Aiming at the Sky
Four hours of lightning, rain and swirling winds. Both of My cameras snapping away the whole time and this is the only bolt they captured. Maybe next time there will be more success.
Urban Vibration
Last night, I went out with a friend who is in to time lapse photography. Which basically means You will be sitting in one place for a couple of hours. So, I set up My tripod and proceeded to take a bunch of long exposures. These pictures captured something more than just the lights of buildings and cars passing by. The lights of the vehicles revealed the vibration of the bridge upon which we stood. That bridge being a walk-way, maybe eight feet wide, spanning the ten lanes of traffic on I-35W, just south of the I-94 junction. It was pretty windy early on, but it was the semi trucks that were causing the bulk of the motion. You can see in the cropped image below, the effect of a large vehicle passing underneath. Head lights apear as if the highway was a row of small waves, with increased hight when a large truck goes by.
Despite the constant vibration and the rain early on, I came through with some decent shots of downtown Minneapolis. They are not a crisp as I would like, but the texture added to the streaking lights is kind of nice. A neutral density filter, which I usually do these kind of shots with, was not involved. I will try that spot again sometime, but clearly a more stable position to do long exposure shots with traffic and the city skyline is more desirable. This is a great vantage point though, there aren’t many places in town with such a nice perspective.
Bacon & Baby Lima Beans in Spiced Porky Soup
I am in love with this soup! Layers of porky flavor make it a delight to devour. I originally intended to make a bacon and bak choi soup, but instead I used what was in My freezer. Thus stumbling upon this lovely combination. Baby lima beans add a great texture and are perfect for reducing the spicy impact on Your taste buds. Obviously, bacon adds to almost any meal, but by cooking it in different ways, bacon can take things to the next level. I have been playing with different methods of cooking it for quite some time. Treating a pack of standard, sliced bacon as a single piece of meat is the key to this dish.
Soup takes time to make. It is very easy, since You can ignore it most of the time, but it’s a long process. 3 hours of simmering on the stove seems to be the minimum for getting all of the flavor and nutrients out of the ingredients. Simmering for 4 to 6 hours before reducing has yielded the best soup stock for Me. Be sure not to reduce too far, the general rule is that You want to cook it down by half. You don’t want to end up with soup concentrate. Making this soup is a two part recipe. First, one must make the stock that provides the base flavors. Then, You fry Your bacon and finish the soup with spices. I tend to make stock half, to three quarters of a gallon at a time, since the largest pot in My kitchen is 8 quarts. Storing any that is not being used right away in the freezer for later. It will last about a month in the freezer, so You can save time and make the stock well before the day You intend actually to serve the soup.
Supplies Needed: TWO 8 quart stock pots(the second is for straining), a decent sized strainer and a skillet for frying.
~For the Stock~
Ingredients:
2lbs Ham Shanks, or the bone of a mostly eaten ham
3 large Carrots, cut in half, or thirds
2 large Onions, halved
half a bushel of Celery
half a bulb of Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
1.5 to 2 gallons of Water(as much as can be fit into the pot with the other ingredients)
To Cook:
Put all the above ingredients in a stock pot, adding as much water as possible(1.5 to 2 inches from the top of the pot). You don’t want to boil it, set the burner to whatever setting You need to keep it simmering. Continue simmering for 4 or more hours. Then, strain the ingredients from the liquid, pressing as much of the broth out of them as possible. Discard the solids(eat the meat, if there is any) and return the liquid to the stove. Now You want to bring it to a boil and continue until the soup has been reduced to about half of the post-straining quantity. You don’t want a full rolling boil, with a foamy top. A ‘low boiling’ is ideal, constant large bubbling is what You want to see. Once reduced, let cool and place in the fridge over night. When it’s nice and cold, remove the fat that has solidified on the top. Now proceed to the next part of the recipe, or put it in containers and freeze.
~Finishing the Soup~
Ingredients:
1 tbsp Cajun Spice blend
A 1.5 to 2 inch wide slice of the Bacon slab and half a cup or more of Baby Lima Beans per person
1 tsp freshly ground Peppercorns(multi-color medley is best for this)
Salt to taste
To Cook:
Over medium-low, or even low heat, start frying the bacon, spreading the pepper evenly on the top and bottom. It is best to slow cook, flipping every 5 to 10 minutes. You want to keep the temperature low, so You don’t burn the outsides before the center has been cooked. This should take 45 minutes to an hour. You may also have a hard time keeping the bacon from splitting apart, I suggest using a tongs for flipping, so You can hold each piece together as You maneuver them around. Once the bacon is ALMOST cooked through, heat Your soup stock on high. Once the soup starts to boil, add the baby lima beans, cajun spice and salt and reduce to medium heat, stirring occasionally. At the same time, turn the burner for the bacon to medium-high and fry until the outer edges are nice and crispy(burnt is ok too), then remove from the pan, placing on a towel to pull out the excess grease. Make sure the beans are cooked to Your liking and turn off the burner. Ladle the soup and beans into bowls and place a chunk of bacon on top. Serve hot!
Notes:
I have only served this when also making other dishes. I’ve never tried it as a stand alone meal, it’s a great fit for multi-course dinners.
Cooking sliced bacon in this manor provides a unique texture, similar to tender un-sliced meat. Half pound slabs cook up quite well, but are hard to slice afterwords without breaking it all apart. I prefer Corn King brand bacon. You may laugh, or turn Your nose to the sky, but the brine and smoking process they use produces a superior tasting grease. I use bacon grease instead of cooking oil in most of My cooking, so such things matter to Me. Yes, I am telling You that a mass produced product of Iowan factory-made bacon is better than bacon from a quality butcher shop!
Baby lima beans are really tender inside. If You are substituting regular lima beans, You will want to boil/steam them with water and add to the soup when plating. Otherwise they will be tough and meaty in texture.
This soup is very barbecue friendly. I saved 15 bones from pork spare ribs that I had smoked, added them, burnt edges, sauce and all, instead of the ham. It was delicious! I was unsure about how the charred ends and the messy, sweet remnants of bbq sauce would affect the flavor, but it came out really good. The only burnt parts were maybe half an inch at the tip of each bone. The soup lacked the hammy flavor and aroma, but was instead smelling like a barbequed bowl of goodness. I admit to also using one head of bak choi in place of the carrots that time too. The spice blend really helps this soup fit in to a barbecue menu as well. The spiciness just invites one to eat more sweet, savory, saucy ribs.
I have also found the broth, which is the soup after straining, but before reducing, is very good for sauces. 1 cup of broth, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp minced fresh ginger, some garlic and a splash of chili powder made for a delicious thick sauced stir-fry.
On and Around Nicollet Island
I Headed upstream to hang out with a good friend. We spent most of the day walking around Nicollet Island and down to the dam at Saint Anthony Falls. It made Me realise just how long it has been since I walked miles and miles with no set destination. This was such a large part of My teenage years, suddenly it feels like a lost part of who I am has been rediscovered. Unlike in the past when I was up to various mischievous activities, now I carry a camera. Let’s see where this goes.
Shooting the Stars
Last night, My Brother and I wandered out of the city to find a nice view in the country. It was said there would be a meteor shower, or possibly even a ‘meteor storm.’ We headed east of town, trying to get ahead of the approaching clouds. The shooting stars that we were seeking should have been mostly in the northern sky. We roamed the rural roads north of Hudson, WI for a while, finding a lack of northerly views that weren’t spoiled by peoples lights. Then, there was an openning to the south which revealed an awesome array of stars. We parked in someone’s driveway and proceeded to shoot from there for 2 or more hours. In some of the pictures, You can almost make out the edge of the milky-way. I was however aiming directly at I94, Hudson and the Twin Cities, with all the light pollution they emit. So after a few shots I turned to aim up and above the horizon. Which gave Me the awesome star trails, layered up around the Earth’s northern rotational axis. We only saw a couple of shooting stars, but it was still a great time.
The slightly ghost-like picture at the end was aquired with a 10 second exposure, ISO-800 at an aperture of f/1.4. All pictures taken with a Sigma 30mm 1.4 Ex on My Canon t4i.
Pesto, Arugula and Mozzarella Rolls
This, super simple recipe, is just delicious. Pictured above with wadds of bacon and a giant cup of tea, it goes well with an awful lot of things. Yesterday, I served these rolls with My ‘traditional ribs’ and it was a quite pleasant pairing. Plucked from the BBC’s Good Food web site, it isn’t My usual experiment and see what happens kind of dish. Having a mere four ingredients, anyone can whip these up in minutes. I think this is a good one to teach to kids, since it doesn’t require cooking and can be jazzed up with just about anything. If You are looking for a quick, satisfying snack, or if You need something that can be made well ahead of having company over, this one is a winner. Serves 8, or half that many hungry teenagers.
Supplies Needed: Knife and cutting board(if You are using fresh Mozzarella blocks)
Ingredients:
4 – 10 inch Tortillas
1 cup – Pesto
1 – 12oz block of fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly
6-8 cups – Arugula
Prep:
Lay out a tortilla and spread 1/4 cup of pesto all over it. Add cheese to half and spread arugula evenly. Roll it up, starting from the cheesy side and slice for serving, or refridgerate for later. Yeah, that’s it.
Notes:
Shredded mozzarella nullifies the need for any pre-assembly prep.
The original recipe called for two sheets of lahvash flat bread instead of tortillas.
Adding bacon, thinly sliced pastrami, or some such thing makes this into more of a meal than a snack food.
Experiment! Such a simple flavor combination goes well with a lot of different things.
Another Cold, Windy and Wet Day at the Track
The first gathering in ClubFR’s 2014 season has come and gone. As expected, there were not a ton of entries. Even so, for the first time, I neglected to take pictures of every car on the track. Many of the guys were just starting to figure out how to keep their cars sliding. Another thing that I chose not to do so much was to point My camera at cars with missing body parts. After nearly a decade of shooting pictures at drift events, half dressed cars have gotten really boring. Making a day of one, 5 hour lap of the advanced course in the traditional UsaIR, dual track layout. Here is what some of what I got for You.
Please note, in the very last picture, the driver of the red BMW has his eyes closed!
Double Pork Fried Rice
One of humanity’s most varied edibles. After a decade or more of experimenting and constantly trying different things, I have settled on a flavor arrangement closer to americanized asian restaurant versions of this classic home-style favorite. The sweet soy sauce, or alternately kecap manis, combined with rice vinegar and soy sauce is the winning formula at a great many asian restaurants here in North America. For Me, Simply add eggs, sweet peas and bacon, everything else is optional. The following recipe is my dressed up version which is very much a stand alone meal. Adding chili powder for increased depth to the rice it’s self, while also including carrots and onions, along with savory marinated pork. By cooking these things separately and mixing them together only at the end, You get a wonderful burst of the different ingredient’s flavors in every bite. Serves 4 as a main dish or 6+ as a side dish.
Supplies Needed: Large Wok or Fry Pan, Knife and Cutting Board
Ingredients:
2 cups of White Rice, steamed or boiled(slightly undercooked, or day old rice is best)
1 pound or so of Pork, Your choice of cut, chopped into half inch pieces(or smaller)
4 Eggs
One third of a pound of Bacon, sliced into pieces a quarter inch wide
3 medium sized Carrots, sliced thinly
1 large Onion, chopped as well..
Half of a bag of Frozen Sweet Peas
4 tbsp of Soy Sauce
4 tbsp of Sweet Soy Sauce or Honey, or 1+ tbsp of Sugar)
3 tbsp of Rice Vinegar
1 or 2 fresh Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of Chili Powder Blend
1 packet of Chinese Barbeque(Char Siu, Red Pork) Seasoning
Cooking Oil as needed
Prep and Cooking:
You will need to marinate the pork in the chinese seasoning for 30 minutes or more before cooking, over night in the fridge is best. Once it has soaked in the flavors, remove from the marinade and stir fry on high heat until fully cooked. I preffer a bit of charring on My red pork. Remove from the pan and set it aside for now. Rinse out the pan before continuing.
Over medium heat, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, remove, wipe any extra residue from the pan, then stir fry the bacon to Your liking and remove from the pan. There should be plenty of bacon grease now. You can poor off the excess, or just leave it all in. Stir fry the carrots until they start to soften, then add the onion and cook until the desired texture is reached. Remove from pan. Next, put the cooked rice into the pan, adding all of the remaining seasonings. Stir until everything is evenly mixed in, add the frozen peas and stir until they have thawed. Turn off the burner mix everything You have cooked together in the pan and serve.
Notes:
Things go much faster using a skillet and a wok at the same time. Cooking the bacon, then veggies, followed by the rice in the wok and the eggs and then meat in another pan. Mixing it all into the wok at the end.
First Satsuma Mandarin of 2013
The tropical Minnesotan attic jungle is producing again this year. This orange was a pleasantly sour punch in the taste buds. The room was filled with a lovely citrus aroma when I peeled away the skin. Can’t wait for the rest to be ripe.
Winter Harvest
This Year was My second mandarin orange harvest. Eleven times more fruit than last year’s haul, which was one orange. The tree that gave Me that orange, gave three this year, in an escalating size range of two, to nearly four inches in diameter. They were VERY sweet and not particularly acidic. The largest one however was quite bland in flavor, I think I picked it too late? My other satsuma tree gave Me eight little oranges. I picked them in varying lengths of time after turning bright orange. Today, I picked the last five, about a month later than I think I should have. Quite a day, plucking fresh oranges from a tree when it is 7 degrees(F) outside..
The fruits from this tree were far more acidic and powerful in flavor, but not as sweet as the ones from it’s sister. They are the same age and from the same source, but I planted them in very different soil mixtures, to see what would work better. I can only assume that this, is what caused such dramatic variation in the experience delivered to My taste buds.
Having also plucked the last meyer lemon, there is just one fruit left growing in My tropical Minnesotan attic jungle. It is the first grapefruit from My nearly six year old ruby red tree.
There is nothing like freshly harvested food. It has been great to experience the cycle of these trees and of course, reap the rewards! I can’t wait to see what I get next year.
A First, for Me…
Being a late-comer to the mobile phone world, I started with a well used Side Kick II, which was a hand-me-down from My brother. After a year or three, I migrated to the T-Mobile Dash, which ran a version of windows intentionally designed to slowly delete the available memory, so You would be forced to buy something new, or pay to have it serviced. Both of those devices were garbage! Then, five or so years ago, My sister-in-law gave Me her old G1. The first phone with an Android OS.
The Google Phone is now about a decade old, it still works! I’ve been using it with a pre-paid sim card for quite some time now. The only thing holding it back for basic phone, text and not so snappy(but acceptable) web browsing use, is the lack of batteries available. Sure I could have kept buying batteries, but they aren’t being produced anymore, they’ve been sitting on a warehouse shelf for who knows how long. Thus losing their ability to hold a charge. Two hours, just isn’t enough. So I bought a tablet!
Specifically, the T-Mobile Springboard. Which is a rebranded product of China, the Huawei MediaPad. Certainly not the greatest thing out there, but at the time, pickings were slim and at $100 after the mail-in rebate, I’m happy that I did run with this tablet. It runs most apps with out issue, it’s screen is of great quality, it plays every file type I’ve thrown at it and the high point of this device, the battery lasts 12-15 hours streaming music and occasionally texting, surfing, or wandering Vimeo and Instagram. The lack lustre 5mp camera has consistantly disappiointed though. Having used this smaller sized tablet as My primary device for the last year, I wasn’t able to take calls with it, so the old G1 has still been in use. Until now!! I was able to grab an upgrade with lucky timing. Since the new Samsung Galaxy S III and Note 2 were on sale for $100 and $200 respectively, after a $100 mail-in rebate of course.
One week earlier and I would have gotten the S III phone, because it was $50.. But the Note 2 has a quad-core cpu, larger screen and larger battery. Otherwise they are pretty much the same. So, for $200, I have bought an up to date mobile device. I’ve always had some one else’s old crap, or something cheap and slow. It’s very nice to have a camera worth using, without having to whip out a dslr! The Note 2 has a good screen size/phone size, bigger than most phones, not any thicker though. Fits in any of My pockets, instead of only the back pockets, like the tablet. Haven’t encountered an app it won’t run and this thing powers through all that I have done with it so far, without a glitch. Internet browsing is pretty fast, I’ve always done My web surfing at home, but this is slowly changing.. If it lasts even half as long as the G1, this may be a worth while investment! These new phones are quite versatile, it’s a good time to finally be on the leading edge of the band wagon. Technology can be such a wonderful thing.
An obvious note: These phones are loaded with WAY TOO MUCH BLOATWARE! What a sham having to attempt to disable them, without voiding one’s warranty. You business jokers need to step up Your game and clean it up a bit! Why do You hate Your customers so much? At least give an option to remove the stuff, since most of Your customers don’t want it!
Turkey Day: Part II
I take a lot of pictures, but when someone points a camera at Me, I can’t help but to. .. …
Thanks for snapping these Burd!
Andor’s Grilled Chicken
Another of My easy and fast grilling recipes! Works just as well with Chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts, or lower quarters… A solid staple in My non-winter cooking arsenal. Serve it up with things like: buttered greens and corn bread, or fries and green beans, even a veggie quesadilla.. Serves 3-6 people.
Supplies Needed: A Grill and a Baking Sheet for seasoning and transport.
Ingredients:
6 Chicken Thighs
3 tbsp of a Mild Chili Pepper Powder
2 tbsp of Garlic Powder
2 tbsp of dried Thyme Leaves
1 tbsp of dried Terragon flakes
1 tsp of Rosemary Powder OR 8 to 12 leaves – chopped into small pieces
1 tsp of Ground Cumin
1 tsp of Salt
1 or more cups of BBQ Sauce
freshly ground Pepper to taste.
Prep and Cooking:
Spread Everything except the BBQ Sauce evenly over all sides of the Chicken.
Grill, covered, under INDIRECT HEAT for 20-30 minutes, flipping the Chicken at the half way point. Once the meat is almost fully cooked, spread BBQ Sauce on liberally, grill 5 more minutes. Flip the Chicken over and sauce the other side, grill, covered, for another couple minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Making sure You’ve fully cooked the Chicken, remove from the grill and serve.
Notes: Grilling times will vary…
I prefer Ken Davis brand BBQ Sauce, from here in Minnesota! It matches up well with My spice combinations.. My alternate is Sweet Baby Ray’s brand, which I beleive is from Illinois. Both tout the northern Midwest, thick, tomato base style.
Bacon, Spinach and Shrimp
I’ve been told, several times, that this is the best thing I have ever cooked.. . A couple of weeks ago, I had some friends over for some bbq chicken and fried rice. One of which hit Me up the next day, thanking Me for serving some “yummy stuff,” which inspired Her to want to make “some bomb @$# food, like that bacon, shrimp, spinach thing You use to do.” So here We are, one of an endless stream of recipes that I had completely forgotten. Having made something like it twice in the time since this conversation, I find Myself wondering how such a recipe could have fallen out of the regular rotation. Why am I not eating this all the time!?
This is in fact, pretty much the same flavor arrangement as ‘Manated Pork with Peas,’ which can be found by scrolling down through this blog. Less the pork and onion, adding bacon, spinach and shrimp! I told You it’s versatile! Although, many ingredient changes, also require a change in cooking method.. I must also point out, that I never measure when seasoning things. To Me, cooking something slightly different, every time You cook it, is a huge part of the joy and fun in that which We call food. Thus, all quantities listed in My recipes are guesstimations, but should provide a solid starting point.. Please do leave some commentary should You give this one a try.
Supplies Needed: A wok or large fry pan, cutting board and knife/you can get by with just a mincer, also a small sauce pan, like You would boil a single pack of ramen in…
Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimps, steamed or boiled lightly
one third of a pound of bacon, sliced or chopped however You like
a bag of spinach, at least enough to make salad for 4 people
Half a bag of frozen sugar snap peas, thawed
4 tbsp of fresh ginger root, minced
2 tbsp of garlic, minced
6 inches or so of fresh lemongrass, at least half an inch thick, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
1/4 cup of cooking sherry
1-2 tbsp of soy sauce
2-3 tbsp of ketcup(optional, but it adds a lot)
1 or so tbsp of sugar, just enough to take the edge off the sour/bitter ingrdients
1 tsp mild chili pepper powder
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Prep and Cooking:
Over low to medium heat, mix all but the peas, bacon, spinach and shrimp in the small sauce pot, stirring as often as possible, until it has thickened into a nice sauce. Remove from heat, toss the chunks of lemongrass and keep stirring until You are ready to add it to the rest of the ingredients. At the same time You begin cooking the sauce, fry the bacon on medium heat in a wok or sizable skillet, remove from the pan once cooked to Your liking. Then, toss the sugar snap peas and a fist-full of spinach into the bacon grease, stirring constantly, adding the spinach one fist-full at a time. Keep it up until You’ve used about three quarters of the spinach and remove from the pan. This should only take 30 seconds to a minute. Turn the burner to high heat and toss the shrimps into the remaining bacon grease, fry for 20 to 30 seconds, depending on size. Remove from the pan and turn off the burner, add the bacon and cooked veggies back into the pan, mixing vigorously. Now You can also add the sauce and remaining spinach, or plate the food and distribute them between each serving. Time to eat!
Notes:
The key to this dish is to privide spinach, in three textures, fully cooked, partially cooked and raw. Hence the process of adding it a bit at a time. Hoisin sauce was not part of the origianl recipe, srirachi works quite well as a replacement. I almost always make this with a nice spicy kick!
You can also mince the lemongrass, but it MUST be broken down very finely. You can also buy lemongrass in frozen, pre-minced form as well as puree’d in a tube. I would use 2 or so tablespons of such options instead of a fresh stalk.
To cook this all in one pan, start by frying the bacon and shrimp, as described above. Remove them and start making the sauce. Once it’s almost thickened up, add the peas and commense the spinach application process. Mix everything back into the pan and You are done.. You’ll have to have thawed the peas for this method, or the sauce will be runny, which is fine by Me. This is the lazy method, the flavors become more of a blur, but it’s still damn good.
July 9, 2013 ***UPDATE ***
Last night I made a variation of this recipe with bak choi instead of peas and spinach. It was delicious. I made the sauce in one pan and stir fried everything else in another, while the sauce thickened. The bak choi stems were a really nice texture and the light flavor helped temper the powerful chunky sauce. I simply fried them in the bacon grease and added the green, leafy parts and some green onions once the stems were just starting to soften. A truely great dinner.
Andor’s Version of Pad Thai
I use to cook this a ton, but it’s been a while. Since Ryan moved to California I’ve had no requests for it! It’s not a traditional Pad Thai since I don’t use Tamarind and such. My cooking methods may or may not vary from traditional versions. Any Meat works, I tend to use Chicken, or Shrimp when I can afford it. I tried to list alternate items that I use as well. Serves 4 to 6.
Supplies Needed:
A wok or high sided frying pan, a cereal bowl for mixing and a large bowl to soak the noodles. Knife and cutting board.
Ingredients:
1 package or 1.5 to 2.5 lbs – of Meat finely chopped to 1/4th of an inch thick or less
1 – 14 or 16oz package of Rice Noodles
1 cup – Sprouts OR a large Onion(chopped to sprout size)
1/3rd lb. – Bacon(sliced into 1/3rd to 1/2 inch pieces)
3 – Eggs
1/4 cup – crushed Peanuts
1/4 cup – Fish Sauce
1/4 cup – Sugar
2 tblsp – Rice Vinegar
1 tblsp – Soy Sauce
Half a Lemon
4 – large cloves of Garlic, diced
1 tblsp – Chili Pepper Powder for flavor not heat(chili powder blends work ok too)
1 tblsp – crushed Cayenne or Spicy Pepper
Black Pepper to taste.
Prep and Cooking:
First, soak the noodles in warm water. I use HOT water from the kitchen sink. It should take 20-30 minutes of soaking to get the noodles to the right texture. You don’t want them fully cooked, just a bit under done, since they’ll get finished in the frying pan. If You’ve never prepared Rice Noodles before, I’d suggest You ask someone who has about the right texture, or You can be like Me and simply use trial and error! It’s EXTREMELY EASY to overdo these noodles. Then they get soggy and turn to a ricey paste…
While that’s soaking, Mix the Fish Sauce, Rice Vinegar and Sugar in a bowl. If You are NOT using fresh lemon/lime, add 2 tblsp of the bottled juice to the mixture and don’t add more when it’s mentioned later in the recipe. Let the mixture sit for now, You’ll have to stir it again before You use it…
Next, fry the Bacon over medium heat til it’s almost done. If You hate bacon grease, drain the extra out of the pan at this time, I tend to leave it. Turn the burner to medium high or high heat. Add Meat, Soy Sauce, 1 spoonful of the Fish Sauce mixture and 1/4th of the Garlic. If using regular Onions, add them once the Meat is half cooked. Cook til the Meat is done and remove it all from the pan. Throw the rest of the Garlic and the Under Cooked Rice Noodles in the pan with the Fish Sauce Mixture and everything else but the Eggs. Stir fry until the liquid is soaked into the noodles. Reduce heat to medium or medium high. Push off to one side of the pan, scramble the Eggs, add Sprouts, put Meat and Bacon back in, squeeze in the Lemon for all the juice it’ll give You. Mix it all up and You’re done!
Hope You Enjoy!
Notes: If You opt not to use bacon, You should use 2-3 tblsp of cooking oil instead. — If the noodles don’t get fully cooked and there’s no liquid left in the bottom of the pan, add water while it’s still frying. One spoonful at a time or You may turn it into mush! – Medium heat is for those who move slow or don’t keep the things in the pan moving. High heat is only for those who can keep whatever is in the pan in nearly constant motion! The heat will affect the taste a bit, since the Sugar will caramelize differently.
Things I’ve also used in this dish: Shredded or finely chopped Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Snow Peas, and Green Onions. Obviously You should experiment with Your own favorite things! Please let Me know if something You try works wonderfully!!
Back for More? I Guess!
A while back, I started buying fruit trees. It started with a Dwarf Fig, Carmine Jewel Cherry and some Blueberries. Rapidly followed by a plethora of Citrus varieties! This being Minnesota, I put the Cherry and Blueberry Plants in the ground and planted everything else in pots to bring in for the winter. Oddly enough, winter never REALLY showed up this year, which left my Cherry and Blueberries exposed. Sadly, they were eaten down to stubs at ground level by some ravenous rabbit-like creature! Not sure if they will grow back, but for fledgeling deciduous trees/shrubs in this kind of winter, I’m not sure they would take anyways… Time will tell I guess.
On the other hand, thus far, the Fig tree has defied deaths calling. Indoors, amongst the Citrus trees. My neighbors probably think that I’m growing other things in the attic from the artificial sun that’s beaming out of all the windows in the evenings.
For now there are 10 Citrus trees in My ‘Tropical Minnesotan Attic Jungle’ . 2 Keiffer Lime trees that are 2 and 4 years old, the older of which is now flowering for the first time. 2 Moro Blood Orange Trees which are also 2 and 4 years old. 2 and 3 year Mexican Sweet Limes, that, I’m not doing justice to, they’re yellowing and sad looking. 2, 5 year old Owari Satsuma Mandarins, one of which gave Me My very 1st orange this past December!
There is also a 3rd year Meyer Lemon that is growing 9 little lemons for the 1st time, unlike all the others, the lemon gives TWICE a year, instead of just once.. I’m struggling a bit keeping the lemon tree happy tho. Lastly is the 5 year old Ruby Red Grapefruit tree, which I almost slayed with water when I got it..
I swear, CITRUS TREES HATE WATER!! I learned this as I watched My beloved grapefruit tree drop 2/3rds to 3/4ths of it’s leaves before I re-potted it in a better draining soil mix. It’s bouncing back and is currently covered with wonderfully aromatic blossoms.
December to February is Bloom season for all citrus that I’m aware of, and what a great time to have an indoor forest! The house is graced with a really nice conglomerate of scents from the numerous varieties of fruits being spawned.
I’ve certainly got more trees than I need, but I’ll be acquiring more this spring! I plan on getting Trovita Oranges and Oroblanco Grapefruits. Hopefully, that will satiate My ‘need’ for citrus trees. .. … Because I feel the ‘need’ to dive into nut trees, cherry trees, apple trees and, well, clearly I need to move out of the city!
Back for More... 