sandwiches

Tasty Tuesday–A Day Inspired by Final Fantasy XIV

Ladybug has been wanting to prepare a meal (or two!) using recipes from The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Online Cookbook, and we decided that spring break was the perfect opportunity. So last Wednesday, we had a day of Final Fantasy XIV-themed foods, starting with a “Sandwich Basket” for lunch. It included egg salad, roast beef with horseradish sauce, and lettuce, tomato, and avocado varieties:

For dinner, she choose “Deep-Fried Okeanis,” which was pretty much a schnitzel that would also work well for pork katsu sandwiches. It was served with some herb roasted potatoes that were really good.

Every good themed meal needs a special drink, so we made “The Black Shroud Lemonade,” which had a simple syrup made of honey and sugar…that gave it a unique flavor that I really enjoyed!

And for dessert, we made a “Rolanberry Cheesecake,” which had a combination of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries in the sauce. It was really delicious, and it didn’t crack at all!

I’m not really familiar with the game itself, but it certainly did provide us with a lot of good food!

Tasty Tuesday–Spicy Chipotle Pork Sandwiches with Jalapeño-Cilantro Slaw

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe that I tweaked a bit to suit our family. Both the meat and the slaw are quite spicy. The slaw is very pretty and summery with the bright green and purple colors!

Spicy Chipotle Pork (serve on Kaiser rolls):

  •  2 Whole Onions, Peeled And Quartered
  • Pork Shoulder Picnic Roast (about 6 lbs.–I used two smaller roasts)
  • Salt And Pepper
  • 1 can (12 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
  • 24 oz. Dr. Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the crock-pot.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers and sauce into a medium bowl. Pour in the Dr. Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in. Pour over pork.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours, turning the roast every few hours. Check meat after 10 hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, leave in the crock-pot for another 1-2 hours.

Remove meat from crock-pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Before returning the meat to the cooking liquid, strain out the onions and whole peppers. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.)

It’s quite spicy–you’ve been warned! The pork can make a repeat performance as quesadilla filling later in the week, if you’re looking for a quick leftovers meal.

Jalapeño-Cilantro Slaw

  • 1/2 head Cabbage, Sliced Thin
  • 1/2 head Purple Cabbage, Sliced Thin
  • 1 whole Jalapeño, Halved Lengthwise, Seeds Removed, And Thinly Sliced
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 cups Cilantro Leaves, Barely Chopped

Combine shredded cabbage and sliced jalapeño in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Pour over cabbage. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate two hours.

Before serving, toss in cilantro leaves. Serve over meat in kaiser rolls.

The slaw is also spicy, so you may want to leave out either the jalapeño or the cayenne pepper to tone down the heat. It can be served on other sandwiches as well, and for the courageous, who either really like spicy food, or coleslaw, or both, can be eaten on the side.