Pork cheek

Lately I have been frequenting the Mountain View farmer's market, and getting there early for... guess what? Pork cheek! This is one of the more tender and succulent (though fatty in some places) parts of the pig that is not too well-known, partly due to its small limited quantities. However, this cut is also pretty cheap, half the price of pork chop! The lady that I buy from (Full of Life farms -- haha what an irony) says that they normally one have 1 or 2 packs of cheek every week, therefore I try to wake up early on Sunday to get there when they first open. My efforts have paid off so far ^_^
Check out what I've made with my pork cheek (costing only $2.60) this week! 
Yakitori! Marinated in teriyaki sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. I grilled my meat by putting the skewers on a metal steamer rack, in the oven at 375 F. Just remember to put some foil under the meat to catch catch the dripping oil and sauce, and turn the meat occasionally for thorough grilling.

Status: Half-cooked after 5 min at 375F on the grill

Ready for dinner!

Bread pudding

Bread pudding is one of my favorite comfort desserts! I have been craving it for a while now, so I finally got down to making it =)
Here's the recipe (really easy) to make a 8-inch square pan of moist bread pudding!

Ingredients

1. 6 slices of bread (stale bread preferred)
2. 1/2 cup raisins
3. 4 eggs, beaten
4. 2 cups of milk
5. 2 tablespoons of melted butter
6. 3/4 cup of sugar (I like to do a mix of white and brown sugar)
7. 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
8. 3/4 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
9. 1/4 tablespoon of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat up the oven to 350 F, or 175  C.
2. Cut the crusts off the bread, and tear the bread into big chunks.
3. Lay the bread and crusts loosely in the pan. (See first photo; I also line my pan with parchment paper to minimize the amount of washing I have to do afterward)
4. Sprinkle raisins amidst the bread.
5. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.
6. Pour the egg mixture onto the bread. 
7. Make sure that the bread soaks up the egg mixture, using a fork to press lightly on the bread. (see second photo)
8. Put the pudding into the oven, and let it bake for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped. (see third photo)

Ready to eat! Enjoy! 

Placing bread and raisins loosely in a parchment-lined pan

After adding the egg mixture

Done and ready to eat!

Enjoy!