Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein~by Kelsey

Pinterest strikes again.

http://spoonful.com/recipes/beef-and-broccoli-lo-mein

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces thin spaghetti, broken in half
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces sirloin tips, cut crosswise into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons beef broth
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1. Stir the spaghetti into a pot of lightly salted boiling water and cook it according to the package directions. Drain the noodles well, then return them to the pot and toss them with the sesame oil.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and onion and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and continue stirring while the mixture cooks for another 30 seconds. Add the sirloin and cook it, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink.
3. In a small bowl, mix the broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and oyster sauce. Add the soy sauce mixture and the pasta to the skillet and continue cooking, stirring often, for 1 to 2 minutes or until everything is heated through. Serve the lo mein hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Molasses Cookies ~ by Sarah

At Christmas, Cody's girlfriend Sarabeth gave us all a bowl of these delicious cookies as part of our gifts.  They are amazing and addictive!  She told me that they contain quite a bit of butter.  My favorite!  No wonder they're so good!

Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. molasses
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix butter, molasses, egg, and sugar, then add dry ingredients. Roll into balls, then drop in a bowl of sugar. Bake 350 for 8 minutes.

*Note from Sarabeth: The trick I have found is that sometimes even 8 mins is too long (unless you like them crunchy, more like a ginger snap then a soft cookie). I sometimes watch the first batch, then set the timer to when they are just barely baked and still rising - once they fall in the oven they become the crunchy kind. Enjoy!

Slow-cooked Ginger Pork and Coleslaw Wraps ~ by Molly

This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people, so I cut it half, since I was just making it for myself. I wish I hadn't, the leftovers were so good! For those of you that don't know what hoisin sauce is, it's basically a sweet Chinese BBQ sauce. Yes, they sell it at Fred Meyer's.

Hoisin and Ginger Shredded Pork

6 pounds pork roast, trimmed of thick fat

Salt and pepper

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 large piece fresh ginger, about five inches long

1 bottle hoisin sauce (about 8 ounces)

2 T Molasses

Rub the trimmed pork shoulder all over with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Put in the slow cooker (cut in pieces first, if necessary). Add the smashed garlic cloves, tucking them around the pork. Peel and cut the ginger in large chunks and put it in too. Pour the hoisin sauce and molasses over everything. Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours or overnight.

When finished and tender, remove the ginger and use two large forks to shred the meat and mix it with the sauce.

Crunchy Peanut Slaw
1 big bowl of slaw, serves at least 8

1 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup light oil, like canola
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)

Shred the cabbage very finely. Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness. Toss with cabbage.

To serve:

Put pork and slaw in a warm tortilla shell (I used whole wheat).