Ju Bao. [Honey Pork Buns] That's all I could think of this morning when I woke up. I have downloaded the recipe last week  from someone's blog and my hands were itching to make them. Fortunately, my husband decided to take our little one to the library, park and burrito place for lunch so I had time to make my first Ju Baos. It was nice to have the house all to myself  as I was able to do things I normally could not when the two are around like laundry, change beddings, pick up toys, books, some pieces of little clothings, read, watch tv simultaneously.

I usually buy Ju Baos from the Chinese store for a dollar each. Although it is very affordable, there is nothing like eating and making your own whenever I want. My new hobby and adventure of making bread is getting me really excited about the possibilities.

While I baked Ju Bao I pulled out the bread with sun-dried tomatoes I baked Thursday night. I am simply smitten by how it looks---so rustic and hearty at the same time. As if there were not enough tomatoes in it, I whipped up a fast marinara sauce dip that completed my simple lunch.

After lunch, while everything else was going on (laundry and a host of housechores) I checked on my two lambshanks thawing in a bowl. By this time the Ju Baos have graduated from the fiery heat of the oven to the counter. They smiled at me raring me to take a bite. Alas! the sun-dried tomato bread hit the spot for me and there was just no place for even one Ju Bao in my tummy. However, the cook in me prevailed, I just had to at least take a bite or two to see how they taste and look inside.  

Heavenly!

Yep! A bite would have been enough to let me know my first Ju Baos are delicious, but do you think I stopped there?  The  thought, the sun-dried tomato bread is the appetizer and the Ju Bao is the meal---was well-justified. Hello carbs!

At this point, the  barefoot Contessa came on tv, and boy did she whip up a RICH spread of  jambalaya, rice pudding and  tiramisu. The amount of cream, milk and butter present in her recipes never fails to amaze me. But then again, the food is not be eaten by one person alone, but will be shared with some others.

Later in the day, I realized that I had to make dinner for my two hombres. I pulled out my teal-colored dutch oven and started with the lambshanks. I  sent Steve to walk to the neighborhood store to get me potatoes and a bunch of carrots. He is such a sweetheart he easily obliged and welcomed the opportunity to walk outside especially that the weather today was nice and agreeable to our winter-tired bodies.

Every year, Steve and I try to visit Cape May and it was there we first ate lambshanks kleftiko at Pier House. We would not have known it if it were not for a couple who were coming out of the restaurant as we were coming in. Seeing that we were checking the menu posted outside, the man suggested to go for the  house's specialty. He said, "Get the lambshank kleftiko---it means fall-off-the bones." And we were not disappointed.

Here is my version.