Dan Dan Noodles (Noodles in Spicy Peanut Sauce)

One night, I went for dinner at a place in Vancouver that makes handmade noodles called Peaceful Restaurant. Let me tell you, the food was fantastic. So tasty and exactly what I wanted. 

However, there was one small issue. It was packed. And I mean packed, line up out the door kind of packed. So packed in fact, that when we were ordering, the waitress asked us if we would want anything else because they only allow you to order once. Basically what she was saying is to order, eat and leave because there were other people to feed.

Despite the rushed experience, the food was delicious. Especially one of the dishes called Dan Dan Noodles. It was basically ground beef in a spicy peanut sauce tossed with homemade noodles. After finishing the noodles, we practically lifted up the bowl and drank and sauce it was so good. So, from that moment, I decided I had to recreate it.

Pulled Pork with Crispy Pork Crackling

Yes, I realize that it's been forever since I last posted. Thanks to everyone who has stayed with me:)

The reality is, with a new house (which is actually an old house), life has been full of projects from painting to insulation to excavation.  That doesn't mean that I don't eat. It just means that I find myself gravitating towards quick recipes that I know and trust.

That is, until the other day, when I went to the store and found myself buying a monstrous pork picnic roast (comes from the lower part of the pig's shoulder). I had no idea what I was going to do with it at the time, but it looked tempting, so I bought it.

The next day, I prepared to roast it for most of the day. I took it out of the fridge in the morning so that it could come up closer to room temperature. Then I seasoned it generously, poked holes in it and filled them with fresh, slightly crushed garlic cloves, and roasted it at 250 degrees for about 7 hours. I pulled it out of the oven, tented it with tin foil, and let it rest for about 30 minutes. After resting, I pulled the crispy skin off (eating some of the delicious crackling while working), and started to pull the pork apart with my fingers.  The pork was perfect to eat just like that, with pieces of crackling, or with any variety of sauces including barbeque and chimichurri (sauce of garlic, parsley, red wine vinegar--- the acid is great as it really cuts through the fattiness of the pork).

Of course, since there was TONS of pork, I made lots of other stuff in the days that followed.... that's the great thing about a roast like this. There is minimal effort as the oven does most of the work for you, and then you have food for days!

Breakfast Quesadillas

After about a month of hard work on our new house, we finally had a chance to sit and enjoy a moment on our deck.

The sun was shining and we wanted to take a break and grab a bite, and breakfast quesadillas came immediately to mind.

I am not sure what it is about breakfast, but it's a comforting, relaxing sort of meal. The exact first meal that I would want to enjoy at our new house.

The quesadilla contained all the things I love... eggs, bacon and cheese and was served with guacamole and salsa. Fantastic!

Cheers to our new home!