Happy Chinese New Year! Homemade Potstickers FTW

I've been a lover of all foods Asian for as long as I can remember.  I'm sure it helps that I originated in the Bay Area where Asian culture reigns supreme.  Chopsticks were my utensil of choice (I swear eating with them makes your dish taste better).

So to honor Chinese New Year, I am posting a tribute to potstickers, one of my favorite snacks/meals.  I think most people love anything that is essentially a pocket of deliciousness.  Beef Wellington, falafel in pita, momos, or even Hot Pockets (which I know you secretly love).  

Potstickers, or Chinese dumplings, are far easier to make than you might have imagined.  Especially if you cheat and use wonton wrappers - which I do.  Also, if you happen to be planning a party or just happen to love all things Asian, you will use almost the same ingredients if you would like to make Vietnamese spring rolls at the same time.

新年快乐!  

What you'll need:

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 medium head cabbage (Napa), finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 slices fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1 1/2 shredded carrots

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chili oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

It's actually really easy from here with one exception - but we'll get to that.  

1. Toss everything from the ground pork down to the sesame oil in a medium bowl.  If you're not squeamish, get your hands in there and mix.  If you are, well, get a spatula and get to it.  Mixed?  Great, move on.  

1. Get out your magical wonton wrappers.  One of the happiest pre-made products you can buy.  Lay out your cute little circles and get read for the slightly more difficult part.  Add a spoonful to each little wrapper.  Less is more for the inexperienced because this next part is a little trickier.  Maybe only do one at a time to start to find the right level of "fullness" for your dumpling folding skills.

1. Have a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in.  Fold your wontons into cute little half moons and start pressing together.  Now, here is the part some people struggle with at first.  Start folding. I start in the center and fold a quarter inch to a half inch fold and work towards one end.  Then I go back to the middle and go the other way.  Don't get your fingertips too wet or your wonton dough will get sticky and be a royal pain to work with.  However, you will want to add a little moisture to help your folds really stick together.  Now repeat about a million times until you're out of dumpling filling or wonton wrappers.

Cool.  Now you have two choices.  Cook now or throw in a bag and freeze.  Because I was making these just for me (and my husband, sort of) I chose to cook half and throw the other half in a gallon size freezer bag.  That's what makes these even more awesome - they freeze well and make for a very quick and low maintenance dinner in a pinch.

If you choose to cook now, your journey is almost over.  I like my dumplings and sauce over rice so I'd get that cooking now if I were you.  Then you'll toss your vegetable oil in largish pan.  I used a 12" pan to do my bidding.  Arrange your potstickers in the pan, laying on their more flat side.  Once they're looking pretty like a fan, turn your burner up to medium.  Go ahead and add the water and then cover with a top or if you don't have one, just use a cookie sheet and let it have a small opening to vent.  Let this cook for about 10-12 minutes.

All cooked?  Last step.  Mix the chili oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in a small bowl for dipping.  Or you can get crazy and throw it in the with the potstickers once they're done and stir to get them coated.  Hey, it's your life. 

Shiny New Product Review: Taco Bell's Beefy Crunch Burrito - An Epic Fail

It breaks my heart to say this.  Taco Bell, you have really failed this time.

It all started with my bi-weekly visit to Taco Bell to pick up my usual, a Crunchwrap Supreme and a Grilled Chicken Burrito (and don't forget the all important Baja Blast).  I noticed there was a new item on the menu - a Beefy Crunch Burrito.  It looked and sounded delicious.  When I pulled up to order, I asked what happened to be in this appealing new item.  Most importantly, what made it crunch?  The answer?  "Layers of seasoned ground beef, rice, warm nacho cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream and Flamin’ Hot (R) Fritos(R) wrapped in a warm, flour tortilla."  

I'll be honest, the Hot Fritos threw me.  What had initially sounded so amazing suddenly sounded a little not so amazing.  I love Fritos.  The thing that was bothering me more than anything was the scary bright orange color - Frito deliciousness this was not.  

Curiosity got the best of me and a few weeks later I made the giant leap.  Here's the real failure.  Taco Bell began their failure path years ago when they got rid of my beloved Chilito.  If you're not familiar with the Chilito, it was only Taco Bell's greatest creation.  Now here comes another one.

The Beefy Crunch Burrito?  Not crunchy.  Either the worker bee totally forgot to put the crazy orange Fritos in my burrito or by the time I got home (a matter of minutes) the crunchy had turned into the same soft texture as the rest of my burrito.  I kept taking bites searching for some crunch, but alas, no crunchy peep from my burrito.

Fail Taco Bell.  Have you had any Taco Bell failures that hurt your heart a little?

Bittersweet Moments Sweetened With Mini's Cupcakes

Today is my last Thursday at work. Meaning, tomorrow is my last day at my current employer. There have been definite highs and lows at my job. The highs, absolutely being the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most magnificent people I will ever come into contact with.
Evidence of this?

Mini's Cupcakes. My favorite Salt Lake cupcakery, for good reason.

Why do I love Mini's? I've eaten about a million cupcakes. Although, it certainly felt like the majority was in a span of two weeks while we were searching out the best cupcake in New York at Serious Eats. I've never been so sugared out in my life. After eating all these cupcakes, and swearing them off for a period of time, I was able to return to Utah, and return to Mini's.

They are the perfect size. Enough to satiate but not so much that you wish you could die or pull all of your teeth after consuming one. More importantly, they are always moist, have excellent flavor balance, and have frosting and ganaches that are blended well and not grainy or sickeningly sweet. As an added bonus, Leslie has incredibly fun and delightful flavors that tease the palate into wanting more.

What did my wonderful friend and co-worker delight me with? From top left: Black & White, S'More Please, Diva. Bottom left: Twister Sister, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Chocoholic. Leslie (the owner and baker) pretty much had my heart when she started combining salty and sweet - and made delicious ganaches.

Mini's also does seasonal flavors. This holiday season, I was fortunate enough to experience a Gingerbread with Cream Cheese, Eggnog (filled with eggnog custard) topped with Eggnog Buttercream (and an optional splash of rum), Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Peppermint Ganache, and a Dark Chocolate with Nutella spread. Wowee - my heart did little flutters when I saw what was coming out.

Lastly, you should see what my breakfast of champions was completed by. (If you didn't see this coming, you haven't figured me out yet)

Wassailing with Richard Blais

Wondering about large, shiny, and expensive gifts for the holidays?  Chef Richard Blais was on the ready to demonstrate a few things you might add to your list for Santa this year.  Even better, he took a little time out of his day to show me how to make Eggnog ice cream in minutes!  If you remember how much I love ice cream, you know he has my heart. 

If you watch Top Chef (you should), you'll remember Richard Blais from Season 4: Chicago, and from Top Chef Masters.  What you might also remember, is that he a gadgety, and sciencey guy.  Also, very lovable and down to earth.  Nothing egotistical or arrogant about him.  His first culinary position might surprise you.

So, sit down.  Take a load off, and watch Chef Blais perform some magic.  (and enjoy his caught off guard expression with my last question)

And a quick cheat sheet for your convenience:  

:28    How to make ice cream/gelato using dry ice?

4:35  What do you like to cook around the holidays that isn't as traditional, or different?

5: 48 What do you recommend if you don't have a double oven and are preparing meals for the holidays?

7:30  There is a mixed attitude with fast food in the food world.  Some What are your fast food guilty pleasures, if any?  (spoiler - he loves the McRib!)

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas

As I mentioned in my last post, my husband REALLY loves turkey.  Or at least, right before Thanksgiving he thinks he does, which means even though we have ten plus available homes to attend and eat turkey at on Turkey Day, we still must make our own a few days later.

While on my journey to find creative uses for the oodles of leftover turkey (two people are not really a match for a 14 lb turkey) I found another usable recipe.

Enter my easy chicken enchiladas recipe.  Simply substitute your leftover white meat (chopped) for the chicken and you have another possibility in the month long journey of finishing off a large bird.

Good luck to you!  We're down to a bag of turkey.  Maybe another recipe or two and we'll be down to 0.  Curry turkey perhaps?

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Shepherd's Pie

My husband loves turkey.  What does this mean?  Even though we attend Thanksgiving at any one of five family dinners, we have to make our own turkey to truly satiate his turkey addiction.  I suppose I'm lucky this isn't a year-round obsession.  Two people attempting to eat a 14 pound turkey?  I'll leave it at, we have leftovers.

So I'm passing along to you, an incredibly fast and easy way to get rid of your Turkey Day leftovers (without using the garbage or compost).

What you will need:

Leftovers:

Turkey:  approximately 2 1/2 cups of turkey, shredded by hand
Mashed Potatoes - approximately 3 cups
Gravy: 1 cup
Stuffing (optional):  1 1/2 cups

Additional Ingredients:

1 large carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp Thyme
1 cup shredded Irish cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes (I didn't) then you will also need these:

5 medium potatoes
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter

If you're missing the mashed potatoes, start here.  If not, you can move to the next section:

Peel and chop five medium potatoes into quarters.  Toss into a pot of boiling water and cook until tender.

Drain, add one cup of milk, two tablespoons of butter (I honestly just pour milk in and glob some butter in to my own merriment) and salt and pepper to taste.  Get out your hand masher (you can also use a food processor for super smooth potatoes) and get your best Popeye arm muscles out and start mashing.  Once this is done and you've tasted the potatoes several time to deem this delicious, you can move on.

Life is pretty simple from here.  Take your sliced carrots, celery and chicken stock, and dried Thyme and add them to a deep skillet.  Simmer these together until the carrots soften, about twenty minutes.  If your liquid gets a bit low, feel free to add more chicken stock.  You won't need to add salt to this part of the dish as the chicken stock should contain plenty for just about anyone.  

You can now add your turkey.  I shred mine by hand as I throw it in.  You could also chop it if you prefer to keep your nails turkey free.

Your turkey should be nice and juicy now.  This is where, if you have leftover gravy, you will stir it in.  If you don't, no worries.  Just add a little more chicken stock, maybe a little butter, and a little flour and let it simmer to create a cream sauce within your mixture.  You'll want a little excess sauce so that if you picked up a scoop with a slotted spoon, gravy deliciousness would be dripping through.

Layering time.  Get out a baking dish and dump your mixture in.

If you have leftover stuffing, layer this on next.  After the stuffing, add the mashed potatoes.

Final step, add the shredded Irish cheddar cheese to the top.  Toss into the oven at 375F for 20 minutes.  At the end, change your oven's setting to broil and watch closely as the cheese turns a lovely bubbly brown.  You'll want to watch closely because this will happen quickly and if you decide to step out of the room to do something else, you may return to flambé.  Once you see the level of browned cheese you desire, pull out of the oven.  Can be served immediately.  Enjoy your turkey Irish style!

Easy Sunday Dinners: Healthy and Easy Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I recently discovered an amazing Asian market located not too far from my home in Salt Lake.  What this translated to was that I was going to begin making more dishes that I typically would lack the ingredients for.

My first simple venture?  Delicious, fresh Vietnamese spring rolls.

The best thing about Vietnamese spring rolls is  that they work as a quick snack or as a meal.  And they're diet friendly and gluten-free friendly if either of those are a concern.  I also think they're fun to make.  And the ingredients are nearly identical to make gyoza or potstickers so you can make that a simultaneous project or a next project.

What you will need:

Cellophane noodles (also called Rice Vermicelli)
Grated carrots
Napa Cabbage
Ground Pork (cooked with sesame oil)
Scallions (Green Onion)
Ginger (grated)
Garlic (crushed/chopped fine - I used a garlic press)

Hoisin Sauce
Peanuts

Rice Paper

Okay, ready?  This is seriously very simple.  I had a woman ask me while standing in line what I was doing with my rice paper.  I should point out that I may have been the only white person or non-native Asian in the store.  When I told her I was making spring rolls, she encouraged me to buy the larger size as native Vietnamese typically use these.  Why?  Because they're much easier to roll.  I like the smaller size and once you've made them once or twice, it's really not hard at all. But there's a quick tip for you if you're feeling unsure.

First, cook your ground pork (or you can also use ground turkey if you prefer) with a bit of sesame oil.  I find this lends a lovely roasted sesame flavor to the meat.  While that's cooking, you can start boiling water on the stove (or microwave).  You'll need the boiling water for both the rice noodles and for the rice paper.  Once the water is boiling, break off a cake or two of the rice noodles.  Turn the heat off and toss the noodles in.  They'll soak for a few minutes to soften.  If only Italian pasta was this fast...

The rest of your prep work is just in getting your veggies ready.  I like to keep things simple - and a little fast and loose.  I don't necessarily use much in the way of measurement.  This way you can customize what you like for each delicious, healthy bite.  You'll want roughly 1-2 grated carrots, 1 cup of chopped Napa cabbage, chopped scallions, and four or so cloves of garlic and three or so knobs of ginger pressed with a garlic press.

Once your meat is browned, your noodles soft (and drained), and your vegetables chopped and ready, you'll need a large bowl.  I would recommend tossing the meat and veggies together first.  Then, at your discretion, begin mixing your noodles in.  Be careful not to mix too many - remember you'll be wrapping  this all in rice paper and you don't want to only have a bite of rice noodle/paper each time.  You can always use the leftover noodles for a separate noodle dish - perhaps even tossed with your leftover spring roll innards.  You can leave the spring roll stuffing as is or you can kick it up a notch with a splash of soy sauce or rice vinegar.  I like to dip my spring rolls so I like my spring rolls au naturale.

Using your leftover water from the rice noodles (or boil some new hot water), soak ONE piece of rice paper.  Do not toss the entire stack in.  I did this once, thinking I was being efficient in my prep.  Nope, you will just lose the whole stack.  Once it becomes workable and looks like plastic wrap floating in the water, pull it out.

Place a small amount of filling in a line form on top of the rice paper.  Fold one of the long ends over filing.

 Using your fingers, pull the paper that is over the filling back to make it taught.  You will then fold each of the two sides over this.

 From here you will simply continue your original roll, keeping the paper taught.

After you repeat this with the rest of the paper and filling, you can enjoy now or refrigerate for later.  Eat naked or serve with 3 tbsp hoisin sauce and 1 tbsp chopped peanuts mixed together.  Or better yet, peanut sauce (mix 1 c peanut butter, 1/4 c soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1/2 c hot water, chopped peanuts).

Try not to eat them all at once.  This will not actually be a problem if other people happen to be around.  My boss polished about half of the fifty I made in about ten minutes.  People with Celiac disease are so deprived - but I guess this makes them feel less so.  Stuff your face!  After all, it's actually pretty darn good for you!