Homemade Lumpia Night

Some days you just need a little splurge! 

Tonight ours was homemade lumpia with Korean Yum-Yum Sauce 

The lumpia is simple! I can't believe how many friends are scared to even try making them.
So here is an easy-peasy way...
In a skillet brown your ground turkey meat (or beef, chicken, whichever you wish!)
dice up garlic and green onion and in. 
Place in a bowl and add in s&p and other spices you wish, and a small dash of soy sauce. 
(We like ours pretty plain, with the kick being in the sauce.)  
Stir it up and let it cool a few minutes before rolling them up.
Take your wonton wrappers and have a little bowl of water at hand. 
Place a spoon full of your meat mixture on the wonton, dipping your fingers or a pastry brush in the water and brush around the edges (this helps seal them up!) of the wonton, then gently spread out the filling as you roll it up. I press the ends a bit to make sure they seal up and the meat doesn't fall out when frying.

Next, fry them in some light olive oil.  Blot on papertowels and cool a bit. 
Serve them with your favorite sauce! Yum!

Our "Yum Yum" sauce is actually Korean Teriyaki Sauce that I doctor up with added chilli pepper, garlic, soy, and some honey. 

A new take on the traditional cabbage rolls

This picture is quite a moosh-up as to their original form, as my dear hubby wanted all the "goopy sauce" added to his cabbage rolls.  Silly me, forgot to photo as I was taking from the oven.  Next time I shall take more glorious photos that show how "pretty" these can be!  Never-the-less, they are amazingly easy to make and quite yummy.
I grew up in a family where our Great Grandma made homemade cabbage rolls.  Amazing to smell as they baked, and even more amazing to be one of the lucky "kids" that were able to snag one onto their plates at the family gatherings...as the elder Aunts & Uncles and our parents all practically ran to the food line to grab up these yummy cabbage rolls.  Filled with the typical herbs and spices, rice, onion and garlic, wrapped up and slathered in a combo that tasted like doctored tomato paste.  Awhile back I got to thinking about these cabbage rolls and how they smelled so good while baking.  With my husband and I on our trek of "better eating", I got to thinking on how to change up this recipe.  Viola...I think I did it.  At least we both LOVE them!

Ronna's Cabbage Rolls
Preheat oven 350 and prepare your baking dish (grease it, line it, whatever you like)

Cabbage roll filing:
Brown ground turkey meat with onion and garlic. Add in diced mushrooms and a splash of beef stock. Add your herbs & spices...I added fresh basil, thyme, cracked pepper, and some savory.  Put this in a bowl and added in cooked (and cooled) brown rice.  I had cooked my rice with some diced carrots and celery. Add in an egg and smoosh it all together, just like you would prepare meatballs or meatloaf etc.

Sauce:
I made a basic white sauce, adding in sauted mushrooms, onion, and garlic.  Make this while you are preparing your meat so that it is ready to pour over your cabbage rolls when ready. You could use any canned cream soups if you are in a hurry or don't like to create your own sauce.

Cabbage Leaves tip:
Boil a pot of water (big enough for your head of cabbage), remove the core and put it into your boiling water. Partially cook it, rotating it around a bit. When it's slightly tender, remove and let it cool a bit.  

Stuff your Cabbage:
Lay out a cabbage leaf, place a big spoonful of the meat mixture onto it, and gently tuck in the ends and roll up the rest of the leaf.  Place them seam side down, side-by-side in your prepared baking dish. Continue with the rest. 

Bake:
Top with your sauce and cover with your baking dish lid or foil.  Bake until the cabbage is tender or your husband says "That smells good, when's dinner?"

Today's Lunch

Today I thought I would give the cauliflower cheesy bread 

my own spin...

So I followed this recipe over at @ Mom, What's For Dinner? 

 (Check out her blog full of great GLUTEN-FREE recipes YAY!)

and then I just tweaked it a bit!

It even earned a "thumbs up" from Mr. Jonny 
who really enjoyed his lunch today! 

Tips: USE parchment paper!  Make sure to really "rice up" your cauliflower, getting all the liquid from steaming out!  

My changes: I omitted the garlic salt, using fresh garlic. And in the "bread" I only used 1/4 cup fresh parm, omitting the mozzarella. For the topping I used olive oil and fresh garlic (instead of butter).  I also used just 1/4 cup fresh parm on the top with a sprinkling of fresh feta, topped with sliced mushrooms, red onions, red pepper, fresh garlic, and fresh spinach.  SUPER YUMMY! 
Yes, this takes it from "cheesy bread" to something more like pizza...but it's YUMMY! especially for those of us who can't handle all that cheese!  

The only thing I would do differently next time is to put under the broiler for a minute to get it "crusty"! 

New Recipe and New Project!

I had originally thought to make a small pot of Guinness Stew, 

but then thought something pasta'ish...

something beefy and mushroomy for dinner. 

We came up with this!

Ronna's Guinness Beefy Mushroom Pasta: 
(I don't measure exactly, so just adjust to the amount you are cooking, this is for two of us)

Cut up and marinate a steak in about 1 cup of Guinness Beer for 15-30 min... reserving about 1/4 cup for later and giving your husband the remaining of the can o' frothiness. 
While this is marinating- I cook 1 cup pasta & drain it. 
Also while the pasta is cooking- I saute diced mushrooms, garlic, and red onion to later add to my Béchamel sauce. Remove from pan when finished and place to the side
.
Drain off  the marinade and saute the beef with diced onions and garlic until the beef is cooked. 
Add in 1 cup sliced mushrooms and the reserved 1/4 cup of Guinness.  I simmered this until the beer was gone and left was some very yummy smelling beefy mushrooms. 
Next add 1 cup sliced asparagus and saute just until tender (or further if you like yours cooked more, we like ours with some crunch still and no mush).
Turn down the heat, just to keep it warm while you create your mushroom sauce.

I just make a basic Béchamel/white sauce in a small pan.  Once it is ready, I add the mushroom/garlic/onions I had precooked and set aside.  Stir together and once this is hot I add in the  noodles, mixing it all up.

Prepare your plates with a pile of fresh spinach (or if you like yours mixed together, stir the spinach leaves in with your pasta in the sauce).
Top with the pasta, then the beefy mushroom asparagus goodness.
Top with some fresh Parmesan and parsley.

Super Yummy! 

New Project Time!

I'm going to create a granny bag out of this yarn and bamboo purse handles.

They seem to be very popular right now and I love how they look! 

I of course picked up some yarn before I knew I would need more than 2 skeins of, 

so I'm going to mix in some black wool with it. 

Whew...quick fix!

Spring time walk...and finishing up bits o' yarn!

 Many of you that know Seattle and Springtime 

know of the beautiful cherry blossoms 

in the quad on the UW Campus.  

My husband and I decided to tackle a long walk up the the UW, 

over to Gasworks Park, and back around Lake Union to home.  

A long walk on a beautiful Spring day!

 Little bits o' yarn in the bottom of my yarn basket. 

What to do?  

I decided to use it all up by creating 

a big granny square lap blanket.  

To the edging I did 1 row of sc's 

followed by a row of 1 sc 2ch, repeated around.