Spicy Sweet Asian Beef

Ever come across a recipe that you think will be just "ho hum" but you want to try something different so you make you and then...BOOM!  Sparklers go off, a marching band trumps through your kitchen and the heavens open up and a beam of glorious light sprays across your stove?  Yeah...I had that last night when I made this recipe from Jennalaughs.com  

I mean, just LOOK at that picture for crying out loud!  The rich, spicy, sweet beefy sauce just beckons to me to remake it tomorrow.  I could, in all seriousness, eat this once a day & not ever get bored.

Easy Rice Pilaf w/ Orzo Pasta - Day #1 Thanksgiving Spectacular

Its Day 1 of our big Thanksgiving Spectacular week!  I am so excited to bring you some of my family's tried and true holiday recipes as well as inviting Brandie (thecountrycook) and Sieglinde (SiggySpice) to share some of their family favorites too.  Its a very special week here - stay tuned and don't miss a day!

I think for me the biggest planning part comes with side dishes.  Growing up my mom always had the standard green bean casserole, grandma made dumplings, my aunt brought deviled eggs, my other aunt made her version of the cheesy hashbrown casserole I blogged about and my uncle Robert cranked out about 200 hand rolled butter croissants.  I like all those things but not EVERY holiday!  So I like to mix mine up now I have my own family gatherings and keep it interesting for everyone.  

This year I will be serving a super quick and easy rice pilaf with orzo pasta mixed in.  Its doubly good for the holidays because it can be made ahead of time and just reheated with a bit of butter in a skillet before serving.  (or microwave, who am I kidding?  Its another dirty dish if you break out a skillet.  lol)  This seriously simple pilaf is in fact, one pan cooking and tastes better than any box kind you could possibly get.  Its so easily adaptable for seasoning too.  Add some chicken bouillon, garlic, chopped onions or parmesan cheese and you totally change the flavor.  I have also stirred in an onion soup packet for seasoning and used beef broth and it was out of this world delicious!  This makes about 8 servings so its absolutely perfect for a big holiday meal.  It also freezes very well...not that you'll have any leftover!

Tiny orzo pasta is perfect with rice!

Easy Rice Pilaf w/ Orzo Pasta

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of orzo pasta

1 cup of long grain white rice

2 cups of good chicken stock

1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp chicken crystals/bouillon

salt & pepper, to taste

seasonings, optional and to taste

Melt butter in a skillet (that has a lid) over medium high heat until all bubbly.  Add the pasta, stirring frequently till browned.  Add the rice, stock and water. (if using a soup mix packet, as I mentioned above, add here)  Season with bouillon, salt, pepper and your choice of seasonings/herbs.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cooking for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender, stirring every so often.  Remove from heat and let sit with lid on for 10 more minutes.  Re-season as necessary, fluff with a fork and serve.

Note:  if the pasta doesn't seem "done" enough to you at the 20 minute mark and the liquid is almost gone, give a small splash of water or stock and continue cooking another few minutes until pasta is cooked to your liking.  

  Coming up tomorrow - my super easy & mega moist Bay & Lemon brined turkey!

Braised Pork over Rice

Keeping in line with my cruddy week, I decided to start off the weekend right by making my most favorite meal in the entire world.  As in, if I was on my death bed, I would request someone make this for me.  Its seriously THAT good.  Warm, spicy, sweet - its everything good in one pan that you could ever want.  Husbands swoon and kids lick their chops when the sauce hits the pan and the aroma fills the house beckoning everyone to the table.  Its just majestic.  Say 'amen' now because you'll swear its heaven sent.  Heck, they might even serve this in heaven while playing "Kings and Queens" from 30 Seconds to Mars while we eat Hang It on the Wall cake for dessert.  Well, maybe that's just my version of the afterlife. There had better be prosecco in there somewhere too...that's another post entirely though.  HA!

Do yourself a favor if you make this.  Have everything chopped, diced and measured beforehand.  It moves fairly quickly and its just convenient to have everything prepared ahead of time.  Also, feel free to use whatever rice you like.  I've done brown rice, jasmine, white...just whatever you want.  For my laziness, boil in a bag is great.  Do NOT over stir the meat while frying. You want it to get a nice crispy coating to it. Frying in two batches helps avoid steaming the meat and making the coating gummy. Two batch frying allows it to crisp instead. Well worth the extra five minutes.

Click to enlarge.

Braised Pork over Rice

• 2 pounds Boneless Pork In 1 Inch, Bite Sized Cubes
• 1 Tablespoon Each Corn Starch And Flour, For Dredging
• 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• ⅔ cups Beef Broth
• ⅔ cups Soy Sauce
• 4 Tablespoons Cooking Sherry
• ¼ cups Finely Diced White Onion
• 2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 dash Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
• 2 bags Boil In A Bag Rice, Prepared To Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Dredge meat in flour/cornstarch mix. Add half of meat to hot skillet and brown quickly. Remove and set aside. Brown remaining meat and set aside. Pour off excess oil from the pan.

In a small bowl, combine the stock, soy and sherry. Add onion, garlic, sugar, ginger, salt and pepper, stirring well to combine.  Add reserved meat back to the skillet with the sauce and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve over rice.  Serves 6 amply well.