Crunchy Granola (Link)

Crunchy Granola

Shared by: Always Brings Pie
From: Kathleen Daelemans, The Food Network

Asian Noodles

Asian noodles
From: taxi78cab

Boil some whole grain pasta. I prefer linguine, but rotini is good too or soba noodles if you want to be more authentic (not that anything about this is remotely authentic).

In a large skillet, saute any of the denser veggies like carrots, tossing in bell peppers just for a couple minutes. When those are almost ready, add any other veggies you want. I like to throw in frozen (without the shell) edamames, snow peas (frozen is great here too), waterchestnuts if I have them on hand, maybe some bean sprouts, and maybe shredded cabbage if I have that. I always try to include shredded carrots, peas, and edamames (for protein), but other than that, all items are optional depending on what you have available. Not so optional are some green onions/scallions although I did use regular onions last night 'cause that's all I had, but it wasn't as good.

Make the sauce in the skillet with the veggies at the end: Add 2-4 Tbsp cider vinegar, a whole lotta peanut butter (the natural kind with just peanuts and salt in it is better here) like 1/4 to 1/2 cup, some sweetener - molasses is good - usually around a Tbsp, and a bunch of soy sauce. Add some sort of hot sauce, just a dash of Sriracha is good or more to taste.

Toss the noodles with the vegetables and sauce. At the very end, right before serving, add some sesame oil (just a little... this stuff is strong!) and a bunch of chopped cilantro. These two items add a lot of flavor so don't skip them. Some peanuts on top are very nice too, but we didn't have those last night either. Most things are optional in this recipe, but I do recommend having the scallions, the sesame oil, and the cilantro because they really bring the flavor together. And obviously the PB is necessary for peanut noodles! That's it.

Red Cabbage & Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin with Cider Cream (Link)

Red Cabbage & Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin with Cider Cream

Shared by: Mahna Mahna after tarragon918 requested suggestions for a New Year's pork roast. tarra reported that it was tasty.

Cottage Pie Explanation and Recipe (Link)

In this post we get the answer to "What is Cottage Pie?"

And here's the link to the recipe on the BBC recipe site. Shared by ScareyFaerie.

Beef Mushroom Barley Soup/Stew

Beef Mushroom Barley Soup/Stew
From: tarragon918

1 lb, more or less, stew beef--I cut it into bite-sized pieces; dredged in flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb button mushrooms, chopped
2 cups of beef broth (I use the no sodium bouillon packages)
chopped carrots, green beans, more onion (if desired)
1/2 to 1 cup of medium or pearl barley
spice as desired - I use Mrs. Dash salt-free lemon pepper and table blend

Saute the onion and mushrooms until translucent (I just use a bit of olive oil spray); set them aside. Note: you can add chopped celery to this if you like celery

Next, brown the stew meat until it's seared; add a bit of the broth to the pot to make a little gravy, then begin putting the meat into the crock pot. Add the onions and mushrooms (and celery) next, followed by the broth/boullion. If you do add fresh chopped veggies, layer them on the bottom, before you put the meat in.

Turn crock pot on to low and let cook for 4 or so hours, then add the barley. Cook another 2-3 hours. This makes a nice, hearty soup that is really more of a stew. I've tried several different types of barley; the medium barley works best for me--it's more substantial than the pearl.

Dang, now I wish that I had made it, my tummy is grumbling at me! LOL BTW, I tweak this recipe every time I make it, so anyone else making it might want to experiment with it a bit to their own tastes as well.