Pages, Pucks and Pantry

The Kispy Kreme Burger at Mojo Burger

I've been hearing about a burger made with a Krispy Kreme donut as the "bun" for years. Also known as a Luther Burger, this treat has been on my radar for years. Alas, most of the Krispy Kreme restaurants closed around here during the low-carb craze. You can though, find Krispy Kreme donuts pretty much at every grocery store in the area...boxes of the cake or glazed or even donut holes sit on tables near the entrance of even gourmet grocery places around here.

But cold, old, glazed donuts don't do much for me. I prefer them warm right out of the oven. My favorite  donut actually comes from Stan's Donut Shop in Santa Clara. There is nothing like a hot, warm, glazed donut fresh out of their fryer. Seriously, if you are in the area, you need to check them out. But a Krispy Kreme donut? It's been ages since I've had one.

Cue to the end of last year when I saw that one of our local burger joints, Mojo Burgers, was having a special. $5 for a Krispy Kreme Burger. Really? It kinda helped that there was a Mojo's right near where we lived. A Krispy Kreme Burger? Of course we had to check it out!

When Mr. L and I placed our order, we decided to get just one Krispy Kreme Burger to split between the two of us. Because really, how good could it be? It's kind of like the old trick where when you cook something new for guests you have the number to a local pizza delivery place on hand just in case. Just in case the donut burger sucked, we ordered a second "normal" burger to split between us.

And then the Krispy Kreme Burger arrived. And it had cheese! Fer cryin out loud, cheese and donuts?  Cheese and donuts and bacon and hamburger? This was going to be awful! So we split the donut burger in half and each of us tentatively took a bite. Then we took another. Then another. Then we both realized the other should have bought their own damn Krispy Kreme Burger! Yep, Mr. L and I are indeed fans of this rather strange donut burger.

Now before you cry foul, think about it for a minute. The donut is just like having some maple syrup on your bacon or sausage when you get pancakes at your local breakfast place. Or say the sweetness of having caramelized onions on your burger. And the cheese? I think it's just in there to counteract the sweetness of the donut, though next time we'd probably get the burger without cheese. But the donut burger as a whole? It honestly didn't taste half bad. Would I get it again? Sure (of course maybe after I've run a marathon to work off the calories). But it was worth trying at least once, so if you have a chance, go for it.

Alas, Mojo Burgers no longer offers this amazing hamburger treat. But all is not lost to anyone in the San Jose area. You see, I hear a new Krispy Kreme will be opening up at The Plant soon (between Wing Stop and Five Guys)...which will give each of us a chance to make our own delicious Krispy Kreme Burgers! Parties at my house!

Red Posole

Though I've previously bookmarked recipes for Posole on blogs and in recipe books, I've never made it before (or eaten it for that matter). The magazine I got this recipe from, Skinny Slow Cooker (a Better Homes and Garden Special Interest Publication that says display until March 13, 2012), had two recipes for Posole...Green Chili-Pork Posole and Red Posole. The only reason I made the red version first is that I had some pork shoulder in the freezer and figured this recipe was a good use of it.

I have no idea how authentic the recipe or flavors in this dish are, but we loved it. The fact that I could just toss everything together in the crock-pot and have a wonderful dinner when I got home made this dish even better. I did cut up the pork and onions the night before and measured out the spices. Got up in the morning, tossed everything in the crock-pot and came home to a wonderful smelling house! Do remember that you don't add the cabbage or enchilada sauce until half an hour before the dish is done (I almost put them in at the start!).

RED POSOLE
(Skinny Slow Cooker)

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch-cubes
2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
Lime wedges
Fresh pineapple wedges (optional)

In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker combine pork, hominy, onion, green chiles, chile powder, oregano, garlic, and cumin. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Stir in cabbage and enchilada sauce. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

To serve, garnish with lime wedges and, if desired, pineapple wedges. Makes 8 servings at 279 calories a serving.

Note: I used white hominy because that was the only kind I found. I used a large carton of chicken broth that was not low-sodium and had an ounce or two more broth than called for.

Note: I cooked the Posole on high for 9 hours.

Note: I did not add the pineapple (pineapple?) but I did add a quick spritz of lime just before serving which brightened the flavors a bit.

Definitely make this again. Loved the crunch of the cabbage as, adding it late, it didn't get all mushy. Though this works fine on it's own, I can see serving this over rice (which my Mom did and loved) or maybe even polenta.

There are a ton of great sounding crock pot recipes in this magazine, all low calorie which is great this time of year!

 

Meat Sauce Over Rice Stick Noodles

When my Mom and I decided to make a Filipino dish called Pansit for Thanksgiving, we set out to find the correct noodles to go in the dish. It's been a while since we've made Pansit and we weren't sure exactly what noodles to buy as all the packaging seems to have changed. We found some "Oriental Style Vermicelli" at a Korean grocery store. The ingredients were listed as 'Mung Bean Flour and Starch'. They looked like the noodles we usually use...where you just put them in really hot water to soften up.

Not wanting to wait until the holiday to make sure we had bought the correct noodles, I tried to find a recipe in one of my cookbooks that could incorporate the noodles. I found this recipe for Meat Sauce Over Rice Stick Noodles in the Martin Yan Quick & Easy cookbook. The recipe called for Rice Stick Noodles but I figured the noodles I had would work.

Alas, these noodles were the kind you had to boil for 5-6 minutes to be usable. Yes, it was amusing watching me stand over the noodles in a bowl full of hot water for ten minutes trying to make them pliable. I finally boiled some water and tossed them in for a minute to get the noodles right consistency.

Other than having to deal with the noodles issue, this recipe was fairly quick to put together. You do have to let the ingredients marinade for a bit, but the meat sauce comes together quickly and you can be cooking the noodles while prepping the meat side of this dish.

Great flavor in such a small package. Not serving the meat sauce on the requested noodles wasn't a problem as Martin Yan says that it can be served over wheat noodles or steamed rice (I'm thinking even thin spaghetti noodles would work). Yan also said you could add some rich broth or pickled vegetables to the recipe. I found the meat sauce had a wonderful deep flavor and made a nice comforting dish while I panicked about not finding the right noodles for the Pansit dish!

MEAT SAUCE OVER RICE STICK NOODLES
(from Martin Yan's Quick & Easy)

Marinade:
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 pound ground pork, beef, or chicken

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
4 cups cooked rice stick noodles
Chopped fresh cilantro and green onions for garnish

To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the ground meat and stir to distribute evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic and the 2 green onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Add the ground meat and stir-fry until browned and crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.

Divide the cooked noodles among 4 large soup bowls. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the meat sauce over the noodles in each bowl. Garnish with the cilantro and green onions to serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: Per Yan, it's important to use dark soy sauce as it adds an intensity you can't get with regular soy sauce. I found some in my local grocery store and at a local Asian market.

Note: I used pork. I used dry sherry.

Note: I don't own a conventional wok. I own a Pampered Chef wok looking non-stick pan. It works fine  for most dishes like this I stir-fry.

Really nice flavor to this. Lots of ingredients, but once they are measured out everything comes together pretty quick. I'd definitely make this again using any type of noodle I happened to have in the pantry (or even rice).

 

Amaretto-Baked French Toast with Pecans

We don't get too fancy on weekend breakfasts. Fried eggs and bacon; omelets; English muffins with jam and, on rare occasions, French toast or waffles. Normally if I'm making French Toast I have to make them in batches...the first batch Mr. L starts eating while I'm making the second batch for me (yes, you can put the first batch in the oven to keep warm while you make subsequent batches but it's just not the same to me). I'd much rather sit down to the table at the same time and have a wonderful breakfast with my husband.

This recipe fit the bill. I loved the convenience of just serving this hot out of the oven and both Mr. L and I digging in together. It was simple to put together, had great flavor and would even be nice enough to serve to guests.

I did make the mistake of putting some of the bread into the bowl as I was cutting it up. Which meant that the first pieces of bread really soaked up the batter and once I started to "mix" the ingredients there wasn't a lot of batter to mix in. Some of the bread was then dryer than others. I'd put the bread in all at once to get the bread more evenly battered.

Though I usually eat my french toast with no syrup (just butter and sugar) this really needed syrup to bring everything together. It was a bit dry (I think that's because some of the bread crumbs got no love from the batter) but that could also be I cooked it too long (I was using a gas oven in the mountains and things didn't brown like I thought they would).

This recipe came from a wonderful blog called Sweet Paul. He puts out an online seasonal magazine and this recipe came from the Sweet Paul Magazine Spring 2010 edition (you can buy printed copies...they are so beautiful you'll want to!). The photos on the blog are amazing and not only are wonderful recipes featured but great decorating ideas for the home are included.

 

AMARETTO-BAKED FRENCH TOAST WITH PECANS
(Sweet Paul Magazine Spring 2010)

3 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons amaretto
1 loaf brioche bread, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter (for greasing baking dish)
1/2 cup pecans
Maple syrup, to serve

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and amaretto. Add brioche cubes and let mixture stand (soak) for five minutes.

Spoon into a 9" x 12" well-greased baking dish; sprinkle with pecans.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

Pour maple syrup over bread and serve. Makes four servings.

Note: The recipe also states that you could use challah bread instead of the brioche.

Note: I was able to find a fresh loaf of brioche bread at my local Lunardi's.

Note: Cut up the bread and add it to the batter all at once so the bread evenly soaks up the mixture.

Note: A little amaretto in your coffee while you eat this French Toast is heaven.

Definitely will make this again and I'll serve it for breakfast the next time I have overnight visitors.

Food Truck - Chairman Bao

A few years ago when the food truck obsession hit in this area in full force, there were only a handful of trucks you could find here in the South Bay. Most of the trucks that were getting notoriety, were those that were found up in San Francisco. One of the more popular ones I constantly heard about was the Chairman Bao truck.  Supposedly inspired by the street food of Asia, the Chaiman Bao food truck was reported to serve food that was "bold, spicy, unique, fast and delicious".

Controversy aside*, and a big fan of pork buns, the Chairman Bao truck quickly went to the top of my list of trucks to try. Alas, it doesn't come down to the San Jose area often. The last time the truck was down this way at I time I could get to it, I waited in line almost an hour before bailing and getting something else to eat (you can read about that here). But the Chairman Bao truck has stayed on my radar with me hoping to eventually give it a try.

A month or so ago, while returning from a morning event in Mt. View, Mr. L and I started discussing the subject of lunch. I remembered that there was going to be a food truck gathering somewhere in San Jose that day (Moveable Feast), and after a quick check on Twitter, I found out that Movable Feast was going to be near Garden City which was on our way home (well, not directly, but not so far out of our way).

Imagine my surprise and delight when we parked and found that one of the trucks there that day was the Chairman Bao truck! Imagine my horror when I realized that though the other four trucks were open and serving customers, the Chairman Bao truck was still not open for business! Yikes, visions of another long wait flashed through my mind. So Mr. L and I went and got some food from a few of the other trucks before heading to the Bao truck to wait in line.

And yes good things come to those who wait.

The Bao truck serves two types of "buns:

The "Baked Bun" is a "light and fluffy hamburger-sized bun with a lightly sweet golden-brown crust and soft center, overflowing with unique fillings - perfect for a meal".

The "Steamed Bun" is a "smaller taco-sized fluffy, white, clamshell-shaped bun with a slightly sweet flavor and doughy texture - perfect for a snack or get 3-4 for a meal"

Since we'd just had food from several different trucks (all not bad by the way), we decided we needed to stick to the snack buns so we ordered our buns steamed.

The fillings offered that day were: 

Muscovy Duck Confit with green papaya, pickled red onion and mint for $4.50 (steamed only)... (I understand Duck isn't always on the menu).

Tender Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon (steamed $3.25, Baked $6.00)

Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage and Preserved Mustard Seeds (steamed $3.25, Baked $6.00)

They also had some chicken and tofu options but HELLO it's me, you think I'd get past ordering anything but the pork? So we ordered one duck (since duck is a favorite of Mr. L's), one braised pork and two pork belly.

Now mind you, I'd been waiting to try these for a while. And I'd basically already eaten lunch,which made these buns more, er, after lunch? I shouldn't have worried. The pork buns were actually quite tasty. The meat was tender and flavorful though a bit much on an already full stomach. We preferred the pork belly over the braised pork...more a taste and texture thing I think. The veggies (pickled daikon and cabbage) went nicely with their respective porks. I probably won't order the braised pork again though as other pork offerings from other trucks seemed better. I'd definitely order the pork belly again because, well, it's pork belly!

But the true star of Chairman Bao? The Muscovy Duck Confit Buns. Moist, tender, tasty. You know when Mr. L and I wish we had chosen the duck over anything made of pork that it has to be good. It just all seemed to work together, the favor, the texture, the toppings. We would definitely order the duck buns again though I'm not sure they offer them on a regular basis.

Will I go out of my way to eat at The Chairman Bao truck again? Probably not. But if I happen to stop by one of the food truck get togethers that I frequent every now and then, and the Chairman Bao truck happens to be there, I'll definitely get in line for that truck first and get me some duck and pork belly steamed buns!

*There seems to be some discussion on the legality of this truck using the "Chairman Bao" name. I believe since our visit, the truck is now just named "The Chairman".

Note: It looks like prices have gone up at least 25 cents per item.

 

 

Merry Christmas

Punky See, Punky Do

Following in the steps of her big sister.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot...

...like Christmas.

We can always tell when the holidays are approaching. The cat ends up in the tree (you can see previous years here and here).  She litteraly didn't even wait for Mr. L to finish putting the tree together this year, Tiggher started climbing the minute he got the trunk up. She was at the top before he had even organized the branches.

As for Pumpkin, she does what big sister does and made a quick climb up the tree herself. Alas, because of her balance problems she promptly fell out of the tree. One snowman broken, but Pumpkin herself, seemed to be none the worse for wear. We plan on keeping a keen eye on her if she ventures up in the tree again (and yes I have considered a baby bumper all around the tree!). 

 

Scrapbooking - Christmas Cards Layout 2010

It's become tradition for me every year to take bits of each Christmas card I receive and make a layout with those pieces along with the card that we sent out. Last year I completed the layout by April (you can check it out here), this year I didn't finish until November!

We actually received less traditional Christmas cards last year and more photo cards, which isn't a bad thing, I just can't figure out how to make a layout with them!

Sweet and Saltines

Sometimes you just need something that is sweet, salty and quick to make. It helps if you already have all the ingredients in your pantry. This is one of those little treats.

It comes from the Home Cooking With Trisha Yearwood cookbook. And if you are like me, you probably have the required ingredients on hand right now...saltine crackers or graham crackers, butter, brown sugar and chocolate chips.

I've made these with both saltines and graham crackers. This photo was made with graham crackers.

SWEET AND SALTINES
(Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood)

40 saltine crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large jellyroll pan with aluminum foil and the saltine crackers.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. Put the jellyroll pan into the oven and watch closely. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Serves 20 (uh yeah, not even close)

Note: Instructions for the recipe state you can substitute graham crackers for the saltines like I did. It will make a sweeter snack. Use 1 stick of butter instead of 2 for a crunchier, saltier snack. I used 1 1/2 sticks. Because of the lesser amount of butter, be prepared for things to get a bit crumbly.

Note: Use anywhere from 35 to 45 saltine crackers, depending on the size of your pan. When I used graham crackers, I just made sure the bottom of the pan was covered, I don't bother to count how many I used.

Note: The recipe calls for semisweet chocolate chips but you can use milk chocolate. I figure I might try this with butterscotch chips.

A nice quick snack when you don't feel like really baking or going to the store for more ingredients.