Tonkatsu Pork Chops and Soba Noodles

This weekend as I was developing my meal plan I came across two recipes on allrecipes.com:

Tonkatsu Pork Chops and Soba Noodles with Toasted Sesame Seed Sauce.

So I decided to put these two together for a meal.

I'm not going to do the ingredient list since you can refer to the original recipes but I will say in lieu of broccoli florets and balsamic vinegar for the soba noodles I used red bell pepper and Chinese black vinegar. But I did take a photo of the ingredients! It was fairly involved...not difficult, per se, but involved.



Here is the dressing after the garlic was minced, the green onions sliced, and the other ingredients whisked together.



Boil the noodles for about 6 minutes then add the bell pepper for about 30 seconds or so. Put them into the bowl with the dressing. Then add the sesame seeds (I used toasted sesame seeds so I didn't have to toast them myself.)



Bonus pic of toddler, triumphant after adding the sesame seeds!



Toss everything together and make sure it's all incorporated.



Now, time for the pork chops. Whisk the egg mixture together with a fork.



Pour some panko crumbs into a container. (After this I was wondering why I didn't use panko all the time since they are delightful, crispy, and generally fantastic!)



Dip the pork chops into the egg mixture, then the panko, then the egg mixture, then the panko once more. Put them on a plate and let them rest for at least 10 minutes. I let these rest for probably close to 20 minutes.



So, of course, it's time for a cocktail. I bought some of this Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash at the store and it is just absolutely perfect with vodka!



Ahem. So, time to fry. And, really, one needs a cocktail if one is going to be slaving over a hot stove frying for a good portion of the evening...



Five minutes on each side...



...and then they are ready to serve! I put some Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce on the side for the pork chops. I cannot say enough good things about Mae Ploy. This stuff is fantastic with lumpia and it is also amazing with these pork chops. The texture on the panko-breaded pork chops is amazing. Trust me!

Chili and Cornbread

This was a delicious chili and very simple to make.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of kidney beans
2 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
12 oz. jarred salsa
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 packet chili seasoning



Chop up your onions. Y'all know about planks and sticks, right? Halve an onion. Then cut 2-3 (or 4, if you want a fine dice) horizontal cuts, or "planks", in the onion. Don't cut it all the way to the stem, though.



Now, cut the "sticks": 3-4 (or more) vertical cuts. Once again, do not go all the way to the end.



Now cut so you have squares! Easy peasy, right?



Next, mince some garlic. I usually put the cloves on the cutting board and slice it but then go crazy with the knife cutting and cutting and cutting until it's the right size.



Put the 2 pounds of ground beef, minced garlic, and chopped onion into a pot. Heat it until the beef is cooked and the onion is soft.



Once they're cooked, start adding the rest of the ingredients. The order does not matter.











Stir it all up and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let it simmer for an hour or so.



Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cornbread! We made the cornbread by hand but didn't take photos. I wasn't sure how it would turn out! It was not very sweet but it was fairly dense, which I actually like. It was pretty moist, too.

Japanese Chicken

I was perusing recipes online today and came across this one called Japanese Mum's Chicken. I decided to make it since it sounded pretty good. There was one problem: the recipe called for balsamic vinegar. Balsamic??? Really??? I'm guessing balsamic is all she had in the house so that's what she used. Maybe she didn't have a good Asian market near her. I, however, do; I opted for Chinese black vinegar instead. It has a mild flavor and is really very good in this recipe.

Ingredients:
7 or 8 chicken drumsticks
1 cup water
1/2 cup black vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 garlic clove, mashed up a bit
1 hot pepper, split and seeds removed
I used half a jalapeño since I have kids who are sensitive to anything the least bit spicy.
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar



Put the chicken into a large pot. Next time, I think I'll use a low, wide pan.



Split the pepper, remove the seeds, and then mash the garlic.



Add the liquids into the pot.



Add the sugar to the pot.



Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Then, increase the heat and let the sauce thicken into a glaze.



I served this with a wild rice mix and edamame. It was delicious! Very mild and the kids loved it, too.

Quesadillas - Easy Peasy Dinner!

Chicken and cheese quesadillas, refried beans, and corn.

This was so filling I couldn't eat all of it. Awesome!

$0.98 per Serving Dinner

Ingredients:
Deluxe Mac & Cheese dinner mix
1 lb or so chopped chicken
3/4 bag of mixed vegetables
1 cup salsa
Oregano
Chili Powder



Sauté the chicken in a hot skillet. (Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a pot so you can cook the pasta and vegetables.)



Sometime during the process, add about a tablespoon chili powder and about a teaspoon or so of oregano. Whatever looks good to you. I'm a huge fan of eyeballing things.



Once the water is boiling add the pasta.



Add the vegetables right in the water with the pasta.



While the water is boiling and the chicken is finishing its cooking, make a cocktail. This time it's vodka with Crystal Light Tangerine Strawberry. Delicious!



Once the pasta is done, drain it. Add the drained pasta to the cooked chicken.



Squeeze out the cheese packet into the chicken, pasta, and vegetables. Mmmm...cheezzzzzz...



Now, add about a cup of salsa (type is not really important; you could use fresh even) and stir everything together so it's all incorporated.



Serve! I made some biscuits to go along with the dish.



Mac & Cheese: $1.25
Vegetables: $0.89 for the bag
Chicken: $1.75 (they were "trimmings")
Salsa: $1.00
Herbs - I don't count these in the cost since I already have them.

Total: $4.89 divided by 5 in our family = $0.98 each person!