Mozzarella Sticks

I love mozzarella sticks. I have been planning to make them for a few months now and I finally got around to doing it. This recipe is adapted from the Food Network and it turned out great. We made so many of them that we had to freeze most of them. Recently, my husband pulled some out of the freezer and fried them again (he has this weird love of freshly fried food) and he thought they were even better the second time.

2 lb mozzarella cheese, cut into sticks that are about 4" long and 1/2" wide

1 1/2 cups Italian style Panko bread crumbs

1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

Canola oil for frying

Cut cheese into slices. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1 cup Parmesan, and salt. In another bowl  beat eggs. Dip cheese in egg and then coat with the bread crumb mixture. Place cheese sticks on a baking sheet and cover. Place them in the freezer for at least 2 hours before frying.

When it is time to fry the mozzarella sticks, preheat the oil over medium heat. Fry the sticks in batches until they are golden brown. Serve warm with marinara or ranch dipping sauce.

Asian Meatballs

Well, it seems like that new blog I started has kind of taken over my life. I have spent a lot of time during the last two months working on cards for the Mutton Hollow Country Barn Boutique. I made over 200 cards. Unfortunately, only about 7 of them actually sold. Needless to say, I don't think I will be doing that craft show again. So now I am back to spending my time cooking and blogging about it. I have actually missed writing about my recipes. I actually made several really good ones while I was on hiatus. I will be posting those over the next several weeks, until I have to take another break to move into our new house.

Anyway, I found these meatballs on For the Love of Cooking. They tasted great. I also really liked the tangy dipping sauce that went with them.

Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 Tbsp green onions, finely chopped

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Dipping Sauce:

4 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp lime juice (approximately 1 fresh lime, juiced)

2 Tbsp water

2 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp honey

Preheat oven to 500° For meatballs, combine all ingredients. Gently mix until combined. Form meatballs using approximately 1/4 cup mixture per meatball. Place on a baking sheet and bake until they are cooked completely, about 15 minutes. 

While meatballs are cooking, combine ingredients for dipping sauce and whisk until they are combined. 

Serve meatballs and dipping sauce immediately. The meatballs and dipping sauce also taste great when served over rice.

Roasted Tomato and Olive Bruschetta

This is the first recipe that I used with my Ninja Blender. It was one that I found in the owner's guide that came in the box, but made a few of my own alterations (mostly because I didn't have fresh tomatoes). This was a quick and easy appetizer and we liked it a lot. I will definitely use this recipe when I have guests over. This recipe was the first time that I got really excited about my new blender. It was great! Afterwards, I searched "ninja blender recipes" online and realized that there are hundreds of recipes that I can try. What a great cooking tool!

Prep time: 1 hour (including baking time)

Serves: 6 (depends on desired serving)

1 can of stewed tomatoes, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup black olives

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 loaf Baguette, sliced and toasted

In a medium bowl, toss tomatoes with olive oil and desired amount of salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Add tomatoes, garlic, olives, and basil to the blender. Pulse for a few seconds, or until vegetables are roughly chopped. Serve warm or cold over baguette slices.

Potato Wedges with Herbs and Parmesan

I love making potato wedges. And I hate that the modern world somehow thinks that they are unhealthy. Maybe it stems from the fact that potatoes are often served as french fries. Or maybe it has something to do with that silly low-carb diet that was all the rage a few years ago. Either way, let me just tell you that nutritionally, potatoes are more similar to vegetables than they are to any other type of food. They are high in iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium. No matter what those diet people say, I consider potatoes to be a healthy food.

6 medium red potatoes, cut into thin slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Prepare potatoes by slicing them and tossing them in olive oil in a bowl or large ziplock bag. Combine spices and pour over potatoes, stir or shake to coat. Place on a large baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top and return to oven for a minute or two until cheese melts. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Brie and Blueberry Crostini

This is another hors d'oeuvre that I tried using a wedge of brie that I bought (on impulse) in a recent shopping trip. I actually liked these ones a little more than the ham and brie crostini that I made, although I don't know if my tastes are refined enough to want to make these again. I used lingonberry preserves on some and blueberry rhubarb jam on others. I actually think I liked the jam a little bit better.

1 loaf baguette

1 package double creme brie

lingonberry preserves

Preheat oven to 400° and slice baguette into thin slices. Place baguette on a baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Spread brie on each slice and top with a bit of jam. Serve immediately. 

Ham and Brie Crostini

I absolutely love cheese. Trying out new and exotic cheeses is one of my very favorite activities, in fact. The other day I saw this double creme brie at our local grocery store and decided to buy some so that I could try it out. When I read the description on the internet, everybody just raved about this French cheese and described it as a mild cheese that had a soft texture. I decided to use it to make a couple of hors d'oeuvres after church on Sunday. I thought it was decent, and enjoyed eating something new. My husband was really not a fan. Good thing we had some queso fresco and crackers that he could supplement. Although I don't think I will be buying this cheese again soon, I am glad that we tried it out.

1 baguette, sliced

1 package of double creme brie

Sliced ham

Preheat oven to 400° and slice baguette into thin slices. Bake for 4-5 minutes until lightly toasted. Top with small pieces of ham and thin slices of brie. 

Chicken Taquitos

I have never made taquitos before, but I really wanted to make something Mexican for dinner a few days ago. My husband was late coming home from work so I decided to do this all by myself (which is actually pretty rare - we do a lot of the cooking together). I started by cooking the chicken and got it all seasoned and browned. It tasted great. When I went to get out the tortillas, I realized that I needed corn tortillas - not the flour tortillas that we had in the fridge - so I had to take a break and go to the store. I also considered making the tortillas myself because we did that all the time in Honduras, but to no avail. I think I threw away our corn flour when we moved here. But still, these tasted awesome. They were fun to eat and even more exciting knowing that I made them myself.

1 lb chicken, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup green bell pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

3/4 cup white onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
corn tortillas
canola oil

Preheat a medium sized frying pan on medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of canola oil. Add garlic and let it cook for 20-30 seconds, then add onion and peppers. Cook until the peppers are soft and the onion is somewhat translucent, 3-4 minutes, then add the chicken pieces and lime juice. Season with cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper while it is cooking. Cook chicken until the edges begin to get golden brown and a little crispy.

Preheat the oven to 425° and wrap 10-15 tortillas in a damp paper towel. microwave them for about a minute to soften them. Prepare a baking sheet by brushing canola oil onto it (cooking spray works too). Place a line of cheese and then a bit of the chicken on top of each tortilla. Roll and place them on the baking sheet with the seam side down. Brush more canola oil over each tortilla. Bake for 6-7 minutes; turn them over and bake for another 5-6 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Serve with salsa,  guacamole, or any other preferred topping or sauce.

Coconut Shrimp

This was one of the things that we served at my wedding reception and ever since then, my husband has been talking about how amazing it was. Finally this past week I got the courage to try to make it and, in all honesty, it didn't go so well. I am really not good at frying things. Whenever we eat anything deep fried for dinner, my husband is in charge of the hot oil. I don't really like frying food very much because it kind of makes me feel sick to eat most deep fried foods (and even fast foods). But I love him so much that I was willing to try to make this all by myself. It actually tasted pretty good, although I think I added a little too much coconut and maybe did the breading too thick, but this is the recipe exactly as my mom gave it to me. So if you try making this, hopefully you are a little more intuitive than I was.

2 cups flaked coconut

2 pounds large raw shrimp

1/3cup lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon powdered ginger,  I used 1+ teaspoon fresh

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ cup milk

Fat or oil for deep frying

1. Spread coconut on baking sheet and place in 300 oven until delicately brown, 5-8 minutes.

2.  Shell the shrimp, but do not remove tail.  Slit the back and de-vein.  Rinse and drain well.

3.   Mix together the lemon juice, salt, curry powder, and ginger; marinate the shrimp in the mixture for 3 hours. Drain, reserving the marinade.  Toss shrimp with the cornstarch.

4.  Mix together until smooth, the flour, baking powder, milk and marinade.  Dip shrimp in batter, and then roll in coconut.  Heat grease to 375 and fry shrimp until browned, about 5 minutes.  Drain.  Serve with curry sauce or orange marmalade. 

Dipping Sauce
Make the dipping sauce: combine marmalade, mustard, honey and hot sauce in a small bowl. Mix well. Serve the shrimp and dipping sauce side by side.

1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp Oriental chili sauce

Battered Onion Rings

Every once in a while we like to make something good and fried as a special treat. These onion rings are actually way better than the kind that you buy at a restaurant. A lot of times in a restaurant you bite through the crunchy outside only to have a slimy onion that you can hardly bite and usually slips right out of the breading. My husband told me that is because onion rings from restaurants have usually been frozen and re-cooked so the onion gets really soft. But these were the perfect texture. Soft enough to enjoy but firm enough to bite through.

1 large sweet onion
2 eggs
3 Tbsp evaporated milk
3 Tbsp water
Salt and Pepper
Flour to thicken

Combine ingredients, making sure to add plenty of salt (it took a lot more than we thought). Also, leave the mixture at a somewhat runny consistency. If you add too much flour the batter will be very thick and the rings won't get crispy enough. Deep fry until golden brown. If using a more shallow pan you will have to flip them. Enjoy!

French Fries

The other day my brother and sister in law came over and suggested that we make homemade french fries! Yummy. Chris used to make these all the time before we were married so he was pretty much the brains behind this snack.

Potatoes
Excessive amounts of oil
Seasoning salt

Clean potatoes and cut them into wedges or strips. Preheat oil in deep fryer (or in a pan). Fry potatoes until crispy. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Enjoy.

Guacamole

In seventh grade Spanish we were learning the names of different types of foods. In order to help us learn the terminology (and perhaps to have a pre-planned activity for a day we had a substitute) we were assigned groups and we made guacamole. Somehow those terms did stick (although not the exact measurements) and when my husband got a craving for guacamole, we pulled it all together and it turned out pretty incredible. Ever since then we always keep a look out for sales on Avocados (why do they have to be so expensive?).

6 medium Avocados
about 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 jalapeno, chopped (amount depends on desired piquancy)
lime juice
salt

Smash avocados. Add onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic and stir together. Make sure to taste onion and jalapeno before adding them - we've had a few extra-spicy ones that made the guacamole a little bit painful to eat. If you want your guacamole to be a little less spicy you can substitute jalapeno for about 2 Tbsp medium to hot salsa. Sometimes we add a little bit of sour cream to make it more creamy.