Pork Meatball Banh Mi Recipe

This was surprisingly good. My man even liked it and said he would eat this again. That is a score for my addition to new recipes. Since I am starting to write a lot more recipes, I have thoughts of accidentally re- writing the same recipe twice on the blog. So if I do. No sweat, it just me getting old and reminiscing a great food I like.

Ingredients:

HOT CHILI MAYO                                            Serves about 4
2/3 C. mayo
2 green onion chopped
4 T. sweet Thai chili sauce (I get mine from Walmart Asian food section)
2-4 T. diced jalapeno
about 1/4 C. chopped cilantro

MEATBALLS
1 lb. ground pork
1/4 C. chopped basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions chopped
1 T. fish sauce
2 T. sweet Thai chili sauce (Asian food section in grocery store)
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt

SALAD FILLER
4 C. grated carrots
1/4 C. vinegar (rice or apple cider)
1/4 C. of sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 T. toasted sesame oil

Pita breads, baguettes, french bread or other bread will do.


You can make this up to a day ahead and keep in the fridge until ready to cook and make. Mix the hot chili mayo recipe in a small bowl and set aside. Mix the Meatball recipe in another large bowl and roll into small to medium meatballs. You can place these on a plate, cover and place in the fridge until ready to cook. Mix the salad filler in a medium bowl and set aside.

When ready to make. Heat a skillet to medium heat and cooking the meatballs. Then set them on a clean plate with paper towels. Take out your bread and warm if you like. Spread the hot chili mayo on eat side of inner bread. Add some meat balls and top with carrot salad filler. Serve and eat.

Dry Tomato Soup Mix Recipe (Meal In A Jar)

I created this recipe for Christmas gift giving. Thought I could easily convert a wet soup recipe into a dry mix recipe. Unfortunately, I was very wrong. With the idea and the fact that I had bought bulk tomato powder already, my mind said give up or figure out how to do it. Feeling like the show must go on, I started to do the home work/labor. After making and tasting a lot of soup I found a recipe that I liked and made it mine.

Ingredients:                              Serves 4

7 T. Tomato Powder (I got mine from beprepared.com you can also get it at Honeyville.com)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 chicken broth cubes

3/4 tsp. dry basil

1 C. small dry pasta

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. Pizza sauce spice blend mix (Got this from sfherb.com)

6 T. dry sliced carrots ( You can make them in a dehydrator or buy from beprepared.com)

Add mix to a medium/large pot with 7 C. of water. Mix and cover. Heat to a boil. Mix and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

You can make this mix ahead of time by adding the ingredients into a glass pint jar with lid. If you want to suck the air out for longer storage. I use a Ziplic handheld pump sealer and a Food Saver jar sealer in a small/regular mouth or large mouth depending on the jar top you are going to use. Place the flat metal part of lid on top of filled jar. Leaving the ring off for now. Place the white Food Saver on top and take your Ziploc handheld pump and place over the hole on top of the Food Saver top. Start pumping until you feel pressure. Put the Ziploc pump down and gently take off the Food Saver top. The flat metal lid should be sealed to glass jar top. If it is not. try the process again. If it is sealed, you can now screw on the ring and place jar in a dark, cool dry place until ready to use.

How long will this stay fresh. I estimate only a year until nutrients start to be lost in the food and the taste compromised. I am only guessing of course.

To make the carrots in a dehydrator, I used a mandolin slicer and sliced the carrots very thin. then place them on dehydrator racks with silicone sheets on them. Dehydrated at 135F until carrot were dry. I bought my mandolin ceramic blade slicer at Cutleryandmore.com.

Another question that may come up is the, "Can I use a differrent spice mix like italian herbs or etc?" Try it. You will never know unless you try.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls Recipe and Packaging Tips

This Peanut butter chocolate balls recipe is all over the Internet. Because they are so good. They seem to be a hit with everyone. My tip for packaging, as you can see is placing mini muffin papers in leftover/recycled egg carton holes. I was in an inspired rush to be creative at the moment. Really, I was trying to figure out the best way to store these because nothing I was doing was working effectively. I call it pulling a rabbit out of my hat and that I did. Think, think, think says Poo.. and that is what I did. I collect these until they bulge in my pantry. Just in case, you know a kid craft or something. I had even thrown a bunch away in the recycle bin a week or two before. Lucky for me, I still had a pile rising.

So, after placing mini muffin paper cups in the egg carton holes, place a  peanut butter chocolate ball into each muffin cup in egg hole. You can use this idea for other treats/something else as well. Close the top and tie with string, yarn, ribbon etc...

This is with ribbon.

Ribbon and cotton cooking string.

Now for the recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls or Bon Bons whatever you want to call these.

ingredients:
2 C. Rice Crispies
1 C. Powdered sugar
1 C. Peanut butter

1 lb. Chocolate for melting

In a medium bowl add rice crispies, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Mix. Roll into small balls and place onto a plate. You want them small because I think the all over mouth flavor when eating one is much better. I tried both to find this out for myself. Of course, make them to your own taste if this is not to your liking. You can cover the balls and chill in the fridge to firm the balls. Melt the chocolate on a double boiler or a bowl over a pot with some water. When chocolate is melted turn off the heat and dip the balls one at a time with a fork. Then place onto wax paper that has been placed on baking sheets or another  clean hard dry surface. Let cool. Eat or give as gifts.