What did you eat today?

[Becky]

That pad thai recipe is a staple in our house. Love it!

[Catrin]

That pad thai recipe is a staple in our house. Love it!

This is the one from "Well Fed", and it is indeed a new comfort food for me! I used almond butter for the sunshine sauce, and so far I've been unable to find the "5-spice" (whatever the name of that asian spice is), but it is quite yummy regardless.

This weekend I am going to try her recipe for Citrus Carnitas if I can find a good pork shoulder that won't break my budget. Have you tried that one yet?

What I really like about her recipes are the spices. Most are common, but I've never really been too brave with the use of them and the Well Fed recipes have been introducing me to a new world Practical Paleo does the same - they are my "go-to" cookbooks. I've also an electronic paleo cookbook but I really need to break down and print it...

[Crankin]

You should be able to find the Asian Five Spice in any grocery store spice section. It's not that uncommon. Try Trader Joe's if it's not in your regular store.

[Catrin]

THAT'S IT Perhaps I've just not been looking in the right place. I assumed Trader Joe's wouldn't have it since Whole Foods doesn't. Thanks! Now I need to find a better way to store my little batches of bulk spices - those little bitty bags are getting irritating and cluttering my cabinet. Makes using spices much more affordable though!

[Becky]

This is the one from "Well Fed", and it is indeed a new comfort food for me! I used almond butter for the sunshine sauce, and so far I've been unable to find the "5-spice" (whatever the name of that asian spice is), but it is quite yummy regardless.

This weekend I am going to try her recipe for Citrus Carnitas if I can find a good pork shoulder that won't break my budget. Have you tried that one yet?

I did try the citrus carnitas. They would have been delicious, except that I burnt them. When she says, "watch like a hawk!" at the end, she means it! I used a pork loin that I already had and I think I should have used a fattier cut for better, moister results.

I love the Czech meatballs....staple #2!

[Catrin]

I did try the citrus carnitas. They would have been delicious, except that I burnt them. When she says, "watch like a hawk!" at the end, she means it! I used a pork loin that I already had and I think I should have used a fattier cut for better, moister results.

I love the Czech meatballs....staple #2!

mmmmm ground lamb! I need to try this as well. I've yet to try anything from that cookbook that I don't really like!

[Becky]

I sub ground turkey or ground beef for most things. Lamb isn't in the budget.

Oh, while you're trying things, definitely try the shepherd's pie!

[Catrin]

I sub ground turkey or ground beef for most things. Lamb isn't in the budget.

Oh, while you're trying things, definitely try the shepherd's pie!

Around here, Whole Foods occasionally has sales on their ground lamb that is comparable to the ground beef I get from them That being said, it will probably be ground beef, though I am looking for a local farmer to hook up for lamb. I recently found a local source for grass-fed bison that is actually pretty affordable - at least the kind of cuts that I am interested in! nothing wrong with braising the so-called "lesser" cuts!

[GLC1968]

Czech meatballs is a staple in our house, too. I do those with half ground pork and half ground beef. Yum!

I can't eat the pad thai recipe anymore. I made it the day before I got a miserable stomach bug last year and when my husband reheated the the leftovers, the smell made me sick again. I just can't even think about making it anymore!

The citrus carnitas are AWESOME! A couple of things to note: 1) use a very heavy bottomed, high quality pan. Thin ones suck and will not only burn the meat, but will make it stick so bad you want to cry. 2) country style boneless pork 'ribs' are the same thing as pork shoulder but already cut into strips and it's often significantly cheaper than the whole roast - so keep your eyes peeled. 3) don't use a super deep pot or you will be cooking these things for what seems like DAYS. I found I had the best luck doing them in a enameled cast iron dutch oven.

And if you haven't tried it yet, make her sausage seasoning. I make it in double batches and we use it to season grass-fed ground beef for any other recipe that calls for sausage and it ROCKS!

Also, try the bacon apples exactly as written. They are SOOO good!