CHINESE!!!

So it was cookbook club tonight - Chinese style -- and I'm still full....haha.  We did some wontons for an appetizer, cashew sweet and sour pork for dindin, and a yummy wonton for dessert too!!  My house still smells like oil - as does my hair this am.  Not such a yummy after smell!!  Both app and dessert were super good - easy to make too!!  The pork entree was amazing too - would have been equally good with chicken, but kinda nice to mix it up.  I would put in more pineapple for that one!

Cranberry-Cream Cheese Wontons

Ingredients

1 teaspoon whipped cream cheese
1 teaspoon cranberry sauce (from the can)
wonton wrappers (**found in the produce section)

1 egg, beaten
canola oil

Sweet and sour sauce

Preheat canola oil to 375 degrees.  Spoon cream cheese / cranberry sauce into wonton wrapper - brush a little egg on corner of wrapper and then wrap them up (egg helps hold them in place).  Then just place in oil and take out when cooked!  Dip in sweet/sour sauce and it's YUMMY!!

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cooking sherry or apple juice
1 lb pork tenderloin or boneless pork chops, thinly sliced
1/3 cup water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon oil
1/3 cup chopped cashews

¼ cup green onions
2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoon minced garlic

6-8 oz snow peas, trimmed
8 oz can pineapple chunks, drained

Cut the pork - we just used a scissor and cut into small chunks.  Cook the rice.  Then combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, sherry, and pork. Toss well.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup. Stir with a whisk; make sure there are no clumps with the cornstarch.  Now collect everything that’s going into the stir fry next to the stove so you can access it easily.

Heat 1-2 tablespoon canola oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add pork and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add onions, ginger, and garlic.

Stir-fry 1 minute. Add snow peas and pineapple. Stir-fry 3 minutes more. Whisk sauce ingredients again and add to pan - bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in cashews and serve over hot rice. Garnish with more cashews and green onions if you want.

Dessert Wontons

Ingredients

1 teaspoon peanut butter with a couple choc chips

1 teaspoon nutella

1 teaspoon  of mixture (cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 drops almond extract) and a dollop raspberry jam

cinnamon sugar

wonton wrappers (**found in the produce section)

1 egg, beaten
canola oil

Preheat canola oil to 375 degrees.  Spoon whatever mixture you want into wonton wrapper - brush a little egg on corner of wrapper and then wrap them up (egg helps hold them in place).  Then just place in oil and take out when cooked!  Then try to guess which one has what in it :)