I have a confession. I should be doing laundry. And some housework. We are leaving for Indiana tomorrow night after The Studly Muffin gets home from work. And because we are kinda crazy we only decided this the Day Before Yesterday. Let's just say we are not vacation ready. I even stayed home from church tonight because I have so much to do and I'm a little stressed. While we are gone the bug man is coming to do his quarterly check...which also means I need to have the house somewhat clean. I don't want a get a bad Rep.
Enough about that. Because doing my best to stall approaching the small mountain range that is my laundry I thought I would post another recipe. I really only had time for sandwiches or at least a bowl of cereal tonight. But because we are going to be gone a week I needed to use some fresh produce I had in the fridge. I have already had my grease fix today. My favorite Pastor Wife Friend took me to lunch at our neighborhood Steak 'N Shake. I had cheese on my fries and chocolate in my Diet Pepsi. It was delightful (as was our visit).
One of my favorite things on earth to use is Panko. Panko is brilliant. It is actually Japanese breadcrumbs. It is crunchy, not soft like traditional breadcrumbs and is very verstile to use. I normally get my Panko at the Asian Market, but I was out of my usual stash and I picked some up at the grocery store. It makes the most delicious breading. One of my favorite recipes is an oven friend Tempura that uses Panko. Tonight I used pork chops. You don't have to use as many steps I did when using Panko. Just a quick dredge will do it. The technique I used actually has some sort of Japanese name. But I can't for the life of me tell you what it is. The recipe is usually pared with shredded cabbage so I made my favorite slaw. The Asian Slaw. Here is how I did it.
I apologize ahead of time for not giving precise measurements on all my ingredients. I am mostly a "try it and see cook"...which is probably why I am not a good baker :<)
Panko Crusted Pork Chops
Pork Chops (I used 6 thinly sliced chops)
flour
1 large egg (I used 2 small farm eggs) beaten
Panko
salt & pepper
If your pork chops are thick you will need to whack them with a meat mallet or something similar (and no you cannot use anyone's head). Mine were thin enough I didn't have whack...which is always disappointing. I first dredged them in a fine coat of flour and then dunked them (don't you like my technical cooking terms?) in the egg. After that I just coated the pork chop with the Panko and fried it in a little oil. Be sure your oil is hot enough to fry, but not so hot it burns your Panko before the chop cooks. Maybe about Medium High. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and you're done! You can add a little red pepper for some heat if you desire.I didn't desire. Not tonight.
The coleslaw is one I make frequently. It is a crowd pleaser for the church potlucks and family dinners. You can purchase coleslaw mix, but I usually just shred cabbage in my food processor. Cabbage is pretty cheap. The one I bought this week was about .40 a pound.
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1 cabbage, shredded
a couple of carrots, shredded (if you want...I didn't use any this evening...I am saving my carrots for some of our traveling snacks)
green onions (I used 2), sliced diagonally
1 package of Ramen noodles
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup nuts (any combination)..I used sunflower seeds tonight. I always have those, but almonds are especially good in it, too.
Asian Salad Dressing
1/3 rice wine vinegar (be sure to have some this on hand...you can use other kinds of vinegar, but the rice wine vinegar always gives Asian dishes something special)
1/4 cup of soy sauce (I buy my soy sauce at the Asian market as well. A sweet Korean lady schooled me on the best soy sauce and soy bean paste several years ago. I listened)
1/4 cup of sugar
1 t. fresh ground ginger root - I usually just use ground ginger from my pantry
3/4 c. oil
1 1/2 t. toasted sesame oil - sometimes I don't have this. Tonight I didn't use it.
You can also add a clove of minced garlic. I did tonight, but almost wish I didn't. Troy loved it. I am always a fan of fresh garlic, but for some reason I wasn't feeling it.
Here's how it all goes down. Make the dressing in a jar or bowl and set aside. Take something and whack the Ramen Noodles while they are still in the package until they are broken up...be sure to remove the seasoning packet first. Brown the Ramen Noodles and nuts in the butter. Some recipes call for sprinkling some of the Ramen Noodle seasoning over the finished product, but I find it a little much. Shred the cabbage and add other veggies, add your crispy noodle mixture and toss with the dressing. You can add chicken to make it a heartier salad. I also like to add mandarin oranges from time to time. It is a great recipe to play with.
Here is another picture of my finished product. Just in case you didn't believe me the first time...This was good eating!
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