Wonton soup is always on the menu for Chinese New Year mostly because it is my favorite. The simple broth with a small wrapped up surprise is delicious and comforting on a cold winters day.

Dinner time topic? What would you wish for if you could have one wish?

Source: Joylicious

Makes 48-55 wontons

7 oz shrimp, shelled
14 oz ground pork
1 package wonton wrappers
1/2 egg white
1 tablespoon corn strach
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
——-

6 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
cilantro and green onion, chopped for garnish
1 teaspoon salt

Wash the shrimp, squeeze out the excess moisture and chop coarsely. Mix together with the ground pork, egg white, cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, sugar, rice wine and ginger. Take your wonton wrappers and wrap them in a moist towel, this keeps the wrappers from drying out. Wrap one teaspoon filling in each wonton wrapper. You can fold them as the way I’ve shown or just gather and twist the edges together to form a little purse.

Bring the chicken stock and salt and white pepper to a boil and pour into a soup bowl. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and drop in the wontons. Cook until the wontons rise to the top, about 5 minutes. Remove the wontons from the water and place in the prepared chicken broth. Top with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve immediately.

***** A trick my mom would always use to adjust the flavorings for the filling is she would make a wonton and cook and taste it first. That way you’re able to adjust the flavorings according to your taste (i.e. add more salt to the filling or more sugar or more wine).

***** My mom use to steam the wontons and then place them in the broth. This keeps the wontons from falling apart and becoming over cooked. If you choose to steam the wontons you can use a bamboo steamer (as pictured) and steam for 10 minutes on high heat. You can also eat the wontons plain without the broth and serve them alongside a dipping sauce.

Photo: Property of “Not Without Salt“

Chicken chili is what you get when chicken cacciatori is on the menu, but the masses demand chili. My children tend to shy away from soups with excessive amounts of broth. They would much prefer a heartier stew or chili.

As with most chili recipes this one also has some kick to it. It is just perfect for my milder taste buds. However, if you think it is not hot enough increase the red pepper flakes to 1/2 – 1 teaspoons.

Source: Not Without Salt
2 large yellow onions, medium dice
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans
1/4 cup minced cilantro stems
3 cups chicken cooked, shredded

Cook the onions in the butter over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and their juice to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked chicken, black beans and cilantro stems to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the cilantro and sour cream.

Variations:
- Add 2 diced celery sticks
- Replace the black beans with white beans and kidney beans.
- Omit the bell peppers substituting 3 stalks celery finely chopped.
- This recipe works great with leftover turkey from the holiday.
- For a vegetarian version omit the chicken and add 1/2 cup lentils.

Cobb salads have always been my favorite. The egg, bacon, lettuce and dressing taste so satisfying and filling. We were in the rut of serving lettuce with carrots and celery for so long salads became really boring. I have since tried to remember that a salad is just another way of eating a sandwich. Anything you would put on a sandwich could be combined to make a salad.

Cobb salads traditionally consist of boiled egg, meats and cheeses. I love a sprinkle of blue cheese and a couple slices of beets.

Spinach
Egg, sliced
Red Onion, sliced
Bacon, chopped
Ham, chopped
Mushrooms, sliced
Pine nuts
Salt and pepper
Vinegar
Oil

Place spinach in a large bowl. Top with egg slices, onion rings, ham, bacon, mushrooms, and nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little vinegar and oil.

Salads can be an impressive addition to a dinner party menu. I brought this salad to a Christmas party recently to rave reviews. I love the contrasting red, green and orange colors in this wintery orange salad. I tried a simple oil and vinegar dressing the first time I bought the salad mix. The garlic The salad mix has a bitter bite so the dressing did not win me over. I like the sweetness of the orange vinaigrette much better. The dressing is subtle but adds just enough flavor to compliment the herbs.

1 package mixed baby greens and herb salad mix
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 large orange
Orange Vinaigrette

Spread walnuts out on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

Pour salad mix into a large bowl. Sprinkle with cooled walnuts, blue cheese, and seeds. Arrange onion rings and orange wedges on top. Toss with vinaigrette before serving.

Orange Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup juice from 1 to 2 oranges
1 shallot, sliced
1-1/2 cups olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, add orange juice and shallot. Slowly drizzle the olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper. Mix again before adding to salad.

My summer canning is done. The pantry is stocked. I love seeing the jars sitting on the pantry shelf. It is a nice warm homey feeling. What is even better is being able to walk outside and pick the fruit from vines in the backyard. I was lazy this year and did not even attempt to garden. The planters I put together last winter are hidden in a torrent of weeds. While mine is a sad story some of my friends have had a wealth of garden gifts to enjoy this summer.

Strawberries are an amazingly versatile plant. At our last home we used strawberry plants as ground cover. They spread like mad in the couple of years after we planted them. Generally strawberries do not last a day around here. When there are a few stragglers the day after they are either pureed into a smoothie or chopped and used in a salad. I love the combination of salt feta cheese with the sweet strawberry. If feta is too salty try using goat cheese.

Serves: 6-8 generously
1 bag baby spring mix salad greens
1/2 bag Arugula
1 small cucumber, sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
6 fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup crumbled traditional Feta cheese
Champagne Vinaigrette

Mix the arugula and salad greens together in a large bowl.

Evenly top the salad greens with the cucumbers, then onion slices, followed by the strawberries. Sprinkle with Feta cheese.

Toss with vinaigrette immediately before serving onto plates.

This is a recipe for an Italian dressing powdered mix. Each mix makes about four 8-oz servings of dressing. I like to combine all of the ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. It is faster to use the jar than whisking in the oil separately.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons salt

Mix:
In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt and regular salt. Store in a tightly sealed container.

For Dressing:
To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix. Store in the refrigerator.

**The oil will separate after sitting for a period of time. Just shake or whisk the dressing to incorporate the ingredients before serving.

Variations:
- Use orange juice in place of the water with red wine vinegar.
- Use half the oil reducing the amount to 1/3 cup.
- Use the powdered mix to marinade steaks, chicken, season popcorn and chips.
- Mix Italian dressing mix into 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream to make a veggie dip.
- You can find a better deal on bulk spices and herbs at culinary shops like Smart & Final or club warehouses or Big Lots.

Stephen loves Caesar salad. It is his all time favorite meal. Caesar salad used to be our traditional anniversary dinner. That was until we went to the Pasta Moon in, our anniversary vacation spot, Half Moon Bay and tried their Risotto Sea Scallops and tomato basil salad with whipped cheese. It is pretty pricey but well worth the experience.

Stephen was not feeling well when he returned from a week long business trip. We are not used to eating a lot of prepackaged foods or greasy fast food. I roasted a chicken the night before and decided to make his favorite feel good meal, Caesar salad.

I always prefer to make my own salad dressings. I think homemade dressings taste better. Plus you can control what goes into it eliminating some of the fat and the need for preservatives and everything else artificial. We love the flavor and the texture of this version of Caesar dressing adapted from Cooking Light. I have noted the anchovy paste as optional. We never add it simply because I rarely have it on hand.

Source: Cheap Heathly Good
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

1) Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour on salad. That’s it.

Variations:
-3 tbsp Mayo in the place of the yogurt.

Photo: Property of The Good Mood Food Blog

Traditional Irish stew begins with mutton (or lamb). It includes onions and other root vegetables such as turnips, carrots and potatoes. The use of Guinness beer in Irish beef stew is as Irish as the St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun. In America beef was cheaper than lamb, therefore, the beer was an Irish-American addition used to give the less flavorful beef stew more flavor. Traditionalists would rather use cheaper shanks and other boney pieces with little to no meat on them to flavor the broth rather than switch to beef. To thicken the stew they used potatoes, flour or barley grains.

In this version of Irish beef stew the potatoes are sliced then layered. During cooking the potato slices near the bottom of the casserole dish break down then meld with the juices to thicken the stew. The black pepper really compliments this stew but the 2 teaspoons might be too much for children and those averse to pepper. Reduce the pepper to 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.

Source: The Good Mood Food Blog
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp oil
4 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 large onions, sliced into half moon pieces
6 cups beef stock
Pinch course salt
2 bay leaves
5 large potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch discs
Chopped parsley, to garnish
Oven Safe Casserole or pot with lid

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the flour and black pepper in a resealable bag or plastic container. Add stew meat, seal and shake until meat is thoroughly coated with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meat. Brown on all sides then transfer to a large over safe pot. Brown the other half of the meat and transfer to pot.

In the same skillet saute the onions for 2 minutes, adding a little oil if necessary. Transfer the onions to the casserole. Add the carrots, beef stock, sea salt and bay leaves to the pot stirring to scrape up all the burnt bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour into pot. Toss the potato slices on top of the onions and carrots. Season with a generous amount of black pepper and cover. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. To serve pour into individual bowls and sprinkle with a little parsley.

Serves 6 generously

I was looking for something different to go with grilled salmon when I stumbled upon this recipe for white bean salad. It combines fresh green beans with tomatoes and olives drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette. This white bean salad makes for a great side dish at any picnic or BBQ. Add canned tuna for a tasty lunch to take to work or use the dressing to flavor your favorite steamed vegetables.

Source: Adapted from Woman’s Day
12 oz fresh green beans
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1?4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 can (15 to 16 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1?2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
Chopped parsley

Steam green beans by dropping them into a pot of salted boiling water. Blanch for 3-5 minutes. Drain water then cover pot.

Meanwhile, make dressing: Whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until well blended.
Cut green beans into smaller bite sized pieces. In a large serving bowl, gently toss green beans, cannellini beans, tomato and olives. Drizzle dressing over salad and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Variations:
- 1 grilled salmon steak, flaked
- 2 cans (5 to 6 oz each) solid light tuna in olive oil, undrained. Replace the oil in the can for 1/4 cup olive oil.
- Use 1 (12 oz) bag microwavable green beans in the place of fresh green beans.
- Go Mediterranean by mixing 8 oz green bean with two bags mixed greens, 2 cucumbers seeded and sliced, grape tomatoes in the place of wedges, 1 can (12 oz) tuna in oil drained, olives, 1/2 cup Greek salad dressing, 1/2 cup crumbled basil-tomato feta cheese.

My favorite way to eat eggs is soft boiled with a runny yolk and a piece of toast to dip or mixed with a side of grits; it is part of my southern upbringing I suppose. Hard boiled eggs can be equally tasty sliced in a salad. Getting the eggs to the perfect stage and out of its shell though is the dilemma. My boss once asked me how to boil eggs. It took a moment to remember because boiling eggs was second nature; put them in a pot, cover with water, boil, steam, cold bath. Time…shime… I never kept track I just did it. Thankfully my advice panned out.

Once a month on Dazzledish we try to post a ‘how to’ tutorial on a particular food, gadget or cooking tip because we want everyone to learn the basics so they feel confident in the kitchen. This month we will learn the art of hard boiled eggs and a few recipes to use them in.

What you need:
6 large eggs
Water
Large pot
Ice cubes

Place the eggs in a single layer in a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water to 1-inch above the eggs. Bring the water just to a boil on medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover and steam for recommended time (see below). Immediately drain the hot water from the pot. Carefully cover the eggs with ice and cool water.

Soft Cooked Eggs:
A soft cooked egg has a firm white and runny yolk. Heat large eggs 1 1/2 – 3 minutes.
Soft cooked eggs are mostly served in an egg cup small end down. The top is removed to expose the runny yolk. The egg is eaten out of the shell using a small spoon. You can also use strips of toast to scoop up the yolk.

Medium Cooked Eggs:
Medium cooked eggs have a firm white and a slightly firm yolk. Heat large eggs 4 – 6 minutes. Pair peeled medium cooked eggs with poached asparagus or toast or in a Kedgeree.

Hard Cooked Eggs:
Hard cooked eggs have both a firm white and yolk. Heat large eggs 10 – 12 minutes or as long as 17 minutes.
Eat hard boiled eggs with a sprinkle of salt or try some of the international recipes listed below.
Deviled eggs
Soup
Salad toppings
Egg salad sandwich
Potato salad
Tuna Nicoise salad or Sandwich
Egg bread
Curry
Thai Son and Law Eggs
Pakoras from India
Cookies

TIPS:
– Some individuals like to add salt or vinegar. They say it makes removing the shell easier. Add a splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt to your water.
– Use eggs that are at least a few days old. Farm fresh eggs do not peel as easy.
– Do not boil eggs with cracks. They will break open and leak.
– Putting too much water in the pot will take longer to heat which can throw off the timing. Too little water will result in undercooked eggs.
– Watch the water. At the first sign the water is boiling remove the pot from the heat. Keep time from the moment you remove the pot from the heat and cover it.
– The ice bath stops the cooking process and the steam created inside the eggs will make it easier to peel.
– To peel start at the larger end where the air pocket is. Grab hold of the membrane under the shell and peel off.
– Chilled eggs are easier to slice. Warmer eggs are easier to crumble.
– Refrigerate unpeeled boiled eggs within a few hours for up to one week.
– The times listed may vary slightly due to the way your stove heats, the type and size of pot you use, the amount of water and number of eggs.