Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Crepes

We make these very often in our house! My kids love them!!!! My kids like them with Cool Whip, fresh chopped fruit and cinnamon sugar. They are DE-LISH. I have just recently tried more savory filling. Super yummy!! You can store them in the fridge for about 5 days (they won't last that long).

1 1/4 c Flour
2 tbsp Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil
1 cup plus 3 tbsp Milk

Mix together. Put about 1/4 of mixture on a pan or griddle. Spread out thin. Cook for about 30-45 seconds on each side.

Crepe

YUM-O!!! My new favorite!!! I don't have a name for it...

1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (I used shiitake because that's what I had.)
2 eggs, slightly scrambled
2-3 tbsp chopped onion (I prefer sweet onion.)
1 tbsp butter

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add onion. Sautee for about a minute (not quite translucent). Add mushrooms. Sautee for about another minute. Add spinach. Sautee for about 30 seconds, until spinach just begins to wilt. Add eggs and cook until eggs are cooked through. Put eggs in a crepe, roll and top with hollandaise sauce.

Recipe for CREPES
Recipe for HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (if using salted butter, skip the added salt)

Method

1 Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away.

2 Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise a bit lighter.

3 Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.

4 Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty. If it is not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.

Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop. Use within an hour or so.

Makes about 1 cup of sauce, good for about 4-6 servings.

Adapted from Simplerecipes

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Pork Potstickers

These potstickers were super yummy!!! It looks like a lot of instruction- it's really not. It's not complicated at all.
Ingredients
  • 1 head Napa cabbage, shredded
  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chicken stock
  • 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely minced scallions
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 4 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pkg wonton wrappers (round, if you can find them)
Instructions
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage and blanch it for 1 minute. Drain the cabbage, rinse it immediately with cold water, then drain it again. Over a sink or bowl, squeeze small handfuls of the cabbage to release as much water as possible, then wrap it in two layers of paper towels and squeeze again. Wrap and squeeze the cabbage one more time, then set it aside.

Whisk together the egg white, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the cabbage, scallions, ginger, and garlic. Add the pork and stir the filling until it's thoroughly combined.

Fill a small bowl with cool water. Lay 4 dumpling wrappers on a work surface, covering the remaining wrappers with a damp cloth.

Spoon 2 level teaspoons of the filling onto the center of each wrapper. Using your fingertip, moisten half of the outer edge of the wrappers with water.

Pick up each wrapper and bring the opposite edges together over the filling, forming a taco shape. Press the edges together, pinch a few pleats to seal the dumpling, then gently squeeze around the filling to eliminate any air pockets.

Transfer the stuffed dumplings to a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper, spacing them so they don't touch. Keep them covered with a damp cloth while stuffing the remaining dumplings.

Refrigerate pork and shrimp dumplings, on a baking sheet covered in plastic wrap, for up to 2 hours before cooking. Vegetable dumplings should be cooked or frozen immediately (moisture in the filling can soften the wrappers).

Heat 1-1/2 teaspoons peanut (or vegetable) oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Arrange half the dumplings in the skillet and cook, without disturbing, until their sides are golden, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup water and immediately cover the pan, reducing the heat slightly. Cook shrimp and vegetable dumplings for 3 minutes, pork for 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan and raise the heat again. Cook off any remaining water, shaking the pan a few times, and continue frying the dumplings until their sides become crispy, about 2 minutes more.

Transfer them to a plate and serve immediately, or keep them covered in a warm oven until the remaining dumplings are cooked.

***slightly adapted from FamilyFun recipes.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Pecan Pie Bars


These were so yummy!! And so easy!! You know I like easy ;)

Very lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Put down a roll of crescent dough (I love this stuff!!) Bake it at 350* for about 7 minutes.

Now for the filling. I know it sounds like a lot- but really- it's so good.

Filling:
6 eggs
2 cups light corn syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, corn syrup, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons margarine, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans. Spread the filling evenly over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. If the top starts to brown, cover it with aluminum foil.

Cool. Cut into squares.

Adapted slightly from the-girl-who-ate-everything.

Phat Cow Fudge

This fudge is amazing. Best I've ever had.

Phat Cow Fudge

20 ounces Hershey's® milk chocolate bars, broken into pieces.
1(12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into pieces
4 cups sugar
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
4 cups frozen mini marshmallows
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped
*Place four cups of mini marshmallows into the freezer until frozen.

In a large bowl, place broken milk chocolate bars, chocolate chips and butter pieces; set aside. In a large pan, combine sugar, evaporated milk and 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly, then, continue to cook and stir at a light boil for 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately pour over the chocolate/butter mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and loses its shine. Don't worry if it looks separated, just keep stirring. As it starts to cool it will lose its shine. Stir in the vanilla. Add the frozen marshmallows and walnuts/pecans. Spread into a large buttered cookie sheet (for a full batch I used two 9x13 baking dishes).

Cool completely. You can speed this up by putting it in the refrigerator. Cut into pieces and serve. Store in an airtight plastic container. Makes about 60-70 pieces.

***Make sure to freeze your marshmallows. It seriously makes all the difference.
Use a larger pot/pan to make your marshmallow cream-- Mine wasn't big enough and the stuff expands!!

Adapted from the-girl-who-ate-everything.

PB Brownies

Not the best picture. But I had to snap one while there were fingers grabbing at the plate- so it is what it is!
I made these brownies on accident a few months ago, for a cub scout meeting (I was going to make a peanut butter cream to put on top- but I ran completely out of time.). They were a huge hit. And so easy!!

Make your brownies. Yes, I make my brownies from a box. When you get the brownies out of the oven, put some crunchy peanut butter on top. Dollop a tbsp here and a tbsp there- all over the top. Give it 30 seconds or so to start melting. You can also put them back in the oven (turned off but still warm) for a minute if you want. Then just spread the peanut butter over the top. Let it cool. Top with mini chocolate chips. As you can see in my picture, my family can't wait for the brownies to cool, so my chocolate chips on top are half melted ;)

Enjoy!!