Won-Ton Chips

So here's the problem....when you make the Shrimp Cups listed below....sometimes you have A LOT of leftover shells. What do you do with these extra shells?? MAKE CHIPS!!

This again is super simple, and you can make it your own.

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350.
- Cut the remaining won-ton shells into fourths.
- Place on a pre-greased cookie pan.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

**These are great with all kinds of dip like salsa or hummus.**

To make them a dessert, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them before putting them in the oven.

Again, get CREATIVE!
Cooking is meant to be fun and experimental.

-Bon Apetite

Shrimp and Vegetable Won-Ton Cups

I am very proud to say that this is a recipe all my own. I saw the idea for won-ton cups and just went with it. Now, in all actuality, you can fill these awesome little cups with ANYTHING that you like to eat. It's so much fun and they come out the same EVERY TIME!

So, here is what I did to create my own.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pack of fresh won-ton shells
6 green onion stems
1/2 lb. of fresh, cooked shrimp
1 red pepper
1 pack of sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp. of mined garlic
The juice from 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:
-Spray down a medium-sized cupcake pan with cooking spray, to prevent sticking.
-Preheat your oven to 350.
-Place the won-ton shells into a the medium sized cup cake pan and make sure to press down so it becomes the shape of a cup. (These are VERY delicate, so be careful not to rip them when pressing down the sides.)
-Put them into the oven for about 5-7minutes or until lightly brown.
-While waiting for those to cook you can be chopping and combining the rest of the ingredients.
- Make sure your veggie-shrimp mixture is stirred well and place about a Tbsp. in each cooked cup.
- Put back into the oven for about 7-10minutes.
- As soon as you take them out again, cover with some extra lemon juice.
- They will pop out of the holder easily and are ready to eat.

**My family also likes to fill these with chicken or tuna salad. You can pretty much put anything in these little edible cups!**

I encourage you all to try them out! It may sound a little challenging but it is really very very simple!

-Bon Apetite!

Pineapple Coconut Dessert

I LOVE DESSERT!
I love every dessert out there. But my favorite is fruit and ice cream. So when I figured out what I could do with my two favorite fruits and ice cream, it was heavenly.
The recipe is so quick and easy that I almost kicked myself for not thinking of it earlier.
This recipe is very versatile in amounts and all depends on the amount of people you want to serve, which is why I don't have specific ingredient amounts. GET CREATIVE! :)

Ingredients:
Any size can of Pineapple (depending on how many people you want to feed)
Soft butter
Brown sugar
Sweetened coconut flakes

Instructions:
Drain the juice from the pineapple and put on a pre-oiled cooking sheet.
Spread a thin layer of the soft butter over each piece.
Then add brown sugar to the top of each. (the amount depends on your sweet tooth, but remember, you are adding sweetened coconut)
Broil under a 350 degree heat until all sugar has melted.
Take out and add coconut flakes to the top of each piece.
Put back in the oven for about 3 minutes or until coconut begins to brown from toasting.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

I promise, this will become a household favorite!

-Bon Apetite!

One Pot Chili

I AM BACK! After a brief hiatus (and starting school and work) I am back in the kitchen!

Last night I was fortunate enough to FINALLY see the movie Julie&Julia with my cousin, Evie and friend, Clay (check him out at: panclayke.blogspot.com).
Yes, I know how long it's been out, and yes, I know I should have been there opening night, but better late than never....right?

Let's just say it was AMAZING!! It was very inspiring to me, since I am a Journalism major and also an aspiring chef.

So this morning, I watched my "Julia". Her name is Ellie Krieger and she has a healthy cooking show on the Food Network. I was awake around 8:30 and she was making one of my all time favorite dishes...CHILI! So I decided to head over to The Fresh Market and get some chili ingredients!

Since I am very conscious of my salt intake, Ellie is a great chef to follow. She makes everything using at least one type of "super food". In this case it was canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes have more antioxidants than cooking with fresh tomatoes. So here is my version of a healthy pot of chili.

Oh, and by the way, its all cooked in one pot! A+ for small clean up!

Ingredients:
1 Lg. Vadalia Onion, roughly chopped
3 Lg. Carrot Sticks, roughly chopped
1Lb. Lean ground beef
1Lg. can of diced tomatoes
1 C. Water
1 Med. can of Rotel
2 Med. cans of Kidney Beans (I use the low sodium variety), drain and wash
1 Red Pepper, roughly chopped and seeded
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 TBsp. Minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Instructions:
Get a big pot that will hold a lot of ingredients....you don't want an overflow of Chili.
Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat.
Add Onion and Carrots, let simmer until tender.
Add the Ground Beef and cook through.
Add Tomatoes, Water, Rotel, and Red Peppers. Let simmer 3 minutes.
Add Kidney Beans, Cayenne Pepper, and Garlic. Let simmer 15 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Serve and Enjoy!

This is simple and ridiculously delicious!
To garnish you can add sour cream, cheese, or chips. All are a great combo!

Bon Apetite!

Work in Progress

So part of me did not want to post this, but the other part thought I could get some useful hints from all my readers! I attempted the Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe tonight with my awesome friends Megan and Geoff.
As we were cooking, it looked like a success, but the taste was not there.
The orange flavor was not strong enough, it lacked a sweetness, and it just didn't taste the same as Panda Express.

Here is the recipe that we used:

Panda Express Orange Chicken
2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1 egg
1 1/2 teas. salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbl. minced ginger root
1 teas. minced garlic
dash crushed hot red chiles
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbl. rice wine
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 teas. sesame oil

ORANGE SAUCE FOR STIR FRY:
2 teas. Minced zest and
1/4 c Juice from
1 lg Orange
1/2 teas. Sugar
2 Tbl. Chicken stock
1 Tbl. Light soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set aside.

Cut chicken pieces in 2" squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg,
salt, pepper, and 1 T oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour
together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.

Heat oil for deep−frying in wok or deep−fryer to 375. Add chicken pieces,
a small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp.
(Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with
slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 T oil. Add ginger
and garlic and stir−fry until fragrant. Add and stir−fry crushed chiles
and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce
and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
Stir water into remaining 1 T cornstarch until smooth.
Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thick. Stir in 1 teas. sesame oil.

Don't get me wrong, it tasted good. (We ended up adding honey to the top to give it that sweet glazed taste.) But there was definitely something missing.

Next time we make it, we are going to try adding some Orange Marmalade and see if that will give it the extra WOW factor.

SO PLEASE PEOPLE!!! LEAVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!
Let me know what YOU would do!

-Bon Apetite!

Pecan Crusted Chicken

My mom loves this chicken. She finally introduced it to me a few weeks ago, and I also LOVE IT! We mostly eat it on salad with lots of dried cranberries and honey mustard dressing. But you can eat it with practically anything! It has great flavor, and if you buy thinly sliced chicken, it cooks incredibly fast! So here is the recipe!




Ingredients:
2 Eggs, whisked (I didn't have eggs so I substituted 1 cup of buttermilk.)
4 pieces of chicken
1 cup of crushed pecans
1/3 cup of flour
cooking spray

Instructions:
-If you don't have eggs, soak the chicken in the buttermilk for 15 minutes. If you do have eggs, just coat the chicken before battering.
- When finished, mix the flour and pecans together and coat the chicken on both sides.
-Spray a pan with cooking spray before putting the chicken on it.
-The chicken I used was very thin, so I baked in in the oven for 7 minutes on each side.
When finished, you should let the chicken cool before putting in on a salad, or you can eat it hot with pasta or potatoes.

This recipe is very versatile, and there are so many things you can eat it with.

-Bon Apetite!

Simple Summer Casserole

This post is to celebrate a favorite casserole of mine. This is a cold casserole, so it can be used for a nice lunch or hearty side dish. It is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious.

Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients:
1/2 box of any small size pasta
1 can of tuna
1-1/2 Tbsp. Mayo
3/4 cup of slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Italian style breadcrumbs

Instructions:
-Boil pasta until tender.
- Drain and let cool, spray some cold water throughout to speed up cooling process.
- While waiting for the pasta to cool, place almonds in a food processor and grind up until it becomes an almost fluffy texture. Use the oil while grinding the almonds.
- Combine the almonds and breadcrumbs in a pan and put under a hot broiler for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and shake around.
- By this time, the pasta should be cooled enough.
- Combine the pasta and breadcrumb mixture into a bowl.
- Drain tuna and add to the bowl, along with Mayo.
- Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

**Not a tuna fan? Substitute chicken into the recipe.**

-Bon Apetite!