Weekly Recipe: Bahn Mi Sandwiches

Not much excitement happening around here lately.  Actually there's a lot of excitement in our lives, I just haven't done a good job replicating that on this blog.  The kitchen is definitely open for business and it is the one room that is almost completely settled.  The first time I cooked in there, I found myself smiling from ear to ear.  I told a friend that it felt like there should be t.v. cameras in the next room filming my cooking segment.  If I could move my bed in there, I would.  I love it!

Sometimes recipes sound so good to me when I select them, but by the time I actually get around to making them, I'm skeptical.  Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised that the dish turns out better than I expected.  These sandwiches definitely fit the bill.  

I had never had a Bahn Mi sandwich or roll before but I have heard a lot about them.  They are part of the food truck craze sweeping the west coast, so they receive a lot of hype.  I've also seen them popping up more and more on various food blogs, so I didn't want to miss the party and I decided to try them.

I was a bit skeptical as I put the ingredients together that the little meatballs would have enough flavor.  Was I ever wrong!  Fish sauce has a lot of flavor and no, it's not fishy tasting at all.  These little treats were juicy and flavorful and the crunch from the shredded carrots and cucumber were a nice accompaniment on the sandwich.  I opted to omit the sriracha mayo spread and we never missed it.  We will definitely be having these again...soon if Wes has any say in it!

jadf

Bahn Mi Sandwiches

source:  Dinner with Julie

For the Meatballs:

1 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. sriracha or other hot chile sauce (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
salt & pepper


Sandwiches:
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 10″ individual baguettes or four chunks of baguette
mayo
thinly sliced cucumber (use a vegetable peeler)
fresh cilantro


In a bowl, mix together the pork, basil, garlic, onions, fish sauce, sriracha, sugar and salt and pepper and mix it all up with your hands. Roll into 1″ balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, toss the grated carrot with the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit until you’re ready to assemble your sandwiches.
To assemble, spread baguettes with mayo, if using; top with a squirt of sriracha to taste, and stuff with pickled carrots, cucumber strips, meatballs and sprigs of fresh cilantro.

The New Norm

Most of the boxes have been unpacked, i.e. the entire kitchen!  I do have my priorities.  After all, the kitchen was a huge selling factor of the house, so clearly I was most excited to get in there first. 

After a few trials and tribulations with the double closings (our buyers had some issues with their bank that postponed their side for a bit), a few major pieces of furniture that wouldn't fit up the stairs, and a first night christening of vomit, the house is officially ours!  It already feels like home and we feel so blessed to call it our own.

I had to take some extra keys over to our old house and it was a very odd feeling walking in.  It had already become someone else's house to me and I felt like a visitor.  When we left it for the final time the night before, Wes was a little emotional and nostalgic.  Not me.  I never turned back.  I guess that's how you know you're making the right decision.

I had thoughtfully orchestrated where each piece of furniture was to go.  I had a place for almost everything and was able to sell the remaining pieces on Craigslist (where has that been all my life?!).  Well sometimes the best laid plans don't pan out the way you had envisioned.  Unfortunately, our master bedroom took the brunt end of the pain.  Our armoire, dresser, and box springs are sitting in our entryway, none of them able to make it up the stairs.  The ceilings were too low and the pieces too big to make them fit.  I'm still holding out hope that I can take the molding off the top of the armoire but without taking the banister off, the other pieces are no-gos. 

After an exciting and exhausting day, we were all ready for bed.  No one had any trouble going to sleep that night.  We were all sleeping peacefully until about 3:30am when we heard Colin crying loudly.  Wes jolted out of bed, only to find Colin had gotten sick all over his bed.  He left a trail all the way to the bathroom.  Wes and I just looked at each other and said, "Well the house is officially ours now!"

I have a new routine at night.  I used to put the kids to bed and then play night watchman from my bed as I watched tv and played on the internet.  Well our bedroom is too fancy for it's own good and our old box tv doesn't work in there with the fancy wiring.  So I have literally watched about 10 minutes of tv since Friday.  That has given me a chance to get more boxes unpacked, so I guess I'm not complaining.  Hopefully that will be remedied soon.  90210 comes on tonight and I surely can't miss that!

The floors creak, the gas smells, not everything is in it's place, but it's home and we love it.

Stay tuned for pictures but I'm too much of a perfectionist to post pictures of unfinished rooms.

Weekly Recipe: Pineapple Fried Rice

Sometimes I think I could be a vegetarian.  That's something I never thought I'd be saying but I really prefer vegetables to meat.  When I eat, I like to make my last bite a bite of my favorite part of the meal.  If there's bread involved, that usually fits the bill but if not, it's almost always going to be a vegetable.  

Several months ago I was watching some cooking program (maybe even last season's Top Chef) and the chef caramelized some pineapple.  I can't remember the details of it but it involved roasting in the oven, I think, and the end result left the judges swooning.  So when I came across this recipe from Ashley at the Edible Perspective, I knew I wanted to give it a try. 

I loved the how the soy sauce added to the cooked pineapple gave it a nice sweet and savory contrast.  The sauce leftover from this cooking method really makes the dish.  With the hearty vegetables in the rice, who needs meat?!  

**The only adaptation I made was to sub in additional sunflower oil in place of the coconut oil in the Pineapple Sauce.

 

Pineapple Fried Rice
by:  The Edible Perspective

• 2c short or long grain brown rice + 4c water
• 3/4lb/12oz sugar snap peas
• 1c carrots, thinly sliced
• 2c bell pepper, sliced
• 1c bean sprouts
• 1, 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1/2T toasted sesame oil
• 2.5-3T tamari/Bragg’s/soy sauce
• 2T water
• 2T apple cider vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2T ginger, minced
• 3-4T sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• hot sauce, like sriracha [optional]

1. In a large pot, add 1T oil over medium heat.  Once heated, add brown rice and brown for 5-7min, stirring a few times, until just starting to brown.  Add 4c of water, bring to a boil, stir once, reduce heat to simmer + cover for 50min.  DO NOT stir or uncover while cooking.  After 50min, take the rice off the burner [still covered!] and let sit for 10min, then fluff with a fork.
2. Over med-high heat, add 1T oil to a large pan.  Once hot, add sugar snap peas, peppers, + bean sprouts.  Stir every few minutes, until crisp + lightly browned.  ~6-8min
3. Reduce heat to med-low, add ginger, garlic, water chestnuts + carrots, stir for 1-2min and empty into a large bowl.
4. In the same pan that you cooked the veggies in, add 1-2T oil and heat over medium. 
5. Add the rice, tamari [or soy sauce], water and vinegar.  Let cook for about 5-7min, stirring every minute or so.
6. If cooking eggs, whisk 2 in a bowl.  Create a well in the middle of the rice, add the egg in and cook like scrambled eggs.
7. Fold the rice and eggs together.
8. Combine the rice + veggies together, in a large bowl, with the toasted sesame oil. 
9. Taste and add more tamari + sesame oil if needed.
10. Top individual portions with the pineapple sauce, sesame seeds, green onion, nori, etc.

Pineapple Sauce

• 4c chopped pineapple
• 2t tamari/Bragg’s/soy sauce
• 2t apple cider vinegar
• 1.5T coconut oil

1. Right after emptying the veggies into a bowl, in step 3, add the coconut oil to a cast iron skillet [or pan/pot] over med-high heat.
2. Once hot, add pineapple, tamari + vinegar, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple is golden brown.  ~6-10min
3. Top on rice.

Is It Too Late for Christmas?

It's never too late, right?!   Pardon my absence over the last couple of weeks.  Thanks for sticking with me.  There will be more on that later but for now, let's catch up a bit, shall we?

I think I might have mentioned Colin's Christmas program at his preschool.  After a lackluster performance last year, I instructed him to be sure to sing along this year and to sing loud enough for me to hear him.  This was a rare time he had his listening ears on because the boy belted some "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and several other numbers.

There was no hiding behind the nose picker this time.  Put the spotlight on the kid because he's ready to perform.  I didn't say he was the next Justin Bieber but maybe Milli Vanilli.  Just look at the excitement on his face as he gets ready to approach the stage.

And the crowd goes wild!

Well at least there was some excitement when it was time for the highlight of the morning, snack time!

He had those cookies and apple slices finished before Sawyer could even tug at Santa's beard.  My boys sure do love to eat.  I can't imagine where they get that from?!

It's amazing what changes in a years time.  Last year Colin was painfully shy and would barely look at the audience, let alone sing up on stage.  This year, he proudly marched up there, knew every word and belted it from the bottom of his heart.  I can only imagine what next year will hold.

I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes and bubble wrap.  Wes is more nostalgic than I am, surprisingly, so the packing and purging is much more emotional for him.  I've loved the opportunity to get rid of a bunch of stuff we don't use and will never use, but it hasn't always been easy for him to let things go.  We're getting there though.

Don't be fooled, 28 days is not a lot of time to pack 34 years worth of belongings.  Add to that 3 other people's stuff and you've got a lot of work.  Part of pain has been brought on by myself because I'm such a perfectionist, I prefer to do it all myself so that it's done my way.  Letting go is something I need to work on but when it comes to breakable objects, I'm just not there yet.

Along those same lines, I came across this great post entitled, "Finding Balance in Motherhood."  It really came at just the right time for me, as I struggle with trying to do it all as a mother.  Dr. Hansen's first step is to examine your personal belief system and find out what your expectations are in terms of being a mother and wife.  That's no easy task but I'm up for the challenge.  I know I try to do too much (my stress levels tell me so) but I feel like everything I do is necessary.  I need to put pen to paper and write as Dr. Hansen suggests. 

I know I'm not SuperMom but I can't convince myself to stop trying.  What about you, how what are your expectations as a mother?

Back to checking things off my list and trying to remember every detail before closing on Friday! 

Weekly Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

If you're watching the current season of Top Chef, you know that one of the contestants recently had to 'pack her knives' for the lackluster potato gratin she made.  I knew it was bad when she assembled the dish the night before and didn't cook it.  Didn't she know that cut potatoes turn brown when air gets to them?  And without being soaked in water, what kind of texture are they going to have?  Mealy.  Yuck.  As Tom Colicchio said, and I'm paraphrasing, "If you can't make simple scalloped potatoes, you're not going to be a Top Chef."

So what did I do?  What any self-respecting home cook would do, I decided I needed to prove I was better than that chef and that I could make a great potato gratin dish.

I hadn't made scalloped potatoes in years but I had some leftover heavy cream in the fridge that I couldn't bear to throw away.  Then I saw this recipe on My Baking Addiction and knew it was meant to be. 

Look out Top Chef contestants, I'm coming for you!

Scalloped Potatoes
from My Baking Addiction

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or a mixture of cream and whole milk)
1 sprig of fresh thyme (1/2 tsp of dried)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for broiling

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter or spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2.  In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, warm up the cream, thyme, garlic, and nutmeg.  Keep your eye on the cream because you do not want it to boil over.
3.  Place a layer of potatoes in the bottom of your prepared casserole dish in an overlapping pattern.  Season with salt & pepper.
4.  Remove cream from heat, pour a little over the potatoes.  Top with some grated Parmesan.  Make 2 more layers.  Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
5.  For that delicious golden brown top layer, sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 4-5 minutes.  

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Well apparently one person in our house doesn't. 

Being a parent is anything but easy.  On a good day, you may only raise your voice once.  You may only slip into the other room to get a little peace and quiet twice.  But those days are few and far between. 

The typical day is filled with lots of questions that have no explicable answers, incessant talking, large doses of whining, occasional crying, and petty fighting.  All of these things are mind-numbing and draining to say the least.  Somehow we survive and push on.  It's not easy but we manage.  We manage because we have the hope of a new day tomorrow and we know that our children are learning new things and exploring their limits.  They are sponges and it's our job to provide the water for them to absorb.

I get it.  I really do.  What I don't get and what I don't know how to deal with is arguing and not listening.  I completely understand and appreciate the adage, "what goes around, comes around" but I wasn't a kid who thought it was cool to tune my parents out.  When the tv was on and my mom called for us, I came running.  My sister, on the other hand, was so immersed in the tv that she was often asked 2 and 3 times to come before she finally heard (listened).  Even today, I'm just not capable of tuning things out.  I wish I was.  Oh how I wish I was! 

As of late, Colin has turned off his listening ears.  When we ask him to do something or get something, we're often met with a long dissertation of what he was going to do or why he doesn't want to do what we've asked of him.  As you can imagine, our patience wears thin quickly and our calm voices are quickly replaced with much louder voices, sometimes even yelling.  I know we yell out of frustration and it doesn't get our point across any better, but in the heat of the moment it's hard to remember that. 

We typically give a warning as to what will happen if he doesn't do what we've said.  Sometimes it's missing a book at night, other times it's missing dessert, but they all involve taking something away.  It's not working.

Wes and I decided last night that we were done with warnings.  They weren't doing anything but raising our blood pressure and making us that much more frustrated.  We decided that going forward, not listening would equal spending time in timeout.

Then, this morning as I was cleaning out his backpack from school yesterday, I noticed the daily report sheet.  On it the teacher wrote that Colin had trouble listening and following directions and thought it was funny when she tried to correct him.  Another teacher had to come in and talk to him and a couple other children about using their listening ears.

Yes, it's somewhat embarrassing to know that your child is the one misbehaving and being "that" child but I'm over the embarrassment.  How do I teach him to listen?! 

The whole laughing and thinking getting in trouble is funny just adds salt to the wound.  That just makes my blood boil even more and throws any rational thoughts right out the window.

So this morning I attempted to have a sit-down discussion with him about the note.  He willingly sat down to listen but just as I got to the note, he got that smirky grin on his face.  I tried so hard to remain calm and not let him win.  Wes assured him this wasn't funny and to quit laughing.  Then he turned his head and covered his face.  Wes told him to turn around and look at me.  He wouldn't.  I told him that was it, if he wasn't going to listen, he could sit there until it was time to go to school (about 20 minutes).  Wes proceeded to tell him he wouldn't get his blanket the rest of the day either.

Queue the flood gates.  The screaming crying began and later was turned into yelling.  Clearly we've got some anger issues buried in there too.  Then he said he was ready to listen and I told him it was too late.  I wanted to cave but I knew the discomfort of having to sit there was important.  Then he began, "I want someone to talk to me."

As my heart broke into a million pieces, I stood my ground firmly in the kitchen, staring at Wes.  I told Wes that ignoring my child, even his annoying ways, was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  He agreed but we both agreed we needed to prove a point and stand firm.  Finally it was time for me to leave for work and I went in, hugged him, told him I loved him, and said good-bye.  He sobbed some more.  My heart fell on the floor.

While part of me was in pain, there was another larger part that was hopeful.  I want so badly for the good days to outweigh the bad.  But right now, in the behavior department, they're not.  I want the sweet, loving boy to be around all the time but I don't know how to channel him to come and stay.

Being a parent is teaching your child right from wrong but there's so much self-teaching that goes on in the meantime.  I'm trying to take things in stride, not let things get to me so much, and let things go.  I want to enjoy this precious time with my children and not dread knowing which behavior I'm going to be forced with today.

Any thoughts, ideas, or inspiration?  Am I overlooking something that I could or should be doing?  Am I being unrealistic or unreasonable?  Help! 

Guest Posting

Before my world got turned upside down (in a good way), I volunteered to do a guest post for a fellow Kentucky blogger, Mindy at The World in My Kitchen.  Mindy is overseas gallivanting about with her husband and his class of 16 college students.  Must be rough, huh? 

So go check out my post for Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  It would be perfect on a cold day like today!

Pressing Pause

Please bear with me while I take a brief break in the action.  Someone hit the fast forward button without warning us and there's nothing I can do.  We sold our house, bought another one, are frantically trying to pack, all while maintaining some type of normalcy for the boys (and us).  We're super excited and can't wait to get to our new place and get settled.  I

n the meantime, I'm afraid the posts will be few and far between.  I'll be back just as soon as I can but I will continue to leave you little love notes on your blogs.  Be back soon...