Saigon Restaurant

The area around Clark University here in Worcester, MA, is surrounded by a bunch of really good Vietnamese restaurants. There is Da Lat, Anh Tu, Pho Dakao, and then there is Saigon. Located on Main St near Uncle Sam's Pizza, Saigon is one of the better Vietnamese restaurants in the area. I always know a good Vietnamese restaurant by is pho. I am reporting that the pho at Saigon is very delicious. The fresh spring rolls with pork and shrimp are also delicious. They are served with a hoisin-peanut sauce that is the bomb. Sometimes I am not in the mood for pho,  Saigon has me covered in that they have a wide variety of dishes that you can order from. I tried the bo bun hue, which is a beef and pork noodle soup. It is very rich and spicy. I recommend it if you don't want to have pho. They also have vegetarian choices, so it is a perfect place to go if you have a mix of vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Overall, Saigon is a great place to eat. Enjoy!

chili remix: chili spaghetti

This is a dish that is very popular in Cincinnati, Ohio where they put there chili on spaghetti.This might seem strange at first, but its very much like spaghetti with meat sauce.  They like to have their chili with cheese, onions, and beans.There are various combinations you can have. I made mine a four way with, chili, spaghetti, cheese, and onions. Serve with hot sauce and you will be happy. Enjoy!

Chili

Whenever the weather is looking dreary, nothing is better than a bowl of chili. The chili I like to make is without beans,but if you must put beans in your chili you can. This is perfect on hot dogs, burgers, with eggs, on a tortilla, and just in a bowl with cheese.

Ingredients:
pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of beer
one diced onion
one diced green bell pepper.
salt
pepper
tablespoon of cumin
2 tablespoons of chili powder
paprika
tablespoon of oregano
garlic powder
teaspoon of cinnamon
a can of tomato sauce
one large clove of garlic

Method:
In a large pot with some oil saute the diced onion until translucent. Then add the green bell peppers and saute for 3 minutes. I then add the garlic and saute for a minute.I then add the ground beef and brown the meat. I then tomato sauce, beer and half of the spices. I then bring that to a boil and then to simmer. I simmer the chili for two hours. At the 90 minute mark I add the rest of the spices. Serve as a chili cheese dog, or as is in a bowl with cheese an onions. Goes great with a beer. Enjoy!

pulled pork

Pulled Pork is a dish that is uniquely American. Usually pork shoulder, slow cooked on a smoker with hickory wood. These are served with barbecue sauce and served on a bun with coleslaw. The problem is that I dont have a smoker, and I dont have a slow-cooker. So I braised the pork in thinned out barbecue sauce.

Ingredients:

cut up pieces of pork shoulder
one onion sliced
1/2 cup of barbecue sauce
1 cup of water
salt
pepper


Method:
In a pan with some oil brown the pork on each side on medium to medium high heat. I then put the pork in a baking dish. In the same pan I saute the onions until softened. I then add the water and barbecue sauce and deglaze the pan with it. After the pan is deglazed, I pour the sauce over the pork. I put a cover on the baking dish and bake for 2 hours at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. After the 2 hours the meat should be fork tender and fall apart with a fork. Pull the pork and place on a bun with more sauce and you are ready to go.It is sure to please. Enjoy!

White Castle

What happens when you watch Harold and Kumar go to White Castle? You want White Castle right at that moment. Sadly, New England does not have White Castle. For research purposes only, did I group of friends and I made our way to White Castle. We did not eat as much as they did in the movie, but it was good and the crazy thing is that on the menu board next to the price, they have the calories in each of their items. Something that I am starting to see more and more. Enjoy!

Fantastic's

Around Clark University there are two pizza and sub places that students like myself will go to. There is Uncle Sam's and there is Fantastic's. It is interesting that each pizza place occupy opposite ends of campus. Both are good for what they do. They both serve decent pizza,subs, and appetizers such as mozzarella sticks and broccoli bites. Yet Fantastic's offers some great things that Uncle Sam's doesn't. Fantastic's offers some good falafel which are a deep fried fritter of spiced ground chickpeas. This is a favorite of mine and I suggest if you haven't tried it yet you should try it soon. Its different from the typical pizza or sub sandwich. Next time you wanna get take-out, try Fantastic's.

on hand vegetable soup

I call this recipe on hand vegetable soup because it was used with ingredients that I had on hand. It is pretty easy to make. This does have bacon in it, but you can easily omit it if you please.

Ingredients:
a can of white beans
2 cloves of chopped garlic
an onion julienned(strips)
2 cups of mashed potatoes(use the recipe from this site)
teaspoon chili powder
teaspoon of dried oregano and thyme
a cup of water
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
smokehouse seasoning.
bacon
1/3 cup of roasted red peppers
pepper

Method:
I cook the bacon until crispy. I then take the bacon out of the pan and then cook the onions for 4 minutes on medium heat. After that I add the garlic, and other seasonings and cook for a minute. Then I add the sliced roasted red peppers and cook that for another minute. I then add the beans, cup of water, and the tomato sauce. I bring this to a boil and then bring it to a simmer and add the mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes will bring a creaminess to the final dish from the abundance of starch in the mashed potatoes. This is good because we want a creamy, and thick soup. I mix the potatoes until  they are fully incorporated. Simmer for about 20 minutes and you are ready to serve. This is a great dish to serve on a chilly day. Enjoy!