Having never cooked bok choy before, I took to the internets to find something tasty. I stumbled upon this recipe on the Epicurious website and decided to try it based on the great reviews.

Braised Baby Bok Choy

1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 lb baby bok choy, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Bring broth and butter to a boil in a large pan, then add the bok choy in an even layer. Cover and let simmer for 4 – 5 minutes or until the bok choy is tender.

Using tongs [or in my case, a really big fork], remove bok choy from pan to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Bring broth back up to a boil and let it reduce to about 1/4, add in the sesame oil and pour over bok choy.

This is great; the boy choy soaked up all the tasty chicken broth and the cooking time is just right. The boy choy stalks [is that even what they're called? someone should look that up!] were not at all mushy as I had feared, they were still fairly firm and the leaves were tender and silky. This was so easy and such a great side dish along with the ginger teriyaki steak tips we had.

As part of the delicious Christmas dinner she cooked for us, she made Venus de Milo soup. I had never heard of it before, but it’s one of my husband’s favorites. And since he is her favorite son, she made it for the holiday [note: I'm sure she loves both of her delightful sons equally]. It’s an extreme comfort food; a rich, meaty broth peppered with diced vegetables and pasta, topped with Parmesan cheese. How can you go wrong?

Not a lot of pictures for this one – you know how I feel about soup and it’s unattractiveness.

Venus de Milo Soup
1 pound ground beef or sirloin
48 oz chicken broth
1 pkg. onion soup mix
2 large ribs celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 an onion, diced*
1/2 cup orzo
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese for topping
* this is not in the original recipe, but I can’t help adding unnecessary steps.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, brown meat. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, celery, carrots and onions and let vegetables soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the onion soup mix and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add orzo, cook an additional 8 – 10 minutes. Season again with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce if necessary. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

That’s it; a bunch of simple ingredients, but they come together really well. I’ve also looked at various website and have seen other variations on this soup – different vegetables, adding in diced tomatoes, different broths, etc. There’s a million ways you can prepare this, but I’m pretty sure all of them are going to be tasty.