Starbucks Semi-Homemade Lemon Loaf

My grandfather was a big fan of baked goods with his morning coffee.  For as long as I can remember, he would spend an hour or so, savoring the sweetness while nursing his coffee.  The routine sometimes carries over into the afternoon with his tea.  Grandpa always had a soft spot for any baked goods with a fruit flavor. Lemon loaves is one of his favorites.

Loaf:
1 box of lemon cake mix
1 box of lemon pudding
1/2 cup of oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp lemon extract
1 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp flour
Zest of lemon, optional

Icing:
2.5 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tsp of lemon juice or milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients and mix well for about 4-5 minutes.

Pour into pan and bake for about 40 minutes or when the center is clean after poking with toothpick.  Allow to cool completely before icing it.  Keep the loaf in the pan.

Add the lemon juice or milk to the powder sugar slowly by adding a little at a time and stirring until you see a nice thick and gooey consistency.  You are looking for a blob just runny enough to pour.

Nem Nướng - Grill Pork Patty

You can serve nem nuong with banh mi.

This recipe for nem nuong is one of the most versatile recipes of all time.  There are so many different application for this that I don't know where to start.  I love to use this with sandwiches and added to rice paper rolls.

2 lbs ground pork (or chicken)
10 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1-3 drops of red food coloring (optional)
1 Tbsp single acting baking soda or tapioca or cornstarch
1/4 cup warm water

In a bowl, place the ground meat with the garlic, sugar, fish sauce, and food color.  Sprinkle the baking soda/tapioca/cornstarch as you combine the ingredients.  Slowly add a teaspoon at a time of water into the meat mixture and combine well.  You want the mixture to be moist but not dripping wet.  Allow the mixture to set for about 30 minutes.

Shape the patties to whatever size you like.  In the picture above, I made an oval shape that I will add to a submarine or hoagie roll.  You shape these into little meatballs and serve it over rice noodles.  You can cook this on a grill pan or regular pan.  Cooking time will very depending on the thickness of your shape.