Gluten Free(or not)Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork

I have been really enjoying using Pinterest as my idea center for menu planning! This past week when I got the Dole pineapples for $1 by Canada wide price matching at Walmart, I was happy to find a yummy stir fry recipe with which to use my pineapple! It's called Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork,the original recipe is here. All I did was make a few changes....If you've read my blog for awhile, you may remember my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease last summer. This means no gluten..flour..etc. So, I adapted this recipe to make it gluten free. If you don't need to just use the regular flour.
This is now a family favorite! I don't usually have pineapple juice on hand. It just so happens I had bought some at Christmas time! I separated the left over juice(I had one litre to start and froze it  in 1 1/3 cup portions so that we will have it on hand so I can make this again soon!)

Pineapple Pork
1 small pork tenderloin, cut into large cubes (about 3/4 pound to 1 pound)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Bob's all purpose gluten free flour
Olive oil, for shallow frying pork

Put the egg, pineapple, salt and flour into a bowl. Whisk combine and set aside.
Pour some olive oil in the bottom of the wok. Heat to 350. Toss pork in the coating, cook in wok in small batches until browned on both sides and cooked, about 3 minutes. Place pork on paper towel.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar(or honey)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. molasses
2 tbsp. cornstarch
Whisk to combine and set aside.

Assembly
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion cut up in slices
1 small pepper of whatever color you have, thinly slice
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks 
Steamed rice
Add 1 Tbsp oil to wok over med heat. Once oil is hot add peppers, garlic, onion and pineapple chunks. Stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add sweet and sour sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until it starts to thicken, about 1-2 minutes. Add pork and heat through.
Serve over steamed rice.

Sweet and Sour Cracker Jack Shrimp

I am having a Pinterest menu planning week. It's such fun for me to have a Menu Planning file with pictures! Did you get the shrimp rings when they were on sale for $2.50, a few weeks back?  Yesterday I made this Sweet and Sour Cracker Jack Shrimp.The only thing I would change would be to double everything. I didn't get any pictures of the finished product because we ate it too fast! Next time I make it I will add photos! This is a keeper!(I moved it into the Recipes We Love file!)
The original recipe is here. 
Special Note: Need to be organized to marinate for 30 minutes ahead of time.
Cracker Jack Shrimp
(copied from justataste.com)
For the shrimp marinade:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small egg white, beaten(I forgot this and it was still great)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 Tablespoon Shaoshing wine or Sherry(I used apple juice)

For the shrimp:
1 pound shrimp, shelled and de-veined
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup peanut oil

For the sauce:
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chicken broth(not pictured above)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup store-bought sweet chili sauce(I used Thai Kitchen brand as it is gluten free)
3 cloves garlic, grated(forgot this, it was still great)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger(used powdered)


DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the shrimp marinade. Set aside.

Rinse the cleaned shrimp under cold water then lay out on paper towels and pat until completely dry.

Add shrimp to marinade and cover the bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. While shrimp are marinating, prepare the sauce by whisking together all of the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Set the prepared sauce aside.

Place the 1 cup of cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the marinated shrimp to the cornstarch, tossing to evenly coat. Transfer the coated shrimp to a colander and shake off any excess cornstarch.

Place a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes until it is very hot.

Add the peanut oil it should slide very easily across the pan but not smoke).

Add half of prepared shrimp to the pan, spread out so they aren't touching each other. Allow them to cook 2 minutes, then flip them once and cook on the second side for 1 additional minute, or just until they turn pink and are fully cooked throughout.

Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat the cooking process with the second half of the shrimp, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.

Drain the excess oil from the pan and then allow the pan to cool before returning it to the stove (this is very important).

Return the pan to the stove, placing it over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce and bring it to a boil.

Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce and toss to evenly coat.

Spoon Crackerjack Shrimp into dishes and serve.

Recipe adapted from the Los Angeles Times.

Bacon Pancakes!

I was on Pinterest the other day when I found this recipe! Bacon inside of  pancakes, is there anything better?
So, I was inspired to try them this morning! First, I did the bacon(to perfection) on my new to me George Foreman grill! Then I substituted our pancake recipe for the pancake mix in the original recipe.
Pancake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
2 1/4 cup milk
Mix wet together
3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
Mix dry together, add to wet, mix just until combined.

Of course I didn't have everything! I thought the mayonnaise squeeze bottle I kept had a large pouring spout, but it didn't!  I improvised and used my pouring measuring cup. They aren't perfect, but they are still tasty. I poured a long line of batter onto a preheated(375) frying pan. then I pressed the cooked bacon piece into the batter and poured a thin line of batter over the  bacon. Then I just continued to cook until done! So, yummy!

Using Pinterest to Menu Plan and Peanut Udon Noodles Recipe

Recently I started using Pinterest. I did try it shortly after it came out but I didn't get. I just didn't spend enough time exploring! Well, I have found I can waste huge amounts of time find fantastic recipes for menu planning! You can type in the search bar "chicken" and viola you have all manner of recipes with pictures! 

Part of keeping it organized is about the boards you pin things to. Originally, I had one for Recipes to Try. That got overwhelming very quickly, as I had to scan through so many pins to find the recipe I wanted! Then I started one with Desserts to Try and half of my Recipes to Try left. Then today as I was menu planning I thought, "Self, why not a board called This Week's Menu!" (I know you thought of this already, but it was a light bulb moment for me!) Now, I have a lovely area to go to see what we are eating this week! Once I have tried the recipe it either goes into Recipes We Love or it gets deleted. I wish there was a way to delete them forever from  Pinterest because it's about the visual for me. What will happen is I will see it in Pinterest world again and I will repin it because I like the picture and forgot I had tried it already!
The fun thing is you can be as creative as you want for the naming of your boards! 
I got a kick out of one guy who had all these lovely chocolatey desserts....his board was Things I Wish My Wife Would Make!

My menu planning inspiration before Pinterest!
Today one of my Recipes to Try that went into my This Week's Menu was Peanut Udon Noodles. It was so good and so easy!

Ingredients needed for this quick, yummy, Peanut Udon Noodle recipe. The original recipe is here. The  red  pepper paste is optional. As you can see I have a LARGE bucket of it! This came when we had a lovely Korean lady living with us and she taught me some spicy, super tasty Korean dishes.
The thing that takes the longest with this recipe was boiling the water! The udon noodles only take 2-3 minutes to cook. I would definetly use at least 2 packages to feed 3-4. 
The sauce calls for chicken broth, but I just used water.

Peanut Udon Noodles

1/2 cup chicken broth(I used water)

 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced (I used grated frozen)

3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce 

3 Tbsp. peanut butter

 1 1/2 Tbsp. honey 

1/2 tsp.hot chili paste (optional) 

3 cloves garlic, minced

 8 oz. Udon noodles

 green onions, chopped 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced roasted peanuts, crushed fresh cilantro, chopped

I didn't use the peanuts or the cilantro(there's a ban on it in my house)

I didn't know it was going to be so yummy. I didn't know I would want to blog it, so this is the sad bottom of the bowl  left in my son's portion. He had a hard time stopping long enough for me to take this picture! Next time I make it I will add pictures. The sliced pepper and bits of green onion added nice color to it.

 r

Boston Cream Muffins

I am still spending way to much time on Pinterest! Here's the latest thing I found!
They are so easy and I will include all the shortcuts and longcuts, so you decide!
Boston Cream Muffins
Make a Vanilla Cake Mix. You can use a box and follow the directions, pouring it into muffin tins when you are done.The original recipe calls for mini muffin tins, I don't have those, so I used regular size. Or, you can make this scratch cake.
White Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
Mix
1/2 cup oil
3 whole eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
Combine wet and dry. Pour into 12 greased(or papered) muffin tins. Bake 350 15-20 minutes.
Let the muffins cool completely. I set them outside for a few minutes.
Cut the muffins in half. For the pudding you can use a package or even a couple of containers of the premade. The recipe calls for 1 cup of pudding, 1 tsp per muffin, we just added what looked tasty. Pudding running out the sides is okay with us. If you want to make your pudding from scratch I found this premade mix recipe here. (I didn't have vanilla beans, so I just added vanilla to the pot.)One note if you do make your pudding from scratch, allow several hours for it to cool.
The Chocolate Sauce is very easy too.
Sauce
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup whipping cream
Place in microwave for 30-60 secs until chocolate chips have melted. Mix. Pour over muffins. Put them in the fridge to harden.
My daughter and I made them together right before supper. She asked if we could hurry up and get supper over with so we could get down to dessert! :)
There are a few in my fridge and I am wondering...what time is an decent time to start eating them?

Pumpkin Scones!

I was spending some quality time on Pinterest when I came across these yummy pumpkin scones! The original recipe is by recipe girl and is here. I thought I would post the steps here, as I like to break recipes down a bit to convince myself that there aren't too much work! She forms her's into pie shaped pieces, I did fingers as I made a triple recipe to feed a bunch of people.

                              Pumpkin Scones

                            Preheat oven to 425.

The dry ingredients are
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves and ginger
Whisk all.

Using a pastry cutter or the food processor cut in 6 Tbsp cold butter.(you can see my book ...I was reading The Postmistress!)

The wet ingredients are
1 egg
3 Tbsp half and half(I used heavy cream substitute)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Whisk together.
I learned from another pinterest post that you can make your own heavy cream! To make 3 Tbsp I used 2 Tbsp of milk  and 1 Tbsp of melted butter.

Fold the wet into the dry to form a ball.

Pat into a rectangle. Cut into the shape you desire.Use a wet or greased knife to separate them a bit.The original recipe post shows much nicer pictures!
Bake for 14-16 minutes.

Make the first glaze with 1/2 cup icing sugar and 1 Tbsp milk. Whisk together.

Brush the scones with the thin icing with a pastry brush. Let icing harden a bit. Just takes a few minutes.

Meanwhile make the second icing
3/4 cup icing sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves and ginger
Whisk together.

Drizzle over top. Enjoy!
One recipe costs less than $3 to make.