Pork Faux Mein

In my early days, I promised to give you recipes that used little to no ingredients that you wouldn't know and likely have in your home.  Pork Faux Mein has only one, oddly enough, but tastes almost exactly like Low Mein noodles from a Chinese restaurant.

Much like Low Mein, this recipe is healthy only in that it has vegetables in it.

Ingredients:
1/2 package of uncooked spaghetti noodles
1 lb pork tenderloin, chopped in pieces about the size of the last joint of your thumb
5 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, cut in small rounds
1 head of broccoli, cut in small florets
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine (you can substitute a very dry white wine if you need to)

Directions:
Snap spaghetti noodles in half.  Boil spaghetti noodles for 9 minutes.  Drain into collander or thoroughly drain in pan.

Melt butter in a large skillet with ginger and garlic over medium high heat.  Fry pork until you can no longer see any pink flesh remaining.  Add in vegetables and stir-fry until broccoli becomes bright green.  Pour in soy sauce and rice wine.  Stir to combine.

Add noodles and stir mixture until almost all the liquid is absorbed.  Serve hot.

Seared Tuna Steaks

February being the month of indulgences (for the blog, anyway) this may not at first glance seem to fit the bill.  But after you go out and buy your tuna steaks, you may understand a little better why I'd put this under the category.  Tuna steaks are expensive!

The very first thing you need for this recipe is a good tuna steak.  Do not get a cheap, on-sale, or suspicious looking tuna steak.  If possible, ask the sales person at the fish market for the best thing they've got. If you happen to be local to Charleston, WV, I'd recommend the fish market in the Capital Market for your fish needs as they've never lead me astray.

Then make sure your steak is the right width: 1 inch wide (approximately).  That is, ladies and gents, the size of the second joint of your pointer finger (as my elementary math teachers liked to say)  This is SUPER important considering it effects your cook time and how well done (or poorly done) your final product is.  Cut if necessary.

Let's go!

Ingredients:
2 1-inch thick tuna steaks, roughly the size of your hand
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
Combine everything but tuna in a gallon sized plastic bag.  Squish together until combined.  Toss in tuna, press out air, and swish around in bag until the tuna is thoroughly coated.  Put in the fridge for about an hour to marinade, turning occasionally to ensure marinade touches all the tuna.

When you're ready to cook, pull out a non-stick skillet and heat over medium high.  When the pan is hot (toss a few drops of water on it: it should sizzle and large drops should bead up and skitter around the pan) Pull the tuna out of the bag LEAVING ANY BITS OF GINGER AND GARLIC ON THE TUNA and slap it in the pan.  Let cook 3 (pink on inside) to 4 (done on inside) minutes per side, turning carefully with a spatula and serve warm.

Elegant Shrimp Pasta

For those of you who are grasping at straws for an easy, attractive dinner to fix for that someone special.

Sorry, I don't have a picture yet.

Ingredients:
1 package of spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine (really just up to preference)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes (can adjust to taste)
1/4 cup dry or semi-dry white wine (do not use sweet*)
About 10 shrimp with tails and all other bits removed sliced in half "hotdog style" (aka, lengthwise)

Directions:


Cook your pasta according to package directions.

In a skillet over medium high heat, put in oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and shrimp.  Sautee, pushing shrimp around with a spoon and flipping occasionally, until the shrimp curl up and turn pink.  Add the white wine and reduce to medium heat.  Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes, then toss with your drained pasta.

Viola!  Topping and sauce all in one!



*It will make it taste like the shrimp has gone off.  At least it does to me.

Chocolate Truffles

What's better for Valentine's Day than making your sweetheart chocolates yourself?  I am also partial to making a few really good chocolates for myself, honestly!

These are not coated truffles (with a shell of hard chocolate on the outside) so they can be fancied up with a number of options and don't require any fancy equipment for even coating.  They are softer than traditional truffles as well, so they're well-served in mini-cupcake holders to prevent a mess.




Ingredients:
1/3 cup of honey
8 oz chocolate (you have some options here: see notes below) broken into small pieces
1 stick of butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp rum (or another liquor to your taste.  Kirsch is good, as is whisky)
1 cup cocoa powder (or sprinkles.  Or another rolling product)
1 tsp salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine chocolate and butter.  Put the bowl over a pot with of simmering water (water should be at least 2 inches short of the bottom of the bowl) and melt the chocolate, stirring often.  Once everything has melted, remove from the heat, and whisk in the honey, rum, and powdered sugar.

Cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Combined cocoa powder and salt in a bowl.  Set out a plate.

Use your hands to roll small balls of chocolate (about the size of a marble) and then roll them in the cocoa powder.  Set on the plate.  Serve as desired.

Notes: I usually use 4 oz of semi sweet and 4 oz of bittersweet for a dark-ish chocolate truffle.  If you're not a big fan of dark chocolate, you may want to do all 8 oz in semi sweet.  If you like really dark, go with all 8 oz in bittersweet (makes my teeth hurt thinking about it)

Burgoo

Every so often, as a treat to ourselves, I make my husband and I a little dish I like to call "Burgoo".  Inspired by those Hamburger Helper meals I had when I was a kid, but kicked up a few notches and spiced, this is DEFINITELY not good for your waistline!

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger (I usually go with lean meat, but this is entirely a preference)
1 onion, roughly diced
1 bell pepper (red or orange), roughly diced
1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes
Pepper flakes*
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package macaroni, cooked

Directions:

Get your macaroni cooking right off the bat: it doesn't take long to make everything else.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.

Brown your hamburger meat, then toss in the bell pepper and onion (yes, with the grease and everything) and saute until the onions and slightly see-through.  Add in tomatoes and add pepper flakes to taste at this point.  Keep in mind that the cheese will muffle the heat a bit.  Stir until the cheese is fully melted.

Put all your macaroni in a large baking dish and pour the burger mixture on top.  Mix as well as you can and bake for 30-40 minutes (you want bubbles, but not burning)

Enjoy!

*Russ and I have developed a deep love for Ghost Pepper flakes in this recipe, but there's no need to be so hard-core.

Bonus Recipe: Thick Caramel Sauce

I searched, I hunted, I quested long and hard for a filling for chocolates for my husband this Valentine's Day.  His favorite chocolate from Holl's is the royal truffle, full of a gooey caramel sauce that we both love.

I wasn't sure: did I want to use a "real" caramel and just coat it with chocolate? (not the same, but delicious) Or did I want to try for that authentic goo?

We'll see how this goes!  It's certainly delicious by itself!

Important note:  This is not a good recipe to make with children.  Besides the patience factor, the caramel will rise up and possibly spit molten sugar at the stage where you add the heavy cream.

Ingredients:
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp butter (chopped into small chunks)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum (optional)

Directions:
Measure out and set aside all your ingredients in advance.  I usually do this anyway, but for this recipe it is ESSENTIAL.  Set them within easy reach of a cleared work space (I use the top of my stove since I have a flat top)

In a large saucepan (at least 4 qts), stir sugar and water until all the sugar is moistened.  Put on stove on medium high.

STAY WITH YOUR PAN.*  Watch it, without stirring, as it comes to a boil, and bubbles begin to slow down as the sugar melts off.  (This took mine about 5 minutes)   Continue to watch, now very closely, until the mixture begins to turn the color of honey.

Pull the pan off the heat and stir the mixture vigorously.   Continuing to stir, add the first 1/2 cup of heavy cream and the chunks of butter.  THE SUGAR WILL RISE UP.  Keep stirring until it settles back down and all the butter is worked in.  Still stirring, add the remaining heavy cream, vanilla, and rum.  Stir until totally incorporated, then pour into a glass jar or storage container.

DO NOT LICK THE SPOON UNTIL COOLED!  (Yes, I totally did this)

Let cool on the counter until no longer hot to the touch, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  It will get thicker in the fridge.

*I cannot emphasize highly enough the chaos that may ensue if you do not stay with your pan.  Let's just leave it at "burnt, crusted sugar water all over your stove and kitchen floor" or "burnt, crusted sugar water nearly or actually ruining your pan"

Sinful February

Welcome to Sinful February!  Last month was all about keeping your resolutions, being good, and staying on the path.  February is going to be all about savouring the delicious, calories be-

Well, I think you know where I'm going!

Expect to see a small handful of "bonus" recipes and info posts this month for what I like to think of as the Chocolate Holiday