Duck Potstickers

I have mentioned before that my husband is a very avid duck hunter. I usually make him responsible for figuring out how to cook what he brings home, but since it was Valentine's Day, I decided to take an interest and cook some duck for him. His sister gave him a fabulous wild game cookbook called, "Eat Like a Wild Man" (compiled by Rebecca Gray) and I found this super delicious recipe. By the way, Miss 7 absolutely loved this dinner and I'm sure Miss 6 would have, if she wasn't a non-meat eater.

1 duck, skinned and boned or 1 1/2 cups skinned and boned meat from back and/or legs
(if you don't eat duck, I think chicken or some other meat would work just fine)
1 1/2 tbsp thin soy sauce (I didn't try to find thin, I just used regular)
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced (this is one case where you should buy fresh, don't try powdered)
1 c cabbage, finely chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 c water
1 package wonton skins

PASTE
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Grind the duck meat in a blender. Remove to a bowl and stir in soy sauce, onion, garlic, ginger, cabbage, cornstarch and water. Scoop about 2 tsp of filling in the center of each wonton skin. Mix the paste ingredients, then moisten the edge of the dough with paste, fold the skin over the filling, and pinch the edges to seal. Place the potstickers, well separated, on a cookie sheet. Keep them moist with a damp towel until needed. In a frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Set in the potstickers without letting them touch each other. Cook uncovered until the bottoms are golden brown- about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, add 1/4 c water; cover and steam 6 to 8 minutes, until the water evaporates. Remove them with a spoon and serve with soy sauce or favorite dipping sauce. Makes about 3 dozen.

So Delicious!!!

Orange Chicken

I have a great love of Mexican food. But after ten years of marriage, I am finally starting to open my eyes to the fact that my poor husband does not share my love. He doesn't hate it, but it is not his choice. I am starting to notice that his default choice is Asian food. When I eat a chimichanga, he chooses an egg roll. So I've decided to improve my Asian cooking skills. Now, I am not too worried about being totally authentic, so if that's what you want, this won't satisfy you. But I did find this incredibly delicious recipe for http://www.food.com/. (they called it Panda Express Orange Chicken, but the instructions were kind of weird, so don't bother looking- just use my version.)



Ingredients

1 or 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt

pepper

oil (for frying)

1/2 c cornstarch, plus 1 tbsp

1/4 c flour

1 tbsp gingerroot, minced (or if you don't have it, use powdered ginger about 1/2 tsp)

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed hot red chili peppers (I left this out)

1/4 c green onions, chopped (I never have green onions, so I chopped up a green pepper. yum)

1 tbsp rice wine (again, didn't have it so I used rice vinegar and it was fine)

1/4 c water

1/2 tsp sesame oil



Orange Sauce Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp water

5 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp white vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp orange juice concentrate



In one bowl combine all the ingredients for the Orange Sauce.

Heat your oil to 375 degrees. (I used a deep fat fryer) In a small bowl combine 1/2 c cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper. In another small bowl, crack and egg and mix it up. Dip your chicken into the egg, then coat it in the flour mixture. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Then drain it on a paper towel.

While frying the chicken, add 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil to a frying pan or wok (I don't have a wok). Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Then add crushed chilis (if you're using them), green onions (or green peppers), and rice wine (or rice vinegar). Stir fry until the veggies are done. Now add the orange sauce and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken and stir until it's coated in the sauce. Mix 1/4 c cold water with remaining 1 tbsp cornstach and stir into the chicken. Heat until the sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

My husband really, really liked this. He seemed a little surprised that I had made it and not gotten it from a mix or something. I really, really liked it too. Enjoy!

Perfect Pancakes

These are only for the days when you are up to going out of your way for pancakes. As for myself, I am usually a quickie pancake person and my kids like it even quicker, using a mix when one is available. But this, this is pancake bliss:)

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 C brown sugar

 stir with wisk. then add:

2 egg yolks (save whites, beat to stiff peaks)
1 t vanilla
2 c milk (best-whole, ok-1%)
1/2 c canola oil

Stir in with dry. Fold in stiff egg whites, fry on buttered electric frying pan. Eat them slowly with happiness:)

Chewy Chcolate Gingerbread Cookies

These are the best cookies EVER! I am not kidding- I am IN LOVE with these. I cannot emphasize this enough. I would put up a picture of them so you could see how yummy they look but I already ate them all. By the way, credit for this recipe goes to my mom-in-law. :)

7 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp cocoa powder
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger (if you only have ground just substitute-it works fine)
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp boiling water
1/4 c sugar

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In another bowl, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, and beat until combined. Add molasses and beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve, the baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of the flour mixture into
the butter mixture. Beat in the baking soda mixture, then the remaining flour mixture.
Mix in the chocolate and turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat the dough out to about
1 inch thick; seal with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
4. Heat oven to 325. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on baking
sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll the balls in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces
crack slightly, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, transfer to wire rack to cool completely.


I followed all of these instructions except for refrigerating the dough balls for the second 20 minutes. They didn't run or anything, they turned out GREAT.
If any of you make these, PLEASE comment. I want to know if you love them as much as I do!

Pumpkin Seeds

Don't forget to use the pumpkin seeds after you carve your jack o lanterns!

Just soak them over night-
1 1/2 tsp salt to 2/3 c water

and bake them slowly the next day-
300 for about an hour

Yummy and good for you too. :)

Red Enchilada Casserole

I have been trying to convince my family that cheese is NOT a food group...and had very little success. I realized that many of my recipes used almost as much cheese as they did meat! So I have been going through some of our favorites and trying to de-cheese them somewhat. This wonderful casserole was one of the first on the chopping block. Funnily enough, when the fam tasted the revised edition, it earned rave reviews. So, here it is...

Red Enchilada Casserole

2 large cans of red enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is my fave)
18 corn tortillas
1 lb ground beef cooked then seasoned with:1 pkg taco seasoning
1 15 oz can of corn, drained
1 7 oz can of chopped green chilis (I like Hatch's)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
8-12 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Pour 1/4 of 1 can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place 6 corn tortillas evenly over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 of the seasoned ground beef, 1/2 can of corn, 1/2 can of chilis, 1/2 can of beans, and 1/2 the cheese.Pour another 1/4 can of sauce over this. Place 6 more corn tortillas on the sauce and pour more sauce to cover the tortillas. Sprinkle the other half of the meat, corn, chilis, beans and cheese. Pour another 1/4 can of sauce, followed by 6 more corn tortillas. Pour enough sauce to cover, and sprinkle with a small amount of cheese. You may also want to garnish with olives, tomatoes, and chopped onions.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

Originally, this recipe sported only the corn tortillas, meat, sauce and cheese. This revised way, it is healthier, more filling, and goes farther. Plus, it is WAY more interesting.

Tuna Casserole-two ways

We love Tuna Casserole, and have two ways of doing it. One way is the "oh-crap-what-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner?" way. The other way is the "I-love-to-cook-let's-do-something-great" way. Here are both:

Tuna (oh crap, dinner!) Casserole
1 12 oz package egg noodles (or whatever pasta falls out of your pantry)
2 cans cream of chicken (or celery or mushroom) soup
2 cans of tuna
1 can (use the soup can) of milk
grated cheese (again, whatever you have. my faves are cheddar or parmesan)

Cook the pasta, stir in soup, milk, and cheese. Stir in tuna last. If you're in a huge hurry, heat and eat. If you have 20 more minutes, sprinkle something on the top (crushed potato chips, crackers, or french fried onions) and put in a 350 oven for however long you have. Then eat it.

Tuna (let's do this right) Casserole

Start a large saucepan of water with 1 Tb salt to boil. When it's boiling, add 12 oz dry egg noodles or other pasta. While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 Tbs of butter in a frying pan, add 1/2 C. chopped celery, 1/2 C. chopped onion and saute til translucent. Stir in 2 Tbs of flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 tsp chicken bouillion.
Quickly whisk in 2 C. milk. Stir til thick and bubbly. Add 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp dillweed. Stir in 2 cans of drained tuna. Drain the pasta and add it to the tuna. Stir gently and pour into greased casserole (9x13). Melt 2 Tbs butter and pour over 1 C. of dry seasoned bread crumbs ( I like Mrs Cubbisons) stir and spread over the tuna casserole. Sprinkle 3 or 4 Tbs Parmesan cheese over the bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.