Another Failed Biscuit Attempt and Spicy Soba Pork (not in the same day of course)

I have given you nothing to cook in days and I am so sorry for that.  I have been cooking though and I have a lot to show for it!  Tonight I give you a failure and a success.

I (ALMOST) made a delicious biscuit on Sunday night.  Jeff literally laughed out loud at me for attempting to make biscuits for company – luckily they are good friends and will let me cook for them again.  I tried something new, a sourdough biscuit from my starter I use to make sourdough loaves.  I honestly thought it kind of tasted like a pillsbury biscuit out of a can and that is not the taste I was going for so I was a bit disappointed.  Here are the pics…

BEFORE - waiting in the oven to be cooked to golden

AFTER - They look heavenly. But....

Wait for it… (You know I can’t cook a biscuit!)

Burned the dang bottom!

Honestly people, I am hopeless in the world of biscuits.  They looked so good until I turned one over.  I am going to have to stick to the frozen bags of Pillsbury Grands biscuits.  I love them, they always come out perfectly.  I just want to be able to make a biscuit.  Everyone at dinner kept saying they were good, but I was not feeling it.

To make up for my failure last weekend, I had a delicious success tonight!  I made a trip to one of my favorite places to shop, Asia Grocery on Peters Creek Pkwy.  I will admit, the first time my friend Patti sent me there on a food buying mission I was a little intimidated.  But, now I know and love the place and get such incredible deals there I hate that I don’t go more often.  This 5 lb bag of Jasmine rice was only $5.49.  At Lowes and HT you would pay at least $2 more.

Gallon jug of Soy Sauce for only $7.99.  You pay twice that even on sale at the grocery store.  And the stuff lasts for ages & is good on so many different things.  I find that I use it a lot.  They do have the low sodium version as well, I think it was about $1 more, still a killer deal!

The best deal by far though, is on the Soba Noodles.  $4.39 per 9oz pack at the grocery store, but at Asia Grocery, you get 54 oz for $7.99 – It is a 70% savings!  My kids loved them – they add a little variety to your basic noodles and are made of buckwheat.  You should definitely give them a try.  If you don’t want to make a trip to Asia Grocery but want to give them a try, get a small pack at HT, you won’t be sorry!

Last little tid bit about Asia Grocery, buy your bean sprouts there!  I got a gigantic bag (not even sure how much or how much they are per lb because there is not a whole lot of english speaking going on.  All I know is this huge bag was only 2.33.

I knew I wanted to make something with some spice tonight and I had 2 large thick cut pork chops left in the fridge (thanks Dale & Terry).  I wasn’t sure what to call it so I decided on Spicy Soba Pork.  It is basically a pork stir fry with a fun, spicy sauce I concocted tonight.  Not too spicy for the kids but enough heat to make me happy.  They definitely drank more milk than usual though so I know you might want to go a little milder if you have sensitive taste buds.  It takes a little while to prep – you can do all the chopping and slicing ahead of time.

SPICY SOBA PORK:

3 cups broccoli florets

3/4 cup sliced carrot

1 cup green onion in 1/3 in slices

1 lb pork sliced thin

2 cups bean sprouts

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

salt & pepper to taste (I use coarse salt)

3, 3 oz bundles of soba noodles

Sauce – wisk all together in a small bowl:

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp spicy thai chili sauce (Thai Kitchen Brand)

*If you do not like spice, use less thai sauce or eliminate it altogether.

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil while getting everything else prepped.  Boil noodles for 6 min when pork is almost ready.  Drain.

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large wok over high heat. Quickly stir fry broccoli & carrots until bright in color, about 2 min.  Remove from wok.  Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil.  Add pork to the wok and season with salt & pepper.  Slowly pour in half of the sauce mixture and cook thoroughly until no longer pink.  Return broccoli and carrots to the pork, add green onions and remaining sauce.  Cook for 1 min more.

Serve over hot soba noodles, ladle sauce over pork mixture.

This entire dinner – with 4-6 servings was only $7.63 total to make!  The sale stuff at Harris Teeter is on until next Tuesday so go check it out!  Even if you get the bean sprouts and soba noodles at HT it is still an inexpensive and delicious meal.  I’ll have more ideas for you to use those bean sprouts and soy sauce though!  I love asian flavors.

	per serving	for whole meal
Soba Noodles	$0.22	$1.33	$.44 per 3 oz bundle at Asia Grocery
Bean Sprouts	$0.06	$0.29	Lots for a little at Asia Grocery!
Green Onions	$0.03	$0.15	$.59 per bunch at Asia Grocery
Broccoli	$0.36	$1.79	on sale for $1.79 / lb at Harris Teeter
Carrot	$0.05	$0.25	$.99 / lb at Harris Teeter
Pork	$0.60	$2.99	on sale for $2.99 / lb at Harris Teeter
Dijon	$0.03	$0.14	HT brand on sale for $1.27 at Harris Teeter
Soy Sauce	$0.02	$0.09
Spicy Thai Chili Sauce	0.12	0.6	$3.59 at Harris Teeter
	$1.48	$7.63

Hope you enjoy!

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What a Great Day!

Today started with a bang with an order for 4 dozen cookies and some mini cinnamon rolls.  Needless to say, my kitchen smelled delightful by 6:30 this morning.  Maddie May woke up asking, “What you baking Mommy?”  I love that my 2-year-old knows that smell means something is baking.  Check out some of the eye candy…

After being so productive first thing, I got the dog dropped at the groomers and had the kids at the park before 10am.  The weather was just so beautiful I couldn’t resist.  There is nothing like spending the morning at Tanglewood, catching up with an old friend, and seeing my kids wiped out by the time we get home.

Other than the damper on my sunshine that came with the information about needing a commercial kitchen it was wonderful.  I spent the afternoon working on ideas for finding My Preppy Kitchen a home.  This is an incredible opportunity for me and I won’t let it drop this easy.  Pray for me guys, I need your support for sure!

Tonight’s dinner was delightful, easy, and made everyone happy.  I did a very easy fresh, light stir fry.  My kids absolutely love stir fry and so do Jeff and I so it is one of those meals I know I will not have any resistance from serving.  Plus, I knew I had leftover cookies from this morning waiting for dessert!

Try the stir fry on a night that you have time to chop a little.  Or, do the prep in the morning and just toss it all together when you are ready for dinner.  I used chicken but it would be equally good with beef, shrimp, pork, or all veggies.

FRESH STIR FRY with ZUCCHINI AND ONIONS

2 large boneless skinless chicken halves cut into bite size pieces

1/2 t grated ginger

4 minced garlic cloves

salt & pepper

red pepper flakes

2 broccoli crowns cut apart (florets only)

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

5 green onions cut into 1 inch slices

1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce and or ponzu

1 medium zucchini

1 small yellow onion

1 T toasted sesame seeds (toast in a med hot skillet until light brown and aromatic)

2T Olive oil

Heat 1T Olive Oil in a wok or large skillet and stir fry chicken.  Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste, grated ginger, and minced garlic.  Add soy or ponzu and stir fry until chicken is almost cooked through.  Add broccoli, red pepper slices, and green onions and continue to stir fry until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender but still crisp.     Remove to a warm dish and keep warm in an oven while you cook zucchini and onion.

Heat 1T olive oil and add zucchini and onion.  Salt & pepper to taste and add a few dashes of soy sauce.  Top with sesame seeds and continue to stir fry until cooked through and onions are tender.

Serve all with hot steamed rice.  Heat it up with a little Rooster Hot Sauce!

It makes a lot so you will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  We have plenty to serve all 5 of us and lunch for Jeff tomorrow.

I have been up way past midnight since Friday & I am going to bed.

ENJOY!