Asian Pork Meatballs

I have been on a meatball and asian flavor kick so what would be the next step?  You got it, combining the two together.  This recipe is so versatile you can also use the pork mixture in dumplings and use the sauce for dipping.

You can make these meatballs as an appetizer or serve them in your favorite noodle dish.  I love that this is a quick fix and you can make 2 or 3 batches and freeze them for when you need them.





















Asian Pork Meatballs

Meatballs

1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1/3 cup panko crumbs
3 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup cilantro, minced

Sauce

2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste or to taste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  For meatballs mix all ingredients together and form into golf ball size meatballs.  Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through.  While the meatballs are baking in a small sauce pan heat olive oil on a medium low heat, add shallots, garlic and ginger, sauté for 5 minutes.  In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, dijon mustard, chili paste, rice vinegar and brown sugar.  Add to the saucepan and stir; cover and let reduce by half on a low heat.  Drizzle sauce over meatballs and sprinkle with some sliced green onions.  Makes approx 12 meatballs.

Sharing the Love with: The Wednesday Roundup Week 18 :: A Link Party and Weekend-Potluck #111 and Jam Hands - Recipe Sharing Monday #88

Salmon - Asian Inspired Flavors

We have a couple of steak houses here and when you go out to dinner Bill always gets salmon. I have been promising Bill for some time now to make salmon for dinner.  When I saw these beautiful piece of sock-eye salmon I knew it would be the perfect dinner for him.  I decided to go with Asian flavors and it was a big hit.  Here is the salmon right after taking it out of the oven.  It came out moist and flaky.

Asian Salmon

1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili sauce/paste
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 lbs salmon filet
4 green onions, sliced

Line a 8 x 12 baking dish with foil and then a second piece of foil to make a boat around the salmon. Place salmon skin side down.  Make sure you feel for any bones and remove them.  In a bowl whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.  Pour marinade over the salmon and allow to sit for 15 minutes while oven is pre-heating to 475 degrees.  Before placing the salmon in the oven pull out the foil, you don't have to remove the foil just flatten it out so it's no longer a boat of marinade.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until down. After removing from the oven cover with foil for 10 to 15 minutes. Before serving sprinkle with fresh green onion slices.

Food Resources

Today I thought I would talk about food resources on the internet.  We have all visited blogs, Food Network, Pinterest, Very Best Baking for recipes, tips and ideas.

One of my favorite resources is going straight to the source.  Food advisory boards and there is one for any type of food you can think of.

Wisconsin Cheese information from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board is a fantastic site for recipes, pairings, entertaining, events that are going and one of my favorites is the Grate Pair Share Online Magazine.  This website is full of useful information you will want to bookmark it.

Here are just a few Advisory Boards for you to check out:

California Wild Rice

California Artichoke Advisory Board

Mushroom Council

Delaware Beef Advisory Board

American Egg Board

California Strawberry Commission

California Cling Peaches

Vidalia Onions Committee

National Honey Board

National Onion Association

Virginia Apple Growers Association

California Pear Advisory Board

National Watermelon Promotion Board

California Cantaloupes

There are so many other sites you can google and get information on.  If you are a teacher, Girl Scout/4-H/FFA leader you can find educational material from these boards.

Artsy Fartsy Friday

I have had this blog now for almost 3 years and you really don't know too much about me.  First I need to work on my "About Me" page which I have been writing and re-writing.  I should have it done by April.

I am adding a new line-up to my blog Artsy Fartsy Fridays.  I love Arts and Crafts and it's been years since I had really sat down and got creative.  My first project is going to be cross-stitch.  I haven't done cross-stitching in over 25 years and I think it's time to jump back into it.

I'm starting with a simple cross-stitch pattern that I found on Etsy at FoxYouAreSoCrafty - Crafty Like A Fox Shop.  When I saw the squirrel and fox pattern I fell in love with these little guys.  Each Friday I will post my progress on my project.

I would love to hear what your hobbies are and if you would like to join me with Artsy Fartsy Friday's I would love to hear what you are working on.

Red Beans and Rice

Mardi Gras is over and I didn't get a chance to fix my Red Beans and Rice, oh well, what's a few days, right?  I love the flavors in this recipe and I like a dish that can be a side or a meal by itself.

I usually serve this with white rice.  In my latest BeshBox I received a bag of Brown Jasmine Rice that tasted great with this dish.  The rice had a earthy richness that worked well with the red beans.

Red Beans and Rice

1 1/2 lbs of dried red beans
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1 large onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large jalapeño, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
4 links andouille sausage, sliced
2 ham hocks
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending how you like your heat)
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1+ 32 oz box chicken stock
4 cups cooked white rice
chopped green onions for garnish

Sort and soak beans overnight.  In a large dutch oven heat bacon grease and add onions, celery, bell pepper and jalapeño and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring.  Add salt, pepper, sausage and ham hocks and stir for 5 minutes.  Add cayenne pepper, bay leaves, garlic and thyme, stir for 1 minutes, add 1 box (32 oz) of chicken stock and a 1/4 of a second box.  Bring to a boil, lower heat to a medium low simmer and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours uncovered until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, if the beans start to look dry add more of the chicken stock.  When beans are tended take the back of a wooden spoons and smash some of the beans, stir and cook for for an additional 30 minutes.  Serve over white rice and garnish with sliced green onions.

Blackberry Cobbler

One of my favorite go to desserts is cobblers.  You can make them year round with seasonal fruits, frozen fruits or canned fruit.  There are so many different toppings you can use, from a crumb topping to a pie crust or a biscuit topping, it is a easy dessert that takes no time putting together.

My favorite cobbler is Boysenberry but I have found it very hard to find boysenberries in any form here in Utah, instead I went with my next favorite the Blackberry.

Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Filling

1/3 cup Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 16oz bags frozen blackberries

Topping

4 cups Bisquick
8 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish. In a large sauce pan over medium low heat add Grand Marnier and butter.  While the butter is melting dissolve the cornstarch in the water.  Add water mixture to sauce pan, add the sugar and cinnamon.  Stir for 2 minutes and add blackberries.  Turn the heat to a medium high setting and occasionally stirring until it just starts to come to a boil.

In a large bowl add Bisquick, sugar, white chocolate; mix together.  Add milk and melted butter; incorporate into the dry mixture.  Pour the berry mixture into the baking dish.  Gently pat out the topping to fit the top of the baking dish. If you want you can do this in sections.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is set and starts to brown, top with ice cream; serve hot or cold.

Blackberry Sage Sauce

One of my favorite teas is Republic of Tea's Blackberry Sage.  I love this combination of flavors.  I had some blackberries and sage in the refrigerator and decided to make a sauce with them.  Not only is it fantastic on pancakes, it is also great over ice cream and even savory dishes like grilled chicken breasts or grilled pork chops.  I love sauces that can be used in many dishes.

Blackberry Sage Sauce 

4 1/2 to 5 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cup sugar (you can use a little less or a little more; to your liking)
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and on medium high heat bring to a boil; stirring occasionally.  Boil for 10 minutes until it has started to thicken.  Crush some of the berries with a potato masher or the back of your spoon.  Place in a bowl, I like to put it in the freezer for 10 minutes; then put on the counter to come to room temperature. Place in jars and keep refrigerated; use within 2 weeks.