Cheesy Pulled Pork WonTons with Gingery Dipping Sauce

Last weekend I was quite proud of myself --- I spied an amazing sale in Food Lion a nice cut of pork, a Boston Butt (which I always tend to slip and call bottom butt, much to my husband's amusement.) It was originally 30 bucks, but it was marked down on manager special to about 9 bucks.

Bingo. Bought it.

I cooked it low and slow all day and it made for a delicious dinner. Needless to say, I had tons of pulled pork leftovers, and it was the star of my dishes for the week. This was one of our favorites.

Cheesy, salty, and crispy wontons with a fresh Asian inspired dipping sauce. It made for a great light lunch snack before hubby's soccer game. And I got to incorporate one of my new ingredient obsessions.... fish sauce.

 I tease my father-in-law relentlessly for using this in many of his dishes. He swears by it, and often substitutes it for salt in his recipes. It is also a great base for any dipping sauce.

Cheesy Pulled Pork Wonton Filling
Package of wonton wrappers (I get mine from Food Lion) 
 1/2 pound (about) of leftover pulled pork
1/2 package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup freshly grated parm cheese 
3 tblspoons greek yogurt
3 cloves of garlic, through garlic press
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Pinch of salt and pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Gingery Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup of fish sauce
Splash of soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or whatever you have)
Freshly grated ginger, to taste
1 clove of garlic

How to make them:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Put all of your filling ingredients together in a big bowl and mix together. Prepare a large cookies sheet with non stick spray. Then, put a dollop of the filling in your wonton mixture.

Close the flap to make a triangle and kind of mush it so it sort of seals together. Twist the two corners up to make it look wonton-y... I'm not a perfectionist so mine weren't exactly pretty. Place them on the cookie sheet and bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until they look crispy.

In the meantime, make your dipping sauce. I am usually a guess and adjust kind of person with sauces, so start with the basics and add whatever you like, depending on what kind of flavors you want. 

Then, you're finished! They make for a wonderful snack or very light lunch :)

Tip about the ginger: I  put my ginger in the freezer and just grate it with a cheese grater... very easy to handle that way! 

Frittata

I am extremely lucky and blessed to have a husband that loves to cook too. When we were dating he probably enjoyed it more than me, even! Whenever I went to visit him I would beg and pout and stomp my feet to get him to take me out to dinner. (Okay, maybe not that dramatically, although I'm sure he would beg to differ.) For the sake of his pocket book and sanity, he would tempt me with a really yummy meal that he would cook instead. One of his specialties was frittata, which is where I learned to make it.

Frittata is a funny dish. It is so easy, so elegant, and so delicious. It pretty much works with whatever your favorite ingredients are, or better yet, what you have in the fridge. It also looks super impressive, bonus!

Below is what I like to typically include in my frittatas, but you can swtich it up with what YOU like! Yay!

What you need: 
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 lb sausage, browned
1 medium onion, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 handful fresh herb (parsley or cilantro)
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
Dash of red pepper flakes
Dry herbs of your choice (hubby and I like dried mint) 
1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese
Handful fresh parm cheese to grate on top
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350. 

First, you need a large deep skillet pan that can go into the oven. Pretty heavy duty one, yup. Brown the sausage over medium heat and break it apart. Once it is browned, remove it from the skillet and put into a large bowl. Next, sautee the onion, garlic, and tomato in the same skillet in the juices from the sausage. Add them to the same bowl with the sausage so they can cool a little bit.

Meanwhile, beat the six eggs and milk in another larger bowl. Add your spices and any dry herbs you would like. Add the chopped up mozzarella. Add the sausage onion tomato garlic mixture once it has cooled a bit and blend with the egg mixture. Add you fresh herbs now too!  I like to use a whisk.

 

Now you can return the egg mixture to the skillet, which is still over the medium heat. Let it cook for a few minutes and scrape down egg as it cooks, almost like a really big omelette thing. Make sure the sausage and stuff doesn't settle down on the bottom and is spread pretty evenly.

After the frittata has cooked a little bit on the stovetop, put it in the oven and bake it for about 20 minutes. If you check it and its still really jiggly, it isn't ready yet. You will know its ready if it is set and form and you can put a fork in it and it comes out clean. Then, its ready! yay!

Sprinkle fresh grated parm on top.... mmm.

Way easier than quiche.... you don't need a crust and it is just as good if not better.

I hope you enjoy, I'd love to hear your unique frittata ideas! 

Chicken "Parmesan" with Goat Cheese

It's April!!! Also known as the month of my birth. :) I can't wait for some warmer spring weather! 

Confession: I love cheese. I LOVE cheese. It is the best. Goat cheese, if you haven't tried it, is one of the best ones - tart, creamy, delicious.

I came up with this idea in college with my friend Ashley. We used to make a dip for bread with marinara and goat cheese as a yummy snack when we were hanging out. One of my favorite meals in Chicken Parmesan, so I decided to try and combine the ideas. I've been making it ever since ! :)

Spicy marinara, breaded chicken, and goat cheese with pasta.

What you need:
3 Chicken Breasts, cut in half
1 egg + splash of water
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
Seasoned Panko bread crumbs
1 turn of olive oil
1 package of goat cheese
Large jar of marinara sauce (or make your own)
1 lb of spaghetti (or your favorite pasta)
Crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste 

How you make it: 

(Preheat your oven to 450).

First, clean up the chicken. Cut the chicken breasts in half. Meanwhile, heat up the olive oil over medium heat in a large sautee pan.

Next, pick out three larger bowls for an assembly line. The first bowl should the seasoned flour, next is the egg wash (mix the egg and water together), and last is the panko bread crumbs. Get ready to make your chicken! I like to use tongs so I don't keep touching the chicken, and it is easier to coat with each layer. (My chicken is tiny, so my assembly line is a little cramped). Prepare a large rectangle backing dish with some of the marinara sauce on the bottom, you are going to place the chicken on top.

**Note: If you make your own marinara sauce or buy your favorite from the store, I like to add some cayenne pepper or crushed red chili flakes to taste because I prefer a spicy marinara with this dish. It's up to you! Try heating it up in a sauce pan and adding more of what you like, make it your own!

Once you coat the chicken in each layer (flour, egg, bread crumbs), sear the chicken for four minutes on each side. Place into the large rectangle baking dish when done. Work in batches until all of the chicken is done and in the baking dish. Top the chicken with more of the marinara, and then place dollops of goat cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is done. While it is cooking, you can go ahead and get your pasta ready.

Serve it up with your pasta! This would be yummy with some bread and a fresh salad too if you like.

Anyone else have a twist on a classic recipe? :)