Friday 10/16, right after work, we wanted to go out right away after the work to start out weekend fabulous! We thought about going to get a gourmet burger… that’s not so fabulous… thought about going to the Cherry Creek North, they usually have great restaurant selections… but then we did not want to drive all the way to the Cherry Creek North….

Then, I had this vision of “Moules et Frites”…. Ahhhhh “Le Central” Zach agreed immediately, which we started driving that direction.

When we get there around 5:30pm, the restaurant was nearly empty (Lucky~!) So we were seated right away and our fabulous weekend has begun.

We ordered L’ Ail, Le Brie, et Les Croutons as an appetizer, which is a baked whole garlic head, Brie cheese, and small toasts.

The baked garlic was like butter, spread the garlic and brie cheese onto the toast, sprinkle with diced Tomato and basil… Yummy~!!! It is so simple but yet the flavor of the roasted garlic, brie, tomato and basil was bold. What a great starter! Zach had some red wine, which was sweet for me but enough dryness with it for Zach

I ordered Moules Portuguaise, the steamed Mussels in this fantastic broth with Portuguaise Sausage, diced tomato and bottomless potato fries!
Sorry, these pictures suck because the lighting of the restaurant…

This is addictive. Even though I was quite full from the appetizer but I could not stop eating… As you can see how much mussels they serve, I have to say this is a one of the lightest dishes.

Zach ordered Cassoulet du Central, which was lamb, onions, and duck confit simmered with Provence herbs and white beans, topped with grilled pork sausage and gratineed with bread crumbs, like casserole.

All the meats looked so tender and perfect for the cold fall night. I’ll ask Zach to write about this dish later on!

After the meal, we thought about stopping the dinner right there but the waiter asked us “Would you like to look at the dessert menu?” and I said “I’ll just wanna look at the menu…” Well, you all know there is no “Just look at the menu”… we ended up ordering La Creme Brulee.

The custard was creamy and had a good taste of vanilla. The surface of the custard was very crispy caramelized sugar crust. This sounds very sweet but it’s not… just right amount of sugar in this dessert. I could eat the bucket of this…

All these dishes and 3 glasses of wine, it was less than $60.00. I have to say “What a deal!!”

The atmosphere of this restaurant is cozy but yet romantic For the special occasion or just for fun, try Le Central for the Best French Food in Denver~!

Happy Eating!
Mrs. H

Ahhhh, slow cooker! What a genius dinner helper for a busy working wife. Zach’s Mom gave us her slow cooker about 3 years ago, I like this slow cooker, it is a perfect size for two

I like to use slow cooker once in a while usually winter time. So I can make roast, stew, and casserole… and more and more. I like the fact when I come home from work, the whole kitchen is filled with wonderful smell of the food in the slow cooker. What a joy!

Recently, Zach requested “Pork Coke Roast”, which I have not made for a LONG LONG time. This has a very interesting ingredients…. “Coke (Coca-Cola)” I like Coca-Cola but you can use Pepsi if you like. I think Coca-Cola is less sweet that it is better for this recipe… (just my opinion)

Anyways, I want to introduce this wonderful Slow Cooker recipe “Pork Coke Roast”!!

Ingredients
1. 2.5 – 3.0 pound Pork Roast

2. 20 FL OZ (About 600 ml) Coca-Cola (Coke)
3. 10 FL OZ About (300 ml) Soy Sauce

4. 1 Large Yellow Onion Cut in 1/8

5. Several Fingerling Potato (You can use any 2 large potato cut 1 inch cube)

6. 2 tsp Salt (I use Sea Salt)
7. 1 ~ 2 Tbs Ginger Powdered
8. 1 ~ 2 Tbs Garlic Powder

9. 4 Boiled Eggs

Direction
1. Rub Pork Roast with Salt, Garlic Power and Ginger Powder.
2. Place Rubbed Pork Roast in the Slow Cooker.
3. Add Onion and Potato to the Slow Cooker.

4. In a bowl (I used the measurement cup), add Coca-Cola and Soy Sauce.

5. Pour this Coke Soy mixture to the Slow Cooker.

You’ll see the carbonation bubbled up on the surface of the Slow Cooker. This is going to help the meat tenderized.
6. The Slow Cooker is covered with a piece of plastic wrap and into the fridge for over night!

7. Next morning, set this Pork Soy Coke Veggie mixture to the Slow Cooker High for 6 hours, and add the boiled egg in last 2 hours.

So here is the Onions, Potato, and Boiled Egg look like after 8 hours…

Yummy~~!!

So here is the Pork Roasted in the Coca-Cola and Soy mixture after 8 hours…

AWESOME!!!

Here is the arrange, which was tonight’s dinner, Coke Pork Roast Bowl…

This dinner reminds me HOME… made me home sick GOOD!!!

Try it, you’ll be surprised what Coca-Cola can do for your next great dinner.

Left over can be used for sandwich, stir fry, and soup… you name it!!!

Happy Eating

Mrs. H

Pho 78 menu

Beef broth, tendons, tripe, rare beef, brisket, flank steak, bean sprouts, basil, rice noodles, shiratcha, jalapeno, lime and sour plum sauce. This dynamic list of ingredients results in nothing less than the Vietnamese equivalent to ramen. Let me paint the rest of this succulent picture.

Before you a white paper bag that contains your tools for consumption, chopsticks and a deep spoon for ladling the precious soup into your mouth. The bowl is white, porcelain and warm to the touch, filled to capacity with the ingredients in the previous paragraph. The aroma lifting off of the this feast was almost more than I could stand. I felt like a greedy bear by the end of the experience but it was all worth it.

Every time I go to a Pho restaurant I try to sample something from the menu that is new. I already know my stand by order of a Medium sized bowl with tripe, tendon and some beef. This visit we ordered a set of thinly rolled spring rolls that had been either pan or oil fried. Unfortunately due to their irresistible charm, I couldn’t get a picture of them before they went into hiding…in my stomach.

pho feast

My usual seasoning will be a splash of Shiratcha in the soup bowl and a little dish filled with that purple plum sauce for dipping each bite into. Every single morsel was perfectly balanced and fresh. The textures of the fresh bean sprouts snapped softly as the tender chunks of tendon melted in my mouth. This great juxtaposition of soft and crunchy, spicy and sour-sweet create a unique experience every time.

Pho is a delight not to be missed and its wonderful to have a location so close by that is clean friendly and totally affordable. I think that Pho is a wonderful and inexpensive way to get a meal that really chases the biting cold of Colorado winter. With a Small #7 for the wife a Medium #11 and some fried rolls we paid around $19.00.

If you are in the neighborhood check em’ out:
Pho 78
7275 W 88th Ave
Broomfield, CO 80021
(303) 940-7644

Urban Spoon Link

Zach “the satisfied” Eater

So I asked my Facebook Friends, “What should I cook for dinner tonight?!” Some of my faithful friends responded “Chili Con Carne”. Well, this is my first time but the Chili Con Carne will be perfect for this weather (It is cold outside… it was snowing yesterday…). So I decided to tackled on the “Chili Con Carne H’s Way”!

Ingredients
1. 2 1/2 pounds Beef Stew Meat or beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2. 2 1/2 pounds Pork Shoulder, cut into 1- inch cubes

3. 1 tablespoon Salt (I use Sea Salt)
4. Freshly ground Black Pepper
5. 1/3 to 1/2 cup Olive oil
6. 1 large Onions, chopped
7. 1 Cup Celery, chopped

8. 1/3 Cup Dried Green and Red Bell Pepper (You can use fresh Bell Pepper, chopped)

9. 8 – 10 large cloves Garlic, minced

10. 1/3 cup Chili Powder

11. 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
12. 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
13. A Dash of Cayenne Pepper
14. 2 (14.5-ounce) can Diced Tomatoes

15. 4 cups low-sodium Chicken Broth

16. 1 (15-ounce) can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
17. 1 (15-ounce) can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

18. Serving with White Rice, chopped Green Onion, Shredded Cheddar, and Sour Cream.

Directions
1. Season meats with the Salt and Pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the Olive Oil in a medium to large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

3. Sear the Meat until well browned, and transfer meat to a bowl and reserve.

4. Saute the Onion, Celery, Garlic over medium heat until Onion and Celery become tender, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

5. Stir in the 1/3 cup Chili Powder, Cumin, and Oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the canned Diced Tomatoes and whisk in 3 cups of the stock.
7. Add the Meats and any juices from the Meats back to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
8. Season the Chili with the Salt, Pepper, and dash of Cayenne Pepper cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

9. In a blender puree about 1 cup of beans with the remaining 1 cup of stock.

10. Add the bean mixture to the chili along with the whole beans.
11. Let simmer, uncovered, 1/2 to 1 hour more or until the meat is tender.
12. For the taste, stir in the some Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper
13. Serve with cooked White Rice, chopped Green Onion, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, and maybe Sour Cream?!

I have to say and Zach agreed also, my first Chili Con Carne was SUCCESS!! I can definitely introduce this recipe to you all! Meats were so tender that melted in my mouth! Beans texture was perfect! I could put a little more Cayenne Pepper to heat it up. But over all, Chili Con Carne H’s Way was a great dish for the day like today!!

Happy Eating and Cooking!!
Mrs. H

It is still chilly outside, I was going to cook some soup for dinner. My hungry husband requested “Instant Ramen Noodle” for dinner… Well, I thought I would kick it up the notch Regular Ramen Noodle to a Fancy H Style Ramen Noodle

Ingredients
1. Japanese Instant Ramen Noodle (Any Instant Ramen Noodle is fine!)

2. 5 ~ 6 Stalks of Celery Finely Sliced
3. 1 Medium Size Carrot Finely Sliced
4. 1/4 Yellow Onion Finley Sliced
5. 3 Oyster Mushroom Sliced

6. 12 Medium Size Frozen Shrimp (Thawed)

7. 2 Tbs of Sesame Oil

8. Salt and Pepper for taste

Direction
1. In the medium size skillet with the high heat, add Sesame Oil, sliced Celery, sliced Carrot, and sliced Onion. Sauteed until Carrot becomes tender. Add some Salt and Pepper for the taste.

2. Add Oyster Mushroom till Mushroom becomes tender.

3. Add thawed Shrimps to the Veggie and Mushroom mixture and sauteed till the shrimp colored Pink. Add a pinch of Salt. Set aside this sauteed Veggie Mushroom Shrimp mixture.

4. Cook the Instant Ramen Noodle according to the direction on the package.

5. At last, plate the Ramen Noodle to the bowl, and add the sauteed Veggie Mushroom Shrimp mixture on top.

This takes only 20 minutes from start to finish including slicing all the vegetables… It is easy, cheap, and delicious! ECD!! You can make the regular boring Instant Ramen Noodle to the fancy dinner or lunch!

Happy Eating!
Mrs. H