POM Spritzer

I was watching Everyday Italian on Thursday. Giada was making healthy snacks and one of those was a Pomegranate/Cranberry Spritzer, which was a healthier alternative to soda. I immediately thought of the POM juice I have in my fridge that Kristen at POM Wonderful sent over. You MUST try the juice, and you must visit POM Wonderful !!!
The juice is terrific on its own, but truly amazing when added to drinks and recipes. The health benefits are endless and totally worth drinking something that also tastes great. I have MANY more to come.... the instant I got the e-mail, asking if I'd like to try some... the ideas swirled in my head...add to sauces, mix it with chocolate, and of course mixed into some cocktails!

POM Spritzer

100% POM JUICE
Perrier
Wedge of lime

I used 1 part POM to 3 parts Perrier with a squirt of Lime juice. So refreshing and so delicious! Of course serving in a Champagne glass makes it more festive!

Roasted Jalapeno "Popper" Wontons w/ POM dipping sauce

OM Jizzles as my bf's daughter would say! If you like jalapeno poppers, you will LOVE these too! My trips to the fried side usually happen late on a Friday night, well maybe I should say Saturday morning, after TOO MUCH TO DRINK! That's when craving for fries, burgers and poppers comes in strong and my conscience takes the back seat! When this idea came to me I could NOT make them fast enough. With Football Season underway, this was the perfect time to try it out!
When Kristen at POM Wonderful asked if I'd like to try POM I couldn't type fast enough to tell her "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" It was like a confirmation that my blog is out there and people are reading! :) My mind was swirling with tons of ideas and I knew I'd want to make a dipping sauce. Stay tuned for more POM recipes to follow!
I'm telling you....these are delicious! I only made 4 (which I ate just as fast as they fried up) so I could adjust the seasoning and see how I liked the ratio of jalapeno to cheese. It was missing some heat, since I took out all the seeds and ribs and I think I could have left the pieces of jalapeno bigger. Super easy to put together and well worth it!

I started by slicing the tops of the eight jalapenos I had (I'd use a few more for the rest), then slicing them in half and taking all the seeds and membrane out. Leave some of the membrane if you like more heat.

Then I placed them skin side down on a well oiled baking sheet. I roasted them about 15 minutes at 400 degrees until the skins started to brown and blister.

Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Even though I have a "name brand" plastic wrap I had to cover it with foil because my plastic would not stick. I left the peppers for about twenty minutes before I peeled the skins off.

Once the cream cheese comes to room temperature. add the jalapenos (chopped), grated pepperjack, and a pinch of cayenne, paprika, cumin,salt, and black pepper. Mix until evenly combined. Take wonton wrappers out and place one teaspoon in center of each. Moisten edges with water and fold into desired shapes.

Deep fry until golden, let cool, and serve with your favorite dipping sauce! YUMMM!!!

I tried to take a picture of the inside, but I could not get my camera to focus! My favorite fold was the one below, with a big bite taken out of it! It had a good amount of crunch!

Poppers:
12 jalapenos
8 oz. cream cheese
grated pepper jack cheese
cayenne
paprika
cumin
salt
black pepper
wonton wrappers (square)
oil for frying

POM Dipping Sauce:

8 oz. POM
squeeze of honey
dash of mirin
pinch of black pepper
2 tspns raspberry preserves

Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Chill before serving. I totally encourage ALL OF YOU to buy some POM and give it a try!! In my next post I'll include the link to POM Wonderful so you can see all the great health benefits!!!

*Can anyone tell me why I can't get two pictures to be side by side without messing up my text?!?!?!?* THANKS!

Kimchee Fried Rice (Kimchee Bokumbap)

I am obsessed with Kimchee Fried Rice. A few months ago, before the accident that sent my bf's ex into ICU for 3 months, we all met at Tiffany's. It's a Korean Bar and Grill that makes the best food I've had on the Island. Most of the people we were with are regulars there so they ordered what they thought were the best dishes. Mochiko chicken, steak bites, cake noodle, AND KIMCHEE FRIED RICE. When I took my first bite of this, YUM! It's crunchy, spicy, tangy, fresh. I love rice... and I love kimchee.
That was the first and last time I had the dish before yesterday. Just before Memorial Day I was preparing a menu full of the dishes we had just days before, everyone was going to come swim at the pool and drink a few beers by the BBQ. Well, plans changed when everyone ended up flying to Oahu when the accident happened and Memorial Day turned into a day to distract the kids from the chaos we hoped they wouldn't learn of.
Two weeks ago Mom came home and is doing great. Yesterday was the little ones 6th birthday, a gathering planned, and food ordered. Her mom ordered the same dishes we had that night 4 months ago. I picked the order up and decided to buy a tub of kimchee. Once home, I followed a quick recipe for Kimchee Fried Rice and can I just say. . . . . I am addicted and plan of having it for dinner several days this week!
Try it... super easy, flavorful, filling and inexpensive!

Kimchee Fried Rice
Vegetable oil
2 C cooked and cooled rice
3/4 cup Kimchee and liquid, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 T soy
1/2 - 1 t Sesame oil
onion (opt)
green onion

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. If adding onion (or other vegetables) add and saute until soft. Add kimchee and cook 2 minutes. Add rice. Cook as you would in a wok tossing rice with kimchee and kimchee liquid until fully coated. Add soy and sesame oil. Stir one minute more. Remove pan from the heat, add green onions and serve.
The Korean restaurants here serve this with a fried egg on top. This is similiar to the Puerto Rican dishes of left over rice and beans I am use to, but I was happy without the egg.

YUM!!!

Vinegared beef and green beans with paprika and pine nuts

My boyfriend is not the best vegetable eater, but when I made these green beans he said he could eat them for his entire meal and be happy, that told me something! He is a hardcore meat and potatoes type of guy, but is always willing to try anything I make and is usually quite pleased.

This is a delicious and fairly simple meal to prepare. My dad is Puerto Rican and my mom is a “mix” but usually cooked Puerto Rican dishes for the family, which she learned from my dad’s brothers and sisters. Rice was most often the starch of choice eating it so many different ways.

The steak is marinated in vinegar, black peppercorns, oregano, salt and garlic. I made a pot of white rice, and green beans from a recipe I found in a Tapas book I have. DELICIOUS!

Steak with Onions

2 lbs. beef sliced thin
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 T salt
6 whole peppercorns
3 T white vinegar (recipe calls for white, but use what you prefer)
2 yellow onions, sliced thin

Crush and mix in a mortar all ingredients above, except beef and onions. Once thoroughly combined, add beef to marinade. Do not marinate beef too long, as vinegar will start to cook the meat, since it is sliced so thin. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions until soft. Remove onions from pan and add the meat to the pan, reservin liquid. Cook about 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Add onions and reserved marinade. Cook a few minutes longer. Serve with white rice and green beans.

Green Beans
2 T olive oil
scant 1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 - 1 teaspoon paprika
1 lb. green beans, blanched for 3 minutes
1 small onion, finely chopped, I use less
1 garlic clove finely chopped
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Heat oil in pan and toast pine nuts until golden. Drain on paper towel, reserving oil in the pan, and toss with paprika. Saute onion 5-10 minutes, until softened and starts to brown. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds. Add the green beans and cook 3-5 minutes, tossing together with the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off skillet add the zest and juice of the lemon. Add pine nuts. Serve hot.

Steak Bites from Bethenny Frankel

My friend Amy just moved into a new home. She decided to celebrate with a housewarming / birthday party. It was an intimate gathering of about 5 couples, each of us bringing an appetizer while they prepared the main dishes. I have a stack of recipes I've been dying to try and this was one of them! It was a hit!
I added a bit more horseradish, but didn't spread it on the bread so I could afford a bit stronger flavor. I also did not have low fat mayo or multi grain bread, so I used the fattening stuff!

The recipe was featured in the Rachel Ray Magazine. I'll be making LOTS of finger foods in the next few months. It is football season after all!!!!

My camera is down right now so this picture is from the website! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Butter Bites from My Tasty Treasures

If you have not stopped over to My Tasty Treasures then you have been missing out on some delicious recipes and great humor!
Donna aka FFW (Fire Fighter Wife) was my very first follower and in honor of that I decided she'd be my first post tried from a fellow blogger. I made her Chocolate Chip Butter Bites and they were not only a snap to make, they were gone just as fast. Very good. They reminded me of a shortbread cookie. Of course these are much better having chocolate chips inside and a sweet sugary coating. How good does that sound? You can tell from my picture I did not let them cool before I dipped them in powdered sugar! You must try these!

Thanks to Donna for a great recipe! I can't wait to try another!

Merengue

Growing up we often shopped in the little bodegas, or Spanish markets for special ingredients my mom would need to make the Puerto Rican dishes she'd serve. My sisters and I would always grab a bag... or two... or maybe three of merengue. Little clouds of delicious sugary whipped egg whites. How can something soo simple taste so good.

There are many different ways to make these heavenly pillows, with or without cream of tartar, powdered or granulated sugar, using a syrup or not, but I have found all the recipes I've tried produce mostly the same results.

Give them a try. Serve them plain, drizzled with chocolate, toasted coconut sprinkled on top, or sandwich them together.. yum!

Whisk


Whisk some more... until soft peaks form, gradually adding sugar


Once stiff peaks form


Spoon onto sheet and bake

Merengue:

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/4 tspn. cream of tartar

1 1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whip the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar while whipping until stiff peaks form. Spoon by teaspoonfuls onto sheet and bake until merengue easily peel off, about 25 minutes.

The way I am used to making these is with a bit lower heat and much longer cooking time, but you may use the method above.