Baked Pork Egg Rolls

I made the most delicious food this week.

Each new recipe I tried not only was a success, but was so good I wanted to make it again and again and again.

That doesn't always happen you know.



Sometimes (or you know, every single night) I spend hours on pinterest pinning and reading all these beautiful and delicious recipes....and then I never make them.

Or I make them and they turn out like crap.
Or I make them, but change all of the ingredients and they turn out delicious!

On that note...

BIGGEST INTERNET RECIPE PET PEEVE EVER: When someone comments on a recipe that it was so gross and they'd never make it again or it was ridiculously hard and impossible even for a genius....BUT THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW ANY OF THE DIRECTIONS!

OR

THEY CHANGED HALF THE INGREDIENTS!

Ok, listen. You have all the right in the world to use whatever ingredients or technique you so choose...
BUT if someone posts a recipe saying "this is good if you use this and do it this way"....you really don't have the right to change everything and then give the original recipe a bad review.

This hasn't happened to me.

But every time I read a recipe I read the comments to see what the general feedback is and there's always that one person that's like "Well I changed the first five ingredients...and I didn't cook it as long as you said. I definitely will not recommend this recipe to anyone!"

So please...change all the ingredients if you want (I do it all the time.) Experiment with cooking time. Change it however you want...but know that if it turns out super disgusting, it might not be the ORIGINAL recipes fault.

I'm just saying....

Ok I'll get off my little rant. I started out trying to tell you that I always read pinterest recipes and never try them. And this week all the ones I tried were AMAZING.

Starting with these baked egg rolls.

My husband and I rarely eat any fried food. But I have a thing for asian food, specifically all the asian food that is fried.

So a recipe that is baked (and therefore must be in the "incredibly healthy"category) is worth trying.



Also, unlike Spring Rolls these egg rolls are REALLY easy to make. (I'm not dissing the spring rolls, but those took forever to roll.) It just takes a little water on the corners of the egg roll wrappers and they roll right up. 



The original recipe didn't include any pork, but I wanted the egg rolls to be a bit more filling so I decided to add ground pork.

Super great addition!

I'm usually not a huge fan of egg rolls with just cabbage.
Egg rolls with pork...YES.



Serve with rice and dipping sauce. I made a 50/50 soy/rice vinegar dipping sauce and bought a bottle of sweet chili sauce (my fav!)

Baked Pork Egg Rolls

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1 bag cole slaw
1 pkg egg roll wrappers
Kikkoman garlic teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Put the coleslaw in a microwave safe bowl with a very small splash of water and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain any extra liquid.

 Brown the ground pork. Season and pour a splash of the garlic teriyaki in right before it's completely cooked (I just poured some in, it was probably a couple tablespoons at most) just so it's slightly flavored but not completely wet.

In a large bowl mix the cooked ground pork, heated coleslaw, garlic, ginger, a little salt and pepper, and a splash of soy sauce. Place a bit of filling in the center of each egg roll wrapper. Keep a small bowl of water next to you and with your finger rub a little water around each corner. Fold three corners in and then roll towards the remaining corner. Make sure the inside of that last corner has water on it so when it wraps around it will stick to the roll.

Place the egg rolls on a greased baking sheet and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.

Bake 15 minutes and then flip the egg rolls. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes before serving. Serve with sweet chili sauce or soy.

These were best served fresh, although I had a few left over that I reheated the next day and they tasted fine. The wrapper just wasn't as crispy.

Recipe adapted from: Joyful Abode

Banana Bread

There's something about starting a blog that requires you to write in it sometimes. 

Oh yea. 

It's that you are required to write in it sometimes. 

I guess I got confused. 

But really I just got busy. Once summer rolls around stuff happens, people travel, amazing and wonderful things take place. And I find myself avoiding the computer. I live in Michigan, so you have to understand that we get approximately three months (and three months only) where the weather reaches temperatures ABOVE 40. It's amazing. 

So I hope you will understand when I show up late for the blog party. Or whatever. 

IT'S SUMMER! 

All of that being said, I have still been cooking and baking. (And eating.) 

Check out this banana bread! 

Banana bread is not a very "summery" treat. I know. I get it.

BUT I had overripe bananas in my freezer and a late night craving. So bear with me. 

I hope you know about overripe bananas. But hey, if you don't it's okay. I'll tell you. 

When your bananas get brown and gross looking...toss them in the freezer. Then when you are laying on the couch at 11 o'clock at night and suddenly need banana bread slathered in homemade cinnamon honey butter, you'll be prepared. 

Toss the frozen bananas in a warm water bath for 5 or so minutes and when they thaw you can squeeze the banana goo out of the peels for perfect banana bread. 

(I know...banana goo is not the most appetizing description...especially when my job is to make this appetizing. But I'm just calling it like it is.)

So I've made this recipe like 400 times and every single time my husband has eaten it without complaint. No problems. 

He's usually really easy to please like that. As long as the rice is fully cooked and I haven't over garlickified something (although he's warming up to my strong obsession with too much garlic) he's usually pretty happy.

But this time he took one bite and said, "this has walnuts in it?!?!" like I had taken his least favorite food and stuffed it in his favorite food just to be mean. 

Note to self: apparently my husband doesn't like walnuts in his bread. My bad.

Anywho, it turns out that was the only problem with this banana bread. The optional addition of walnuts. 

So make this banana bread. 

Nuts or not.

Summer or not.

Just make it. 

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

10 tbsp plus 1 tsp butter

3 mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Lightly grease a bread pan with 1 tsp of the butter. Puree the bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fixed with a whisk attachment. Add the remaining 10 tbsp of butter and mix on medium-low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the banana mixture in 3 batches, scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing on medium speed between each addition. Fold in the nuts.

Pour into the loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe slightly adapted from: FoodNetwork.com

But seriously, add the walnuts. 

Guacamole

My idea of vacation is laying at the pool in 95 degree weather and eating tortilla chips with fresh guacamole. Actually my first choice would be on a beach...but whatev.

We spent this last week in a condo at a lake. Ooohh..to be in the sun again. I haven't enjoyed heat and sun since before I was pregnant. This last week was hot, sunburnt, and just what I needed.

My son enjoyed many firsts this vacation. Including vacation itself!

He swam for the first time. He was pushed in a real swing for the first time. He saw a horse for the first time.

And he ate ice cream for the first time! He loved it.

Another thing my wonder child loves?

Guacamole. (he is his mother's child)

I have a serious thing for guacamole. Maybe it has to do with the cilantro...or garlic.

I don't know. If you can smash it and mix it with cilantro, jalapeño, garlic and freshly squeezed lime juice... That's my idea of yum.

Eat it with tortilla chips. Or on tacos. Or on anything.

Or on everything.

Or with a spoon.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 avocados, ripe

3-4 tbsp diced red onion

1 jalapeño, diced

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder (to taste)

Handful of cilantro

Directions:

Mash the avocado to desired consistency. Add remaining ingredients.

It's important to taste test throughout the process so you get the flavor you like. Sometimes it feels right to add less or more of one ingredient. Sometimes I toss in a couple tbsp of salsa. It's all about making it to taste. Make it so you like it. That's the most important part. :)

Don't wait for a reason to make guacamole. It's perfectly appropriate if it's midnight and your feeling munchy...

Tortilla Pizza

I'm going on vacation this next week.

Thank the Lord.

That has nothing to do with tortilla pizzas, but it's wonderful nonetheless.

Anywho. Here's the thing about me (in case you haven't figured it out yet): I'm mildly obsessed with cheese. Ugh. There will never be enough cheese in my life.

One time, when I was pregnant with my son, I woke up at 4 in the morning craving pizza. Tortilla pizza to be specific.

I won't tell you that I made two one.
And ate them it.
At 4 A.M.

Nope. Not tellin.

Now don't misunderstand. This isn't your mom's "we're-too-poor-to-buy-real-pizza-so-I'm-tricking-you-with-flat-crunchy-tortillas" pizza. No. This is the real deal.

(For one pizza) I take two tortillas and spread a liberal amount of cream cheese (on one tortilla.)

And feta. And Parmesan. And garlic and basil. And any other delicious thing you would want smooshed in between the crust on your pizza.

This is like a stuffed crust pizza...only the whole thing is stuffed. I told you...real deal.

Take the second tortilla and sandwich it on the top. Press it tightly so it stays together when baked. Top with sauce.

See, this is why I love this pizza so much. It's fast. I had homemade tortillas on hand. I always have cheese. I had left over spaghetti sauce. And I also tore up some ham and chopped a few onions. It's like instant gratification. Obviously the perfect pregnancy pizza. (Or not pregnancy pizza. Whatever.)

Tortilla pizza

Ingredients: for one pizza
2 Tortillas
Cream cheese
Basil
Garlic
Parmesan
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese
Toppings to preference (i.e. ham, onions, etc.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a cookie sheet or pizza stone lay out tortilla and spread desired amount of cream cheese on it. Add basil, garlic, and parmesan (amount to preference). Top with second tortilla and press to seal. Add sauce, desired toppings, and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

On the flip side: it's tortillas. So it's healthy. So (pregnant or not) waking up at 4 a.m. to make this might not be so bad... Food for thought.

Homemade Tortillas

This is one of those recipes that is super easy and impressive, even though I know you probably aren't going to quit spending $2.00 for the convenience of having pre-made tortillas. 

HOWEVER, I was craving tortillas one day and just so happened to be completely out of them. So this was a much better option than driving all the way to town for $2.00 store-bought tortillas.

These taste EVEN BETTER than the store bought stuff anyway.  So, if you are having a mexican theme dinner and you're feeling just a little extra ambitious, make these! 

Honestly, when I made these I did NOT have a mexican theme dinner planned. But they keep wonderfully in the fridge and very soon I will post a few different recipes using these delicious homemade tortillas. 

The process is actually really easy. You just start with some flour and butter. According to the recipe I used it is really important when cutting in the butter that the butter pieces are nearly eliminated in the flour or it will cause inconsistencies when cooking the tortillas. I just used a fork and pressed the butter until I felt it was small enough. They turned out inconsistency-less. ;)

Add a mixture of salt and water to the flour to create a dough. 

Separate the dough into 12 separate balls and let rest for about a half hour. Each dough ball becomes one 7-9 inch tortilla, so if you want smaller or larger tortillas separate accordingly. 

Roll the tortillas out on a floured surface and bake on an ungreased skillet over medium heat. This part is super quick. They literally spend only about 30 seconds on each side. 

So, the weekend is coming up. Make a batch of homemade tortillas and have yourself a party! 

(Or just have dinner. Either way...eat tortillas.)

Homemade Tortillas

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups of flour

5 tbsp of shortening

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup very warm water

Directions:

Combine the flour and shortening in a bowl and work the shortening in with a fork (or pastry blender) until completely blended. It is important that this is done until there are no visible particles of shortening remaining, or the tortillas will not have a consistent texture once cooked.

Dissolve the salt in the water and pour about 2/3 cup over the flour mixture. Work it in with a fork. Add the rest in (plus a little more if necessary) until all the dry ingredients are dampened and the mixture forms into dough. Bring the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth. It should have a medium-stiff consistency.

Divide the dough into 12 separate balls. Cover on a plate and let rest for around 30 minutes.

Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-high heat. Roll a ball of dough on a floured surface into a 7 inch diameter. Lay the tortilla on the skillet and let bake 30-45 seconds until brown spots on the underside. Flip and bake another 30-45 seconds and then remove from heat and wrap in a cloth napkin in a tortilla warmer. Don't over bake the tortilla or it will become crispy. Repeat with each ball of dough.

Recipe from: The Urban Spork

Guacamole please. Mmmm.