Wontons

A couple weeks ago I made potstickers for Chinese New Year. Having gained some confidence in my ability to cook Chinese food, and because I had some leftover wonton wrappers, I decided to make wontons tonight. I made a few changes to the filling I made before which made it a million times better.

  Pork Wontons

1 package Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage (it’s so much more flavorful than the ground pork)
1/2 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
2/3 c green onions, thinly sliced
a couple shakes of soy sauce
a couple shakes of crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
 wonton wrappers
 oil for frying (I used canola oil)

 Cook the breakfast sausage over medium heat until done and drain oil. Add the remaining ingredients (through garlic) and cook until greens are wilted. (note: I did not like the food processed filling in the potstickers I previously made so I skipped that step this time) Lay a wonton wrapper on a flat, dry surface and put a Tbsp of mixture inside. Using your fingers, wet edges and fold in half into a triangle. Press edges together well so filling will not fall out during frying.  Heat the skillet and then add oil. Add wontons, flip when the downside is golden brown.  Watch them closely as they cook quickly.  Enjoy!  

Salmon in a Basil Lemon Cream Sauce

Mark made me the most delicious dinner the night before Valentine’s. I had planned to cook a romantic dinner but had to make an emergency trip to the eye doctor. While I was on my drive home Mark whipped up a delicious meal. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

Place 1 lb salmon in a foil pouch (Mark doubled it just in case) and add 4 Tbsp white wine, a squeeze of lemon and sliced garlic.  BBQ medium heat approximately 12 minutes until fish is flaky.  This could also we done in the oven.

Basil Cream Sauce 
1/2 c white wine 
2 Tbsp butter 
3/4 c heavy cream 
2 Tbsp dried basil (fresh would be great but we didn’t have it) 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp pepper In a saucepan melt butter and then add all ingredients.  Stir frequently over medium heat until mixture is reduced by half.  Serve over pasta and salmon.    

Japanese Cooking with Nanae

Our friend Nanae came over last night to teach us how to cook Japanese food.  The okonomi yaki was a new experience and was delicious.  We love sushi but our budget only allows for it once a month.  Now that we know how to make it at home we can enjoy it more often… if we can just find some eel sauce. 

 

Sushi  

2 c uncooked sushi rice

rice vinegard

seaweed

various items to roll inside- we used tuna, avocado, lettuce, salmon

 

Clean rice and cook in rice cooker.  Put rice in a glass or ceramic bowl and add rice vinegar to taste.  Let rice cool a bit.  Place a piece of seaweed on a sushi rolling mat.  Spread a thin layer of rice on top of seaweed, leaving approximately one inch at the top without rice.  Add other fillings (lettuce, salmon, avocado, tuna, etc) in the center of the seaweed.  Roll with mat and slice.   

 

 

Okonomi Yaki 

-okonomi yaki ko (powder)

-green cabbage (approx 3 leaves)

-okonomi sauce

-4 eggs

-thinly sliced pork (may use seafood or other meat)

  

1)   Wash and thinly slice cabbage.

2)   Mix 300 grams ko with 1 ½ cups water and 4 eggs.

3)   Add cabbage to flour mixture.

4)   Ladle onto griddle and cook at low temperature. 

5)   Place thinly sliced pork on top.  

6)   Flip when bottom is cooked (like pancake).

7)   Top with okonomi sauce and mayo.

Feta Chicken & Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

I was looking for a new way to cook chicken and asparagus and came across these treasures at http://juliatylerfoodblog.wordpress.com.  The chicken was so delicious and moist.  If you like feta you have to try this recipe!  I usually just steam asparagus or cook it with garlic and olive oil.  This recipe is truly incredible.  Even the leftovers I took for lunch had my coworkers salivating.   

Feta-Stuffed Chicken (from juliatylerfoodblog.wordpress.com, original recipe from Cooking Light)

 

Ingredients:

4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese with basil and tomatoVegetable

cooking spray

1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preparation:Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. Spoon 1 tablespoon of cheese onto each piece of chicken, and fold chicken in half. Place folded breast halves in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drizzle butter over chicken. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until done.

 

Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

 

 

trimmed asparagus stems

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Drizzle over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately. 

 

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year!

I have never cooked Chinese food before but decided Chinese New Year would be the day to attempt something new. I have loved every one of Foodie Bride’s recipes I have tried and the pot stickers were no exception. The downside to cooking Chinese food at home was the smell- I think it must be the sesame oil that just sticks around.

Pork Potstickers

½ lb ground pork
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup chives
2/3 cup green onions
1 cup Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Wonton wrappers (about 30)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 recipe Orange Sesame dipping sauce, for serving (follows)

Cook the ground pork over medium heat until done. Add the remaining ingredients (through garlic) and cook until the greens are wilted nicely. Let mixture cool just a bit and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Process the filling until it reaches the desired consistency.

Lay a wrapper on a flat, dry surface put a Tbsp of mixture in in the middle. Using your fingers or a pastry brush (save the dirty-dish sink space – use your fingers), wet the wonton wrapper surrounding the filling and fold the dumpling, pressing the seams together: bring two opposite corners to the center, bring the remaining corners to the center one at a time and press tightly.

Add oil to a skillet (a clean skillet) and add dumplings. Add 1/3 cup water to the pan and cover tightly. Remove from heat when the dumplings are golden brown on one side (about 4 minutes). (**I did not care for the potstickers in oil so when I made the leftover ones I steamed them- so much better that way!)

Orange Sesame dipping sauce (measurements are approximate)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp chives
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice

Whisk together all ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste.

Pork Fried Rice  

*I cannot figure out where I got this recipe, so if it is yours please forgive me for not giving you credit. If you message me I will add a link to your blog.

1/2 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp vegetable oil 4 cups cooked rice, cold
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup carrots, chopped
(I added an extra 1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup green peas
1 egg
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Brown the pork over medium high heat, drain and set aside. Add vegetable oil to skillet over high heat, stir fry onions and rice. Add carrots and peas and stir fry for 2 minutes. Push rice to side. Whisk egg, pepper, and sesame oil and pour into skillet. Stir until egg is cooked and mix into the rice. Add pork and soy sauce, taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Fortune Cookies

From marthastewart.com 

5 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1 c superfine sugar (I make my own by putting sugar in the Magic Bullet)
1 c all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp almond extract
nonstick cooking spray

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet liberally with cooking spray. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, set aside.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar, and beat on medium speed. Add flour and salt and beat until combined. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract and beat until well combined.

3) Pour 1 Tbsp of batter onto half of the baking sheet, and spread with the back of a spoon into a thin 5-inch circle; repeat on the other half of the baking sheet. Bake until edges of the cookie turn golden brown (approx 8 minutes).

** my cookies ended up way too big, use a small spoon

4) Transfer baking sheet to a heat-resistant surface. Working as quickly as possible, slide a spatula (an offset spatula, available at specialty kitchen shops, works best) under one of the cookies. Lift it up, and place it on a clean kitchen towel. Using your fingers, fold the cookie in half, pinching the top together to form a loose semicircle. Hold the cookie with your index fingers inserted at each open end, and slide your thumbs together along the bottom line. Press into the center of the cookie while bending the two open ends together and down to form the shape of a fortune cookie. This whole process should take about 10 seconds. Once the cookie hardens, which begins to happen almost immediately, you cannot fold it. Place the fortune cookie on the kitchen towel to cool, and shape the second cookie. Repeat until all the batter is used up. To speed up the process, bake four cookies at a time, staggering two cookie sheets by 4 minutes to give you time to shape. To avoid wasting batter, practice folding with a circle of paper first.

5) Write your message on a long strip of sturdy art paper, such as Japanese moriki. Thread the fortune through the cookie when it has cooled.

***I was busy making dinner and prepping lava cake for homegroup so I didn’t really take the time to figure out how to fold the cookies. They were quite delicious and I look forward to making them again when I have the time to focus on folding cookies and writing fortunes.

Chicken Olive Cacciatora and Garlic Parmesan Orzo

I love orzo but have never cooked it myself so I have been looking forward to making Garlic Parmesan Orzo from allrecipes.

Ingredients:

1 c orzo pasta, cooked according to package

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (I used 3)

1/4 c butter, cubed

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (grate before you start, I made the mistake of trying to do it while I was cooking and didn’t have enough time)

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp fresh, minced parsley (omitted)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, saute garlic and butter until tender. Add the orzo, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until thoroughly heated.

Growing up, Chicken Olive Cacciatora was one of my favorite recipes. The chicken is so moist and flavorful. I have always made it in the oven but my orzo was almost ready so I quickly made it on the stove. This is my quick and easy adaptation for two.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2″ squares

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 c dry white wine

2 Tbsp vinegar

10 black olives

10 green olives (I only had black)

Combine all ingredients in skillet and cook on medium heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares

I started my blog because I have found so many great recipes and received inspiration from other food blogs.  One blog I have found some treasures on is Good Eats ‘N Sweet Treats.  One quick and easy dish we have made several times, including this week, is these chicken squares.  I have not spent much time or energy photographing for my blog, so along with my mediocre photo of our chicken squares I wanted to post one from MrsPresley .  It tastes like hers looks- delicious!    Savory Crescent Chicken Squaresfrom Doris Castle on Pillsbury.com

1	(3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1	tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
2	cups cubed cooked chicken
1	tablespoon chopped fresh chives or onion
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/8	teaspoon pepper
2	tablespoons milk
1	tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired
1	(8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1	tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
3/4	cup seasoned croutons, crushed (we used the croutons on top the first time and weren’t too impressed so I omitted them this time)  DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened margarine; beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well. 2. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted margarine; sprinkle with crushed croutons. 3. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

  

Salsa & Enchiladas

Tonight our Japanese friend Nanae came over to learn how to make Mexican food. We made some pretty simple, yet delicious recipes. The salsa recipe is from my Aunt Debbie and the enchilada recipe is one my husband grew up on. Salsa- combine the following. For peak flavor refrigerate overnight.-2 cans diced tomatoes-4 oz can diced green chiles-1 clove minced garlic-juice of one lemon-1 Tbsp olive oil-1/2 purple onion, chopped-1 tsp cumin-1/2 tsp crushed oregano (optional)-1/2 tsp salt-1/4 tsp pepper-1/2 bunch cilantro, choppedGreen Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients:-mozzarella cheese-chicken, cooked and shredded/sliced into 1″ strips-corn tortillas-vegetable oil-diced olives-chopped onion-canned green enchilada sauce (in shallow bowl)We don’t have a recipe we follow and this can be made in various quantities so it’s more a guide than a recipe. Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Dip corn tortillas, one by one, in warm oil for a few seconds until pliable. This is so you can roll the tortilla without it breaking. Dip tortilla in green sauce and coat well. Fill with chicken, onion, olives and cheese. Roll and place in pan. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, cheese, and olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Kat’s Fast Fancy Chicken

This recipe has been one of our favorites since we found it a couple months ago. I have made chicken in cream of mushroom soup before but the wine, cheese and bread and stuffing are what make this recipe. It has amazing flavor and the chicken is so moist!Ingredients6 Boneless Chicken Breasts6 Slices Swiss Cheese (I use provolone)1/4 lb. Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (I used cream of chicken and mushroom)1/2 Cup White Wine2 Cups Herbed Stuffing Mix1 Stick Butter/MargerineDirectionsPre-heat oven to 350. Place chicken in lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Top each piece with a slice of swiss cheese. Arrange mushrooms over cheese. Mix soup and wine and pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.Recipe from Kat’s blog.I need to start taking pictures, but until then here is the photo that first enticed me from April’s blog.

Fondue…Mmm!

Today we are starting the year off with LEFTOVERS! Mark had to work New Year’s Eve but he was able to make it home for a few hours to eat dinner and celebrate the new year with me. I decided to continue last year’s tradition and celebrate New Year’s with fondue. I made a brie cheese fondue and a beef broth fondue. After the cheese we were so full we hardly touched the steak. Hence, today’s lunch.

Beef Broth Fondue
I almost always use recipes when I cook but I improvised on the beef broth. I used approx 30 oz beef broth, 1 glass white wine, thyme, green onion, oregano, onion and minced garlic. You just throw it all in a pot and simmer for approx 30 minutes. If it simmers down too much just add water. You really need an electric fondue pot to keep the broth at the right temperature to cook meat. We used to buy a bunch of veggies for the broth but now just use our two favorites- zucchini and mushrooms. I marinated the steak for about 9 hours and it was delish.

Marinade for Steak I from allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Brie and Red Onion Fondue (from a cookbook called Fondue, by Imagine That!)
INGREDIENTS
2 oz butter
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp basalmic vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 lb Brie, rind removed and cut into cubes
5 oz dry white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
a clove of garlic, crushed

1. Melt butter in a small, heavy pan over low heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook very gently for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Do not allow to brown. Remove the cover, sprinkle over the sugar, raise the heat, and cook for another 2-3 minutes until carmelized. Add the vinegar and thyme, and cook until liquid has evaporated. Set aside and cool.

2. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the Brie, set aside. Put the wine, lemon juice, and garlic into the fondue pot over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Gradually add the cheese. Continue to cook, stirring all the time, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle the carmelized onions on top.

3. Serve with french bread and apples. (cookbook also suggests french beans, zucchini, and boiled new potatoes)