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!  

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.    

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.

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

 

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:

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.

I feel that I have neglected my blog, but I just haven’t been cooking much.  Let’s just blame it on my being under the weather.  One food that has been very comforting to me while I’ve been sick is tortilla soup.  We served it to our parents when they were in town last weekend and they loved it.  This recipe is one my sister shared with me a while back.  It’s one of my favorites because it is great leftover- and my lunch solely consists of leftovers.

Black Bean-Tortilla Soup

1 C chopped onion (1 large)
1 T cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil2 14-oz cans reduced-sodium chicken brother
2 C chopped tomatoes (2 medium) – I just use canned diced tomatoes
1.5 C frozen whole kernel corn – I tend to use canned corn
1 4.5-oz can diced green chile peppers, undrained
1 15-oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
.25-.5 C snipped fresh cilantro
2 C coarsely crushed tortilla chips

In a large saucepan cook & stir onion, cumin & garlic in hot oil about 5 min. or until tender.  Carefully add broth, tomatoes, corn & chile peppers.  Bring to boil; reduce heat.  simmer, covered about 5 min. or until corn is tender.  Stir in black beans & cilantro (I add as a garnish); heat through.  Divide crushed tortilla chips among 6 soup bowls; ladle soup over chips.  If desired, garnish each serving with shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream or additional tortilla chips.

Basic Blondies

Ingredients:
7-8 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup flour
¼ tsp. baking powder

Mix-ins of your choice (see options below)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line an 8×8” baking pan with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla. Add the salt, flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. Stir in your choice of mix-ins with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to level the top. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until set in the middle. Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Mix-in ideas:
½ – 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips
½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds
½ cup M&Ms
½ cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
¼ cup toffee pieces½ tsp. mint extract, in addition to or in place of the vanilla extract

Source: Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen

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.

Basic Waffle

2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
2 cups unsifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (cardamom or nutmeg may be substituted)
1/2 cup butter (margarine or oil may be substituted), melted