Honey, I Broke the Blender

So yesterday was Asian night.  After watching Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian, I knew exactly what I wanted to make with my two left over pork chops that I had yet to cook.  I decided to make her Asian Marinated Pork Chops recipe.  Now they are supposed to marinate between 30 minutes and 8 hours, and of course, silly me, I forgot to prepare the marinade during my lunch break.  So I ask Caleb to make it for me, and that he does, like the generous man that he is.  So I come back from work to hear all about his adventure of how it took so long to grate the ginger, zest and juice the orange, and then add all of the other miscellaneous ingredients (all of which we actually already had in the pantry, go me for being Asian!)  Then he tells me that he used the food processor (which is old and can leak if too much liquid is in it), and that the food processor leaked and some of the liquid got into the buttons and started sparking and smoking on him! "Oops, honey, I broke the blender!"  Now how can I be upset when he used the old blender to make me a smoothie stating that at least we have that one and there is another one on our registry...

So I say oh well and start on dinner.  I start the rice (I have a rice cooker thanks to my mom, hence I almost never make rice on the stove).  Rice cookers are really amazing, you put in the water and rice up to the line and then press a button and it cooks it perfectly.  So once the rice is cooked I always add a little extra to brighten it up, this time it was sesame seeds, green onions, salt, pepper, and a smidgen of butter.  Also, I make our ever favorite Sweet and Spicy Green Beans.  This is a classic that is super easy and so delicious.  This time, however, I added some brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit more because we were low on honey.  None-the-less it was delicious.  Then I just cooked up the pork chops in the cast iron pan as I simmered and reduced the marinade to make a delicious glaze!

Here is just my plate because Caleb got too impatient and started eating his.  Also, we had another surprise, Kristian stopped by after going to the grocery store to enjoy a little Asian fare.  Now, she also brought her own dinner.  Due to my new found love of portion control and not having much left over, I did not have a whole pork chop for her, but I was able to make her a plate with some rice, green beans, and a slice of my pork chop (I was always good at sharing.)

So here she is, of course with Hercules (her nephew) trying to sneak some food to him.  Nothing out of the ordinary... but what did she bring to eat in addition to my yummy dinner you may ask?  She brought a pizza lean cuisine.. yum, not.  Just kidding, but we did not want her going hungry.

Here is all that's left of her plate of dinner of Lean Cuisine and Asian.  Looking at this now, makes me wonder... how much did she give to Hercules? She is relentlessly giving him scraps from the table.  No wonder he likes to sit with her during dinner, when on a typical night you will find him in my lap.  But then again, he knows he gets no human food from Caleb or myself.

So after we finish up and Caleb cleans up (hehe), we head to Nama Sushi bar to meet up with our friend and sorority sister, Brooke.  Now little does Brooke know, we have already eaten, but never fear, we are good friends who join in some great fellowship.

Also, Kristian orders some edamame, which I have never had.  So this is new and interesting and actually delicious  and healthy.  Now, if you have never had edamame, you should definitely try it asap.  In fact, I learned from Kristian that it is just soy beans (they taste like a mix between pistachios and green beans).  But you can buy them frozen from the store and microwave them.

Wow, learning something about food from Kristian, can you believe it? Just kidding, she is very up and atom when it comes to super foods and the healthy values of foods.  For example, she informed me recently that you should NOT eat pre-packaged meats due to the nitrates in them. Hence, you should get your deli meat from the counter (which Caleb has been doing for quite some time).  So do not buy the pre-packaged stuff!

Anyways back at Nama, Brooke orders some delicious Fresh Fish ceviche.  Now if you have never had ceviche, it is raw fish that is cooked by soaking it in some kind of acidity along with ingredients such as coconut milk, lime juice, etc. 

So that was my double dinner with Kristian, and a great night it was.  I absolutely love learning new things and trying new foods. Now I can't wait for Caleb to try it!

Also, a Hunger Games update, I'm half-way through and cannot put it down!