.southwest eggrolls.

I *love* southwest eggrolls! If it's on a menu somewhere, we will order it. I have made these for years and they are always a HIT at parties. When I do make them, I usually double the recipe and freeze what I won't use so we can pop them out whenever we're having a craving.

Whether you use them for a meal or party appetizer, these will be a hit in your home, I guarantee!


Finely dice 2 Tbsp red bell pepper.


Finely chop 2 Tbsp green onion.


Take out the seeds and pith of one jalapeno pepper. Finely dice.


In a bowl, put 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.


You're also going to need 1/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed, 1/3 cup frozen corn, and 1/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed to remove water.


Cook and finely chop up 1 chicken breast.


And grate 1 cup cheese. I use half cheddar, half monterey jack.


Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet. Add the peppers and onion to the pan and sautee for a couple minutes. You want the peppers to be a little soft.


Add the chicken.


Add the corn, beans, and spinach. Cook this until the spinach is completely broken down and evenly dispersed in the pan.


Add the spices and mix well.


Finally, add the cheese. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the cheese in. It will melt and coat everything.


This is what it will look like once everything has been added. Now we're reading to make the eggrolls.


Now you can use fajita sized tortillas or snack sized. If you use fajita size, you'll get 10 eggrolls out of this recipe. If you use the snack size, you'll get 5, maybe 6. Put a tablespoon full of the filling in the center of the tortilla.


Fold the outside edges in and roll up. Tack closed with a toothpick.


Repeat until all the filling has been used up.

At this stage, you can freeze them.

You want them to firm up a little before frying otherwise the centers will ooze out. I put the eggrolls on a plate and covered with a towel and put in the fridge for about an hour.


Heat oil in a skillet, wok, or whatever to 370*. Carefully lower your eggrolls in, making sure not to overload the pan. Fry until all sides are nice and golden.


Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to catch any remaining oil.

If you are frying up frozen eggrolls, the centers will most likely still be frozen. Once they've been fried, pop in a 350* oven for about 20 minutes to make sure they're cooked through.

Remove the toothpicks, and slice in half on a diagonal. Serve warm with avocado dip (recipe below).


AVOCADO DIP

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 clove garlic, crushed (you don't want minced... it'll be too garlicky)
a few shakes of Tabasco sauce
pinch salt
1 avocado mashed

Mix everything together and put in a bowl. Set in the fridge to chill.

**This dip can also be made with regular ranch dressing and mashed avocado mixed together.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_103f4cr2zdd

Oofdah!

I realized a week or so ago that I am not horribly diverse in my food. I really like German food, but don't make it often enough. Growing up, my mom used to make german spiced cabbage all the time. It's something I think all of us kids love and the only time I ever get it is when I go home. The reason why? Jim doesn't like it. I made it once and he pretty much turned his nose up at it. How dare he! lol

Well, it has been awhile since I made it and thought I would give him another chance in liking it. I decided to make a whole german meal so he would have *something* to eat. This entry will contain all three recipes. I made wiener schnitzel and spaetzle with this and served cooked carrots on the side (gotta get those veggies in somewhere!).

The cabbage is very easy and fast. Let me show you how.


Thinly slice some red cabbage. Since there are only three eating in our home, I used half a head. Make more if you have more mouths to feed.


In a small bowl, put 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp allspice, and 1 tsp salt.


Put the cabbage in a pan over medium heat and add the spices.


Add 1/2 cup brown sugar.


And add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.


Cut up some kielbasa and put in the pan. Cover with a lid and let steam for about 20 minutes.

While that steams, let's make the spaetzle.


This recipe didn't make a lot. It was enough for three of us, so double if you need more.

In a bowl, put 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Mix up.


Make a well in the center and pour into the middle 1/4 cup milk.


And 2 eggs.


Use your fingers to mix everything together. Work in a circular motion until the dough pulls together.


It will be thick enough to coat your fingers. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.


Bring some water to a boil. Add some salt.


You're going to need a colander with wide holes. This is a colander I got for my wedding and have used it before to make spaetzel. They also sell something called a spaetzel hex. A special little gizmo to make perfect noodles. I highly suggest using that instead of this because it will go a lot faster.


Dump your batter in and use a spatula to press the batter through the holes into the boiling water.


Let them cook in the water for a few minutes.


Drain well.


Return to the pot and add a couple pats of butter and some finely chopped chives. Stir well and set aside.

Finally, let's make the wiener schnitzel!


Season your veal well. If you buy veal chops, you'll need to pound them with a mallet to flatten. I bought veal that was already sliced thin so I didn't need to do that step.


Coat with flour.


Dip in some egg.

Coat with some breadcrumbs.


Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Fry on both sides until golden brown. Since these are thin, they don't need to fry that long so make sure you don't let them go forever.


Just before serving, squeeze some lemon on top.


There you have it! A german fest to make anyone happy. Making all three of these dishes wasn't difficult. I had it all made within an hour. So if you're looking for something new to make for your family tonight... try this! Enjoy!

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_108q4mxkkhs

.clam chowder.

I have found that people either LOVE clam chowder, or they hate it with a passion. My sister, Marcia, doesn't like clam chowder, but she does like my chowder. It's that good. ;) The nice thing about soup is you can usually have it made and ready to eat within an hour. This recipe is just that and it is good.

I made cheddar muffins to go with them. Delicious. I added garlic powder to the recipe to give them a little more flavor and I cut back on the cheese. Yep... these will be a staple I think. If you are one of those people who is unsure about clam chowder, try this recipe. Maybe you'll become a convert. :)


Chop up one medium sized onion. (abt 1 cup)


Chop up 3 stalks of celery. (abt 1 cup)


Cut up 3 slices bacon.


Peel and cut into bite sized pieces, 6 white or yukon gold potatoes (abt 2 cups).


In a large soup pot, cook the bacon until halfway done. Add the potatoes, celery, and onion. Stir to coat the veggies.


Cook over medium heat until the potatoes start getting a glossy look, and the onions are almost translucent.


Add 4 cups chicken stock. You can probably see some large things in this picture. I didn't give my chicken stock time to thaw (I had some frozen) so I just stuck the whole thing in. Cover the pot with a lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. You need to cook it long enough for the potatoes to cook through.

Make sure you season well with salt and pepper.


In a bowl, put 2 cups milk and 1/4 cup flour.


Pour into the soup pot. If your flour/milk is lumpy, pour it through a sieve first. Kick the heat up a little so this will thicken. Once thick, remove from the heat.


You will need two cans minced clams. I like minced more than the regular because you don't get these huge pieces. It distributes better too when they're smaller. Drain the cans and add to the soup once it's thickened.


Add 1 Tbsp basil. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper. Let sit, covered, for another 5 minutes off the heat before serving. Enjoy!



Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_102dfcqj89v