Lumpia

Lumpia are Filipino egg rolls.  I haven't been able to find lumpia wrappers yet, so I buy regular egg roll  wrappers.  They still taste great.  I always make a double batch and freeze half of the rolls (before they are fried) to eat later.



1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground chicken
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup onion
1 cup green onion
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups cabbage, sliced thin
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
2 pkg of egg roll wrappers or lumpia wrappers
oil for frying

• Cook pork and chicken, drain (leave a thin layer in pan) and set aside.
• In the same pan, sauté garlic and onion for 2 minutes.  Stir in carrots, green onions, cabbage, and meat. Season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and soy sauce.  Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Place about 3 Tb. of filling diagonally from one corner of the wrapper to the other, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends.  Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling.  Tuck in both ends and roll neatly.  Keep the roll tight as you assemble.  Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge.
• Put those you don't want to eat now in a freezer bag and stick in the freezer.  Cook the rest in oil that is 1/2 inch deep for 1-2 minutes a side until all sides are golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Enchiladas

This recipe came from Allrecipes but Jess and I decided we would make changes next time we made them.  This is what we will do next time.



4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into chunks
1 (10.75 ounce) cancondensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 (1.25 ounce) package mild taco seasoning mix
1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided
2 cup water
2 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
10-12 (12 inch) flour tortillas
4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives

• Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. Meanwhile, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Spread some of the soup mixture on the bottom of 2 9x13 inch baking dishes.  Stir in the rest of the mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture.
• Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
• Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
6 cups flour

• Cream together all ingredients except flour.  Add flour and chill 1 hour.
• Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
food coloring

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This tastes pretty similar to the restaurant sweet and sour.  The only difference is the color of the sauce.  You can add some orange food coloring to it to make it look like the original.



1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 cups water, divided
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
1 1/2 cups water
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

• Sprinkle chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper to season.
• In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, and reserved pineapple juice. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. Slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.
• Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated.
• Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees. Fry chicken pieces in hot oil for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels.
• When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.  Serve over rice.

Monkey Butter

This is a no pectin jelly/spread recipe.  Because of this, it is very versatile.  You can add or subtract from the recipe and not effect it to much.  The spread is also a good one for pancakes or waffles.


5 ripe bananas
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 can coconut milk
3 cups sugar
3 Tb lemon juice

• Add all ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stirring often, heat to boiling and then turn down to a simmer.  Continue cooking until the sauce gets thick.
• Process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (or more depending on your altitude.)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have tried through the years to make a good chocolate chip cookie and have failed every time.  They were either flat and greasy or cakey, but never that perfect in between.
My friend Melanie gave me this recipe and I tried it with success!  I am so excited...but not as much as my family.  They finally get chocolate chip cookies again.


1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I used half peanut butter chips and half chocolate)
1 cup walnuts (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Cream butter and both sugars until smooth.  Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
• Dissolve baking soda in hot water.  Add to batter with the salt.  Stir in flour, chocolate chips and nuts.
• Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
• Bake for 11 minutes in preheated oven.

Crepes

Why haven't I made crepes before?  My kids thought they were eating a bit of heaven.  We filled them with strawberries, bananas and whipped cream.  We also had chocolate pudding and peanut butter for our non-fruit lovers.


2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup flour
pinch salt

• In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth.  
• Heat a skillet and spray with vegetable oil.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tilt it so it covers the whole pan.  Flip the crepe after a minute or so until golden brown.