Wonton Soup

Comfort food for me is anything with soup.  I love soup :)  A couple weeks ago I felt like having wonton so I finally found the energy to make them after being sick for 2 weeks.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1-2 sprigs of green onion - minced
4 suey choy leaves - diced
3 shitake mushroom - diced
1 tbsp ginger powder
2-3 tbsp rice wine or cooking wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp white pepper
1 pack of wonton wrappers

Soup:
1 can of chicken stock
2 cans of water
chopped suey choy
salt for taste

In a mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients together (except for the wonton wrapper). Take 1 wonton wrapper and place it on  your palm. Using your other hand, scoop a heaping teaspoon of filling into the centre of the wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper.  Fold up the corner of one end to meet the other corner to form a triangle.  Then push the side corners to meet the top corners. Press to seal. Repeat with remaining wontons until filling has been used up.

Boil water in a pot and cook wontons for about 10 min or when the wontons float.  In a separate pot, make the soup - add all the soup ingredients. Simmer for about 15 min.

Serve wonton in soup!

Moules et Frites

I know, it's been more than a month since my last post - what can I say...hubby's been spoiling me by cooking all the meals.

Today, I had to make dinner since hubby had to ref for a couple of hockey games.  He wanted mussels and bought this huge container from Costco (about 5 lbs worth) for just $12!  What a feast :)

Mussels:
Ingredients
1/2 large onion - diced
4-5 cloves of garlic -diced or crushed
3 strips of bacon - cut into pieces
dried thyme
dried parsley
1 dried whole chili
1 can of chicken broth
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
2-3 tsp of fish sauce
2-3 tsp of lemon juice (or lime juice)
1 can coconut milk
white wine (optional)
mussels

Turn on the stove to med-high. In a large stock pot, place bacon and let it fry for a bit. Add garlic and fry for 30 sec or so. Then add onion. Let them simmer for about a minute.  Add thyme, parsley and chili.  Add chicken broth and carrots.  Turn heat down to low-med and simmer for about 10-15 min.  Add fish sauce, lemon juice and coconut milk and turn heat back up to med-high.  Just before adding in the mussels, put white wine (amount at your discretion). Once mussels are in, cover the pot for about 5 min.  When you lift the pot lid and most of the mussel shells have opened, the mussels are done.  Scoop up mussels and broth and serve!

For the fries, we just used store bought frozen ones and baked them.

Lots of leftovers but oh so yummy :)

Bowl of mussels

Moules et Frites (fries in the background)

When all the mussels are gone

Green Tea Mousse Cheesecake

I love matcha/green tea food.  This is my go to cheesecake as I find it's light and yummy.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp hazelnut syrup (or any other flavor)

2 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2-3 tbsp matcha powder
1/2 cup warm water

2 - 8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar

Mix melted butter and syrup with graham cracker crumbs. Spread crumbs in springform pan. Optional - bake in 350F for 10 min.

Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Tip - fridge mixing bowl for about 15 min to keep mixing bowl cool. Once peaks form, place mixing bowl back into fridge until cream is needed.

Dissolve matcha powder in warm water. Dissolve gelatin in cold water.

In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, honey and sugar. Microwave gelatin for about 30-40 seconds, until fully dissolved. Mix in gelatin and matcha into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipping cream.  Pour mixture into springform pan and place in fridge to refrigerate over night.

Picture to come....

Matcha Rice Krispies Squares

It's March 17th - St Patrick's Day.  In celebration of that day, hubby wanted something green to eat so thanks to MT for giving me this idea (since she made it a couple times before for Christmas baking and dessert).

INGREDIENTS:

about 3 tbsp butter

1 bag of marshmallow

about 4 - 5 cups of rice krispies

matcha powder (couple tsp...more if you want the strong matcha taste)

In a pot, melt butter in low heat.  Add matcha powder - once mixed in thoroughly, add marshmallow.  Stir and let it melt.  Once melted, add rice krispies - when fully integrated with marshmallow, scoop out of pot and place into pan/glass pan. Flatten out the rice krispies and let it cool.  Cut into squares when cooled.

Apple Cranberry Phyllo Turnover

I forgot I had a pack of phyllo pastry in my freezer until hubby mentioned it a few days ago.  It was quite peeved with me that I often buy things on sale and then forget to use them.  Not wanting to make him too mad, I promised him that I would use it this weekend - hence phyllo turnover.

I took my recipe idea from here

INGREDIENTS:
4-5 apples, peeled and diced (I used granny smith and mcintosh)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
phyllo dough
melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a pot, heat apples and cranberries over medium heat.  Add butter, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Stir and let apple soften for about 10 min.  Add cornstarch and stir - turn off stove and set pot aside.

Take a sheet of phyllo - brush melted butter on half of it and fold phyllo in half.  Repeat that again brushing butter and fold in half.  Fold phyllo once more in half and use a knife to cut in half on the folded line.  Brush phyllo with butter and add apple filling. Take top left corner and fold down to middle and take top right corner and fold down to the middle, forming a triangle.

Repeat the above steps until all the topping has been used up.  Please note that each time you use a phyllo sheet, place a wet cloth over the non-used ones to prevent them from drying out.

Place turnovers on baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 min or until brown and flaky.

THOUGHTS:
I love it! It was nice and tart with a twinge of sweetness.  If you prefer to have it sweeter, then add more sugar.  The phyllo dough makes the turnover a lot lighter than your usual pastry puff.