• 27Oct

    I love Chinese food. One of a favorite/comfort memories from my childhood was going to visit Uncle Norbert and Omi (my paternal grandmother), and then going to the Blossom Inn for supper. We’d order a wide array of dishes for everyone to share, but there’d always be the Blossom Inn Special Shrimp, a special little dumpling of spiced ground pork on a small chunk of green pepper, topped with a slice of spicy Chinese sausage (I can never remember what that dish is called), and my brother and I would get Shirley Temples. Oh, and we mustn’t forget the almond cookies. I liked those better than the fortune cookies.

    I haven’t been to the Blossom Inn in over 20 years, but I remember those dishes so well that I can almost taste them, and it makes my mouth water. Donovan has my love of Chinese food, and we’re working on converting Ari. I get really excited when I find recipes that interest me, and I always try to find ways to sneak Chinese (or Chinese inspired) food onto the menu.

    Finding the Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast recipe was one of them. I adore the dim sum steamed bbq pork buns, and while I know a store nearby that sells them, I always go “eek!” when I see the price. No, it’s not really that expensive, but I always think I can make them cheaper. The recipe you’ll find below the break is actually double the original, as I wanted to make sure I had extra to make the buns.

    I served the roast with home made vegetable fried rice. The roast was a hit (even with Matt, which is truly gratifying, as he’s an “I’ll eat Chinese, but only when I’m in the mood” (which is almost never)), and I will make the fried rice again, but adjusting the seasoning. My memory of the pork was that it was sweeter, but then in finding the recipe for the buns, I see there’s a sweet sauce you mix the pork with, so it could be that. Regardless, this recipe is being moved from the “to be tried” binder to our “family favorites”.

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  • 01Oct

    This is another one of my favorite dishes and comfort foods. It’s a bit surprising, though, considering I generally can’t stand the taste of sauerkraut. I’m calling this Tick Tock Oma’s Szekely Goulash because it’s my maternal grandmother’s recipe. Her greatgrandchildren call her Tick Tock Oma because they call my mom Oma, and greatgrandmother in German would be “Uroma”, with “Ur” being almost identical in sound to “Uhr”, which means clock. Clock = tick tock. Rather ingenius, isn’t it? :) I can’t take credit for that – it was suggested for my eldest niece, who’s a bit older than Donovan.

    Before you move on to the recipe (which is after the break), I’d like to thank my dad for sharing these recipes with me. Expect more phone calls as I remember and want to try my childhood favorites!

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  • 02Sep

    As I’ve mentioned before, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, so I’ve been trying to find recipes that are not only good for me but will be enjoyed by the rest of the family. This ribs recipe is based on the General Mike’s Finger Lickin’ Ribs recipe from 500 More Low-Carb Recipes: 500 All New Recipes From Around the World by Dana Carpender. I’ve never had a mustard-based bbq sauce before, so I was curious as to how it tasted. It was good, as was the ribs. I discovered, when putting it all away after supper, that the meat tasted better room temperature!

    General Mike’s Finger Lickin’ Ribs

     
    Serves 8

    1 1/2 cups spicy brown mustard
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    1/4 cup wine vinegar
    1 tablespoon minced garlic
    8 pounds country style pork ribs

    Spray the interior of a 6 qt slow cooker crock with non-stick cooking spray.

    Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Coat the meat with the sauce and place in the slow cooker. Pour any remaining sauce overtop.

    Put the lid on and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until the meat pulls easily off the bone.

    – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

    Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 854 Calories; 65g Fat (68.5% calories from fat); 62g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 242mg Cholesterol; 1348mg Sodium.

    Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 8 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 8 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

  • 28Apr

    Yesterday was a lot hotter than normal, and I didn’t want to be cooking, so I rearranged the menu for the week and made Jerked Pork Sandwiches with Lime Mayo from New Flavors from Your Crockery Cooker (Better Homes and Gardens(R)). It’s a slow cooker recipe I’ve made before, but it was quite a while ago. So long, in fact, that the only reason I can be sure I made it before is the fact I wrote “Yum!” on the page, and there’s evidence of some sauce being smeared on the page and then cleaned up.

    Pork shoulder was on sale last week, so I made a double batch. We ate half last night, and the other half of the meat has been put in the freezer for another day. The recipe below is what I used for the double batch version of the recipe. Next time, though, more seasoning and less water.

    Jerked Pork Sandwiches with Lime Mayo

     
    4 lbs pork shoulder, trimmed of fat
    2 tbsp your favorite jerk seasoning
    2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
    2 cup water
    2 tbsp lime juice
    6 to 8 kaiser rolls

    Rub the jerk seasoning onto the meat, then put the meat in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the crushed thyme, then pour the water over everything. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. When done, remove the meat from the crockpot, reserving the liquid, and shred. Discard any fat from the meat. When the meat is shredded, add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the meat, add lime juice, and mix well. Serve on the kaiser rolls with a generous serving of the lime mayo.

    Lime Mayo

     
    1 cup light mayonnaise
    2 tsp finely grated lime zest
    2 tbsp lime juice
    1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
    3 tsp minced garlic

    Combine everything in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the sandwiches.

  • 02Feb

    Yes, I know it’s not Christmas, but this is what I made for Christmas Eve dinner. The sauce makes enough for two pounds of pasta, way more than we can eat at a single sitting – especially when we’re trying to cut back. It’s a Rachael Ray recipe. What else is new, eh? :) The kids liked it enough that I’ll probably make it again next Christmas.

    Christmas Pasta

     
    Serves 4

    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
    4 cloves garlic, crushed
    1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
    1/4 pound pancetta, thick-cut, chopped into small bits
    1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
    1 pound combined ground beef, pork and veal
    1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
    1 rib celery, chopped
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 cup good quality dry red wine
    1 cup prepared beef stock, packaged in a box container or canned
    2 cans chunky style crushed tomatoes (32 ounces each)
    A handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
    1/4 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon (a couple of pinches)
    Coarse salt and black pepper
    2 pounds penne rigate, cooked to al dente
    Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, as an accompaniment
    Fresh, crusty bread, for mopping

    Heat a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay leaf and pancetta bits and brown for one minute. Add meats and brown and crumble them for five minutes.

    Chop carrot, celery and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat for five minutes and add wine. Cook for one minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot.

    Stir in parsley, allspice or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10-15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves.

    Toss pasta (cook only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every three people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table.