Nutella Wontons with Raspberry Sauce

Okay, let me just start off by saying this... I LOVE Nutella. I am addicted to this chocolate-hazelnut spread. Lol! My friend, Val, has the same addiction. About five years ago, we were at her house and craving something with Nutella in it, so we made these deep fried goodies. I also whipped up a quick raspberry sauce to dip them in. They aren't too difficult to make and they are to die for! Enjoy. =)

Nutella Wontons
Ingredients
16 wonton wrappers (you can find these in the produce section)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
Vegetable Oil, for frying
Powdered Sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with foil. Take 1 wonton wrapper and brush the edges lightly with the beaten egg.
2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of Nutella into the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal.
3. Place the wonton on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg and Nutella.
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Add enough oil to a heavy, large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches, heat the oil over medium heat. If you have a deep fryer, heat it to 350 degrees.
5.Working in batches, carefully add the wontons to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side.
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the wontons to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the wontons to the lined baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining wontons.
7. Once all of the wontons are fried, dust them with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry sauce (recipe to follow)
These wontons can be made a day ahead. Cool them completely, cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and re-warm in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 7 minutes.


Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 half-pint package fresh raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

Directions
Place the package of raspberries, granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries and jam into a food processor, fitted with the steal blade and process until smooth. Chill.

Homemade Pita Chips

I was inspired by Brittney's hummus recipe and decided to post my recipe for homemade pita chips. You can buy pita chips at your local grocery store, but these are far more delicious. Enjoy! =)

Ingredients
4 pita breads
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut each pita bread into 8 triangles. Place triangles on lined cookie sheet.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, pepper, minced garlic and basil. Brush each triangle with oil mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy.
    Makes 32 chips

WARNING! Watch carefully while these chips are baking, as they tend to burn easily.

Mushroom Tostadas

We eat this all of the time at my house. It is quick, easy and delicious! Well, my family and I think so anyway. Lol! Enjoy! =)

Ingredients:
Flour Tortillas
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Onion, chopped
6 Mushrooms, sliced (I love mushrooms, so I usually add more, but it is totally up to you)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into very thin strips
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced
2 Carrots, cut crosswise into thin slices
fresh Cilantro, finely chopped (you can use 1 teaspoon dried cilantro if you can't find fresh or don't have it on hand)
dash Salt and Pepper
couple handfuls of shredded Jack Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1. On broiler pan, lay tortillas flat and bake in hot oven for 2 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and set aside to be used later.
2. In large skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, and cilantro. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are brown and the moisture is gone from the pan. (Drain off any excess liquid)
3. Spoon vegetables over tortillas on broiler pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the jack cheese. (Don't roll them up.)
4. Return to hot oven and bake for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted.

Cornish Pasty

I very rarely eat red meat, but I do make an exception for this dish. I'm actually making these for dinner tonight. =) For those of you that don't know what a pasty is, it is a savory pie of sorts that originally came from Cornwall, England. You fill pastry dough with steak, potatoes, and other veggies, fold the dough over to make a semi-circle, then seal and crimp the edges before baking.

I was watching Man vs. Food with my hubbie one day. In the episode, they stopped at a little diner where they specialize in pasties. I thought they looked pretty yummy, and decided to make them myself. I found this site with a whole bunch of pasty recipes, which is where I got this one from. I made some changes as I usually do. You can experiment with different fillings too. I do it all of the time. This is just a traditional, Cornish Pasty, but oh so tasty. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
   Crust
3 cups flour
1 1/2 sticks butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons water (ice cold)
   Filling
1 to 2 pounds round steak, (depending on how much meat you would like) cut into bite sized pieces
5 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
   Crust
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, butter, and salt. Blend ingredients until well combined and add water, one tablespoon at a time, to form the dough. Toss mixture until it forms a ball.
2. Kneed dough lightly against a smooth surface with heel of the hand to distribute the fat evenly.
3. Form into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in wax paper, and chill for 30 minutes.  
Tip: Work the dough as little as possible, or it will become too tough.
   Filling
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Divide the dough into 6 pieces, and roll one of the pieces into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface.
3. Put 1 1/2 cups of filling on half of the round. Moisten the edges with egg wash, and fold the unfilled half over to enclose it.
4. Pinch the edges together to seal the crust, and crimp the edges with a fork.
5. Transfer the pasty to a lightly buttered baking sheet and cut several slits in the top to vent.
6. Roll out and fill the remaining dough.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Put 1 teaspoon butter through a slit in each pasty, and continue baking 30 minutes more.
8. Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and enjoy!

Cinnamon Chip Cream Cheese Bars

I think it takes longer to say the name of this delectable treat than it does to actually make it. This was one of my favorite desserts as a child, and still is. I used to make them with my step-dad and it didn't take long for my family to devour them. =)

The cinnamon chips in these bars are sooooo yummy; however they can be difficult to find. You can find these gems online at King Arthur Flour and Prepared Pantry. If you can't find them in a regular grocery store, try a specialty food store, or one of these sites. These bars are also great with chocolate chips, or Hershey's premier white chips.

Ingredients:
   Cinnamon Chip Cookie Dough (You could use any chocolate chip cookie dough recipe you like, and replace the chocolate chips with cinnamon chips. This is just the one I like to use.)
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature (NOT melted)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bag cinnamon chips

Directions:
  Cinnamon Chip Cookie Dough
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
3. Add vanilla and eggs
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda
5. While stirring/mixing sugar mixture, slowly add flour mixture until completely incorporated
6. Add cinnamon chips and stir well

Ingredients:
   Cream Cheese Filling
1 block cream cheese, softened (not light or imitation, the REAL thing)
1 egg
2/3 cup sugar

Directions:
  Cream Cheese Filling
1. Mix cream cheese, egg, and sugar until smooth

Now, to put it all together...

1. Press half of the cookie dough into a 9x9 pan.
2. Spread cream cheese filling over the dough.
3. Crumble remaining cookie dough over the top of the cream cheese filling. This gives it a pretty, marbled look.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean, and enjoy!

Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl

I used to make this for pot lucks at the office all of the time, before I started my daycare business. Everyone loved it and it is so easy to make. It is great for serving at parties, and it is sure to please every spinach lover out there. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
16 ounces sour cream
3 green onions, chopped
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
2 loaves round peasant bread (you could make your own, if you are so inclined)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine soup mix, sour cream, and green onions. Strain excess water from spinach and add to dip mixture. Stir to combine.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
3. Slice a circle around top of bread, remove inside, and cut into bite sized pieces.
4. Fill bread bowl with spinach dip. Cut other bread loaf into cubes and serve with dip.

That's it! I hope you all love this dip as much as I do. =)

Sunnys Perfect Pie Crust

Let me just begin by saying that I love to bake pies! I have been perfecting the art of pie making over the last year or so, and I have got it down. The key to any great pie is a flaky, delicious pie crust. I have tried several variations of pie crusts and many, many techniques. This one is by far my favorite one to make. It is almost like a cookie when you bite into it and so yummy!

I know so many people that will just by pre-made pie shells because pie crusts are really tricky to make. One wrong step, and the whole pie can be ruined. I found this great article that has pretty much every technique that I use to get my crust just right. The most important tips being; make sure all of your ingredients are ice cold (yes, even the flour you use), cut the fat in with your hands, not a mixer, and handle the dough as little as possible, or your dough will be too tough to work with. Here is the article http://whatscookingamerica.net/piecrsthint.htm Happy pie baking!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup ice cold water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. With your hands, cut in shortening and butter until mixture is crumbly. You want the crumbles to be the size of a large pea.
3. Combine vinegar, egg, and ice cold water. Sprinkle over flour mixture gradually (not all at once), while stirring, until the dough forms a ball. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons more water.
4. Cut dough in half (if making a double pie crust, otherwise you can use the other half for another pie, or freeze it for later use) and form each half into a ball. Between two pieces of floured wax paper, roll one half into a 12" circle and line 9" deep glass pie plate with it. (If dough tears or a hole forms, pinch dough together to repair) Trim overhanging edge 1/2" from rim of pie plate
5. Arrange your filling in crust, pressing down gently to eliminate any spaces.
6. Roll second half of the dough into 12" circle. Fold into quarters. Place over filling and unfold. Trim overhanging edge 1" from rim of pie plate. Tuck top edge under bottom crust edge. Flute edges by pinching dough together every 1/2" along edge.
7. Brush top crust with egg wash (1 tablespoon milk and one large egg, beaten) and sprinkle with sugar. If your filling is a fruit filling, cut several slits in top crust to vent. Cover the edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil, or a pie shield to prevent excessive browning. Remove foil or pie shield during last 15 minutes of baking.
8. Bake for however long the pie recipe your using tells you to.

It's a lot of work, I won't lie, but so rewarding! Enjoy! =)

Greek Salad Pitas

For those of you that don't know, I consider myself an "almost vegetarian". By this I mean, I basically stick to a vegetarian diet, but I will occasionally eat chicken or fish. I can't give up the sushi. Lol! That being said, I try to find/create vegetarian recipes that make you feel like you aren't missing anything just because meat isn't apart of the meal.

These Greek Salad Pitas are so delicious and they are good for you too. These are great if you are wanting to have a light, refreshing lunch. You could also add chicken if you would like to try these, but don't want to make them vegetarian style. I found the recipe in The SuperMarket Diet CookBook by Janis Jibrin, but I have tweaked it a bit. Enjoy! =)

Prep: 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans a.k.a. chickpeas
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek style yogurt for this recipe)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 pita breads (pockets or 6 to 7 inch circles)
3 cups lettuce (You can use whatever you like. I usually use romaine or baby spinach)
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions
1. In food processor with knife blade attached, or in a blender, combine garbanzo beans, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic; puree until smooth.

2. If using 6 to 7 inch circles instead of pita pockets, cut off top third of each pita to form a pocket. Use half of the bean mixture to divide evenly inside pockets.

3. Combine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and feta; use to fill pockets. Top with remaining bean mixture.