Vegetables with Noodles and Beef

I made this today for our first day of Chinese New Year celebration.  Rave reviews.  I'm still not 100 percent satisfied with it, so tweaks will still take place, but it is really good as is.  Tom declared "This is a GREAT way to start off the New Year!"  As a side note, the girls and I were making Chinese lanterns to hang (Tessa's idea).    As we were finishing Tess said, "I wonder if Estee has her lanterns made yet."  As if the rest of the world joins us in this tradition!  But it goes to show how much this tradition is loved by our family.  I love how it brings us together.  But enough rambling. . .here is the recipe:

Vegetables with Noodles and Beef

Make Sesame Salt:

Toast 2 TBSP sesame seeds.  Let cool.  Finely chop/crush the seeds.  (I use a nut chopper, but a mortar and pestle or spice grinder would also work.)  Add 1/4 tsp salt.  Set aside.

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup matchstick-size carrots

1 medium onion, sliced thin lengthwise

1 cup green onions, chopped (about 1/4" pieces)

1 cup slightly chopped peanuts (I use party peanuts)

2 TBSP fresh ginger, chopped 

1 tsp minced garlic

8 ounces flank steak (or other steak)

2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper

2 TBSP soy sauce

Peanut oil

Bring 2 quarts water to boil in a large pan.  Add noodles, cook 2 minutes.  Drain and run cold water over them to stop cooking.  Return them to the pan.  Stir in 1/2 TBSP peanut oil and 1 TBSP soy sauce.  Stir to coat.  

In wok or frying pan, toast peanuts until slightly browned.  Remove them to the noodle pan.  Add 1 TBSP peanut oil and heat until hot.  Add carrots.  Cook until just starting to tenderize, then add onion (not the green ones).  Cook until just tender, at the very end, add the bean sprouts.  (You can add other veggies such as red pepper or celery or mushrooms.  Just cook everything until slightly tender.)  Add the veggies, including the green onions to the noodle pan.  Heat another TBSP of peanut oil.  Add garlic and ginger.  Stir fry for a few seconds then add the beef.  Cook until beef is cooked.  Add the beef to the noodle pan along with remaining ingredients.  Heat and add remaining ingredients (including the 1 remaining TBSP of soy sauce and Sesame salt.)  Serve immediately.

Possible tweaks:

Add a few dried red peppers (add to pan with garlic/ginger and cook with the meat).  A little more garlic would probably be good.  

Pot Roast

I grew up having pot roasts or chicken for dinner every Sunday.  I've branched out in my Sunday dinners--mostly because I haven't been able to make a consistently good pot roast.  I used to do okay but when I became tired of the onion soup flavoring method, I began looking for other ways.  One of the ways I have tried was Pioneer Woman's pot roast. . . although, I tried to do it in a crock pot and with dried herbs.  A sorry way to waste a roast.  Last Sunday I decided to actually follow the recipe and wallah!!!  It was successful!  While it was quite good and I'll definitely do it again, I will continue adding and trying new things until I think it is fantastic!  Below is the recipe.

 I also made the garlic roasted mashed potatoes.  I've had them before so I knew they would be well liked, but I still underestimated how many potatoes to cook.  And, since I refuse to fill my husband's arteries with as much butter, cream cheese and half and half as she suggests, I only used a few tablespoons of each butter and cream cheese and softened with milk.  Still fantastic.

Recipe: Pot Roast

Prep Time: 20 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 4 Hours  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 10

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Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 1 Hour  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled And Rinsed
• 3 heads To 5 Heads Roasted Garlic
• 1-1/2 stick Regular Salted Butter (3/4 Cup)
• 8 ounces, weight Softened Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Or So Half-and-half (Or Heavy Cream, If You're Feeling Naughty)
• Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

(Prep time includes time needed to roast garlic.)

Cut the peeled potatoes into pieces and cook in boiling water until fork-tender. Drain water and return to pot, and mash potatoes over low heat until lots of the steam has escaped.

Next, mash in softened butter, cream cheese, half-and-half, and salt to taste. Dump in three to five heads of roasted garlic cloves; stir together, then check seasoning. Be sure to salt adequately.

Add some fresh ground black pepper, and serve with one or two roasted garlic cloves on top. 

Chinese Noodles--like unto Panda Express

The title is a bit misleading because getting noodles tasting a lot like Panda's is difficult because they are fried to give that distinct taste.  That is hard to replicate---at least with my cooking equipment.  But I finally have come with with something that tastes quite good and will only use half the dishes in your kitchen!

Chop veggies:
1-2 onions
2 cups-ish celery sliced thin
2 cups-ish shredded cabbage--regular or Napa
1/4 cup match stick sized carrots (cut quite skinny)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
3 green onions

Use all or some of the veggies.  Chop and set aside.

Prepare and set aside:
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

Mix sauce, set aside:
3 TBSP soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
shake of cayenne

Cook dried Chinese noodles (1-2 pkgs).  Make sure they are wheat based, not rice based.  I'm getting pickier with my Chinese food.  The ones from local grocery stores are not nearly as good as ones from an Asian market.  Cook in hot water for just a few minutes.  Drain in a colander and shake excess water.  Put in a bowl and pour 2-3 TBSP vegetable oil over them and stir well.  Then in small batches fry them in a hot frying pan for just a few minutes.  Transfer back to cooking pot to keep warm while you cook the veggies.  Add another TBSP of oil to the frying pan and heat until hot.  Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so).  Add veggies, starting with the harder ones first--carrots, then celery then onions.  Cook only until tender crisp and cabbage just starts to wilt.  Toss noodles with the sauce and add veggies.  Stir and heat slightly then serve.

Beans and Rice with Chicken and Salsa

When I saw this recipe on Our Best Bites, I immediately wanted to try it.  And since I had everything for it in the house (except the green pepper, which I swapped for red) I decided to make it last night.  Very easy and quite good. I think it will be one we eat at least monthly.

1 cup chopped peeled Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion, divided
2 limes
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 13.5 ounce can chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked brown or white rice
1 rotisserie chicken, or 4 grilled chicken breasts
4-6 lime wedges

Combine apple, cilantro, 2 tablespoons onion, and the juice from half a lime.  Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and black pepper.  Set aside.

Combine remaining onion, bell pepper, and oil in a large skillet.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until completely softened, 6-7 minutes.  Add garlic and next 3 ingredients; stir constantly for 2 minutes.  Stir in broth and beans; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium; simmer briskly, mashing some of hte beans with the back of a spoon and stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 8-10 minutes (or longer if needed).  Season with salt and pepper to taste and a big squeeze of lime juice.  Divide rice and beans among plates.  Top with some chicken and apple salsa.  Garnish with additional cilantro and lime wedges.  Serves 4-6.

Cheese logs

This is a recipe I developed years ago after loving something similar from the grocery store but not wanting to pay their price.  It turned out well enough to give to my neighbors.  Not long after that, I got a phone call wanting the recipe for Homemaking meeting.  I didn't really have a written recipe to give.  Since then I've written and rewritten as I've made it each time.  Add as much or as little crab and green onion as you like.
Cheese Log 1

2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp Bon Appetit seasoning
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup chopped crab
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Mix well.  Form into logs and roll in chopped pecans.  Refrigerate.  Serve with crackers.

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This one is adapted from one from All Recipes.  The first is still my favorite, but this is spicy one for a change.

Cheese Log 2
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced  (don't be afraid, this is what makes this good)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Sprinkle to taste with Taco Seasoning


Mix well.  Form into logs and roll in chopped pecans.  Refrigerate. Serve with crackers.

Chinese Beef Noodle Soup (adventure!)

While searching for something else last fall, I ran into a video of Chinese noodles being made.  I had never seen anything like that before and was intrigued.  Then I ran into this video that is sort of a tutorial.  Moments later I emailed Cache and asked him if he wanted to try them with me over Christmas break.  And moments later I heard back from him: of course he did!  He loves culinary adventures as much as me!  All we needed was a few recipes.

When it came time to make this, we could not find the video above to know how to make the soup base.  So we used this one as a base instead.  (Tom says they are both authentic, the one we used is from northern China with a lot of spice and the other is a typical southern fare.)

I found a noodle recipe with grams as the measuring standard, so thankfully Mathematician Cache was able to translate that into something usable for us.  The noodles were quite tricky and we were terribly unsuccessful at getting them pulled and stretched.  We don't know whether it was our dough or our lack of experience or both.  But we have ideas for improvement for next time.  We did however, roll them out thin and sliced them.  It is a wonderful alternative if we can't ever figure out the pulling and stretching bit.  The recipe we used was so small that at last minute I sent Tom to buy some packaged fresh Chinese noodles.  While okay in a pinch, they were not nearly as good as our homemade.  So we'll definitely be trying our hand at them again soon.  (Chinese New Year is just around the corner and Cache took ingredients to make it at BYU.)

Everyone in the family LOVED this soup.  We can only improve on it!

Here is our working recipe:

Noodles:  (I will triple this for my family.)
1 1/4 cup cake flour
3 TBSP all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 TBSP oil

We put this in the bread machine then let it sit most of the day to break down the gluten.  It was such a sticky dough that we had to add a lot of flour to even be able to work with it.


Next time I am going to try stirring this mixture together by hand and then using my bread machine to knead it as I slowly add more cake flour as needed until it is a good working consistency.  After that cycle is finished I will see how stretchy it is.  If it needs more kneading, I will use my bread machine again on the knead cycle.  If this doesn't work, I can always roll them out and cut long and thin!

Soup:
Cut tenderloin steak into bite-sized pieces, removing all fat.  Cook in cold water and cook slowly until cooked through.  Drain and rinse well.

In soup pan, saute in 1-2 TBSP hot oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 TBSP sliced ginger

Cook until fragrant.  Add 6 dried chili pepper (with tops broken off).  Add:

Cooked beef
1 1/2 TBSP chili paste
scant 1/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup beef broth
5 cups water
1 tsp. sugar

Simmer for 1 hour.  Ladle over a bowl of noodles.

We all wanted a few vegetables in it.  Next time, I'll add some carrots, broccoli, and green onions near the end of the cooking time.

This soup had a lot of heat!  But we all loved it.  We just added a little extra water to the girls' bowls.  Can't wait to try it again!