199 Done, 36 to Go

I know I’ve told you before, but I continue to be astounded at the reception this blog receives by you, my readers. It does not go unnoticed.

I read every comment posted, look at every new subscriber’s blog if they have one (and subscribe to a few of them) and love looking at the stats that WordPress creates for me.

I can see things like number of page views (over 625,000 to date) and unique visitors. In some cases I can see what links brought you here and what links (if any) you clicked on to leave the blog. Of all the stats, though, one causes me the most obsession. The countries!

WordPress, for the most part, knows what IP address you are when you come to the site. It compares that IP address to which country is assigned that range and reports that someone from XX country visited. With my first international visitor way back in February 2012, I’ve been hooked on trying to see if I can get a visitor from every country on the globe. I’m making some pretty darn good progress.

I obtained a list of assigned IP addresses (from April 2012) and it shows that 235 countries had ranges assigned. Of those, people from 199 countries have visited this blog. That is a pretty amazing statistic to me. They are from every continent and many tiny islands. While the traditional English-speaking countries have visited the most, there are dozens of native languages represented. little St. Luica only had 256 IP addresses assigned and I have 11 page views from there.

Every week I look to see if someone from a country that hasn’t visited before has found the blog and do a little happy dance if they have (the Ranting Wife can confirm this). As of this writing (3/30/15), I have 36 countries to go. They are (I’ve alternated bold and plain for easier reading):

Afghanistan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo,  Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Federated States of Micronesia, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guinea-Bissau, Holy See (Vatican City State), Iran, Kiribati, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Korea, previously represented British Antarctic Territory, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Togo, Tokelau, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Wallis and Futuna

Those left fall into a few categories: small, war-torn or restrictive governments.

If you know anyone in those countries, or plan on visiting them and using the Internet while there, you can make my day by visiting the blog while there!

Chinese Pork & Vegetable Hot Pot

China, while late to visit the blog is responsible for a meager 19 page views. They should come and check out this dish!

A few ingredients here.

I diced the pork.

Added the spices.

What awesome flavors!

Chinese Pork & Vegetable Hot Pot

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 3 3/4-6 3/4 hours | Servings:  | Difficulty:

Ingredients:

2 cups baby carrots
2 medium white turnips, (8 ounces total), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges
2 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, (picnic or Boston-butt), trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons medium or dry sherry, (see Ingredient Note)
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2-4 teaspoons Chinese chile-garlic sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 star anise pod, (see Ingredient Note) or 1 teaspoon aniseed
1 cinnamon stick
4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, (see Ingredient Note) for garnish

Directions:

1. Place carrots and turnips in the bottom and up the sides of a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Top with pork and scallion whites. Bring broth, water, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, ginger, vinegar, chile-garlic sauce to taste and garlic to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over the pork and vegetables. Nestle star anise pod (or aniseed) and cinnamon stick into the stew. Cover and cook until the pork and vegetables are tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high or 5 1/2 to 6 hours on low.

2. Discard the star anise pod and cinnamon stick. Skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture, cover and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallion greens and sesame seeds.

Nutritional Info: 332 calories; 17 g fat (6 g sat, 7 g mono); 91 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 2 g fiber; 538 mg sodium; 613 mg potassium.

Source: http://mobile.eatingwell.com/recipes/chinese_pork_vegetable_hot_pot.html