#3 - Spring Rolls

These are spring rolls that are incredibly easy to make and require not very many ingredients. They are also healthier for you than restaurant egg rolls or spring rolls because you can use turkey if you like, and they are pan-fried rather than deep fried.

Easy Spring Rolls

1 lb package of ground turkey or pork
1 jicama, diced
1/2 head of cabbage, diced
1 or 2 packages (depending on the count) spring roll wrappers
1 egg
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Oyster sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

1. Put the oil on the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat and brown the garlic. Add the meat and brown it, only a few minutes. When it's cooked, add the cabbage and jicama and mix thoroughly.

2. When the veggies have begun to cook down, start adding the sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Depending on how strong you want the flavors to be, you can add just 2 tbsp or more than that. I usually just eyeball how much sauce I want, if it doesn't look (or smell... or taste) like enough then I add another splash.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste and let the mixture simmer for about 10 more minutes or until the cabbage has been completely cooked through.

4. Quickly beat the egg in a small bowl, you will use this to close the spring rolls when you are done folding them. It's best to just bring the skillet you cooked the filling in directly to the table or counter where you will assemble the spring rolls themselves.

5. Put a spoonful of the filling on each wrapper, then fold the sides together and roll them closed, using some of the egg mixture to seal it shut. The way I tend to roll mine they turn out more flat than round; this makes it easier to cook them in the pan.

6. When all the filling has been used up (or all the wrappers), simply spray some cooking oil or margarine on a skillet and throw the spring rolls on, cooking them until the skins are just slightly browned on each side.



It's my birthday on Friday, but I'm not really planning on doing anything fancy. I might cook myself my own birthday dessert though, hahaha...

#2: Tomato Beef Chow Mein

Tomato Beef Chow Mein

Sauce:
1 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 lb top sirloin, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
Vegetable oil
Rice cooking wine
Soy sauce

Note: As for the noodles, any brand of dried Chinese egg noodles will do. They usually come in large boxes at the Asian market, so buy a box and you can fry up as many batches as you like, it tastes great without sauce too.

1. Marinate the beef with a splash of cooking wine and soy sauce plus salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.

2. Before you start cooking the sauce, start heating a large pot of water for the noodles.

3. Heat enough oil to cover a medium size skillet and brown the garlic. Then add the beef and stir fry until cooked. Next, add the tomatoes and peppers and mix well. Wait until the mix comes to a boil, then add the cornstarch and stir. Let simmer over low heat for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Boil the noodles (I usually put 2 or 3 handfuls of dried noodles in a large pot) and strain as soon as they are finished. Heat another pan with some oil, when it gets hot add the noodles and fry until the edges are crispy. Serve immediately with the sauce on top.


This is a recipe my mom would make for me quite often, I usually have all of the ingredients on hand except for the beef. The brand of Chinese noodles I buy if I can is called "Quon Yick Noodles" and is sold at Asian markets and even sometimes other stores like Smart & Final, but like I said earlier any kind of Chinese egg noodle will work just as fine.


I dug out the George Foreman grill and made another panini with it, it turned out excellent. I bought the pesto from Trader Joe's instead of making my own, theirs is my favorite jar pesto and it will definitely work in a pinch if you don't have the time to make your own.

#1 - Experiments

Success: Today I tried making Rosemary Lemon Chicken from I Found Happy. My siblings demanded that I use chicken breasts instead of thighs, so it turned out to be drier than if I had gone with thighs, but it was still delicious.

In addition, the garlic mashed potatoes I made to go along with it per recommendation of the recipe were fantastic. Khursten advised me to steep some garlic in melted butter and mix that in with the potatoes and it turned out great. Do try it next time you've got potatoes lying around! My sister and her boyfriend dubbed me "Iron Chef" of the house for these, seriously.

Failure (mostly): I also tried making a panini just using a regular iron skillet for lunch, but I don't think I used enough cheese. In any case, you only need three or four ingredients to make a delicious panini:

- A good quality loaf of sourdough or ciabatta rolls
- A fresh ball of mozzarella
- Good quality bacon
- Any type of sliced meat, or sliced tomatoes.

My 20th birthday is coming up and I might ask for a grill pan. They're so multi-purpose, I can't wait to get those lovely grill marks for my next attempts.

Testing, 1 2 3

Misadventures coming soon!