Chinese Sweet and Sour Dip

Perfect Pairing: Easy Entertaining

Last weekend we had Baby Lam’s shower at our house.  It was absolute perfection!

Eight of my friends and family helped host and I was just overwhelmed by the time, effort and love that went into the shower. 

Our inspiration for the nursery has been Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”.  

I think this translates into maps, adventure and travel!  So we used the same theme for the shower for our “Little Traveler”.  Of course the food had a global theme and each dish had a corresponding country and flag. 

Everything was delicious and looked fantastic on the serving table.

While my incredible hostesses did all of the work for the shower I did contribute my new favorite appetizer, Chinese Sweet and Sour Dip.  I have been making this for a few months and it is always a hit.

Disclaimer, I totally realize that there is nothing even remotely authentic about this.  It is just darn tasty.

The base is cream cheese (always a good start) and it is topped with a combo of peanuts, veggies, cilantro, crunchy water chestnuts and soy sauce.  Then the whole thing is drizzled with sweet and sour sauce and served with crackers.

I don’t know why but this stuff is truly addictive. 

If you are looking for an easy appetizer to serve before the big Thanksgiving meal, here you go!  I know it is on our menu!  It is easily doubled if you have a large crowd. We are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year and can’t wait to celebrate with our family in our new home.

If you are still planning your Thanksgiving menu, here are some of our absolute favorite Thanksgiving staples. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Egg Roll Salad

Perfect Pairing: Deep straight-sided skillet with a lid        

It is hard to believe I have been an “Iowan” for almost three months!  I don’t know where the time has gone.  Chris and I love living here and it really feels like home.  That being said, we both agree that sometimes it feels like we are playing house and soon we will have to move back into a one bedroom city condo.  Our baby boy is growing (and boy am I growing) and kicking and moving!  I love to watch and feel him moving around and getting comfy in there.  He has a tendency to stop as soon as Chris puts his hand on my stomach.  Stinker!

A big part of the move has been my transition to working from home full time.  So far I have really enjoyed the experience.  I did find that I need to make myself get out and do things because a few days will go by without leaving my neighborhood.  I’m sure it will be 10x harder once baby boy Lam arrives!  While I no longer need to pack a lunch to take to the office I find that it is much easier to have a big batch of something made at the beginning of the week so I can have a quick lunch ready when I don’t have a lot of time away from my desk. 

This Egg Roll Salad has been a staple lunch for me since I started working from home.  Not only is it delicious and satisfying it is incredibly light and healthy.  It is full of protein and fiber!  It is called an Egg Roll Salad because it tastes like the inside of an egg roll.  Side note, one thing that we miss from Chicago was the Chinese food delivery place that was a block from our condo.  The meals were just ok but they had the BEST egg rolls I’ve ever had in my life and they would legit deliver in under 15 minutes.  I miss those unhealthy rolls. 

I use my trusty straight sided skillet for this meal.  I use this skillet more than any other pan in my kitchen.  I am actually on my second generation because I wore out the first one.  Tip from the top, I found both of mine at a discount price at Home Goods.  You need a pan that has a large capacity for this recipe since you will be steaming two bags of slaw. 

I always serve this with an extra drizzle of soy sauce and sriracha.  So good!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Sloppy Joe Dip

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pumpkin Crisp

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-Ups

Five years ago on Perfecting the Pairing (my first ever "Five years ago!": Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

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Spring Roll Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Mandolin

 

I have been lucky enough to tag along with my parents to Cabo over the last few years.  That trip is really something to look forward to when you live in Chiberia.  Especially this year!  We take it easy on vacation and spend a lot of time enjoying the views, reading, swimming, fishing (dad only), walking on the beach, trying new restaurants, meeting new friends, kayaking, working out, etc.  It is exactly what vacation should be! 

 

The first few times we went we barely left our resort for some reason.  Then in the last couple of years we have been all about trying new restaurants.  Cabo has some fabulous fine dining venues and charming holes in the wall with great food.  If you have an upcoming trip to Cabo and want some restaurant recommendations, shoot me an email at PerfectingThePairingBlog@gmail.com.  We keep notes on our favorites.

We love to sit outside and have the chef prepare the fish my dad caught that day.  This is just one of the charming spots that we go to every year.  Mom and I fell in love with the hanging basket lights that are all over Cabo, and actually brought some back with us this year.

 

We usually stick around the resort for lunch.  They had a new item on the menu this year called a Spring Roll Salad.  Basically it is a deconstructed spring roll in salad form served over lettuce.  It was the perfect poolside lunch.  Let’s be honest, anything with this view tastes pretty great.

 

I was determined to recreate the salad once I came home, and I think I came pretty close!

 

Thin rice noodles are combined with carrots, peppers, edamame, and fresh herbs (great time to use the herbs you are growing!), and then the whole thing is tossed in a light soy and sesame dressing.  I chose to not serve mine over lettuce, but you certainly could.  It is also great topped with grilled shrimp or chicken.

 

If you have a mandolin, this is the time to break it out!  I used it to slice strips of carrots which I then julienned.  I also used it for the pepper strips on a slightly wider setting.

 

I am excited to serve this at my next summer BBQ!  Such a change from the traditional summer fare.

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Garlic and Herb Cheese Crostini with Summer Tomato Sauce
 

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Thai Pumpkin Soup

Perfect Pairing:  Quick dinner

I am back to reality after an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving vacation in San Francisco.  It was great to spend time with family and my ridiculously adorable niece.  I can't even stand the cuteness. 

We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal filled with our family favorites.  While that was great, one of the best meals we had in California was fresh cod and Dungeness crab my brother caught while deep sea fishing.  We enjoyed the meal standing up over paper bags for easy cleanup.  Amazing.

Are you tired of pumpkin recipes yet?  I hope not, here comes another one.

A few of the ingredients in this soup might sound like an odd grouping, pumpkin, peanut butter, mango nectar.  Trust me, it works.  This soup is so incredibly simple.  I decided to make this at 1 PM one day.  I purchased the groceries, made the soup, took pictures, and was eating by 2 PM.

Thai Pumpkin Soup is really light and would be great paired with a grilled sandwich or salad.  It is pretty low in calories and fat and has healthy fiber from the pumpkin.  Good stuff.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Basil Slice and Bake Crackers

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Sweet and Spicy Spinach

Click "Read More" for the recipe...

 

 

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Thai Peanut Pasta Salad

Perfect Pairing – San-J Thai Peanut Sauce

What a fabulous weekend!  As I suspected, it was full to the brim of fun and good times.  The weather was perfect and we definitely made the most of it.  Getting back to reality might be a little difficult!

I like my pasta salads to have a lot of veggies, texture, and crunch.  Most importantly they need to have a delicious dressing.  A good example is this Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad.

Recently I went to the store to get the ingredients for Thai Broccoli Slaw Salad.  To my great annoyance they were out of broccoli slaw.  I stood in the produce section looking helpless for a few minutes while I came up with an alternate recipe in my head.  Turns out, I am really glad they were out of broccoli slaw because I loved this salad.  It checked off all of my pasta salad pre-reqs, it was crunchy, filled with veggies, and had a fabulous dressing. 

I used whole wheat rotini as the base for the salad and added Napa cabbage, green onions, cilantro, and edamame.  Everything is tossed with store bought Thai peanut sauce and topped with honey roasted peanuts.  It is so easy to throw together.  I think I can safely say it is my favorite pasta salad.  It is definitely going to show up a lot on my summer menu.  It is perfect served alongside anything that comes off the grill.  I made this for a "wienerpalooza" party this weekend (more on that later) and it was a big hit.

You could certainly use your favorite store bought peanut sauce, but I used San-J Thai Peanut Sauce.  I will admit that I first started using it because it was the only one my store carried, but after trying multiple brands it is my favorite.

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Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup and a little bit about the Chicago Bears

Perfect Pairing:  Garbage disposal cleanup          

 

Chicago was at its finest this weekend!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I think that puts everyone in a fabulous mood.  I had a great weekend with friends and family.  On Saturday I made my annual trip to Gethsemane, an extraordinary nursery that spans an entire block.  I have written about my garden woes in the past.  I am determined to make things grow this summer.  We took home our fair share of flowers and herbs!

Saturday night I was lucky enough to attend my 4th Chicago Bears Care Gala at Soldier Field.  This was the 18th year, and they have earned over $10 million towards cancer research.  The gala is always fantastic.   This year was certainly no exception!  Everything including the food, entertainment, and auction is flawless.  Getting solo access to the field is pretty amazing too.

 

I was lucky enough to go on a private tour of the locker rooms with some of the players.  Here are some of the highlights!

Entering hallowed ground....

Martellus Bennett was kind enough to act as our unofficial tour guide.  He was great!  He definitely had everyone laughing.

I don't think I look like a natural in these things.

I can always count on my mom to promote my cooking blog.  When Martellus talked about cooking, my mom was all over it.  He was kind enough to act interested and even asked me to email him the site!  Just another one of the highlights of my night!

I think it is safe to say we all geeked out over meeting Brandon Marshall!

I even walked away with some game gloves! 

Obviously, it was a pretty special night and I feel so honored to be a part of it.  

Anyway, back to the soup!  About a year ago I wrote about this Thai Chicken Noodle Soup. 

 

My original plan was to make that soup again but it evolved into this Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup.  They are very similar, except this version does not use coconut milk, so it is a bit lighter.  It would be a great soup for summer.  It is spicy and full of bright flavors.

You will have a few juiced limes after making the soup, so toss them in the garbage disposal to clean it a bit.  I think this is a pretty common trick but I am always surprised at how much it freshens it up. 

The perfect pairing from the coconut version works here as well.  Use tongs to pick up the noodles after they have cooked and snip with kitchen shears to make the soup easier to eat. 

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Baked Vegetarian Egg Rolls

Perfect Pairing:  Simple Dipping Sauce

Recently I had a taste for egg rolls.  If you know me you know that means I am going to try to make them myself rather than get them from a restaurant like most normal people.  In this instance I wanted to make a healthier version, and I knew that was not coming from my local Chinese take-out place.  While the baked version is not exactly like the fried variety, they are still really tasty and crispy.  I went with an all vegetarian filling of mushrooms, cabbage, and canned stir fry vegetables.  My original plan was to use water chestnuts but at the store I saw a can of stir fry veggies (water chestnuts, bamboo, mini corn, etc.) and used that instead.  If you can't find that combo water chestnuts would be perfect.  Everything is seasoned with soy and hoisin sauce, which is like an Asian barbeque sauce. 

It is probably not a shocker to hear that I am not the best person to give egg roll wrapping lessons.  Well, I am going to do it anyway.

Wonton wrappers dry out easily, so I cover them with a damp paper towel while I work.

Place the wrapper with the point away from you and add your filling towards the bottom.

 Bring up the bottom corner

Tuck in the sides.   This is especially important if you are frying egg rolls because you don’t want the oil to soak the insides.

 Secure with a dab of water

 Line them up like soldiers

I made this really simple dipping sauce for serving.  I followed the recipe exactly, except I replaced the red pepper flakes with chili garlic sauce.

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