Recipes: Jen's Crab Rangoon and Chocolate and Cheese Danishes

With all of the traveling we've been doing lately, I haven't spent much time in the kitchen in the last week; however, I did try Jen of Peas and Crayons (aka Woods' future mother-in-law because he and Madison are dating) Crab Rangoon last night and even managed to take some pictures.

You can find the full recipe here but here's what our dinner preparation looked like last night:

J lining the muffin tins

We made six open faced (pictured above) and six closed, dumpling style ones to see which way we liked better.  The open-faced variety looked prettier and were more crispy but the dumpling style ones stayed warmer longer.  We'd love to make open-faced ones for a party since the presentation is so lovely--we will just have to make sure they get eaten quickly.  Somehow I don't think that will be a problem! 

We used crab (or Krab if you want to get technical) because we also made California rolls to accompany the rangoons.   The best part was that I was able to pack a few boxes up while I made dinner, first while the rice soaked and then while it simmered away on the stove.  Woods even got in on the action.

The picture's a little grainy because I had to take it quickly from my iPhone.  Woods is notorious for running away before I can snap a picture of him (case in point: he jumped out of the box as soon as he realized what I was doing).

As I got out the cream cheese last night, I realized I hadn't shared the recipe for the cheese and chocolate danishes we had on our date night last week.  The recipe is so easy and tasty I couldn't not post it here.  I halved Giada's original recipe and made a few substitutions so that I could use what I had on hand instead of buying more ingredients at the store.  The results really got my wheels turning as to what else I could stuff inside danishes--they were that easy and that good!


Chocolate and Cheese Danishes, modified from Giada at Home

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator for 4 hours or on the counter for 40 minutes
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla yogurt--we used whole milk vanilla yogurt from Trader Joe's but fat-free would also work
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten


Kitchen Supplies:
Cutting board
Sheet pan
Small bowl
Ramekin
Pastry Brush
Knife
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, yogurt, flour, sugar and salt, mixing until smooth.  Fold in the chocolate chips and set aside.

Unfold the puff pastry and cut into fours.  Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of each piece of pastry.  Fold one corner of the pastry diagonally over the mixture, leaving yourself a one inch border around the opposite edge.  Brush the egg wash over the folded part of the pastry.  Take the point of the triangle shape you made and fold it on top of the danish for an open-ended danish and a crisp look.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and puffy.  Remove from oven and cool for five minutes before serving.

Serves: 4

We waited a bit longer than five minutes to eat them since we had dinner reservations before the concert.  However, they were just as good a few hours later with a glass of crisp white wine! 

Have you ever tried to make danishes?  What about sushi?  They both are definitely way easier than they look!

Leftovers Lunch

I love leftovers.  There I said it.  I think sometimes they can get a bad rap but I love them because it means you get to enjoy the rest of a great meal again the next day (or the day after that).

Today's lunch was just that, leftovers, which is what I have almost every day for lunch but these were special leftovers.  They were sushi leftovers from our Japanese dinner last night.

Before

You see, back when I bought dashi and miso paste to make homemade miso soup for this Japanese bistro dinner I had a lot of leftover ingredients (try a pound of dashi when each soup calls for 3 teaspoons) so I knew that they would be making an appearance again soon.  That reappearance was last night.  This time I made homemade California rolls, miso soup and edamame.  The leftovers were today's lunch.

I decided to dress up my plate a little since I was having the best of all leftovers (in my opinion) and pulled out some Asian inspired plates and soup spoons I had scored at Goodwill for less than two dollars!  The lunch was delicious, just as delicious as dinner was the night before.

After

And I was in such a good mood afterwards, I decided to move our very heavy couch for Woods and dig out all of his play toys he shoves under there.  I found the following:

4 pens
3 hairties
2 straws
1 q-tip--gross!
3 ball toys that have bells in each of them
1 catnip mouse
1 Santa string toy (his favorite)
7 milk rings (a close second)

To say it looked like this is no exaggeration.  That should keep him busy for a while!

What's your take on leftovers?  Love them or leave them?



And because I know Woods' girlfriend would love to see what his favorite toys are, I am linking up with Jenn for What I Ate Wednesdays :)

Friday Night Japanese Bistro

On Friday night, J and I had our very own Japanese bistro meal, complete with edamame, miso soup, and onigiri (triangle shaped rice roasted on the stove with a soy sauce-mirin sauce) and some rice and nori rolls (we had extra rice and the nori on hand so we just improvised)  

In the future, we'd like to make some simple rolls and stuff them with avocado, cucumber and maybe a little fish for a cheap and easy meal, along with miso soup since we have a lot of the ingredients needed to make the soup left over (Dashi stock, miso paste and tofu).  It was a pretty rice heavy meal so it would have been nice to have some fish or steamed vegetables (other than the edamame) to balance it out!

Here are some photos of the meal and the miso soup recipe:

Edamame, or boiled soy beans in their pods--they are salty and crunchy and make for a great snack!

Clockwise: miso soup, onigiri, and rolls

 

Pictured above, clockwise: sushi rice, Dashi stock granules (for miso soup), nori (seaweed), Indo Mie noodle bowls (for lunches or snack) and gingko beans (for another forthcoming recipe).

Homemade Miso Soup, taken from here:

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

3 teaspoons of Dashi stock granules

4 ounces of tofu, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

3 tablespoons of miso paste--we used red but green or white also works well

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 sheet of Nori, cut into strips

Kitchen Supplies:

Small stockpot

Cutting board

Knife

Glass bowl

Combine water and Dashi stock in stockpot.  Bring to a boil then reduce to low, adding tofu and Nori strips.  Reduce heat and simmer for three to four minutes.  Spoon miso paste into a glass bowl.  Ladle two cups of soup into glass bowl and combine well.  Return mixture to the stockpot and stir, taking care not to allow the mixture to boil once the miso paste has been added.  Stir in green onions and serve.

Serves: 4

We have tried to make homemade miso soup in the past using only water, miso paste, tofu and green onions and it never was quite right.  We have since discovered that the Dashi stock is crucial to making restaurant quality miso soup at home.  Now that I know the secret, I will be making this often as it only takes minutes to make and is absolutely delicious!

Have you made something at home lately that you usually only eat at a restaurant?  What was it and how did it turn out?

P.S. Want to see another homemade sushi we've had this year, this time with my parents out in California?  Click here for pictures!

Thai Shrimp Bisque

On Monday night, J and I made Thai Shrimp Bisque for dinner.  It was warm, hearty and delicious--perfect for the night before the big storm!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of medium shrimp--I used cooked, tail-on shrimp because it was half the price of frozen shrimp
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lime rind, about 2 limes
1/3 cup lime juice, about 2 limes
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger--I freeze ginger root when I'm not using it, which makes it easier to grate and makes it last longer
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed--I used jarred garlic


For the Shrimp Stock:
2 cups water
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons lobster stock base--we use Better than Bouillon


For the Soup:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt


Kitchen Supplies:
Zester
Stock pot
Dutch oven
Can opener
3 cup measuring cup
Whisk

Combine shrimp and next 8 ingredients in a large ziplock bag, seal and marinate in refrigerator for thirty minutes.  Combine stock base, water, wine, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste in a large Dutch oven.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes until liquid is reduced to approximately 1 cup.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion and celery, and saute for eight minutes or until browned.  Add 1 cup shrimp stock, coconut milk, and remaining tomato paste.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife.  Combine the flour and milk in a 3 cup measuring cup, stirring with a whisk.  Add to pan, reduce heat, and simmer until thick, about five minutes.  Add shrimp and marinade, and cook an additional five minutes.  Stir in 1 tablespoon lime rind, 1 tablespoon cilantro and salt.

Serves: 6
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
Calories: 201

Enjoy!

Today I am bringing this soup to Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday...can't wait to see what everyone else is bringing!

Sushi

In looking back at my photos over Christmas, I realized I never shared with you the photos from our sushi night, as I promised in this post.  The food was too delicious and the photos are too fun not to share them, so here they are!

My dad has traveled to Japan almost every year for the last several years for business.   As I have already mentioned, he is a great cook and always brings home new recipes to try, replicated from memory based on meals he had while traveling.  We've had Hungarian goulash, Italian treats and Russian fare, but my favorite travel meals have always been when he makes Japanese food.  Below is a picture of some of the food he made this time: sesame and mirin marinated Steak as well as skewered Japanese hot dogs served with a spicy Wasabi mustard sauce for dipping.  Dinner took longer to assemble than originally planned, so the steak marinated for a long time--all the better when it came time to eat!

Before I continue, it must be noted that my family are sushi fanatics.  We love it all: raw, cooked, deep-fried--you name it, we will eat it!  This was the original idea behind sushi night because with six people in our house (seven counting J, who I converted into a sushi-lover), going out for sushi can get really expensive.  Thanks to all the great fresh fish markets and Asian grocery stores in southern California, we can eat all the sushi we want at a fraction of the price we would pay if we went out to eat.

The last time we had a sushi night, we made so much food we had to call in reinforcements in the form of some good friends.  This time we planned ahead and invited several people to join us: my brother Dan's friend from high school, my sister Madi's two best friends from grade school and my best friend Anne and her roommate who were visiting from Santa Barbara.  And boy did we need the help!  Here are a few pictures of the dishes.

Note: this is a photo heavy post but will not include any actual recipes.  We didn't really use any to come up with these dishes but if you are looking for some good ones, this is a good starting point.

Some variations of California rolls--some of the safest rolls for sushi beginners to try because they have no raw fish in them, only cooked (imitation) crab, cucumber, and avocado.

Tuna nigri with a spicy Asian guacamole on top.  Nigri refers to the way the sushi is prepared and served.  If a piece of raw sushi grade fish is served without rice, it is referred to as sashimi.  If it is served on a small bed of rice (like pictured above and below) it is called nigri.

Halibut nigri with a spicy rice wine vinegar sauce.

Tempura-ed vegetables (cauliflower, onions, carrots, green beans) made by Madi

The spread

My parents' cat CJ checking out the spread--he loves the smell of fresh fish.  I think he and Woods would be friends!

 

The spread, part two.  It wouldn't all fit on one table.  Pictured here are a few eel-inspired rolls and the tempura which Madi was preparing above.  Eel (another completely cooked fish) is extremely delicious and has quickly become one of my favorite sushi dishes.  In Japan, you cannot get eel at most restaurants--you must go to an eel restaurant to eat the delicious fish.  It is usually served simply over a bowl of steaming rice.

Gathering round to eat the first course, miso soup--another great dish for sushi beginners to try!  A mostly clear soup served hot with pieces of tofu, green onions and seaweed in the broth.

Have any of you tried sushi?  If so (and you liked it!) what is your favorite roll?