Pork Wonton Recipe

I made pork tenderloin the other night and had quite a bit left over so decided to make wontons to have a little variety while we finished eating the meat the next day! This recipe is really easy to make and so delicious.

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin
1/2 bag of mini carrots (diced)
4 stalks of celery (diced)
1/2 small onion (diced)
wonton wrappers (1 pack)
1 egg

Directions:

1. Make sure pork is thoroughly cooked
2. Mix together pork, carrots, celery and onion into bowl

 

3. Mix 1 egg with water to form a slurry
4. Take a wonton and dip each of the 4 edges in egg slurry
5. Lay wonton flat and put a spoonful of pork mixture in one corner
6. Bring opposite corner of wonton to corner with pork and seal the wonton closed by pressing down on the edges so it looks like a triangle
7. Bring other two points on the triangle up and pinch together with third point so wonton is completely sealed closed

 

8. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a skillet to just below boiling
9. When oil is heated, drop wontons into oil and cook on each side for 3 minutes (until golden brown)

 

10. Serve with garlic chili sauce

Enjoy!
Kristin

Raspberry Chocolate Cocktail

This cocktail is delicious. I made it on Friday night when I had a friend over. I was looking for something fun and fancy (but easy!). The only downside is that the ingredients are a little on the more expensive side (to buy all of the items it was ~$100). But, if you already have them on hand it is definitely tasty!

Ingredients
1/5 ounces vanilla vodka
1 ounce chambord black raspberry
1 ounce original Godiva chocolate
1 ounce heavy cream
ice


Directions
1. Combine all parts in shaker with ice and shake to mix. (I use a mason jar)

2. Pour over fresh ice in old fashioned glass OR pour in martini glass without the rocks

Kristin

Spicy Cheese Straws

These cheese straws are such a hit! I have made them for parties and gifts several times in the past few months and people tend to really like them. Tonight, I am including them in the appetizers for the Super Bowl!

Ingredients
1 block of cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup of butter (salted)
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grate cheese and allow to get to room temperature (i set it out overnight)
3. Set out butter with cheese

4. Mix cheese and butter until smooth in stand mixer
5. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients

6. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter/cheese mixture
7. Form dough into a ball and use a pastry piping tool to pipe it into long sticks (you can also use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and then slice it with a pizza cutter)
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes
9. Cool completely and store in airtight container

Kristin

Classic Macaron Recipe

Ok, I have tried a ton of different macaron recipes and this is the one where I have had the most success. It is a classic one without any additional flavors. I haven't tried to jazz it up yet but when I do I will update with what works.

Macarons

Ingredients
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg whites at room temperature (I set them out on the counter for 3 hours)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I did two teaspoons because I make my own and it is not as strong)

Directions
1. In a large bowl mix together almond flour and confectioners sugar
2. Sift flour and sugar mixture through a fine mesh strainer
3. Take remaining clumps and run through a food processor to break them up and then sift again and discard any remaining clumps.
4. Mix egg whites in stand mixer on medium speed for two minutes (time this so you do not over or undermix)
5. Add in white sugar and mix on high speed for two minutes (time this so you do not over or undermix)
6. Add in vanilla and mix on high speed for thirty seconds (time this so you do not over or undermix)
7. Fold in flour and sugar mixture until no powder is visible and mixture is a little shiny  (this took about three minutes for me)
** the mixture should not be running but should slowly collapse when you fold it **
8. Put into piping bag and pipe into circles on lined baking sheet (I used silicone baking mats but I have also done this before with parchment paper)
9. Once macarons are in place, tap the baking sheet on the counter several times (and somewhat forcefully) to remove any air pockets
10. Macarons need to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to set up and should have a film on top before they are ready to go into the oven

11. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
12. Cook baking sheets (one at a time) for 5 minutes. Then, turn and cook for 4-5 minutes
** If they start to golden at all they are burned and will not have the desired texture on the inside **
13. Cool sheet before 5 minutes before lifting off macarons (do not try to move them before this and do not pick up with a spatula)
14. Place on cooling rack and add center filling
** I made my macarons two days in advance and added the filling the day before **
*** Store in an airtight container ***

Filling Option #1 - Vanilla

Ingredients 
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (i used 1 tablespoon because my extract is homemade and not as strong)


Directions
1. Soften butter to room temperature
2. Beat butter in stand mixer on medium speed for two minutes
3. Add confectioners sugar in 1/4 cup increments to butter and beat on medium speed. Scrape down the sides after each addition
4. Mix in heavy cream
5. Mix in vanilla extract

There is another really good filling recipe from Sur La Table that is a chocolate espresso ganache recipe but I haven't made it with these macarons yet. Once I do, if it is good, I will post it.

Kristin

Orange Chicken and Jasmine Rice and green beans

This recipe is one of my favorites both because it is delicious and because it is really easy to make. It tastes just like a restaurant and there isn't a ton of mess in the kitchen for cleanup :-).

Ingredients
1 cup Jasmine rice
2 chicken breasts
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 orange juice from ~3 fresh squeezed oranges
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 green onions (green portion chopped for garnish)
1/2 pound green beans

Directions
1. Put jasmine rice into a pot with 2 cups of water and cook according to package directions
2. cook green beans in boiling water for three minutes and set aside
3. Roughly cut your chicken breasts into chunks that are bite-sized
4. Mix egg whites and cornstarch in large bowl for about 1 minute and add the chicken pieces to soak for 10-15 minutes

5. Heat a skillet of oil on medium-high for about 8 minutes. It should not be boiling but hot so that it sizzles when you drop in water
6. Mix orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, ginger powder and cornstarch into bowl

7. When oil is ready, add the chicken in small batches and cook for 4-6 minutes (until outside of chicken is golden and chicken is cooked through)

8. Dry chicken on paper-towel
9. Add cooked chicken to bowl of sauce
10. Spoon chicken and sauce over rice topped with green beans and garnish with green onions

Kristin

Herbs de Province Homemade Bread

This recipe is amazing if you have a bread machine! It is so easy. You can also make it without the bread machine but I find it a lot quicker and less hands-on for me.

Ingredients
1 cup of water
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons herbs de province seasoning
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
1. In bread machine add water and oil first
2. Mix flour, white sugar, salt and herbs de province in bowl and add on top of liquids in bread machine
3. Make a tiny well on top of dry ingredients and add yeast
4. Set bread machine to 1.5 pounds


If you don't have herbs de province you can also mix your own spices (sage, savory, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano)

Thanks!
Kristin

Homemade Potato Fries

Today I had some leftover potatoes that I wanted to use up so I made some homemade potato fries for lunch. This was really easy and quick to do! Plus, they tasted like ones that you would get in a restaurant. So, I will definitely make them again.

Ingredients
4 potatoes
a bowl of cold water
seasoned salt
5 cups of oil

Directions
1. Peel and slice potatoes (I used my KitchenAid spiralizer tool for this but I have also done it by hand)

2. Soak potatoes in cold water and refrigerate for thirty minutes
3. Heat 5 cups of oil in skillet over medium-high heat (it should sizzle when you add a potato to test)
4. cook potato fries in batches so they have plenty of space (each batch is 5-6 minutes)

5. Remove from oil and put on paper-towel-lined plate and season with seasoned salt


Enjoy!
Kristin

Hot Toddy Recipe

This week I have had a sore throat so I have been making hot toddies (because they help and are delicious)! I think this is the best recipe by far:

Ingredients
1 shot of Jameson Whiskey
3 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup water (boiling)
1 cinnamon stick

Directions
1. Heat water in microwave for 1 minute
2. mix whiskey, honey and lemon juice together in glass
3. Add water and stir
4. Garnish with cinnamon stick

Enjoy!
Kristin

Appetizer - Mozzarella Balls

So, I recently bought a bunch of fresh mozzarella balls at the grocery store because they were on sale and are delicious on salads! One of my favorite restaurants down the street makes fried goat cheese balls so I decided to try to make fried mozzarella balls as an appetizer to go with our Italian dinner last night. It was really easy to do!

Ingredients:
5 cups vegetable oil
Mozzarella balls (I had about 15 total)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs (whisked together)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
marinara sauce

Directions:
1. Dip mozzarella balls in flour and coat completely.
2. Dip coated mozzarella balls in egg mixture and coat completely.
3. Roll mozzarella balls in breadcrumbs and put on a plate.
4. Place plate in freezer for about 10 minutes to harden and set.
5. Put oil into pot and heat on high (about 8 minutes).
6. In small batches (I did 4-6 at a time) place the mozzarella balls in the oil for 4 minutes.

7. Put fried balls on plate covered with a paper towel and allow to cool (5 minutes).

8. Serve with marinara sauce!

This was really tasty and I think we will definitely make this again soon!

Kristin

Sausage and Cheese Nacho Dip/Baked Potato Stuffing

For the National Championship game earlier this week I made a sausage and nacho cheese dip to go with some lime tortilla chips that we had at the house. It is so simple to make and I put it together in the fondue pot (which is awesome since I always forget to use it). It is only three ingredients which makes it really easy and it's not healthy for you at all! We ended up having leftovers so I used those as the filling for a baked potato that we had for dinner last night. So, we ended up not wasting any of it which is a good thing. I think this is definitely a crowd pleaser when you are watching a sporting event!

Dip:

Ingredients
1 package ground sausage
1 block velvetta cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Brown sausage

2. add in velvetta cheese (cut into cubes)

3. stir in heavy cream until blended
* stir frequently and keep on low heat setting. Also, add more cream as needed for consistency

Baked Potato:

Ingredients
1 russet potato per person
sausage nacho dip

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. scrub potato clean under water
3. rub olive oil and sea salt on skin of potato
4. stab potato all over with fork so that you have tiny holes for baking
5. bake for 55 - 60 minutes
6. slice open and add sausage nacho dip to top for filling

Obviously, this is not healthy at all but it tastes amazing :-)

Kristin

Easy Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Hi Everyone,

This week I made one my favorite desserts! I have been making this for years because it is incredibly easy and affordable to make. In high school my mom had this cookbook from the Cake Doctor that had this Chocolate Chip Cake and I make it pretty much every time that I needed a dessert for a function. I have included the recipe below and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• Butter and flour for coating and dusting the Bundt cake pan
• 1 bar German Chocolate
• 1 box plain yellow cake mix
• 1 box vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 pkg. semisweet chocolate chips. (I buy the mini size)

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and flour your baking dishes (I prefer a standard bundt cake dish, my mini bundt cake pans or loaf pans) and shake out the excess flour.
• Chop the chocolate bar into large chunks and place in a food processor or use a hand grater until the bar is finely grated. It is essential that it is finely shaved so that the bar is evenly distributed throughout the cake.
• Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute.
• Stop the machine and scrap down the sides and blend for another 10-15 seconds.
• Stop the machine and fold in the grated chocolate with spatula

• Place the mixer speed on medium and beat for 2 additional minutes.
• Turn off the machine and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Once distributed, pour the batter into the prepared pans. I prefer my mini Bundt cake pans!

• Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes for cupcake sized portions and 50 minutes for large Bundt cake pans. The cake should be golden and spring back slightly when pressed with a finger.
• Invert the cake and allow to cool completely (about 30 minutes) before serving!

Enjoy!

Kristin

Easy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe!

Hi Everyone!

I am a little embarrassed that it has been so long since I have updated with a new recipe. But, we moved over Christmas and we have been really busy unpacking and setting up the new house (Pippa and Jasper are loving the bigger yard and pond!).

For Christmas my parents got me a new crockpot (I have been wanting this All Clad one for over a year and it was finally on sale and slightly more affordable) so I have been using it as much as possible!

Last night I made a new Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe mostly because I caught some kind of bug while traveling in Seattle and Columbus for the past two weeks and wanted soup. I didn’t take many pictures because it is was literally the easiest thing ever and just required combining ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of black beans
• 2 cans of sweet corn
• 1 cup of rice (I used Arborio)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 Tablespoon of cumin
• 1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder
• 2 cups of chicken stock

Directions:

1. Combine diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and diced onion in crockpot
2. Place chicken breasts across top
3. Add 2 cups of chicken stock
4. Mix in Cumin and Chili Powder
5. Cook on low for 6 hours
6. Stir in 1 cup of rice
7. Cook on low for 1 hour
8. Serve

Let me know what you think!

-         Kristin

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie

Hi Everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving! About two years ago I got my monthly subscription of Southern Living (I have been a loyal reader since I was in high school!) and found the best chocolate pecan pie recipe. It is always a hit at parties and for the holidays. Since it is such a staple in my dessert rotation this time of year it made since that we would bring it as our contribution to Thanksgiving dinner. I have included the recipe below! Let me know what you think when you try it!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup of melted butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup 100% cacao unsweetened cocoa

1 T light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust

Salted Caramel Topping:

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2 cups toasted pecan halves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Stir together 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup of melted butter, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup 100% cacao unsweetened cocoa, 1 T light corn syrup and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a large bowl.

• Add eggs and stir until well blended.
• Fold in chopped pecans.

• Pour mixture into pie shell.

• Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven to a wire rack.

• While pie cooks, bring 3/4 cup sugar, 1 T lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.

• Do not stir and swirl ingredients occasionally until the sugar begins to change color (I did this for 8 minutes until the sugar turned to dark amber).
• As a side note: make sure to not walk away since the sugar can burn quickly once it changes color.
• Remove from heat and add cream and 4 T butter. Stir constantly until bubbling stops and butter is incorporated (about 1 minute). Stir in table salt.

• Arrange pecan halves on pie (I did this while the sugar caramelized).

• Top with warm caramel. (I only used about half of the caramel and saved the rest for some homemade icecream!)
• Cool 15 minutes and sprinkle with sea salt.

Enjoy!

Kristin

Brussel Sprouts, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Pan-Seared Cod

Hi Everyone,

Over the weekend I took a girls trip to Asheville, NC with my closest friends from high school and we were at a Tapas restaurant that had the most delicious brussel sprouts! I couldn't get the exact recipe but I tried to make something similar for dinner last night and have shared the entire dish below!

Ingredients:

Brussel Sprouts
brussel sprouts
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
2 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Pan-Seared Cod:
2 Cod fillets
1/4 cup butter
salt/pepper to taste
paprika
garlic salt
onion powder
fennel seeds
coriander

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and put large pot of water on stove top to boil
• Prep brussel sprouts by rinsing, cutting off root end and discarding exterior yellow leaves (so all leaves look fresh)

• Chop pecans into small pieces
• Add pecans and brussel sprouts to baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste
• Bake for 35 minutes or until roasted (I put my rack on the middle shelf)

• Peel and large dice the sweet potatoes and add to pot of boiling water for 25 minutes

• Drain the pot of water and leave sweet potatoes inside. Add 1/2 cup of butter and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and mash/stir together
• Set mashed sweet potatoes aside in a warm place
• Heat saucepan to high and add 1/4 cup of butter and allow butter to melt completely
• Place two cod fillets on plate and add a dash of each of the following to season each fillet on both sides: salt/pepper, paprika, garlic salt, onion powder, fennel seeds,coriander 

• Cook fillets on high for 4 minutes per side and remove from heat
• Divide brussel sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes and two cod fillets between two plates and serve.

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!

Thanks,

Kristin