Asian Pork Tacos and Slaw--A Cultural Combination

This is one of the best recipes I have made in my Woman's Day journey. And if I were you, I would do one of two things for the pork depending on what route you'd like to take. Either eyeball Kroger's expiration dates for their meat and go back for a discounted pork price or buy your meat at a local butcher. I've said it once and I'll say it often after this blog, our local meat shop, Bedford Avenue Meat Shop, is worth the extra money for locally sourced, humanely raised meat without antibiotics. If you only eat meat a few times a week, the flavor and the healthy advantage of buying better meat is tremendous.

Slow cooker recipes are awesome because it feels like you're cooking two things at once--and you are. Shred the entire head of cabbage and make it into slaw--any recipe that requires half a head of cabbage for anything, I immediately make into slaw. It's so cheap and so easy and SO delicious.

Also, I buy tubes of prepared ginger. It's so much easier than grating, plus ginger is such a predominately Asian spice, I never know what to use it for once I'm done with a recipe. If you have any suggestions, that would be great.

We took this recipe to our friends farm to share. Even her children loved it. The pork was so tender and the flavoring is superb.

Ingredients

• 1 large navel orange
• 1/4 cup(s) balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup(s) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon(s) grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
•  Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 small head red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot
• 8 small flour tortillas

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove 4 strips of zest from the orange (reserve the orange). In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and orange zest.
2. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the pork is tender and shreds easily, 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
3. Thirty minutes before serving, make the slaw. Squeeze the juice from the orange into a large bowl (you should have about 1/2 cup). Whisk in the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Core and thinly slice the cabbage. Cut the carrot into matchsticks. Add the vegetables to the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
4. Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Using two forks, shred the pork into large pieces; gently toss in the cooking liquid. Fill the tortillas with the pork mixture and top with the slaw.

Tips & Techniques

Love Your Leftovers: 
Make double the slaw recipe, adding 1/2 cup golden raisins and 2 sliced scallions to the other half. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days and serve with chicken, beef, or pork.
Save on Calories: 
For an extra-fresh version with a bit of crunch, use romaine lettuce leaves instead of the tortillas.

Clean-Out-Yo-Cupboard Salad

There are easily recipes that could act as an excuse to get rid of the excess of condiments in your refrigerator and canned goods in your cupboard. The following example is a themed and dressed-up example of such a ritual.

It is often after executing Woman's Day recipes (and I don't mean killing them) I find myself with half a box of pasta, an almost-full jar of mint jelly, a dozen capers, and half a can of sardines. What to do, what to do? Even worse--when you have some exotic vegetable just waiting to grow fur, fuzzy and smiling as it reminds you on it's way to the trash can that it cost you $6 and you only used a quarter of it for garnish.

I'll tell you exactly what to do. You make one of three things:

1. A pasta/bean salad or slaw

2. A salad dressing or dip

3. Relish or salsa

You can throw virtually anything into a pasta salad: canned beans, tuna, shredded cheese, olives, dressings, frozen vegetables, fruit (yes, fruit), bacon bits--you name it.

Likewise you can make a salsa or dip if you have a vegetable or dairy base. The foundation of salsas and dips are tomatoes, citrus fruits, cilantro, dill, fresh herbs, beans, olive oil, sour cream, pickle juice, yogurt, cottage cheese, parsley, and other raw or grilled vegetables.

Now here's the big difference: the only distinguishing factor between a dip/dressing and a relish/salsa is how much you blend it. Cucumber with cilantro, lime, mint, and yogurt can be a dip if you hand mix them but one trip to the blender and you have a fancy Indian dressing for your lamb salad.

All you have to do is take inventory after you cook. A few sprigs of mint for that Mediterranean dish and you threw the rest away a few days later? Throw it in the blender with the other leftovers and you're a gosh darn gourmet chef.

ingredients

• 1 pound(s) large peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 can(s) (about 15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 pint(s) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 ounce(s) green beans, halved
• 1/4 cup(s) Kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 2 teaspoon(s) grated lemon zest
• 1 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) dried oregano
• Black pepper
• Crumbled feta cheese and lemon wedges, for serving

directions

1. Heat oven to 500ºF. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp, cannellini beans, tomatoes, green beans and olives with the oil, lemon zest, garlic, oregano and ¼ tsp black pepper.
2. Roast until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the feta and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Here We Go A-Wassaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiling

I can tell you this--wassail is no joke.

I also would add that this centuries old beverage is the only mixology-required-experience beverage I've concocted that I learned about from a song. Little did I know that Dickens and Mannheim Steamroller would require so much of my time this particular post-Christmas dinner and a movie night.

Wassail is one of my favorite songs from Mannheim Steamroller's collection. It makes me feel like I'm in A Christmas Carol and it brings about good tidings of memories from the best years of High School (wearing a private school uniform is kind of the same costuming). The easy description is to say,"Wassail, mulled wine--same thing." No. Not same thing. Not same thing at all.

I suppose you could truthfully compare wassail to mulled wine but this recipe calls for a pure devotion to making wassail in the more contemporary fashion:

Ingredients



6 small Fuji apples, cored
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
72 ounces ale
750 ml Madeira
10 whole cloves
10 whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick, 2-inches long
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 large eggs, separated



Directions


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the apples into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Spoon the brown sugar into the center of each apple, dividing the sugar evenly among them. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

Pour the ale and Madeira into a large slow cooker. Put the cloves, allspice, and cinnamon into a small muslin bag or cheesecloth, tied with kitchen twine, and add to the slow cooker along with the ginger and nutmeg. Set the slow cooker to medium heat and bring the mixture to at least 120 degrees F. Do not boil.

Add the egg whites to a medium bowl and using a hand mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. Put the egg yolks into a separate bowl and beat until lightened in color and frothy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the egg whites to the yolks and using the hand mixer, beat, just until combined. Slowly add 4 to 6 ounces of the alcohol mixture from the slow cooker to the egg mixture, beating with the hand mixer on low speed. Return this mixture to the slow cooker and whisk to combine.

(Pssst...this is meringue without sugar)

Add the apples and the liquid from the baking dish to the wassail and stir to combine. Ladle into cups and serve.
Here is a list, in no particular order, of what I learned:

1. Madeira is a wine that resembles sherry (didn't know). Wal-mart does not have Madeira (figured as much). Marsala is a decent substitute for Madeira (Wal-mart has it). Marsala is also like sherry. If you haven't had sherry, please note that it is very strong. 

2. You can spoon out apples just like a pumpkin and then put things in it. Until you're instructed to do this, you don't think about it. Then you start wondering what other round edible items are available to eviscerate. 

3. If making wassail for a party, you can tie up little cheese cloth bags of the spices and give them away as parting gifts after tying the recipe to the ribbon. If you love your guests you will advise them how hard it is to make wassail and recommend they use the sachet for potpourri.

4. When you near the end of the wassail, the cheesecloth looks like some sort of giblet bag. Don't be alarmed.

5. This stuff is strong business. Don't make it for just you and another person if you're not planning on staying home to wassle.

We used Starr Hill Grateful in our wassail, which is a local pale ale with a strong, citrus flavor.

All I needed to complete the experience were beer steins. 

Anyway, keeping with New Year's resolutions, we had movie night and invited a few guests. This festive beverage went well with the menu for the evening, steak with orange roasted cauliflower and scallions.

Ingredients

• 1 head(s) (small; about 1 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) olive oil
•  Kosher salt
•  Pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound; 1-inch-thick) sirloin steak, cut into 4 portions, or 4 small 1-inch-thick steaks
• 1 teaspoon(s) chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper
• 1 navel orange
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steaks with the chili powder, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest.
3. Using a zester, zest half the orange. Toss the cauliflower with the orange zest and scallions. Serve with the steak.

Waste Not, Want Not

• Orange zest will freeze. Always zest your citrus if you can, place it in a Zip Lock bag and freeze to add to future recipes.
• Cutting steaks isn't just applicable to this recipe. When buying meat, think outside of the packaging. You can buy cuts on sale near the expiration date and cut them into 4 oz portions for less fat and calories and less expense.
• Squeeze the orange over the steaks while cooking or on the cauliflower while cooking for additional flavor.
• You can freeze scallions, and the Woman's Day menu will accommodate use in the near future. 

I added baked sweet potatoes from a market that offers local produce. My baked potatoes are always rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper, wrapped in foil, and baked for 50 minutes at 450 because I get the really big ones. For these potatoes, I made my own butter. I don't mean that I churned it, I mean that I melted it, added cinnamon and some of the orange zest, and bagged it to use later in an effort at culinary art (because I don't have a butter mold...but my birthday is coming in six months...). I really plan to bring back butter molds like Timberlake brought sexy back.

(bag butter/cut tip/butter icing)

Please forgive this. I had good intentions. If I could draw or paint it might have been something impressive but I think I deserve creativity points:

Pricing 

Top Sirloin -- $2.48 per person

The ingredients for wassail can get expensive. See if you can get cloves from someone else (it's not like we use them any other time besides the holidays, right?). If not, they are about $5 for a small bottle. If you have allspice and cinnamon, you can wing it. Cinnamon sticks can be bought cheap right after the holiday season if you make wassail for the new year.

Next time you're caroling for the holidays, show off by knowing the lyrics. Keep a flask of wassail in your breast pocket so you'll be extra cheery, even if you forget:

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.

REFRAIN:
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Our wassail cup is made
Of the rosemary tree,
And so is your beer
Of the best barley.

REFRAIN

We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door;
But we are neighbours' children,
Whom you have seen before.

REFRAIN

Call up the butler of this house,
Put on his golden ring.
Let him bring us up a glass of beer,
And better we shall sing.

REFRAIN

We have got a little purse
Of stretching leather skin;
We want a little of your money
To line it well within.

REFRAIN

Bring us out a table
And spread it with a cloth;
Bring us out a mouldy cheese,
And some of your Christmas loaf.

REFRAIN

God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too,
And all the little children
That round the table go.

REFRAIN

Good master and good mistress,
While you're sitting by the fire,
Pray think of us poor children
Who are wandering in the mire.

On a final note, this is what might happen if you drink too much wassail. Beware.

The Proof is in the Puking

"Just as the soul fills the body, so God fills the world. Just as the soul bears the body, so God endures the world. Just as the soul sees but is not seen, so God sees but is not seen. Just as the soul feeds the body, so God gives food to the world."  --Marcus Tullius Cicero 

Usually when we think about the interconnectedness of humanity we imagine sharing love and pain and grief and fulfillment. However, I have found there is joy in discovering commonality in very specific experiences that, when we're young and naive, we imagine are not as universal as they really are.

It's about to get gross.

When I was around eleven years old my mom dished up my dinner and I went in my room to watch The Mickey Mouse Club. I knew that sweet potatoes weren't exactly my favorite vegetable but, being an exceptionally agreeable child, I accepted the helping and licked my plate clean (literally--and I still do it today although less often in public).

Man, did I have one bad case of the flu after that meal. Barf city for days. Since then I have met more than several people who puked a fruit or vegetable or dish and haven't had the same relationship with it since.

I never saw sweet potatoes the same. "No thank you," I stated as cooked, orange vegetables were thrust upon me at every winter holiday event for the next 15 years,"I don't care for sweet potatoes."

Then I had an epiphany a few years ago. Sweet potatoes are like religion: you get sick of it for a long time after a bad experience and then after having it around you and shoved in your face during the holidays for decades, you finally decide to swallow it and VOILA!--an epiphany.

Sweet potatoes are still not my favorite, but I'm over the repulsion. So I put them in soup, order them with steaks, and think about all the lovely fiber, beta-carotene, blah, blah, blah.

All this to say, I made soup. Divine soup. Divine soup that lasts for a week--full of protein and nutrients and goodness.

Here lies another practical lesson: there is a difference between paprika and smoked paprika.

Paprika is a bland yet colorful spice you shake onto deviled eggs.

Smoked paprika is an otherworldly spice that smells like bacon and the laughs of angelic children. 

Lesson number two saves you countless hours searching your local Walmart who, by the way, never has any good produce nor anything ethnic or useful to people with allergies or organic health nuts. Look for it at your local Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or Kroger. 

Garbanzo beans? Yeah, they're the same thing as chick peas. 

By the way, if you're ever on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Cicero means "chickpea." True story.

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in chicken breast halves (about 2 lb total)
• 1 pound(s) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-in. pieces
• 2 stalk(s) celery, sliced ¼ in. thick
• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup(s) tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) smoked paprika
• 2 32- ounce(s) (8 cups ) containers low-sodium chicken broth
•  Kosher salt and pepper
• 1 15- ounce(s) can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/4 cup(s) couscous

Directions

1. Place the chicken, potatoes, celery, onion, tomato paste, cumin and paprika in a large pot. Add the broth, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, add ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (Skim and discard any foam that rises to the top.)
3. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat, discarding the skin and bones.
4. Stir the chicken back into the soup along with the chickpeas and couscous. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Tips & Techniques

Make it ahead: You can refrigerate the soup for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a large saucepan, covered, over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Black Eyed Boo-Ya

I can understand why black-eyed peas bring good luck: they are low in calories and rich with a number of nutrients including fiber, calcium, folate, vitamin A, zinc, iron, and potassium. Southern culture may not have been the author of the new year superstition but they certainly have perfected the culinary sentiment. Those of us native to the region enjoy them with greens, cornbread, or other vegetables--and feel as proud as Paula Deen.

January's edition of Woman's Day clued me into local author (he's from our neighbor North Carolina) Rick McDaniel who celebrates this very dish in his book An Irresistible History of Southern Food: Four Centuries of Black-Eyed Peas, Collard Greens and Whole Hog Barbecue. His "Hoppin' John" recipe suggests salt pork and rice for the new year. I decided to go the healthier route with turkey bacon (which does not crumble as well by the way) and spinach:

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

2 cloves garlic

15 oz can black-eyed peas

1/4 cup water

10 oz cup spinach (stems discarded)

salt and pepper to taste


Cook 4 slices bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate. Break into pieces. Add 2 cloves garlic (sliced) to skillet and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes. Add a  15-oz can black-eyed peas (rinsed) and 1/4 cup water and cook until heated through. Add one 10-oz pkg spinach, season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, tossing, until beginning to wilt, 2 minutes. Toss with bacon.

I don't know that there is any food more Southern that black eyed peas. It is one of our blessed traditions in the South to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day, and enjoying them at your dinner table on January 1st is representative of anything from wealth to good health.

It is thought that the tradition of eating black eyed peas for good luck started during the time of the Civil War (think Scarlett pulling up carrots) when Sherman's army took ravaged the South's food resources, but ignored the peas, which are rich in fiber, potassium, and iron. 

Happiness is in your Pants

"A merry heart maketh a cheery countenance." --Proverbs 15:13

Resignation can be a marvel.

In the later half of 2013 I decided once and for all that I would accept my size and move on with life. No more buying pants in one size smaller so that I could shrink into them. No more "when I weigh 15 pounds less I'll (fill in the blank)." I just turned 34 in July of last year and I'd finally had enough. I took a body-fat index test and I had been 6 pounds overweight for what seemed a lifetime.

And I finally decided that it was fine by me.

I'm not promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. I'm not promoting anything. I'm just saying that I finally let myself off the hook and decided if I couldn't get rid of the weight I'd get rid of the excess clothes, the guilt, the disappointment, and the pressure to invest time in reaching what seemed to be an unattainable weight. I decided if I was going to be a size 12 all my life, that was just fine. I have other things to do with my life besides worry about my weight.

So my mother mentioned she needed new jeans and I said,"Look, I have 12 pair of J. Crew pants that I have never worn because they have never fit and I will never be able to fit them. Your hips are smaller and they are the hard-to-find tall size. Take them."

So I exchanged the pants taking up space in my closet--that had been taking up space for the last five years--to provide a new wardrobe for my mom and an impetus for change labeled "acceptance." I let go of more than pants. I relinquished a method of thought and action that had not produced fruitful results--ever.

Mom returned several of the pants the following week. A few didn't fit correctly. I don't know what possessed me to try them on.

But they fit.

I have never fit into these pants. Some of them I could button, although they never fit well. Some I couldn't even get past my thighs. These fit with room. So I tried on my "skinny" jeans. They fit too.

What was going on here?!

I am still convinced I produced something magical in the spirit realm. I hadn't eaten differently, exercised more, or taken supplements. Yet here I was, just a few weeks after making my resolve to accept myself and move on, letting go of the pants lie with a subsequent slacks offering and all of a sudden I'm a size smaller? Heavens! This is madness!

This miraculous event led to more thought:

1. Progress is stifled by holding onto things we are not prepared to use for several reasons. We are lying to ourselves about who we are or what we are capable of achieving, we are not committed to responsible ownership, we are neglecting to recognize the natural cycle of reaping and sowing.

2. The desire for the end result far outweighs the level of commitment and investment required for successful achievement.

3. Acquiescing to failure is terrifying but can lead to great things if we love and accept ourselves in the midst of the acknowledgment.

Hoarders is an interesting reality program, albeit often disturbing and frustrating for the viewer. These individuals are extreme pack-rats who fill their homes and yards with trash. At times, it's hard not to laugh at some of the unbelievable items (or animals--living or dead) found within the refuse. The following lady drove home my thoughts about the lies and deceptions we tell ourselves when we reject reality and decide we would rather embrace our brokenness instead of let go and move on:

So far I've lost 12 pounds. Since my magical resolve a few months ago, I have worked at weight loss. I have spent enough time looking back. I may be one of the few women who anticipates sharing my age and weight because 34 has been the best age yet and I'm proud to tell people I weigh 165 and don't have to be a size four to feel confident and attractive.

The way to a man's heart is his stomach. Who knew that the way to this woman's merry heart was through her pants? 

Has the Father Told You He's Proud?

"Let's enter His presence with thanksgiving! Let's shout out to Him in celebration!"

This Thanksgiving as you're counting your blessings--thanking God for the day, your family, your friends, your job--there is one question imperative to growth and improvement in your journey to spiritual discovery: how is my relationship with God a reflection of my relationship with people and how shouldn't it be?

In consideration of Laura Trice's words about praise and thanksgiving how do we translate our own needs and vulnerabilities to God--not just each other? What is the significance of giving thanks to the Lord? Certainly He is not insecure about our intentions towards Him...is He?