TURKEY STROGANOFF

I always forget to take pictures, but I'll try to get one of my leftovers. This was a simple and pretty tasty meal.

1/4 package egg noodles
1 Tbs. each butter and olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
5 or so mini sweet peppers (yellow, red, and orange)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 Tbs.sweet paprika -- i used regular
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. marjarom
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup sour cream
chopped parsley for garnish



Directions:
Cook noodles till al dente about 6 minutes. While cooking noodles, brown turkey in butter and olive oil. Once brown add chopped peppers, garlic, and seasonings. Cook for about 4-5 minutes then add chicken stock and sour cream. Bring back to boil and then simmer for a couple minutes. Add cooked noodles and stir allowing noodles to soak up some of the "sauce". Garnish with parsley. Done in about 20 minutes or less!!

xoxo Kristen

"The Zone" Kale and Bean Soup with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:
18 ounces low-fat smoked turkey sausage kielbasa, sliced
4 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
4 cups fresh kale chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups white kidney beans (or any other cooked beans)
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:
Slice sausage into half-moon, bite-sized slices. In a large pot, heat olive oil then add garlic and onion. Sauté these ingredients until soft. Add kale and sauté until wilted. Add 3 cups of the broth, sliced sausage, and 1 1/2 cups of the beans, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Use a blender to mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Mix into soup to thicken. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. 


This recipe makes about four 3-block servings in "the Zone".


http://drsears.com/ZoneLiving/Recipes/RecipeArchive/tabid/92/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16013/Kale-and-Bean-Soup-with-Turkey-Sausage.aspx


- Sarah

Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

- Sarah

*http://allrecipes.com/recipe/molasses-cookies/detail.aspx           

Baked Potato Soup

...with a side of Jeffrey!

Ingredients

• 3 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

*Recipe from www.allrecipes.com          

-Sarah

Apple, Goat Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

Last week I made a delicious pizza from the September issue of Cooking Light.  This was a delicious, healthy and different pizza with a twist on taste.  Try it out! It calls for storebought pizza dough, but I made a quick homeade whole wheat crust.

Apple, Goat Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) six-grain pizza crust
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups thinly sliced Fuji apple (about 8 ounces)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
• 2. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Arrange apple slices evenly over pizza crust; top with cheese. Sprinkle thyme evenly over cheese. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.
• 3. Combine oil and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle pecans evenly over pizza; top with arugula mixture. Cut pizza into 6 wedges.

Enjoy!
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/apple-goat-cheese-pecan-pizza-50400000115789/

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin purée*
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if you like nuts in your bread)

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Can easily double the recipe.

*Recipe from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/

- Sarah


**Apparently grocery stores only sell pumpkin during the fall season so it was really hard to find this time of year.  I had to go to Walmart; they, of course, had it.**

Pumpkin Pancakes with Bananas

My friend Ellen made these when we visited her a couple weeks ago - they were so good!

Ingredients


1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat, inspired by Ellen)
2 T sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 cup milk
6 T pumpkin puree
2 T melted butter
1 egg
1 chopped banana (my addition)


Preparation


In a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients together.  In a small bowl mix milk, pumpkin, butter and egg together. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients.  Melt some butter in a skillet and pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.  Drop banana pieces onto the poured pancakes before flipping.


These are really good and a refreshing twist to regular pancakes.  I added bananas because they make everything better!

*Recipe from http://www.marthastewart.com/271839/pumpkin-pancakes

- Sarah

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

Ingredients


nonstick cooking spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from 1 large zucchini)
1/3 cup mashed banana (from 1 large banana)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 t. vanilla extract


Preparation


1. Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray (there was enough batter for about 15 muffins actually).  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add zucchini and banana and stir to combine.  In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined (do not overmix).


2. Divide batter among muffin cups.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.  Let muffins cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.  Store in air-tight container, up to 3 days, or freeze.

*Recipe from Everyday Food Issue 85.

- Sarah

Croque Madame

I had this sandwich several times while in France and it is delicious.  It is a Madame because it has an egg!  Get it?  A Croque Monsieur is the same thing but without the egg.  But I think the egg makes it delicious.

8 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced into 24-32 1/16-inch-thick slices
12 ounces smoked ham, such as Black Forest, sliced into 12-16 1/16-inch-thick slices
4 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fleur de sel or kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

To assemble the sandwiches:
Set half of the slices of bread buttered side down, and cover them with the cheese slices, folding them back in toward the middle if they extend past the edges of the bread. Place 3 or 4 slices of the ham in an even layer over the cheese, and place the top slice of bread over the ham, buttered side up.
Grill the sandwiches in a two-sided grill or on a heavy-bottomed pan, using clarified butter and turning once. Place on serving plates.

To fry the eggs:
Crack two eggs into two separate bowls to check that the yolks aren’t broken. In 2 6-inch non-stick skillets, melt half of the butter over medium-high heat, until it starts to bubble. Pour 1 egg into each pan, being careful not to break the yolks. Add a teaspoon of water to each pan, sprinkle the eggs with fleur de sel, and cover the pans with lids. Cook the eggs for about 3 minutes for a soft-cooked egg and 5-6 minutes if you like your eggs firm. Wipe out the skillets, and fry the other 2 eggs in the remaining butter in the same manner. Center a fried egg over each of the grilled sandwiches and sprinkle with pepper.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Eat with a knife and fork!

*recipe from www.epicurious.com

- Sarah

Bean Salad

A summer favorite -- fresh and delicious.

Ingredients


1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cut green beans, drained and rinsed
half of a small red onion, sliced thin
2/3 cup white/cider vinegar
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup Splenda
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T Dill Weed


Mix all ingredients together and chill.


- Sarah

Coconut Brownie Chunk Ice Cream

Ingredients


2 cups heavy or whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup half-and-half
half can Cream of Coconut (found in Hispanic section at Grocery store)
half batch of partially baked brownies from a box cut into bite-size chunks


Preparation


Ben & Jerry's Sweet Cream Base
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl.  Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.  Pour in the half-and-half and whisk to blend.


Sarah's Additions

Whisk in half can of cream of coconut.  Churn/freeze ice cream according to your ice cream maker.  I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker so I churn for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes add chunks of halfway cooked brownies while it continues to churn for about 5 more minutes.


Pour into container and put in freezer for at least a few hours before eating.


It's so delicious!


- Sarah

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini **
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes. 

** Grating zucchini is actually quite easy.  You just use a cheese grater - skins, seeds and all. **

- Sarah


*Recipe from Paula Deen

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

So fresh and delicious!

Ingredients

1 T olive oil
2 zucchini or yellow squash, or one of each, quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15-16 oz) frozen gnocchi (I used non-frozen, vacuum-sealed gnocchi and it was fine)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 T grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or parmesan, and much more of it!)
1 T butter
2 t. fresh lemon juice


Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions.  Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet.  Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce.  Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

- Sarah

*Recipe from Everyday Food Issue 63

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak with Grated Potato Pancakes

This is a very simple and healthy recipe with few ingredients.  It didn't take long to make and I served it with steamed zucchini squash!  Enjoy!

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 rosemary sprigs
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic in a glass or plastic dish, and stir to combine. Add skirt steak, and coat well with marinade. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.
2. Preheat broiler or grill. Remove steak from marinade, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Season meat generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place under broiler or on grill, and cook about 3 minutes, turn over, and cook for 3 minutes more for medium rare.
3. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain, and serve.

**Martha Stewart Living, May 2001

Grated Potato Pancakes

• 2 Idaho potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Peel potatoes, and grate on the large holes of a box grater. Place grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze tightly, removing all excess moisture.
2. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 teaspoon canola oil. When very hot, add grated potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to press potatoes into a flat, round shape. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, shaking pan periodically, until pancake is nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip pancake, and add remaining teaspoon of oil, drizzling around the edges of pancake. Gently swirl pan to distribute oil. Season again with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes more.
3. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into wedges. Serve immediately.

*Martha Stewart Living

Happy Cooking!!!

~Lynn

Spicy Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry

With asparagus now in season, this is an excellent recipe to try! It comes from the fabulous book, "Eat This, Not That." It's super healthy and full of taste too.  Hope you enjoy it!

1/2 C instant brown rice (measured dry)


1 tsp canola or other cooking oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 C mixed chopped peppers

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 C chopped raw asparagus

8 oz shrimp
1 tbsp soy sauce

hot sauce to taste (like sriracha)

Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Prepare the brown rice according to the package directions. Add the oil to a large saute pan or wok and place over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add the onions, peppers, garlic, and asparagus, then stir fry for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have browned slightly. Stir in the shrimp, soy sauce, and hot sauce and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
 
Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Banana Pancakes

                           

Follow instructions on your pancake box mix (or you could make your own)

Add 1/2 c. sweet potato puree --I usually have this and butternut squash puree on hand to add to pastas, breads, even put it in taco mix too! besides the point. --

Add 1 ripe banana mashed up.

Mix it all together...cook on the griddle till browned...easy peasy and delicious!

These would be great for Breakfast Lunch or Dinner.

you get your fruits, veggies, grains, drink a glass a milk and you got all the groups covered.

Enjoy!

~ Kristen

Moroccan Tagine

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (I used cumin instead)
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• cooked couscous to serve with Tagine

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken, onion, and garlic about 15 minutes, until browned. 

2. Mix the squash, garbanzo beans, carrot, tomatoes with juice, broth, sugar, and lemon juice into the skillet. Season with salt, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue cooking 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  

3. Serve over couscous.

Yummy and healthy!

*Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

-Sarah

Kit Kat Bars

A homeade variation of the popular candy bar! Very tasty, and maybe not all that healthy :)

Ingredients:

• 60 buttery crackers, such as Keebler Club Crackers
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Preparation:

1. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Line with a layer of 20 crackers.
2. In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugars and milk together to a boil over medium heat. Stir in crushed graham crackers. Let boil 5 minutes.
3. Pour half of the sugar mixture over the crackers. Cover with another layer of 20 crackers, pressing down lightly. Pour remaining syrup mixture over crackers, smoothing to coat.
4. Top with the remaining crackers, pressing lightly.
5. Place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe dish. Heat on high 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chips are melted. (Alternatively, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat.)
6. Pour evenly over the top layer of crackers, making sure the crackers are completely covered.
7. Refrigerate until kit kat bars are firm.

Makes 36 kit kat bars.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Mexican Wonton Cups with Chili Con Queso

Mexican Wonton Cups with Chili Con Queso
These are awesome!  Last night for dinner, I was trying to figure out what I could make without going to the store.  I remembered I had these wonton wrappers for the Gyoza I made a few weeks ago. Michael wanted to make homeade salsa, so I searched for Mexican wontons and got this recipe.  It takes a little while to make, but it's worth it! 

**I halved this recipe and it still made a lot.  I would probably advise doing the same!

Chili Con Queso Sauce:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 lbs ground beef
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 14 1/2 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 4 oz can mild green chiles
• 2 chipotle in adobo, crush with side of knife then chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
• Additional cumin, cayenne, chili powder, salt and pepper, to taste

 Won Ton Cups:

• 1/2 of beef mixture from above
• 1 pkg taco seasoning, mild
• 1 1/2 cups chili con queso sauce from above
• 1 1/2 shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese plus an additional cup of Cheddar for garnish
• 50-60 won ton wrappers

Directions:

Chili Con Queso Sauce: Heat vegetable oil in large pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook about 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add onion and peppers then cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add garlic, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove half of beef mixture and set aside. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and chiles then use a potato masher to break down tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and stir, then cook another 5 minutes. Add chipotle in adobo and stir. Add cheeses and stir until cheese is melted.

Won Ton Cups: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To reserved beef mixture, add taco seasoning and stir, but do not add water as directed on box. Add chili con queso sauce and cheeses. In batches of twelve, press a wonton wrapper in each cup of a muffin tin and bake 5 minutes. When removing from oven, stuff each cup with about 1 tbsp of mixture and sprinkle with cheddar. Transfer to a large baking sheet and cook another 10 minutes.

Serve Chili Con Queso Sauce with tortillas chips for dipping. Serve salsa and sour cream on the side for both the tortilla chips and the wonton cups.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Mashed Potato and Rutabaga Casserole With Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds rutabagas, peeled and cubed
6 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 large onions, thinly sliced
salt and ground black pepper to taste

optional: shredded cheese (mozzarella for mild taste or maybe gruyere for a stronger taste)

Preparation:

1. Combine chicken broth, potatoes, rutabagas, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme in a large pot.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover partially. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter. Use an electric mixer, beat mixture until mashed but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mashed vegetables to a buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

3. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter or margarine in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions. Sautee until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Sautee until onions are tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Spread onions evenly over mashed vegetables. Casserole can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until heated through and top begins to crisp.

Jeffrey and I both agree that this recipe needs cheese, so we added mozzarella to ours.  It's pretty good, and besides the butter, very healthy.  Enjoy!

*Recipe from Howard at Dominion Harvest*

-Sarah

Shrimp Gyoza, aka Pot Stickers

I first learned of gyoza over Christmas from my sister-in-law Jenny and her husband, Alex, while they were home from China.  I tried a few from a local Chinese restaurant in Greensboro...my were they tasty! Michael then confessed they were one of his favorite foods while in China.  I knew I had to experiment on these little Chinese potstickers.  Michael and I ventured out to an Asian market here in Charleston today, and we bought a handful of authentic Chinese cuisine, including gyoza and wonton wrappers.  Here's our first take at them, and personally, I think they were delicious!  Michael agreed that they tasted "authentic." That's a great start! I bet they aren't as good as Jenny's, though. Can't wait to try hers one day!

Shrimp Gyoza/Pot Stickers

Sauce:
1/2 c soy sauce
5 tbsp white vinegar (we used rice)
4 tsp Sriracha sauce (we used 2 tsp)
2 tbsp sugar (we used 1)
1 tbsp grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

**Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Pot Stickers:
1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cups chopped cabbage
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 pound ground, cooked shrimp (could use pork, beef, chicken)
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (10 ounce) package wonton wrappers
1/4 cup water

**
1.Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Mix in cabbage, onion, garlic and carrot. Cook and stir until cabbage is limp. Mix in ground pork and egg. Cook until pork is evenly brown and egg is no longer runny.


2.Preheat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

3.Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the cabbage and pork mixture in the center of each wrapper. Fold wrappers in half over filling, and seal edges with moistened fingers.

4.In the preheated vegetable oil, cook gyoza approximately 1 minute per side, until lightly browned. Place water into skillet and reduce heat. Cover and allow gyoza to steam until the water is gone.

It definitely helped to have this little wonton contraption!

 
 
*These were 2 recipes I combined in one.  One is from the January 11 Everyday Food magazine, and the other is from All Recipes.
 
Enjoy!
 
~Lynn

Not really fancy, but really good.

Comfort foods were calling my name this weekend.

For starters...corn on the cob.  Just steamed in water, drizzled with butter and sprinkled with parmesean cheese.

Homemade split-pea soup - compliments of Jay's mom.

Grilled cracked pepper mill turkey with Vermont cheddar cheese sandwich.

And for you sandwich dippers out there...this is the best.

Split pea soup recipe to come later.

Love ya ladies,

Priscilla

Crowd pleasing sliders

We just had a party to celebrate Kaelyn's baptism. I made these slider burgers and they were such a HIT!! easy and delicious with a kick....
for every one pound of ground beef (i've done this with turkey too)
add 1 chipotle in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon of sauce
and 1 tablespoon of montreal steak seasoning (or any steak seasoning)
Mix together and then shape into mini burgers. You should get about 6-7 burgers per pound of meat. These would be great on the grill or I just use a grill pan inside because of the small size and quickness of cooking. Cook until done to your desired likeness.
In the grocery store I found chipotle cheddar cheese and a bacon cheddar cheese. I topped the burgers with half a slice of whichever you perfer (the chipotle cheese of course will make it extra spicy...but delicious!) while still on the grill to melt.
serve on the sweet hawaiian mini rolls...(in the orange package) and enjoy...I miss and love you girls... xoxo Kristen