Sweet and Sour Pork

A couple of months ago we found a great sale on boneless pork chops. We invested in them heavily and ended up with many in our freezer- and not many recpes to use them in. As luck would have it, I also had a bottle of plum sauce that I had been given for my wedding (never opened, and not expired yet :P). In the course of figuring out what to make with these things, I came upon a sweet and sour pork recipe on allrecipes. It sounded pretty good, so we tried it out. Steve kept telling me the whole time I was cooking it how when he was on his mission he had been served the most amazing sweet and sour pork ever by this little Chinese woman. Guess who totally rocked the casba and made just as awesome of a recipe... that's right, me! We have now used up all the pork in our freezer- and are looking for another sale :P

1 pound pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
1/4 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red chile pepper - chopped (I used crushed red pepper flakes, all I had)
1/2 cup pineapple (crushed, diced, whatever you have or want)
1 onion, chopped
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons plum sauce
5 tablespoons water

Using a mallet or the back of a knife, pound the pork until fairly flat, about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1 inch pieces. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, baking soda and water. Place the pork pieces in the bowl and turn to coat. Place the corn starch in a large, resealable plastic bag. Place the pork pieces in the bag with the corn starch and shake the meat around until all the pieces are coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the pork pieces in the oil and fry for 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pork from the oil and set aside. In the same skillet over medium high heat, combine the green bell pepper, red chile pepper, pineapple, and onion and saute for 5 minutes.

To make sauce: In a separate small bowl, combine the white sugar, salt, corn flour, vinegar, ketchup, plum sauce and water. Mix well and pour this into the skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken. Return the pork pieces to the skillet, mix all together well and serve.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Is it just me or are a large majority of my recipes dessert? I'm a little over the top with that :) My awesome aunt Krista's sister in law (did you follow that) has a cooking blog that I really like- http://hobblecreekkitchen.blogspot.com. I really like her recipes, even though she is a democrat :p I was browsing through her recipe index on Tuesday night when i heappened upon this little gem. I wanted to try it out, but worried that it would make too large a pan and my diet would be ruined with millions of calories. Luckily, every other Wednesday I work and we have a pot luck between all the nurses. I was able to make my dessert and not eat it all too! I actually even halfed the recipe (using a 9x13 instead of a cookie sheet which works out to be perfect!), and it was plenty. It is absolutely delish :)

Chocolate Eclair Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 large box instant chocolate pudding
1 8 0z pkg cream cheese, softened
1 quart whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with vanilla and sugar
Caramel sauce to garnish

Bring butter and water to a boil. Turn off and immediately add flour and beat till smooth. Add one egg at a time beat each one in until smooth. Spread like frosting into a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until browned.Meanwhile, make pudding according to instructions, add softened cream cheese and beat till smooth. Let set. Spread over the eclair crust. Top with sweetened whip cream. Spread smooth. Drizzle with caramel and serve!

Homemade Ho-Ho's

I found this recipe while looking for a last minute dessert for a friend get-together. I was excited to try the results, and they did not dissapoint. I love the website allrecipes.com. I love it when others review recipes and give me hints to make it better before I even try it!

Cupcakes:
12, made from recipe or cake mix- I made my from a cake mix cause I'm lazy :)

Filling:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in confectioners' sugar and pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Fill a pastry bag with a small tip. Push tip through bottom of paper liner to fill each cupcake. Combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Melt in microwave, stirring frequently, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla. Spread warm glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Use leftover filling to pipe cutsie designs on top of cupcakes! Yum!