Traditional Egg Rolls

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. It is by far the best traditional egg roll recipe that we have found. I will have to put up a Tex-Mex egg roll recipe later.

ingredients

• 2  tablespoons water
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  tablespoon cooking oil
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2  cups finely chopped Chinese cabbage or cabbage
• 4  green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 8  ounces lean ground pork
• 1  4-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained and finely chopped
•   Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
• 12  egg roll wrappers 
•   Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center), Chili Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center) or Chinese Mustard Sauce ( see Recipe Center)
•   Chinese Mustard Sauce (see Recipe Center)

directions

1. For sauce, stir together the water, sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch, red pepper, and black pepper. Set aside. Pour the 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add regular cabbage (if using) and green onions. Stir-fry for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables. Add the ground beef or pork; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain off fat. Push meat from the center of the skillet. Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cooked vegetables, mushrooms, and, if using, Chinese cabbage. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Remove from skillet; cool.

2. In a wok or 3-quart saucepan heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365 degree F.

3. Meanwhile, place the egg roll wrapper with a point toward you. Spoon 2 teaspoons filling just below the center. Fold the bottom point over the filling. Then tuck it under the filling. Roll the wonton wrapper once to cover the filling, leaving about 1 inch unrolled at the top of the wrapper. Moisten the right hand corner of the wrapper with a little water. Grasp the right and left-hand corners of the wrapper. Bring these corners toward you, below the filling. Overlap the left-hand and right-hand corners. Press the corners together securely to seal. This step is pictured.

4. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, in hot oil for 1 to 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil. Drain on a wok rack or on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying remaining food. Serve warm with Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce, Chili Dipping Sauce, or Chinese Mustard Sauce. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

nutrition facts

• Servings Per Recipe 12 appetizer servings
 
• Calories 210, 
• Total Fat (g) 14, 
• Saturated Fat (g) 2, 
• Cholesterol (mg) 15, 
• Sodium (mg) 307, 
• Carbohydrate (g) 16, 
• Protein (g) 6,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Baked Potato Soup

So this is a Cooking Light recipe that we made tonight. Pretty much amazing. I love the fact that the potatoes were baked before making it into the soup and that they were not pureed. It was so good to have some pieces of potato in the soup. It was also good because the weather is turning colder...and we have TONS of this leftover for later on in the week. This can be made into a vegetarian soup by leaving out the bacon.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon)

Ingredients

• 4  baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2/3  cup  all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
• 6  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4  cup  chopped green onions, divided
• 6  bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

329 (30% from fat)

Fat:

10.8g (sat 5.9g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

13.6g

Carbohydrate:

44.5g

Fiber:

2.8g

Cholesterol:

38mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

587mg

Calcium:

407mg

Chicken Mug Pie

This is a fabulous Rachael Ray recipe, especially with the cold weather coming. It really does taste like chicken pot pie but in soup form. Oh, and please follow the directions when it says to eat the soup out of a mug. Somehow, it makes the experience and the food that much better, I promise.

Ingredients

• 1 tube jumbo bake-off butter biscuits, from the dairy aisle of market (recommended: Grands by Pillsbury)
• Sweet paprika, for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast pieces, diced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 ribs celery and greens from the heart, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded potatoes, ready to cook hash browns, available in sacks on dairy aisle
• 1 pint half-and-half or cream
• 1 quart chicken stock, available in boxes on soup aisle
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, a healthy grating
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Directions

Preheat oven according to package directions and arrange biscuits on cookie sheet. You will have 4 extra biscuits. Save them for ham and cheese or egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches the next morning. Sprinkle biscuits with a little paprika and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

In a medium pot over medium to medium high heat, cook chicken in butter 2 minutes then add veggies and season with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning. Cook 5 minutes more, add flour cook another minute. Add potatoes, then whisk in half-and-half or cream and chicken stock. Add nutmeg. Bring soup to a boil by raising heat, then turn heat back to simmer and cook soup another 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Add peas. Stir in to warm them through a minute.

Serve mugs of soup with biscuits on top to cap the mug: chicken mug pies!

The Italian American: Beef Burgers with Old Country Influences

This is a crowd pleasing burger. It is more than just a beef patty with a slice of cheese.


Burgers
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small can tomato paste
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stems fresh oregano, pulled off stems and chopped
 (1 teaspoon dried)
10 leaves fresh basil, piled, rolled into a log, and slivered
 (1 teaspoon dried)
Coarse salt, to taste
2 shakes crushed red pepper flakes


Toppings
4 long green Italian peppers (cubanelle, we use anaheim)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (once around the pan)
1 can (14 oz) prepared pizza or tomato sauce
6 slices provolone cheese


5 big, crusty, fresh sesame-seeded hard rolls


Directions
1. Mix all the burger ingredients and form into 5 patties.
2. Cook the burgers 5 minutes on one side, 4 on the flip side, over medium-high heat on a non-stick skillet or griddle pan.
3. While burgers cook, fry peppers in a little olive oil in a second skillet over medium-high heat until tender.
4. Warm pizza or tomato sauce in microwave or small saucepan.
5. Pile burgers with peppers and cheese while they are still on the pan. Turn off the heat and cover pan with a loose aluminum foil tent to melt cheese.
6. Place burgers in buns and top with warm pizza or tomato sauce.

Shrimp Fried Rice

This is a recipe that my grandfather and his wife created for their cookbook. So sorry, no pictures or nutrition facts. It is not quite the typical fried rice but it is very good. We tend to leave out the mushrooms, ginger and ham. It can be a side dish or a full meal!


Ingredients
2 cups shrimp, COOKED, peeled, and cut in 1/4" pieces
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons rice wine
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup 1/4" sliced green onions
4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
8-oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 thin slice ginger root
3 cups COOKED rice (1 1/2 cups uncooked)
1/2 cup diced ham
4 eggs, lightly beaten with one tablespoon water


Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine shrimp, cornstarch, and rice wine, mixing well. Set aside.
2. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry celery and green onions for 2 minutes.
3. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms and stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside.
4. Quickly and carefully wipe skillet with a paper towel. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil  and heat over medium heat. Saute garlic and ginger slice one minute. Remove ginger slice and discard. Add shrimp and stir-fry 2 minutes.
5. Add rice, ham and cooked vegetables. Toss until heated through.
6. Make a well in the center of fried rice. Pour beaten eggs into the center of the well and cook like scrambled eggs. When eggs are completely cooked, stir entire mixture together and serve.


Serves 4.

Meatloaf

ingredients

• 2  eggs, beaten
• 3/4  cup milk
• 2/3  cup fine dry bread crumbs or 2 cups soft bread crumbs
• 1/4  cup finely chopped onion
• 2  tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon dried leaf sage, basil, or oregano, crushed
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2  pounds lean ground beef, lamb, or pork
• 1/4  cup ketchup
• 2  tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon dry mustard

directions

1. In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt,sage, and pepper. Add ground meat; mix well. Lightly pat mixture into an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.

2. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F. Spoon off fat. In a bowl combine ketchup, sugar, and mustard; spread over meat. Bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into eight slices.

3. Makes 8 servings

nutrition facts

• Calories 225, 
• Total Fat (g) 10, 
• Saturated Fat (g) 4, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 4,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, 
• Cholesterol (mg) 108, 
• Sodium (mg) 676, 
• Carbohydrate (g) 13, 
• Total Sugar (g) 7, 
• Fiber (g) 1, 
• Protein (g) 19, 
• Vitamin A (DV%) 0, 
• Vitamin C (DV%) 5, 
• Calcium (DV%) 6, 
• Iron (DV%) 13, 
• Other Carbohydrates (d.e.) 1, 
• Lean Meat (d.e.) 2.5, 
• Fat (d.e.) .5, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ginger-Peanut Chicken-Salad Wrap

This recipe is SO good. I made it last night when some friends came over for dinner. Two wraps are perfect for one person. Hubbys like three. :-)

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 wrap)

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 6  (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1  cup  chopped seeded peeled cucumber
• 3/4  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4  cup  creamy peanut butter
• 2  tablespoons  water
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 8  (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
• 4  cups  chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, and bell pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (sugar through garlic) in a blender, and process until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, and roll up.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

280 (19% from fat)

Fat:

5.9g (sat 1.1g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.6g)

Protein:

25.8g

Carbohydrate:

30.5g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

49mg

Iron:

2.5mg

Sodium:

572mg

Calcium:

29mg