SHREDDED CHICKEN VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS with RASPBERRY PINEAPPLE DIPPING SAUCE

SHREDDED CHICKEN VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken or pork pieces (cheat and use a rotisserie chicken)
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic, jar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons canola oil
egg roll wrappers (I use Melissa's)

• Heat skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots, Saute' until tender.
• Drain, retaining oil.
• In a large mixing bowl toss meat pieces with sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Add vegetables and blend well.
• Cool 5-10 minutes.
• Fill center of each wrapper with 2 tablespoons of filling.
• Fold 1st corner towards the center. Then fold each edge towards the center. With a pastry brush wet the exposed triangle of dough and roll the bulk onto it.
  
• Add oil back into pan and add the additional 2 tablespoons and bring to medium heat.
• Cook egg rolls on all 4 sides until golden.

RASPBERRY PINEAPPLE DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 tablespoons crushed pineapple, drained
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

• Heat jam in microwave for 20 seconds to warm and thin.
• Whisk in honey and soy sauce.
• Set aside.

Recipes Submitted to:

and TATERTOTS & JELLO'S  LINK PARTY PALOOZA

Ultimate Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

Last month I joined Baking Partners.  We are a group of home bakers helping each other to achieve baking perfection.  Baking partners was begun by Swathi at Zesty South Indian Kitchen.

Baking a homemade bread, cake or cookies will give the best outcome. However in order to achieve the best results, a  perfect recipe and the right techniques are required.

We are a small group of home baker friends, who love and want to learn more about the nook and corners of baking.  We are planning to try out recipes from books/magazines and cooking shows.  Every member gets a chance to present their choice of recipe and share important points with the rest of the group. The main purpose of this group is to learn the techniques, critic procedures if there are ways to improve and to eat delicious food.

This month's theme is Cookies.  We were given 3 recipes to choose from and since the reveal date is my birthday I chose the recipe I liked best for Ultimate Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito selected by Tina of Pinay in Texas from Food & Wine Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes Vol. 14.  This was an excellent choice - crunchy outside, smooth and creamy inside - a very unusual cookie texture, but wonderful!

Ultimate Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened slightly

4 ounces Cream Cheese at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. 
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar - beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
• Beat in the eggs, heavy cream and vanilla until blended. 
• At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients.  Add the melted chocolate and chocolate chips and beat just until incorporated.  
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• Scoop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them two inches apart. 
• Bake for 12 minutes until the cookies are just set; shift the baking sheets for top to bottom and front to back half way through. 
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Note: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

GARLIC CHICKEN & NOODLES

1 ½ + 1 ½ tablespoons safflower oil
2 teaspoons minced ginger
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 egg white

bok choy

1 can water chestnuts, drained well

1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin

1/4 cup sliced yellow pepper

2 chicken breasts, sliced thin

noodles for 2

• Whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and egg white.
• Coat chicken with cor starch mixture and let rest for 1 hour.

• Drain cornstarch mixture from chicken pieces.
• Cook noodles.
• Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in wok.
• Stir fry chicken pieces until just about cooked through.
• Remove with slotted spoon to mixing bowl.
• Add bok choy, yellow pepper and onions cooking until just done.
• Add to platter also.
• Add drained noodles to mixing bowl.
• Heat oil in your wok. 
• Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds.   
• Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Mix well. 
• Combine 1 teaspoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to the sauce and Simmer for 2 minutes.
• Coat chicken with the sauce and toss well.

SHREDDED CHICKEN VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS

SHREDDED CHICKEN VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken or pork pieces
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic, jar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons canola oil
egg roll wrappers (I use Melissa's)

• Heat skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots, Saute' until tender.
• Drain, retaining oil.
• In a large mixing bowl toss meat pieces with sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Add vegetables and blend well.
• Cool 5-10 minutes.
• Fill center of each wrapper with 2 tablespoons of filling.
• Fold 1st corner towards the center. Then fold each edge towards the center. With a pastry brush wet the exposed triangle of dough and roll the bulk onto it.
• Add oil back into pan and add the additional 2 tablespoons and bring to medium heat.
• Cook egg rolls on all 4 sides until golden.

BLACKBERRY PINEAPPLE DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup Blackberry Pineapple Jam
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

• Heat jam in microwave for 20 seconds to warm and thin.
• Whisk in honey and sauce sauce.
• Set aside.

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

I've been trying to get more and more vegetables into our diet as we approach spring and stir fry has been a great taste tempting treat for us recently.

CASHEW CHICKEN STIR FRY
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 JUMBO egg white
2 bunches green onions, sliced thin
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup bean sprouts (optional)*
1 cup honey roasted cashews, whole or chopped
1/4 cup sweet cooking rice wine
1/8 cup bead molasses
1/8 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Peanut Oil

• Whisk together the cornstarch and egg white. Coat the chicken strips and chill 1 hour before preparing the meal.
• Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil.
• Quickly stir fry the mushrooms, onions and bean sprouts.
• Lift out veggies with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon +/- of peanut oil and heat.
• Add chicken pieces and stir fry until white and tender.
• Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, bead molasses, salt and sugar. Add to pan and coat chicken well and continue stir frying until most of the liquid is absorbed and chicken is glazed.
• Add veggies back in as well as the cashews. Mix well and heat through.
• Serve over rice or with noodles.

*You just can't always get fresh and I don't care for the canned.

♥

Vegetable Pork Stir Fry & Fried Rice

VEGETABLE PORK STIR FRY
Peanut Oil
egg white (save the yolk for the fried rice)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 pound thin pork chops (chicken works great too)
1 large bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 cup snow peas
3/4 cup carrots slices
1 cup broccoli florets
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup orange juice

• An hour before you plan on cooking slice pork chops into thin strips.
• Whisk together the egg white and cornstarch.
• Coat pork strips in egg mixture and chill for 1 hour.
• Slice the onions, carrots and broccoli to bite size pieces.
• Cut the snow peas in half if they are large or leave whole.
• Heat peanut oil to medium high.
• Stir Fry pork pieces quickly and remove to drain on paper towel.
• Add vegetables and stir fry until tender. Add pork slices back in.
• Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and orange juice.
• Add to the pan and toss to coat.
• Heat through until glaze forms.
• Serve with Fried Rice (recipe follows).

FRIED RICE
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs + the yolk from the above recipe
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 cup soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup diced broccoli
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup diced carrots

• Cook rice according to package directions.
• In a small pan scramble the eggs and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a skillet and saute vegetables until tender.
• Add the rice, soy sauce and sesame oil, stirring constantly.
• Just before serving add egg back in and heat through.

♥