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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Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon

Perfect Pairing:  Foil

About a year ago I started noticing miso recipes all over the internets.  I knew I liked miso.  What is not to like about miso soup?  It is salty and savory and all sorts of umami.  My knowledge of miso pretty much ended there.  I made a special trip to Whole Foods to find miso.  I was too proud to ask where it was, so I had a great tour of the store.  I did not find it on the shelf with other Asian foods which is where I was SURE it was going to be.  I found random packets of miso soup mix.  I stood in front of those googling trying to figure out if that was, in fact, miso paste.  It was not.  During the search I saw something about the refrigerated section and headed there.  At my Whole Foods it was chilling with the tofu and cheese. 

So I found miso paste….. red miso, white miso, mellow white miso.  Eh?  I JUST WANT MISO PASTE.  I decided to go with white.  That seemed innocuous enough.  It was a big tub and I had no idea how I would ever make a dent in it.  Guess what folks?  I just bought my second large tub of miso paste.  This stuff is the NUTS!

The first thing I made with it was this simple Miso Coconut Chicken and Rice dish.  It was fabulous.  I started using it in salad dressings, and mixing it with a little cream cheese to spread on toast for breakfast.  I also combined miso with butter and sautéed fresh corn in it with a little lime juice.  This was based on a dish my brother told me he had at a local restaurant.  Amazing. 

One of my favorite uses has been in this Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon.  Miso is mixed with brown sugar, mustard and rice vinegar and then basted on grilled salmon.  I grilled the salmon on foil so it is easy cleanup and dinner is ready in minutes.  

I served it with these super simple grilled seasoned potatoes and brussels sprouts.

Embrace the miso!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Coconut Cream Pie

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Traditional Potato Salad

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Southwest Salad

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Tomato Pie

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Cheeseburger Soup

Perfect Pairing:  Mix ‘n Chop

Here in Chicago we are still smack dab in the middle of winter.  We are to the point where it is no longer charming in any way.  The snow is dirty, the cars are salty(as is my coat and, inevitably, my dark jeans), the potholes are growing, and everyone is just super ready to see some green grass and birds.  I guess if you want to see a silver lining it would be that it is still soup season!  It is a very thin silver lining.

Soup is one of my favorite winter foods because it always seems to get better leftover and it is so simple.  I think I have made a batch of soup almost every Sunday in 2015 so it can be enjoyed all week long. 

My mom first had a version  of this Cheeseburger Soup earlier this year made by a friend and she asked for the recipe.  She has probably made it 4 times since then and it quickly became a family favorite.  I made a few variations from the original recipe to lighten it up just a bit.

It is just really darn good soup.  Kind of a nice change from your standard chili or noodle soup.  I feel like I should maybe apologize for using processed cheese.  It is not very "foodie" of me.  So, sorry about that.  All things in moderation?

I have a lot of tools in my kitchen and some are probably (definitely) superfluous but one I really love is the Mix ‘n Chop from Pampered Chef.  It is the perfect tool for breaking up ground meat.  I’m a big fan.  If you want to purchase one here is a link to my favorite Pampered Chef consultant, Julie.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Chocolate Sauce and Oreo Ice Cream Pie

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Butternut Squash Risotto

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Oven Roasted Salmon in a Lemon Broth with Pea Puree

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Creole Jicama Hash with a Sunny Side Up Egg

Perfect Pairing:  Box shredder

I am so excited about this dish!  It will come as no surprise that since I have a big day (MY WEDDING!!!!!) coming up soon I am doing my best to eat healthy, workout, and tone up.  I am always searching for healthy recipes that are still delicious.  I have a fiancé to feed!

I love jicama but had only eaten it as a raw crudite, how it is served here.  In this breakfast (or any other meal) the jicama is shredded and cooked like a hash with onion and creole seasoning.  A simple box shredder is the perfect tool here.  No need to drag out the food processor. Just watch your fingers.

Jicama has a slightly sweet flavor which is great in this, especially if you balance it with a hefty pinch of salt.  

Top it all off with a sprinkle of green onions, sriracha, and an egg.  I like (love) a runny egg, but cook according to your preference.  

It is such a satisfying meal.  If you are familiar with the diet that uses “points” this is only 3 points!!!  You can’t beat that.  It is also paleo friendly for my paleo friends out there!  

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Southwestern Chicken Slow Cooker Soup

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Creamy Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Healthified Cookie Pie

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Key Lime Pie with Pretzel Studded Crust and Coconut Whipped Cream

Perfect Pairing: Juicer and muscles

 

Key lime pie is the perfect summer dessert.  It is also one of the easiest pies to make.  I suppose you could complicate it by adding a meringue or fancy ice cream layer, but why mess with a good thing?

I have been making key lime pie for years, but this time I changed it up a bit by adding pretzels to the crust, and then topped it with coconut whipped cream instead of plain whipped cream.  Everyone loves a little salty/sweet action, so the pretzels were a great addition.  The base is still mainly graham cracker crumbs and the pretzels just add some texture and flavor contrast.

 

Obviously this is called KEY lime pie, but I discovered you can absolutely use regular limes.  Key limes are tiny and it would take you a very long time to get one cup of juice. 

If you can put your hands on one of these old school plastic juicers, snatch it up immediately!  I think I got this as a freebie in a bag of lemons years ago.  I have the fancy hinged model, but the free plastic juicer is my absolute favorite.  It gets every last bit of the lime juice.  This is important now since the price of limes is at an all-time high.

 

It also doesn’t hurt to have some muscles in the kitchen to help you squeeze the limes! 

 

Instead of topping this with regular whipped cream (which would still be amazingly delicious), I used coconut whipped cream.  I noticed this trend on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.  All you do is chill a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight and then scoop off the hardened layer at the top and whip that with a little powdered sugar.  It has a very tame coconut flavor, but it totally adds to the tropical taste of the key lime pie.  Another tip is to chill your mixing bowl and beater before whipping the cream. 

I think I need to make this again. Soon.

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Quinoa Produce Salad

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Shrimp with Feta and Tomato Sauce

 

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Asparagus and Eggs

Perfect Pairing:  Peeler

Growing up we had asparagus almost every night for dinner in the spring.  It grew in a patch of garden at the very back of our yard.  I had no idea how lucky I was to be eating fresh asparagus every night! 

Asparagus is a great thing to have in a garden because it grows back so quickly.  I swear we could clean out the patch and it would be ready to harvest again in a couple of days.  I have fond memories of walking out to the back of the yard on a gorgeous spring evening with the dog to pick asparagus for dinner.

This recipe for asparagus and eggs is great for a quick brunch or even a light dinner.  It is fresh, healthy, and delicious.  Roasted asparagus is tossed in lemon juice, then topped off with parmesan shavings and a fried egg.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is a vegetable peeler.  It is the perfect tool to use for parmesan shavings.

 

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Sweet Potato with Kale, Mushrooms, and Pancetta

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

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French Onion Soup

Perfect Pairing:  Epicurean cutting board

Today you are getting a soup recipe.  Why?  Because it snowed in Chicago yesterday.  It was quite a bit of snow actually.  I am NOT happy about it.  I am so disgusted with winter.  That has to be the last snow.  Right?  RIGHT?!

I have always loved French onion soup.  Why not?  It is salty, cheesy, and topped with crusty bread.  It even eliminates the extra step of me dunking my bread in the soup, which I love to do.  For some reason I avoided making this at home because I assumed it would be very time consuming and perhaps difficult.  I guess I just always assume French recipes are time consuming and difficult. 

While we are on the topic of France.... I am going to France next month!  I am over the moon excited.  I am going for work but extending for fun.  The first half of the trip will be in Paris and then it is off to sunny Nice for a few days.  I can barely stand it! I studied for a semester in Nice, so I am pretty pumped to see it again as a grown-up and a foodie. 

Anyway, like I said above, I always thought French recipes were difficult.  Good news!  French onion soup is easy!  Really, really easy.  This version tastes just like the restaurant classic.  It does take some time to get the onions cooked down but overall it is very low maintenance.  It would be great as a first course or served alongside a hearty salad. **My original draft of this said a heart salad, not hearty.  Gross.   When I made the soup I served it with this Kale Salad with Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Sesame Dressing.  It was a great cold weather meal.

The most time consuming part of the prep is slicing the onions.  It is important to have a really sharp knife.  Invest in a great knife and you won’t be sorry.  I love my Shun knives. 

I have always used the flexible plastic cutting boards.  They are great in the beginning, but after a few runs through the dishwasher they start to fold up around the edges and cause extreme annoyance in the chef.  My mom had an Epicurean cutting board that she received after attending a Wolf oven demonstration.  I coveted it.  I assumed this was a specialty board that would be hard to find, but apparently they are all over the place.  It was at the top of my Christmas list this year.  I love this board.  It is dishwasher safe, lightweight, and comes in various sizes.  This might sound crazy but I truly enjoy cutting and chopping more on this board than any other.  Weird? 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Corn Casserole (Perfect for Easter dinner!)

 

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Quinoa, Shrimp, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Salad

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Morning Glory Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Last spring I had breakfast at a local diner where instead of toast you could substitute a morning glory muffin.  I thought that sounded nice, so I tried it out.  I absolutely loved it!  I studied it thinking I wanted to try to recreate it at home.  Turns out, morning glory muffins are a real thing and this place did not make them up, and there are many recipes for them online. 

I found a recipe that sounded closest to what I had at the restaurant and gave it a shot.  They were equally delicious!  These muffins are filled with good stuff like shredded carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.  The diner muffins had a crunchy sugar topping so I added that to my version along with some rolled oats on top.

Using a spring loaded scoop is the fastest and most efficient way to get the batter into the tins.  I have talked about my love of these scoops here, here, here…. Oh, and here.  I like them a lot.  

 

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Traditional Potato Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Small paring knife

September?  Really?  Already?  I know it is so cliché , and everyone says it, but wow, summer just went way too fast.  I had such a wonderful summer with friends and family.  I definitely made the most of it, which was my goal.  At least we still have some warm weather to enjoy.  Before I start posting pumpkin recipes I have at least one more summer-y dish for you.

Traditional potato salad and apple pie have something in common for me.  My family has been making both of these things for years using handed down family recipes.  They are both so amazing that I have very little desire to try either of these things from restaurants.  They never compare.

A long time ago I wrote about another recipe that I called, “Not Your Standard Potato Salad”.  I even wrote in that post about my mom’s recipe. 

Anyway, that one contained bacon, cheese, and all kinds of seasoning, so it can’t really be compared to the good old fashioned traditional potato salad that mom makes.  Don’t get me wrong… it is really good, just different.  Everyone in my family loves mom’s traditional recipe, which is good because it makes a big batch.  Nothing like a big bowl of tater salad!  The dressing is made from scratch and is pretty simple. 

After cooking the red potatoes they need to be peeled, which can be kind of annoying.  We have found the best way to do this is with a small paring knife.  That is what we like to call a moron job.

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Cucumber Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Garden Cucumbers

If you have a garden in the Midwest you probably have an abundance of cucumbers right now.  Not that I would know what that is like because I pretty much kill everything I try to plant.  I am not being overly dramatic, this is real life.  Fortunately for me I know nice people who do know how to grow things and generously offer up some of their home grown produce.  I never turn that down!  I have been living off garden tomatoes this week. So, so good.

Anyway, cucumbers.  I love them.  This salad is so easy, tasty and light.  Thinly sliced cucumbers (I used a mandolin) are mixed with red onions and fresh dill in a simple sweet vinegar dressing. 

 

Here are some other ways to use up those garden cucumbers!

Sesame Cucumber Salad

Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Smoked Salmon Breakfast

Cucumber Sandwiches

 

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Onion Strings

Perfect Pairing: Hamburgers

I am going to start this post by fully admitting that this recipe is not healthy, not even a little bit.   I like to live by the 80/20 rule with eating, 80% of the time I am really good, and 20% of the time I am not so good.  Typically that 20% falls on the weekends, especially in the summer.  These onions strings are definitely smack dab in that 20%. 

Now that I have that disclaimer out of the way, I want to tell you to make these right away!  They are not beautiful, notice I didn’t even try to take a pretty picture, but they are to die for good.

I am currently in the final days of my summer family vacation.  We have had an amazing time and I am fully focused on making the most of the last few days.  Tonight is the annual Lake House Chef's Challenge, more to come on that later!  We had these onion strings on hamburgers this week and everyone agreed it was one of the best burgers they had ever had.    

A few things to keep in mind when making onion strings…

1. Make more than you think you need, like a lot more.  Once everyone gets a whiff of fried onions they magically disappear from the plate.
2. If possible, fry on an outside burner.  This eliminates a lot of mess, and your house won’t smell like fried food.  We use a cast iron skillet on a grill side burner.
3. Season your flour with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Use more than you think you will need. 
4. Get your oil really hot so they fry quickly and do not absorb too much oil.  I wish I could tell you the exact temperature of the oil, but the thermometer was nowhere to be found.  The oil should be around 375 degrees.  You can test it by tossing one onion in the oil.  If it bubbles up immediately and violently, it is probably ready.  If it acts bored, probably not ready.
5. Drain the onions on paper towels.
6. Salt the onions strings liberally right after they come out of the oil. 

I soaked the thinly sliced onions in buttermilk in a 9x13 so they were evenly covered. 

 

We tossed them in the flour mixture right next to grill and dropped them directly into the oil.  And when I say we, I mean my dad and uncle. 

The Perfect Pairing for onion strings is a hamburger. 

Need I say more?

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Burger Sauce

Perfect Pairing:  Slap Chop

Typically ketchup, mustard, and pickles get all the action when it comes to topping a hamburger.  This burger sauce combines all of those along with some other good stuff.    It is a one-stop shop sort of deal, and a fun way to jazz up the standard summer burger!  Try it with some onion slices and avocado.  So good.  It is also great as a sandwich spread.

I have been known to collect obscure cooking tools, but I think the “slap chop” is pretty standard in many kitchens nowadays.  I don’t use it all the time but there are times when it is great.  I typically enjoy chopping, but the slap chop is the perfect for this recipe.  I used it to chop up the bread and butter pickles.  The pickles tend to slide all over the place when you try to chop them with a knife. 

 

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World’s Best Chocolate Layer Cake

Perfect Pairing:  Vegetable peeler

There has been no official study proving that this truly is the World’s Best Chocolate Layer Cake, but I think it is definitely the best.  Perhaps I am too emotionally attached to make an unbiased decision.  You see, this is my birthday cake!  My wonderful mom makes it for me every year.  Proof…

1997

Try not to be jealous of my awesome short-sleeved sweater with shoulder pads.  Not sure what I was trying to accomplish with the hand under the chin move.

2002

2012

That is when my age started with a "3"!

2013
 

I love the story behind this cake and how it became my personal birthday dessert.  My mom first tasted it at a family reunion in the summer of 1982.  She was 9 months pregnant with me and picked up a piece of this cake in the potluck line.  She absolutely loved it, and really wanted the recipe.  She left a note on the cake asking the cake-maker to find her and share the recipe.  I love that story!

The actual cake portion is nothing crazy, just a standard cake mix.  It is the chocolate layer in between the cake that makes this special.  This is how it goes down.

Slice the two 9 inch cakes in half, lengthwise.  This is much easier to manage if you freeze the cakes first.

Spread a layer of melted chocolate and toasted slivered almonds.  This layer hardens as it chills and just makes the whole thing over the top delicious.  It is kind of like a candy bar in the middle of the cake. 

 Another layer of cake, layer of cool whip, then more chocolate

Top everything off with cool whip and chocolate curls. 

Use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls before melting the rest of the chocolate.  It is so simple but adds a nice touch to the finished cake.

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