Spicy Orange Shrimp and Snow Peas

Have you ever experienced one of those stop-in-your-tracks, must-have-it-now cravings? Well, that's me every single time I think about chinese takeout. It's my one weakness that I've absolutely loved since I was a kid. We only had takeout when something fun was happening: a birthday, a visit to my Aunt Nancy's, a girls-night out with my Mom. It was something we always had to celebrate! 

It's certainly great for celebrating considering most of it has enought MSG to keep our bodies well salted for literally days. In my efforts to continue to be a healthy gal, I try not to order it often now! While I do splurge now and again, I've been trying to recreate my favorites at home. Today's recreation was a spicy take on shrimp and snow peas mixed with my personal favorite, orange chicken. I did a combining of the two for a much healthier, affordable and delicious recipe! You can certainly sub out some of the spicy stuff if that's not your thing. Swap the chili oil for stir fry or peanut oil, swap the chili sauce for honey and leave out the chili flakes. That will give you the same dish, just without the spice. 

I love plating and garnishing my homemade dishes. It makes it feel like restaurant-quality! 

Keep in mind, this sauce I've created can be used on any of your favorite proteins. Whether it's tofu, chicken, pork or beef, this makes a great, less-guilty sticky-style sauce that will curb your takeout cravings. 

Ingredients

For the Shrimp and Snow Peas:

1 bag raw, deveined, tail-off shrimp (I used small 60-80 count because they are always $5 at Walmart!)

2 cloves fresh garlic

1-2 spring onions 

1 bag fresh snow peas 

Sauce necessities!

For the Sauce:

1/2 sugar free orange marmalade (could use sugared but makes it lighter with this kind!)

1/2 sweet chili sauce

1/4 low sodium soy sauce (add more if you like salty food - I am not a fan of super salty)

1 splash (probably 2 tbsp) rice vinegar

1 tbsp chili oil 

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili flakes

1 - 2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in a splash of cold water

Directions:

1.) Thaw frozen shrimp in collander by running cold water over them for 3-6 minutes. Place in a quart size ziploc bag. Set aside.

2.) In a small mixing bowl, add orange marmalade, chili sauce, soy sauce,  rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and chili together. Whisk until combined. Pour 3/4 of the batch over the thawed shrimp the bag. Marinate for approximately 30mins to an hour. Reserve the last 1/4 for the cooking process.

3.) Drizzle medium size skillet with stir fry oil. Add two cloves of minced garlic over medium heat. Sweat the garlic for about 2 minutes. Add in snow peas. Saute for 3-4 mins so they are still crisp and keep their bright green color. Take out of pan and set aside. 

Garlic sauteeing!

4.) Over medium high heat, dump marinading shrimp and excess mix from the bag into a skillet. When shrimp begin to turn pink, stil continuously adding the remaining sauce. 

Raw shrimp mix!

5.) When shrimp are almost done - completely pink and firm throughout, dissolve one tbsp of cornstarch into a splash of cold water. Bring the sauce to a boil with the shrimp and add cornstarch. Turn back the heat and allow to thicken. May require doing this once or twice. 

Perfectly bubbly sauce!

5.) Serve shrimp over top of garlic snow peas and enjoy! 

In Good Taste,

-Karen

My Grandma's Box

I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't inherently drawn to anything and everything edible. Food has fascinated me from my first memory; the magic and art of its adaptability, the way it draws us together, the intricate processes of its sourcing, how we each interpret it differently - there is something about it that has undeniably preserved my childlike sense of wonder. 

Our history with food as Americans, at least in my lifetime, has seemed to dull the sparkle of what once was nothing less than the purest of arts. I've heard my Grandma recite how she could awake in the morning and make a fresh batch of biscuits without laying a finger on a measuring cup. Who in my generation can do that? I can't even tell you what's all in a homemade biscuit. I understand that times have certainly changed since Grandma could sling Crisco and flour together and magically make perfect biscuits seven days a week. Women are no longer confined to simply domestic duties, we've seemed to part with the majority of our agricultural roots and well, life just moves faster now. Fast and convienent foods have taken center stage in our diets as a culture, leaving the days of kitchen DIYs a thing of the past. Rarely do you see my generation passing handwritten recipes to family, give culinary gifts at holiday celebrations and tucking our baking tips in to novels we lend to our friends. While the technological revolution has been a wonderful part of my generation, its obvious that our instant-gratification needs are spilling over to our culinary (or lack there of) creativity. We've become accustomed to having what we want immediately. 

In an effort to slow down in my own life, I have been thinking a lot about how my love for food could help me do just that. My Grandma gave me a box of old recipes that she's written and collected over her lifetime. From Wisconsin to New York to good ole St. Mary's County, Maryland, this box is a curration of culinary creativity spanning from people all across the United States. As I thumbed through the sticky, plastic sheeted recipe cards, I noticed that so many of the recipes take not hours but days. Days devoted to one dish. 14 day pickles, 90 day wine, 3 day ice box cake, etc. I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around tending to pickles for 14 days. 

Here's the first look at some of the recipes I will be crafting from the box. 

Over the course of this summer, I will be making at least one recipe from my Grandma's box each week and sharing them with you right here. In between, I'll also begin to write down my own recipes and start currating a collection that I can someday pass down to my children. As a writer, I cling to the preservation of written word as not only a creative outlet but more importantly, as the purest form of pickling history. See what I did there? A little kitchen wit to get you excited for my summer behind the stove! 

Love these little vintage recipe cards I scored for $0.25 at at yard sale!

I hope you come by each week and check out what I've brought back from my culinary past. Who knows? Maybe you'll want to whisk through yours, too. 

In Good Taste,

-Karen 

Perfect Potluck Dishes

  

We recently had a potluck at work and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out some new summertime appetizers. These recipes are all along the lines of "whatever I have in the fridge." These three dishes can be easily prepped the night before a party or potluck and they all withstand the brutal summer weather very well. They all three seemed to be crowd pleasers- especially the fruit brushetta! 

Spicy Tropical Brushetta

Ingredients:

1 pint of strawberries

1 peach

1 small mango

1/2 medium sweet onion

1-2 jalapeno peppers (optional)

3 tbsp fresh basil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground red pepper (optional)

Directions:

1.     Rinse all fruits, basil and peppers.              
   
   
   
2.     Finely chop strawberries, peach, mango and fresh basil. Place all contents in a medium-mixing bowl.
3.     Add finely chopped jalapeno and onions
4.     Add in balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and ground red pepper.
5.     Serve cold with goat cheese and crackers or a french baguette.

Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

 3 vine ripe tomatoes

1 ball fresh mozzarella

1 bunch fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar/olive oil

Directions:

1.         Rinse tomatoes and fresh basil under cold water.
2.         Slice tomatoes and mozzarella approximately ¼ inch 
3.         Pluck fresh basil leaves from stems. 
4.         Layer tomato, basil, and mozzarella on a plate.
5.         Drizzle with olive oil and or balsamic vinegar.

Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread

Ingredients:

1 package of Garlic naan bread (2 pieces)

1 Bartlett pear

1/3 cup of Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

1 red onion

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tbsp butter

Olive Oil

Directions:

1.      Rinse pear and slice into 1/8 inch slices.
2.      Peel and thinly slice the entire red onion.
3.      Over medium heat, add the slice red onion. Cook on medium for approximately 5 minutes, once the onions begin to become translucent, add balsamic vinegar and sugar. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Set aside when onions have caramelized.
4.     Add sliced pears to the pan that the onions were cooked in. No need to clean in between; it will season the pears well. Cook on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.
5.     Rub naan bread with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. 
6.     Arrange cooled pears and onions evenly across the flatbread. Add chopped green onions, pecans and Gorgonzola crumbles.
7.     Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-14 minutes or until the crust becomes brown and slightly crispy. Note- Gorgonzola cheese does not melt like traditional softer cheeses so do not wait for the cheese to melt!  

Egg Roll Extravaganza

This morning I woke up to a message from my Mom inviting me over for homemade egg rolls: best news ever! It has probably been about five years since we've made these so I was extremely excited. Growing up, we would do this once or twice a year; this was always one of my favorite meals that we made when I was a kid. Call me biased but I definitely think that homemade egg rolls are way better than the ones we normally get in Chinese takeout. These are so incredibly fresh and if you fry them they are perfectly crunchy without being overly greasy. Heaven! Since we ended up with extra wrappers, we also made our version of Crab Rangoon and then I finished up the egg roll extravaganza evening by throwing together a Baked Apple Pie Roll (I will post these two recipes separately!).

"Your Way" Egg Rolls

I call these "your way" because this recipe is extremely versatile. You can make these with meat or they can be completely vegetarian, you can add really any veggie for filling and you can either bake or fry them. Talk about options! We did a batch of veggie, some of which we baked and the rest we froze to eat later. These do fantastic in the freezer! We also did another batch using beef in addition to our veggie filling we fried most of these and baked just a few. 

Ingredients:
2 packages of egg roll wrappers (20 per pack)
1 pound of ground beef or pork
3 large carrots
1 medium white onion
1 bunch of spring onions
1 head of green cabbage
2 cups of chopped mushrooms (we used dried and then reconstituted them)
1 can of bean sprouts
1 can of water chesnuts
1 small piece of ginger root
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 cup of soy sauce
Salt & Pepper
Small bowl of water (for sealing wrappers)


Directions:
1.   If you plan to bake your egg rolls, preheat your oven to 375 degrees; if you are going to fry them, either prepare your oil in a frying pan or pull out your good ole deep fryer (that's what we did!).

2.   Start by finely chopping all of your veggies. You can certainly use a food processor to do this but we did it the old fashioned way.

• Grate the cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic and fresh ginger.
• Finely chop the spring onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms. 

3.    Using a large mixing combine all your chopped veggies. Open the can of bean sprouts and drain them well; if you are watching your sodium intake you can certainly rinse them before adding them to your veggie mix.

4.   Generously season your veggie mix with soy sauce, pepper and salt if needed. You could also add Chinese five spice powder at this time if you have it on hand (we did not).

Veggie Filling

Veggie & Beef Filling

5.    If you are making veggie egg rolls- it is time to begin the wrapping process!

If you are making meat egg rolls- take your meat of choice and season it with salt and pepper; cook it completely through either via the microwave or by sauteing over the stove-top. 

The Art of the Wrap

If you plan on frying your egg rolls, it is crucial that they are wrapped up tightly to avoid oil splatter. Keep in mind, you must find a delicate balance between too tight and too loose of your wrap. This is always a simple process of trial and error. 

1. Place approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of filling on the center of your wrapper.

1. Fold the bottom corner diagonally toward the top and then fold in each side, being sure to tuck in the corners to prevent spillage of your filling. 

1. Dip your finger in water and trace the top edge of the wrapper; just as if you were sealing an envelope. 

1. Slowly roll toward the top seal and place egg roll seal side down. 
   

Here are our first batch of the veggie rolls! Once your rolling is complete, fry or bake away! 

Momma's Rum Cake

The holiday season is all about the sweets in my household. My mom has a fantastic recipe for rum cake that I thought I would share with y'all. I'd consider it "semi-homemade" because it calls for a box mix but you could certainly substitute with a real deal recipe for your favorite yellow or butter flavored cake. This is a super simple and insanely delicious cake!

There is something so comforting about using a rustic looking recipe card...

What you'll need:

Cake:
1 box of butter cake mix (yellow works fine too)
3 eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of white or golden rum (we use Bacardi Gold)
1/2 cup of water
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Glaze:
1 stick of real sweet cream butter 
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup of rum


Putting it all together:

1. The most important part of this entire recipe is to grease and flour the bundt pan extremely well. Take this from my own experience, your cake will forever rest in your pan if this is missed! This step becomes crucial during the "big reveal" aka the flip at the end of your baking journey. 
2. Next, prepare your dry ingredients just as would make a normal box cake. Don't forget to add the box of pudding mix! It makes the cake incredibly moist; it is definitely the secret weapon of this recipe. 
3. Once your cake batter is all mixed up, take your nuts and sprinkle them evenly around the bottom of the pan. They will form a nice looking crust at the top your cake!
4. Pour the batter evenly into the pan and place it in the oven at 325 degrees for approximately 50 minutes.

Creating the Glaze

Important: You want to glaze your cake while it's still hot so you should start making your glaze just as your cake is about 1-2 minutes from being done. The glaze is really simple and it is actually quite versatile too! You could really use this on any cake. 

My mom and I had a bunch of oranges so we thought it might be nice to add in some fresh orange zest and a splash of orange extract. You could easily swap this out for flavors like lemon or almond. The cake tastes awesome regardless!

1. In a sauce pan on medium heat, drop in your stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of rum.
2. Bring the butter, sugar and rum mix to boil and stir continuously for two minutes (no more, no less- this is just how it is!). The mix will bubble and steam so don't be alarmed! 
3. Once you have boiled and stirred for two minutes, pour the glaze first around the edges of the cake in the pan, working your way toward the center. 
4. After the cake has settled and cooled for twenty minutes, it will be time to do the "big reveal" aka the flip!

Drum roll please... 

TAAADAAA!

 The final product! I must say, this cake is equally as delicious served straight from the oven as it is the next morning with a warm cup of coffee. Breakfast of champions, my friends!