JBug's Kitchen Antics

Peanut Sesame Noodles with "RedNeck" Egg Rolls

Who says pulled pork is only good for sandwiches?  As promised, here's the second example of what can be done with yesterday's Oven BBQ Pulled Pork. I can't take credit for someone else's ingenuity since we first saw this on D,D & D but I swear I'll be making them so often I'll be able to call them my own. Delicious morsels they are!

A little internet research and here's the result thanks to the Neely's. SImply leftover pulled pork, warmed briefly and jazzed up with a touch more barbecue sauce, cozied up along with some leftover spicy slaw in a purchased eggroll wrapper. Rolled and deep fried for a few minutes, it's the kind of kitchen miracle that makes one wonder why it wasn't thought of before.  Big Guy named these beauties although I'm not quite sure what defines a "redneck" so (don't laugh, OK) I had to look it up.

According to the site, BSorNot, "...a redneck is a stereotypical southern United States socially conservative, fiscally liberal, rural, working class white person with northern European ancestry." Of course Big Guy proudly attests to being one; however, the site contains a more involved description that you may or may not want to check out. Personally I'm not sure that man of mine qualifies since we don't live in a trailer, he doesn't drive a truck, no longer owns a stained sleeveless t-shirt and he lost the mullet (literally). Hold on a minute here because ya' gotta give me time to recover from my laughing jag!

Anyway, we had our egg rolls with some sweet spicy chile sauce for dipping and a bowl of Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles courtesy of epicurious.com. Hit the link for the recipe, OK - I changed very little, except that I used Annie Chun's Chow Mein noodles, added srirachi instead of red pepper flakes and left out the toasted sesame seeds.

A year ago - Pork Chops with Golden Apple Sauce

Two year's ago - Chicken Cutlets with Romesco

Three year's ago -  JBug's Baked Eggs

 

 

Maple Chicken Wings

Oh boy! I could just leave it at that and hope you'll make 'em really soon, because honestly these maple flavored chicken wings, loaded with garlic, salty from soy and teriyaki and sweetened with real maple syrup are darn near addictive.

They'll be perfect for any of you football fanatics because if you put 'em in the oven just before the game starts, by half time you'll be chowing down on their tender deliciousness. All they need is a couple of hours in the oven with a shake up every now and then and they're done but for goodness sake, make them in a disposable pan or there's no doubt you'll be cursing me big time.

We enjoyed our wings on a bed of spicy peanut noodles loaded with crunchy veggies and a touch of spicy Sriracha heat. Oh so good!

Maple Chicken Wings (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from foodnetwork.com)

3 pounds chicken wings

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 cup real maple syrup

Wash and dry chicken wings. Arrange in a large disposable aluminum foil pan. Preheat oven to 350. In a small container with a tight fitting lid combine teriyaki, soy sauce, garlic, spices and maple syrup, secure cover and shake to combine ingredients. Pour over chicken wings and toss to coat. Bake for 1 hour, turning wings half way during baking period. Increase oven temperature to 425 and bake for another 45 minutes or until sauce is reduced and wings are a rich color. Give wings a stir every 15 minutes so they brown evenly.  

A year ago - Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Two year's ago -  Creamy Buffalo Chicken Salad

Thai Chicken Curry with Butternut Squash

In case you're tired of roasting squash, pureeing it in soup or heaven forbid sick of baking pies, here's a great way to have your squash and eat it too. Sorry! I couldn't resist. 

Loaded with the subtle heat of Thai red curry paste and mellowed with unsweetened coconut milk, this recipe from Williams-Sonoma is just about ideal, although I'll admit to making some changes in cooking method and ingredient quantities. You know we don't do "pansy" flavors in this house so I had to add more oomph and I didn't see the point in throwing out all the nutrients from the squash by cooking it separately then adding it to the chicken, never mind having to wash another pot.

Check out the original recipe by hitting the link above, but for convenience I've included my version below. Naturally, in addition to the significant increase in the amount of spices, you'll notice I substituted butternut squash for the Sugar Pie pumpkin. They wanted an arm and a leg for that little sucker, and I wasn't about to pay the price. I also combined fresh cilantro, mint and basil together, sprinkled some into the bottom of the bowl before I put the curry on top and garnished with the rest. It adds an incredible amount of flavor to the dish as does the addition of shredded coconut to the rice. I'm thinking it might be a tad bland without it and who wants that? 

Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. We rather enjoyed the flavors and texture of the tender, moist chicken and slight firm bite of the squash. Just be careful with your heat after you've added the coconut milk so the mixture doesn't curdle and please don't overcook the squash, OK?

Thai Chicken Curry with Butternut Squash (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1-1/2 pounds peeled and diced butternut squash (half of a medium squash cut into half inch cubes)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

3 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 heaping tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 teaspoon Thai Chili paste

2 tablespoons water

1 – 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Coconut rice

Fresh limes as garnish

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cornstarch. Mix to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chicken to pan and cook until chicken starts to turn golden in color – about 3 to 4 minutes. Add squash to pan along with chicken stock. Cover pan, lower heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook for 4 more minutes until liquid has reduced and squash is tender but still crisp.

In a food processor combine shallots, garlic, Thai curry paste and chili paste along with 2 tablespoons water and pulse until mixture is almost smooth. Move chicken/squash mixture to one side of sauté pan and add puree. Bring to a boil then combine with chicken, squash mixture and cook for additional 5 minutes. In a small bowl combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and coconut milk. Add to sauté pan, lower heat to a slow simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until mixture is warmed through. To serve - Combine basil, cilantro and fresh mint together. Sprinkle some on the bottom of each serving, then ladle curry on top. Serve with coconut rice and garnish with fresh lime. Serves 4. 

 A year ago - Thai Shrimp Curry

Two year's ago - Apple Pear Cake with Hazelnuts and Butterscotch

Soba Noodles and Katsu

We love Asian flavors around here. Actually, there aren't many things we don't like which makes life much easier. Big Guy did the cooking last night and the truth is, he's much more adventurous than I am. The last thing he said to me this morning was that he couldn't wait to read today's blog post to see what I had to say about it. So here you go, smarty pants. 

He started by cooking up a big bowl of Soba - Japanese noodles made from buckwheat that are virtually gluten free (check the packaging to be sure though, OK). Cooked quickly and dressed in a ginger/garlic/soy vinaigrette, they can be served on their own or mixed with an assortment of colorful vegetables for a super salad. They're amazing!

Katsu or "tonkatsu" as it's formally known, is usually made from pork cutlet that's pounded thin, lightly seasoned, dipped in an egg wash then coated in panko crumbs and fried. It's crisp golden brown on the outside and moist and tender inside. In other words, it is truly the bomb like this version we had a couple of year's ago.

Trouble is with Big Guy cooking you never really know what you're going to get and when left to his own devices, he's determined to make his wife into a wild meat eater. Point in fact, the katsu you're looking at below is made from javalina, aka peccary, aka skunk pig - a nasty looking, fanged scarey little creature that inhabits our current desert homeland (photo from http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net).

Big Guy and his hunting partner John go looking for them every February and depending on the year, one or the other will manage to bag one. Now personally I have a problem eating wild meat but Big Guy just laughs at me.

I mean I'm far from a vegetarian and I'll eat any meat that someone makes their living raising... afterall I grew up on a farm; however, the wild stuff ...not so much. I picture Bambi and it doesn't matter what kind of meat it is, I still can't get by the vision of a sweet little thing with huge eyes, long eyelashes and a gentle disposition. 

Last night Big Guy gave me the peccary's tenderloin, all cooked up crispy and golden with tender loving care. How could I say NO to that! 

Incidentally, javalina is slightly darker in color than pork has a longer grain in the meat and kinda' tastes like veal. Will I eat it again? Maybe ...but only after Big Guy consumes a bushel of green peas, a quart and a half of green beans and a stockpot of garbanzo's. 

Soba Noodle Salad:

Dressing:

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

---

4 ounces Soba noodles, cooked per package directions and drained

Toss noodles with dressing and serve either warm or chilled.

A year ago - The Ultimate Patty Melt

Two year's ago - Food Processor French Bread 

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Veggies

This bowl of noodle bliss is inspired by a recipe at Fine Cooking but we made it finer with several additions. As you know, JBug's Kitchen isn't into the ordinary very often.  Quite frankly, we both felt this effort was more along the lines of extraordinary and a perfect week night meal that takes mere minutes to put together.

As you can see, instead of using pad thai rice noodles I used Annie Chung's chow mein noodles, cooking them to a slight al dente texture. As an aside, watch out for these little beauties when they're on the stove because sure as shootin' they'll boil over as soon as you turn your back. Uh huh mine did! If you'd rather, just substitute spaghetti. It'll taste about the same but the texture will be slightly different. 

Fine Cooking's recipe called for only salt in the pork so I added minced fresh ginger and lots of garlic to the mix, as well as honey and a touch of sriracha to the crunchy peanut sauce. Our veggies included grated carrots and zucchini strips, as well as sliced mini peppers for their assorted colors and crisp flavor and fresh basil to go with the mint because we really love the combination.  Of course one can't forget the monster jalapeno in the mix - oh and lots of fresh lime too. 

This one's a keeper - I mean, an honest to goodness make it again and to heck with the moderation plan kinda' keeper. Just so you know, I cut back on the amount of noodles to save a few calories, but no matter how you cut it, this one will never be totally calorically responsible. Just sayin'. 

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Veggies (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Fine Cooking)

8 ounces Annie Chun chow mein noodles

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup minced fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 pound ground pork

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup hot water

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha or more to taste

1 cup sliced assorted sweet mini peppers

1 cup julienned zucchini

1 cup grated carrots

1 large jalapeno, stemmed and finely chopped

2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Fresh lime wedges

Cook noodles according to package directions and rinse well under cold water. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly, and then add ground pork and salt. Sauté crumbling meat with a fork until cooked through and no longer pink.

Whisk together peanut butter, water, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, fish sauce and sriracha. Mix sauce into cooked noodles along with ground pork, reserving some of the pork to use as a garnish. Arrange noodles in a serving bowl, surrounded by vegetables. Garnish with mint, basil, jalapeno and reserved ground pork. Pass the lime wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

A year ago - It's A Boy!

Two year's ago - Big Bacon Blue Burgers 

Three year's ago - Easy Beef and Bean Enchiladas

Orange Sesame Albacore Tuna with Hoisin on Curried Rice Salad

Peanut butter and jelly; thunder and lightening; horse and carriage. What do these things have in common? Are you stumped?  They go with each other beautifully - I mean who has a peanut butter sandwich without the jelly?

That's what we thought about our dinner last night. Everything went together beautifully - from the fish to the curried rice salad right on down to the shredded spinach and grilled peach. It was a perfect marriage of flavor, texture, color and taste. Modest aren't we?

 

The recipe for the tuna came from the Oregon Albacore Commission which is rather fitting since the tuna came fresh off a boat at dock in Newport, Oregon. We brought the fish home to Tucson in a cooler loaded with other precious Oregon products all on dry ice. If I'd known how darn tasty it was going to be, we'd have come home with another one too - ya, think I can talk Big Guy into going back for one? It's only 1435.7 miles - 23 hours and 51 minutes. Heck, we could go there and back in a weekend but who on earth would want to leave that quickly. It is beautiful there!

The loin is marinated in a mixture of orange juice, sesame oil, mustard, fresh tarragon and sesame seeds for a few hours then grilled for about 9 minutes total. Brushed with hoisin during the last few minutes of cooking, it almost glows when it comes off the grill. 

Allowed it to rest for a few minutes, then sliced and perched on top of a curried rice salad that I threw together with ingredients hiding in the pantry and fridge, darned if it wasn't just the most perfect thing you can imagine.

If you're lucky enough to find fresh Albacore tuna, you've absolutely got to give this one a try. Albacore is way more than just a fish you find in a can and totally different in texture and flavor than sushi kind (Ahi). The marinade and hoisin glaze would work well with shrimp or halibut or even cod too. Just don't marinate them for too long otherwise the juice will "cook" the fish and you'll have something resembling ceviche which is really a whole other thing!

Hit the link and head to the Oregon Albacore Commission's site to see the recipe. We discarded the marinade rather than brushing the loin with it as it cooked - I kind of have a thing about doing that, but the flavor is not to be believed. By the way, don't forget the fresh tarragon either. The mildly sweet anise flavor is amazingly present in the tuna and definitely not in a bad way. It's a real keeper!

Curried Rice Salad (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

2 cups cooked basmati rice, chilled (I used leftovers)

5 assorted mini sweet bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup toasted almonds

2 tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup prepared mango chutney

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl combine rice, peppers, onion, raisins, nuts and candied ginger. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, chutney, garlic and curry powder. Cover jar and shake well to mix. Pour over rice mixture in a bowl and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Refrigerate until serving time. 

A year ago - Maple Ginger Pork Medallions and Salad with Creamy Maple Dressing

Two year's ago - Teriyaki Salmon on Spicy Thai Noodle Salad

 

Three year's ago -  Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

 

 

Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Meatballs

Now don't be passing negative judgement before you try these meatballs - pork and shrimp together are absolutely sublime. If you're a regular JBug visitor this is going to sound familiar to you because we've had them before and quoted their praises many times, but I think if I made 'em for breakfast, lunch and dinner I wouldn't hear any complaints around here. Honest. They're that good!

Ground pork and lovely medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped along with minced onion, cilantro and fresh ginger make up the flavor base of these lovely little morsels from Sunset Magazine, courtesy of myrecipes.com. They normally include napa cabbage too but I didn't have any so substituted some chopped sweet pepper instead which accounts for the lovely little flecks of color throughout.

They're fabulous flavor filled gems on a simple butter lettuce salad, or in a soft bun along with some crunchy cucumber slices and kimchi or even as we had them, perched on a bed of Trader Joe's Sate' flavored noodles.

It was a great "packin' the Jeep for the trip" dinner. Yup, we're finally leaving today - in about five and a half hours to be exact. The Jeep's packed, all the food is ready to load into the coolers and I just have to clean the house before we leave and do a truck load of ironing but I've great incentive. As of noon, I'm on vacation!

Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Meatballs on Salad (adapted from Sunset Magazine via myrecipes.com)

In a large bowl, combine well

1 egg white, slightly beaten

2 green onions, minced

2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely chopped napa cabbage

1/2 cup panko crumbs

Add:

1/2 pound cleaned, deveined shrimp, finely chopped

1/2 pound ground pork

Mix lightly to combine well. Form into 1-1/2 inch balls and place on a sheet pan that has been lined in plastic wrap. Cover well and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large non stick pan. Add meatballs and cook over medium high heat for 8 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. (Makes 2 dozen)

A year ago - Cheesy Chicken Chowder 

 

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.