Chinese Fake-Out

Who knew you could make Chinese food at home that actually TASTES like the real thing!?! I found this recipe for Shrimp Fried Rice on Allrecipes.com and decided to try it. I'll admit, I was nervous since I don't own a wok and was afraid the rice would become total mush. I read somewhere to make the rice one day in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use. This allows the rice to become more firm so it doesn't turn into a soggy mess when you start soaking it with soy sauce. I was really happy with how this dish turned out. Traditional fried rice has eggs in it, but don't let that scare you. You don't taste eggs, they just really contribute to the overall flavor. You can also leave them out if the thought of eggs in your fried rice makes you gag! :) I love that you can control the sodium and ingredients in this recipe, making it much healthier than takeout. Okay, now I'm craving a fortune cookie!

Shrimp Fried Rice (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice (cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil + drizzle for cooking shrimp
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined with tails removed
2 eggs
1/4 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions:

1. Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Cook shrimp until just cooked; they will turn pink. Set shrimp aside. (Don't over cook the shrimp or they will become rubbery once put into the rice.)
2. Pour 4 Tbsp vegetable oil in large wok or skillet and heat over medium-heat heat until hot and shimmering.
3. Place chopped onions in skillet and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Move onions to side of skillet and add frozen peas and 2 eggs. Place eggs in their own section of the pan and stir them up with a wooden spoon to scramble. Once eggs are broken up into bits, stir onions, peas, and eggs together.

4. Mix in rice and shrimp and continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Cook an additional 4 minutes, stirring to coat all ingredients.

The Creamier, the Dreamier

Oh my gosh you guys! I have been trying SO many new recipes lately and I can't wait to share them all with you. This is my favorite time of year for cooking and baking. I love Fall flavors and comfort food! Comfort food for me, is usually something creamy. Chicken pot pie is one of my all time favorites which I've posted in the past. It's beyond delicious! You can find it here: 


 http://alissaspinkkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/fall-comfort-food.html


This recipe is so easy and also creamy, dreamy!

Pork Cutlets with Mushroom Cream Sauce (adapted from RecipeGirl.com)


Ingredients:


1 pound pork tenderloin
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 large shallot (or 2 small), peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 container Kraft Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
Olive oil
Salt & pepper


Directions:

1. Cut pork into individual serving-sized pieces. Place pieces between two sheets of waxed paper and pound out to 1/4-inch thickness. (I used a rolling pin and went crazy!) Season pork with salt and pepper.

2. Place flour on a plate or breading tray and dredge pork, turning to coat all sides. Shake off excess. 

3. Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook pork on both sides until browned and cooked through. 

4. To make the cream sauce, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet. Saute shallots until they are soft and begin to caramelize. Add a little more olive oil to pan and stir in sliced mushrooms. Continue to stir until mushrooms become tender, about 3-4 minutes. 

5. Add Kraft cooking creme and stir until heated through. 

6. Serve sauce over pork. 

***Also, don't forget to vote on the poll (located in the right-hand column of my blog page) for what recipes you'd like to see more of on The Pink Kitchen!!! Only 7 days left to vote!***

Meringue Clouds

In case you're a lemon lover like me, here's another great lemon recipe! This is a very traditional Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. It's the first time I've ever made it, even though it's one of my favorite desserts. I love making meringue; it's like making little puffy clouds! :) Plus, I love the way it looks when it browns on top of the pie in little tufts! So cute! 

Lemon Meringue Pie (recipe courtesy Allrecipes.com)


Ingredients (for 1 pie):


1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1- 9 inch pie crust, baked
4 egg whites
6 Tbsp granulated sugar


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick.

3. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

4. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. 

5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

***Some tips for making the fluffiest meringue:
When making meringue, you want it to form "stiff peaks" which means it will look like this when you invert your wire whisk:

How cute it that?! It's a little cloud! Also, to make the meringue stand up in little tufts on your pie, just press a spatula into the meringue and lift up on an angle before baking. Repeat this technique all over the pie.

Little Lemon Lovelies

Tonight I had this bright idea to start baking while I was cooking dinner. What was I thinking?!?! After I was finished everything my kitchen literally looked like a tornado swept through. My little lemon blossoms were resting on cooling racks, dripping their glaze all over the place. Bowls, spoons, mixers, and plates were strewn about. It was a little overwhelming to even think about cleaning it all up. I love cooking and baking, but I absolutely hate doing dishes and cleaning up afterwards. I've always been that way. But, once I tasted these little desserts, it was all worth it!

Lemon Blossoms (recipe courtesy Paula Deen)


Ingredients:


1 package yellow cake mix
1 (3 1/2oz) package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil


Glaze:


4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp water


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and vegetable oil. Blend with mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fill each muffin tin half way with batter.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn out of muffin tin onto a towel.

4. To make the glaze, combine confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and zest, vegetable oil, and water. Blend with mixer until smooth.
5. While cupcakes are still warm, use fingers to dip them into glaze, coating completely. 
Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch drips. Let glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hr. Store in containers with tight fitting lids (if stacking, separate with waxed paper).

Get Baked

While checking my email tonight, I came across a recipe for Baked Oatmeal. I was so excited to try it and had all the ingredients, so here I am baking at 10:30 at night! :) For those of you who have never tried it, it's the perfect combination of squishy and crispy! It's comfort food at its finest! Traditional oatmeal is just squishy, but with baked oatmeal, you get a nice crispy crust on the top. Plus you can make it on the weekend and have breakfast for the week! Try it with different toppings: fresh fruit, jam, honey, greek yogurt, almonds or pecans (just to name a few). Mine just came out of the oven and I immediately put some in a bowl. I poured some vanilla almond milk on top and drizzled it with honey. Heaven! 

Baked Oatmeal (adapted from The Fresh Market recipe)


Ingredients:


2 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup steel cut oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups milk (or almond milk)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sliced fresh or frozen fruit (optional)


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x9 inch baking dish.
2. Combine oats, steel cut oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, applesauce, oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Pour mixture into greased baking dish.
5. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir/fluff up (stir in fruit if desired). Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes until lightly browned and crispy. Serve warm with desired toppings. Leftovers can be refrigerated and microwaved to reheat.

Dinner and a Hurricane

Just because there's a hurricane doesn't mean I'm going to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. The rain has officially started, and I'm planning on hibernating for at least the next 24 hours. I was so excited to make this recipe tonight. I found it on Allrecipes.com and wish I would have thought of it myself. It turned out great! I'm just hoping the power doesn't go out tomorrow night, so we can eat the leftovers! I hope everyone has plenty of wine, snacks, and movies on hand. Stay dry! 

Taco Stuffed Shells


Ingredients:


1 pound lean ground beef
1 box pasta shells, cooked
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup water
1 (16oz) can refried beans
1 (16oz) jar salsa
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 cup sour cream


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to directions on package. Set shells aside on a baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil to keep from sticking together while cooling.
2. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain oil. Add seasonings and stir to combine. Add 1 cup water and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in refried beans until well blended. Remove from heat and add 3/4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. 
3. Pour half jar of salsa into a casserole dish and spread to evenly coat bottom of dish.
4. Stuff each cooked pasta shell with about 2 Tbsp of ground beef/bean filling. Place in casserole dish, open side up.

5. Pour remaining salsa evenly over stuffed shells. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

6. Remove foil and top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered.

7. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onions.

By the way, my new favorite store-bought salsa is Herdez. It's all-natural and preservative free (which is rare for store-bought salsa). It's the perfect consistency for this dish. It has a very fresh taste, too! Love it!

Fields of Lavender

I've always wanted to visit Carousel Farm in Bucks County. It's a lavender farm that not many people have heard of (www.carouselfarmlavender.com). I finally got the chance to go there a few weeks ago with my husband for our anniversary. The farm is breathtaking! It is designed to replicate the rolling hills and lavender fields of the Provence countryside. It's an ideal location for a romantic picnic for two! We walked around, visiting the llamas, donkeys, and honey bees, then ventured into the adorable little gift shop. I bought lavender honey (made on the premises) and culinary lavender. I'm hoping to make little tea cookies with the dried lavender. I was given the idea for this recipe by the woman in the gift shop and thought it would make a great mid-afternoon snack! 

Lavender Honey & Goat Cheese Toasts


Ingredients:


Extra Virgin olive oil
Crusty Italian bread
Fresh goat cheese
Lavender honey (or regular honey)


Directions:


1. Preheat broiler in oven.
2. Slice Italian bread and drizzle one side with olive oil. Place bread, oiled side up, under broiler with oven rack in middle of oven. Watch closely and remove from oven once bread is toasted and browned.
3. Spread goat cheese over warm toast and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.




Goat cheese and I have a weird relationship. I definitely think it's an acquired taste, kind of like sushi. The first time I tried it, I hated it! Now, it's starting to grow on me and I like it a little more each time. I still think it tastes like a hairy goat sometimes, and had to laugh when the man at the Wegman's cheese counter and I had a short discussion about goat cheese. I told him I was looking for a really good goat cheese and he asked me "Do you like it really 'goaty'?" I had to laugh when I told him "no" because that is exactly how I would describe goat cheese- "goaty"! So if you're new to goat cheese and trying it for the first time, I recommend going to Wegman's since they have a large selection and the "cheese gurus" can help you find the perfect one! 


Here are a few more pictures from Carousel Farm! The peak lavender season is July, so we just missed it. I'm already planning to return next summer when the fields are full of purple!