Pork Stir Fry with lo mein noodles

• I was really in the mood for a stir fry.  It was my day off so thought time to give this recipe a try.  It's realy worth taking the time to make.  Has a lot of ingredients but goes together fairly quickly.  My Middle grandson wanted to take the entire pot upstairs.  :) so I would say it's a hit and something to make again.

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound (450g) fresh lo mein noodles
• 1 pound (450g) country-style boneless pork ribs or boneless pork loin chops
• 1 teaspoon (3g) baking soda
• 3 tablespoons (40g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Chinese black or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Asian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15g) cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) neutral oil, such as grapeseed, peanut, or canola, divided
• 1 (3-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons; 12g)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 4 scallions, white parts cut in 1-inch pieces, light green parts very thinly sliced; divided
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cored purple cabbage (5 ounces; 150g)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Chinese broccoli or cored Napa cabbage (5 ounces; 150g)
• 1 cup julienned carrots (2 1/2 ounces; 75g)
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
• Sambal oelek (chili paste), for serving (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions, stirring regularly with tongs or long chopsticks, until al dente and separated.   Drain noodles and set aside.Trim pork of excess fat and cut into thin strips, about 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long. In a bowl, stir together baking soda and 1/2 cup cold water. Add pork, stir until thoroughly coated, then let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.   Then, in a med whisk together sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, wine, fish sauce, and cornstarch until sugar is dissolved. Set sauce aside Drain pork well, rinse with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Add pork back to rinsed and dried bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons (15ml) of the sauce and mix well.  

  

In a wok or large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and white scallion pieces and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Increase heat to high and add purple cabbage, Chinese broccoli (or Napa cabbage), and carrots. Cook, stirring and tossing, until vegetables are charred in spots and just softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.  Add 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil to wok or skillet and heat over high heat until smoking. Add pork, spreading it out in a single layer, and let cook on one side until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring and tossing, until just cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to plate with vegetables.  

Wipe out wok or skillet, then add remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) neutral oil and heat over high heat until smoking. Add noodles and cook, tossing and stirring, until hot. 

 Add remaining sauce, vegetables, and pork to noodles and toss well over heat to combine. Transfer lo mein to a platter and sprinkle sliced green scallions all over, along with sesame seeds, if using. Serve right away, passing sambal oelek at the table if desired.

Thanks for taking time to stop by,  have a great week and Always Remember to Find the time to do ALL the things You L♥ve,
Donna

Chicken Carpese'

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and when I saw the video I knew I had to try it.  First it's so simple to make, goes together very quickly and is really delicious.  There was no leftovers with this meal.  I made a side salad and sauteed onion, red and yellow peppers in olive oil with garlic.  The meal was really great.

Ingredients:
5-6 boneless chicken breast
1 1/2 container of cherry tomatoes *I used yellow and red*
3-4 TBL balsamic vinegar
5-6 cloves garlic
Fresh Basil
Provolone Cheese or Mozzarella  *original called for Mozzarella I used Provolone*
salt and pepper
olive oil

In a large sauce pan heat olive oil, salt and pepper both sides of chicken breast add to heated pan.  Cook about 6-8 minutes on each side, set aside.  In same pan add balsamic vinegar then the garlic, cook for a minutes or so...be careful and watch the garlic you don't want it to burn.  Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, add chopped basis then add the chicken back to pan place cheese on top of each piece and then  cover and let cook until the cheese melts.  Just before serving add some more fresh basil.
Serve on a large platter and place tomatoes on top of chicken pieces.
Enjoy
Hope you try this recipe it's great.  Have a great week and always remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things Y♥u L♥ve.
Donna

Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken

I saw this on FB and decided that I would make it.  Easy peasy recipe and not much work at all to create as great dinner that the whole family will love.  Well let me rephrase that...my daughter requested that her chicken not have bacon on it.  LOL  Michael Symon would say "who doesn't love bacon, bacon makes everything better".    HMM my daughter doesn't agree.  :)


6-8 boneless chicken breast (pounded)
6-8 oz ricotta cheese
small bunch of fresh parsley chopped
12-16 slices of bacon
salt and pepper

Preheat oven 450° and line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper (easy clean up)
Pound out the chicken breasts then spread ricotta on them then sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.  Roll up then wrap bacon around to cover, you will need 2 pieces per breast (unless the are small).
Place in oven and cook for about 40 minutes until bacon is crisp and chicken in done.
Serve and enjoy with your favorite sides

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna

Marinated Roast Pork and Potatoes

This was a delicious meal.  I had a bonless roast pork in the freezer that needed to be cook soon and this turned out to be a very moist delicious way to cook it.

I used the meat thermometer to make sure it was done.  They have changed the temperature for pork from years ago.  They say now the internal temperature should be about 160° for roasts, of course you know you should take it out about 10°before it reaches that temperature so the meat and rest and the juices form in the meat.
Here are the potatoes

Marinade:
4-4.5 lb bones pork roast
4 TBL mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic (minced)
salt and pepper

potatoes:
5-6 med to large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks, salt and pepper and then toss them and a small sliced onion in oil.

Place roast in large plastic bag, add ingredients and let marinate at least 2-3 hours...best if you do overnight.
Preheat oven to 425° place roast in pan and cook on high heat for 15  minutes, turn oven down to 375° and continue to cook until the internal temperature in 150-155°.  Remove from oven and let rest for about 15-20 minutes.  For the potatoes you can par boil them is you like, I didn't do that I just peeled them and cut into chunks and when the meat was at about 125° I added them, and when I removed the meat I left them in the pan to finish cooking.

This was an awesome meal, I served this with sauerkraut and cooked carrots.  The only thing that was missing was some great biscuits.  Maybe next time.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna

Sweet and Sour Chicken (baked)

That was a very good meal, and not long to make. 
Instructions

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ cup cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup (no sugar added)
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon  soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 carrot sliced thin
1 onion sliced
1 celery stalk sliced
1 small red pepper
Fresh Pineapple (can use 20 oz can of pineapple chunk drained)
2-3 TBL of the pineapple juice
sesame seeds to top

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.
I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.
separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.  After the chicken is cooked, pour oil off and leave a tiny bit in skillet, add the onion saute for a minute or so then add the rest of the veggies.  Add to baking dish.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic salt, mix well add the pineapple. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour. Stir the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.  Just before serving you can sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.  Serve with your favorite rice.   I always make cauliflower fried rice.
Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment if you like.  Have a great week and always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU LOVE.
Donna

Kung Pao Pork

This is the other dish I made for our weekly Catan Game. My friends said it was really good. I didn't even taste this one because I don't like things that are too spicy and maybe hot. I know as a cook you're always suppose to taste your food, but I would hate to ruin my taste bubs, so I just let my friends taste it and tell if me I need to add anything.

Kung Pao Pork (but you can also do chicken , which is the recipe done most)

Adapted from here
my changes in red

Printable
Ingredients

3 - 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
3 - 4 bonless pieces of pork
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided ( 1 TBL )
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water (about 1/2 cup used later when you are cooking the sauce)
1 ounce hot chile paste
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic

4 ounces chopped peanuts
Added red peppers, mushrooms and onions

Directions

To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
Meanwhile, add about 3 - 4 TBL flour to the pork and mix, this will help give the meat a crunch. Fry meat in some oil in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, this is when you may need to add the additional water if it gets to thick. After frying the meat drain fry pan of oil and leave just enough to saute the onion, mushrooms and red pepper. When they are aldente add the peanuts and quickly stir pour over pork and then pour the sauce over that. Add additional peanuts. Stir on platter. Serve
Thanks for taking the time from you busy day to stop by. Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to do All the Things You Love.
Donna

Sausage Calzone

I made these the other night for dinner. They sure were tasty. The dough is my favorite pizza dough...best I've tasted. It is best if you make the dough the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight and then about 2 hrs before you make your calzones take it out and let it rest covered on the counter. You can find the recipe for the dough here.

Ingredients:
5 links of sweet Italian sausage (taken out of casing)
1 green roasted pepper (cut into strips)
1 red roasted pepper (cut into strips)
1 Sweet onion (cut into strips)
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 TBL olive oil
2 TLB fresh basil
8 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
2 TBL fresh parsley
1 egg
fresh homemade sauce ( recipe found here )

In a large skillet saute the onion and garlic, add the meat and brown, add salt and pepper in some olive oil. Set aside. Roast your peppers in the oven on broil. When charred place in plastic bag and let steam help remove the skins. When done remove the skin and slice.
In a bowl mix ricotta , 1 egg and 2 TBL fresh parsley.
Take golf size balls of dough and roll out into a circle. Place sausage, peppers, onions, a couple of TLB of ricotta and a couple of slices of mozzarella. Fold over and pinch dough so it seals. Brush with olive oil and bake in 500 degree oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve with sauce and enjoy.



Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week, and those mom's that have kids going back to school, Take a breath and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things YOU love.
Donna

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

  Belated St. Patty's day all.  Of course we had our Corned Beef and Cabbage.  This is my daughters favorite meal.  On her birthday she always wants me to make it.  I always make 2 corned beef, one in the pressure cooker and the other in a pot cooked very slow on the oven.  Well I got to thinking last night laying in bed and said to myself, why can't I just cook the second one in the slow cooker.  I wasn't sure on how long to cook it so of course I searched the net.  It  took 6 hours.  This is the one from the slow cooker.

Ingredients:
3 lb corned beef
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
4 medium carrots, cut large pieces
2 stalks celery, cut in large pieces
1 small head of green cabbage
I cooked it for 3 1/2 hrs on high and then 2 1/2 on low.  Next time I will put the cabbage in a bit later, maybe just the last 2 1/2 hrs.  The potatoes were very good but we always have mashed potatoes with our cabbage and never have carrots or the celery.  I will for sure make this again this way.
Thanks for stopping by and Remember to Find the time to do ALL the things you love.
Donna