Pork Dumplings

This recipe came from a friend, and it's a winner!  So good!  You would never think that dumplings are so easy to make, literally a 30 minute meal!  

Ingredients:

Ground Pork

sesame oil

soy sauce

scallions

pot sticker wrappers 

rice vinegar

sugar

Pork Filling: 1-2 lbs of Ground pork, scallions, drizzle of sesame oil and soy sauce.  Mix in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Add 1/2 spoonful of pork mixture to a dumpling or pot sticker wrapper, wet around edges and pinch edges together to seal tight.

Dipping sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar in that order and 
decreasing in quantity, to taste. Add sliced scallions.

Cook dumplings in a pan with a lid. Fry one side in oil and don't overcrowd. When one side is browned, turn over and fry the other side.  Next, addd 1/2 cup water and put lid on to steam for 2-3 min shaking them around often. 
Remove lid and fry any remaining water off.

Serve with a favorite veggie and dipping sauce, enjoy :)

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 TB butter

Shallots; diced

Carrots; diced

Cilantro

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 1/2 cups water

1 can of black beans

Saute shallots and carrots in 2 TB butter

 Add stock, water, beans, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

 Use emulsifier to blend.  Top with fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.  Enjoy!

Modern Hawaiian Pizza

Jason loves Hawaiian pizza, so I decided to make my own!  It came out pretty good....fresh pineapple are a bit juicy for the pizza, but the flavors were all there!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough

1 red onion

fresh pineapple

fresh mozzarella cheese

prosciutto or speck

arugula

salt and pepper

Saute and brown onions in a pan

On the pizza dough, add fresh mozzarella cheese, carmelized onions, fresh pineapple slices, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until crust in golden on bottom and cooked through.

Add prosciutto or speck to pizza, bake for another 5 minutes.

Once out of oven, top with arugula.  

Enjoy :)

Kale and Tortellini Soup

Kale may be my new favorite ingredient to incorporate into any meal these days.  Besides all the great health benefits of kale, it adds a new flavor and crunch to any dish.

1 bunch of kale; chopped

onion; diced

hot italian turkey sausage; I just take out of packaging

cheese tortellini

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup of water

splash of white wine

salt and pepper

In a large pot, saute onions and 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add sausage.  Cook through.  Add kale and salt and pepper to taste.  Once cooked, add stock, water and wine.  Bring to a simmer.  Add tortellini.  

I like to top it with Parmesan cheese :)  Enjoy!

Apple and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

I just love stuffed pork, the pork is perfectly cooked and juicy every time!  Who doesn't like a little sweet and savory all together.  

Ingredients:

Boneless Pork Chops 1 1/2 inches thick

1 large apple; diced 

1/2 onion chopped

1/4 cup blue cheese; St. Peters is delish!

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Saute apples and onions in a pan until cooked and golden brown, but not mushy.

Let cool in a bowl for 5 minutes and add blue cheese; toss together.

Slice a pocket in to each pork chop then salt and pepper both sides well.  Stuff chops with mixture, but leave a little bit to top chops in oven.  I use a toothpick and "thread" the opening of the chops.  In a cast iron skillet, brown each side of the chops for 1-2 minutes.  Before baking the chops top with left over mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes.  

 Serve with couscous.  Enjoy :)

French Baguette Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Avocado

It was just another Saturday until I decided to bake a loaf of bread, then turn the baguette into a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with a twist!  Who doesn't like cheese and bacon?!  The perfect combo to any sandwich!

Here is where I found the recipe I used to make this delicious bread: Homemade French Baguettes

For the sandwich I baked the bacon in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

I added fresh slices of aged cheddar cheese to the bread and baked it until it was melted.  To the sandwich I added fresh slices of avocado and 2 slices of bacon.  So simple, yet so good!  Enjoy :)

Pesto Avocado Toasts

This is great as an open faced sandwich for lunch or for an appetizer!  Full of flavor, fresh, and delicious!

Fresh loaf of baguette

fresh pesto

 

 avocado; thinly sliced 

 

prosciutto; thinly sliced

fresh mozzarella

Bake in oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes @ 350degrees until toasted and cheese is melted and bubbly!

Enjoy :)

Mustard Crusted Pork Loin with Sauerkraut and Fennel

1 pork loin

hole grain dijon mustard

1 fennel bulb; sliced

1 cooking onion; sliced

salt and pepper

olive oil

Preheat oven to 375.

Rub hole grain dijon mustard over a pork loin.  In a cast iron pan saute olive oil, fennel, onion salt and pepper.  Place pork over the fennel and kraut.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy with a side of homemade applesauce or roasted potatoes :)

Ricotta, Spinach and Sausage Pizza

1 pizza dough

2 cups part skim ricotta cheese

2 large cloves garlic; minced

salt and pepper

TB parsley; chopped

1 bag baby spinach

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1-2 links of hot italian sausage

olive oil

fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saute pan, cook sausage links, remove and slice into bite size pieces.  To the same pan Add 1-2 TB olive olive oil with garlic.  Add spinach and salt and pepper to taste. 

Roll out dough on a pizza pan.  In a bowl, add ricotta, spinach, parmesan cheese, parsley and salt and pepper.  Spread mixture over dough.  Add sliced sausage pieces.  Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and bubbly! Enjoy!

Mini Twice Baked Red Potatoes

These are so much better than any other, because you can pop them right in your mouth!  Great  appetizer for any gathering!

1 bag of mini red potatoes

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter

1/4-1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/3 cup bacon crumbles (I cheated and got them from the prepared food bar at wegmans!)

1TB scallions

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash potatoes and place in tin foil.  Bake for 1 hour or until soft..
Cut a little more than half of the potato; 3/4 of the potato will be stuff the other 1/4 will just be used for the filling.  Use a knife to score the potato so it is easy to scrap out the potato.  Place baked potato in a bowl with mix with fixings.

Mix all ingredients in bowl, put in a bag and pipe filling into the potato haves.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned on top.  Enjoy!

They were so good, once they came out of the oven I didn't even get a picture they went so fast!

Italian Anisette Cookies

A new favorite (also found on pinterest)!  This delicious little Italian cookie is also dairy free!  For the recipe I used 3/4 cups of shortening and use silk or water for the glaze!  Enjoy!
Click here is the recipe!

Sausage and Kale Over Pasta With a White Wine Cream Sauce

1 1/2 cups Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage Crumbles

1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 bunch of Kale

2-3 large cloves of garlic; minced

2 TB olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

your favorite pasta

Boil Water; cook pasta simultaneously.  

In a saute pan cook sausage.  When cooked through, place in bowl.  Add garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Add Kale and chicken broth.  Add Kale and salt and pepper as it cooks and withers down.  When all the Kale is in pan and cooked down, add sun dried tomatoes and sausage.  Toss together.  Add white wine and stir.  Add heavy cream.  

Toss with pasta.  To with fresh parmesan cheese.  Enjoy :)

6 Layer Bars

This is a holiday favorite in my house!  I don't use any nuts so it is just a 6 layer bar!

3 cups crushed graham crackers
1 stick melted butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
coconut
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

In a large baking dish, I use a 13" by 9" pan.  Put down graham crackers, then pour butter over the crumbs.  Press it all in firmly.  Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top, add coconut and chips.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool for an hour or 2 before cutting into squares.  Enjoy :)