JBug's Kitchen Antics

Whip Lash Chicken

Bet that got your attention. Kinda' got mine too. This chicken dish is courtesy of Grand Slam, More Recipes from the Best of Bridge Ladies and although the cookbook's been on my shelf since it came out in 1988, it's the first time I've made the dish.  My loss for sure!

I pretty well followed the recipe as far as ingredients go - sliced onions, green pepper and mushrooms, lots of oregano, crushed red peppers and sriracha, but I changed the method and instead of making a casserole, we did a quick stir fry.

The thing that gives this chicken dish it's name is a simple 3 ingredient peanut sauce that comes together very quickly thanks to an immersion blender. Who'd think a combination of diced canned tomatoes, peanut butter and a smidge of chicken bouillon be so darn good; in fact that's where it earns the name "Whiplash" because once the surprising taste hits your taste buds, hold on to your head! 

Excellent with chicken, it would be just as tasty with almost any protein including shrimp or pork, especially served with rice and some TJ's Chinese Vegetables. By the way, instead of using a packet or cube of dried chicken base, I tried one of Swanson's newest products "Flavor Boost" and believe me it's definitely worth the purchase. I really like the authentic chicken flavor and ease of use and no, they're not paying for my comments or opinions. It's a great product!

Whiplash Chicken – aka Chicken in a Peanut Sauce (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Grand Slam, More Recipes from the Best of Bridge)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 large onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1 large green pepper, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (depending on your spice index)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Sriracha (or Tabasco)

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons dried instant chicken bouillon (I used 1 package Swanson’s Flavor Boost)

1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breast, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup cornstarch

Salt and pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large sauté pan and heat until shimmering. Add first 8 ingredients and stir fry until vegetables are tender crisp. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Return wok to heat and add remaining oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat in cornstarch, shaking off excess. Fry in batches in hot wok until browned on all sides. When chicken is browned, return vegetables to pan. Using an immersion or regular blender, combine undrained tomatoes, peanut butter and chicken bouillon and puree until smooth. Add sauce to wok. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - A Six Sided Burger

Two year's ago - Rhuberry Pie

Spicy Peanut Curry Noodles with Vegetables

I know my whining about not having a fully functioning kitchen must be getting as annoying to you as it is to me. It rather limits the dinner choices to the more simple foods, and draining pasta can be a real drag when you don't have a kitchen sink. With all of that said, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and give in to the odd craving.

For example, on my recent hour spent viewing Fine Cooking's web site for new ideas I came across a recipe for Spicy Peanut Noodles which although it looked rather delicious, reminded me of a fabulous recipe I'd made previously thanks to Mary at One Perfect Bite for noodles with a curried peanut sauce. It was out of sight, so I figured I'd just combine the two and come up with my own semi-original super delicious version.

Isn't that what cooking's all about anyway? Experimentation often gives way to some fabulous discoveries. I hope this particular bowl of yummyness doesn't get the kitchen police after me for combining a bunch of Asian flavors. Check out the recipe and you'll see what I mean.

Spicy Curried Peanut Noodles with Ground Chicken and Vegetables

(Inspired and adapted from recipes from finecooking.com and One Perfect Bite)

Sauce:

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup light coconut milk

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1-1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (more or less to taste)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine above ingredients in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until sauce comes together. Set aside.

1 – 10 ounce package of Chinese Noodles (I used Annie Chun Chow Mein Noodles)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound ground chicken (or ground pork)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 jalapeno sliced

1/2 small zucchini cut into julienned strips

3 mini peppers, assorted colors, julienned

Grated carrots

Several sprigs of fresh mint, chopped

3 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

Fresh limes, Chopped Nuts

Cook Chinese noodles per package directions and drain well. Meanwhile heat sauté pan over medium heat and olive oil. When shimmering add ground chicken and cook stirring constantly until no longer pink. Add ginger, garlic and sweet chili sauce. Cook for additional 2 minutes.

Add drained noodles and prepared sauce to chicken and toss to coat well. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with jalapeno, zucchini, peppers, and carrots. Garnish with chopped mint and basil. Serve with lime wedges.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Stuffed Eggplant

Two year's ago - Crispy Parmesan Chicken Drumettes 

 

Japanese Style Grilled Salmon on Soba Noodle Salad

Light, quick and perfect for a summer feast, this grilled salmon is a real keeper. Marinated for a few hours in a mixture of soy sauce, white wine, and mirin spiced up with green onions and fresh ginger, we liked it so much we could eat it every day and twice on Sundays. It's perfect on a bed of soba noodles garnished with a selection of fresh veggies.

The only thing is I'll be letting Big Guy do the grilling from now on. The hair appointment I booked for this week could very well be cancelled because I did something quite stupid again...yes, again. You see I oiled the grill a little too much then threw the marinated salmon on without wiping either the grill or the excess marinade off the salmon and the result was a gigantic whoosh of roaring flame. It did a rather good job of incinerating my bangs, my left eyebrow and those blessed little stray hairs on my chin never mind nixing the need for the wrinkle removing dermabrasion I've been thinking about putting on my bucket list. 

The upside to the near incineration was crispy crunchy skin on the salmon which made a perfectly wonderful garnish to the bowl. 

In case you're wondering why Big Guy wasn't doing the grilling in the first place...well he was exhausted. The reason you ask? Well, being kitchen sinkless, doing dishes has taken on a whole new meaning. I've been performing the task in the master bathroom using Big Guy's camping out dish pan and drainer, and dumping the dirty dish water down the toilet when I'm done. The only problem is that on Friday I managed to miss a small measuring spoon that self flushed itself along with the dishwater and got caught on it's way through. 

Big Guy tried his best to remove it on Saturday using a plumber's snake and was unsuccessful. In the process he destroyed the porcelain making a new throne the order of the day and thus the beginning of the end of his relaxing Sunday. When the toilet was being removed, half the flooring went with it, so to make a long story short, 5 trips later to Home Depot, a final run to Ace Hardware, and 12 hours later we now have a new toilet in the bathroom, that's sitting proudly on new flooring. 

As you can imagine, it's been quite the weekend. Hey, gotta run! I've a bunch of dishes to wash and I'm thinking maybe this time I'll do 'em in the bathtub. A lovely new clawfoot tub would be a great replacement for the corner garden version we have currently, or maybe I'll use the shower. Wouldn't ya' just love one of those steam shower units? Just kidding...honest!

Japanese Style Grilled Salmon on Soba Noodle Salad from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from John Ash’s From the Earth to the Table)

Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine

 1/4 cup mirin

2 tablespoons sugar

3 green onions including white and green parts, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

Zest and juice of 1 small lemon

4 – 5 ounce salmon fillets with skin

Combine marinade ingredients and place into a container that will hold the fish. Check salmon for bones and remove as necessary. Place into marinade and refrigerate covered for 2 to 4 hours, turning fish occasionally.  To prepare, remove fish from marinade and pat dry. Place onto hot grill and grill approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until just done (it will be translucent in the center). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Soba Salad:

4 ounces of soba noodles cooked per package directions and cooled

1/2 cup julienned carrots

1 can bamboo shoots, well drained

3 green onions, sliced

Fresh spinach

Dressing:

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Combine dressing ingredients in a small container and shake well to mix. Set aside. Place spinach leaves into bottom of a bowl and arrange cooked soba noodles on top and garnish with carrots, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Place salmon on top and pour dressing over all. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Stromboli 

Two year's ago - Chicken Marsala

Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken

The Big Guy cooked up a wok full of Dan Dan Noodles last night for dinner making use of the rest of the chicken tenders I had cooked to go into the stuffed poblanos the other night. We've had a pork version of these noodles before but it's the first time we've made them with chicken and I swear I'm going to make the dish with shrimp and beef too one of these days.

Dan Dan is really all about the sauce which means one could put practically any kind of protein in the bowl and have a marvellous meal. If you're wondering what makes the sauce so special, I can't really point at any one individual ingredient. A combination of lots of garlic and ginger, along with peanut butter, soy sauce, Sambal Olek, sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock combined with noodles, chicken and crunchy fresh vegetables make a flavorful combination that's definitely worth having more often.

By the way, I didn't have any Annie Chun chow mein noodles like I'd used last time, so we cooked up some spaghetti to a nice al dente and used that. I'm convinced almost any kind of noodle would be fabulous, so don't sweat it. Just use what you have on hand.

Dan Dan Noodles (from JBug's Kitchen adapted from Ken Hom’s A Taste of China as well as Food and Wine Magazine)

4 chicken tenders, cut into quarter inch pieces

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup minced yellow onion

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili paste (Sambal Olek)

1 teaspoon Sriracha or more to taste

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 cup chicken stock

1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

12 ounces Chinese wheat chow mein noodles (I used Annie Chun’s)

Garnishes of shredded carrots, sliced green onion, red pepper and roasted peanuts or almonds

Combine chicken pieces, with soy sauce. Heat wok over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and when shimmering, add chicken. Stir fry until lightly browned and cooked through – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside. (Note, I used pre-cooked chicken so eliminated this step.) Add remaining vegetable oil to wok. Add minced garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, Sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock mixed with cornstarch. Stir well to incorporate and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles per package direction. Drain well and place into large bowl. Top with pork, then sauce. Garnish with shredded carrots, green onions, red pepper and roasted peanuts or almonds. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Flatbread Pizza   Two year's ago - Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

 

Maple Glazed Cedar Planked Salmon with Dijon Mashed Spuds

Boy sometimes I even surprise myself with my stupidity. Yesterday's shopping trip yielded some beautiful salmon steaks, all plump and glistening. The problem is I forgot how bony the darn things are even though the flavor's great. I really should have listened to the "look" I got from the Big Guy when I picked them up and bought fillets instead - but oh no. Sometimes I think I need to exert my independence but it's no surprise that I should have saved it for another time.

No problemo though because I'm thinking we'll be making this one again. Notice I use the term "we" - which is meant as a collective "we" since the Big Guy did all the work yesterday and cooked up the salmon. A recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious.com, the glaze is a combination of reduced maple syrup, lemon juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic. It's really simple enough but in combination with cedar smoke the end result is absolutely not to be believed.

The Mustard Mashed Potatoes, also from Gourmet via Epicurious are really the icing on the plate - creamy yet chunky unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed along with butter, milk and Dijon mustard and paired with the salmon, it is without a doubt a match made in heaven. Who knew?

We changed not one single thing other than the Big Guy cooked the salmon outside on the Weber, so I'm sending you directly to the source of this blissful more than company worthy dinner. Hit the button here and you're on your way to Epicurious!

A year ago -  Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu  Two year's ago - Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Bacon

Asian Glazed Salmon

Some things are worth having over and over and over. Such is the case with the Asian Glazed Salmon we had last night.  The glaze is made up of brown sugar, soy and hoisin sauces, fresh ginger and lots of garlic and it's sweet, salty gingery flavor is a perfect topping for a lovely salmon fillet.

The Big Guy cooked the salmon on a gas barbecue, but one could certainly achieve the same results using a broiler - particularly for those of you that would need to dig your barby out of a snow bank. Actually the glaze would be great on almost any kind of fish, and lovely on pork or chicken too so be adventurous and use your imagination.

We had our salmon on a bed of soba noodles topped with some Asian flavored veggies courtesy of Trader Joe's freezer, but it would be absolutely delicious on salad greens or a bed of fluffy rice or even some couscous.

So what's in store for today? The Big Guy has the day off work and is heading out shortly for a little fun at the shooting range. As for me, I'm going to give our little Maxer dog major cuddles because speaking of bullets, he dodged a bunch yesterday but seems to be recovering from his latest medical crisis - pancreatitus. He was one very sick puppy.

Asian Glazed Salmon (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Legal Seafood’s Cookbook)

Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Dash of dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened to a thick syrupy consistency – about 9 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

1-1/2 pound salmon fillet

Check salmon for pin bones and remove as necessary. Wash and dry fillet well. Baste with half the glaze and let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil fillet for 4 minutes, remove and coat with more glaze, then return to broiler for additional 4 minutes or until cooked through. Baste with remaining glaze before serving.  Serves 4.

A year ago - Cod a la Cajun

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

Perfect for entertaining; perfectly good for you; perfectly delicious - I could just end this post now, show you a pic, give you the recipe and I swear you'd be convinced....but I won't.

Although this has to be one of our very favorite methods for grilling shrimp, we haven't made it in a long time but not because we don't think of it often. The problem with blogging on a daily basis is that I never want to repeat things very often for fear you'll get bored but honestly, this shrimp is so darn tasty we probably don't have to worry about boredom.

Lovely 16-20's marinated in a Thai flavored mixture of fresh basil, coconut milk, lime juice and the usual garlic, ginger and soy, then skewered and grilled until just cooked through, these shrimp are perfect sprinkled with a little fresh lime juice but dip 'em in a creamy, mildly spicy peanut sauce and you'll think you've hit nirvana. We could eat them by the bucketful.

Served along with another favorite because as the Big Guys says, it goes with everything - our Soba Noodle Salad chock full of buckwheat noodles and fresh veggies including zucchini, red pepper, grated carrot and sliced green onions, in an Asian flavored vinaigrette provided color and texture to the plates. Accompanied by some crunchy little Vietnamese spring rolls, our catch up dinner with the Big Guy's sister Susan and her husband Scott was a relaxed, fun filled evening full of laughter and reminiscing.

By the way, stay tuned and I'll fill you in on our dessert menu a little later because honestly, I don't want to baffle you with B.S. too much on this lovely Sunday morning. Have a great day everyone!

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Shrimp:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

4 teaspoons soy sauce

4 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tablespoon honey

3 pounds large 16-20 shrimp

Skewers soaked in water

In a food processor or blender combine basil, coconut milk, garlic, lime juice, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and honey. Process until almost smooth. Clean and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Wash and dry well. Place in a container and cover with marinade, moving shrimp around to make sure all surfaces are coated with marinade. Cover and refrigerate a minimum 2 hours. When ready to grill, remove from marinade (discard marinade) and thread 6 or 7 shrimp on soaked skewers and grill over medium heat until just cooked (about 5 minutes).  Serve with fresh limes and peanut sauce. Serves 4 to 6.

Peanut Sauce:

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Juice of half a lime

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Store well covered in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature  or heat in microwave for 20 seconds before serving. Download Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

Soba Noodle Salad:

 4 ounces soba noodles cooked per package directions and well drained

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 small zucchini, cut into julienne strips

1 red pepper, cut into julienne strips

2 green onions, sliced

Combine ingredients below in a screw top jar and shake until well mixed.

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (sambel olek) optional

Toss soba and vegetables together with dressing and serve.  Serves 4

A year ago - Bittersweet Chocolate Sour Cherry Bread Pudding

A Perfect Menu for Entertaining

We love to entertain although I admit we're a tad out of practice because we just don't do it often enough. If you find yourself in the same boat, the wisest thing you can do is to "go with what you know". That's what we did last night. Dinner included:

• Sundried Tomato and Spinach Parmieres (served with pre-dinner drinks)

• Asian Glazed Sockeye Salmon

• Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Vegetables

• Vegetarian Pot Stickers with Sweet Chile Sauce

• Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Our menu was made up of some tried and true favorites, but as usual, we neglected to take pictures of everything so I'll tell you about what I can show you, but I'll have to tell you about the parmieres some other time. Too bad, because they're really easy to make and rather impressive too. Sorry about that!

As for the main course, we've had the Asian glaze before on steelhead, but this time I used sockeye salmon. I prepped the glaze in advance so I wouldn't have to worry about it after our guest arrived which made cooking the main course a breeze. I can say that because the Big Guy grilled the salmon which took a grand total of about 6 minutes from start to finish - just enough time for me to cook up some purchased pot stickers and put the finishing touches on our soba noodle salad.

The salad's a breeze to throw together with julienned red pepper, grated carrot and sliced green onions along with lovely Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba) in a sweet spicy Asian vinaigrette. Although the whole thing can be put together in advance, yesterday afternoon I prepped the ingredients separately and had 'em all ready to toss together at the last minute so the vegetables would maintain their color. The salad is an interesting and fresh tasting accompaniment to any grilled entree, but particularly delicious with salmon.

It's hard to come up with an Asian style dessert so I went a different route and picked an autumny one instead. Dorie Greenspan's version of an Apple Cake is absolutely without question the best cake you'll ever make. It's rummy flavor really showcases the apple in all its glory. This time I used 3 different kinds of apples (Granny Smith, Red Rome, Gala) and served the cake with a homemade caramel sauce at the Big Guy's request. He can take some bows for his ingenuity because it tasted just like a caramel apple only much, much better.

Asian Glazed Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons peeled and minced ginger

1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Dried red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

 

1-1/2 pounds sockeye salmon, (skin on) cut into serving pieces

Place sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and lime juice in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 9 minutes, or until sauce forms a glaze. Watch closely to prevent burning.

Clean salmon well under running water and pat dry. Leave skin on but check fish for pin bones and remove as needed. Dry fillet well. Baste with some of the glaze and let sit for 15 minutes.  Grill for 6 minutes or until cooked through. Baste once more with glaze before serving.

Soba Noodle Salad:

 4 ounces soba noodles cooked per package directions and well drained

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 small zucchini, cut into julienne strips

2 green onions, sliced

Combine ingredients below in a screw top jar and shake until well mixed.

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (sambel olek) optional

Toss soba and vegetables together with dressing and serve.  Serves 4 Download Asian Glazed Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad

 

Apple Cake (adapted from Dorie Greenspan) 

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 Granny Smith apples

1 Red Rome apple

1 Gala apple

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 inch spring form pan with cooking spray and line sides and  bottom with parchment. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Peel and core apples and cut into one inch chunk. Set aside.

In medium sized bowl whisk eggs until light and frothy. Add sugar and whisk for 1 minute until well combined. Add rum and vanilla and mix well to combine. Stir in half the dry ingredients then add half the melted butter. Mix until combined, then finish with remaining flour and butter. Fold in apple pieces until they’re well coated with batter and turn into prepared pan. Level top with spatula. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown on top and knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Turn onto serving plate when cool enough to handle and remove parchment. Serve with caramel sauce. (Store cake at room temperature, lightly covered).

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place sugar in a medium sized saucepan with a wide heavy bottom. Add water but do not mix together. Place pot on medium high heat and cook without moving or stirring until sugar is amber colored. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn and it is important not to move the pot. When sugar is caramelized and amber, carefully stir in butter (it will foam up, so be careful). Stir until butter is melted, then remove pot from heat. Carefully stir in heavy cream. When mixture stops foaming, add vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Download Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

 

Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Teriyaki Glaze

We're loving our new little Coleman Roadtrip gas grill and no, they're not paying me to say it. I'm just tellin' ya - it's perfect for our needs because the Big Guy uses his choice of  one of three charcoal grills he has in his outdoor kitchen to barbecue anything that requires lower and slower cooking and we needed a solution for the grillin' stuff. Our little red grill is really the little engine that could and does work perfectly for quick grilling because it heats up in a flash. For example, between the little red number and the Big Guy we had perfectly cooked salmon last night.

I prepped the glaze in advance - a simple combination of pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest and a dash of salt all cooked down to a syrupy consistency and used to top the salmon fillets at the very end of their 6 minute cooking period.

As you can see, we had grilled fresh pineapple with our salmon as well as a Spicy Noodle Salad that adds a couple of veggies to the mix for good health, all disguised in some Chinese noodles with a kinda' sweet, kinda' spicy definitely Asian flavored dressing. It's one of those "withs" that go with anything and can be made well in advance - a definite boon to a busy cook (or just a lazy one).

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon (Adapted from myrecipes.com)

2 – 6 ounce sockeye salmon filets with skin on

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Zest from 1 orange

3/4 cup pineapple juice

Dash of salt

Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, orange zest, pineapple juice and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Place over medium high heat, bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced to approximately 1/4 cup. Sauce will look syrupy. Set aside.

Check salmon for bones and remove as needed. Wash and dry on both sides, leaving skin on. Season with salt and pepper, then place filets on hot grill skin side down. Cook for approximately 6 minutes or until firm to the touch, flipping salmon over briefly to get char marks on top side. Finish with skin side down. Add glaze during last minute of cooking. Serves 2. Download Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

Spicy Noodle Salad (Adapted from The Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks)

Dressing:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Asian chili/garlic sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup oil

Place dressing ingredients into a 12 ounce jar and shake well to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

Salad:

6 or 8 ounces dry Chinese noodles (or spaghetti or vermicelli) cooked per directions and drained

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sliced sweet onion

1/2 cup grated carrots

Combine noodles with vegetables and toss with dressing. May be made in advance and refrigerated. Download Spicy Noodle Salad

A year ago - Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna

 

 

Thai Shrimp Curry

When you're looking for something to soothe a sore throat, a bowl of hot thai curry will do the trick just perfectly. While we've done several different curries on this site before, this one is of the green curry variety which to my taste is a trifle sweeter and less hot than a red curry.

Simple and very quick to prepare, it includes sliced yellow as well as green onions, diced plum tomatoes and not a smidge of garlic or ginger in a coconut milk/chicken stock broth. Of course you can take or leave the tomatoes and add green or red pepper if you wish, but we found it to be rather lovely just as it is with one exception. We doubled the green curry paste because as you all know we like spicy heat, but you'll note that I've included the minimum quantity in the recipe below.

By the way this is the perfect dish to make when you've got to get dinner on the table in a hurry. Put your pot of rice on to cook first and by the time the rice is ready,  your curry will be too.

Here's a link to some of the other Thai curry dishes we've had here before, if you'd like to check 'em out. Now I apologize for such a short post, but I'm off to bed to hang out with the woofs. I'm suffering through what has become an annual October-itis of some kind and it serves me right too. Afterall, I'd just finished bragging that I rarely get sick anymore. LOL Download Thai Green Shrimp Curry

Thai Green Shrimp Curry (adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 or 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (or more to taste – I used 4)

1 – 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (I used lite)

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup diced plum tomatoes

1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons chicken stock (optional)

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened – about 4 minutes. Add green onions and Thai curry paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, sugar and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. If you’d like a thicker sauce, stir in cornstarch. Bring sauce back to a boil, stirring constantly then remove from heat. Add shrimp; stir to incorporate with sauce then cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove cover and serve garnished with cilantro and fresh lime wedges. Serves 4. Recipe may be cut in half.

 Shrimp with Thai Red Curry               Thai Chicken Curry

A year ago - Apple Pear Cake with Hazelnuts and Butterscotch

Ginger Fried Beef

There's a lot more to my home town than cowboys and the Calgary Stampede and one of them is this signature dish from Ginger Beef Peking House in Willowpark Village. I have no clue if the restaurant's even there anymore as it's 11 years since I've been back in the City but it was one of the places you had to keep going back to. 

What's makes this dish unique is that the beef is thinly sliced and coated in a batter made from egg, cornstarch, a little flour, water and vegetable oil then deep fried in very hot oil. While the original method uses flank or sirloin steak sliced into narrow strips, I used very thinly sliced ribeye found in the freezer section of our favorite Asian supermarket. After it's fried for 4 to 5 minutes in small batches, the beef can sit and wait until you're ready to finish it in the sauce which makes this one of the very few stir fries that can be prepped almost entirely in advance. Great for entertaining isn't it?

Finished in a sauce pungent with ginger, garlic and crushed chili flakes, garnished with green onion and grated carrot and served on a bed of rice or noodles, it's the kind of dish that keeps you tripping back to the wok for more and more. In other words, if you think you've made enough think again and double the recipe, OK? You won't be sorry.

Ginger Fried Beef (adapted from High Plains The Joy of Alberta Cuisine and The Best of the Best and more, Recipes from the Best of Bridge Series)

Note – it’s a lot easier to slice the meat very thinly when it’s partially frozen, so plan accordingly when you’re prepping this dish.

1 pound flank or sirloin steak cut into narrow strips, or very thinly sliced rib eye

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water

Oil for deep frying (approx. 4 cups)

Heat oil (depth of 1-1/2 inches) in a heavy deep pot (I used cast iron Dutch oven) to temperature of 375. Beat egg in a large bowl. Add cornstarch, flour and water and whisk together until smooth. Add beef and mix together until beef is well coated. Batter will be very runny but not to worry.  Cook beef in hot oil in small batches until beef is well browned and crisp – about 4 to 5 minutes a batch. Stir beef around as it cooks to separate pieces, being very careful. Remove beef as it cooks using a skimmer or a wire spider, and set aside on racks covered in paper towels to drain. Repeat process until all beef is cooked. This process may be done in advance.

Sauce:

3/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons white vinegar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sherry or Chinese cooking wine

3 tablespoons minced ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2/3 cup grated carrots

1/3 cup sliced green onions

 

Combine sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until well mixed. Heat a large wok over high heat and add sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add beef. Mix well to incorporate sauce with beef. Sprinkle with green onions and carrot. Serve on rice. Serves 4 – or 2 if you’re JBug’s Kitchenites. Download Ginger Fried Beef

A year ago - White Bean Soup with Ham

 

General Tao Chicken Wings

The thing about blogging in real time is you miss the opportunity to make improvements on recipes because there isn't a second chance. Unfortunately that was the case with last night's wings. Had I the chance to do it all over, I'd have done things a little differently.

These wings are lovely and the sauce is really dynamite but the method of cooking the wings themselves leaves a bit to be desired. I love a good crisp coating on a wing and you just can't get that by baking it naked in the oven, at least I can't. They either end up brown but over cooked and dry, or pale and moist. What can I say?

Had I my druthers, I would have coated them in cornstarch and fried them in hot oil (or butter) to get them good and crisp and brown before they hit the oven to finish cooking; however I was out of cornstarch, low in oil and out of butter too. The cupboard's darn near bare and so is the wallet. Unfortunately I already spent the week's budget so there's no way I could hit the supermarket anyway. I'm kind of anal that way - ok call it disciplined. Thankfully tomorrow's shopping day (Saturday).

Now about that dynamite sauce, don't let it scare you. The basis is a lovely golden caramel made from white sugar and a touch of water. It's no work at all because as you likely know, caramel thrives on being ignored as far as stirring goes anyway. Ya' gotta' keep your eye on the stuff to make sure it doesn't burn but for heaven's sake don't stir it or move the pot while you're letting that sugar melt. After the carmel is perfect, it gets a lift with Asian ingredients and coats the wings with a perfect flavor combination - and I do mean perfect.

The Big Guy loved it so much he said it took his breath away, and that was true but not for the reason you think. Between you and me I might have added a little extra sambal oelek to the mix just to get a rise out of him. LOL

I'm posting the recipe the way it was constructed last night but stay tuned for the improved version shortly. I'm determined to make 'em perfect next time and I know for a fact there's won't be any complaints from the peanut gallery about the repeat.

General Tao Chicken Wings (adapted from Ricardo Larrivee, Food Network Canada)

1-1/2 pounds chicken drummettes

2 tablespoons oil

Salt

Sauce:

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or more per your taste)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

Green onion for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and place wire cooling racks on top. Spray all well with cooking spray. Place wings into a bowl and coat well with oil. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and arrange on racks so they’re not touching each other. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn wings and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until meat is tender. Finish by broiling until skin is crisp and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, place sugar and water in a large saucepan and cook without stirring over medium heat until the mixture turns golden in color. Important – do not stir or move the pot during this process. In a bowl whisk together cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, garlic, sambal oelek and paprika. Stir carefully into hot caramel mixture and simmer until sauce is smooth and syrupy – about 30 seconds. When wings are cooked remove to a bowl and toss with warm sauce. Garnish with green onion. Download General Tao Chicken Wings

A year ago - Seafood Chowder with Dill

Pork Tenderloin Salad with Spicy Asian Dressing

You know the old saying - " ya gotta' be careful what you wish for". Well, I wished for more happenings happenin' around this place and darned if my dreams didn't come true. Yesterday not one but two of our little muttlings ended up in sick bay; Max hurt himself jumping off the bed and as for Finnigan, he's got a tremendous case of travellers revenge. Is that too much information?

They both kept me hopping yesterday so last night's dinner was once again something quick, easy and as it turns out, rather caloric-ally responsible. The Big Guy even did the happy dance when he hit the scale this morning. Isn't that something?

Lean pork tenderloin soaked in a kicky asian flavored marinade and grilled tops a tossed salad of epic proportions. Instead of adding the whole batch of marinade to the pork, some of it is added to store bought mayo to make a kicky creamy spicy sauce. The original recipe suggests a salad of romaine, avocado and orange slices, but I made a "kitchen sink" salad instead. Whatever you decide, the flavors of the pork tenderloin will marry well with almost anything you want to serve it with. The pork would even be wonderful in a wrap along with some rice noodles. Its a great light dinner for yet another another hot summer night.

Pork Tenderloin Salad with Creamy Spicy Dressing (adapted from High Plains, The Joy of Alberta Cuisine)

1 pound pork tenderloin, cleaned of silver skin

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (I used Sambal Olek)

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

 

½ cup mayonnaise

Coarse ground black pepper

Salad ingredients: your choice of lettuce along with sliced peeled oranges, avocado, cucumber, broccoli slaw, grated carrots, sweet onion, or cilantro - whatever you wish.

Combine garlic, chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice in a jar and shake well to mix. Place pork tenderloin in a zip bag and pour all but 1/2 cup of the marinade into the bag. Zip closed and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours. Add one half cup of mayonnaise to the remaining marinade and shake well to combine. Refrigerate until serving time.

To cook pork – spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Cook pork tenderloin for 20 minutes turning every 5 minutes. Set on cutting board, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal and serve on salad with dressing on the side. Serves 4. Download Pork Tenderloin Salad with Creamy Spicy Dressing

A year ago - Imperial Rolls and Chicken Sate

 

Maple Ginger Pork Medallions and a Salad with Creamy Maple Dressing

Um, um good. That was the all round opinion of last night's maple extravaganza - another winner from The Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich that I told you about the other day.

It all started with half inch thick center cut pork loin chops, pounded till they're skinny then seasoned and floured before hitting a hot buttered pan. Seared for a quick 3 minutes, they're moved to rest and a pan sauce is created from shallots, ginger and garlic followed by white wine, maple syrup, teriyaki sauce and rice vinegar. A lot of heat and a little time and the pork medallions rejoin the party to be finished with a quick bath in the hot sauce. Served on rice with some stir fried veggies on the side - dinner's ready just like that!

I couldn't let it all stop there though, since we had some gorgeous butter lettuce to finish so I whipped up this quick and delicious maple salad dressing from 3 items that are ever present in our pantry and refrigerator - mayo, vinegar and maple syrup.

What can I say except it is an amazingly awesome combination especially with mild flavored butter lettuce topped with a little sweet onion and crispy crumbled bacon. Had I been thinking I'd have added a few toasted walnuts as garnish too. Darn - kinda' missed that boat didn't I?

Maple Gingered Pork Medallions (adapted from The Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich)

4 center cut pork loin chops

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar.

Remove any fat from pork loin chops and place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or inside a large zip bag. Pound each chop until it is a quarter inch thick. Season both sides of chops with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and shake to remove excess. Set aside. Combine shallots, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine white wine, maple syrup, teriyaki sauce and rice wine vinegar. Set aside.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and when melted and hot, add 2 of the prepped pork medallions. Cook for 2 minutes on one side or until golden, flip and cook additional minute on the other side. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 medallions. Add shallots, ginger and garlic to pan and sauté for 30 seconds. Add white wine, maple syrup, teriyaki and rice vinegar, increase heat and boil until thickened slightly – about 4 to 5 minutes. Return pork to pan and heat through, flipping to coat both sides with sauce. Serve on rice. Serves 4 Download Maple Gingered Pork Medallions

Creamy Maple Syrup Dressing (adapted from The Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Place ingredients into a jar or plastic container, cover tightly and shake until ingredients are well mixed and smooth. Alternatively, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Note – I didn’t have enough apple cider vinegar, so substituted 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon Applejack brandy. It was wonderful! Download Creamy Maple Salad Dressing

A year ago - Teriyaki Glazed Salmon on Spicy Thai Noodle Salad

Two year's ago - Black Bottomed Banana Cream Pie

Asian Flavored Pork Meatballs

One of the great gifts from entering the blogging arena are the friends one can make as a result. It's incredible how attached you can become to people you've never seen face to face but I suppose there's a certain amount of safety in the anonymity too. As fate would have it, I was lucky enough to meet a fellow blogger at the Dentist's office in Waldport during our vacation last month when I was in getting my broken crown inspected and Lorraine has become someone I visit regularly through her blog Figs and Artichokes. We share an amazing list of similarities including but not limited to what appears to be an extensive cookbook collection, a passion for cooking, and a high regard for Julia.

I had a pound of ground pork languishing in the freezer and was inspired by a post on her blog for Pork on a Stick. Unfortunately I was lacking a couple of key ingredients and laziness combined with a very hot day and a car with no AC prevented me from heading out to Lee Lee's to purchase the missing items so I branched out in another direction.

Ground pork combined with green onions, cilantro, garlic, and fresh ginger along with a little hoisin, soy sauce and lime juice made for perfect little nuggets of flavor perched on a bowl of soba noodles. I can't claim the flavors as Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese or Chinese which is why I've labelled these as Asian flavored - but whatever, they made for a fabulous Pink Mountain Friday in JBugs Kitchen. Along with a couple of tall gin and tonic's it was pure unadulterated yahoo it's the weekend bliss. 

By the way for those of you who are unfamiliar with "Pink Mountain Fridays", there's a little ditty known to Tucsonians "when the mountains are pink, it's time to drink" and we celebrate the start of as many weekends as we can with a libation and a munchie like dinner.

Asian Pork Meatballs

1 pound lean ground pork

3 green onions finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Juice and rind of half a lime

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

1 egg white

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Flour (I used Wondra instant blending flour)

Combine ground pork with other ingredients excluding flour and form into 1 inch balls. Place on a sheet pan and refrigerate for a minimum half hour. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat and add oil to coat bottom lightly. Coat meatballs lightly with flour and shake off excess. When oil is shimmering add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides and firm to touch (about 6 minutes). Yields 24 meatballs. Download Asian Pork Meatballs

A year ago - Salmon Club Sandwich with Pesto

Two Years Ago - Asian Glazed Salmon

Korean Barbecue Short Ribs

Flanken ribs, kalbi or cross cut beef short ribs - it all adds up to the same thing and last night we tried cooking them for the first time. They're awesome. 

You see we spotted the ribs in Newport's Fred Meyer when we were there last week and after seeing them in this month's Bon Appetit, of course we had to try them. Just so you know, I didn't use their recipe because the ribs we ended up buying were already marinated. Thank goodness because I wasn't about to part with $5 for a little iddy biddy bottle of sesame oil, and another $4 for soy sauce when I have a ton of it in Tucson that I bought for a fraction of the cost at Lee Lee's Supermarket. Just sayin'.

Anyway, I added a little more teriyaki to the ribs along with 3 tablespoons of minced ginger and a couple cloves of smashed garlic and we let them percolate all afternoon. The Big Guy cooked them over a medium hot charcoal fire for about 6 minutes total - just until they're done. Be sure to bring the ribs to room temperature before cooking so you get a quick sear.

We had them on a little broccoli slaw dressed with some teriyaki and a touch of toasted sesame seeds and boy were they tender tasty little morsels. So incredible are they that when I wanted more there was just a pile of bones left. My bad - the Big Guy eats at the speed of light and me much less so, particularly with that broken crown I'm nursing.

All it means is that we'll have to enjoy them again in the very near future. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing?

Stir Fried Lamb with Garlic and Ginger

As part of my mission to rid the freezer of all and sundry, last night's dinner took care of the last of the wonderful lamb we acquired from the University of Arizona Meat's Lab. Too baaaa...d so saaa...d!

Four rather large loin chops, boned and slivered, were marinated in soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil, then stir fried and finished with a lovely hoisin based garlic and ginger sauce. Served along with some fresh butter lettuce, it made for great little tasty wraps on a very hot first day of summer.

Actually, it feels like it's been summer for months here in Tucson so celebrating the summer solstace doesn't mean a heck of a lot at this point. We need rain very badly before our entire state burns to a cinder but unfortunately it looks as though rain's a long way off.

I'm packing my darkest glasses to take to Oregon. I have a sneaking suspicion my first glimpse of Oregon green's gonna' suck my eyeballs right outa' my head....and on that lovely descriptive note, I'll leave you all for the day. Be cool people!

Stir Fried Lamb with Garlic and Ginger (inspired by Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks)

1 pound boneless lean lamb cut into slivers

4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil with lamb slivers in a zip top bag and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, turning frequently. Drain marinade from meat before stir frying.

Sauce:

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid honey

2 tablespoons water

Juice of 1 fresh lime

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine ingredients in jar and shake until well combined. Set aside.

To prepare:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced ginger

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup salted cashew nuts or peanuts, chopped

Butter lettuce or Iceburg separated into whole leaves, core removed

Heat wok over high heat until smoking. Add vegetable oil and when shimmering add lamb. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add sauce and cook, stirring constantly until sauce is clear and lamb is well coated. Toss in green onions. Remove to serving platter and garnish with nuts. Serve with lettuce on the side allowing diners to make their own wraps. Serves 4 (or 2 gluttons). Download Stir Fried Lamb with Garlic and Ginger

A year ago - Bay Scallop Gratin

Thai On Thai - Grilled Chicken on a Noodle Salad

I grew up on a beef/dairy farm which meant we ate beef all week long and chicken was reserved for Sunday dinner. How we'd look forward to it too. Tradition's a good thing sometimes, so we stuck with it last night and cooked some cluck just for old time's sake. The only thing is, it wasn't quite like any chicken we would've eaten way back in the day. Believe me.

Picture a mess of skinless boneless chicken thighs marinated for hours in a mixture of basil, mint, cilantro, ginger and other assorted "tangs" and grilled over hot charcoal till it's all crispy on the outside and tender inside.

That's what we had for dinner last night although the Big Guy swore he could have cooked it better. Personally I could find absolutely nothing wrong with it; however, he said he needed to get his grill hotter, oil it down good and maybe even skewer the chicken pieces so they didn't stick and were easier to turn. Whatever.

Sittin' pretty on top of a Thai Noodle Salad loaded with noodles and veggies, this "cool" food is guaranteed to impress. What makes it even more attractive is the whole darn thing can be prepped early in the day before the heat gets too oppressive, so when dinner rolls around the kitchen stays cool. Bonus!

I really have only one complaint about it - yup, just one. We shoulda' doubled the recipes.

Thai Grilled Chicken (adapted from Best of Bridge Series, The Rest of the Best)

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs

Marinade:

1/3 cup fresh basil

1/3 cup fresh mind

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup peeled, chopped fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves

1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons liquid honey

1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

Combine above ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped. Place chicken in a zip bag and pour marinade mixture over top. Seal back and move ingredients around to make sure marinade covers all pieces of chicken. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Remove chicken from marinade and grill on a hot grill until chicken is no longer pink inside. Hint – oil grill well and make sure it’s very hot before placing chicken on it.

Thai Noodle Salad (adapted from Best of Bridge Series, The Rest of the Best)

Vinaigrette:

Zest of 2 limes

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 Serrano pepper, minced (or Jalapeno if you want it less spicy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine well. Set aside.

8 ounces Chinese egg noodles

1/2 pound asparagus spears

2 cups peeled shredded carrots

1 cup julienned jicama

1 red pepper, julienned

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

In a pot of boiling water, blanch asparagus spears for 1 minute to bring out their color. Remove from pot and cool under cold running water. Cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Meanwhile cook Chinese noodles according to package directions. Drain well. Combine noodles, asparagus, carrots, jicama, red pepper and green onions in a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to blend flavors. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - Santa Fe Corn Pie

Orange Soy Braised Pork Ribs

I don't know about you, but I forget how wonderful country style ribs can be as they stand up to being grilled but they're best when they're cooked low and slow until they're fall off the bone tender.

This particular preparation takes all of 10 minutes - about the same amount of time it takes the oven to heat to 325. Braised in a combination of orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic, after two hours in the oven the ribs have just the right amount of flavor and are super tender. While great on rice with some Asian style veggies courtesy of Trader Joe's freezer, they'd be wonderful on a flour tortilla or a mu shu wrapper with a little shredded cabbage too.

We're celebrating today. Not only is it a Friday but the Maxer dawg dodged another bullet. While his mast cell tumor was indeed a Grade 2 cancer, his fabulous new Veterinarian removed it all with clean margins and his numbers show nothing but promise. He's come a long way in the past week and is obviously feeling much better because he was chasing Georgie all over the place this morning and snout vacuuming pyracantha berries in the back yard (I guess they taste like mushy apples). The bonus, as if we need another one, is FIVE weeks today we leave for the beach and soon the little monkey will be chasing birds, diving into tide pools and helping his Daddy harvest clams. How cool is that!

Orange Soy Braised Pork Ribs (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

2.5 pounds country style pork ribs, trimmed of excess fat

Coarse Sea Salt

1-1/2 cups fresh orange juice (not from concentrate)

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 325. Wash and dry pork ribs well. Season ribs on all sides with salt and place in a roasting pan.

Combine orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic and pepper in a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Pour over ribs and flip ribs over to coat well. Cover roasting pan and braise in oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove ribs from roasting pan and place on a shallow sheet pan. Preheat broiler. Broil ribs for 5 minutes until nicely golden in color. Meanwhile mix together corn starch and orange juice and add to juices in roasting pan. Place pan over medium heat stirring constantly to thicken sauce to desired consistency. Serve ribs over rice, with sauce.  Makes 4 servings.  Download Orange Soy Braised Pork Ribs

A year ago - Roast Chicken with Pancetta (I see a repeat in the wind!)

Thai Chicken Salad with Rice Noodles

Sometimes ya' just have to tie one on with a little Thai, ya' know what I mean? The Big Guy's busy marking exams with a fast approaching deadline and stressed to the nines. Me? Well, our little Maxer goes in for surgery today on a mast cell tumor so I'm a basket case.

Dinner last night needed to be something that would hold well since I had no idea what time the Big Guy would be home. It also had to be something I couldn't screw up since I'm not thinkin' or seein' too clearly these days- call it allergies, lack of sleep or just worry.

This bowl of calories disguised as nutrition is basically a chicken salad with a lime ginger peanut sauce along with some fresh raw veggies all served on a bed of rice noodles.  It's a great fresh tasting summer time meal and rather lovely in that it can be prepared in advance, refrigerated and dressed at the last minute. It's more than worth a second look and the leftovers make great lunch fodder too.

Thai Chicken Salad with Rice Noodles (adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine)

4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1-1/4 teaspoons sambal oelek

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, peanut butter, ginger, sambal oelek in blender and pulse until well mixed. With motor running add vegetable oil and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add pepper as required. With all the soy sauce and peanut butter, it's doubtful you'll need salt.

4-1/2 ounces rice stick noodles (malfun) cooked per package directions

1-1/2 cups cooked chicken – shredded

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup grated carrot

1 cup red bell pepper strips

1/2 medium sweet onion or green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 English cucumber cut into julienne strips

1/2 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

Place cooked rice noodles on bottom of platter or shallow bowl. Mix together chicken, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper strips, onion and cucumber. Toss with prepared dressing, just enough to coat. Place on top noodles and garnish with roasted peanuts. Serve remaining dressing on the side. Download Thai Chicken Salad with Rice Noodles

Minted Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls

I've mentioned to you before that in Tucson when the mountains turn pink it's time to drink. Well, I have a confession to make. The mountains turned pink quite a while after I poured my first gin and tonic yesterday. It's been quite the week - actually quite the month and I wanted April to end in a rosy glow. The only problem is I was a day ahead of myself so I'm gonna' have to do it all over again tonight. Wouldn't you just know it?

Our usual Friday night "munchie" dinner included delightfully fresh and light summer rolls, quite appropriate for a high 90's day. They're a little challenging to roll but once you get the hang of it, shrimp with eeny weeny rice noodles topped with a julienned slices of cucumber, carrot and green onion all wrapped up nice and cosy in rice paper wrappers are really the essence of summer food. Course we can't forget the fresh mint or beautiful basil from our herb garden now can we.

To balance the lightness of the summer rolls and in deference to the fact that this was all the dinner we were gonna' get our munchie platter also included a pile of pot stickers and some steamed pork buns, both courtesy of Trader Joes' freezer section. I've been known to make both from scratch but that was in the old days before I knew any better. So that's what London Life means about freedom 55! Bonus!

Minted Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls (adapted from My recipes)

1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut in half lengthwise

3 ounces cellophane noodles

12 – 8 inch rice paper wrappers

1 Persian cucumber (small) cut into thin strips

1 carrot, julienned

12 thin strips of green onion

1 fresh mango, peeled and cut into thin strips

12 large fresh basil leaves

24 fresh mint leaves

Pour boiling water over noodles and let soak for 10 minutes or until tender.  Rinse and drain well.

Place a rice paper wrapper in warm water for 30 seconds or until softened and place on a flat surface. Put 3 pieces of shrimp just below the center of the wrapper, cover with basil leaves and mint, followed by some cellophane noodles. Top with a piece of cucumber, carrot, mango and green onion. Fold and tuck the top of the wrapper over noodles, then fold in sides and roll tightly. Place on a moistened paper towel and cover with another moistened towel. Continue until all rice wrappers have been used. Chill, covered with moistened paper towels until serving time. Serve with peanut sauce or hoisin and pass the Sriracha. Makes 12 rolls. Download Minted Shrimp and Mango Summer Rolls

 

 

 

Dan Dan Noodles with Pork

We've been on a bit of a pork and an Asian kick this week and this bowl of noodles kind of sums it all up wonderfully.

Although the recipe called for minced pork, our favorite market wanted an arm and leg for it on our last shopping day, so we bought some pork sirloin steak that was a Manager's special instead and I chopped it up while it was still semi frozen. That took care of that. So who says you can't eat like kings and still be on a budget?

Joined by lots of garlic, ginger and a bit of onion, along with a touch of peanut butter and heat in the form of chili paste (Sambal Olek) and Sriracha, the Chinese noodles were dressed up just fine and went down plum easy.

By the way I used Annie Chun dried chow mein noodles which come in a box and according to the manufacturer "These traditional wheat-flour noodles are made with egg whites only, no yolks, so they're lighter than typical Italian style pastas. They're all-natural, and very low in fat." I have to say that while they say they're lighter, we found them to have a lot more tooth than regular pasta and they cook a lot faster too.

The Big Guy liked them so much he said he wants to try them with a bolognese, or marinara and meatballs next time. Now, that's a scary thought, isn't it?

Speaking of the Big Guy, he's off to El Paso today which means if I want something obscure like say peas, or even ice cream for dinner tonight I can do that. Mmm, decisions, decisions! Now what will it be?

Dan Dan Noodles (adapted from Ken Hom’s A Taste of China as well as Food and Wine Magazine)

12 ounce pork loin, cut into quarter inch pieces

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup minced yellow onion

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili paste (Sambal Olek)

1 teaspoon Sriracha or more to taste

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 cup chicken stock

12 ounces Chinese wheat chow mein noodles (I used Annie Chun’s)

Garnishes of shredded carrots, sliced green onion, red pepper and roasted peanuts

 Combine pork pieces, with soy sauce and salt. Heat wok over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and when shimmering, add pork. Stir fry until lightly browned and cooked through – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to wok. Add minced garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, Sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock. Stir well to incorporate and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles per package direction. Drain well and place into large bowl. Top with pork, then sauce. Garnish with shredded carrots, green onions, red pepper and roasted peanuts. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Download Dan Dan Noodles

Lettuce Wraps with Spiced Pork

Remember the herbed pork tenderloin we made a while ago that I was less than impressed with? Well, I'd shoved the leftover cooked pork in the freezer thinking I could kick it up a notch in some manner. I hate throwing stuff out, particularly when it's pork! You'll be happy to hear this time it was far more worthy of top billing!

Relieved of that rather benign herb coating, the pork was cut into little julienned strips and spiced up with lots of garlic and fresh ginger.  Accompanied in the wok by shredded carrots, sliced green onions, julienned water chestnuts and crunchy roasted unsalted peanuts, it was all dressed up with a hoisin, honey and lime sauce. Topped with crunchy deep fried rice stick noodles that absolutely exploded to a loud WOW when they hit the hot oil, peanut sauce and of course the ever present sriracha, not only did it all fill the gap, it was easy to make and rather fun to eat.

If you're wondering what to do with some leftover pork or even chicken, give this a try. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Why you could even stuff the filling into some mu shu pancakes or wraps and have a whole new thing going on.

Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Pork (inspired by Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks, The Rest of the Best)

Sauce:

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons liquid honey

2 tablespoons water

Juice of 1 fresh lime (about 2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Combine ingredients together in a small pot and heat over medium low heat until simmering. Set aside.

 

Wrap Mixture:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

3 cups cooked pork, julienned

1/2 cup shredded carrot

3 green onions, diagonally sliced

1 can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and cut into slivers

1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

1 head iceberg lettuce, core removed and separated into whole leaves

Rice stick noodles fried according to package directions

Heat oil in a wok until very hot. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 15 seconds, moving it around to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add pork and stir fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until pork is hot. Add carrot, green onions, water chestnuts and peanuts. Stir fry for additional minute. Add sauce and stir well to incorporate. To serve, set out on a platter with lettuce leaves and deep fried rice stick noodles. Serve with additional sauces such as peanut sauce, hoisin and/or sriracha. Download Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Pork

 

Chicken and Noodles with Curried Peanut Sauce

There's happenings around this place let me tell you. I figure it'll be a miracle if the big guy doesn't think he's arrived at the wrong house. I'll amend that - for sure he'll recognize the garage because I haven't got there yet, but we're almost at the end of the big spring cleaning fest and Goodwill has benefited greatly from the binge. Talk about de-cluttering!

Last night I was looking for something quick but delicious and since I did the grocery shopping yesterday, I picked up some Chinese noodles and made this noodle dish with curried peanut sauce. The only problem was I bought the wrong noodles, but what the heck - it was good anyway. The recipe is courtesy of Mary at One Perfect Bite who posts the most unbelievable food. Mary's been on a peanut binge lately and since I too found a big bag of ground nuts in my freezer during my spring purge, I thought I'd put some to use in this great curried noodle dish.

While Mary shows her noodles plain, I felt the need for a little meat so dusted a couple of chicken tenders that I'd cut in bite sized pieces with cornstarch and gave 'em a quick saute'. Topped with some crunchy peanuts, the bowl of yummy deliciousness went down PDQ, and the bonus is I've lunch waiting in the refrigerator for later today. As for the curried peanut sauce, it was all I could do not to lick the empty pot.  I'll be making it again in the very near future as a dip for chicken wings, tenders or with shrimp on one of our Friday night munchie nights.

Head on over to One Perfect Bite to pick up the recipe and while you're there, check out Mary's beautiful site. I have no doubt whatever you try will be absolutely the most "perfect bite"! I swear, there's nothing on her list that I wouldn't give my right arm for any day and she provides an unbelievable amount of inspiration. We've tried several of her dishes with stellar results and have never been disappointed.

 

Thai Chicken Curry

It's rare that I ever make a recipe as written and this was no exception. Another Bon Appetit dish via epicurious.com, it honestly seemed a little ho-hum to me, so I spiced up our version with extra curry paste, fresh ginger and garlic. I also added some fresh mint because my basil was looking exceedingly tired - boy, it's hard to keep that stuff fresh unless you buy the whole plant, isn't it?

The result was a quite pleasing red Thai Curry - with just a subtle bite. Believe it or not we ramped it up a bit with a good squirt of Sriracha.

Now, just so you know - curry is one of the items the big guy said he didn't like before, but since he's been introduced to many of the different variations he's changed his opinion. How do I know this? Well, the first thing he said when he came in the door last night was "boy, it smells good in here". Wonder if I can ever get him to say that over peas. LOL

Thai Chicken Curry (adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious.com)

1 pound chicken tenders, cut crosswise in half

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into quarter inch strips

2 tablespoons minced ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoons red Thai curry paste

1 – 14 ounce can light unsweetened coconut milk (well shaken before opening)

1 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce)

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, well drained (optional)

3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Juice of 1/2 lime

Heat sauté pan over medium high heat. Add oil and heat to shimmering. Season chicken with salt and pepper, coat in cornstarch and cook in batches in hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove to plate and set aside. Add onion, pepper, ginger and garlic to pan and sauté until  onions are slightly soft. Stir often to prevent garlic from burning. Mix red curry paste with a small amount of coconut milk and stir into vegetables. Cook and stir for 1 minute to allow curry to bloom. Add remaining coconut milk, brown sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add chicken back to the pan along with the diced tomatoes (if using). Cook on a low simmer for 10 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked. Serve garnished with basil and mint and sprinkled with lime juice. Serves 4. Download Thai Chicken Curry

 

Crispy Orange Beef

TA DA! As promised yesterday, this is the second meal we had from our fabulous find at Lee Lee's Asian Supermarket over the weekend and I'd say it makes perfect use of the items available to one in such a place, never mind the fresh citrus we have in abundance here in the desert.

When the big guy and I overnighted in San Bernardino on our way back from last summer's Oregon vacation, we stayed at the La Quinta which is immediately next door to a fabulous Asian restaurant. We ordered their version of crispy orange beef and it wasn't just spoonable, it was swoonable. It was so darn good. I've been looking for a way to duplicate it and think this combination of recipes from several sources has finally done the trick. Don't you just love when that happens?

Tender rib eye slices, dried briefly on paper towels in the refrigerator then coated in cornstarch and fried until crisp, slathered in a sweet/sour/spicy gingery, garlicky orange sauce - well it doesn't get any better than this.

You can bet your boots we'll be checking out all of our local ethnic supermarkets for deals like this one. I mean really, who knows what we might be missing?

By the way, I really don't have any special hints for this one, except that you might want to double the sauce so you have some on hand, because if I had we'd be having crispy orange shrimp for dinner tonight. Oh and for goodness sake, don't add the red pepper flakes to the garlic and ginger in the hot wok or you'll darn near asphyxiate yourselves like we did last night. I mean, we even had the UPS delivery guy coughing at the door. Instead, add the pepper flakes after you've added the meat to the wok.

Crispy Orange Beef (inspired by Annie’s Eats and allrecipes.com)

1 pound thinly sliced beef rib eye

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 cups vegetable or peanut oil

Place thinly sliced beef on paper towels on a sheet pan and return to refrigerator for one half hour to dry.  Meanwhile heat vegetable oil in pot or wok. Coat dried beef with cornstarch and fry in hot oil in batches until crisp – about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove to a plate and set aside.  Remove all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return beef to pan and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Toss well to coat. Add sauce and toss briefly to warm beef. Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

Sauce:

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (or water)

finely grated zest of 1 orange

strips of rind from 2^nd orange

Juice of 3 oranges, total of 1 cup of fresh juice

6 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons water

Whisk together chicken broth, orange zest, rind and juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Heat to simmering. Mix together cornstarch and water and add to sauce. Cook, stirring until mixture is thickened and clear. Set aside. Serves 4. Download Crispy Orange Beef

 

 

Thai Curried Shrimp with Coconut

Before you read any farther I've got to tell you last night's dinner was absolutely not to be believed out of this world. I kid you not. Please don't moan, groan and start fanning your taste buds in incendiary anticipation either. Darn it all trust me. It wasn't that hot!

Loaded with beautiful little white shrimp, though I wasn't calling them beautiful during the 45 minutes it took me to shell and clean the little lovelies, this bowl is spiced with red Thai curry paste and sweetened with coconut milk. Served over a bed of rice to soak up all that yummy good stuff, it made for a happy husband last night and we all know that a happy husband means a happy house.  Oh, don't forget to remember to put some lime in your coconut.

 

 

Thai Curried Shrimp with Coconut

1-1/2 pounds peeled & deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste or more to taste

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 – 14 ounce can light coconut milk

2 tablespoons corn starch (optional)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Fresh limes for garnish

Toasted coconut for garnish

Hot cooked rice

Combine shrimp, ginger and garlic. Heat wok over medium high until smoking. Add sesame oil and shrimp/ginger/garlic mixture. Stir fry for 3 minutes or until shrimp is barely pink. Remove from wok and set aside.

Add bell pepper, curry paste and curry powder to wok. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, coconut milk and corn starch. Add to wok and cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Return shrimp to the pan, add cilantro. Cook for 1 more minute, then take off the heat. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes to allow shrimp to finish cooking.  Serve over rice. Garnish with lime and coconut. Download Thai Curried Shrimp with Coconut

Teriyaki Salmon on a Spicy Thai Noodle Salad

Quick and cool were the prerequisites for last night's dinner as it's hot and muggy here in hell these days. Will this monsoon season ever end so I can find something else to whine about? I mean, it's so miserable that even Georgie the cat has had enough. I caught her cooling off in the fountain yesterday - course she could have been there because she was outfoxed by the bird she was after.

The temperature outside also made me want to test the theory that eating something spicy makes you feel cooler. While I'm not one hundred percent sold on the theory, for sure the gorgeous fillet of wild sockeye sitting pretty on a bed of pasta spiced up with soy sauce, garlic, lime and jalapeno met the necessary criteria and satisfied two hungry souls. As for being cooler - not so much, but isn't that the AC's job anyway?

By the way it's too darn hot to fire up the barbecue at our house, particularly since it involves charcoal and dealing with flying creepy crawlies and slithering snakes all of which make me run as fast as possible in another direction; however, for those of you who are so inclined feel free to cook the salmon fillet outside instead of in the oven.

Teriyaki Salmon on Thai Noodle Salad

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon grated lime zest

1 large jalapeno pepper, minced

Place ingredients in a small jar and shake well to combine.

 

Salad:

6 to 8 ounces spaghetti noodles

1 cup peeled and shredded carrots

1 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup slivered red pepper (optional)

1/2 pound green beans, blanched and drained (optional)

Cook noodles per package directions and drain well. Toss hot noodles with vinaigrette. Add vegetables and toss well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serves 4.

Salmon:

2 – 6 to 8 ounce salmon fillets, pin bones and skin removed

3 Tablespoons teriyaki sauce

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon honey

Preheat oven to 475. Place prepared salmon fillets on a foil lined greased baking sheet. Combine teriyaki, hoisin, ginger, Sriracha and honey in a small bowl. Brush salmon fillets with half of mixture and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Bake salmon for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Top fillets with remaining sauce and serve over noodles.   Download Teriyaki Salmon on Thai Noodle Salad

Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Meatballs on Salad

I have to admit to thinking twice before I put these meatballs on the menu, but I'm just so darn happy I did because they are some tasty little morsels. I mean, what's your first thought when you think of shrimp mixed with pork? Yeah, me too but thankfully I got beyond it.

"Famous for its lively fresh flavors and artfully composed meals, Vietnamese food and cooking is the true 'light cuisine' of Asia. Abundant fresh herbs and greens, delicate soups and stir-fries, and well-seasoned grilled foods served on, or with, rice or noodles..." I had to quote this because I couldn't have said it better myself and I don't know about you, but I've never left a Vietnamese restaurant unhappy. Gee, I'm not sure why I needed to justify the decision to give this recipe a try, but I just did! Oh well!

OK about the meatballs - a half pound each of ground pork and freshly chopped shrimp is combined with napa cabbage, fresh ginger, green onions and a touch of cilantro,and a little panko and it's all bound together with egg white to produce unbelievably flavorful and tender meatballs. As you can see, I served them on top of a salad made up of butter lettuce, radishes, cucumber, carrots, a touch of shredded cabbage (slaw), and some sweet onion all topped with an Asian flavored vinaigrette. A little mint would have been a nice touch too, but I didn't think of it until just this moment. It was a much welcome, light dinner after our excesses over the weekend. Download Pork and Shrimp Meatballs on Salad

If you're not in to salad, these meatballs would be fabulous as the filling in lettuce wraps or on top of a bowl of vermicelli rice noodles mixed with cool veggies like cucumber, carrot and bean sprouts - just like the salad I can't help but order whenever we go to Miss Saigon on Ina for dinner. They would also be great in the Vietnamese sandwich called a banh mi... an Asian take on the classic sub or fabulous as part of an appetizer platter including potstickers, spring rolls and the like.

However you shake it they're mighty good eats.Trust me, give them a try and you won't be disappointed.

Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp

When the big guy's late getting home and dinner needs to happen fast, Pad Thai fills the bill on all counts. Once all the ingredients are prepped, the cooking part takes a brief 5 or 6 minutes. The key to success is making sure you've everything ready before you start cooking or you'll likely have a disaster on your hands.

This particular version of Pad Thai combines soy sauce with peanut butter and Asian chili paste for heat,  along with a touch of brown sugar for sweet and vinegar for sour. Combined with chicken, shrimp, rice noodles, and a few vegetables the result is light, mildly spicy and crunchy without the heavy sauces that most of us are accustomed to. We loved it and we'd have it again in a heartbeat. Download Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp

The noodles are firm; the barely there sauce adds just the right amount of moisture to the dish and the fresh bean sprouts add the perfect crunch. It's not too sweet like some versions are and the combination of cilantro and mint along with fresh lime juice really enhances the flavors. Don't leave any of it out - it just wouldn't be the same...that is unless you absolutely hate cilantro in which case you could replace it with fresh basil.

As for today - well the big guy's buddy Larry's coming to visit for a couple of days so I'll be getting the house ready for company, hauling out the special china and polishing the martini glasses. Kinda' sounds like a party, doesn't it?

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce & some news!

Before I tell you about this fabulous Coconut Lime Shrimp, I've got a confession to make. This is NOT what I had for dinner last night. Hey, I'm flying solo this week if you discount Max and Georgie, so last night's dinner was actually some left over meatball lasagne that we talked about a while ago. I enjoyed it very much, but actually I was dreaming about this grilled shrimp so figured I'd just extend the dream and make it semi-real.

 
This marinated shrimp recipe is courtesy of Epicurious.com and was a real find. The big guy and I have made it many, many times and haven't changed the recipe one iota, except to double or triple it depending on our audience. In fact, it's a favorite feast of our kids - a really tight group of the big guy's students that we adopted a couple of years ago, one of whom we're having dinner with tonight. I can't wait to see you Jordyn! Our "babies" are spread out all over the world now, but every time we make "Allie's Shrimp" we think of our crew and the laughs we shared on Monday's over a groaning table. By the way we call it Allie's Shrimp because one of our girls who's the size of a minute, devoured an incredible amount of them one night!

Anyway as you'll see these shrimp are marinated in a mixture of fresh basil, coconut milk, lime, as well as the asian trinity then threaded onto skewers and grilled. They're cooked in a New York minute and absolutely delicious, served with a peanut sauce and some Soba noodles. Now I realize I should be posting this recipe when it's BBQ season, but next time we have 'em, I'll tell you all about it, OK? Don't worry, we won't be doing it any time soon.

We had a storm blow through here last night that was incredible. Good thing our Christmas lights aren't up yet because they'd now be adorning a tree somewhere in Kansas. It blew the lid right off the weber and I haven't found it yet. Yikes. It was wild! I went out to check on Georgie at one point and she was literally holding on to her cushions with all her might. Obviously she's fine though as she just got finished giving Max the old one, two, three across the snout. Such children!

 
Now, about my news! Yesterday, I was presented with the Neno Award by fellow blogger and good friend Mags from www.othersideof50.blogspot.com I am so honored, surprised and totally touched by her gesture. When I first started blogging after much procrastination followed by a boot in the butt from the big guy, it was meant to be a way to share my passion for creating good food, and encourage others to eat well, have fun in the kitchen and be adventurous - every night of the week. I had no idea the biggest bonus would be "cyber" meeting fellow bloggers and making an incredible new life long friend along the way. Thank you Mags - I treasure you. You've taught me so much and with your encouragement and your humor, you've made this blogging adventure a total blast.