Beef with Oyster Mushrooms

By Ching-He Huang

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/beefinoystersauce_89263

Ching-He Huang is one of my favorite chefs. Her recipes always are bright and each is unique and much better than typical american chinese that we are used to eating out. This dish is fairly simple, consists of three main ingredients, each cooked seperately - beef, spinach and mushrooms. Only change I made - added 

Pho

http://steamykitchen.com/271-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup-pho.html

I've been pretty addicted to pho lately. Broth is made with so many spices that make it taste rich even if you didn't use meat and bones. And a mix of fresh vegetables adds to the brightness. Above website has very good tips how to make the broth followed by the recipe. I also blanch the vegetables in salted water which makes them taste very pleasant in the warm broth by muting down the harshness of the raw vegetables. Mushrooms are my favorite, and blanching makes them more flavorful as they are semicooked. I would say the lime is a must. Citrus always brightens the flavors and you can keep eating large amounts of the broth.

Craberry Jello

Grandma's Recipe
1 box raspberry jello (8oz)
1 apple, chopped
1 orange, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Prepare jello liquid according directions. Mix in all ingredients. Let cool.

This is my favorite cranberry dish and I make it for every holiday. It works well as a palate cleanser which is very helpful when you always eat too much of those holiday dishes. It's very refreshing and I always have several servings.

Kūčiukai with Poppy Seed Milk

http://www.gaspadine.lt/receptas/naminiai-kuciukai-3849

http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2007-12-20-kuciu-valgiai-aguonu-pienas/21188

The small poppy seed pastries are made from yest dough and are kind of savory in flavor. They are eaten with poppy seed milk which is sweet.