Ward Progressive Dinner

We hosted a ward progressive dinner and it was so fun to get together!   We started at the Richin's home for appetizers and then hurried home to get things ready for dinner at our house.

I took advantage of Cinco De Mayo and made Cafe Rio for dinner

Cafe Rio Salad

I've used this recipe for several years.  I found it at a great website
called Favorite Family Recipes

I love the sweet pork

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
• 3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• dash garlic salt
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
• 1 c. brown sugar

Instructions

• Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
• Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.
• In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.
• Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Serve with tortillas, black beans, cilantro rice (just rice with a little lime squeezed in, cilantro and TBSP sugar), lettuce, pico salsa, creamy guacamole, crunchy tortilla strips and the awesome creamy cilantro lime dressing:

Ingredients

• 1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in the blender.

Philly Cheese Steak

Ty told me this is his favorite sandwich and I would have to agree!

And its so easy to make

I buy deli slice roast beef and slice it into strips.  Then I saute some onions (I prefer sweet vidalia) and green and/or red pepper.    Next add a carton a slice mushrooms and a diced tomato.  Add the beef and warm everything through.  Add 1/2 block of cream cheese and stir until warm and creamy.  Then add a slice of provolone and scoop up the mixture into a toasted sandwich roll.

Serve with A-1 Steak Sauce

Rumbi Bowls

When I want to go back to Hawaii for a few minutes, I love to go to Rumbi.  Or sometimes I will make these at home.  I get recipes from a favorite blog Family Favorite Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 celery stalks, washed and sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped into small cubes
• 1 1/2 c. chopped broccoli florets
• 2 c. chicken, grilled and cut into small cubes (OR you can get the pre-cooked grilled chicken strips at Costco in the deli section. It comes in a 2-pack.. use one of the packages and cut up the chicken into little cubes.. just saute the chicken for a few minutes in a skillet before serving)
• *Rumbi Rice (see recipe below)
• **Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce (see recipe below)

Instructions

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and broccoli (pretty much equal parts of said vegetables.. you can add more or less veggies depending on your taste). Saute ONLY until vegetables are crisp tender. About 1-2 minutes tops.
• Serve over Rumbi rice and top with chicken. Serve with Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce on the side (about 3 Tbsp. per bowl.. you can add more or less depending on your taste).

*Hawaiian Coconut Rice with Red Beans (aka Rumbi Rice)
2 c. long grain white rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 (14oz) can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker. Gently stir it all together so the beans are all mixed. Place the lid on and start the rice cooker. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
If you don’t have a rice cooker… Combine water, coconut milk, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in rice and beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

**Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce:
3/4 c. Mr. Yoshida’s teriyaki sauce (found in the grocery store by the BBQ sauces)
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (in the Asian section of the grocery store.. we used the one in the clear plastic jar with the green lid — if you want to make it spicier.. add more of this to the sauce)
1 tsp. fresh ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
Combine Yoshida’s, soysauce, garlic sauce, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water and SLOWLY add to sauce for thickening. You want it to be slightly thicker than the Yoshida’s sauce. Allow to simmer for about a minute. Cool to room temperature and serve with your rice bowls. (If you find that the sauce is too thick when it cools, just add a little more Yoshida’s to it)

Soup again-Market Street Clam Chowder

Well my mouth still hurts and today its raining.  It's the first real fall rain we've received.  The boys went down to the BYU game and I know they will come home cold and wet. 
I remember going to Market Street Grill on a cold rainy day a year or so ago.  My favorite thing to order is the clam chowder, so I decided to make it for everyone tonight.

I originally got the recipe from my sister Rebecca when she served it at her home.  It was so yummy and
most of the time this has replaced my original recipe for Bratten's clam chowder.


I do have to admit I am still searching for a recipe for clam chowder that tastes like the chowder I had in Seattle when I was there on vacation with my family at about age 10.  I've never found anything to taste like that, but I still remember the distinct taste after all of these years.  It was another cold rainy day (of course)
and we bought it from a small stand right on the pier.


Well here's the market street recipe for now:


Ingredients:


•1 cup of potatoes, diced 1/2 inch
•1 cup of celery, diced 1/2 inch
•1 cup of onions, diced 1/2 inch
•1 cup of green pepper, diced 1/2 inch
•3/4 cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)
•3/4 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
•1 1/2 teaspoon salt
•3/4 tablespoon whole thyme
•6 bay leaves
•1 teaspoon tabasco
•3/4 cup sherry wine (optional)
•2 cups water
•3/4 cup clam juice (drain from can)
•3/4 cup butter, melted
•1 cup flour
•2 quarts half and half


Method:




In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except butter, flour, and half and half. Simmer until potatoes are throughly cooked.


In the meantime, combine melted butter and flour in a baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30- minutes, (to eliminate raw flour flavor and to stablize chowder) Stif the butter flour mixture, into the chowder and cook, stirring frequently until thick. The mixture should be nearly the consistency of cookie dough.


Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half and half and blend well. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.
Serve!




By the way instead of half and half I used Lactaid whole milk because Chris is lactose intolerant.
I'm sure we missed out on some of the richness and creaminess but it still tasted wonderful!

Bingham Ball Date

Last night the doorbell rang and when Chris answered there were a bunch of "mice" on the doorstep.   Ben was asked to Bingham Ball by Emily Christensen.    He was way excited and did he "arm pump" so now we are preparing to answer her.  Ben is carving a Pumpkin to say YES.  He will put it
on her doorstep with a candle to light it up.

This week I've tried to find any possible way to use our garden tomatoes.  So tonight I made

Summer Garden Pasta.

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

 1/2 cup olive oil

 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound dried angel hair pasta

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil and then add the pasta. Cook al dente and drain the pasta. Add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well