Dumpling Soup

Over the holidays my family and I went to one of my favorite restaurants, The Mandarin. They had the most wonderful wonton soup. When I got home I was flipping through my Foodnetwork magazine trying to decide what to make for the week, and came across this recipe. I was so excited to try it. Granted it is not as good as The Mandarin's because the dumplings are not homemade, but it was really good, and will satisfy my craving until I get back there.

Dumpling Soup

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 pound thick-sliced ham, diced
2 Tbsp dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 3-inch strips orange zest*
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 to 3 napa cabbage leaves, thinly sliced
24 frozen chicken or vegetable dumplings or pot stickers
Soy sauce, for drizzling (optional)

Combine 2 cups water, the broth, ham, sherry, sugar, ginger, orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the scallion whites, mushrooms and carrots. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the cabbage, dumplings and scallion greens. Cover and cook until the dumplings are soft and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Divide the dumplings and soup among bowls. Drizzle with soy sauce, if desired.

*I did not know how to do strips of orange zest, so I just put in about 1/4 tsp of orange zest and it tasted fine.

Cranberry Salsa

I know my blog has not been too festive this year. Sadly I have not been baking wonderful holiday treats because I don't want them around my house. I'm trying to avoid gaining the holiday 15. But this recipe screams holidays to me. My sister in law, Alyssa, has made this for our family the last few Christmas'. It is so good! It is different than anything I have ever tasted.

Cranberry Salsa

1-12 oz bag of cranberries
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded
2 limes, juiced
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar

Put above ingredients in a food processor and blend well.

To make it "Holiday style":

Blend 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1/4 cup mayo and spread onto a platter. (It is also really good over just cream cheese). Cover with cranberry salsa. Serve with chips or crackers.

**Leave out a few cranberries and cilantro leaves to garnish with.

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Pesto Butter

I tried this recipe for dinner last night and we really liked it. The pesto butter is delicious! The chicken is nice and moist. We will definitely be making this again soon!

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Pesto Butter
recipe courtesy Ali Broadbent

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
garlic salt

In a food processor combine basil, parmesan cheese, garlic and butter. Process until well combined. Pound the chicken flat. Place the pesto butter in the middle of each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpick. Dip the chicken in the egg then in the breadcrumbs. Place in a greased 9X13 pan. I used Panko breadcrumbs which didn't have any seasoning in them so I sprinkled a little garlic salt on top of the breaded chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. The last 5-10 minutes I took the chicken out of the oven. The butter had melted in to the bottom of the pan so I spooned it over the chicken breasts. It added a nice flavor and also helped them get nice and golden brown.

Pizza Twist

We love anything pizza related and this recipe did not disappoint. It was quick and easy and very good.

Pizza Twist
recipe courtesy Michele Steel

2 tubes Pillsbury French loaf bread
Favorite pizza toppings
Mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
Italian seasoning
Garlic salt
pizza sauce for dipping

Open both loaves, make a slit long ways down the center of each, and roll each out flat. Fill with toppings, except for the sauce. Pinch dough closed around toppings and lay seam down on greased pan. Twist the loaves together 1-2 times. Spread egg over the top, make sure to cover all of the dough. Sprinkle with seasoning and garlic salt. Bake at 350 for 25-32 minutes. Pull or cut apart and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Salsa Chicken Soup

I love soup and luckily so does my husband. I am always looking for good soup recipes. I had this soup at a friends house in October and couldn't wait to make it. The soup reminds me of some taco soups that I've tried but has it's own unique flavor. When I tried it at my friends it was a little salty, so I used low sodium chicken broth and it wasn't salty enough. I would use regular chicken broth, but don't add any salt until you taste it.

Salsa Chicken Soup
Recipe courtesy Jodie Heiselt

1 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 c salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 lb. cooked chicken, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
tortilla chips
green onions and lime for garnish

In a large saucepan heat oil. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, diced tomatoes, and salsa. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in corn and chicken, heat through. Top with chips, avocado, lime and green onion if desired.

Barbecue Spareribs

I grew up eating these spareribs. They are so delicious. They are tender and juicy and the barbecue sauce is wonderful. I made them for the first time today for my husband. He didn't understand why we've been married almost 6 years and I haven't made them for him before. I didn't have an answer. These are very easy to make and they freeze wonderfully.

Barbecue Spareribs

5-10 lbs boneless ribs
1 cup ketchup
2 cups kraft barbecue sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
dash of pepper
1 cup fruit juice (pear juice is best)
1 cup apple sauce
2 Tbsp sugar

Mix together above 7 ingredients and set aside. Put ribs in a glass baking dish. I had about 7 lbs. of ribs and used two 9X13 pans. Bake ribs in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 cup water together and add to ribs. (I doubled the salt mixture and divided it between the two pans). Cover the pans with tin foil. Bake for two more hours. Drain off the greasy water. Pour sauce over ribs and bake for 30 minutes longer.

The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

The Best Spaghetti and Meatballs
recipe courtesy America's Test Kitchen

2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread
1/3 cup buttermilk
3/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground pork
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
4 cups of your favorite tomato sauce
1 pound spaghetti

Remove and discard the crusts from the bread, then tear the bread into small pieces. Mash the bread pieces and buttermilk to a smooth paste in a large bowl, using a fork.
Add the beef, pork, Parmesan, parsley, yolk, garlic, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper to the mashed bread. Stir the mixture gently until combined and uniform. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch round meatballs (about 12 meatballs).
Pour the oil into a skillet until it measures a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a paper-towel-lined plate and discard the oil left in the skillet.
Place the skillet with any browned bits over medium heat and add the tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the heat to low and add the meatballs. Continue to simmer, turning the meatballs occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
While the meatballs are simmering, add 1 tbsp salt and the spaghetti to boiling water. Cook, stirring often, until the spaghetti tastes almost tender but is still firm to the bite.
Top the pasta with the spaghetti and meatballs and enjoy!