Lumpia

 I know it's been a really long time since I've last blogged. I haven't had a lot of down time recently, but I'm trying to change that. I've gotten a lot of recipes lately from Pinterest, but have also discovered the lovely Mecca of all delicious recipes. I love how I can start looking at a type of recipe and then it evolves into something COMPLETELY different.

A few months ago, I started looking for recipes online that incorporated the "wombok" (or Napa Cabbage as it is referred to in the West) that Kasia and I got in our food co-op basket.

While looking for recipes, I ended up looking up a fun little thing called "LUMPIA." They're little egg rolls that are most common in the Philippines and Indonesia. I got so excited when I found a well-reviewed recipe because I realized that I'd had lumpia before. Years ago, I worked at Disney's California Adventure and had a Cast Member named Lee. He was awesome. One day, he gave me a little Styrofoam box filled with these delicious little egg rolls with a yummy sweet and sour chili sauce. I got nostalgic just looking at the recipe.

One thing I love about my coworkers is that everyone is eager to share information and help out in whatever way they can. I needed to find an Asian market in town to purchase some ingredients for the lumpia. One of my coworkers suggested the Southeast Market in downtown SLC. I was excited to finally have a recommended Asian market!! I went right after work and immediately realized that this place was authentic. I couldn't read most of what the products were on the shelves, and ended up having to ask the guy that worked there for help. I wanted to get specific lumpia wrappers and a chili sauce that I've heard was amazing.

After a successful trip to the market, I went to a few other stores to get the remaining ingredients. Finally, I was able to start cooking!! Another perk of making the lumpia was getting to use my wok!! I seriously love Love LOVE it!! The best part?? It's from IKEA........

Here's the awesome recipe:

1 T veggie oil

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c minced carrots

1/2 c chopped green onions

1 c thinly sliced wombok

1 t pepper, salt, garlic powder

1 t soy sauce

30 lumpia wrappers

1 c oil for frying

 

**This was the recipe I used.......but I added a lot more of the veggies it called for**

 

Directions:

 

Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, and pour in 1 T veggie oil. Cook meat, stirring frequently, until no pink is showing. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain grease, but leave a thin coating. Cook garlic and onion in the same pan for 2 minutes. Stir in the meat, carrots, green onions, and wombok. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder and soy sauce. Remove from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

 

Place 3 teaspoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling OVER the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. COver the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.

 

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil to 1/2 inch depth, and heat for 5 minutes. Slide 3-4 lumpia into the oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately!!

 

 

Here's what the little guys look like! They're supposed to be smaller than normal sized egg rolls that you would get at a restaurant. They are so delish!! Kasia and I just gobbled them up!!! The recipe made far more than we could eat in one sitting, so we ended up freezing the filling and made them again.

 

The soup in the picture is for a future post.........



Stuffed Peppers!!

Once upon a time, I had a co-worker who had a magical garden. This garden would produce more food than she knew what to do with. Enter...........ME! This is not a fairy tale, but at times it does seem too good to be true!

 

Some days I would show up to work and find a box full of peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, and cucumber at my desk. What will I do with these treasures?? We no longer purchase salsa in our house, since Kasia and I prefer to make our own (which is more cost-effective and yummier).

 

 

 

So one day at lunch, I was looking around online for some inspiration. I saw that stuffing the banana peppers was a popular way to prepare them (since we weren't going to pickle them). After perusing through a few websites, I created a fun, easy, and delicious way to stuff them!!

 

Seriously, who could go wrong with cream cheese?!

 

I've never been a huge salami fan, but I am now a believer (along with my little brothers!)

 

 

Key ingredient in cooking with Kasia and I: TONY'S!!!

 

Pretty simple: spread a spoonful of cream cheese on a salami slice and sprinkle Tony's on top!

 

Roll it up and shove it into the hollowed out peppers!

 

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 350* (the oil from the peppers help them not to stick).

 

These were so delicious! The heat of the peppers gets cooked out, so if you want more heat, keep some of the seeds and membrane in the peppers or add them to the cream cheese. The best part is listening to them bake.........sizzle sizzle sizzle.........

 

Kasia and I love these and love to eat them as a movie-watching snack instead of popcorn!

HaPpY BiRthDaY cArA!!

last sunday was mine and kasia's friend cara's birthday. what better way to have a party than to bbq on a warm (okay, HOT) summer day?? it was so hot, i couldn't be barefoot on our deck. the bbq was so hot, i had to wear an oven mitt over my hand as i flipped the burgers, turned the corn, and dropped the jalapeno poppers! that was a first......

i was so excited to make the jalapeno poppers since it had been quite a while since we've had them. kasia and i set off early saturday morning to the farmer's market in downtown salt lake city in search of veggies for the bbq. we were sad to see that it was still a little too early in the season to get what we needed. we got cherries and snap peas instead.....we always win when we go.



so the jalapeno poppers......so much fun to learn to make. bacon takes food to the next level. who doesn't love a veggie wrapped in bacon that is stuffed with cream cheese???

ingredients

*jalapenos, halved and seeded (depending on the hotness you want)

*2 bricks cream cheese

*1/4 c grated cheddar cheese

*1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

*bacon (1 per jalapeno)

*TONY'S

*toothpicks

the first thing you want to do is make the stuffing for the poppers. the longer it has to harden and set, the easier they are to stuff and grill. i usually try to make the stuffing a day before and just let it chill in the fridge. dice up the onions and toss them in a bowl with the softened cream cheese, grated cheese, and as much TONY'S as you want!

ps......DON'T heat up the cream cheese!!!!!! i didn't do this, but i know some people might think, oh, i can just throw it in the microwave! wow, not smart. i usually just take them out of the fridge an hour before i make the stuffing

while the stuffing is chilling in the fridge (or the next day), it's time to get the jalapenos ready!! kasia taught me to blanch them so the keep the awesome green coloring. it also makes the peppers easier to work with. when i make these, i usually take out all of the seeds and membrane......mainly because i personally don't think the people of utah know how to handle heat. after i seeded and cut them, i tossed the jalapenos into a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes. i immediately put them in an ice bath. they are so beautiful!!!!!

the next step is the best in my mind......BACON!!!!! you'll want to partially cook the bacon so they don't have to spend as much time on the grill.....

we had so much bacon we had to cook!!!! i had over 2 dozen poppers......so i needed 2 pounds of bacon!!

it got to the point when i had to get out kasia's cast iron pan to double fist the frying.

i felt like i was having a heart attack just looking at the pile of bacon grow.......especially since the pieces aren't cooked all the way through. i will tell you though, our kitchen smelled amazing!!! bacon plus the smell from the grill!!!!

after the bacon is cooked, it's time to stuff the peppers!! i wanted to give the bacon time to cool off....since i'll be man-handling the bacon and don't want hot grease on my hands. fill the pepper until it's level with the sides of the halved pepper. you don't want it too full!!!!

i think this was all of them. the good news was that i was able to do this in the living room while i was watching mine and kasia's favorie movie....FAST FIVE!!!

next step is to wrap the peppers with bacon.......which then turns them into the poppers!! it's a good idea to soak the toothpicks for 10 minutes before using them...this way they don't burn on the grill. i forgot, but it wasn't the end of the world!! wrap 1 piece of bacon per pepper, using the toothpicks liberally. i usually use 2-3 per popper. throw them in the fridge until just before putting them on the grill!!

last step is to throw them on the grill!! the benefit of leaving them in the fridge is to keep the cream cheese from melting as quickly and oozing out of the edge of the pepper. these things bbq fast, so don't turn your back on them!!!

i don't have an "after" picture because they went pretty quick!! always a crowd pleaser!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARA!!!!!!!!!

coconut lime sugar cookies

so in a previous post, i mentioned that Kasia and i have an addiction to limes. this follows in that vein. how can we help it when limes are so cheap, so easy, and soooo delish? i found another recipe on pinterest for these coconut lime sugar cookies. i knew i had a bag of shredded coconut left over from a previous roommate, and the limes were a no-brainer. it was fate. again, no trouble getting Kasia on board with this one!

INGREDIENTS:

*2 1/4 C flour

*1/2 t baking soda

*1 t baking powder

*1/2 t salt

*1 1/2 C sugar, plus 1/3 C for rolling

*2 oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

*1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine

*6 T unsalted butter, melted and still warm

*1/3 C vegetable oil

*1 large egg

*1 T milk

*2 limes, juice and zest

DIRECTIONS:

*preheat oven to 350*

*in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, soda, powder, and salt

*in a large bowl, add 1 1/2 C sugar, lime zest, and cream cheese

*pour warm butter over the cream cheese mixture and whisk to combine.......the mixture won't be completely smooth yet, and that's fine

*add oil, egg, milk, and lime juice to cream cheese mixture and mix until smooth

*use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet, until a soft dough comes together

*scoop dough into balls and roll in sugar

*place dough on cookie sheet and use the bottom of a glass to flatten a little

*bake cookies, one tray at a time, for about 10-11 minutes

*let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack

these were the softest sugar cookies that i've been able to make. we made ours a little on the smaller side so we could have enough to deliver to friends. Kasia was smart and made up a little glaze with powdered sugar, lime juice, coconut, and butter to drizzle on top. i think when we were all done, we had close to 80 cookies. we took some up to our cute little neighbors upstairs and put them in their newly painted cookie jar. so fun!

i love cauliflower soup!!

i swear pinterest is going to be the death of me. i take a gander every now and then while on my lunch or at home. i found a recip for the Cafe Zupas' Cauliflower Soup. i was dying to make it and didn't think i'd have a hard time selling it to Kasia. we both love Zupas and so why not try to recreate it in our own kitchen? i wanted to have it ready for Kasia when she got off of work, but it took a little longer than i had expected to get it smooth and creamy. plus, i had to watch an episode of my favorite TV show NCIS!

ok, so i mentioned that i found the recipe on pinterest. i don't have the time/money/energy/space to come up with things like this on my own yet. i do love taking pictures of my ingredients before they become dinner/lunch/leftovers (which is what i have for lunch today!)

INGREDIENTS

*2 T butter

*1 medium onion, chopped

*1/4 C flour

*1/2 t salt

*2 C milk

*1 1/2 C water

*1 can chicken broth

*1 head cauliflower, cut into 1" pieces

*1 t dijon mustard

*1 C shredded cheddar cheese

*1 C shredded pepper jack cheese

*paprika

*Tony's cajun seasoning (a staple at our house)

*dash of tobasco sauce

DIRECTIONS

*melt butter over medium heat in a large pot

*add onion and cook until golden, stirring occasionally

*stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently

*gradually add in milk, chicken broth, and water

*add cauliflower

*bring to a boil and reduce heat to low

*cover pot and let simmer about 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is tender

*scoop mixture into a blender, small batches at a time (with center blender cover removed to allow steam to escape)

*return mixture to saucepan and keep heat on medium until hot, stirring occasionally

*remove saucepan from heat

*stir in mustard and cheese until melted an smooth

*add spices and tobasco to taste

**make sure to blend until smooth**

i love this soup and was eager to share it. i called my bff natalie and she brought some rolls that we slathered with butter and tossed in the oven. so good!!

a lime obsession

kasia and i have a new obsession......limes! it doesn't help that our local grocery stores usually have them on sale all the time. i'm always on the lookout for fun recipes that involve citrus in some way. i can't help it! so on saturday night, we made lime freezes while we watched "bad boys 2." i love that movie and had wanted to watch it for a while.

ingredients:

*1-2 tsp vanilla

*5 limes, juiced and zested

*clear soda (we used club soda......next time it will be sprite!)

*ice

*vanilla ice cream

kasia was excited to show me how she and her dad get the limes ready to squeeze.....she started to throw them on the floor and we had a little soccer game going on for a while. i usually roll them on the counter, but this works too!

directions:

*fill the blender with ice cream

*add vanilla and ice (about 10 cubes)

*slowly add clear soda and lime juice

*liquify until desired consistency

i can't wait to try this with lemons and oranges!!

the bird is the word

these last few days have been super crazy...parties, movie nights, work, choir, church stuff...just life. kasia and i were excited to be able to finally have some time to ourselves. we have some of the best friends ever, but sometimes it's nice to just relax and be with just us. well, i guess we never really relax...we break out the newest recipe we found and end up spending more energy cooking than if we had a ton of people over. well, saturday night we discussed what we wanted to have for sunday dinner. i figured in honor of my mother, i wanted to make cornish game hen and sauteed veggies. mom makes the best cornish game hen and it was the best way to honor her (strictly food speaking). the problem? i've never cooked those little birds before and had only cooked a whole chicken once. it was going to be an adventure!

we ran to the grocery store around 10:30 saturday night and picked up the birds and trimmings.

i can hold brains, eyes, kidneys, and whatever else we did during high school anatomy. i have the HARDEST time handling a whole raw bird. i don't know what it is...but it makes for an awesome picture!

haha the birds are ready!!

i was just making it up as i go, so i stuffed the bird (my favorite part) with some butter, garlic, 1/4 of a lemon, and rosemary. i also put some butter under the skin on top to help get it flavorful. i topped it off with some salt, pepper, and tony's. we always use tony's!!

i filled the bottom of the pan with a little water so we could baste it while it was in the oven. i also put a few pieces of butter around it to get the bottom juicy! they went into the oven at 350* for about an hour, uncovered.

i love it when i'm home in southern california and mom makes veggies. again, i was just flying from the seat of my pants. i grabbed some yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and an onion. i cut all the veggies into medallions, only peeling the carrots, and then diced the onion (thanks to the salsa party, i'm a pro at dicing!).

i start with a little butter (about 1/4 cup), the onion, and carrots since they take the longest to cook. i decided to change it up a bit and add a handful of brown sugar. it was so subtle, yet delicious. there were so many veggies in the pans (yes, i had to use 2 pans because of the amount of veggies) that it wasn't overpowering.

i let the carrots cook until i could easily stab them with a fork. i separated the carrots evenly into the 2 pans and started adding the squash until we couldn't put any more in and then just let them sit covered on low heat until tender.

this was what we had...a bird each and a ton of veggies. kasia was so cute and asked me if i could also make some of my honey-mustard rosemary potatoes. i can't say no to her (and i really wanted them) so i happily obliged!! they turned out much better the second time around. oddly enough, the first time i made them was when i cooked my first chicken! the secret? only kasia and i know...