Korean-Style Short Rib Soup

As one who loves lazy cooking, I'm always on the lookout for new and fun recipes to make in my slow cooker. I've made short ribs in the past and enjoyed them, so I decided to give this Korean-style recipe a go. I love all manner of Asian soups and stews, especially if they are served with fixins (uh, hello, Pho). This soup fit the bill quite well.

The flavors of the soup came out delicious, and the short ribs were perfectly melt-in-your-mouth tender, but I had the same complaint as I did with the Oxtail Ragu post - it was just too greasy! I even separated the broth from everything, refrigerated it for an hour, then scooped off as much fat as possible. I shredded the meat piece by piece, pulling out as much fat as possible. Even still, when it all came together it had an oiliness to it that was off-putting to me. I just don't know what to do!

I'm still posting the recipe because the spices were great and perhaps it's just my taste that's keeping me from totally loving it. I bet it would also be good slow cooked with chicken or another meat that is a bit less fatty than short ribs.

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Beef Empanadas

My sister is getting married in Puerto Rico next month, so my mom and I decided to throw her a Latin-themed bridal shower to get everyone pumped for the big tropical wedding weekend.

We had the entree portion catered by Manna restaurant in Takoma Park, a great authentic Dominican/Puerto Rican take-out joint. I had to test the food prior to hiring them so I went there for lunch once and had the mofongo, a dish that I fell in love with last time I went to Puerto Rico. It was bangin! Fried, mashed plantains served over a salad with all sorts of fixins and crispy pork. Delish. Mofongo isn't great for a catered event since it can get soggy if left out, so instead we got a mixed grill of seasoned beef, chicken, and shrimp along with some fried yuca, fried sweet plantains, rice and lentils, and black beans. Everything came out SO flavorful and the guests raved. If you are in need of authentic Latin catering, or are just driving through Takoma Park, I highly recommend stopping by Manna for a bite. They are so darn friendly too!

Anyway, back to the subject. For appetizers, my mom made tortilla roll-ups, a classic app in my family (perhaps I'll post it in the future), we had chips and a variety of salsas/guacamole, and I made beef empanadas. Smitten Kitchen never fails me!! I made the filling and the dough ahead of time so that the day of, all I had to do was roll out the dough, fill and bake them. Luckily I had my aunt as a helper, because this is time-consuming work, especially when you're trying to decorate a house for a shower at the same time.

You can buy pre-made empanada disks to save time, but if you do have the time to spend, homemade dough is much better. See below for the dough and empanada recipes.

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Everything Chickpea Crackers

Don't be fooled by the "Chickpea" in the title - these awesome crackers still have a bunch of butter in them so while they're healthier than many, they're still delicious crunchy flaky crackers.

I've made crackers once before and tried to top them with tons of goodies like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, chipotle powder, etc. but after they baked, all the toppings slid right off. This time, I brushed the crackers with an egg wash before sprinkling on the toppings. Worked like magic!

Don't be afraid by having to break out a rolling pin; these are incredibly easy to make.

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