Stir Fry Spaghetti with Beef and Chili

One of the problem with shopping at Costco is that you have to buy in bulk. A package of New York Steak came with 5 huge pieces. Because we eat our steaks medium-well, I usually cut one piece into 2 so it cooks easier. Well, that creates another problem - I now have 10 pieces of steaks!

Trying to use up all the New York Steaks before they go bad, I decided to make Spaghetti Stir Fry with Beef. This is a slight variation of Kung Pao Spaghetti which I learned to cook from eating at California Pizza Kitchen. I can't put peanuts tonight because Allen can't eat them yet. Without the peanuts, I can't call it Kung Pao. Nevertheless, it still tasted great!

Stir Fry Spaghetti with Beef and Chili

3-Course Dinner #4

One of the most popular food in a Chinese Restaurant is Tofu. It's easy to make it vegetarian style as well as non-vegetarian style. The only difference is with or without meat. The tofu was first grilled on the pan to give it a little crispy texture. Allen is not a fan of tofu but he actually liked it tonight.

Home Style Tofu (with ground chicken and mushroom)

The Panang Beef is a Thai dish. Panang curry is less spicy than the red curry I usually cook with. Allen just had oral surgery a week ago and can't have spicy food. He loved how I made this tonight and had 2 big servings.

Panang Beef

I usually cook asparagus with bacon, but I ran out of bacon and substituted it with Chinese Sausage. Didn't exactly turn out as I like, but edible. =)

Asparagus with Chinese Sausage

I just throw this in for the fun of it.

Photo by www.altphotoimpages.com

Wendy's Burger

No, not that Wendy's. It's mine, Wendy's! Before Jessica left for school, she said 'You should make hamburger for dinner tonight.' There was no more ground beef in the frig so Allen and I headed to Costco. It was a nice break for me. My right shoulder/arm has been acting up again.

Photo by www.altphotoimpages.com

The hamburger turned out pretty good. I used 2 lbs of ground beef (extra lean), 1 cup of minced red onion (red onion is sweeter than yellow or white onions), 4 cloves of minced garlic, garlic salt, black pepper, 2 eggs (beaten), a little olive oil, and sesame oil, mix well, shape into patties and grill or BBQ. Add cheese just before removing from pan or grill. Butter the buns and grill to slightly brown. The butter gives the buns nice buttery taste.

Assemble the burger on the buns, add sliced tomato, red onion, and lettuce. Garnish with dill pickle and chips.

3-Course Dinner #2

A co-worker once told me cooking was very therapeutic for her. I didn't understand it back then, mainly because I didn't really enjoy cooking all that much. I started cooking more because of my two fans; my daughter and my fiance. It's kind of rewarding to see people enjoying your food. And I am finally getting the 'therapeutic' part - you do forget everything that bothers you when you are focusing on cooking. =)

I am really proud of my dinner tonight. But too bad Allen won't be home until later tonight after his class. My daughter is working late, too. Food really tastes better when it's first served HOT.

Chinese Satay Beef (Beef, Satay Sauce, Curry Powder, Red Onion, Green Onion)

Sweet Peas with Mushroom and Carrots

Cashew Shrimp (Garlic, Green Onion, Dry Chili, Shrimp, Cashew Nuts)