I came across an old recipe from Cooking Light that I have been wanting to try for awhile. Being unfamiliar with Dan Dan Noodles, I was a little skeptical on how it would turn out but to my surprise it was quite good. There are a lot of flavors going on in the cooked pork and the cucumbers provide a crunch and flavor that compliments this dish. Paired with a side salad this was an easy tasty meal.
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Here’s a heads up for those of you with kids, you love them, you teach them, you send them off into the world, but sometimes they come back. As in my case with my oldest son Josh who spent his first year away from home while going to college. He’s back for a few weeks until he has a new place lined up and in the meantime he’s showing me a few things he’s incorporated into his daily life. He’s become quite the breakfast maker, getting up early to make a big breakfast to start his day. Well, I’m impressed, this kid of mine actually did listen to a thing or two I taught him about food and nutrition. “So what can I pick up for you at the grocery store” I asked him He rattled off several things he wanted including lots of bananas. So I picked up 2 big bunches of bananas and guess what, they turned ripe in a hurry and he didn’t eat them like he thought he would. So what to do with all those ripe bananas, well . . . make muffins, that’s what I do. And in the fridge I remembered some semi sweet chocolate bars and chocolate chips that I had leftover from another recipe so I decided to throw them into the mix too.
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It’s been a long hot summer and hard to start up the grill when it’s this hot. But today I’m going to brave the heat and grill my favorite flank steak and veggie kabobs. I marinated the steak overnight in a ginger and soy marinade which smells and tastes so good. This marinated flank steak was cooked over high heat just to medium rare and will almost melt in your mouth. I set aside just enough marinade to brush over the veggie kabobs and sliced onions.
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I guess you could say I’m still trying to make use of the zucchini this season. This summer the zucchini are so plentiful that they are practically giving them away at the farmers market. I loved the zucchini cupcakes we had a few weeks ago so much that I had to make some more. However these cupcakes are richer and more decadent with the addition of chocolate. I found a great recipe from the blog of Two Peas and Their Pod which was my inspiration. Once again, I substituted natural applesauce for the oil and it made the cupcakes ever so moist. These cupcakes disguise the zucchini so well you would never even know it was in there, unless I told you of course!
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Are you ready for a second helping of fried green tomatoes? This time I’m going to Chef Paul Prudhomme and his recipe for “Kentucky Fried Tomatoes with Cream Gravy”. He places a fried green tomato slice over an English muffin and smothers it with a cream gravy that is out of this world. I was in the mood for biscuits and have to thank Joe’s brother Chuck for his biscuit recipe which turns out great every time. So pull out those leftover green tomato end pieces, flour mix and seasoning blend and get ready for some of the best biscuits and gravy you’ll ever have.
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Is there anything more southern than Fried Green Tomatoes? It’s become our tradition to have them at least one time every summer. This year I splurged and we had them twice but first I want to introduce you to my new favorite burger, the FGT Burger. It comes on a bun with 1/3 pound ground beef topped with provolone cheese, bacon, a slice (or two) of fried green tomatoes and for those who like mayo, a seasoned mayo special for you. I’ve never cared for mayo on a burger, a true mustard girl all the way, but my guys insisted on having a seasoned mayo on top of their FGT burger. The tomato is the star of this burger, I don’t know why we didn’t have them sooner!
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Fresh corn cakes are something of a summertime favorite. Corn cakes take me back to the farm when we would sit around the table with a pot of pinto beans and skillet cornbread. These corn cakes are made with fresh corn and paired with a honey butter spiked with cayenne. I took half the batter and added some diced roasted poblano which turned out great. We had fresh corn cakes alongside grilled veggies and sliced ripe tomatoes straight from the farmers market. It was so satisfying!
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What to do with the leftover rib rub and barbecue sauce? Here’s one idea, make a barbecued chicken pizza. California Pizza Kitchen made it famous but they aren’t the only ones who can make a tasty pizza. I had leftover flatbreads that would make a yummy pizza topped with barbecue sauce, fresh mozzarella slices, seasoned barbecue chicken, some red onion slices and cilantro thrown over the top just to make it pretty. It doesn’t matter whether you have leftovers from scratch or store bought, you can put this pizza together in no time and it will taste fantastic because you made it.
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The most succulent tender ribs come from slow roasting. At least that’s my conclusion based on many attempts to get that tender fall off the bone ribs. I started with a dry rub inspired by Bobby Flay then sealed the ribs in a foil wrap and slow roasted for several hours. I placed the wrap on a broiler pan and filled the bottom pan with water which worked as a steam bath. I made a sauce using the new Rotel tomato sauce and rub seasonings. The sauce had a kick that complimented the ribs perfectly. We had a meal of ribs, roasted corn and tomato salad so there was plenty to eat but I swear we just couldn’t get enough of these ribs. Every time we picked up a rib the tender meat would just fall apart.
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Recently I came across two separate recipes that I felt had to go together. One was Paul Prudhomme’s classic Barbecued Shrimp and the other was a Remoulade Slaw straight from the new Cooking Light magazine. Instantly I knew these two would go together to be the perfect Po’ Boy sandwich. But this isn’t your typical Po’ Boy, in that it isn’t deep fried, but lightly seasoned and pan fried in butter for a delicate crisp shrimp that is encased in a french roll with a spicy remoulade slaw and sliced cherry tomatoes. I made this one for Joe who loves the spicy food of Louisiana.
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An Inspired Cook 