aged beef served in a steakhouse. 

I bought one piece of each so that it would be convenient to compare them side by side.  

Leave the steak out on the countertop for about 20 minutes to warm up to room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 450F/232C with 2 sizzling plates in it. 

The one on the bottom is ribeye.  The other one on top is New York strip steak.

Sprinkle with generous amount of freshly ground black pepper

Add sea salt to taste.  Lightly press down the salt and pepper.

Add to the grill.  Grill for 2 minutes.

2 minutes later, flip the steaks over and grill for another 2 minutes.

Remember, we are making sizzling steaks here.  The extremely hot sizzling plates will continue to cook the steak later.  So you don’t want your steaks in the grill for too long.

All sizzling plates are different.  Some are cast iron; some are aluminum; some are thick; and some are thin.  All of that needs to be considered when we decide how much time for steak to cook in the grill.  I am using two thick cast iron sizzling plates.  And I know from prior cooking experience that 2 minutes each side is perfect for my medium rare steaks.

Transfer the steaks to sizzling plates.

And now get the plates and steaks out of the grill and serve.  That beautiful sizzling sound is like wonderful music to a foodie like me O(∩_∩)O~

Do use extra caution because the plate is really really really hot!

This one is ribeye.

It is very tender, juicy, and buttery with an intense beefy and meaty flavor.

This one is New York strip steak.

The texture is a bit tighter than ribeye, with a nuttier and more intense beefy flavor.

The one on the left is New York strip steak, and the one on the right is ribeye steak.

The reason I love sizzling steak is that even when it comes to the last bite, it is still perfectly pink, tender and juicy on the inside.  And there would not be any unpleasant red color juicy running in the plate at all.  

Give it a try and you will love it too! O(∩_∩)O~