stir fry yum!

Oh boy thought we were gonna have fish tonight but it did not thaw out in time. So.... Pork Stir Fry!  So many things went into this meal. Boneless pork ribs, bok choy, celery, carrots, onion,broccoli, water chestnuts, baby corn, green beans, napa cabbage, spinach, pineapple, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, mushrooms, honey, soy sauce, sesame seeds, Cilantro, 2 T vegetable oil and sambal chili paste. Cube about 1 1/2  pork ribs into bite size pieces. I used about 1 T of the oil and heated almost to smoking point in a wok (if you don't have a wok use a large sauce pan) Remove from heat and add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 t of sambal paste, 1 T each of ginger and lemongrass paste(I buy this at my local grocery store near the fresh herbs) This will crackle and pop so keep your face away from the pan. stir around until it cools slightly add meat and place back on burner. Heat back up to high and add 1/2 cup pineapple juice and 2 T of honey. Cook until the juice reduces and becomes syrup like. Pour meat and sauce in a bowl. Wipe out wok (NEVER wash wok with water) (This sounds crazy but it will rust your wok guarantee) Add another T of oil and heat to high again. Start by adding another clove of chopped garlic, t each of ginger, lemongrass and sambal paste. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook about 3 minutes then add pineapple, bok choy, mushrooms broccoli, water chestnuts, green beans, and baby corn and cook another 3 minutes until tender. Finish by adding the cabbage and spinach just long enough to wilt. Add 1T of soy sauce and 1/2 c pineapple juice. Cook till sauce thickens. Make a small pile of rice in the middle of the plate(I used Basmati but you could use any rice you prefer) Add veggies and meat over the rice, sprinkle cilantro and sesame seeds over everything and serve. It was so delicious my fiance couldn't eat it fast enough! :) Enjoy!

Thanksgiving dinner... In April?

So my fiance and myself bought way too many turkeys at thanksgiving... 7 to be exact. We had them very cheap at work so we each bought some. Needless to say we have had a bit of turkey since November. Yesterday I BBQ'd one of the turkeys. And it was amazing. I of course I injected it with some butter and seasonings that included an oil I infused with-paprika, chili powder, bay leaf, honey, lemon, salt and pepper. Let it sit for 24 hours at room temp. I drained the oil through a cheese cloth and was left with a delicious infused oil. I use a cooking syringe with a large injection needle which you can find at your local store near the turkey basters. Inject the oil and melted butter through out the meat until it is all gone. I bbq'd my turkey on my bbq with the 2 burners on the left on low to medium heat the and the side I placed the turkey on I heated on high and turned off after I layed the turkey breast down on the grill. It did take around 2.5-3 hours so make sure your tank is full. I do not recommend trying with a charcoal grill unless you have the ability to continually add coals. So that all brings me to tonight's dinner. I sliced off some of the breast meat and heated it in a pan on medium heat. Just enough to warm through. I layed the turkey on a little bed of baby spinach. I then took 2 yams that I peeled and cut in large chunks. I put them in the oven at 450 degrees tossed in a little oil, salt, pepper and a slight drizzle of honey. For the last 5 or so minutes I turned on the broiler to get them nice and toasty. I added a nice side of sauteed green beans that I added some diced onion and craisins to with a little salt and pepper to taste. A slice of harvest bread that I got from the local super market to finish off the meal.

Spaghetti

So tonight I am gonna do a little quick spaghetti meal. Normally I use a mix of ground beef and italian sausage but tonight im gonna make it a little more simple. Needed ingredients include - 1package of Johnsonville Italian sausage links. (I used mild tonight) Red wine(I used a snoqualamie falls Syrah. 2- 16 oz cans of spaghetti sauce(My choice tonight was hunts with mushrooms), 2 cans of sliced mushrooms or 1 lb of fresh mushrooms sliced. Olive oil, garlic, italian seasoning,3 bay leafs, basil,salt to taste, black pepper, 1 beef bouillon cube, 1- 8oz can of stewed tomatoes diced. I oackage spaghetti noodles(I used a whole wheat noodle)  Begin with a large sauce pan, add about 2 T of olive oil and bring to a medium high eat. Add your garlic, bay leaf, italian seasoning, pepper and bouillon cube to the heated oil. Let cook for about 1-2 minutes or till the garlic turns a light brown color. Add your sausages to the pan and let them brown on both sides. When pan seams almost like it is getting too hot add 2 cups of red wine to deglaze pan. Turn pan down to medium heat. Add your mushrooms. Reduce wine down by half. Add your spaghetti sauce and stewed tomatoes. Let simmer for 1 hour. Get a large pot to cook your noodles in. Bring water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt to water(small handfull for a large pot) Cook noodles till al dente(Just before they are cooked all the way through). Serve spaghetti with a nice side salad and some french bread :) Maybe a little parmesean cheese :)

The journey begins with Shepperds pie!

So I was really wondering what on earth I would be making for dinner tonight.... Ho hum not the same old same old but what to do with my leftovers from the night before steak, mashed potatoes and gravy. Well what would you think? So after I searched the web for something tasty it hit me. Shepperd's pie! So I began by getting out all of my ingredients. You will need the following-2 leftover steaks type not important(I used sirloin)sliced into 1 inch strips, 2 oz salted pork cubed, leftover mashed potatoes(about 4 cups)thinned out with a little extra milk, 1 package McCormick brown gravy mix, 2 cups green beans cut in 1 inch pieces, 1 cup zucchini cubed, 1 cup carrots sliced, 1 cup mushrooms sliced, 1 cup bok choy(or celery) sliced, 2 medium onions diced, 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 T parsley flakes, 1 T Italian seasoning, 2 bay leafs, 1 t black pepper, 1 bouillon cube, and 2 1/2 cups water. I placed a large sauce pan on the stove and turned it on to a medium heat. Add the salted pork and let render until the pork is crispy. Then add the garlic, onion and all seasonings(Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and parsley flake). Let cook until onions become slightly translucent. add about 1/2 cup of the water. After the water has begun to simmer and almost evaporate add all of the vegetables(green beans, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms and bok choy or celery) cook down till vegetables become soft but not squishy. Add remaining 1 1/2 cup water, bouillon cube, gravy mix and steak. Cook until gravy thickens. Grease a 13x9 pan. Pour filling into pan and remove the bay leafs. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over filling with out mixing the two together. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 1/2 hour. Move tray to second to last rack on top and switch oven to broil. Watch closely as not to burn the top but broil until brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 20 minutes to slightly cool.

  I chose to pair my Shepperd's pie with a simply salad and some croutons. Enjoy!