Pork Chop Dinner (Crockpot or Stove Top)

6 pork loins, trimmed (I used pork scallopini)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
hot cooked rice

In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in oil, drian. Place chops in a slow cooker (I didn't do this, I put it on the stove top just until the vegetables get tender (next). Add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms. In a bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and salt. Pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low (in the crockpot) for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Serve with rice if desired.

Barbequed Chicken

I served this the other night as a quickie, i made the sauce that was mentioned instead of pouring a bottle of sauce on top of the chicken (I have done that in the past to make it easy!). It was pretty good!

4 lb chicken wings or other pieces ( I used 2 chicken breasts and didn't use as much of the ingredients that the recipe called for)
1 1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup onion, chopped
4 tbsp water
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp oregano
4 bay leaves
2 to 3 dashes hot pepper sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken. Cut at joints and discard wing tips or other chicken parts you don't want. Arrange on ungreased cake pan in a single layer. Bake for 45 minutes; drain fat. Meanwhile combine rest of ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves. Pour barbeque sauce over the chicken and bake 30 minutes longer, stirring half-way through.

Chicken Curry with Carrots

Cut lean beff or chicken, lamb, shrimp into cubes and chop onion finely. Stir-fry meat with onion in oil or butter in large skillet until onions are lightly browned. If you wish add veggies. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meat and veggies are tender. Add curry ( you could add curry powder to this) blocks until completly melted and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice or noodles.

While in Japan curry is very popular throughout the restaurants, it is a indian food. There is this place called coco curry where they serve curry and you can get the curry as spicy as a number 10. The number 1 makes my tongue tingle and gives me acid reflux (you can also get mild). Jeff gets a #2 and I cannot see how! In the commisary (among other places they sell this mix (it is a block of curry that you melt in with your onion, vegetables and water. You bring to a boil and bring to a thick mixture and pour on your rice... very tasty in my opinion.

Rice Balls or Omusubi

You can get these here and Hayley and I love them,we like them with seaweed! It has a salty taste and the rice is sticky... I found a recipe online and I am going to try it soon.


How to make Omusubi (rice balls)


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Using cooked hot rice is an essencial point.

Add a teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water. Put salt water on both hands to prevent sticking (temizu). Remember to put salt water on both hands before making each rice ball. Put about a handful of rice into a small bowl and shake bowl to make a roughly round shape before packing with hands into a ball (Fillings can be set in the center). Make sure you tightly pack while forming the rice ball to prevent crumbling. If too tightly packed it is not tasty.

Triangular Omusubi (This is a suitable form for any filling)

Hold rice in left palm (or right, if left-handed). Fillings can be set in the center of rice and covered. Using other palm with slightly bend fingers and hold together on top to pack rice. The upper palm forms a triangle while the lower hand holds the rice in between the thumb and fingers widthwise. Repeat packing three times to form a triangular omusubi.

Round Omusubi

Same as Triangular. Use upper palm roundly bent.

Ball Omusubi

Same as Round. Use lower palm also roundly bent.

Tawara (straw bag) Omusubi

Shoud be small (2 bites size) to look neat. It is too small to put fillings in the center, so mix fillings together with rice for easy making. Hold rice in left palm (or right, if left-handed) and gently squeeze into the form of a log. Use top palm to hold widthwise and roll with both hands.

Kinchaku (purse) Omusubi

Cover a small bowl entirely with plastic wrap and place rice on top. If desired, add fillings to the center and cover with rice. Hold rice together by picking up the edges of the plastic wrap and squeezing lightly to pack. This is an easy to make with small portions of rice. Freeze as is and heat in a microwave oven prior to eating.




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Triangular Omusubi
Hold rice in left palm. Fillings can be set in the center of rice and covered. The upper palm forms a triangle while the lower hand holds the rice. Repeat packing three times to form a triangular omusubi.


Tawara Omusubi

Hold rice in left palm and gently squeeze into the form of a log. Use top palm to hold widthwise and roll with both hands. Fillings can be set in the center.