Homemade Egg Rolls

My Aunt Mariko, who is Japanese, taught my mom how to make these and they've always been a family favorite. I've made them for E and he loves them as well. Although I do not cook them the same way my mom does, I think they're just as good, if not better.

Preheat oven to 425

Ingredients:

♥ one package of eggroll wrappers

(although mine were labeled large square wraps, same thing. you can find them in the produce section, usually with the asian/ vegan foods)

♥ 1 1/4 lb turkey burger

(or 1 lb. hamburger-- I can't tell the difference between hamburger and turkey burger. I've also thought about using a lb of turkey sausage for a little extra flavor)

♥ one bag coleslaw mix (140z bag)

♥ one medium-sized onion, chopped

♥ 1/4 to 1/3 c. soy sauce

♥ pepper

♥ one egg white

♥ cooking spray

In a large skillet, brown turkey burger. Add in onion and about half of the soy sauce. When the meat is cooked, add the bag of coleslaw mix. Add the remaining soy sauce, a few dashed of pepper, and cook until the cabbage and carrots (if the coleslaw mix you use has carrots in it) are tender.
Put about two to three spoonfuls of the mixture onto a wrapper as shown, then fold up the bottom corner.

Then fold up the two side corners so it looks like an envelope.

For the last part, brush egg whites onto the remaining flap (it "glues" the wrapper shut), and fold the last corner down. I actually will put the egg white on and then roll the egg roll up onto the last corner, as to make sure the roll is wrapped up tightly. You want to make sure to wrap these bad boys up tightly so that you don't see any of the mixture sticking out.

Place the egg rolls on a cookie sheet, there will be about 20 of them so I have to use my largest cookie sheet. Spray them cooking spray-- it'll make them nice and crispy.

Bake at 425 for about 12 to 15 minutes. You'll have to eyeball the time the first time you make them. Since the inside is already cooked, you just need to cook them until the wrapper is golden brown and crispy looking.


Enjoy!

I eat mine with salsa, but E loves his with soy sauce.

{you can experiment will fillings as well. My dad will put hamburger and onion seasoned with worchestershire in his, while my mom just uses cole slaw mix sprinkled with pepper in hers. You can also fry these in shortening until they're brown and crispy, but I like my healthier, baked option}

bon appetit, from the lady who thinks that she's Julia Child. :o)

Grilled Pizza :o)

E and I have been doing lots of grilling this summer and one of our new favorite things is to make pizza on our charcoal grill.

The only problem we've had, however, is finding a good crust. I've tried making my own dough and using refridgerated dough, but we didn't like the result-- it was too hard to work with. During our last trip to the commissary, we found this little gem, a package of premade crusts. They were delicious!

Anyway...

1. Unwrap the crusts and brush both sides with olive oil.

Our toppings of choice:

2. I laid the crusts out on a baking sheet-- it was a good fit for the pizzas and didn't leave an oily mess all over the place. Top the pizzas with your choice of toppings. We've done everything from BBQ chicken to a pizza with a spinach and artichoke sauce covered with veggies and cheese. This time we decided on just turkey pepperoni and cheese. When pizzas are made, sprinkle the tops with italian seasoning.
3. Place them on the grill and cover lid. Check for doneness (it'll be about 8-10 minutes for so).
The finished product:
They are so good and really easy to make!

bon appetit!

Mrs. AW

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today is our four-month wedding anniversary, so I thought I'd treat Sunshine Butt (aka Mr. Army Man aka E) with a baked treat. I decided on these wonderfully chocolate cookies that I found on Hersheys.com.

Design Your Own Chocolate Cookie:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well.

3. Stir together flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.

VARIATIONS: {I chose chocolate chips and walnuts}

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: Add 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate OR 2 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips to basic chocolate batter.

MINI KISSES CHOCOLATE COOKIES: Add 1-3/4 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S MINI KISSES Milk Chocolates to basic chocolate batter.

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: Add 1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Mint Chocolate Chips to basic chocolate batter.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH WHITE CHIPS: Add 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Premier White Chips to basic chocolate batter.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS: Add 1-2/3 cups( 10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips to basic chocolate batter.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH TOFFEE: Add 1 to 1-1/4 cups HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits or HEATH Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits to basic chocolate batter. Lightly grease or paper-line cookie sheets.

The finished result:

They turned out well, if I say so myself. E seemed to like them :o)

bon appetit!

B

Mini Turkey Meat Loaves and Organic Green Beans

This first recipe is one of my new favorites. I pulled it from Cook Yourself Thin, which was also a show on Lifetime for a while.



I bought the book on Amazon.com, but you can find a few of the recipes (and even watch episodes of the show) here.

Mini Turkey Meat Loaves

Serves 4
Calories per serving: 227

For the meatloaves:
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
5-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the glaze:
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange oven racks to accommodate two dishes being cooked simultaneously.

2. Grind the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl, and pour milk over crumbs.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with soaked crumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine the mixture with your hands until well mixed; it will be quite wet.

4. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a 1-cup dry measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking the cup to release the mixture. Gently pat the mound to smooth its shape. Repeat three times with remaining mixture. Bake mini meatloaves until cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes.

5. While the meatloaves are cooking, make the glaze: In a small bowl combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Brush over meatloaves.

Mrs. AW's Variations

-Mr. Army Man and I aren't too keen on the extra-hot glaze, so I make it with half the tobasco sauce.

-I also have substituted 5oz. of frozen, chopped spinach (thawed, of course) for the fresh, bagged stuff.

-I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to use this recipe and make meatballs. If doing so, only bake for about 30 minutes, or so.

-These bad boys can also be cooked on the grill. Smash 'em down so they look like thick hamburgers and grill until done.

Organic Green Beans, a la Mrs. Army Wife

E (Army Man) and I LOVE green beans. For an extra special treat, we sprinkle french fried onions on top.

1. One can of:

I am now in love with organic veggies. They taste like they're fresh from the garden! :o)

2. 1/2 of a small onion, chopped to your liking.

3. A bit of pepper, an even smaller bit of salt. To your liking, of course.

4. A tablespoon or two of butter. Again, to your liking.

{one of my favorite things about cooking is that, in most cases, you have the ability to tweak the recipe a bit and make it something that belongs to you! I felt like I had to put this because I felt silly putting "to your liking" after every single thing....}

-Pour entire can into small pot, add onion and simmer 'til onions are cook (transparent). Drain liquid. Add seasoning and butter and cook until butter is melted.

Variations: I haven't tried this yet, but a crumbled slice of turkey bacon might be a tasty treat to add in at the very end. I bet E would love me forever if I did.

Two of my favorite things, spinach and onions. That's probably why I love this recipe so much. And it's a good way to trick E into eating veggies.

The final product, made complete with my mother-in-laws recipe for macaroni salad. Sorry, I can't share that one--she'll break my kneecaps. Just kidding! My MIL is WONDERFUL!

bon appétit!

Mrs. AW