Garlic & Herb Prime Rib Roast

This is my brother's original recipe and the result is an amazing, flavorful roast. If you love garlic, you'll love the flavor and aroma while this bakes up in your oven. Thanks goes to my brother John for preparing his specialty prime rib roast for the holidays!

Garlic & Herb Prime Rib Roast

10 lb prime rib roast (bone in) - at room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, prep your prime rib roast by trimming any extra fat off of it.

Combine the minced herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub this mixture all over the rib roast. Drizzle the herb rubbed roast with the olive oil and place on a v-rack set in a roasting pan.

Bake the roast uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, decrease the heat to 375 and continue cooking the roast uncovered for 2 1/2 hours (if you have a 10 lb roast). Bake about 15-18 per pound.

Remove roast from oven and allow it to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas! I'm on a little vacation from the big city lights, which means I'm away from my kitchen and off from cooking duty. This year, my mom took the lead and made a few of our family favorite dishes to enjoy for our Christmas dinner. While many may be enjoying a holiday ham, lots of accompanying sides and perhaps a table full of desserts, our family prefers a lot of ethnic, Filipino dishes. The only exception to our ethnic feast is my brother's specialty...Garlic & Herb Prime Rib Roast....

John's Garlic & Herb Prime Rib Roast

Chicken Adobo

Pork Adobo

Alaskan Jumbo King Crab Legs

Here's my husband, anxiously awaiting to dig into the crab legs...


Pancit Bihon Noodles


Kare Kare (Oxtail Peanut Stew)

These dishes were specifically requested by my family for my mom to make because it's not everyday we really get a chance to enjoy them. It was such a special treat to enjoy all these Filipino food favorites all at once and even weeks later, I'm still craving them! Feel free to click the above links to the recipes, which I've made previously.

On Christmas, my husband and I also spent time with his family in the city. Similar to my family's holiday celebration, my inlaws prepare some family favorites which are also ethnic Filipino dishes as well. Here are some pics of their spread and of our family gift exchange!

What's Cookin, Chicago Annual Holiday Party 2009

It was yet another fun annual holiday party with my friends of What's Cookin, Chicago. We had a great turnout and our holiday table was filled with all sorts of wonderful eats. I prepared a table of appetizers and desserts while my friends brought some of their favorite holiday main and side dishes to the table. Here are pictures of the appetizer spread I prepared...

Vegetable Crudite Platter

Assorted Crackers & Fresh/Dried Fruit

Caprese Pizza Squares
Spinach & Italian Sausage Pizza Squares
Bruschetta Topped with Olive Tapenade
Bruschetta Topped with Balsamic Tomatoes & Parmesan
Bruschetta Topped with Pesto, Goat Cheese & Tomatoes

Spicy Taco Cheeseball
Buffalo Chicken Cheeseball
Gorgonzola and Toasted Shallot Cheeseball
Beer Cheese Fondue
Spinach & Artichoke Fondue (seen below)
Traditional Swiss & Emmentaler Fondue (seen below)

Even after the appetizer spread I put out, there was still a long table of main and side dishes my friends brought in to enjoy! There were just so many items that it's probably easier to provide a slide show of our feast than to post each dish individually. Here's a slideshow of all the amazing eats my friends filled our holiday table with!

As if there wasn't enough food, we couldn't forget about dessert. I didn't make quite that much but everyone was still able to satisfy their sweet tooth with the offerings I had including...

Mini Pecan Pie Poppers
Mini Caramel Apple Pie Poppers
Cupcake Tree:
Red Velvet
German Chocolate
White Cake with Sprinkles

.. and an Eli's Cheesecake Tower:Turtle Cheesecake
Sticky Toffee Cheesecake
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

After our buffet dinner, we all gathered for our annual 'white elephant' gift exchange. Friends all brought in a kitchen or food related item they already had at home, which they no longer wanted or needed. Each item was wrapped and brought to the party for us to exchange. It's the highlight of our party that was full of laughs! Some gifts were funny, random kitchen/food items and others were considered 'prize' gifts that many coveted. All in all, it was a fabulous night of friends, food and fun.

Here's hoping your holiday with friends and family was memorable this year!

Steamed Alaskan King Crab Legs

It's one of my family's traditions to have Alaskan King Crab Legs on our holiday table. We try to have at least a poultry, beef, ham and seafood dish on the table, with the crab legs representing seafood. They may look intimidating to cook but it really is easier than you think!

To steam Alaskan King Crab Legs, place two cups of water and a tablespoon of salt in a pot and bring it to a boil. Place the crab legs in the pot on a rack over the boiling water. When the water starts to boil again, cover with a lid and cook for about six minutes or when they begin to smell cooked, they should be ready to eat.

My confession: I've been busy baking!

So I guess now's a good time to announce some special news after quite a ride the past few months. Thank you to those who sent me get well wishes, thoughts and prayers. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed my posts have been a little light the past few weeks and I haven't been hosting too many food events either. The reason is due to the big baking project I have on my hands...


I'm currently 4 months into my pregnancy and it hasn't been easy! Thankfully my recent appointment went well and our little one is definitely keeping me on my toes. Let's just hope the upcoming months will be happy and healthy! I have some free time now with the holidays to catch up on the much overdue recipe posts and events I have hosted for the holidays... so please stay tuned as I get my blog posts up!

Here's wishing you and yours a very warm and happy holiday season!

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

The first time I tried cranberries as a child was straight from a can in that common gelatinous form. Granted, I wasn't a fan since it's not exactly an ingredient common in asian cuisine I grew up on. But later as an adult when I tried cranberry sauce made from scratch using fresh cranberries, my tastebuds perked up and I loved it! Before I knew it, I started looking for ways to use cranberries either fresh or dried. Now, dried cranberries are a staple in my pantry especially during the holidays and the peak of my baking season.

There's something about cranberry that says 'holidays' to me... and these shortbread cookies captures the sweet taste of the holidays too. My friend Frances made these cookies for my holiday cookie exchange this year and they were a hit! Aside from the beautiful red and green tones mixed into this cookie, the combination of cranberries and pistachios are delicious together.

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread
recipe made by Frances, from The Grand Central Baking Book

2 1/3 cups all- purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl whisk the flour with the salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 - 2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla bean paste. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Fold in the chopped pistachios and dried cranberries. (Make sure that the nuts and cranberries are evenly distributed throughout the dough.)

Divide the dough in half. Place each half of dough on the center of a 14 inch length of parchment or wax paper. Smooth and shape the dough into an evenly shaped rectangle that is about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. Then thoroughly wrap the shaped logs in the parchment or wax paper, twists the ends of the paper to seal the logs, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours, or up to three days. (The logs can also be frozen for about two months. If freezing, it is best to defrost the logs in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with the rack in the center of the oven. Using a thin bladed knife, slice the logs into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.