Back by popular demand: Shrimp Poofs!

This is a recipe I tried out for a party that we had for Eric's birthday last year, and they were a huge hit.  Since Sunny was in town, we decided to have a pot luck party Friday night. These were specifically asked for by name. Since I don't get too many special requests, I figured I'd go ahead and oblige the public (or really just Sunny).

Golden Shrimp Puffs 

Or as we refer to them in our circle "shrimp poofs"

Recipe from "Celebrations Cookbook", entry by Patricia Slater

6 tbsp butter

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp garlic salt

3/4 cup all purpose four

3 eggs

1 pkg (5 oz) frozen, cooked salad shrimp, thawed

1/4 cup chopped onions

5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1). In a saucepan, bring butter, water and garlic salt to a boil. Add flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time , beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.

2). Stir in the shrimp, onions and 4 tbsp Parmesan. Drip by rounded teaspoon 2 in. apart onto un-greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 4 dozen.

They turned out fantastic, I think even better than the last time I made them. They were super light and fluffy. Like little airy pillows of seafood flavor. Again, they were a big hit and disappeared fast. I think I would like to find some kind of sauce to serve with them, just a little something to add a bit more and really make the flavor pop.  Hum, may have to do some experimenting. 

Almond Chicken Stir-Fry

I spent most of Sunday looking through my Pampered Chief cook books, after a couple hours I chose this recipe. It's from my "29 Minutes to Dinner" cook book. Don't let that fool you though. I can not multi task when cooking, so it ended up taking me about 45 minutes when it was all said and done. I also screwed up a lot of things (I'll get to that later). But in the end, surprisingly, it turned out tasting great.

Almond Chicken Stir-Fry over Pan-Fried Noodle Cake:

From "29 Minutes to Dinner" by Pampered Chief

Chicken:

1 egg white

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 seasoning packet from 1 pkg chicken-flavored ramen noodles

1 lb chicken tenders

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Stir-fry:

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger-root

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup slivered almonds, divided

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

8 oz snow peas

1 can baby corn, drained

1 can water chestnuts, drained

1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Pan-Fried Noodle Cake:

2 pkg chicken-flavored ramen noodles

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 seasoning packet from ramen noodles

1). For chicken, lightly whisk egg white. Add cornstarch and seasoning packet; whisk well. Slice chicken tenders on the bias into 1/2 inch pieces. Toss chicken with egg white mixture; set aside.

2). For stir-fry, grate ginger-root, add pressed garlic and set aside. Place almonds into skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat 3-4 minutes or until toasted. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3). Prepare Pan-Fried Noodle Cake (see recipe below). As noodle cake cooks, stir-fry chicken. Add oil to same skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add coated chicken pieces to skillet. Cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until centers of chicken are no longer pink. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

4). To finish stir-fry, whisk together cornstarch and broth in bowl; add to skillet. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add ginger-root and garlic to skillet; heat until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add vegetables and chicken to skillet; simmer 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in half of the toasted almonds. Serve stir-fry over noodle cake; sprinkle with remaining almonds and black pepper. 

Pan-Fried Noodle Cake Recipe:

Prepare 2 pkgs of ramen noodles. Lightly spray saute pan with vegetable oil; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until hot. Combine noodles with 1 tbsp oil and 1 seasoning packet from ramen noodles. Add noodles to pan and gently press to form a cake. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cut into wedges.

So, this recipe was much more complicated than someone with my cooking skills can accomplish with in 29 minutes. I had a few screw ups as well, and thought it was going to turn out awful. First, I burnt most of my almonds trying to multi-task. Then I missed the step where I put oil in the skillet before I cooked the chicken. So, that lovely coating I put on the chicken, all ended up stuck to the pan. Then I had to wash that skillet because it had all sorts of burnt bits stuck to it. Also, Eric couldn't find plain baby corns at the store, so he got pickled ones instead, and upon retyping the recipe I noticed I also forgot to add the black pepper. Then their was the noodle cake... I think I cooked my noodles a little too long, because they were all stuck together and really didn't want to cooperate. So my cake ended up pretty thick and I had a hard time cooked all the way through. Then flipping it was about impossible, because it was still very mushy on the one side. Instead of cooking in 3-4 minutes, it took about 20-30. And I burnt it in some spots.

After it was all said and done I handed Eric his plate very frustrated and sure it was going to be awful.  Instead he started raving about how good it was, and LOVED the noodle cake! I had to agree, the noodle cake made it very lo-main-ish and was surprisingly tasty considering they were just fried up ramen noodles. So in the end it came together pretty well. However, now that I've done the recipe once, I would really like to give it another shot. I think I could get it right next time. We liked it so much when I screwed up almost everything about it. Imagine how good it would be if I did it right! Keep your eyes peeled for an update, and wish me luck!

Valentines Dinner at Hiro Sushi

Hiro Sushi

3655 N 129th St

www.hirosushiomaha.com

Being the procrastinator I am, of course I waited till the afternoon of Valentines Day to try to make dinner reservations for somewhere nice. After checking into about a dozen places, and thinking we were going to be spending another Valentines night at Zio's, I managed to get us reservations at Hiro Sushi. It was truly the luck of the draw that we ended up there. After dinner we felt that our lucky draw could not have gone better.

We arrived a little early for our reservation, but were seated instantly. There was a little confusion as to who our server was when we first got there as we had two different people take our drink and appetizer order (but I'd rather have too many people waiting on me than not enough). Once that was cleared up the service was fantastic and they delivered out food in waves, which I love because I like to enjoy each dish individually. 

First out was our order of Edamame (cooked and salted soy beans in pods). They were delectable! I swear they could replace my favorite salty snack, pop corn. The beans them self have a great flavor, and I love the sea salt on the pod that you taste while sucking out that delicious little bean.  I could have eaten a giant bowl of them.

Next was the Miso soup, then an order of Yakitori (Japanese style kabobs with chicken marinated with Teriyaki sauce).  These two items I order pretty much any time I can get them, and seem to be pretty good no matter where you go. Hiro was no exception.

Then came our platter of sushi. We'd been watching boats filled with sushi leave the counter all night, and by comparison our platter was tiny. Although, we could hardly finish what we did order, so I think we did pretty good. Our sushi order consisted of the conch nigiri, seared tuna sashimi, a "husker" roll (tempura beef tenderloin, asparagus, cream cheese, eel sauce) and a "Wasabi Stinger" roll (tempura shrimp, cream cheese, jalapeno, cucumber, outside: shredded crab topped with wasabi cream sauce, eel sauce). All of our sushi was amazing. If fact at the time I think I described it as "fantastically delicious". 

This was the first time I had tried sushi other than in roll from (other than seared tuna, which is another item I will order any time I see it on a menu... because it's awesome!). I enjoyed the conch more than I thought I would, since it was just the conch and rice. I was surprised how un-fishy it tasted and it wasn't nearly as chewy as I had expected (it had a texture close to a firm mushroom). Also, the sushi we did have in roll form was outstanding. Both rolls were delicious, however I liked the husker roll a bit more, mostly because I could fit the whole thing in my mouth. The wasabi stinger was HUGE, in fact we cut in in half and could still barely fit the pieces in our mouths, plus the crab meat on the outside made it slippery and a little messy. The tempura beef in the husker roll also had a great little crunch to it, which gave it more texture and made it really interesting to eat.

So, that was our dinner, and it was really a fantastic evening. Even tonight (3 nights later), we had an in depth conversation about how amazing our dinner was and considered having sushi again tonight. We left Hiro stuffed and completely satisfied. We can't wait to go back! 

**I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of our food. The light was a little dim and I hate drawing attention to myself by taking pictures with a flash.**

Dinner at The 1020

5013 Underwood Ave

www.1020omaha.com

Thursday night, we decided to try The 1020 Restaurant in the heart of Dundee. We've been meaning to try the 1020 since it opened last year, but still hadn't managed to make it. Taking the place of the beloved Trovato's,  which survived 52 years in Dundee, the 1020 had some pretty big shoes to fill. I have to admit, I while excited to try something new, I was a bit skeptical. Mainly because I have been reading some of it's reviews online, and the general consensus was kind of "eh, not so great". 

When we arrived the place was pretty empty, so we were seated right away. The menu was pretty limited with not a whole lot to choose from, but they did have quite a few specials that were not on the menu. The menu featured a variety of pizzas, some pasta, along with salads and sandwiches, and a few entries. I decided to go with the salmon burger. It was a nice sized salmon patty on a roll with field greens and a caper sauce of some sort (sorry, they don't have an online menu for me to quote). My sandwich was actually really delicious. The sauce was tangy and a perfect compliment to the salmon. It was served with a side of their pasta salad, which was also very flavorful. The below pic is a little dark , but at least you'll get the idea.

Eric had the prime rib sandwich, and I almost wish I would have ordered that (I did get to try a bite). It was hot prime rib on a hoagie bun, served with au jus and a gorgonzola spread that was to die for. It was also served with a side of the pasta salad. I loved the taste of the gorgonzola on that sandwich. Gorgonzola can be such a strong flavor, but it did a great job of complementing the beef rather than over power it. 

Needless to say, we both cleaned our plates and really enjoyed our evening at the 1020. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was attractive,  and the prices were reasonable (most entries about $8-$16). The portions were also reasonably sized, but not the crazy oversized American portions I'm used to. I'm very glad we decided to take a chance on a place that was getting less than rave reviews and form our own opinion. The 1020 left me full, but craving more, so I predict a second visit in our future. 

Chili Con Queso Bites; a game day hit!

The Super Bowl was yesterday, and of course we were invited to a game day party. I always try to bring something new and different to gatherings, so I did a little online searching and found this recipe. Money has been tight lately, so I chose this recipe because of the low number of ingredients. Also, all the ingredients are kitchen staples or low cost. Plus this recipe goes together in minutes, and cooks quickly.

Chili Con Queso Bites

Found on www.delish.com/recipes

4 eggs

1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp chili powder

6 oz shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 green onion chopped

1). Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 24 (3 inch) muffin-pan cups.

2). Beat the eggs, picante sauce, flour, and chili powder in a medium bowl with fork or whisk. Stir in the cheese and onion.

3). Spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each muffin-pan cup. Bake for 10 minutes or until the bites are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional salsa.

That's it! Quick, easy and delicious. They were a huge hit and disappeared the fastest (I even doubled the recipe!). Most of them were gone in minutes, and I got several complements on them through out the evening. We did bring salsa to serve with it, but found that just some hot sauce on top was really a great way to make them pop. Actually, my last little batch only ended up with 4 bites to bake, so I added a few dashes of tabasco right to the mixture. Eric and I did like those better. But if you have some guests that don't like spice, it tastes just as good with the hot sauce as a topping. Then each person can add as little or as much spice as they like. 

If you need something to bring to a get together, and don't have a lot of time or cash, give these a try. You won't be sorry. In fact you might end up the star of the evening.  :)

Trust me... Skip SmashBurger

SmashBurger
7204 Jones Street, Omaha
www.smashburger.com


Ok... This is not a locally owned restaurant, but my our experience was so bad. I had to post it. Located on 72nd right by Nebraska Furniture Mart. Thursday nights we were hungry and driving around doing the "where should we eat?" thing we always do. When we decided to give this newly opened burger joint a try... it was a bad decision.


Eric ordered a "Husker Burger" which was A-1, haystack onions, garlic sautéed mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on an egg bun. Basically all he said was that the toppings sounded like a good idea, but it was executed really badly. I'm really not going to go into much details on his burger, because I didn't taste it.


My burger was a disaster! I did the build your own option. I did a burger on their spicy chipotle bun, with sharp cheddar, grilled onions, jalapenos and a spicy chipotle sauce. I really wish I would have taken a picture of my burger, because the toppings were pathetic. The one good thing I found was that they used fresh jalapeno instead of the pickled kind. However, since I had only 3 1/2 little slices of jalapeno, it was hard to enjoy them. The grilled onions looked like maybe one thin slice of onion they grilled... really, there was hardly anything on my burger. Then there was the burger itself. My first bite was soft because it was hardly cooked and bright red. The really strange thing was the edges of my burgers were very rare, but the center was pretty well done... I have no idea how they accomplished that, but it was nasty. It almost seemed as if they cooked the burgers in the microwave. Not to mention it was really excessively greasy. Really it was a greasy, bloody, pathetic mess. 


We also ordered some of their "Veggie Frites" which was said to be asparagus, carrot sticks and green beans that are flash fried... and that is exactly what they were. We assumed they were breaded and fried, but we assumed wrong. They literally just threw the veggies in the fryer. So really, they were just nasty greasy vegetables, and they were gross. But, I guess it was our fault for assuming they were battered. It just didn't make sense to us to fry it without battering it, because really what was the point to fry them, other than to cook them quickly.


Now, please don't think I'm some food snob. Because generally if you give me food, I will love it and be happy. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I ate a meal that made me feel more disgusting. Eric and I spent a half an hour discussing how we both thought we really might go throw up. Honestly, I did not realize they were a chain restaurant, because it really seemed like they had no idea what the hell they were doing. Now that I know, I am shocked something so bad could survive. 


Anyway, I guess that's about it. I'm finally all caught up on my food ventures. Today is the Super Bowl, so I will be trying a new recipe to bring to the party we are going to. Hopefully I'll have it posted tomorrow. I'm going to try to not get so backed up with my posting in the future, since I've been playing catch up all week.

Mediterranean Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Ok, I am still playing catch up. I actually made this dish last Sunday night for dinner, but I still wanted to get it posted. I found this recipe online one day at work when I was bored. I will type the recipe out exactly how it was online, but I cut it in half. Personally I didn't need two full casseroles for just myself and Eric. I mean, we eat a lot, but that much food would just be ridiculous. :)

Mediterranean Tuna-Noodle Casserole
found at www.delish.com/recipes

1/3 cup olive oil (plus more for baking dishes)
--- coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound wide egg noodles
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed) (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
4 cans tuna in oil (drained)
1 can (14oz) artichoke hears (drained and thickly sliced)
5 scallions (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup grated parmesan

1). Preheat over to 400 degrees. Lightly oil tow 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until 2 minutes short of al dente; drain and return to pot.

2). Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add bell peppers, season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, 4-6 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer.

3). Remove from heat; add mixture to noodles in pot, along with tuna, artichoke, and scallions. Season with walt and pepper, and toss. Divide between prepared baking dishes, and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.


As, I said, I cut this in half... two of them would have just been WAY too much food. Also, since we couldn't find whole milk at the store, we used heavy whipping cream. I think that was the only change I made.

The casserole turned out really well. Eric and I both enjoyed it and it will probably replace the tuna-noodle casserole I used to make (which was more or less cream of mushroom soup, tuna and noodles). The crisp peppers and scallions added a nice texture and made it much more interesting to eat. The artichoke hearts were really a nice addition and blended really well with the other flavors in the dish without being over powering.

I would totally recommend making this dish. However, on a side note, I would maybe recommend eating it fresh only. Since even cut in half the recipe made a lot of food, we did have some left overs which I ate a couple days later. The left overs were really not good. When reheated the oil separated from everything else. So it was really oily, and left me feeling really gross after I ate it. So I would say, maybe only make it if you have enough people to eat it right then, because it was very tasty fresh. :)

Veggie Fajita Friday

So, every since Eric quit smoking he's slowly been putting on the pounds. It's something that has really started to bother him, so we've decided to try to eat healthier. Part of that effort is trying to eat more veggies, and cut out some of the meat from our diet. Since I did live as a vegetarian at one point in my life, I have lots of vegetarian cook books. Found this recipe for fajitas and thought I'd give it a try. 

(I didn't get a photo of the finished product because Eric was snatching them up and eating them as quickly as I finished them.)

"Hot Lips Fajitas"

Recipe from "Student's Vegetarian Cookbook" by Carole Raymond

Makes 2 Servings

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped zucchini (1 small)

1/2 cup broccoli 

1/4 cup chopped and seeded red bell pepper

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 cup corn kernels (frozen or fresh)

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 10in. flour tortillas

1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or soy cheese

1). Heat the oil in  a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add all of the ingredients except the cheese and tortillas. Saute the vegetables and cumin for 2-3 minutes, just until vegetables begin to soften. Stir occasionally and make sure you don't overcook them. Remove the vegetables from the skillet. When the skillet is cool enough to handle, wipe it with a paper towel. 


2). Reheat the skillet over medium heat. Place the tortilla in the skillet to warm, and spoon on half of the vegetable mixture and half of the cheese. Heat for about 1 minute, just until cheese begins to melt.


I wrote the recipe exactly as it was in my book. Of course I was cooking for myself and Eric. So I used a lot more veggies, at least double what's listed. Also, as I cooked I kept tasting the veggies and thought they were a little bland. So I added salt and pepper, chili powder and a dash or two of tabasco. 


This recipe gets mixed reviews. Eric loved it and said he could do it on a regular basis. He really liked the fresh veggies and how they were still crisp and tasty. I liked my first couple bites... then about half way through my first fajita, I suddenly didn't like it at all. I couldn't even finish it. I don't know why. Maybe it was the zucchini (which I'm still not 100% sure I like to begin with), but all the sudden it was just gross and I couldn't take another bite.  


So I guess I'm not sure what to say about it. Eric liked it... I thought it was gross. I guess I just need someone else to try to cook it and be the tie breaker.


I've gotten a little behind on my posting. I have one more recipe I tried this last weekend that I want to post (it got a better response than this recipe did), and I'm going to try to get it up in the next day or two. Because I'm sure I'll have more stuff to write about after this weekend.