Christmas...the good, the bad, AND pork noodles

There are definitely some good things about Christmas and there are definitely some bad things about Christmas. It's a great time to spend with families, you get to see people light up when you give the perfect gift, and the parties are plentiful! On the other hand, your house has so much glitter every where it looks like a fairy threw up, there are soooo many treats (I don't even like treats-yet I find my self just eating them), and there is so much clutter in general (I accumulate more junk around Christmas, my house is always a mess close to Christmas, and I have no clue why). Either way....with all the good and the bad... I find myself missing my dad and my grandpa this time of year more than usual (was that a terrible transition or what??). Now, this could be because they both worked so hard to make sure my family had the greatest Christmas’s ever or that it was just a time when our whole family was together. Either way, I miss them more this time of year.

Something that has always been important to my family-and even more so to my grandpa and dad-is food. It seems that food has always brought our family together. Whether it was my grandparents cafe-better known as just "the cafe" or "the ponderosa" or family BBQs in the summer, there has always been an emphasis on good home cooked meals in our family. This is something I am so grateful for and will always cherish.

Since I've been feeling so nostalgic, I decided to make a dish my dad loved, pork noodles. It seems making these small tributes (if you can call it that) help me to feel better and remember all the important people I have in my life currently.

If you haven't tried pork noodles, I suggest you do. Like I said, they were one of my dads favorite meals, right up there with fried chicken or a huge pot of pinto beans with ham hocks. He used to have a huge bowl of these noodles…and I am not talking your regular size bowl…it was typically a mixing bowl! He loved them, I love them, and I am sure my sister and brothers love them as well. Good job mom :)

Now some of you may think “pork noodles” sounds strange, and they very well might be, but they are D-LISH. More or less, this is a knock off of a dish you can get at your local Chinese restaurant—who am I kidding, this is a total white man’s version-but you know, right?!? The dish consists of pork that has been stewed in a broth of garlic, onion, Asian chili sauce (my mom never used this in her original, but since I like the spice I use it), and soy sauce. It is then served over noodles and topped with green onions and if you like, a hardboiled egg (that might be the strange part). 

Here are a few pictures before I spill my version of the recipe:

 Dang...I wish I was better at this picture taking stuff!

Here is my version:

• 1 pound of pork cubed
• 1 small onion diced
• 1-2 teaspoons of pre-minced garlic
• 1-2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce (this depends on how much you like soy sauce)
• 4 cups chicken stock (optional - you can use water if you like, but you get a lot more flavor out of chicken stock)
• ½ box angel hair pasta cooked al dente
• Pepper to taste (you do not need salt due to the soy sauce)
• 2-3 green onions diced
• Hard-boiled eggs (optional)
• Olive oil and sesame oil to brown the pork

Turn heat to medium high and add a small amount of olive oil and sesame oil (the sesame oil adds a unique flavor - very nutty and yummy) to the bottom of a large pot. Add in the pork and onions and brown. Once browned, add in the garlic and chili sauce. Stir until the pork is coated. Add pepper to taste. Cover the pork with chicken stock and soy sauce and let simmer for at least an hour preferably longer. You can simmer on medium-low heat.

To serve, fill your bowl 1/2 to 3/4 full with noodles. Top the noodles with broth and pork. Garnish with green onions and a hardboiled egg (again, this piece is optional).

What should I make next…maybe that fried chicken I talked about earlier or grandpa’s famous chicken noodle soup? Hmm…until next time.