Crab Rangoons and Orange Beef

I'm not usually so good at making Chinese food. But I was craving it today and decided to try again to make Chinese. Ummm...YUM. It was really good!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crispy-Orange-Beef/Detail.aspx

Changes:
I didn't use nearly that much oil, just enough to cover bottom of pan to sautee. I used olive oil. We eat brown rice for the extra fiber. I don't eat broccoli, so I subbed it out for green beans and onion.

Crab Rangoons:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat, drained and flaked
1 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 T of light mayo
squeeze of lemon juice
24 wonton wrappers

1.Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray. (can be fried or sauteed for a crispier version)
2.Combine garlic, cream cheese, crab, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mayo, sugar, and soy sauce in a bowl. To prevent wonton skins from drying, prepare only 1 or 2 rangoon at a time. Place 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with water and fold the wonton skin diagonally to form a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Moisten one of the bottom corners. Create a crown by pulling both bottom corners together and sealing. Arrange the rangoon on the baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.
3.Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Natural Food Dye!

My son, Nathanael, turned 2 yesterday! So for his birthday I made him a train cake. For a few years now, we've been avoiding food dye, because of the ingredients, effect on the body, etc. We never had to worry about coloring things before Nat came along. But I wanted a little color to his train. I researched and experimented to find ways to naturally dye his cake. Of course, the natural dye does not color as vividly as artificial coloring, it's more on the pale side, but pretty!

Here's what I came up with. Red cabbage works for soooo many different colors! I also found that the longer the dye refrigerated , the darker the dye turned out. Here are the recipes:

Blue Dye:

- Half of a head of red cabbage.
- Water
- Baking Soda

1. Wash the cabbage and cut out stem.
2. Cut (I used my food processor) into small pieces.
3. Put into pot and add just enough water to cover the cabbage.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Right after I turned the heat off on the stove, I added 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
6. Stir. Drain dye into bowl. Discarding the cabbage. Once cooled, refrigerate.
7. Use as desired!

Green Dye:

I used half the blue dye above and put it into a saucepan, added about 1/2 teaspoon of more of baking soda. Simmered for 25 minutes.

Purple Dye:

Follow blue recipe, except omit the baking soda and add about a teaspoon of vinegar.

The following are non-cabbage dyes. The pink is SOOOO pretty (and easy)!
Pink:

1 Can of beets drained. Use the drained juice to color your frosting.

Yellow: I was expecting this to be green, but it made my frosting yellow.

1 Package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained.

Cut into small pieces. Put into pot with 4 cups of water. Simmer for a few hours. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Drain.

Will post pictures soon!

Granola!

I made the yummiest granola while Nat was taking his nap today! I think next time I may use dried apricots, or dried blueberries to mix it up. It's really delish! Nathanael loves it, too! He's on his third helping for the day (He's eating it for dessert right now!).

Ingredients:
- 6 cups oats (NOT the quick cooking kind)
- 1 cup applesauce (I used homemade)
- 2 tablespoons (real) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used more like 1 teaspoon, I'm a cinnamon lover!)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (optional, I used 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut instead)
- 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped sunflower seeds (optional)
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- I also added flax seed, almost 1/2 cup

Instructions:
- In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, seeds, coconut flour (or shredded coconut), and cinnamon.
- In a smaller bowl combine honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and applesauce.
- Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Spread over a baking sheet and cook in a 250 degree oven for about 90 minutes, mixing every 30 minutes or so. (You want to remove them when they become a light brown/golden color. They will crisp up after they are completely cooled.)
- Remove from oven & allow to cool. When cooled completely add your dried fruit.

Stack-ups!

Rice
Chicken (about 1 breast per person or so)
Cream of Chicken and Chicken Broth (equal parts, 1 can of each)
Green onion
Celery
Shredded cheddar cheese
Pineapple
Coconut
Water Chestnuts
Chow Mein Noodles
Salt, if desired.

Cook your rice. Boil the chicken, then shred it. Mix the cream of chicken and chicken broth in a sauce pan to warm. Chop the green onion, celery, pineapple, and water chestnuts. Put on the plate starting with the rice and chicken, then“stack” everything else on top. Pour the sauce over it and enjoy! This recipe is soooo yummy. Thanks, Megan for this recipe!

Lighter Macaroni and Cheese

This is a favorite at our house! Bryan especially love this, since he's a big cheese fan.

-3 quarts of water
-8 ounces macaroni noodle (or noodles of your choice)
-2 teaspoons of salt
-8 ounces of 50% less fat cheddar cheese, Cabot or Cracker Barrel brand is great (sometimes I -don't have that, so we use whatever is on hand)
-1 can of 2% evaporated milk
-1/3 Cup 2% milk
-a little bit of garlic powder
-some dry mustard
-a pinch of cayenne pepper
-2 teaspoons of corn starch
-1/4 teaspoon salt


Boil pasta in 3 quarts water with the 2 teaspoons salt, according to directions. Drain. Set aside.

In a pot over medium heat, mix the salt, evaporated milk, milk, garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper.

Mix the cornstarch with a little milk on the side and mix it throughly.

Whisk in the cornstarch mixture to the contents of the pot and allow to thicken (a few minutes) over a simmer.

Slowly add the cheese (which you've shredded) and whisk it over a low heat (or it will separate).

Add the pasta and fold together. Let it sit a couple minutes.

Cinnamon Toast!

This is an awesome recipe from Pioneer Woman's site. It is SOOOO good. I made 5 pieces, which was NOT enough. Nat gobbled his down and wanted more, and so did I!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/the-right-way-and-the-wrong-way-to-make-cinnamon-toast/

Cheese-Stuffed Meatloaves

This was a recipe I made for dinner last night with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.

Verdict: Easy. I thought it could use more flavor, though.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups jarred pasta sauce, divided (I don't like jarred sauce, so I make my own)

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1/2 cup diced onions

1 1/4 lb lean ground beef, 7% fat

4 sticks mozzarella string cheese (I just bought a block of mozzarella and cut it into wedges, it's cheaper than the sticks)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine 3/4 cup pasta sauce and remaining ingredients (except cheese) until blended.

2. Divide into four portions; shape around each string cheese, covering cheese completely. Seal tightly so hot cheese will stay inside (wash hands).

3. Bake 20–25 minutes or until 160°F.
Before serving, microwave remaining 3/4 cup pasta sauce on HIGH 1 minute or until hot. Serve.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie
(America's Test Kitchen Recipe

We had this for dinner last night and was really good! This recipe is the full recipe, I halved the recipe to fit our family's needs. I didn't follow this exact, but I will mark my changes in bold.

Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion , chopped fine
2 medium carrots , peeled and chopped fine
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
Table salt and pepper
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour (We try to eat gluten free, so I used gluten free flour)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I usually make it with tomato paste, but I was out. So I used some homemade salsa)
1/4 cup heavy cream (I don't like buying a whole thing of heavy cream, so I used whole milk that we had on hand)
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup beer (We don't have beer in the house, so I used a diluted mixture of beef broth/water)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (I used about 1 t. of dry)
1 cup frozen peas
I also added 3 cloves of garlic when browning the meat
.
Topping
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes . peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
Table salt
2 tablespoons butter , melted
1/3 cup heavy cream , warmed (Whole milk, again)
pepper (I added some garlic powder, as well)
1 large egg , beaten

1. For the filling: Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 12 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute.

2. Add cream and cook until it spatters, about 1 minute. Add broth, beer, soy sauce, and thyme and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick but still saucy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peas, adjust seasonings, and transfer to broiler safe 2-quart casserole dish.

3. For the topping: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to cover to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to saucepan, and mash potatoes with butter and cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (I cooked the potatoes while browning onions and meat)

4. Spread potatoes over filling, using spatula to smooth top. Brush with egg and drag fork across top to make ridges. Bake until filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Turn on broiler and cook until top is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Serve.

Make AheadMake the filling through step 2, but do not add the peas. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to proceed, reheat the filling in a large saucepan, stir in the peas, and transfer to a broiler safe 2-quart casserole. Proceed with the recipe from step 3.

Food

So I am always trying new recipes and end up losing them. I thought I'd start a blog with our recipes of trial and error. So here we go!