A Happy Happy Birthday

As some of you know, it was The Husbands birthday yesterday.  The funny is that the morning of his birthday, I actually just thought…hmmmm I should make dinner for him shouldn’t I?  I was on the fence about making a huge dinner just because he had school.  But I figured I should attempt to cook :D.  I have been using this great website called Food on The Table for my meal planning for the last couple of weeks.   For The Husband’s Birthday, I figured I would make a stir fry dish.  It was really good and it only took me an hour to prepare and cook.  For dessert, I finally tackled a Genoise Cake.  I had high hopes for this cake, it is good but you need someone more to dress it up.  I would make it again but I would top it with some fresh fruit and whipped cream :D. 

Pork with Honey Gravy
(Adapted from Food on The Table)
2 Pounds of Pork Shoulder – In 1 Inch Cubes
3 Tbs of Brown Gravy Mix
3/4 Cup of Water
1/4 Cup of Honey
3 Tbs of Soy Sauce
2 Tbs of Red Wine Vinegar (I thought I had some but I had to use regular White Vinegar
1 Tsp of Grated Ginger
1/2 Tsp of Garlic Salt
4 Carrots – Sliced thin
1 Med Onions in Large Chunks
1 Green Pepper – Diced
Rice
Olive Oil
Directions

1. Sautee the pork in a little olive oil and let it brown a little.
2. While that is cooking, mix together the gravy mix, soy sauce, water, vinegar, honey, ginger, and salt to create the gravy. 
3. When the meat is brown, add the sauce and reduce to a simmer and let the meat continue to cook in the sauce - covered. 
4. Stir occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn.  When the sauce starts to reduce, add the carrots.
5. When the carrots starts to soften, add the onions and green peppers.
6. Let to cook for only 5-10 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.

For the Genoise cake, I adapted it from Nick Malgieri’s The Modern Baker.  I had the book for months but I had yet to try one of the recipes.  I love the taste of the cake.  I topped it with an apple compote. 
I am planning on going through the whole book to try each recipe.  It is a great book and he gives ways to save time in the kitchen.  I’m always a fan of anything that will save me time in the kitchen.