Pot stickers & Dipping Sauce

These are the best pot stickers ever ... for real. I kinda make up different ways to fold and wrap the meat in the wonton skin as I go, it kinda makes it fun. They have a lot of prep though so if you don't want to bother with the pot stickers you should at least make the sauce sometime and eat it with frozen pot stickers because it is amazing!! This makes LOTS of pot stickers I usually use a whole package of wonton skins for this recipe.

Pot Stickers (Recipe from Aunt Alissa)
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork
2-3 green onion, chopped
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
½ tsp. chili oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 carrot, finely grated
1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
1 cup Nappa Cabbage, chopped
Won ton wrappers
2 T. vegetable oil, for frying.

1. Chop green onion and nappa cabbage. Then, mince your garlic and grate your carrots. Peel and finely grate your ginger.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ground pork, green onion, egg yolk, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili oil, soy sauce, carrots, ginger, garlic, and cabbage.
3. Drop small spoonful amounts onto your wonton wrappers.
4. Then, wet the edges of your wonton wrappers with water. Make sure you press out all of the air and fold them shut into desired shape to seal them.
5. Place pot stickers in a frying pan with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and 2 T. vegetable oil. Turn stove to medium heat. Let the water start to simmer then cover your pan.
6. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until water starts to evaporate and the wonton skins looks translucent.
7. Then, take off the lid and allow the water to completely evaporate. Let the pot stickers cook over medium heat until the bottoms are golden brown, and then lift them up off of the pan with a spatula. Serve with pot sticker dipping sauce.

Pot sticker Dipping Sauce (Recipe from: Aunt Alissa)
Ingredients:
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tsp. sugar
1-2 green onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
¼ tsp. sesame oil
¼ tsp. chili oil
Dash of garlic powder
Small handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1. Finely chop your green onion and cilantro. Then, peel your ginger and finely grate it. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, green onion, ginger, sesame oil, chili oil, garlic powder and add cilantro just before serving. It tastes better the longer it sits

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

This is a good ol' traditional casserole dish. Nothing fancy but really yummy. It warms my belly and makes my heart happy.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole (Recipe from: Sherrel Geilmann)

2-3 Cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup cooked rice (I usually cook 1/2 cup uncooked rice and it comes out to be about 1 cup)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Topping:

1 pkg. uncooked Stovetop Stuffing

2 T. melted butter

1/2 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook chicken breasts in simmering water over medium- medium high heat until cooked through then shred. I use two forks to shred the chicken.
3. Combine chicken, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, sour cream and rice. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread chicken mixture into an 8 x 8 baking dish.
5. Combine stuffing, melted butter and chicken broth.
6. Spread on top of chicken mixture.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until stuffing is lightly golden brown.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

This is a recipe from Pioneer Woman that I love! She calls it Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich (her husband) but is basically a good ol' steak sandwich. Her original recipe with lots of pictures is HERE. I changed a couple of things when I made it like adding peppers and cheese but its basically the same recipe. We made some fresh cut fries with our deep fryer (I'm slightly ashamed to admit I own one, but I do not regret it!) to eat with our sandwiches.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches: (Adapted recipe from Pioneer Woman)

Yield: EASILY feeds 2 adults

1 lb. Cube steak (Round steak that's been extra tenderized; It almost looks like ground beef in the package but its steak)

Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1 Onion, thinly sliced

1 Green pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup or 4 T.)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

French/Deli rolls

Provolone Cheese

1. Turn oven to broil.
2. Slice onions and peppers and cook in 2 T. butter over medium-medium high heat until onions are soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.
3. Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.
4. Heat 1 T. butter over medium high heat (in same skillet) until melted. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.
5. Add 1/4 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce and 1 T. butter. Add cooked onions and peppers. Stir to combine.
6. Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.
7. To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on baking pan. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with provolone cheese and broil in the oven until melted. Then eat it all gone-y!

Cranberry Hooty-whaty?

Over Christmas break my friend Stacie (who is a Kindergarten teacher) got one of those fancy cookie in a jar gifts from one of her students. So she decided to share them with us when we were visiting with them and I couldn't believe how yummy they were! I think that it might have been the first time that I have actually eaten cookies from a jar but I was impressed. I decided I wanted to make some but the recipe online is for how to make the jar version. So, HERE is the recipe if you want to make them into cookie in a jar gifts. Or if you want to make them "fat girl" style like me here is what I did:

Cranberry Hootycreeks

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup plus 2 T. flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I did 1/4 cup white chocolate and 1/4 cup semisweet because I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate which the recipe calls for but they taste pretty good in this recipe; I also think it would be yummy to use those swirly white/semi sweet chocolate chips)

1. Soften butter to room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. Cream together butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended.
5. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to brown.
7. Cool on baking sheets or wire racks.

Cranberry Orange Rolls

These are the yummiest rolls ever. My sister in law Elizabeth makes them each Christmas and they make my mouth water just thinking about them. You can make them cinnamon roll style or crescent style.

*Give yourself about 2.5 hours from start to finish*

Cranberry-Orange Rolls (Recipe from Elizabeth Weight)

Rolls
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup warm water
1 1/3 cup scalded milk
1/3-1/2 cup shortening
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
4-6 cups unsifted bread flour (I usually use about 5)

Filling
¼ cup softened butter
½ cup sugar
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
1/3 cup fresh cranberries

Icing2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
Dash of salt

1. To make rolls, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in ½ cup warm water.
2. Scald milk and add shortening to it while hot, then cool the mixture. Once the mixture has cooled, add it and add the remaining ingredients to the yeast mixture.
3.  Mix well until dough develops a slight sheen (dough should be pliable and fairly soft). The dough should form a ball so if you need to add more flour do so in small increments. I use a kitchenaid mixer on speed 4 and knead (using the kneading attachment) the ingredients for about 2 minutes. The dough ball should not be too sticky and should have a slight sheen to it. The dough will still stick to the bottom of the bowl and if you poke it with your finger it will pull apart from the dough but wont totally stick to your finger.  You may have some dough residue on your finger though.  Cover and let dough rise until it doubles.
4. While dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the cranberries are chopped but not pureed.
5. Divide dough in half. Take one half and roll the dough out on a floured surface into a circle and coat the surface with the cranberry filling. Then cut dough into 16 equal sections, like a pie. Roll up each triangular section, starting at the wide ends to make crescents.
6. Place rolls on two generously greased cookie sheets, and cover. Allow to rise until dough looks puffy and light (about 30 min).
7. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. While they are baking, prepare the icing.
8. Mix together powdered sugar, juice, zest, and a dash of salt. Generously drizzle icing over rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven or just before serving.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

We made like 10 lb.. of potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner for about 17 people and we have probably half of the bowl left over. I guess we are going to be eating mashed potatoes for like a month straight ...

My deluxe mashed-potato makin' tool.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes (serves 4-6)

2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes (they are the best for mashed potatoes)

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cold butter

Salt (I just keep adding salt at the end until it tastes good)

Directions:

1. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. You want the chunks uniform in size so the cooking time is even.
2. Place potatoes in a large saucepan or pot. Cover potatoes with water.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer uncovered.
4. Mix occasionally so the potatoes get evenly cooked.
5. Cook until a knife or fork slips in easily about 20-30 min.
6. Warm milk on stove over medium heat or in the microwave.
7. Cut up butter into small pieces and place in serving bowl.
8. I use a potato ricer so that they are extra smooth to mash them but you can use an electric mixer, hand masher, Kitchen-aid, etc.
9. Mix potatoes with butter. Add milk in a slow stream and mix. Add salt until it reaches desired amount.

Vanilla Bean Whip Cream

The yummiest whip cream ever. Once you have real whip cream you can never go back to store bought. So only make this if you are willing to accept the risks.

The Holy Grail of Vanilla extracts ... Vanilla bean PASTE. It is kinda like extract but is more syrupy and has vanilla bean specks in it. Trust me, you need it. I got mine from Williams Sonoma but I'm sure you could find it online or other places

Vanilla Bean Whip Cream

1 cup heaving whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar (I use normal sugar because my mom always made it that way but most people use powdered sugar)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

1. Slowly add ingredients to whipping cream while you whip with electric mixer or beaters until fluffy.