Recipe Review - Spring Rolls

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Cheryl said she'd like to see pictures of my version of each recipe. Well, Cheryl, this is for you:




Yeah. Have you guys ever seen spring roll wrappers before? They're like these crazy thin, hard, translucent plastic looking things. Apparently, if you believe what you read on package directions and such, you're supposed to be able to soak them in water for 20 seconds to make them soft and sticky. Then you fill them. Then you wrap them. Then you can either eat as is, steam them or fry them. A, B or C. Sick, Sick, Sick. Not really sick in flavor, but I just don't have what it takes to make those freakin' wrappers work. Eating them as is wasn't an option. Cold. Not wrapped tight enough. Slick. Slimy. No thanks. Steamed? Well, maybe if you want to pick the insides of the spring roll out of your steamer pot, along with your totally jellyfish like wrapper that didn't have enough muscle to hold the filling. No thanks. Fried? Well, see steamed, only everything has fallen apart inside burning oil. Yeah, after an hour of cooking, preparing, grunting, sweating and finally giving up, we went to Taco Bell. :( I spent more money on the ingredients to make our stinkin' meal than I did at Taco Bell. Needless to say I was frustrated. However, the filling for the Spring Rolls was actually tasty. So I made in into a soup for lunches that week, and all was not lost. If you're interested in Cabbiage Soup, and I suspect you're not, read on my friend.

Fry several strips of tofu (probably about 2 inch strips for each so called spring roll) in sesame oil and spices to taste. (this is from my recipe book. I added the tofu to the rest of the recpie from foodnetwork.com below)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons peanut or olive oil
• 2 cups shredded coleslaw mix
• 1/2 cup Thai Peanut Sauce, recipe follows
• 8 spring roll wrappers (sold in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle)
• 1 (6-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1 (11-ounce) can asparagus, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coleslaw mix and cook, stirring, until the cabbage wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the peanut sauce and mix well to combine. Remove from the heat.

Place 2 inches of water in the bottom of a steamer or large saucepan and set over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, arrange the spring roll wrappers on a flat surface. Top each wrapper with an equal amount of the coleslaw mixture, water chestnuts, and asparagus, making an even layer down the center. Roll up the wrappers, tuck in the ends and place side by side in steamer basket or large colander. Set the steamer basket (or colander) over the now simmering water, cover, and steam until the wrappers are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Serve the spring rolls with soy sauce on the side for dipping.

Thai Peanut Sauce:

3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon hot sauce

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well blended and set the pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.

The leftover peanut sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 3 months; thaw completely in the refrigerator or microwave for about 3 minutes on LOW before using.

Please note, friends, this recipe was level: easy. Prep/cook time: 18 minutes. Yeah. Right.

Next attempt: Asparagus and Pistachio Risotto-stay tuned!

Hold uh, hold uh, hold uh hold UP

Obama isn't white?



Holy sh@#.

(just kidding-I just couldn't help it. Chris Matthews forgot to think before he opened his little mouthy mouth. Oops. Don't try this at home, Fox News.)

Wait a sec...

...I thought Obama was, like, a secret Muslim or, like, something horrible like that...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obamas-year-keeping-faith-white-house/story?id=9689272&page=1

just fun

I got new glasses. I thought I liked them, but when I look at this picture they look HUGE. Don't they?


Clarence wants cheese.


This is a first. Literally. Our kitties do not like to be next to each other. They will tolerate it when they are eating their special treats, but this is unheard of. Jeff kept sliding down more and more to make room for them both. He wasn't comfortable at all, but he didn't care. He will sacrafice for the cats!



OK, I'm not obsessed with the glasses (or myself for that matter), I just can't get over how big I think they look. Oh well, at least I like my shirt. And I did use this sample of clarifying shampoo this morning, which my crazy stylist wanted me to try so badly that she poured some into a latex glove finger and put a rubber band around it! Shiny, though, eh?


Thanks for stopping by :)

Recipe Review - Roast Sweet Potato Ravioli

Well, I'm afraid to say this was two thumbs down in my book and maybe two sideways thumbs from Jeff so I'm not going to type the whole thing out this time. It was sort of a lot of work on the scale I use, which is basically comparing the easiness level to the level of Kraft mac and cheese. Picture me chopping, stirring, mixing, boiling, brushing, spooning, reducing, basically running around the kitchen like a crazy woman all while trying not to spill on my recipe book or the floor, or generally anywhere because, hey, let's face it, I like it clean. Finally I finish the stinking meal, take a bite, and...well....not that great. The yams never got quite soft and smooth enough. It probably needed more cheese, more spices, more seasoning, more something. And the wonton wrappers? They were sort of slimy. Ewww. Not a good flavor/texture combo for Ter Ter. Oh well, though. That page is no longer dog eared in my recipe book and now we know what we think of it. On with the resolution!

This week: spring rolls and miso soup!

On a lighter note: pictures!

I'm going to NY! YIPPEE! I've been longing to go again, and now it's in the works. My friend Steph and I have our tickets for the end of May. It's going to be SO FUN!!!



This is a picture of Clarence on his fave chair. He loves to keep track of what is going on outside. Doesn't it look like he's taking a music lesson? Ha!


We got a new couch! Isn't it awesome? Now Jeff and I can both lay on the couch in luxury. The red rug is new, too. It matches the curtains perfectly. Ah home sweet home.



And here is my new cozy corner in our bedroom. My dresser used to be there, but since we got the new couch this chair didn't fit as well in the living room. Perfect! I've been wanting to have a little sitting area in this nook in our room.



Last but not least, Clarence is all about standing on his back legs to see what he can see on the table. He does the same thing in the kitchen, but the counters are higher and he still has an inch or two before his face could reach the same height. Isn't this funny? I wish you could see his back legs all stretched out! He is tall just like his mama.

Not quite profound maybe, but not as random as most

My mind is reeling with several things this morning. And it all involves things from the random to the profound, or the at least less random. Let’s start with the story about the trial of Scott Roeder, the man who murdered Dr. George Tiller. As far as I can tell, Mr. Roeder killed Dr. Tiller. He has confessed. End of story. He will now be judged in court and have to face the consequences of his actions. But of course it’s not as easy as all that. You see Dr. Tiller performed abortions when he was alive. Mr. Roeder shot him in the head, in cold blood, apparently to save unborn babies. See how it’s getting complicated now? Hmmm, I don’t. Mr. Roeder is a murderer. Dr. Tiller is dead because this self-righteous man decided to play God or something to that effect, and thought it was his job to decide just whose lives are more or less important than others. It’s really bothering me, this whole story. There are pro-life voices out there who think that by letting the defendant explain why he murdered the doctor it will somehow help their cause to stop abortions. A couple of bothersome quotes I heard on the radio this morning (although I can’t recall who said them) include:
“This shows that unborn children need to be protected.” Really? I think it shows that some people think that two wrongs make a right. Or that it’s OK for some people to be killed (doctors) and not others (fetuses.) “If it weren’t for abortion, Dr. Tiller would still be alive.” Really? I think if it weren’t for a crazy man with a gun Dr. Tiller would still be alive. All these thoughts aren’t my way of saying abortion is ok. I don’t want to get into the issue at the moment. (however it is the law at this time that abortions are legal and homicide is not.) I know abortion is a very sensitive topic and I don’t want to discount that. I don’t want your opinions about the subject to not be validated or heard. I think many out there think that what Dr. Tiller did by providing abortions was not different than what Mr. Roeder did by shooting him. However I just had to get this off of my chest. I am frustrated by the seeming hypocrisy of people. I am frustrated by killing and death. I am frustrated by people justifying murder, war, fighting, violence, death. I am frustrated.

And now on to a quote that always makes me wonder, and shake my head with confusion. “There but for the grace of God go I.” When people say it after a tragedy, a disaster, after something bad or sad happens, it seems like a blessing. Like a relief. Like they are thankful for God’s grace, right? Who wouldn’t be comforted by the thought that God is taking care of them-He is covering them with His Grace-protecting them. What does it imply, though? To me it implies that people who go through a tragedy, disaster, difficult time, DON’T have the grace of God with them. That those who died in Haiti didn’t have God’s grace and those who lived had it. That the man who went bankrupt didn’t have God’s grace, but the woman who managed to pay off her debt had it. From what I understand the quote was spoken by John Bradford, (1510 - 1555) who “was a prebendary of St. Paul's. He was an English Reformer and martyr best remembered for his utterance, "'There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford." The words were uttered by Bradford while imprisoned in the Tower of London, when he saw a criminal on his way to execution.[1]” (from wikipedia-always the MOST reliable source ;p) Do people who say this think that God’s grace only brings good, happiness, providence? Is there grace in the seeming negative things in life? In death? In pain? In sorrow? I really have no idea. I don’t want you to think you shouldn’t say this phrase. I don’t want you to think I don’t want you to walk under the grace of God. I just got to wondering, and so I wondered out loud-lucky you.

And that's all for now. More random to come :)