Slowcook Oxtail Soup

I'm BACK!!!

It's been two months since the last I blogged. I had to concentrate on studying for a certification exam during these two months. It was really tough to come home from work, cook dinner, and go straight into my room and hit the books. When exam came near, I even gave up cooking and cleaning all together. In addition to giving up my cooking time and my free time to studying during these two months, I also got the luck of getting my car broken into. The thieves took my laptop AND my Canon 7D camera. I was sad, heart broken, and...lonely. I love my camera to death and I wish and hoped that my camera and I can reunite once again....but alas, I'll have to accept it.

With all the bad news, comes the good news, I got my certification, and I am finally back with spending time with my family! That is the part I miss the most. You don't know how much your family means to you until it's taken away. This past weekend we got to spend the weekend out camping. It was such a great way to celebrate having a family life again!

And...back to cooking, and blogging!! My first time making oxtail soup was for Memorial Day weekend, when I invited family over for a get together. I only had a small bowl before everyone devoured it!! Here is my recipe, a modification from a friend's:

4 lbs oxtail (about 16 oxtails)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken stock
5 star anise
4 silvers of gingers
1 cup shelled raw peanuts
2 tbs Hawaiian salt (or sea salt)
Chinese parsely
minced ginger
shoyu

1) Parboil oxtails in a big pot, rinse, then trim fat
2) Place oxtails in a crockpot, add the beef and chicken stock, star anise, and ginger
3) Turn crockpot on low for 8 hours.
4) Add peanuts, and turn on high for another 2 hours.
5) Add Hawaiian salt, add more to taste.
6) Serve hot with parsley on top
7) Dip oxtail in minced ginger with shoyu