Hamachi Shooters

Last Saturday we had some dear friends over for dinner. It's so fun to get together with Anthony and Tara because like us, they enjoy and appreciate good food and great wine. The four of us always have such a fun time together. Jim and I prepared a simple burger bar for our dinner while Anthony and Tara wowed us with an amazing appetizer of Hamachi Shooters. 

After begging for the recipe (not really), they graciously agreed to allow me to share this on HWM.

Girls Night Recipes

When my friends and I plan girls night, it always involves sinful snacking. If there were a night to fry something, this would be it. Lots of jokes (sometimes at my expense), lots of fried food, lots of wine, lots of chatter around the roar of a fire - no boys allowed. You won't find spicy chicken wings or philly cheese steaks anywhere near our buffet. Let me highlight some of our favorite snacks for girls night!

Fried zucchini slices, otherwise known as Zucca Chips are so perfect for girls night! For one, they are quick and easy. Secondly, these are delicious!

Be sure to buy at least one zucchini per person because they shrink up and we tend to eat these by the handfuls.

As soon as you pull them out of the fryer, allow them to drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt right away.

While we were at it, we also thinly sliced potatoes and fried them up as well.

Lone Star Scallop

Earlier this year I attended a cooking demonstration at Travaasa Resort and Spa near Lake Travis in Austin. What I loved most about this dish is that it only had a few ingredients, but could easily be transformed from an appetizer to an entree.

Chef Benjamin Baker has two decades of experience cooking in kitchens from Maui, HI, to San Jose, CA, and in Austin, TX where he is now the executive chef at Travaasa. His passion for baking breads and dedication to seasonal, organic and local ingredients was evident the moment he started the cooking demonstration.
 

How to Make Spring Rolls

We have been experiencing 85 to 95 degree weather in Austin, TX and are just thrilled to welcome Spring! I want to soak up every lovely afternoon that we have in the 80's because soon and very soon it will be in the triple digits. Right now is the perfect time to put together a batch of these cool and crunchy Spring Rolls that are surprisingly easy to assemble and highly customizable.

Have you seen or cooked with these vermicelli rice noodles? They are quick cooking, thin noodles that are great as the base of stir-fry or added to soup. I boiled a medium pot of salted water, added a handful of rice sticks and let them boil for just a few minutes. As soon as they were cooked through (about 3 minutes) I strained and set asside to cool as I prepped the remaining ingredients.

For a nice spicy bite, I rinsed a handful of cilantro.

I like the crunch of cool Spring Rolls, so I thinly sliced a red bell pepper. Again, use what you have on hand!

Mussels and Wine Feast

I had not eaten mussels until last week when a friend and I met at Vino Vino, a local wine bar in Austin and shared a bowl of mussels in white wine sauce topped with french fries and a dollop of herby hollandaise sauce. It was spectacular, I couldn't believe how delicious the mussels were. I absolutely loved dipping the crusty bread that accompanied our dish into the flavorful juice in the bottom of the bowl. I felt sad that I had missed out on this experience for so long. Jim has ordered them before in restaurants, but my fear of shellfish and eating something that looks like the actual animal (ex: crawfish, peel and eat shrimp, frog legs) kept me from being adventurous.

For food this tasty, I thought I could overcome my fear and just go for it. What better way to take on something new and experiment in the kitchen than surrounding yourself with hungry friends? If the dish bombed, we could always order Chinese takeout or pizza delivery. My mom is cringing right now. She always told me never to try new recipes on friends or for a special event or holiday.

 

Our awesome friends Chip and Shelley had us over to their new home for a night of poker and I brought all the ingredients to share a Mussels and Wine Feast. Why is it always so much fun to cook in someone elses kitchen?

 

Jim really loves to play Texas Hold 'em and he is trying to teach me. I've played about six times and enjoy it also, but I still need my cheat sheet to remind me the denominations of the chips and also the order of the hands.

How to Make a Fruit and Cheese Plate

This is my new favorite appetizer plate to whip together when I don't have the time to cook. Say, an impromptu happy hour starts at you home and you need something to munch (stat) while you drink. OR, if you are cooking dinner and need something to put out for guests as you make final preparations, the fruit and cheese plate is perfect. It was Ina Garten who I saw do this on TV and I said to myself, that woman is a genius. Who said that everything you serve has to be homemade from scratch? Focus on one main thing and fill in with gorgeous produce and cheese. When you're designing a cheese plate, remember that you're looking to create a balance of flavors and textures.

Keeping texture in mind, I selected spicy candied pecans that I purchased in bulk at HEB. Local and in season is going to be key here when selecting your ingredients. I'm using local Texas Hill Country honey, but only a smidgen. The bosc pear is going to bring plenty of natural sweetness and spice to this plate. Bosc are an elegant variety, with distinctive characteristics that set them apart from other pears. I like their crunchy yet tender flesh and their sweet-spiced flavor. A common misconception is that Bosc pears need to be peeled or cooked before being eaten, and that’s simply not true. Those who have not tried a Bosc would most likely be surprised... and pleased that the brown skin hides a delicious, spicy and slightly firmer flesh. Check usapears.com for recipes and more facts about all types of pears.

This plate was serving a small group, but if you have several people you are creating the fruit and cheese platter for, you should consider adding a few more cheeses. Vary by type, adding a cow's milk and a goat's milk, and vary by texture, something hard like manchego and/or something soft like brie.
 

The star of the show is hands down this Humboldt Fog cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre. It is at the top of my favorites list at the moment. I looooooove goat milk cheeses, and this has a thin stip down the middle, reminiscent of a mild blue. Anyone who has tried it I'm sure will second my high opinion of this cheese.

Southwestern Eggrolls for Superbowl

It's the end of football season, and I can't necessarily say I'm sad to see it go. I'm looking forward to getting my Sunday back. During football season the games dictate what church service we go to, and when we can run errands, and what we watch on TV (obviously). With one TV in the house...well, you get the picture.

To celebrate the BIG Superbowl Game (and the end of football season) I think you should make these Southwestern Eggrolls. They are an exact replica of the Southwestern Eggrolls at Chili's and are SO delicious. A crispy flour tortilla filled with smoked chicken, black beans, corn, jalapeno Jack cheese, bell peppers and spinach. Served with cool avocado-ranch dressing, you will certainly be the MVP at your house this weekend!

To make 5-7 egg rolls (cut in half to make 10-14 pieces) you will need to gather the following:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil, for sauteing the veggies)
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels (or canned corn)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
5-7 (7 inch) flour tortillas
1 quart oil for deep frying

Start by seasoning your chicken breast with your favorite spices. I used a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Sear in a frying pan over medium-high heat in a little bit of oil until just cooked through, about five minutes per side. Set the chicken aside while we prepare the rest of the filling and the chicken cools a bit to handle.

Give a red or green bell pepper a small dice. You only need 2 T of this.

Give the green onion a fine dice, you need 2 T of this.

In the same fry pan that you cooked the chicken, turn the heat down to medium and add 1-2 T of oil and add the bell pepper and green onions, saute for 3-5 minutes, until tender.

I used both canned corn and canned black beans. Drain and rinse each. We will use about 1/4 cup of black beans and 1/3 cup of corn.

Add the black beans to the pan.

The chicken should be cool enough to handle now. Cube the chicken into small pieces and add to the pan along with the corn and frozen spinach.

I took the frozen spinach and just chopped off an estimated 2 T and threw it in frozen. It didn't take long to thaw in the hot pan.

Next, chop 2 T of hot jalapeno peppers and add that to the pan.

Season the mixture with 1/2 T minced parsley, 1/2 t ground cumin, 1/2 t chili powder, 1/3 t salt and 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper. I don't know why I was so shocked, but as soon as you add the seasoning you realize this is exactly how the Southwest Eggrolls at Chili's smell.

Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterrey Jack cheese so that it melts.

 I put the mixture in a separate bowl, then added the shredded cheese.

Ideally, you should use at least 7-inch flour tortillas. The tortillas I had on hand were not quite as large, so my eggrolls were a little shorter, and the filling stretched to way more than the five egg rolls. I made around a dozen egg rolls.

Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. This steams them and makes them more pliable to work with. One at a time, fill a tortilla with about 1-2 tablespoons of the filling and wrap up tightly. Fold the sides in, and roll up snuggly. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Note: I would suggest at this point you secure each egg roll closed with toothpicks. You will thank me later. Alternatively, I would suspect that you could use a slurry of cornstarch and water to seal these closed.

Once they are all rolled up, place in the freezer for 2-4 hours (or overnight, if you want to make these the day before).

Now we turn our attention to that AWESOME avocado dip that comes with the eggrolls. You won't believe how easy this is to make. You need a cuisinart blender (or you could do this by hand with lots of mashing and stirring.)

Here is what you need to gather:
1/2 cup smashed fresh avocado (I used an entire medium sized avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk  (I used milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper

Add all the ingredients to your blender, and whirl away until it is smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more of whatever you think it needs.
 

Cover and refrigerate this, I found the dip tasted better after an hour or two in the fridge!

Now for the fun part. I've always wanted a deep fryer, but never bought one because I couldn't justify the purchase and we don't really need to be eating lots of fried food. Well... I won this at a tradeshow from the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. What better way to break it in than to make these Southwest Eggrolls?!?!

Fill the fryer with 4-6 cups of oil (or to the minimum fill line in your fryer) and heat to 375 degrees. I used canola oil. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 5-6 minutes or until nice a golden brown and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.

My first batch of egg rolls didn't turn out so well. The eggrolls opened up in the hot oil....

For the next batch, I used toothpicks to hold the opening closed. This is the way to go!

The eggrolls turned out MUCH better!

Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a bowl of the avocado dipping sauce.

Then stand back and watch them disappear (like football season soon will). The flavor of the eggrolls and dipping sauce was spot-on-identical to the eggrolls at Chili's. Yum, yum, yum.

Yum.

Want more game day food ideas?
Check out my roundup of recipes for football season!

Spicy Asian Meatball Appetizer

I made two types of appetizer meatballs for our 2010 Christmas Party. The first, Cranberry Cabernet Meatballs, were a huge hit and 2 lbs completely disappeared quick. The second meatball appetizer I made were Spicy Asian Meatballs based on a sub recipe I found online.

The sauce I used for my appetizer was inspired by a recipe on Food Network for Asian Meatball Subs With Hoisin Mayonnaise. Picture above from FN.com. The ingredient list was lengthy but the bones of the recipe sounded just divine!

HWM Spicy Asian Meatball Appetizer
2 pounds fully cooked frozen meatballs

1 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (there is no harm in using the bottled stuff if that is what you have on hand)
4-8 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce (you control the level of spice with this ingredient)
½ cup chopped scallions to garnish (optional)

In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, add all the ingredients except meatballs; stir to combine. Let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
 
I found a whisk to work best in incorporating all the ingredients. The sauce thickened up nicely and the flavors were bold and spot on!

Remove from heat and either add cooked meatballs and serve... or you could let it cool and place in the fridge overnight. I made the sauce the night before the party and refrigerated overnight.

The night of our Christmas party I baked the meatballs in the oven and warmed the sauce on the stove top. Then serve the cooked meatballs with the sauce and garnish with scallions. It's a beautiful presentation (sorry I didn't get any pictures.)

For the meatballs, you can either heat them in the microwave or oven and then stir into the sauce and serve. Likewise, if you are putting this into a crockpot, you could add the cooked and frozen meatballs into the sauce and turn the crockpot on high for an hour or so until the meatballs are thawed and hot.

These meatball appetizers were my favorite for flavor and ease of preparation! Be bold in the kitchen my friends!

More HWM posts on meatballs:

Cranberry Cabernet Meatballs

Ultimate Party Meatballs

Chipotle Meatballs

Homemade Spicy Meatballs and Tomato Sauce