Wontons

Asian Wontons

I learned to make these while working for a caterer in Pasadena. I made hundreds of these at a time. They freeze really well and are very simple to make. When I catered we fried them in a fryer, it was a fast way to get them out for parties. Here at home we put them in a cast iron and toast them for 3 min then put a few tablespoons of water in the pan and cover for 8min. They come out nice and crispy.

I start with a pound of ground turkey. Usually a half a pound makes about 35 wontons. I freeze the other half a pound of turkey for next time. I mix the half pound turkey, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic paste, green onions finely chopped and some nori flakes(or also called on the container (Furikake traditional blend with toasty sesame seeds and nori) this can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. mix all that up and put about a 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture in the wonton. Seal the wonton with a little water all around the edge- they show you on the package of wontons. Fold in half then take the corners and bring them together.

Ground Turkey- 1 pound
Soy Sauce- about 1/8 cup
Sesame Oil- 1 tablespoon
Chili Garlic paste- I use 2 tablespoons because I like them spicy.
Green Onions- two of them chopped fine
Nori Flakes- about 1 teaspoon

Fold them and you can either make them right away or freeze them for a week in a freezer container.

If you are making them right away- heat up a cast iron or non stick pan and add a teaspoon of sesame oil add about 6 wontons depending on the size of your pan you don't want to crowd them. Let them toast up nicely for 3-4 min then add about two tablespoons water and cover for 8 min. I like to mix soy sauce and wasabi together for dipping. I like a lot of wasabi it makes eating them very spicy and fun to eat!

Tacos

We could eat these tacos almost every night! they are simple and so tasty. I make them so many different ways. I think this is our favorite. Adam smoked some chicken and potatoes on the grill over the weekend so I decided to make tacos. The chicken added a nice smokey flavor. We put some potatoes, chicken, guacamole, red onions and topped it with some queso fresco cheese.

Homemade dog treats



Chance(left) Myles(right)





     I make these treats for my parents dogs Myles and Chance. They live in Illinois. I love to send them in a little box through UPS. I send them UPS because Myles and Chance know the truck. They have their dog food delivered through UPS. My parents are very strict when it comes to people food. They only get dog food for meals no table food. So I came up with a healthy dog cookie so they could have a treat. My mom could never find very healthy cookies to buy. When UPS comes Myles will lift his head in the air and howl and bark when the truck pulls up. He then flies off the couch as if he is taking off in flight. When we visit them they are always happy to see us but love to smell around our bags to see if we brought them any cookies.

     I decided to try them out on another dog. Our friend Jeremy has a dog named Daisy. She gets her share of table food so I wasn't sure if she would like them because they are healthy. No butter or eggs are in these cookies. I offered her one and she loved them. All evening we were there visiting she kept coming over to me asking for more.

Dog Treats

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup natural peanut butter- NO SALT, SUGAR or OIL ADDED

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup apple juice or water

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 & 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a saucepan, whisk honey, peanut butter, apple sauce, juice or water and oil. Cook over med heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Allow to cool for 15 min. Stir in flour. Then Stir in enough all purpose flour to form a stiff dough. Divide in half.

2.On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of the dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a favorite cookie cutter or dog bone shaped cutter, cut each cookie. Place the cutouts on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3.Bake 20 min. Turn treats over; bake 15-20 min more. When done making all the cookies turn off the oven and place the treats on one large cookie sheet. Place the cookies in the oven for 1 hour as the oven cools down. This makes them nice and crispy. 





I love grilled cheese!

I decided over the weekend to try a sweet and savory grilled cheese. I thought apricot preserves and a nice aged white cheddar would compliment each other in a grilled cheese. Our favorite bread is sourdough wheat bread from Trader Joes. It makes a nice and crunchy grilled cheese. The sweetness from the preserves and the tart and saltiness from the cheese was so amazing!

Sweet and Savory

 It is raining and cloudy today. I am thinking of something warm and cozy to have for dinner. I am remembering those days in the kitchen with my mom. These are a few of my favorites. I remember that first apple pie I made as a kid. The first dough I watched rise for hours. The smell of the bread when it was baking in the oven. The bubbling of the sweet apple pie. The chewyness of those cookies I loved to have after school. Memories of home always remind me of my sweet and savory favorites!

Soup and Sandwich

     Easter is always a nice time for us. My mother in law makes spaghetti and sausages. They are the best sausages I have ever had. It has always been tradition to have this instead of ham or turkey. We always get lots of left overs that are packed with care in containers to take home. We leave knowing it was all made with love.

     We like to make sausages sandwiches with the left overs. I buy a nice crusty bread from this amazing Italian market called Claros. I decided to make Celery soup to go along with it. I put the sausages with the sauce in a cast iron and warmed it all up. Then toasted the bread. I took a few sausages and sauce and put them in the bread and topped it with a little Romano and mozzarella cheese. So tasty!

Sausage sandwiches & Celery soup



Cookies

Healthy Cookies

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup finely chopped Pepitas

(any favorite nut is good. I also used pecan halves)

2 tablespoons oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1 egg beaten

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Mixing a little with your hands helps all the ingredients come together. They will be slightly crumbly. Just take about a tablespoon of the cookie mixture in your hand and make a ball them press them down into a circle and place them on a cookie sheet. Then put them in the oven for 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

I updated my photo!!