I pulled out my cookbooks the other day, when I was working on my menu plan.

So often we forget that we have a myriad of delicious recipes at our fingertips, and it's easy to get stuck in a rut and basically make the same thing over and over.

But at times we get a little tired and want something new, so I made up my whole menu plan using newish recipes to us and so far, everyone has enjoyed it.

This one is going on our favorites list, it tastes amazing and it's not too complicated to make.  Besides, if you can get Asian food at home without having to order take-out, why not?

I adapted the recipe slightly to suit our needs, but I'll tell you below where and what I did.


1/2 (16-ounce) package wonton wrappers
2 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed
3/4 cup sesame seeds, divided (I didn't use sesame seeds in this recipe)
1 cup vegetable oil, divided
/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dark sesame oil, divided
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
10 to 12 small green onions, sliced
1 (10-ounce) package mixed salad greens (I served mine with Basmati Rice instead)
1 bok choy, shredded(I used some coleslaw mix, just eyeballed it)

*I also added in half a small onion, sliced thinly


Cut wonton wrappers into 1/2-inch strips, and cut pork into 3- x 1-inch strips; set aside. Toast 1/2 cup sesame seeds in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from skillet.

Pour 1/2 cup vegetable oil into skillet; heat to 375°. Fry wonton strips in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels; set aside. Drain skillet.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup sesame seeds, flour, salt, and pepper in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add pork. Seal and shake to coat.

Pour 2 tablespoons sesame oil into skillet; place over medium heat. Fry half of pork in hot oil, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Remove and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil and pork.  Add in the onion and coleslaw mix at this point, cook until onion is tender.

Process toasted sesame seeds, remaining 1/2 cup vegetable oil, soy sauce, and vinegar in a blender 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Combine pork and green onions; drizzle with soy sauce mixture, tossing gently.

Combine mixed greens and bok choy; top with pork mixture and fried wonton strips.(I topped the pork mixture with the fried wonton strips, and then served it along with the rice)

Serve immediately.

I absolutely love dumplings, but as always, with some dishes, I'm a bit intimidated by the thought of making them myself, and so I steer clear.

Well last week while making the new menu plan, I decided that I needed to conquer this fear.  Actually it seems that lately I've been conquering quite a few cooking fears, here and there.  It's a good thing, and I'm really determined to stop being so scared of trying new dishes and to just jump right in and go for it.  What's the worse that could happen?  I have to remake it again?

I actually found this recipe on Tasty.  If you don't know what Tasty is, you have to get on the ball, you can find them all over Facebook, Internet, Youtube and so on.

This was super simple to make, and the only real change I will be putting in effect next time I make these, is that I found the dough a bit too thick and I didn't put quite near enough filling because once it's cooked it tends to shrink. I also need to practice the art of pleating and folding a dumpling, which I am terrible at.

Other than that, they were delicious, with a very big Capital D.





4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups warm water
2 cups red cabbage
2 cups green onions, sliced
cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound ground pork
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt


¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes


PREPARATION

1. Combine the flour, salt, and warm water and mix until well combined.
2. Roll out dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth.

3. Separate the dough into 4 equal parts.
4. Roll out the piece into a thin log and divide into 6 or 8 pieces depend on the size of dumplings you want.


5. Lightly flour the divided piece of dough and roll out piece to a thin circle roughly 4-inches in diameter.
6. Keep the dumpling wrappers separated with parchment paper, and repeat with remaining dough.


7. Combine cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil and mix until well incorporated. Add pork, salt and pepper. 
8. To assembly dumplings, add roughly 1 heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of a dumpling wrapper.


9. With your finger lightly coat 1 half of the outside of the wrapper with water.
10. Seal the dumplings using your preferred method.
11. With pleating, start from one side and pleat the half of the dumpling closest to you, keeping the other half still.

12. Heat oil on medium high in a pan and add a few dumplings, cooking them in batches.
13. Once the bottom of the dumplings start to brown, add in a splash of water and cover with a lid.
14. Steam for roughly 5 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked and water has evaporated.

Enjoy!

My family loves pork, and especially the Scallopini.  I find that they are usually the cheapest cut of pork and are always tender and yummy, so I make quite a few dishes using them.

Last night's dinner was super simple and quick, these Honey Mustard Scallopini come together pretty fast and fry up even faster because they are so thin, so in no time we were sitting down to eat.

Hubby and kids loved them and even wanted more, I really should have made the two packs I bought but I honestly thought the one would be enough, I just wasn't counting on them enjoying these so much.

This recipe is now on my family's favorite list.  Thank you to Taste of Home once again for another winner.




4 boneless butterflied pork chops (4 ounces each)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/3 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 8 crackers)
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter


Flatten pork to 1/8-in. thickness. In a small bowl, combine honey and mustard; brush over both sides of pork.


In a shallow bowl, combine cracker and bread crumbs; add pork and turn to coat.


In a large skillet, cook pork over medium heat in oil and butter for 2-3 minutes on each side or until crisp and juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings.

I know, I know, the most common are Chicken and Veal, but I like changing things up and going against the grain.  I've had Turkey Parmigiana but this time I decided to go with Pork, and I'm so glad I did because it works wonderfully and is just as good as the others.

I used Pork Scallopini which is nice and thin.

The recipe is adapted from an Easy Everyday Cooking card.



1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
6 pork scallopini
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or sliced)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided


Preheat oven to 400 F.

Grease a large baking dish.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat;  add onion and garlic.  Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir undrained tomatoes and tomato paste into skillet.  Add basil, oregano and bay leaf;  mix well.  Simmer, stirring frequently for 20 minutes.  Discard bay leaf.


Dip pork in egg and coat with bread crumbs.  Saute in remaining oil, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes;  drain.


Layer tomato mixture,


pork, mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan in prepared baking dish. 


Bake until browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes.


Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese before serving.

If I told you I am a ditz and forget to add recipes to this blog, would you still like me?  Cause I'm a total airhead at times and I can't believe that it's taken me this long to get this recipe up.  I'll just chalk it up to being extremely busy with military life, homeschooling and daily stuff.



Here it is, the Carne de Alguidar.  In Portuguese Alguidar means bowl/bucket and this recipe gets it's name from the fact that the meat is left to marinate in a bowl for at least 24 hours.  It allows it to get all that yummy goodness sucked up and really develop the flavors.

There's not really a recipe per say, but this is how I make mine.



Carne de Alguidar

1 lb pork, cubed (I buy the roasts and then just cut it into chunks)
Massa de Pimentao (Roasted Pepper Paste)
Garlic
Wine
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine the pork, about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the roast pepper paste, garlic (as much as you want), about a cup of white wine, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir.



Cover and let it sit in your refrigerator for about a day.



The next day, put a little bit of olive oil in a skillet, scoop out the meat and fry until brown, add the remaining marinade and cook for a minute or two longer until it evaporates the wine/sauce.

Place the meat in the middle of a serving platter, and arrange homemade fries around it. Sprinkle a little parsley on top and you're done :)

Long weekend, family all home, movie time.

Which means, I don't want to have to stop to go  hang out in the kitchen alone fixing meals.

Yesterday, we all cuddled on the couch and watched the Star Wars movies...or the first 2 at least before I had to get up and move on for fear of falling asleep, which seems to be something the TV does to me the minute my butt hits the cushions.



For lunch, I made very quick nachos and then while we immersed ourselves in Star Wars history, I had a Root Beer Pulled Pork simmering away in the slow cooker.

I will tell you right now that I am NOT a fan of root beer, I do not like it, I do not drink it and I don't even like the smell of it, so I'm sure you're wondering what ever would possess me to cook with it.....well the answer is simple, it sounded good, my family likes root beer and I love them???



First time I made it, it turned out AMAZING, so delicious, very smokey and barbecuey (I know that's not a word).  So it's now one of my favorite ways to make pulled pork sandwiches.

Super easy to throw together, really you must try it and if you don't like root beer, don't worry you won't even taste it.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

2 lb boneless pork roast
1 can of root beer (or 12 oz.)
1 barbecue bottle (18 oz.)

Put everything into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 hours.

When ready, just shred the pork and serve on buns, or whatever bread you wish, we actually like it on sliced bread.

What I like doing is leaving some of the pork in chunks, so I don't shred it all. Then I pile it on one half of the bread, then take the other half and dip lightly into the sauce in the slow cooker, now don't DUNK it in there, just a quick, gentle dip, you just want to get that side of the bread nice and covered with the sauce.

This is SO good!