Korean Fried Chicken Wings with Fries from BopBar Food Truck

Spicy and crunchy chicken wings with French fries, tossed in Korean spicy sauce... Very tasty!

Chimichurri Fries from Carnivale Food Truck

Today was the first time I tried Carnivale Food Truck. I got an order of their chimichurri fries since I had left over fessenjan from Christmas Eve.

Very tasty fries, nice and crispy too. They have a very nice menu that I will definitely be digging into!

Pizza Pizza Thursday - It Wasn't Pretty...

Thus... no photos...  but it was very good nonetheless...

Bacon, Broccoli, and Giardinera with Fig Preserves base... 

The fig preserves liquified as soon as it went into the oven, making for a very messy, caramelized oven and pizza stone... and pizza peel, cutting board, and pizza screen.  All over the place.

It wasn't as sweet as you're probably thinking... it was tamed by the savoury bacon and giardinera... but VERY good!

Next time I try this I'll have to use a crust with more of an edge, so the liquified preserves don't get all over everything...

Pizza Pizza Thursday - Broccoli and Turkey Pepperoni

A fat clove of garlic pressed into the sauce, a hefty sprinkle of Italian seasoning, a grind of pepper... makes for a tasty an maybe-somewhat-healthy pizza...

Pork Tenderloin

A snowy evening calls for comfort food. Too bad there were no leftovers...

Pork Tenderloin
Marinade
2 oranges, zested and juiced
2 in piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Fresh herbs (I used rosemary and thyme)

Combine all ingredients in a zip bag, set aside.

Tenderloin
1 (or more) pork tenderloins
Marinade, above
Fresh herbs

Trim silver skin and excess fat from tenderloin(s), nestle in marinade zip bag. Zip closed, massage thoroughly, then refrigerate for 1 hour or more.

Remove tenderloin(s) from zip bag, reserving marinade to make gravy.

Lay herbs from marinade on foil-covered rimmed baking sheer (jelly roll pan works great). Lay tenderloin(s) on top of herbs, season both sides with salt and pepper of some sort (I used citrusy Florida Pepper Blend from Penzey's).

Roast tenderloin(s) at 425F for 25 mins per lb, until meat is at least 145Fin the thickest part. Remove from oven and allow to rest at least 5 minutes.

Pour leftover marinade into a saucepan, heat over low heat. Add spices, herbs, other flavourings as desired (I used bulgogi marinade and pomegranate juice). Cook until reduced by 1/4.

Strain then return to saucepan and heat on medium heat.

Make a slurry of 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp cold water, mix well, then stir into cooking marinade. Stir until thickened, pour into serving container.

Serve with tenderloin(s) and enjoy!

Pizza Pizza Thursday - Bacon and Orange Bell Pepper

Not too much to say other than I made a new batch of pizza sauce, with more Korean gochujang fermented pepper paste. It gives whatever you put it in a deep, dark, smoky flavour... Yum!

Baked Whole Wheat Penne

I am experimenting with casserole-style entrees for mid-week dinners, since I am working from Milwaukee, WI, two days a week. Build on the weekend, cook Monday evening and provide sustenance for Monday, Tuesday, and hopefully Wednesday!

This week was supposed to be Baked Ziti, but I was unable to find whole wheat ziti, so I substituted whole wheat penne instead.

Adapted from a recipe I found on the internets...

1 lb whole wheat penne
1 lb ricotta (I used part-skim)
1 lb shredded mozzarella
Sliced provolone to cover casserole(s)
1 egg
1 lb ground turkey
1 large red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
Fresh herbs of choice (I used rosemary and thyme)
Dried herbs of choice (I used Italian seasoning blend)
2 jars pasta sauce (I used Prego) or make your own

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until pre-al dente. Pasta will continue to cook in the casserole. Drain then dump into large bowl.

Add ricotta and egg and dried spices, mix well gently to combine with the pasta.

Sweat the onion in a touch of olive oil until soft and translucent.

Add ground turkey, break up and brown. Add garlic and fresh spices, cook an additional minute, remove from heat.

Layer into casserole dish(es):
Sauce
Pasta & ricotta mixture
Meat mixture
Shredded cheese.

When casserole is filled, top with sliced provolone and bake @ 350F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until done, browned and bubbly.

Pizza Pizza Thursday! Italian-flavoured turkey sausage and orange bell pepper

For 1/4 pound ground turkey meat, I added:

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp anise seeds
1 tsp dry oregano
2 tsp red chile flakes
2 tsp dry rosemary
2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Grind the dry ingredients in a mortar & pestle (or coffee grinder, or with the bottom of a glass in a bowl).

Mix spices and garlic into the ground turkey.

Plop small patties onto your pizza and bake, 13 mins in a 450F oven with a pizza stone preheated to 500+F.

Caribbean Bowl from La Cocinita Food Truck

I have enjoyed the Caribbean Bowl before, with the mojo chicken, black beans and rice, habanero mango sauce, red cabbage slaw, and cotija cheese. Very yummy, and highly recommended!