Chinese Pork and Shrimp Wontons

My mom and my late grandmother both love wontons. As a child, we had wontons on a regular basis at home during the winter months. As a kid, I can't say I really loved wontons since I usually burnt my tongue trying to eat the little suckers; I am impatient when it comes to food.

I remember watching my mom and my late grandmother spend half a day making a big batch of wontons, most of which were frozen for future meals or for busy nights when dinners needed to be on the table quickly.

I never realized how easy it is to make wontons if you used packaged wrappers. Be forewarned though, making wontons does takes a little effort and time. The batch I made turned out 54 wontons and took me about an hour and half to make from start to finish. I made enough wontons for two meals that fed my family of three. You can also stretch the wontons by adding egg noodles to each serving, which reduces the amount of wontons you have to serve.

I have to say these wontons are absolutely delicious. The shrimp adds a nice texture to the wontons and my husband declared it the best wontons he has ever had. I'm delighted by his comment since my Mother-In-Law makes pretty darned good wontons. Since I spent my life eating wontons, I consider myself a wonton connoisseur, this wontons even met my high expectations. This is definitely a recipe I would remake over and over. I think these wontons would have made my late grandmother proud.

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 lb finely minced deveined unshelled shrimp
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 package of wonton wrappers (look for wonton wrappers that are a little thicker)

Bowl of water
Cutting board
Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix the pork, shrimp, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, egg and sesame oil. Stir until it is thoroughly mixed and the mixture resembles a paste.

2. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Set up your wonton wrapping station: cutting board, and a bowl filled with cold water.

Top left clockwise: baking sheet with parchment paper, pork and shrimp filling, wonton wrapper, water, cutting board.

3. With a small teaspoon, spoon a teaspoon of the filling into the center of the wonton. Seal the wonton with water. There are two ways I like to fold my wontons:

Method 1:

Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton wrappers. With the tip of your finger, dip it into the bowl of water and paint two adjoining edges with water so it forms a "V".

Fold the wonton in half into a triangle, making sure to squeeze out any air bubbles, press firmly and seal. Create an indent in the middle of the triangle.

Dab a little bit of water on one corner of the wonton, fold and seal. Place the wonton on the parchment paper.

Repeat with the remaining wontons. Wipe up any water from your cutting board with a paper towel.

Method 2:

Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper. With your finger tip, brush half of the edges with water so it forms a "U".

Fold the wonton in half into a rectangle, making sure to squeeze out any air bubbles, press firmly and seal. Create an indent in the middle of the rectangle where the filling is.

Dab a bottom corner with a little bit of water, fold and seal. Place the wonton on the parchment paper.

Repeat with the remaining wontons. Wipe up any water from your cutting board with a paper towel.

4. Place wontons on the baking sheet, making sure to leave a little space between each wonton. Repeat with the wrapping the remaining wontons.

To serve:

Ingredients
Chicken, pork, seafood or vegetable broth
Sesame oil
Wontons
Broccoli, bok choy or other green leafy vegetables
1 package of egg noodles (optional, see note below)
Green onions for garnish (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)

1. In a large pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add wontons to the pot, and reduce heat to medium. Cook the wontons for 3 to 4 minutes before adding in green vegetables (broccoli, shanghai bok choy) or chopped green onions. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to the broth and cook until the broth comes back to a boil, the vegetables are crisp tender and the wontons float. Ladle some soup and wontons into each bowl. I find that each adult needs about 9 to 11 wontons for a substantial meal and 6 to 8 wontons for a light meal.

If you want to serve egg noodles with the wontons, cook the noodles in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain and divide noodles between each bowl. Ladle soup and wontons into each bowl. If you are serving egg noodles along with wontons, you can serve less wontons for each person. I usually serve 5 wontons per adult if I am also serving egg noodles.

To Freeze:
Freeze wontons in a single layer on a cookie sheet for at least 3 to 4 hours. Once the wontons have frozen completely, you can place them in a Ziploc bag or freezer safe container. The wontons can be frozen in a freezer for up to 2 months. To cook the wontons straight from the freezer: place the frozen wontons directly into boiling broth and allow it to cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Source: Slightly adapted from China Sichuan Food

Classic BLT Sandwich

BLT sandwiches are as ubiquitous in the North American culture as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Writing a recipe for a BLT sandwich seems wrong as the name, BLT, (which stands for Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) pretty much indicates what is in the sandwich.

For those of my readers who are not familiar with the BLT sandwich, you are missing out. It's high time you tried this easy and delicious sandwich.

I believe there are a few key things that separates an average BLT sandwich from an amazing BLT sandwich. The most important thing is to use a hearty and thickly sliced bread. Sourcing good quality thick cut bacon and using real mayonnaise are my other two must haves. If you can, buy tomatoes in season as they taste more flavorful. For the lettuce, I like using romaine lettuce but you can use other varieties such as iceberg, butterhead or green leaf.

Quick and ready in under 10 minutes, this sandwich is perfect for those who want lunch in a hurry.

Ingredients
2 slices hearty bread
2 slices of thick cut bacon (can substitute turkey bacon)
2 slices of tomato
1 lettuce leaf, washed and dried
1 tbsp of mayonnaise

Directions
1. Toast the bread in a toaster until golden brown.

2. In a microwave or pan, cook the bacon. Try this tip to cook bacon in 90 seconds.

3. Spread the mayonnaise on both slices of bread. Place lettuce, then tomatoes on one slice of bread. Place the bacon on the other sliced bread. Place the mayonnaise/bacon side down and cut the sandwich in half.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Lemongrass Pork

We have avoided dining at Vietnamese restaurants for the past year. The last time we went, I ordered Pho, and my husband ordered his usual: Vietnamese rice noodle salad. As a precaution, we brought our little man's food with us, since we realized the risk of cross contamination is high with peanuts being used in Vietnamese dishes.

When my husband's rice noodle salad arrived, it was topped with a generous handful of chopped peanuts. We quietly freaked out and removed our little man from the restaurant, leaving my husband to scoop out the peanuts from his bowl and eat his meal in solitude.

To this day, we are still baffled how both of us forgot that Vietnamese rice noodle salads contain peanuts. We vowed not to put our family into that situation again and make Vietnamese food at home.

With a little help from the internet and a little planning, a peanut-free rice noodle salad was on our dinner table. The only exception was that this time around, our whole family had the chance to enjoy a safe meal together.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:

I usually serve this rice noodle salad after grilling a big batch of Vietnamese lemongrass pork. If you grill the pork the night before, this allows dinner to be ready in as short as 20 minutes as the grilled pork, pickles and dipping sauce are ready to go. All you have to do is heat the spring rolls, cook the noodles and assemble the dinner.

Serves: 8

Ingredients
1 package rice noodles
1 package of spring rolls
8 generous pieces of cooked Vietnamese lemongrass pork (try this recipe)
1 cucumber, sliced
1 head of lettuce, shredded (iceberg or romaine)
1 batch of Vietnamese carrot and daikon pickles (try this recipe)
1 batch of Vietnamese dipping sauce (try this recipe)
Sriracha hot sauce, to serve (optional)
Hoisin sauce, to serve (optional)
Mint, to serve (optional)

Directions
1. Prepare rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Different brands of rice noodles contain different ingredients. Always read the label!

2. Bake or pan fry the spring rolls according to package directions. Cut the spring rolls into bite-sized pieces.

Nut-free spring rolls from Costco Canada.

3. Heat the Vietnamese lemongrass pork in the microwave until warm. Slice thinly into bite-sized pieces.

4. Place rice noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Top each bowl with spring rolls, lemongrass pork, cucumber, shredded lettuce and Vietnamese carrot daikon pickles.

5. Serve with Vietnamese dipping sauce, sriracha hot sauce, hoisin sauce and mint.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Honey Thyme Glazed Ham

I have been seriously addicted to ham lately. One, ham is cost effective as it is one of the cheaper proteins you can purchase. Two, a leg of ham can be used for a variety of different meals, thus saving you time in the kitchen and gives your family a little variety. Three, it's ham! What's not to like about it?

I love trying out new baked ham recipes. This recipe yields in a juicy ham that looks the prettiest as it is speckled with thyme all over. The recipe is similar to the Honey Mustard Glazed Ham where you cover the ham in parchment paper and aluminium foil before baking. Then a glaze is brushed all over for a nice crispy crust.

If you like a sweeter ham, you might like this recipe for Baked Ham With Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze. Leave me a comment and let me know if you are a ham addict too!

Ingredients
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp dried thyme (2 tbsp fresh)
1 (12 to 14 pounds) bone-in ham
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. Place butter and thyme in a bowl. Cover with a plate or paper towel. Defrost on low in the microwave.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Line a roasting pan or glass baking pan with aluminium foil.

4. Discard wrapping and plastic end cap from ham. Using a knife, cut away any rind, fat or skin from the ham. Score the ham in a diamond pattern and place ham on the glass baking pan.

5. Cover the ham with parchment paper then cover with aluminium foil. Bake for 2-1/2 hours.

6. While the ham is cooking, boil vinegar in a small saucepan until it has reduced to 1 tablespoon. (Turn on your exhaust fan so your whole house does not smell like vinegar).

7. Remove the saucepan and stir in the honey, Worcestershire sauce and thyme butter. Set aside.

8. Discard foil and parchment from ham. If there is no liquid in the pan, add 1 cup of water.

9. Brush ham with half of the glaze, bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

10. Remove ham from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Bake until the glaze is golden-brown and the ham is heated through (about 30 to 45 minutes).

Source: Slightly adapted from Epicurious

Chinese Winter Melon Meatball Soup

As a child, I loved my mom's winter melon soup as it had flavorful meatballs, light broth and tender winter melons. My mom would always serve homemade Chinese steamed buns with her winter melon soup. It was one of my favorite meals growing up and I would frequently request it during the cold winter months.

When I saw winter melon on sale for $0.29/lb at Sunrise Market, the only thought that came to my mind on that wet rainy Sunday was my mom's winter melon meatball soup.

Like all Chinese moms, my mom does not use a recipe. Instead of calling her to ask her for her recipe rough measurements, I elected to use a recipe I found online. The soup I made tasted good and received great reviews from my husband (the non-soup person). This winter melon soup has a light mild flavored broth with flavorful and soft pork meatballs. The winter melon has been cooked tender and it was a nice soul warming soup for a cold and rainy day.

Even though the soup checked off all the same things that is in my mom's winter melon soup, it seemed to be missing something. Perhaps what was missing was my mom's labour of love. Food always tastes better when someone else makes it specially for you.

Ingredients
1/2 pound lean ground pork
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped (optional)
1-1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp freshly minced ginger
1 egg

6 cups pork or chicken broth
2 pounds Chinese winter melon (Dong Gua), skin peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 slices fresh ginger, cut into coins
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar

Directions
1. Mix pork, cornstarch, cilantro, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger and egg in a bowl. Using your hands, mix the meat mixture until it is thoroughly combined.

I made a double batch and used half for Chinese Braised Stuffed Tofu. :)

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine pork or chicken broth, winter melon, ginger, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. With a spoon or a cookie scoop, gently drop meatballs by the tablespoon into the soup. Stir the soup occasionally. Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the meatballs have fully cooked. Serve immediately.

Source: Slightly adapted from Allrecipes

Honey Mustard Glazed Ham

Life has been crazy busy these past three tumultuous weeks. I have been having a hard time keeping up with my blog posts on a daily basis but hopefully things settle down so I can get my groove back.

Onwards to a recipe!

I purchased a bone-in ham at the beginning of the month. Due to life having other plans, I did not get the chance to bake the ham as I had planned. This week my scheduled cleared up a little so I baked the ham.

I love baked ham as the leftovers can be transformed into many delicious meals: Hawaiian pizza (recipe coming soon), Ham and Potato Soup (recipe coming soon), and Ham and Cheese Sandwiches (recipe coming soon), to name a few.

This recipe has to be one of the best baked ham recipes I have tried. The ham had a crispy crust and juicy tender meat. Trimming off most of the fat off the ham is essential for a crisp crust; but don't over trim otherwise you will end up with a dry ham.

I will definitely make this recipe again!

Ingredients
9 pound smoked, bone-in ham
1 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions
1. Take the ham out of the refrigerator 30 minutes beforehand to allow it to rest at room temperature.

2. Remove plastic packaging and netting from the ham. Trim off any excess fat, leaving about 1/4 inch layer of fat.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Line a baking sheet with two large sheets of aluminium foil (be generous as it will make cleaning up easier). Place the ham, cut side down on the baking sheet. Cover the ham with a piece of parchment paper. Then tightly cover the ham and parchment paper with a piece of aluminium foil.

5. Place the ham on the lower third of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

6. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, mix the honey, mustard, brown sugar and butter together. Once the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, set aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.

7. Once the 45 minutes is up, remove the ham from the oven and increase the temperature to 425 degrees F. Discard the foil and parchment paper.

8. With a sharp knife, score a diamond pattern (no deeper than 1/4 inch) all over the ham.

9. Brush the ham with a third of the glaze and return the ham back to the oven. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven and brush with another third of the glaze. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until a dark golden-brown crust has formed.

12. Allow the ham to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.

Source: Slightly adapted from Chow

How to Freeze Individual Servings of Bacon

We love bacon in our household. So much so that I purchase bacon when it is on sale and freeze the whole package until we need it. This presents a problem when I only need a few strips of bacon for a recipe. What I used to do was defrost the whole package of bacon and eat the rest. Is this a first world problem?

But wouldn't it be nice if you could stretch that package of bacon a little more and freeze them individually?

Here's a neat trick I saw a few years ago online which works well when you only need a few strips of bacon.

IngredientPackage of bacon, fresh

Materials
Plastic wrap
Ziploc bag

Directions
1. Take bacon out of the package. Roll two slices of bacon together tightly and place on a plate. Repeat.

2. Wrap each bundle of rolled bacon tightly with plastic wrap. Insert into Ziploc bag and squeeze out any air inside the bag. Label and date. Freeze for up to 3 months.

3. When ready to use, thaw out the bacon in the fridge or defrost in the microwave.

Taiwanese Meat Sauce (Chinese Spaghetti)

I bought a Costco sized pack of ground pork which needed to be used up. Initially, I had intended to make wontons with it but life got in the way.

I searched the Internet for some recipes and most of the pork recipes seem to be more complicated than I had time for, or needed ingredients that I did not have on hand.

Then I stumbled across a Taiwanese Meat Sauce recipe. It was just the recipe I was looking for: quick to prepare plus I had all of the ingredients on hand. It was a tasty meal that we'll sure to make again.

Ingredients
454 g fresh or dried noodles (I used spaghetti) or rice
3/4 cup reserved shitake mushroom liquid or vegetable broth
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp light (regular) soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cooking oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
120 g dried shitake mushrooms*

Cornstarch Slurry
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

*Note: If you do not have shitake mushrooms, you can use fresh portabello, cremini or white button mushrooms.

Directions
1. In a big bowl, soak the dried shitake mushrooms with just enough hot water to cover. Place a plate over the bowl and allow the mushrooms to soak for 30 minutes. Reserve liquid. Wash the mushroom under running water, squeeze dry and dice.

2. Boil water in a large pot and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain.

3. Combine 3/4 cup of reserved shitake liquid, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, five spice powder and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

4. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add oil.

5. Stir in the onion and cook until it is translucent.

6. Stir in the ground pork and cook until it is no longer pink.

7. Create a space in the middle of the pan to cook the garlic. Stir fry until it is fragrant.

8. Add in the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft.

9. Pour in the liquid mixture, stir and bring the contents to a simmer.

10. In a small bowl, mix corn starch and cold water. Create a well in the middle of the mixture and add the corn starch slurry. Bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot over noodles or rice.

Source: Slightly adapted from Steamy Kitchen

Cook Bacon in 90 Seconds

Happy meatless Monday. Remember that spaghetti squash I posted yesterday in order to attempt to eat healthier? Well, today's Monday and Mondays, are not very popular in this household. Mondays could use a little help.

How does one make Monday better?

Eat bacon; plain and simple. It is even better if the bacon is ready to eat in 90 seconds so you can add it to your breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. This is a great recipe for anyone who just needs a couple strips of bacon or a nice "healthy" snack. ;) As I told someone recently, I love any bacon, including Kevin. :)

I am sure this will definitely cure your Monday blues too.

2 strips of bacon, microwaved for 3 minutes (180 seconds).

Ingredients
1 bacon strip

Directions
1. Place a strip of bacon on a plate and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on high for 90 seconds until the bacon is cooked. For each additional strip of bacon, add 90 seconds.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

TIP

• If you own a cast iron pan, you can season your cast iron with the rendered bacon fat.

Roast Pork Loin with Garlic, Rosemary and Thyme

I am a huge fan of roasts. One, it tastes delicious. Two, it is a time saver for subsequent meals. Lastly, when roasts are purchased on sale, it is economical. I usually like to purchase a large pork loin and split it into four roasts, which equals to about 12 meals for our family of 3. I purchased an 11 pound roast for $26; this averages out to about $2.20 per meal (not including sides).

This roast pork loin recipe is easy to assemble and ready in under an hour. The pork loin remains juicy and is cooked to a nice medium to medium well. The only thing I would change is that I would sear the pork loin in my cast iron first before roasting as I love a golden crust.

Ingredients
6 large garlic cloves, finely minced
6 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 3 tsp dried rosemary
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt or coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2-1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of most fats

Directions
1. Take pork loin roast out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to allow the meat come to room temperature. This allows the meat to cook evenly.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

3. Line the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminium foil.

4. Mix garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.

5. Rub the mixture all over the pork.

6. Place the pork loin roast, fat side down in the roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes.

7. Take the roast out of the oven, turn the roast so the fat side is up. Roast until the thermometer inserted into the center reaches 160 degrees F, about 25 minutes.

8. Remove roast from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with mashed potatoes or rice. Reserve pan drippings for gravy.

Source: Slightly adapted from Epicurious