Baked Egg Roll Cups

Egg Roll Cups

I found this recipe for baked, not fried egg rolls and was intrigued. My husband loves egg rolls and we were planning a Chinese meal soon. This is a recipe based on a video I saw on Linda's Pantry called Egg Rolls Dressed Up In A Different Outfit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vi7cnqpm3M. As I usually do, I took it and made it my own.

1 T chili oil

1 T sesame oil

1 lb ground chicken

1 bottle of whatever Asian type sauce you desire

1 small bag of coleslaw mix

1 pack of won ton wrappers ( I used the round ones)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the oils and heat up your wok or frying pan.
3. Cook and break up the chicken.
4. Mix in the he coleslaw mix and sauce of your choice.
5. Cook on low medium for 5 minutes.
6. Line a muffin pan with the won ton wrappers.
7. Fill the lined cups with the chicken mixture.
8. Top the chicken mixture with another won ton wrapper.
9. Bake until crispy and brown (about 20 minutes).

How To Make Potato Bread From Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Pooka's Potato Bread  

This recipe requires the use of a stand mixer if you prefer a bread machine, my experience has been to add liquids first, then solids except for the yeast, then the yeast on top. You don't have to take my word for it though look it up in your bread machine's manual. If you prefer to do it by hand, here is the recipe and the video I based my recipe on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWAIcjHgzKE&list=FLSxqt9Xv7kc7hKZJJGNQSNQ Just omit the herbs and if you like my recipe, just use it following along to the video and the technique geniusinexile is using.

1 c cup mashed potatoes or 1 medium potato cut up boiled with the water saved

2 T yeast

2 T butter, melted

2 T agave nectar

2 t sea salt

1 c butter milk

5 ½ -6 c all purpose flour

¾ c potato water

1 T vital wheat gluten

1 t vanilla

1. Cook some mashed potatoes for a meal and plan for about 1 cup extra . I never peel my potatoes unless I have someone I'm feeding that hates the potato skins. I just scrub them well, chop them up into 1 inch or so pieces and boil them in sea salted water ( about 1 t). By the time the bread is baked you will hardly see the potato skins they'll just be barely noticeable flecks in the dough.
2. Add agave nectar, yeast and potato water and let it proof in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes. You can use sugar , honey or whatever you have but I prefer agave nectar because it's lower in the glycemic index. The potato water does make a difference, it makes a softer bread.
3. Add the butter.
4. Then the buttermilk combo.
5. Then the potatoes.
   Then the sea salt.
6. Add the vital wheat gluten and vanilla.
7. Mix for one minute.
8. Add in the flour one cup at a time.
9. Once the dough is well mixed (at least 2 minutes) run your mixer for 6 minutes until it become a firm, smooth, elastic dough and the flour is cleaned up from the sides of the bowl.
10. Oil the dough with cooking spray and let it rise for and hour.
11. Gently punch down the dough  (when you're too rough it compromises the quality of the dough).
12. Divide in two portions..
13. Oil with cooking spray again and let it rise until doubled in two loaf pans.
14. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to and hour

How I Make My Own Sugar Free Dried Cranberries And Cranberry Juice.

Making Your Own Sugar Free Dried Cranberries And Cranberry Juice.

A few days ago I found cranberries on sale at Aldi food store for 15 cents a bag.  So I bought a box of 25 of them.  My plan is to  dry some, freeze some, and give some to my mother..  When I announced my victorious results on my Facebook page my friends wondered how I was able to do that.  So without further ado, this is how it's done.








1 bag of whole fresh  cranberries (2 or 3 cups)
8 cups water
1 c. Splenda or the sweetener of your choice.

1. Empty the cranberries into a large pot
2. Pour the Splenda into the pot.
3. Pour the water into the pot and mix.
4. Cook until the berries burst and mash slightly with a potato masher.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Put a fine mesh strainer on top of a larger pitcher or another pot.
7. Slowly pour the the berries and juice through the strainer until they are separated..
8. Dry the cranberries on a fruit roll up tray in a dehydrator or on a cookie sheet in an oven at 170 degrees for 12 to 24 hours.
9. Refrigerate the juice.

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Almost From Scratch

I wrote this recipe when I saw a boxed kit for Gingerbread Whoopie Pies for a ridiculous price.  Instead I set out to do it myself without a kit.  These treats are delicious.  The filling is a recipe from.Noreen' s Kitchen
on YouTube

For the cookies:

2 lbs. (32 ounces) of gingerbread mix

2/3 c. shortening

1/2 c cold water

2 large eggs

For the filling:

1 stick butter (no substitutes) room temperature

1 c. white shortening

1 t. Mexican vanilla if you can get it or good quality vanilla

1 t. butter flavoring

2 lbs. confectionery sugar

2-4 T water

To bake the cookies:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.) Empty the ingredients for the cookies into a stand mixer.
3.) Start on low speed and mix well.
4. Use a 2 T cookie scoop to place the dough on the sheets lines with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. Let cool.
7. You should yield around 22 cookies.  Let cool for about an hour.

To make the filling:

1. This works best with a stand mixer.

2. Mix the butter and shortening on low speed to start then on high for 10 minutes

3. Add the vanilla and butter flavoring.
4. Slowly add the powdered sugar.
5. Slowly add water until you get the consistency you are looking for.
6. Mix on high speed for 10 minutes.

To put it all together:

1. Take a cookie put it bottom side up.
2. Scoop 2 T of filling onto the cookie bottom with a cookie scoop.
3. Take another cookie and place it right side up on the upside down cookie with the frosting.
4. You should end up with around 11 whoopie pies.
5. A half of a pie is a good serving

How To Make Bacon Fried Green Tomatoes

Bacon Fried Green Tomatoes 

This is for Facebook friends who wanted to know how I made my fried green tomatoes.  The recipe turned out so well, I thought I'd write it down and share it.

2 green tomatoes cored and sliced thin

1 t sea salt

1 egg

1/2 c buttermilk

3/4 c flour

1/4 c cornmeal

1 t. black pepper

1/2 cup bacon fat (very important. no substitutes) or the renderings from 1 pound of fried bacon

1. Combine the sea salt and tomato slices in a colander and let sit for a half hour to removed the extra moisture. 
2. Mix together egg and buttermilk in a bowl, set aside.  
3. Mix the flour, corn meal, and pepper in a separate bowl and set aside.  
4. Heat up the bacon grease in a cast iron skillet. 
5. Dip the tomato slices first into the liquid mixture and then the dry mixture. 
6. Fry in hot bacon grease about 3 minutes per side.

Smoked Sausage Like The Fair

Smoked Sausage Like Fair Food

Don't let the picture fool you.  This is a great recipe.  It was based on the Pat And Gina Neely Smoked Sausage and Peppers Recipe but I changed it enough that this recipe is now my own.  I came up with it on a Sunday night when I was trying to make a simple meal for friends.  It was an unexpected hit.








2 tablespoons olive oil

12 smoked sausages such as Johnsonville smoked beef brats or Johnsonville Buffalo style smoked sausage depending on the heat  you like.

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 sweet onions, sliced up

3 green, red or yellow peppers, sliced up

1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

1 small 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 bottle hard apple cider, preferably Woodchuck.

Hot dog buns

1. Heat the olive oil in a large iron skillet.

2. Brown the sausages on all sides.

3. Remove the sausages from the pan.

4. Add in the garlic, onions, and peppers.  Cook until tender.

5. Add in the tomato paste, BBQ sauce, and cider.  Mix with the garlic peppers and onions.

6. Add back the sausages and place in mixture.

7.  Cook until heated well through.

Four Ingredient Pork Roast In The Electric Pressure Cooker

Pork Roast In The Electric Pressure Cooker

I came up with this recipe when all I could find was fancy recipes for a pork roast and all I wanted was a simple recipe to let a good quality pork roast speak for itself.











1 tablespoon bacon grease
2 lb. pork roast
1 tablespoon Chef's Essence or Emeril's Essence more or less to taste
3 cups Homemade Pork Stock more or less depending on what you have



1. Heat the bacon grease in an iron skillet and brown on all sides. Let cool

2. Pour the pork stock into the bottom of the pressure cooker and place the rack that came with it in the pot.

3. Place the roast on the rack

4. Sprinkle the Chef's Essence all over the top of the pork roast.

5. Lock the pressure cooker lid into place.

6.  Set the timer for 1 hour

7. Let the pressure return to normal naturally

8. Use the leftover pork stock for a wonderful gravy

9. Pairs well with real mashed potatoes and carrots.