Sweet and Savory Wonton Appetizers

After compiling a ton of Wonton Appetizer recipe ideas, I was pretty eager to try out some of the recipes I'd found or create my own versions. Everything came together super easy, making wonton appetizers, an absolute win!

Variation 1: Stuff wonton wrappers with pre-made cookie dough, bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

Variation 2: Stuff wonton wrappers with flavored cream cheese of your choice, bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.


Enjoy with good friends, beloved family and a host of additional appetizers! They were a perfect fit for our New Year's Eve at home with parents and sister, games and lots...and LOTS of snacking!

From the Archives:
January 1st, 2011: Tortilla Roll-Ups

Molasses Butterscotch Cookies

Without a doubt, these are my all time favorite holiday cookies and I am incredibly thankful to be back in a country where it is possible to buy butterscotch chips and molasses without much trouble. Not to mention, it's nice to have a wide-variety of beers and, in case you were wondering, these cookies + Blue Moon Spiced Amber Ale, are indeed a fantastic after-school snack!

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine 3 cups Flour, 2 tsp. Baking Soda, 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp. Ginger, 3/4 tsp. Cloves, and 1/2 tsp. Salt in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup Butter, 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar, 1 egg and 1/3 cup Molasses until creamy. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Fold in 1 pkg. Butterscotch Chips.

Drop batter onto cookie sheet, bake for 9-11 minutes until light, golden colored, should make 4-5 dozen delicious cookies.

Home-made Caramels: Note to Self

Note-to-self:

Making caramels at high-altitude isn't as easy as simply following the directions. While the caramels were delicious...they were too soft and a pain to wrap. Try again next time.

White Fudge with Lemon and Pecans

Extended Shelf Life for: Lemons

Being back in the land of Holiday snacking and gaining a few pounds in time for New Years Resolutions had me feeling a strong desire and deep urge to try my hand at some holiday candy-making. I've never done much in terms of fudge and I actually tried a few different recipes this Christmas, but high-altitude laughed in my face and my chocolate fudge was re-created into fudgy, no-bake cookies (which are always a win, so I laughed back, even harder, in the face of high altitude).

However, in the process of making candy at high altitude, I discovered this recipe for Easy White Fudge in one of my all-time favorite cookbooks: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Because we'd had an abundance of lemons at our door (aka, from the dumpster) in October, I'd learned a few tricks in regards to preserving lemons, and had a jar full of zest begging to be included with this fudge experiment, so I tweaked and altered, and what do you know? I came up with a fantastic, easy-to-make-regardless-of-altitude: White Lemon Fudge.

Ingredients/Directions:

Line a square baking dish with foil, butter or grease, set aside.

In a 2 quart saucepan cook and stir 3 cups White Chocolate Chips and 1 14oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk over low heat. When chocolate has melted, remove saucepan from heat and stir in 1/2 cup chopped Pecans, 2 tsp. Lemon Zest and 1 tsp. Vanilla. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Carefully remove foil from square pan, cut fudge into squares, store tightly covered for 1 week...if they'll last that long!

Cherry Pie

Nothing extended here, just a simple, cherry pie made with fresh cherries we bought at the farmer's market then canned, making for a quick and easy cherry pie to accompany my pie-inspired tortes for the holidays.

Of course I started with my go to pie crust. Then it was time to prepare the cherry filling, which, like most pie filling is basically a process of adding sugar and cornstarch and simmering until thickened.

For my cherry filling, I drained off some of the liquid, because it seemed a little over the top, threw about 4 cups of cherries and a bit of juice into a small quart pan and brought to a low simmer. From there, I simply mixed 1 cup of Sugar with 1/4 cup of Cornstarch. Pour this mix into the simmering cherry mix, stir well and heat until thickened, it's now ready to be wrapped in your pastry goodness! Use a leaf cookie cutter to add a decorative flair and pop that baby in the oven! Enjoy!

Pie-Inspired Tortes

Extended Shelf Life for: Lemons and Squash

First of all, being in the states during the holidays and partaking in holiday baking brings me so much joy!

Second of all, I've recently discovered the most amazing, fantastic use of my torte pan set and feel like I was truly 'inspired' over the holidays to make some new, delicious desserts, inspired of course by pies.

Since it was Thanksgiving, and I had recently acquired some happy little squash and pumpkins I went for a pumpkin-pie inspired torte. Additionally, since we were going to spend the holiday with my fantastic parents, and I knew that my mother loved lemon meringue, I decided to let that be the inspiration for the second torte.

Next up was making cakes in my torte pan, a pumpkin-cream cheese filling, lemon curd, purchasing whipped cream and marshmallows and hitting the kitchen!

First, you'll need a cake...

Ingredients/Directions:

Set 3/4 cups butter and 3 eggs out for 30 minutes until they reach room temperature.

Grease and flour two torte pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/2 flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt, set aside.

Beat butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups sugar and continue to beat for 2 additional minutes. Add eggs, one at a time followed by 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Alternately add 1 1/4 cup milk and flour mixture until combined, split between pans.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pans. Fill as desired.  

Note: If you are making the Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte, I recommend adding spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice to the batter. On the other hand, if you're preparing the Lemon 'almost' Meringue Pie Torte, I recommend adding a teaspoon or so of lemon zest to the batter, for added depth and flavor.

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte...

Ingredients/Directions:

I simply mixed about 1 or 2 cups of Pumpkin/Squash Puree with soft cream cheese, added some brown sugar and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. However, I recommend looking for a more precise pumpkin cheesecake dip/filling to ensure the best, fullest flavor. For some good ideas on where to start, scroll through this page I created on Squidoo, you'll find some of the best pumpkin cheesecake dips on the web!

To assemble the Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte simply plop the filling into your torte cake, spread some whipped topping on top and sprinkle with nutmeg, you're good to go!

For the Lemon Almost-Meringue Torte...

Ingredients/Directions:

Buy or prepare Lemon Curd.

Fill torte cake with lemon curd, arrange mini-marshmallows over the top in any design or amount you want to, turn on the broiler and place your marshmallow covered dish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes (they'll burn quickly...which we actually think tastes quite nice, but for presentation, golden is better). The marshmallows will get toasty and melty and you'll have an extremely delicious and tart dessert to share with all your favorite people!

Triple Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

 

When living life so far from loved ones (and consequently Western Holiday preparations) it can be difficult to remember how to celebrate holidays, or more accurately, that one should prepare special foods for the holiday. Fortunately, I had been brainstorming these cupcakes for months and finally felt the proper amount of motivation upon realizing it the Easter holiday had indeed arrived. 

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes I
ngredients/Directions: 
Adapted from Easy Cupcake Recipes: A simple Step by Step Sweet Cupcake Book and
inspired by this pin on Pinterest.

Cream together 1/2 cup softened Butter and 2/3 cup White Sugar. Whisk in 3 large Eggs followed by 1tsp of Vanilla Extract. In a separate bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups Flour, 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder and 1/4 tsp. Salt. Alternately add this flour mixture and 1/4 cup milk into the butter and egg batter until everything is incorporated. Fill muffin cups 1/2-2/3 with batter and cook in a preheated oven at 350 *F (177*C). After 5 minutes, remove cupcakes from the oven and press an unwrapped Hershey's Cookies and Cream Kiss into the cupcake batter. Return cupcakes to the oven and continue to cook for 12-15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool (or steal one while the kiss is still warm and gooey) before frosting with Cookies and Cream Frosting.

Cookies and Cream Frosting
Ingredients/Directions:
Adapted from Lick the Bowl Good
Good for 12 Cupcakes

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup Butter, 1/2 tsp. Vanilla and 2 Tbsp. Milk. Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups Powdered Sugar until desired sweetness and consistency is achieved. Finally, mix in 7 finely crushed Oreo's (original post recommends food processor) and you're ready to frost your cookies and cream cupcakes!


For more sweet eats, check out Sweet as a Sugar Cookies...

 

Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

 

This is amongst one of the first recipes I ever pinned on Pinterest, unfortunately it took me entirely too long to get around to preparing this insanely easy and delicious pork tenderloin. Fortunately, it made for a perfect Easter-away-from-home dinner.

Ingredients/Directions:
Pinned from Let's Dish Recipes

Season a 2 lb. (~1Kg) Pork Tenderloin with Oregano, Salt, Pepper and minced Garlic to taste (just a few shakes of each) and place in the slow cooker with 1/2 cup of Water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. In the last hour of cooking, combine on the stove-top 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch, 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar, 1/2 cup Water and 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce until thickened. Brush the pork loin with this mixture 2-3 times during the last hour of cooking and serve the loin with any left over sauce. Enjoy with rice and a fresh green salad and more importantly with good friends!

Colcannon and Guinness Sausage Gravy

Closet Cooking lead to the majority of my St. Patrick's day cooking inspiration. Following Sour Cream Banana Bread (which was intended to hold me over while preparing this Colcannon and Gravy before our Iron Chef: Guinness St. Pat's Party) I took a look at his recipe for Bangers and Colcannon with Guinness Onion Gravy before making some adjustments and creating a pork gravy to accompany the colcannon since Bangers are not readily or affordably available in South Korea.

Colcannon - Ingredients/Directions:
Boil a large pot of peeled and cubed Potatoes (I used 8-10 small-medium potatoes) until fork tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook 1 small package of Bacon or 4-5 slices until the fat is rendered. Season the bacon with salt and pepper and add 1 Tbsp. of Butter until the butter and bacon fat is foamy. Add 1/4 of head of cabbage that has been thinly sliced and coat in the greasy goodness. Cook until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Add 4 sliced Green Onions and cook about 3 minutes before setting aside until potatoes have finished cooking and you have added sour cream, milk and butter to taste. Then mix the cabbage and the potatoes together, serve with gravy. (If you're waiting for guests, it's possible to keep this mixture warm in a slow-cooker.)

Pork Guinness Gravy - Ingredients/Directions:

Begin by marinating ground pork in 1/2 can of Guinness, 3 minced cloves of Garlic, 1 tsp. Thyme, 2 Tbsp. grainy brown mustard, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. I let it marinate for one or two hours before browning in a skillet. Once the ground pork has cooked thoroughly add 1 chopped Onion and 1 cup chopped Mushroom, saute.  Now remove the meat and veggies from the pan, leaving the drippings in order to create a savory gravy. To pan drippings, add the remainder of the can of Guinness and sprinkle in two Tbsp. Flour. Quickly whisk together the beer and flour while on medium-low heat. Depending on the amount of gravy you desire, continue to add Guinness (or water) and flour until you have the perfect consistency, reintroduce the meat and veggie mix stirring together and ensuring the gravy consistency is as you would desire.

Gingerbread Scones

With the in-laws coming to town on Christmas Eve and plans to wake up in a guest house near the airport on Christmas morning in a land where breakfast is just as pungent and savory as every other meal of the day, I decided it was an absolute must to have something delectable prepared to enjoy after opening stockings and making our way into Seoul.

So, on the night of the 23rd I got to work on a few 'Christmas' dishes: Eggnog and Spent Grain Crackers for when we made it back to our house, and these pefectly seasonal Gingerbread Scones.

From Gooseberry Patch Gingerbread Cookbook

Ingredients/Directions:

Combine 2 cups Flour, 2 tsp. Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda, 1 tsp. Cinnamon, and 1 tsp. Ginger in a bowl. Cut in 7 Tbsp. Butter with a pastry blender of two knives until crumbly. Combine 1/3 cup Molasses and 1/3 cup Milk; add to flour mixture stirring until just moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4-5 times. Divide dough in half; shape each into a ball. Pat each ball into a 5-inch circle on an ungreased baking sheet. Cut each circle into 6 wedges, do not separate. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Enjoy as a Christmas morning treat with family while exploring your stockings!

Eggnog 2012

Used the same recipe as last year.

Still not as thick as I expect...not sure why.

However, absolutely delicious!

Hoppin John Wrap

Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year.

Rice for riches and peas for peace.

- Southern saying on eating a dish of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day.

I don't know when I first heard of this traditional southern US Traditional Dish and I'm not even sure much of this recipe follows closely the concept of Hoppin John. What I do know, is that when I think of Hoppin John, I think of Black Eyed Peas and a Green (in this case Spinach). So, with a growling tummy and some Black-Eyed Peas available, I made my way down the street to the local market, picked up some onions and spinach and within minutes had whipped up this nice little wrap.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. Oil. Saute 1 Onion, chopped and 1 or 2 cloves Garlic, minced. Add 2 cups drained Black-Eyed Peas, heat through. In a bowl, whisk together 3 Eggs, season with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning or chili powder. Add to skillet, scramble with peas and onions. When egg is cooked through, throw in two-three large handfuls of chopped or torn Spinach, sprinkle a bit of Nutmeg and saute until wilted. Serve mixture in large Tortillas with cheese of choice or that which is available and enjoy for the New Year or a mid-year dinner!

Slow-Cooker Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew

In typical Melissa fashion, I did not follow a recipe nor measure ingredients as I dumped them into the crock-pot. I did however, glean a lot of inspiration from already produced recipes such as this Beef in Guinnes with Fluffy Dumplings and this Beef, Guinness and Mushroom Pie. Taking a look at the ingredients and portions of these two dishes followed by a look at my refrigerator and energy, I whipped up the following for our St. Patrick's Day Iron Chef 'Competition' where each dish made was required to use Guinness as an ingredient.

Ingredients/Directions:

The heart of this soup is the broth, in order to make the soup land in14 bowls of hungry English teachers, I went heavy on broth: 2 bottles of Guinnes, 2 cups Chicken Broth, (can substitue beef broth) 1 cup Water, 1-2 Tbsp. Soy (can substitute Worcestershire) 1 Tbsp. Hot Sauce, Dash of Cinnamon, Salt, Pepper and Thyme. Add to the broth sauted Mushrooms and Onions (2-3 cups). Toss 1 or 2 lbs. of Beef in 1-2Tbsp. Flour, Dash of Salt and Pepper, sear in oiled fry pan. Add to broth. Cook in slow-cooker 8-10 hours on low and serve up alongside any number of dishes which include the magic ingredient of Guinness! Enjoy! (Additionally, small potatoes and carrots would make this a much heartier dish to serve up or adding more beef, I went extremely heavy on this broth - which was fabulous - but it would be stellar, for a smaller gathering, to add some veg and meat and thicken it up)

Tortilla Roll-Ups

To bring in the New Year I worked out a bit of innovation and good ole tradition to put forth these tortilla wraps which I believe my mother first made famous.

The 'original' recipe is a simple compiliation of:

Cream Cheese
Refried Beans
Salsa

mixed together, then spread evenly on a tortilla which is then rolled up, chilled for at least an hour before being sliced to create an adorable pinwheel shape. This is what I wanted to contribute to our New Years Eve celebration. I was missing however, 2 of the 3 ingredients.

The 'innovation' recipe then was a compiliation of:

Mozzarella Cheese
Left over Chili (drained of excess liquid)
Salsa

mixed in much the same way although taking a bit more care in heating the chili, using an immersion blender to gain a more 'refried' like texture, mixing the cheese with the warm beans for a more 'cream' cheese like concept and finally adding salsa. They turned out wonderful and fulfilled my every desire to have a fabulous treat from home for the New Years.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

On the infamous night of Cookies and Catan, I prepared this dough.

A recipe sought and found on allrecipes.com

They are delicious. They should be enjoyed with friends.
They are best on cold nights.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles

Sometimes you come across a recipe idea that reeks of sheer brillance.
And you wish it was yours.

This was not my brilliant recipe idea.
But it is brilliant.
And delicious.

Who doesn't enjoy a bit of chocolate covered cookie dough?

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C Flour

1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 C (2 sticks) Butter
3/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 C Milk
1 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (can use chopped chocolate bar)
2 C dark chocolate chips (Again can use chopped chocolate bars)

Directions:

Cream Butter and Sugars. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until incorporated then add mini-chocolate chips. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. With chilled dough, create 1 inch cookie dough balls, set aside. Using microwave or double boiler melt 2 cups of chocolate chips and dip dough balls one at a time, set on wax paper to harden. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or scarf down with friends!

Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is essentially mulled cider...but without apple juice.

Pour a bottle of red wine into a sauce pan, add a bit of brown sugar water or apple juice if you wish (but it's not necessary) throw in some sticks of cinnamon, a few whole cloves and orange slices, simmer on stovetop for 30 minutes prior to company arriving, they'll appreciate the smell and will soon appreciate the libation ^^.

Eggnog

I was fortunate enough to receive an eggnog recipe from a good friend...I'm not sure if it's a secret recipe or not...fortunately not many folks read this blog ^^

6 Egg yolks

6 Egg whites

~1 C. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

10 C. whole milk

3 tsp sugar

3 tsp vanilla



Beat ~1 C. sugar into egg yolks. Add salt; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat; stir often until mixture coats spoon. Cool.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 3 tsp sugar, beating to soft peaks. Add to custard and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla. Chill 3 to 4 hours.


I definitely did not master this recipe. I enjoyed every cup of 'eggnog' I drank, but I did not succeed in creating a custard or having a thick eggnog - however, that is due to my lack of patience and direction following capabilities. I've had our friends eggnog and it's great, mine was great - so go for it! Try making your own nog...