Asian soup with pork

This is probably the only recipe on this blog (so far) that came straight out of my head. I was really craving a soup like this so I bought some ingredients. I checked out some website for recipes, but I didn't like most of the ingredients listed. It turned out so good I immediately went back and thought through everything I did so I could replicate it. Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 bottle Kikkoman, Teriyaki garlic & green onion marinade (found at most grocery stores)
1 boneless pork roast (I bought this pre-packaged in the meat section)
1 TBSP canola or vegetable oil (instead of olive oil)
1/2 tsp celery salt
3 -4 carrots peeled and cut julian style
3 celery stalks, trimmed and diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 or 2 TBSP soy sauce
2, 32 oz boxes of chicken broth
1 bag bean thread noodles (a Chinese clear noodle, but you can use any noodle you wish. Try the international isle at the food store.)
4-5 scallions or green onions, diced

1. Preheat oven to 400. Heat a skillet and pour a little bit of the Teriyaki sauce in the pan. Add the pork roast. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, you only want to brown it in the sauce. Place the pork in an oven-safe dish and pour about 1/2-3/4 cup Teriyaki sauce over the roast. Cook for 45 minutes in the oven or until no longer pink in the middle.

2. Meanwhile, heat a stock pot with canola oil. Add celery, carrots and celery salt. Cook about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiled add noodles and cook for about 10 minutes or until tender.

Bean thread noodles

3. Once the meat is cooked let it sit for at least 5 minutes to let the juices collect. I promise this is worth it. Slice the meat into thin strips. Ladle the soup into bowls. Place the pork on top of the soup and garnish with green onions.

NOTE: Cilantro would be a great addition to this soup if you like the flavor. You can add it to the broth in the last few minutes of cooking the noodles of just place it as a garnish on top of the soup.

Sausage, potatoes and vegetable casserole

Here's to another Pinterest find! I really love Pinterest for so many of my cooking, decorating and gardening tips. So this recipe comes from a woman's blog called, Kayotic Kitchen. I've made this twice in the past month and it's delicious! Here's what you need.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Italian sausages (1 package will do)
8 small yucon gold potatoes
1 red pepper sliced
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 small onion sliced thick
1 garlic clove
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
cracked black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450. Peel and quarter potatoes. Peel and slice the carrots. Slice the red pepper and cut slices in half. Cut the onion into large slices. Place all of these in a 9x13 pan. Combine garlic clove (pressed), olive oil, lemon juice, chicken broth in a small bowl. Mix well and drizzle over vegetables. Crack black pepper over vegetables. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile fill a large skillet 1/3 full of water. Place sausages in water and bring to a boil. Keep the water at a slow boil for 8-10 minutes, then turn sausages over. Cook an additional 8 minutes. Remove from pan and slice into 1in pieces.
3. After the potatoes and vegetables have cooked for 30 minutes add sausages, stir well and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and sausages are fully cooked (no longer pink in the middle.)

Iced Tea

I grew up on iced tea - home made that is. It was a summer staple in our house. I love a tall glass on iced tea on a hot summer day. My favorite is to toss a sprig of peppermint into my glass and pour the iced tea over. That way the mint isn't too strong, but just right for my taste.

INGREDIENTS:
8 tea bags (I use 4 black and 4 green tea)
1 gallon cold tap water
1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar
1 or 2 TBSP lemon juice

1. In a large stock pot bring water to a rolling boil, turn off heat. Add tea bags and let steep for 12 minutes. Pull out tea bags and toss them in the trash. Add sugar while still hot and stir well. Add lemon juice and stir well. Pour tea into a large pitcher and store in the fridge. Serve as needed.

NOTE: There is no need to buy those tea bags that say they are for iced tea. That seems like such a gimic to me. I buy Lipton or Harris brand tea bags. You can buy decaffinated if you like, most times I do. Buy the really big box of tea to save money. At our house I make iced tea about once a week, sometimes more in the summer.