Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Here we go with a somewhat random post again today.  I just wanted to ask for forgiveness for being MIA this past week.  As you know last weekend I had an awesome time celebrating my friends wedding in Vegas, this week I had a client in town so was extremely busy with work, I haven’t kept up my shop at all since my last craft fair, I’ve had to turn down some guests posts and giveaways (really flattered that friends have asked though) and I haven’t kept up with commenting on your blogs as much as I’d love to.  I have to say, it’s pretty hard coming back from a weekend vacation… pretty much a vacation from my vacation has been needed and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing (well after a full day of work which is prime blogging time).  Anyhow here goes with my cinco items of randomness, hope you’re still with me! 

1) I made this amazing Mango, Tomato and Avocado Salsa (from Allrecipes) the other day.  I used Tortilla Scoops to dip them out and they were perfecto.  Such a perfect Spring time potluck type snack.  I hope these pictures make you hungry, because that was my goal.    Maybe you can use this recipe for your Cinco de Mayo party, eh?  What do ya say?

Ingredients

3) One of the things I look forward to at the beginning of each month, is an Oh, Hello Friend desktop calendar!  I especially love this months because of the adorable bunny (it happens to be the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac too)!

4) My sweet 2 year old nephew left me a voicemail last night.  I think I’ve listened to it about 100 times, no joke.

It was in half English and half Chinese.  Here’s some Chinese translations haha.  (Goo goo = Auntie) (Lai =  Come Here)  Click PLAY below to listen!! 

VoiceMessage-Evan to Sandy by sandyalamode

5) Don’t forget to visit my previous post for details on how to download a free THANK YOU card designed by Daily Suze, inspired by my blog!

What are your plans for Cinco de Mayo?

One of my all-time favorite appetizers is lettuce wraps.  It’s oh-so-tasty and makes me feel healthy since it ensures I am eating veggies.  Every time I hit up Houlihan’s (do you have one where you live?) for happy hour, no doubt I get the wraps.  I’ve always heard rave reviews about the ones from P.F. Changs, but I have yet to try it.  Either way, these pre-meal tasty treats are sweet, savory, and juicy with a crunch to the bite.  And I find myself craving them just about every day…

So I decided to make my own version of them for a party I attended recently.  I LOVE turkey but you could totally substitute pork/beef/chicken.  Feel free to go liberal on the ingredients and adjust them to your own tastes once the meat is done cooking.  This is sure to be a crowd pleaser at potlucks and parties!  Makes it more fun and interactive as everyone can wrap their own!

Marinate the Meat

- 1/2 lb. ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk

1. Marinate turkey with other ingredients for 30 minutes.

Make the Filling

Mmmm look at all those colors!

- 2 teaspoons cooking oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
- 1/2 cup peas
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon white cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder

- 1 head of lettuce, medium

1. Put 1 teaspoon cooking oil in frying pan and stir fry turkey until cooked. Put in a separate bowl.
2. Put 1 teaspoon cooking oil in frying pan and saute onions, mushroom, carrots and peas until cooked.
3. Pour turkey into pan and mix everything together.
4. Put other ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over turkey.
5. Trim lettuce stems and prepare lettuce leaves for wrapping.
6. (Guests do this on their own) Put filling into lettuce cups, wrap it up, and eat!

What are you eating today?

For the DOG LOVER, we still have the scratch and sniff custom dog silhouette print giveaway going on~!!  Make sure to head on over to this post and enter if you haven’t already!

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One of my favorite things about home ownership is the fact that we have a yard, and in that yard we can grow whatever we want!  A tiny basil plant picked up at a Farmer’s Market a few months ago has turned into this!!

We decided to hang the basil to dry so that it would be one less spice container that we need to purchase!  I just love this photo which I’ll be linking up to…

And to go along with it, I came up with two fabulous recipes where the basil really adds a nice kick of flavor!  We’re still happily eating the leftovers!

Caprese Salad

Ingredients


2 large tomatoes
1 package mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon basil
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Slice tomato and mozzarella cheese into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
2. Layer tomato and mozzarella on serving plate.
3. Mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour mixture over tomato and mozzarella.
4. Sprinkle basil on top.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Flatbread with Cheese and Herbs

Ingredients

3 mini pizza crusts (pre-packaged)
8 oz. assorted shitake mushrooms, cleaned and cut
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons basil pesto sauce
4 oz. romano cheese
3 oz. goat cheese
1 tablespoon thyme
caprese salad from above, cut (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat skillet over medium high heat.  Add olive oil, garlic, and onions.  Stir in mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread basil pesto sauce on pizza crusts and sprinkle on romano cheese.
4. Add mushroom mixture to pizza crusts as well as goat cheese.
5. Sprinkle thyme on top.
6. I felt like adding the chopped caprese salad mixture on top (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinegar). It added more dimension and taste to the flatbreads.
7. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

What is your favorite recipe that contains basil?  I still have a lot left so I can sure use some more ideas!

Need a delicious, unique, simple to prepare, crowd pleasing appetizer for a party?  Then try making these Pistachio and Goat Cheese Grape Truffles!  I made these for the Baby Shower I blogged about yesterday and they were a hit!  This recipe was given to me by Sue from Inspire, Fashion and Photography (she blogs about trendy fashion that catches her eye and has cute pics of her adorable baby girl as well)!

Ingredients

40 red (or green) seedless grapes
2 packs (1.5 ounce) goat cheese
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped

Directions

1. Take a grape one by one and roll the goat cheese all around like a little ball.

2. Then take the grape with goat cheese around it and roll it in the pistachio nut mix.

3. Serve in whole truffle form or cut in half.

4. Truffles can be stored in fridge for up to a week.

Was that easy or what??  So easy that I probably didn’t need to show you a picture tutorial of it, oh well, at least I got to practice my food photography, yea??    These little bites are sweet, salty and sassy… and rather unexpected that a grape is inside if served in whole form, I love surprising people!

We quite possibly have the best neighbor ever, the one that lives west of us.  He helps out with house projects, tells us where the best local joints to eat at are, and he gives us his extra vegetables!  A few weeks ago, he gave us a SUPER large zucchini and I had spent a few days agonizing over what to make with it.  And of course, I turned to my favorite trusty recipe site, www.allrecipes.com.  And yes, lo and behold, I found three perfect recipes to use up that super large zucchini.

Appetizer – Baked Zucchini Chips

These crispy cheesy healthy little wedges are very simple to make and taste delicious dipped in ranch!

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Entree - Tomato Basil Zucchini

Again, this was super simple to make as you just mix all of the ingredients in a skillet and heat to boil.  You can totally improvise with this recipe and throw in whatever vegetables you’d like.  Totally delicious served over rice!

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Dessert – Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

The perfect way to sneak in vegetables into a delectable treat.  Never in a million years would I have thought there would be a scrumptious recipe out there that included zucchini AND chocolate chips in one.  The zucchini makes this muffin super moist (and you can’t really taste the zucchini) that no one will know you even snuck zucchini in it!   And of course, I gave a handful of these goodies back to the neighbor who gave us the zucchini!

In lieu of fast approaching Father’s Day, I have a very special guest post, brought to you by my Papa!  Well he didn’t write this post, but he’s the one who made the following kimchi recipe and willingly posed for pictures!    Can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve had a “The Dish” post.

Ingredients (I don’t know the exact measurements that he used but here is a rough guesstimate, best thing to do is taste as you go!)

• 2 heads of napa cabbage
• 1 daikon radish
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 6 green onions
• 1 cup of garlic (minced)
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup korean pepper powder

Directions

1. Chop up napa cabbage into squares and daikon radish into strips.  (At this point, many people may soak these veggies in salt + water (brine) overnight but we cut out this step because my Dad’s visit to KC was too short!)

2. In a medium bowl, mix in the green onions, garlic, korean pepper powder, fish sauce and 1 tablespoon salt to create the “sauce”.

3. In another mixing bowl, layer in the the vegetables and the sauce, adding more salt as you go until you’ve used the rest of the 2 tablespoons.  And like I stated above, tasting and tweaking as you mix is the way to go!

4. Let the kimchi ferment in the bowl for 3-6 days before transferring to canning jars.

I’m sure there are other things you could add to the kimchi like ginger, onion, pepper or you could use different sauces, but I like my papa’s kimchi, it’s SUPER delish with the perfect amount of spice and even better that it is easy to make!  Oh and if you were wondering, kimchi is traditionally a Korean dish, but we’re Taiwanese. 

If you feel like you have too much kimchi, another thing me and my husband like to make is kimchi fried rice!  My Korean sister-in-law, Jieun, taught me how to make it when she came to visit us awhile back!  Basically you can mix chopped up kimchi, day old rice, frozen veggies, and tuna or salmon in a wok together until everything is cooked and that’s it, so easy and so delicious!  Enjoy!

What happens when your friend’s and your significant others go on a business trip in the same week?  You have a slumber party that consists of sewing, cooking, antique shopping, pillow fights, gossiping…   Today I’m going to show you what my friend Nancy and I made with ONE HUNK OF MEAT…

Say Hello to Mr. Meaty.  He is a friend because you can create 3 great meals from him.  First, let’s start with his contents…

Mr. Meaty Filling (mix the following ingredients together in a bowl)

3 cups chopped napa cabbage
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 green onions (scallions) chopped
2 pounds ground pork/turkey
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons thin soy sauce
2 eggs
1 cup chopped shrimp (optional)

Meal #1 – Dumplings

This is probably the most simple thing that can be made.  Just buy a pack of gyoza or dumpling wrappers from your local grocery store (or you could make them if you know how), place a tablespoon of Mr. Meaty on the wrappers, and make creases along the top edge and pinch together with the bottom edge.  Pan fry or boil dumplings in water and you’re done!  Create a delicious dipping sauce with soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and sugar, YUM!

Meal #2 – Wonton Soup

With store bought wonton wrappers, place Mr. Meaty on center of wrappers, wet the sides of the wrapper, fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle, wet the corners of the triangle and pull together, and voila!  Now cook the wontons in boiling water and chicken stock, then add napa cabbage/spinach, soy sauce and sesame oil and now you have a delicious SOUP!

Meal #3 – Baozi

The most time consuming of the bunch, is baozi, otherwise known is steamed buns!  To make the buns, we used this recipe which we thought was pretty good!  I don’t usually make a lot of bread so this was my first time using bread flour and yeast in cooking, I love firsts!!  Like the others, you place Mr. Meaty in the center and wrap!

Thanks Mr. Meaty for being our model today!  Come back tomorrow to see what we sewed!

…or at least I can’t stop!

First spotted at Fogo De Chao. Also known as Pao de quiejo. Best paired with massive amounts of unlimited meat. Cheesy Goodness. The perfect appetizer. Recipe adapted from Chowhound.

Ingredients:
• 1 lb Polvilho azedo (Sour or fermented Tapioca/Cassava flour) – I used Tapioca Starch because that’s all I could find at the store
• 1 cup whole milk – I actually mixed 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream as I did not have whole milk on hand
• 1 cup filtered water
• 3 medium eggs beaten
• 1 tsp common salt
• 1/2-cup cooking oil
• 6-8 oz Parmesan cheese (grated)

Directions:

1. Mix milk, water, oil, and salt well in a large metallic container.
2. Bring it to boil. Turn off heat.
3. Mix in flour/starch well with the liquid using a wooden spoon/spatula. Let it cool so you can knead.
4. Add beaten eggs and knead until smooth. It’ll be too sticky. Have patience.
5. Gradually mix cheese until the dough stops sticking in your hand. Knead well.
6. Make 1-inch balls and place them in a muffin tin.
7. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and put the pan on the bottom rack.
8. Let it cook for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the ball until slightly brown.

This recipe makes A LOT, I’m talking approximately 50+ little balls of cheese.  I actually ended up freezing half the dough and eating it later and it was still good!  They are really so easy to make and SO cheesy DELICIOUS!  Go on, go grill a garlicky steak and pair it with these poppers, they really do rival Fogo de Chaos’ (OK, maybe they aren’t as light and airy, but still pretty darn good) and are best eaten fresh out of the oven!

I just wanted to take this time to thank you for being such an important part of my life.  Your layers of repeated dough and butter create a texture that is so light, crispy, flaky and heavenly.  You’ve warmly made your appearance at so many dinner parties and pot lucks and have made guests very happy.  Here are two of my favorite recipes to make with you as the shell.

Curry Puffs

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup onions, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground pork/beef/chicken
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2-3 teaspoons Curry powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 package puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk

Directions:

1. Defrost phyllo sheets 40 -45 minutes in room temperature or 4 hours in refrigerator before using. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Heat oil in frying pan, add in onion and garlic, cooking over low medium heat until golden.
3. Raise heat to medium high and add in ground meat, stir frying until it changes color.
4. Add oyster sauce, black pepper, stir & cover, reducing to low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add sugar and curry powder.
6. Remove from heat & allow to completely cool (about 20 minutes at least).
7. Lay out puff pastry sheets, cut into 9 squares, place filling in the middle.
8. Fold into triangle (or desired shape), seal edges and press down edges with fork.
9. Brush with egg wash (one egg yolk).
10. Bake in oven at 375F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Serve with chopped cilantro sprinkled on top (optional).

Beef and Sweet Potato Turnovers

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon oil
• ½ lb. ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup sweet potato, grated
• 2 cups baby spinach
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package puff pastry

Directions:

1. Defrost phyllo sheets 40 -45 minutes in room temperature or 4 hours in refrigerator before using. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Heat oil in frying pan, add in garlic and beef
3. When beef is browned, add in sweet potato and spinach.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Lay out puff pastry sheets, cut into 9 squares, place filling in the middle.
6. Fold into rectangles (or desired shape) and seal edges.
7. Bake in oven at 375F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life discovering even more savory, sweet, and salty recipes with you.  And I happily know that each time, you will work your magic for me.  Again, thanks!

Sincerely,