Crispy Southwestern Chicken Wontons

I wanted to make these for my kids. I found this recipe from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/crispy-southwestern-wontons.html

I added some other things to it because I wanted a little more spice. It came out great. My kids loved it even with a little hotness. Also saved a batch for my husband when he comes home from his board game night at his brother.

In a large bowl mixed 2 cups shredded chicken from a whole roasted chicken. I roasted mine day before. De bone and shredded into small bite size. Added 1 cup black beans, 1 cup corn kernel, 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, 1 package knorr dry herb dressing, 2 cups of shredded 3 cheese (mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and Norvegia cheese) 2 tablespoons minced jalapenos, 1 tablespoon seasoning sauce, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt & pepper to taste.

Knorr dry herb dressing.

2X wonton pastry package

Placed a small spoonful about a teaspoon of my  chicken mixture in the center of wonton pastry.

Rub egg/water mixture on each side of wonton pastry

Then folded over, sealed edges tightly, forming a triangle and just gently pressed out any extra air pockets.

I made a lot of them.
In a large pot filled vegetable oil half way, heat pot on medium/high heat. Waited until oil was hot then added about 5 wontons and fried them for 2 minutes. Flipped them over and cook for another 1-2 minutes and placed on a rack to cool and continued with rest.

Served on a nice plate with sweet and sour sauce and homemade dipping sauce. This is great for party or family gathering.

For homemade dipping sauce

1 cup creme fraiche

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tablespoons ketchup (optional)

3 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoon dried banana pepper (optional)

3 tablespoon red wine

                                                                                    1 tablespoon garlic, minced

In a food processor combined all ingredients, pour into a container, covered, refrigerated for 3 hours.

Homemade Coconut Tempura Pork Bites

My husband took the kids out for a while so I could have some relaxing and quietness time. I was so excited. I don't even remember when was the last time I was this excited. It was one of the most nicest 3 hours but I did miss my kids a lot. I had time to prepare this delicious coconut tempura pork bites. Instead of using cold water for the tempura batter I used coconut milk instead. It was one of my kids favorite and definitely will make it again. 

Placed 2 lbs pork loin, cut into bite size in a large container, season with salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, mix well with hand. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

4 hours later in a large bowl combined flour, cornstarch, coconut milk and salt. Mix well until mixture becames thick. Place marinaded pork bites in tempura batter mixture.

Covered pork bites well with tempura batter.

 In a medium size bowl add shredded coconuts. One at a time placed tempura batter pork in shredded coconut.

 I made half with shredded coconut and half without.

In a large pot filled half with vegetable oil on medium/high heat. Added a few at a time about 5 coconut tempura pork. Fried them for 2-3 minutes. Place on a line sheet paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Continued with the rest.

Served with sweet and sour sauce, rice, and homemade kimchi.

Tamarind pork chop and kimchi

Tonight's dinner I made Asian seasoned pork chops served with kimchi, spring rolls, and hot jasmine rice. My kimchi and pork went so well together.

Tamarind pork chops

1/2 cup water
2 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup minced lemon grass
2 tablespoons tamarind juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika or chili powder
1/2 tablespoon seasoning salt
2 lb pork chops

In a blender add all ingredients except for pork chops and blend well for 2-3 seconds.
Put pork chop in a large container. Pour marinade sauce over pork chops, rub sauce on both side of pork chops, cover container with lid and refrigerate over night. Grill pork chops on a grill, medium/high temperature or fry in skillet, adding 1 or 2 tablespoon olive oil and heat on medium/high and cook chops for 7-9 minutes on each side until golden brown.

I found a great recipe for Kimchi at
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi

I will definitely make it again.

Lunch

I woke up around 5am craving for this. Chicken, cucumber, avocado rolls.

I used roasted chicken breast thinly sliced, thin sliced cucumber, fresh avocados, and a little mayonnaise. I'm not so into raw seafood but someday I'll give it a try. Topped with sesame seed, served with sushi ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi. So yummy. My kids and I love this but............................

For my husband, instead of chicken rolls. I've made his kind of lunch a hoagie. No, he didn't have them both. He wished he did but one was saved by me for my kids. Top one is with homemade roasted ham and the bottom is salami and turkey cold cuts.

I'm usually doing my grocery shopping at Meny in CC Vest shopping center in Oslo. It has mostly everything I need. A lot of varieties on American products and a great selection on international food (Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, and Mexican). The prices are ridiculously high but it kind of feels like home. The staffs at Meny are so nice and helpful. My husband on the other hand, not a big fan because of the prices but he is always happy everytime I prepare the food.

Meny CC Vest
Lilleakerveien 16
Oslo
http://meny.no/
http://ccvest.no

There are 2 Asian markets that I go to. One is near Sandvika and the other is in Oslo. I usually do my shopping there just to get the exotic stuff for my Asian dish. Both markets have a wide selection of mostly everything. The prices are not so bad on the fresh produce, they keep great care of their fruits and vegetables.  My favorites to buy are snacks and drinks. It reminds me of my childhood.

 Thai Strawberry Fanta and Aloe Vero Drink

 Seaweed Tempura Spicy Flavor (very addicting and one of my favorites)

 Childhood snake Prawn Crackers. My kids also love these

Asia Supermarket

Trondheimsveien 43
Oslo, Norway
http://www.asiasupermarket.no/

The other Asian Market is located at 

Folangerveien

1337 Sandvika, Norway

Pork :)

My husband loves meat especially pork. Everytime I ask him what would he like for dinner and the answer is either pork or beef. I made this delicious BBQ glazed pork for him. It's also perfect for summer grilling.

Grill Seasoning Recipe

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon smoke seasoning

In a small bowl whisk together paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, light brown sugar, smoke seasoning. Store the rest for later use.

1 tablspoon citrus ground black pepper
1 tablspoon garlic salt powder
1 tablspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablspoons seasoning sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablepsoon olive oil
1 lb fresh pork chops

Seasoned and marinaded pork chops, covered, refrigerated for 3 hours.

In a large skillet on high heat, heated 2 tablespoons plant margarine. Cook on each side for about 8 minutes plus. Brushed each side with homemade barbecue sauce or bottled barbecue sauce, covered top skillet with foil for 5 minutes, lowered heat and removed foil. Flipped over cook for another 5 minutes. Placed BBQ pork chops on a plate.

Let rest for 8 minutes before cutting. Some pork chops I made were glazed more than others.
Served with hot jasmine rice and salad.

Quick and easy mac and cheese

Today I didn't feel like cooking, just needed to make something quick and what I had in my kitchen. I have made a lot of mac and cheese but this was one of the best mac and cheese I've made so far. Quick and easy with just 8 ingredients.

Santa Maria Cheddar cheese style dip, Philadelphia skinke(ham) Italian style cream cheese, Kavi chorizo & Parmesan cheese, Popcorn seasoning nacho cheddar, milk, broccoli diced bite size and steamed, sliced ham into small bite size, and macaroni.

In a medium pot on high heat, boiled macaroni for 7 minutes until tender, drained, pour back to pot. Added ham and broccoli, mixed and stirred well with wooden spoon. Added the 3 different cheese, nacho seasoning, and 3 tablepsoon milk (I used Tine extra light milk with vitamin D.) Mixed well and served while hot.

BBQ Pork and Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Dinner tonight was glazed barbecue pork chops with salad and rice.......
For sauce recipe:
http://sorieyahomemadecooking.blogspot.com/2012/05/left-over-grill-ribs-and-i-turned-them.html


Dessert homemade blueberry vanilla bean cheesecake ice cream topped with caramel sauce.

Vanilla bean cheesecake ice cream

1 1/2 cups Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 vanilla from fresh vanilla pod
2 cups fresh blueberries

In a large bowl combine and whisk cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla sugar, blend well. Split and scrap out vanilla seeds and stir into cheesecake mixture, pour in fresh blueberries and mix well. Pour blueberry cheesecake filling into a container, cover, and into the freezer for 5 hours or overnight. I served with caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkled cappuccino powder.