Spring Rolls

I know I've been away for awhile. And I can't promise that I'm back, but I did want to post these awesome spring rolls that I made. They came out tasting so good and they were so easy to make. I've wanted to try and make them for years but never came across rice paper in my store and I never went out of my way to try and acquire it. When I saw it sitting on the shelf of my supermarket the other day, I grabbed a package and took the spring roll plunge! The rice paper was a lot easier to work with than I thought it would be! I'm now planning on making these again and again. By the way, this is my version, I'm not claiming these to be authentic to any cuisine. It was from my memory of spring rolls I've had in restaurants combined with ingredients I had on hand! :)

Rice Paper Sheets
shrimp
avocado
romaine lettuce
shredded carrot
julienned cucumber
cilantro or basil (optional)

Boil the shrimp in salty water until cooked through. Do not overcook! You don't want rubbery shrimp. Set them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Prep all your ingredients. Finely cut the lettuce, shred you carrot, julienne your cucumber and thinly slice your avocado. Chop your herbs if you plan on using them.

Take a large shallow bowl and fill with hot to the touch water. Gently slide one wrapper in the hot water and let it sit for about 5-10 seconds. When it is very pliable, gently lift it up and try to keep it from folding on itself. Spread it out on your cutting board. In the bottom part of the wrapper, about one and half inches from the side, stack your ingredients. Place your shrimp down first (if your shrimp is small, use two), followed by avocado, carrots, cucumber, and lettuce. Take the bottom edge of your wrapper and pull it up and over the shrimp pile. After one complete turn, fold the left and ride sides of the wrapper over the shrimp and lettuce and then continue to roll until you reach the end of the wrapper. Repeat with the rest of your ingredients!

Peanut dipping sauce
melt about a tbsp of peanut butter in a small dish. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and honey to taste. You can also add chili paste for a hotter dip.

Ginger- Apricot dipping sauce:
Grate some ginger in a small bowl. Add a tbsp of apricot jelly. Add soy sauce and rice wine vingar to taste.

Chicken Parmesan Soup

A couple of nights ago, I went to a friend's Pampered Chef parties. I was flipping through the recipe books and saw one entitled "Chicken Parmesan Soup." I didn't have time to look at the recipe closely and I ended up not buying the cookbook, but the title of that dish stuck with me and so I made my own creation of Chicken Parmesan Soup! One of my daughters asked for seconds so that is always a good sign!
-Amanda

Chicken Parmesan Soup

1 chicken breast
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste
3 tbs butter
lots of garlic, dried basil and oregano
2-3 cups of chicken stock
1 baguette of bread
Olive oil
Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese (have about a cup of loosely packed, fresh grated)
fresh basil (optional, for garnish)

In a skillet (or I just used my soup pot and then rinsed it out) put at least 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat it up. Quickly cube up the baguette (reserve enough to make 1/2 cup of bread crumbs) and add it to the hot oil. Stir it around letting it toast. Add some of the parmesan cheese and some salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl once it is toasted.

Slice chicken into thin pieces, like in a chinese stir fry. In a cleaned out soup pot add more olive oil and start browning chicken. Before it is cooked through, add the tomato paste, seasonings (salt, pepper, dried basil, oregano and garlic) Then add the can of tomatoes and the chicken stock. Bring to a very gentle simmer DO NOT BOIL or your chicken will be rubber. Add 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs. (This thickens the soup a bit.) Add the butter cubed up to the soup. The butter is a trick I learned from Food Network, it mellows out the tangy tomato flavor and adds an awesome depth of flavor to any tomato soup or marinara sauce. Last, add more parmesan to the soup and stir to melt it in.

Serve in a bowl with cubed up mozzerella (this starts to melt and gives you strings of cheese as you eat. YUM!) And a few pieces of the toasted baquette. Enjoy!

My House is For Sale!

Taking a moment away from my blog to share some exciting news. My husband just got a job in Washington, just across from Portland, OR and so we are moving from Texas up to Washington! I wanted to share the listing and hope you spread the word that my house is for sale. It's an awesome floorplan, with beautiful, mostly private views. It's 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms + office + gameroom, walk in pantry and large closets in all the bedrooms.

The official listing with lots of photos and a walk through video is here:
http://www.houselens.tv/2025highlanddr.aspx

Please check it out and send it to any friends you know who are thinking of moving!

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

At best this is labeled a WIP (Work in Progress.) But it was tasty enough to warrant a mention, so that perhaps I can work on it in the future. Tastes sort of like fried coconut shrimp.
-Amanda

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 portobello mushrooms, gills removed
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 stick of butter
3/4 package of cream cheese
2 cups raw shrimp, diced
splash of soy sauce
splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp apricot jam
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 1/2 cup toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes
salt & pepper
Olive oil

Coat mushrooms in olive oil and grill or broil to get them started cooking. Chop onion, ginger and garlic and saute it in the butter. Remove to a bowl. Mix in cream cheese, apricot jam, worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Add coconut flakes. Stir until everything is mixed well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Then add raw shrimp. Stir. Mound up on mushrooms. Place in a baking dish and cook for 15 minutes at 425 or until shrimp is cooked through.

Fast & Easy Breakfast Cups

These are a big hit with our kids so I thought I'd share. It's a fast and healthy breakfast go to in our house.
-Amanda

Yogurt Cups

In a small sauce pan mix up some frozen fruit and a heaping spoonful of no-sugar added all fruit jelly. You could probably leave the jelly out, but it seems to help with the consistency. Add a squirt of honey. I make this mixture a bit over sweet, so when it mixes with the plain tart yogurt the sweetness evens out. With a potato masher, mash up your fruit mixture until it is almost pureed. Or if you like, you can puree it in a blender for kids who have texture issues. Above I made strawberry and banana. After the strawberries were mashed down, I removed it from the heat and mashed in a banana.

 Layer in your container jam, whole-milk plain yogurt, jam, yogurt. If your kid (or you) likes granola, then put some in a small snack zip bag and store it on top so they can sprinkle it in.

Cottage Cheese Cups

My girls have been eating cottage cheese since they were babies. I didn't put honey in it until they were a bit older, but now it's a favorite, especially with pineapples crushed in! So I just simply mixed some 4% cottage cheese with a bit of honey and topped with crushed pineapples. All ready to be stirred in and enjoyed come morning!

Flank Steak with Asparagus Topping

I'm not sure what to even call this, but it was good! I'm sure a fancier lettuce would have elevated the dish, but this is called using the ingredients on hand. I was really craving THIS dish, but I did not have the right stuff. But it did get me thinking and it led me to this creation.
-Amanda

Flank Steak with Asparagus Topping

Flank or Skirt Steak
2 limes
2 cloves of garlic
splash of vinegar (I used rice wine, but red or apple cider would be fine.)
10-12 stalks of aspargus
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 tsp honey
olive oil

Mix 1 tsp honey, salt and pepper, half a lime and some olive oil (a tsp or two) in a small bowl and pour over flank steak. Either grill the steak or put it under a high broiler. I did the broiler for 7 minutes on one side and about 3 on the second side. Let it rest before cutting it across the grain.

Topping
Mince garlic and add to a small skillet. Cut asparagus in 1/4 inch pieces. Crush nuts and add them. Add a tbsp of olive or two and a splash of vinegar. Saute until asparagus has cooked for 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat and add feta, stir to melt it in. Taste and add salt as needed.

Make a side salad and serve steak on the side or on top of the lettuce. Top with the asparagus topping. I made a simple salad dressing that was the same as the steak marinade.

Fruit Pancakes and Fig Compote

I love fruit pancakes, and they are a great way to use fruit that is getting a little soft.  Right now in Turkey it is fig season.   Fresh figs should almost look too soft to eat.  Stay away from the firm ones.  The ones that are starting to split at the bottom and have a tiny glistening drop emerging from the star shaped fissure are perfectly ripe.  But, since they often get ripe all at the same time, you may have too many and they can get mushy on you.  While I love a soft fig, mushy is not my thing! Also in Turkey it is difficult to get maple syrup, so I am always looking for alternatives.
This morning made fig and peach pancakes with a fig compote.  For the pancakes, follow your own favorite recipe whatever that may be and throw in any fruit that is slightly soft. 
Fresh Fig Compote
1-1 1/2 cups of over-ripe figs (they are the sweetest)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4  cup of water
Roughly chop soft over-ripened figs, put in saucepan with lemon juice and water.  Boil down while pancakes are cooking.  If needed add more water, or boil down longer to desired consistency.  I like my chunky, but you could mash it if you would like it smoother. 
Drizzle anywhere you please…pancakes, yogurt, ice-cream—use your imagination!

-Jules