Wonton Soup

Sadly, I announce the loss of my Patriots.
Philadelphia just played the better game.

:::sigh::: maybe next time.

Congrats Eagles fans!



Ingredients:

Wontons

½ Cup finely chopped napa or savoy cabbage

Coarse Salt

6 oz Ground pork

3 Green onions (finely chopped)

1 Tbsp Ginger (chopped)

1 Tsp Soy sauce

1 Tsp Sesame oil

24 Wonton wrappers

Soup

29 oz Chicken broth

Coarse Sat

3 Green onions (thinly sliced)

2-3 Tsp Rice vinegar

½ Tsp Sesame oil

Directions:

Prepare filling

1. Toss cabbage with ½ tsp salt. Let sit 10 minutes

2. Wrap cabbage in paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid

3. Mix cabbage, pork, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil

Wontons

1. Keep wontons covered with damp towel

2. Spoon rounded teaspoon into middle of each wonton wrapper

3. Fold wrapper in half over filling, press edges down firmly

4. Moisten one tip, bring together both tips on long side, press together to seal

Soup

1. Combine broth, 4 cups of water, and 1 tsp salt; bring to a boil

2. Add wontons one at a time, return to a boil

3. Reduce heat and simmer until wontons are cooked through, about 6 minutes

4. Stir in green onions, vinegar, sesame oil. Season with salt.

Print

Filling Ingredients

Step by step on the back of the wonton package

Cutie patootie

Soup ingredients

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Adapted From: Recipe Girl

Coke Pork Chops

Mr Lennon the cat ran out of water while we were sleeping.
I feel horrible!

He woke up with me this AM, came into my room, climbed on the bed, and it was normal kitty routine. Scritch me here, scratch me there...oh, black pants, let me lie down on them for awhile.
BUT when I started heading for the kitchen, all bets were off.

My normally quiet kitty was meowling all pitiful like. Then the unthinkable happened...he climbed up on the counter and headed for the sink.
He knows he is not allowed up there!

Message received sir! Checked out his bowl, and there is some water left, but it's grody, He put food and hair in it.
Once he got his fresh water, he drank so fast he started gagging.
Poor man.
I feel like the worst kitty mama ever!

The problem has been fixed, and he is now purring away.

Ingredients:

8 Medium sized pork chops

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Cup ketchup

1 Cup Coke

Brown sugar for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place pork in a baking pan, salt and pepper to taste

3. In medium bowl, mix ketchup and Coke.

4. Pour ketchup mixture over pork chops

5. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar

6. Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until chops are tender

Print

Adapted from Moms who Think

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Funeral Sandwiches

The name of these sandwiches drives me nuts.
I understand, as a southern girl, I have seen these sandwiches at many a funeral...but still!

We could call them something like "ham and cheese sweet yummies". What do you think?

The recipe I found on Sunday Baker calls for Hawaiian sweet rolls (which are a-ma-zing) but, sadly, my local Stop and Shop does not carry them. I was not going to run from store to store, so I bought some Portuguese sweet rolls.

The inclusion of mustard is non descriptive. I used dijon as it gives a nice taste with the sweet rolls and ham. You can use any kind that you like.

Ingredients:

12 Sweet rolls

1 Lb thin sliced ham

Thin sliced swiss cheese

½ Cup butter (melted)

3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp mustard

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Dash of onion powder

Directions:

1. Cut rolls in half and place in 9 x 13 pan

2. Add ham and cheese to each roll

3. Mix butter, Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar, and onion powder

4. Pour the liquid over the sandwiches, drenching each one

5. Cover tightly and marinate a minimum of 4 hours

6. Preheat oven to 350

7. Bake for 15 minutes (uncovered)

Print

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English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas

Yesterday marked my parent's anniversary.

How did they celebrate? By taking a cruise.
Seriously.
I tried the whole...won't your trip be so much better with your first-born child?
No takers on that one.

Then I tried the...your oldest and first born granddaughter would make this an epic trip.
Still no takers.

Sigh.
I even tried the whole...doesn't your CHILD remind you of your long and happy marriage, which would increase your happiness?

I am starting to think they didn't feel like bringing us on vacation with them! Humph! Just who do they think they are?!

In all seriousness, they took a trip and planned it so that it was islands they have already been too (most, not all) so they can spend some quality time relaxing on the ship and not feeling like they have to get off at every port.
They thought this through...a cruise to nowhere means everyone stays on ship! Picking islands you don't care to visit again, you can stay on the ship while virtually everyone else gets off.
Nice thinking guys!

I just wanted to give them a well deserved shout out...marriages are hard, every anniversary should be special!

What is your favorite anniversary memory...and it doesn't even have to be yours!
(sort of like this year will forever be known as the year Jay begged for a month for a free trip LOL)






Ingredients:

6 English muffins

4 Eggs (room temperature)

2 Tbsp milk

¼ Tsp salt

10 (or so) Dashes hot sauce

Ham slices or cooked bacon

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional: Veggies, tomatoes, olives, etc

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray

3. In a shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and hot sauce

4. Separate English muffins and soak each side in the egg mixture

5. Place, cut side up, on prepared baking sheet

6. Add choice of meat and any desired toppings

7. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese

8. Bake 15 minutes

Print

Adapted from Our Best Bites

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Pork Chops with Soy Mushroom Gravy

When my Nana was alive, and I was a little girl, she made me a blanket. I think it was crocheted (maybe? I am not crafty like that, so I could be lying)
Over the years I loved it to death.

One Christmas she made me a brand new, bigger one. She even gave me matching throw pillows (not homemade) to go with it and make it look like a "set".

That "new" blanket still sits proudly on the back of my couch. Hubby laughs because I pick at it. Without even thinking about it, I pick at all the loops and knots in it.
Hm.

This is a habit I would like to break as Nana is no longer here to make me a new one. I refuse to put it away though, I want it used, and loved, and snuggled with.

This recipe was in an edition of Good Housekeeping magazine that was handed to me. Love me some mushrooms!
Makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside...as Nana's blanket does on the outside!
** I forgot snow peas at the grocery and just threw in some regular peas I had on hand. Still delish!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 Pork chops

¼ Tsp salt

¼ Tsp pepper

10 oz shiitake mushrooms

1 Cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tsp cornstarch

8 oz snow peas

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet.

2. Add pork and cook 4 minutes or until both sides are browned

3. Remove pork, set aside on a plate

4. Add mushrooms, cook 3 minutes

5. Whisk chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch together

6. Add liquid to skillet, add snow peas

7. Add pork back to skillet and cook until pork is 145 degrees

Print

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Ham and Blue Cheese Quiche

This Pillsbury recipe was our breakfast one weekend morning.
As we are not huge breakfast people, we all had a small piece and it went into the fridge as leftovers.

The next day I took a piece for lunch.
And the following day.
And the following day.
I had quiche every flipping day for lunch.

Even as Friday rolled around, this dish was as good as the day it was made fresh! The cheese stayed creamy, the egg fluffy, the crust was crisp(ish).
Mmmmmmmmmmm

My lunch buddies had a good laugh at my expense though.
I don't eat ham.
Hubby and the girl do, so I made it complete for them.
I picked out every tiny pink bite. Yup, that's the way I roll.

They all got a kick out of watching me dissect my quiche...which, frankly, no longer resembled a wedge of any sort by the time I was finished with it!

That, however, did not diminish the delish!

Ingredients:

1 Pie crust

3 Eggs

1 ½ Cup whipping cream

¼ Tsp salt

½ Tsp ground pepper

2 Cups finely chopped ham

1 Cup crumbled blue cheese

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450

2. Place pie crust in 9 ½ inch pie plate

3. Bake crust 10 minutes

4. Reduce oven temperature to 375

5. In large bowl, beat eggs, whipping cream, salt and pepper until well blended.

6. In separate bowl, toss ham and cheese with flour.

7. Add ham and cheese to crust

8. Pour egg mixture over top

9. Bake 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean

10. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting

Print

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Steamed Pork Dumplings

We have weekly cravings for Chinese.
Seriously, I could live above a Chinese restaurant, never have to cook again, and be more than OK with that.

One gets tired of paying for all that take out though.
Not to mention, we have yet to find the perfect spot.
We like this and that at place A.
That and this at place B.
:::sigh:::

So, in my quest to try to fulfill our cravings at home, I did some searching online. From Away had posted this recipe for one of my fave dishes.

I will be making this again. We all ate a bunch!

Ingredients:

Dough

2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Cup boiling water

FIlling

½ a small head of napa cabbage (rough chop)

1 Tsp kosher salt

2 Scallions (rough chop)

½ Lb ground pork

2 Tsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp dry sherry

2 Tsp sugar

Dipping Sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tsp sugar

1 Tbsp scallion (thin sliced)

1 Tsp ginger

Directions:

Dough

1. Place flour in food processor, slowly drizzle in water until dough is formed

2. Form into a ball and transfer to a bowl.

3. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes

Filling

1. Place cabbage and salt in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

2. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl and allow to rest for 30 minutes

3. Place scallions, pork, soy sauce, sherry, and sugar into food processor.

4. Pulse into a paste

5. Squeeze remaining moisture out of cabbage.

6. Add cabbage to bowl with the pork, fold together with a spatula

1. Divide dough into 4 sections, and then each section into 10 tablespoon sized balls

2. Roll each ball into a round 3 ½-4 inches in diameter

3. Place 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each wrapper

4. Moisten the edges with a wet finger.

5. Fold in half and pinch closed. Pleat the front edge of the wrapper.

Dipping Sauce

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside

Cook dumplings

1. In large pot of boiling water, cook dumplings a couple at a time for 3 minutes per batch

2. Optional: pan fry each after boiling

Print

Served with some homemade Fried Rice

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Pork Fritters

To all who celebrate, I hope you enjoyed your Easter!

We went to my aunt's house with most of the rest of the family It's weird as the kids get older and begin their own lives. We were missing 3 of the cousins to other obligations, and they were really missed!

We did all of our typical Lithuanian traditions and foods as well as other delicious stuffs!

Per usual, I was asked to bring baked beans and a dessert. I managed a polka dot cake this year which was really awesome!

Ingredients:

1 Lb pork tenderloin (sliced ½ inch thick)

1 Egg (beaten)

3 Tbsp Milk

1 Sleeve saltine crackers (crushed fine)

¾ Cup All purpose flour

1 Tsp Salt

½ Tsp pepper

Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Flatten pork with a meat mallet

2. Place egg and milk in a small bowl and blend well

3. Combine crackers, flour, and seasonings in another bowl

4. Dip pork in egg mixture, and then in crumb mixture until well coated

5. Heat oil in large skillet

6. Fry pork until deep golden brown on both sides

Print

Adapted from Gooseberry Patch

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