Egg Rolls

I know I haven't posted in a long time, kids being out of school it is hard to sit down and concentrate on one thing. :)

This is probably one of the more time consuming recipes I have attacked, but it so worth it.

Ingredients

-Egg Roll Shells (you can find this in your produce section) - one 13 1/2 oz pkg (25 pieces)

-Filling: 6 eggs (made into thin sheets and then shredded)
            Pork (8 oz, 1/2lb), shredded and marinated in:
                      soy sauce (1T)
                      sherry (1T)
                      salt (1/2tsp)
                      sugar (1T)
                  
            Bean Sprout (1lb bag)
            Carrot (1Cup) Shredded
            Scallion (1Cup) Shredded

Sauce for Filling:
            Water (1/2C)
             salt (1tsp)
             sugar (1tsp)
             sesame oil (1T)
             black pepper (dash)
             Cornstarch (2T in 2T water)




Instructions:

1.) marinate pork for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Add 1T of cornstarch to marinated pork before   cooking
2.) Heat wok and saute pork in 2T of cooking oil. Add scallions and carrot in, mix in egg and beat sprouts
3.) Bring the sauce for the filling to a boil and stir in the cornstarch mix. Pour into the filling and mix well
4.) Wrap the egg roll into long rectangular shape and seal it with paste made from 2T of flour in 2T of water
5. Fry them in moderate Crisco oil until light brown.


Note: The filling of the egg rolls may vary as one likes. Shrimp and chicken are two popular ingredients. Mushroom, bamboo shoots, chives, celery, and Chinese cabbage or lettuce are vegetables often used. It may be served with soy sauce, vinegar, or sesame chili oil.


   

Cannelloni

I have yet to attack lasagna, but this is about the closest thing I've come to it. So super yummy and filling. If you want to challenge yourself a bit, this is a good one. The recipe itself isn't difficult, it's getting the food in the manicotti pasta tubes that I always have problems with. :D

Ingredients
1 box manicotti pasta tubes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 10oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 tbsp butter
1 lb ground beef
5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper

White Cream ingredients

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper (I use regular pepper)
Tomato sauce (home made or bottled is fine)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter

Thaw and drain the spinach. Cook onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Stir in spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a skillet and lightly brown the ground meat. Add the meat to the spinach mixture along with the Parmesan cheese, cream eggs, and oregano. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set the bowl aside. Cook manicotti tubes according to package directions.

To make the cream sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy sauce pan. Add the flour and cook for a minute or two. Pour in the milk and cream and whisk constantly. Cook stirring constantly with a whisk. When sauce boils reduce the heat and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Sauce will be thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Fill the pasta tubes with the spinach - meat filling. Pour a little tomato sauce into a buttered bake and serve dish. Lay the stuffed shells side by side in one layer on the tomato sauce. Pour the cream sauce over all the pasta tubes. Pour the tomato sauce in a layer over the cream sauce. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over all. Dot with butter. At this point you may refrigerate or freeze. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

yummmm Pot Roast

OH Pot Roast. The second traditional form of comfort food here in the states next to chicken soup. I find that Pot Roast is like Spaghetti. Each person has a different way of making it, but it always comes out amazingly delicious. Now it took me a while to be a pot roast lover. I mean potatoes and carrots and meat didn't sound all to appealing to me as a child. I was picky like that. It wasn't until I was older when I fully found respect of the mighty pot roast. It took me a while to really do some hunting for a good recipe. Low and behold, we had to replace our slow cooker and there was one right in their book that came in the box. I tried it and wow!!! Simple yet SO DARN YUMMMY!!!! If you have wanted to try making a pot roast and looking for something simple, this is a great one! Try and enjoy!!!


America's Favorite Pot Roast (Crock Pot Cookbook and Owner's Manual)

3 1/2 to 4lbs boneless pot roast
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 carrots, chipped
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, chipped
10 button mushrooms, sliced

Trim all excess fat from the roast, brown and drain. Combine 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper and coast meat with the flour mixture. Place all vegetables except mushrooms in the Crock-pot Slow Cooker and top with the roast. Spread mushrooms evenly over the top of the roast. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on High for 4-6 hours

Svíčková na Zelentine AKA Tenderloin with Vegetables and Knedlik AKA Bread Dumplings

When first introduced to my husband I found out he was a pure Czechoslovak. His father is from the Czech Republic and his mother from Slovakia. I had really no clue about either of these countries except that they were once one country under communist rule. When we were really getting to know one another he kept suggesting this dish he was raised on. Svíčková and Knedlik. Honestly, at this point I wasn't very adventurous when it came to trying new foods, but he swore by it. I tell you what, it has become one of my favorite dishes. Now it's pretty heavy on the stomach, but it's a wonderful treat from time to time. The meat is so tender and when you put the gravy on it. OMG... So unbelievably good. The bread dumplings.... out of this world. It took me a couple times with the dumplings to get them just right. I had never made anything from scratch before. The whole process freaked me out the first time, but but now it's like I'm just flowing through the kitchen and know everything I need to do to make this dish ROCKIN. And so, here they are from the Czechoslovak Cookbook by Josa Brizova

Svíčková


Ingredients: 

3lbs tenderloin of beef (I use Beef Round.. a lot less expensive)

3 ounces bacon

2 cups sliced vegetables (onion, carrot, parsnip, celery root, I do a 1/2 cup of each)

1/4 cup butter

salt to taste

1 cup boiling water

5 peppercorns

2 allspice

1 bay leaf

pinch of thyme

1 tablespoon flour 

1 cup of sour cream

Directions:

Lard meat with 1/2-inch-thick bacon strips (stick bacon in the meat). Brown vegetables in butter, add meat, and brown on all sides. Pour in 1/2 cup of water, salt and seasonings. Roast in a 325 degree oven until tender (1 to 1 1/2 hours), basting frequently. Remove meat from pan, dust drippings with flour, stir until bround. Add remaining water and simmer for 5 minutes. Put in blender with sour cream and blend until thick. Serves 4-6

 

Knedlik 

Ingredients:

4 cups of instantized flour (I use Wondra)

1 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups milk

4 cups diced stale white bread

Directions:

Sift flour into a bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat together salt, egg yolks, and milk, and pour into flour. Work dough until it is shiny and does not stick to bowl; cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Work in the bread. With floured hands, shape dough into 3 or 4 rolls, 8 by 2 1/2 inches. Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pan and put in dumplings, making sure they do not stick to bottom. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on each side (20 to 30 minutes in all). Remove from pan with 2 plates or a large skimmer. Make a cut across the center of 1 dumpling to make sure it is done, then slice all into 3/4-inch pieces with a thin sharp knife or a thread. Arrange slices in a heated bowl. Serves 6-8. 

and yet... another Chicken Dish

Honestly. How can you go wrong with chicken? Ok.. maybe if you under cook it, it could go HORRIBLY wrong. Blech.

Chicken Florentine is a huge favorite in our house. The first time I pulled out this recipe, the name was intimidating enough, but it turns out to be a very simple and yummy dish. We have it at least once a month.

First step is to cook 4 chicken breast and cut into small pieces

Ingredients:
Bottom layer of dish
2 10oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach
1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, mashed
dash bais
dash marjoram
1 tbsp flour
1/3 cup medium cream

Cream

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3/4 cup cream
3/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper

grated Parmesan for the top (we use mozzarella)

Directions

Cook the spinach according to package directions, drain. Melt 1tbsp of butter, add the garlic, basil and marjoram. Mix in 1 tbsp of flour. Cook the flour in the butter. Add 1/3 cup of cream and stir until thick. Add the spinach. Taste for seasoning, may need salt and pepper.

Place the spinach in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish. Cover with the chicken breast meat.

Make the sauce. Foam butter and add flour (make sure all the flour is cooked into the flour) add the cream, chicken stock, and salt and pepper. Cook until thickened. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the sauce with 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (we are huge cheese fans, so there is no measurement used in our household :D). At this point you may refrigerate or freeze or hey.. cook it. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature and bake at about 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.

ENJOY

Chicken with Cashew Nuts

When I would get Chinese, I always had my favorite. General Tso's or Orange Chicken. Obviously more a chicken fan when it comes to Chinese food. ANYWAY. When my husband and I were dating we went to his dads for dinner one night and he made Chicken with Cashew Nuts. Needless to say, I fell in love and had to try this recipe. I didn't get to it until I felt ALOT more comfortable in the kitchen. There are definitely recipes that can be very intimidating. This was one of them. First off.. I have never heard of Sesame Oil. So I figured I could just replace it with regular oil. BOY was I WRONG.. Also, where in the heck was I going to find sweet bean sauce? Oh... look.. there it is. In the international section. Dur. There is a lot of prep and it makes a mess for sure, but SO worth it. Rivals any good Chinese Restaurant. Give it a try. You won't regret it.

Ingredients:

1lb (I use 3lbs for a family of 5) Chicken cubes (cut in 1/2 inch cubes)
Marinate the chicken in the following (adjust if necessary for more chicken):
-1 1/2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1/8tsp pepper

3oz (about 1/2 cup) Cashew  Nuts
1/2 Cup Onion (diced)
1/2 Cup Carrots (precooked & sliced)
1/2 Cup Green Peppers (diced)
1 t Garlic (chopped)

Sauce:

1Tbsp Sweet Bean Sauce
1Tbsp Sherry
1Tbsp Sesame Oil
1tsp Sugar
1Tbsp Water

Methods:

1.) Stir Fry cashew nuts in 2 Tbsp of oil in wok over medium heat until light brown and remove
2.) Sautee onion, green pepper, and carrot and remove.
3.) heat wok with 2 Cups(yes cups) of oil, coat chicken cubes with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch, put into wok and separate them with spatula, and remove when meat turns white.
4.) Heat wok with 1 Tbsp of oil, put garlic in to bring out the flavor, pour sauce in, bring to a boil, pour chicken cubes in and stir with spatula so every piece is coated with sauce. Pour vegetables and nuts in and mix well. Serve with hot fluffy rice.

5.) Vegetables and nuts may vary as one prefers, such as snow peas and almond may be used instead of green pepper and cashew nuts.

Shrimp, how I love thee... let me count the ways

Anyone who knows me, knows I love me some shrimp. When I started getting a little bit more serious about cooking, a friend of mine gave me a recipe for jambalaya. Seriously freaked out about going to the fish counter and asking for raw deveined shrimp. I know, I'm a wuss. I get that. Anyways, it's up to me to peel them and to pat them dry. I got through it. I survived. Gave myself a little pat on the back.

A couple weeks ago I was flipping channels and came across Giada De Laurentiis cooking show. Of course I have to stop and see what amazing dish she is making. She ROCKS. That day she was making Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil. YUMMMMM. So I quickly jump on the computer and find the recipe. A few days later I decide to go ahead and make it. I already had the frozen shrimp (I know it sounds like it wouldn't be good, but it is), but now I need to go to the store and find everything else. This actually became quite the epic journey. I go to one of our local grocery stores that I like to find everything I needed. They had the lemons, and the parsley, and the shallots. What they didn't have was arugula, a major portion of the dish. So I say fine.. I can run to one of our local organic markets. They have to have it. NOPE... they don't. So I decide to try the grocery store closest to home (I try to avoid normally, they are way over priced). Low and behold.. they have it. Figures. Drive all over the place and find this item within walking distance to my house. UGH.. Anyway, I make this amazing dish. SO super yummy. The kids did pretty well with it. Our oldest ate everything, but our girls would only eat the noodles. I can deal with that. More shrimp for me and my hubby. Last night I made it again and it was even better then before. Please, try and enjoy. Thank you Giada!!!!

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

View

Photo: Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

TOTAL TIME:25 min

Prep:10 min

Inactive Prep:--

Cook:15 min

YIELD:4 to 6 servings

LEVEL:Easy

Ingredients for the Lemon Oil:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 lemon, zested

FOR THE PASTA:

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 16 ounces frozen shrimp
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the lemon oil:Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.
For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

In the beginning

There was me and a stove. I had no clue what to do with it. Sure I took home-ec class in middle school... but really didn't learn much except how to make peanut butter cookies.  I could make a mean chocolate chip cookie, but I wouldn't be able to do it with out my Toll-House semi-chocolate chips bag.

I have to say that my main inspiration was my husband. He grew up with a mom who cooked everything. Sure, I did too... but I never paid attention to how she made anything. Heck, Scooby-Doo was on. Nothing could drag me away from the next mystery. So here we have all these copies of the recipes that my husbands mom used. I didn't know what mashed garlic was or how to lard meat. I mean really? Can't we use layman's terms here? So for my first none frozen meal that I attempted was goulash. Yes... goulash. It sounds god awful, but man.. once I mastered it... the meat is tender and it is so flavorful. My first go around with this... I just dumped in the beef tips and over watered everything. It was bland and just pain icky. Now I am at a point where I can make it without the recipe. I never thought I could get to that point. Goulash is one of these dishes that people like it different ways. Some like meat, some like pork or chicken even. So if you choose to follow this blog, I will post recipes every couple of days that I have mastered, or will be attempting to master :D Who knows if I will grab a single person, but why not give it a try, right? Enjoy

From The Czechoslovak Cookbook by Joza Brizova

2lbs beef (I used Beef for Stew)
1/4 Cup Lard (butter works)
1 Large Onion, Chopped
1/4 tsp paprika (I used probably about 1 tsp.. sometimes more)
dash of pepper
pinch of marjoram
salt to taste
1 cloved garlic, mashed (I use more... depends on taste)
1 Tablesppon Flour
2 Cups water

Fry onion in lard until yellow; add paprika and meat; brown. Add seasonings; pour 1/2 cup water. Cover, and simmer until tender, adding more water as it evaporates. When meat is done, uncover it, and let all the water evaporate. Dust with flour; stir until brown. Add 1 cup more water; simmer for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Serves 4 to 6