Fakeout Takeout: Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups

We do love a Chinese takeout night as much as the next guy, but I find it super fun to make Chinese food at home.

These Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups were a total hit. I would make them again for a party or for our next stirfry night at home.

Now I am in no way an expert in Asian cuisine. I consider myself a dabbler. And, I'm not quite sure how authentic crab Rangoon is. But I do know this version we made recently at home is totally delish, and it's baked. Yay! I try to avoid fried foods as much as possible.

Wonton wrappers can be found in the refrigerated Asian section of your grocery store. I found my package hanging around the tofu and whatnot.

Due to my lifelong food allergies to nuts, peanuts, avocado and various other ingredients, making Chinese food at home is much more peaceful for me mentally than going out to a Chinese restaurant where the potential for cross contamination is possible.

This was fun to make. My son helped me place the wonton wrappers in a standard muffin tin. And he also was the taste tester as shown here:

I did buy a bottle of dipping sauce for the wonton cups but these were so delish on the own they really needed zero accoutrement.

Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups
Makes 12
From www.lemontreedwelling.com

12 wonton wrappers 
12 oz. cream cheese, softened 
1/4 cup sour cream 
4 oz. imitation crab, *substitute 1 can lump crab, drained 
2 green onions, thinly sliced 
1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce 
1/4 tsp. soy sauce 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup; bake 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, 1 sliced green onion, worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Stir well.

Place crab in a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Stir chopped crab into cream cheese mixture.

Spoon filling into baked wonton shells; bake for an additional 8-12 minutes.

Top with sliced green onions. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce as desired.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used 8 ounces of cream cheese instead of 12. She also used lump crab meat and not imitation.

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon Basil Dressing

Get your hands on some zucchini, basil and lemon and you got yourself an amazing side.

My Grilled Zucchini with Lemon Basil Dressing goes perfectly with steak, chicken or fish. You can serve it hot or at room temp.

The leftovers make a fab sandwich with provolone or mozzarella. I also like this with hummus and tomato on Italian bread. So yummy!

Zucchini is out in full force right now, so I hope you can make this while we are rockin' the season.

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon Basil Dressing
Makes 6 side dish servings

3 zucchini, both ends trimmed, cut in half to make two 4-inch long logs and then cut into 1/4-inch wide strips. Strips should measure about 1 1/2 inches wide by 4 inches long. Each log should yield 4 to 5 strips.
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

On baking sheet, line up prepared zucchini. Brush zucchini with 2 Tbsp. olive oil using a pastry brush on both sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides.

On a grill pan over medium high heat, grill zucchini slices about 4 minutes on each side or until lightly charred in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Remove cooked zucchini to a serving dish while grilling the remaining zucchini slices. Cover with aluminum or a lid to keep warm.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste until mixture emulsifies. Pour lemon dressing over cooked zucchini. Top with basil chiffonade. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Colorful Chicken Marengo

A plate with a fantastic palette of shades and textures is simply delightful. That's what I have found here in this marvelous Chicken Marengo that called out to me on Pinterest.

This dish features chicken thighs, which are so affordable and great to use to feed a crowd. Canned tomatoes, onion, garlic and olives meld together into an exciting dish that works perfectly with mashed potatoes or rice.

Chicken Marengo has an interesting history. Food historians say it was created in honor of Napoleon's defeat of the Austrians during the Battle of Marengo in 1800. There is dispute however if it was created by Napoleon's own chef or if it was created decades later in remembrance of the historical victory. It's more likely that the dish was created later in the 1800's since many of the ingredients involved in the dish, such as tomatoes, were not readily available at the time of the battle. A world without tomatoes?! What!

I so love a little history lesson.

This is not my recipe, but here are some of my tips for a successful dish. I like to use Kalamata olives instead of the standard black olives. Pre-sliced saves time!

I do not cut the chicken thighs into 2-inch pieces. So, when I put the chicken back in the pan for the final heat through, I do it for more like 20-25 minutes instead of 15.

The recipe says to deglaze the pan. If you don't know what that means here's the definition: Add a liquid (in this case wine) to a hot pan, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all the brown bits. Let the liquid reduce to about half.

If your family is anti olive, you can use capers for that salty bite.

This dish reheats wonderfully, and it's a good one to make ahead if need be.

Chicken Marengo
From crunchycreamysweet.com

1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion sliced or chopped
14 oz. can Italian tomatoes or diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sliced black olives, such as Kalamata
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp sriracha or hot sauce optional
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired

Instructions:

Mix flour and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Cut chicken into  2-inch pieces. Toss the chicken in flour and salt and pepper.

Heat up the oil in pan. Place in batches in the pan and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil.

Add more oil to the pan if needed. Add onion to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until softens.

Add garlic, cook 30 seconds.

Add wine and deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning and olives. Bring to a boil. 

Add chicken back to the pan and cook for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Fresh Homemade Ice Cream

Ice cream is easier to make than you think. Sure there are plenty of options in the grocery store or at your fave ice cream shop, but it's so nice to have fresh homemade goodness right in your own freezer.

I've been making homemade chocolate chip ice cream a lot this summer. I follow the recipe for vanilla ice cream in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. After churning, I add mini chocolate chips. 

The star ingredient that really makes my ice cream shine is this: Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Paste. At $36.95 a pop, it is an investment, for sure. But it really really makes the ice cream so delicious. The flavor is deep. And my favorite part is that you can see flecks of vanilla bean throughout the beautiful soft white cream. Gorgeous! The paste is sold at Williams-Sonoma. You can totally rock this out with regular vanilla extract that you buy at your grocery store if you are not feeling the need to fork over $37 for one ingredient. No worries, at all.

Here's my ice cream in brownie ice cream sundae form. Yummy!

My tips for a strong homemade ice cream game are as follows:

1. Chill a glass bowl in the freezer at least a couple of hours before you cook up the ice cream starter on the stove. (You heard me. Ice cream starts out hot!)

2. Have all your final ingredients measured and ready to go before adding them to the chilled starter that needs to go right into the ice cream maker to churn. This ensures everything stays nice and cold.

3. Set aside time for your ice cream to harden a bit in the freezer after churning. It is quite soft right after churning. At least 2-3 hours is ideal!

4. The Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Maker Attachment is amazing. It stores nicely in the freezer so it's all ready to go when you need to bust it out for moments like these.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
From "Betty Crocker Cookbook"

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups whipping cream,
1 Tbsp. vanilla

In a 2-quart saucepan, stir egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt until well mixed. Cook over medium heat just until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly (do not allow mixture to continue to boil or it will curdle). Immediately remove from heat.

Pour milk mixture into chilled bowl. Refrigerate uncovered 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until room temperature. At this point mixture can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before completing the recipe if desired.

Stir whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Pour into 1-quart ice-cream maker and mix according to manufacturer's instructions. (The Jersey Girl uses the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Maker Attachment. She churns the ice cream for 16 minutes.)

If desired, stir in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips after the ice cream churns and before it is placed into a container to store in the freezer.