Pork and Veggie Lo Mein

You know those days when you wake up and just get a little, nagging feeling that things aren't going to go your way?  The clue is usually small and never the same, but its always there on one of "those" days.  Today I knew I was doomed when I woke up and clicked on my Words With Friends App on my iPhone and it wouldn't work.  Now, I don't know if that was a simple omen that I was going to have a rough day or if it was God's way of telling me I suck at Words With Friends and I should just stop trying.  But I do know that I was sad before I even got out of bed.

After making a mental note to force my husband into playing Scrabble with me this weekend (so I can flex my evidently sub-par vocabulary muscles), I make my way downstairs at 7:30.  I'm excited to watch a DVR'd episode of House Hunters before getting my work day started (I work from home).  The digital cable doesn't work.  Flustered, and not quite ready to delve into business matters quite yet, I attempt to watch an episode of Law and Order SVU on Wii/Netflix.  No dice.  Finally, I'm out of options and decide to get the work day started.  I try accessing the internet.  No signal.  Now I'm pissed!  What's a girl who works from home to do with no cable!?!  I mean internet!!!  What's a girl who works from home to do with no INTERNET!!  So I call Verizon and in a very un-Ann-like manner, I calmly tell them the problem and am chipper and kind when they put me on hold and tell me to unplug the cable box and plug it back in.  And you know what?  It worked!  They agreed to send a technician this afternoon instead of 2 weeks later (unlike SOME companies I know.  Like, *cough, cough* Comcast). 

After spending the day at Starbucks and annoying my fellow coffee-drinkers with my constant, loud participation in conference calls, I headed home to meet the technician.  At first, he couldn't find the problem, so we went outside and walked around the yard, looking for wiring catastrophes.  Just as he was saying, "this seems completely random, I don't see any issues with the cables", he bends over and picks up our cable/internet wire that is supposed to be buried in the yard.  Its been chewed in two.  Complete with little teeth marks and dog slobber, just in case anyone thought it was me who chewed through the wire.  I look up at the house and see Miss Lola standing at the glass door, looking awfully guilty.  Little rascal.  So the guy runs a new wire but has to leave it above ground until some contractor can come bury it again.  I'm POSITIVE that the dog will not be tempted at all by a 30-foot wire running through the yard and will totally leave the new one alone.  Looks like I have a lots of Starbucks hours in my future.

Anyway, the good news is that is almost 10 PM and this day is nearly over.  Sometimes that's the best you can do...just wait for it to end.

I ate takeout soup from a grocery store cafe for dinner so I won't be sharing the details of that with you.  I do, however, have a great recipe for pork and veggie lo mein that I made the other night.  It was legit.  Hope you like it.

Pork and Veggie Lo Mein
Source: Inspired by Rachael Ray

Sauce:

3 rounded tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it

few splashes of sesame oil

Lo Mein:

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti

Salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

4 large eggs, beaten

3 pork chops, fat removed, sliced into thin strips

Black pepper

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 inches fresh ginger, chopped or grated

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

large handful of snow peas, halved width-wise

6 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths then sliced lengthwise

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into quarters, seeded, then sliced

1 small can sliced water chestnuts

1/2 pound shredded cabbage

Mix together sauce ingredients and reserve.

Bring pasta water to a boil, salt water and cook spaghetti to al dente.

While pasta cooks, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. When oil ripples, add beaten eggs and scramble them to light golden brown, remove and reserve.

Season the pork with salt, pepper and coriander. Heat the remaining vegetable oil to a ripple, then add meat and stir-fry 4 minutes, push meat to the side and add ginger, garlic and veggies. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes, then drain and add pasta and eggs back to skillet. Pour sauce over the spaghetti and toss to combine. Turn off pan. Toss 30 seconds and let the liquids absorb.