{recipe} Teriyaki Stir Fry

This recipe comes from a Pampered Chef cookbook that my sister lent me. I bookmarked several recipes that I'd like to try, but this one was the lucky first.

Teriyaki Stir Fry (from Pampered Chef: It's Good For You)


2/3 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. peeled, finely chopped fresh gingerroot (I used 1 tsp ground ginger)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless pork loin chops (or chicken), cut into 1/8" strips (I omitted this, and instead added sliced fresh mushrooms)
2 c. uncooked instant whole grain brown rice
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" strips
6 oz. fresh snow peas, trimmed (I used frozen)
1 bunch green onions with tops, cut into 1" pieces (I used minced yellow onion)
1 tsp. sesame oil, divided
1 can (8 oz.) bamboo shoots, drained
(I also added sliced carrots, and next time will add broccoli)

PREP ALL INGREDIENTS BEFORE STARTING!

In small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until blended, then stir in ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add pork (or mushrooms!) to soy sauce mixture, stir to coat, and refrigerate 15 minutes to marinate. Cook rice according to pkg directions. Heat 1/2 tsp. sesame oil over high heat until hot. Remove pork (or mushrooms!) from marinade and add to skillet (save the marinade!). Stir-fry 1-2 minutes until no longer pink. Remove from skillet and keep warm. In same skillet, heat other 1/2 tsp. sesame oil. add veggies and stir-fry 2-3 minutes until veggies are slightly tender/slightly crisp. Return pork (or mushrooms!) to skillet. Stir in reserved marinade and bamboo shoots, and bring to boil. Cook and stir 1 minute until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

YUM! YUM! YUM! So good! And once all the prep work was done, it cooked together in a flash. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy - a keeper!

{recipe} Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Weekly Test Recipes - Week 20!

This was one of the recipes we made for Tony's graduation BBQ.  The original recipe was shared by my sister, and we tweaked it a little for the graduation.  The recipe below is as we made it.

HAWAIIAN PULLED PORK SANDWICHES (adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 lb. pork shoulder
1 bottle/can of your favorite root beer
salt/pepper/mesquite seasoning
16 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
hamburger buns

***side note: Tony wanted a luau-themed graduation BBQ, so we used 2 parts Archer Farms Hawaiian-Style Barbecue Sauce and 1 part regular sweet BBQ sauce.  It was soooo nummy with a little bit of a kick to it, and we will make it this way every time!***

Rub pork with salt/pepper/mesquite seasoning.  Pour half the root beer in the crock pot (use the entire bottle for a bigger pork shoulder) and place in crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.  Remove pork and trim off fat.  Drain liquid from crock pot.  Shred pork and place back in crock pot to cook for 20 minutes.  Add BBQ sauce, stir, and cook for 20 minutes.  Serve on hamburger buns. Yum, yum, yum! Definitely rated EXCELLENT and one of the best recipes I've tried in a long time.