Pizza Pockets

So my mom gave Nabil and I this little do-hicky for Christmas.

What is it you ask? It is a pizza pocket press! Like making a mini calzone. Homemade hot pockets anyone? And what can you do other than making mini pizzas? Well, you are full of questions today, but I'm glad you asked. The options are limitless. I could go one and on like an infomercial, but I will just show you two.

I used regular bread dough that I bought at the store, but you could make your own. First, roll it out and cut the dough into circular pieces. Place on the "claw", and fill with desired goodies. Dab the edges with water, and clamp the claw.

Place them on a pizza stone (or baking sheet) and bake on 400*F until golden brown. Make sure to put lots of flour down before baking. We found out the hard way that the rolled out dough tends to stick, and then you just have a hot, torn up pile of ingredients.

There are so many things that you can do with the pizza pocket. This time, we just tried a few. The first was the original pizza pocket, filled with pizza sauce, cheese, mushrooms and zucchini.

Dessert anyone? Why yes, don't mind if I do. Last time, I made a batch with chocolate and marsh mallows aka wintertime s'mores (delish), but this time, I made a batch of caramel apple pockets. I used homemade caramel sauce and sauteed the apples before putting them in the pocket. You can find the directions for caramel sauce and how to saute the apples here.

I'm pretty sure this was the best dessert you could ever have in a pocket. To. Die. For.

Until next time...

Morning Balls

Alright, I just made up that name. They may also be called "after-school balls" or "power balls". I found this recipe on Pinterest, but of course changed it a bit to fit what I had in my kitchen. These are really easy to make, and taste almost like a cookie. These were made in a failed attempt to make my own energy bars. They are very healthy and make a great grab and go breakfast or snack

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• scant 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup salted peanut butter (I would normally use almond butter, but I ran out)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 T raisins
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the applesauce and peanut butter, then add all other ingredients and mix until well-combined. Shape into balls and bake for around 15-20 minutes. Super easy and super healthy right? Enjoy!

Until next time...

Faux Reclaimed Wood

It seems that the new big thing in home decor is reclaimed wood furniture, and I have to say, I am in  LOVE. The look of old wood turned new is gorgeous, and what Portlander doesn't appreciate recycling. I have had a headboard reclaimed wood project in mind for a while now, and still fully intend on doing it, but I needed a smaller first project to start. I decided to start with picture frames. The finished frames will come in a later post. This post is all about making faux reclaimed wood. I originally got the idea and many of the techniques from one of my favorite blogs. You can find it here.

I know what you are thinking, and yes I did just contradict myself. What is the point of making new wood look "reclaimed"? Why would you buy new wood just to beat it up? My dad is probably saying that as he reads this right now. I understand that it seems a little weird, but it looks pretty dad :) , and there are a few problems with actually using old wood. For one, it is very difficult to find usable old wood. Most weathered wood is at least partially rotted, or has too much nail/screw damage to make it reusable. And, depending on the size of the project you may not be able to find enough usable wood for what you need. For these reasons, I chose to use newer wood and beat the crap out of the surface. Plus, it is always fun to release some pent up frustration by beating up a plank of wood. But enough talking typing. The deets are below.

The wood that I used was cedar (I think). We got it at a local re-build it store, so it is technically "reclaimed", but the wood is actually really nice. We got a great deal. It came with the weird groove right in the middle of one side. I think that it was originally used for railings?

Anyway, to distress the wood, I used a number of different tools we already had. Firstly, if the wood that you are using is brand new, you will probably need to sand down the edges to make them a little more round. This makes it look more worn. The planks that I had were already rounded on the corners, so I just started right in on beating it up. Below are the tools and a tutorial of what I did, and below the first picture is how the wood looked after.

Bag of screws: Put a handful of screws in a bag and start swinging. This was the easiest and I think the most efficient. I did this one the whole length of the wood, not just in spots.

A huge screw: I used this to drag across the plank. Simply scrape the wood a few times with the teeth of the screw. Cedar is a hard wood, so it was a little more difficult than it would have been with pine.

The trusty hammer: Swing away and make a bunch of dents. I kinda used the corner of the hammer so it wasn't a perfect circle when it hit the wood. A circle may look like it was hit on purpose, and not through years of wear and tear.

Chisel: Use the edge of the tool, and just start scraping away.

Little nails: Place one on the board, and smack it with the hammer.

There are many other techniques that that you can use. I've heard of people using chains and bricks, but we just had what was on hand. So how do you get from the damaged new wood to the after? First, make sure to sand it down again. Just enough so that the surface is smooth. You don't want to give a passerby a gaping splinter wound. Next, you will need a dark stain. We used ebony because I wanted to see a bigger contrast. There are a few different techniques. You can see from the picture below that the board on the left is darker than the right.

For the board on the left, I put the stain right on the board using a crappy $1 foam brush. Right after, I wiped the stain off with a paper towel. This allows the stain to get in all the little cracks but gets taken off the surface. For the board on the right, I did the same thing, but I first put on a layer of water with a second brush. Make sure to use a different brush for the water and the stain because the stain is oil based so one brush will not pick up both. Using the water does the same thing but allows less stain to soak into the wood. It is a little lighter, and I think that it is a little more real looking. You can see the dry product below:

Pretty cool huh? Tune in soon for the finished product. Until next time...

Rice Bowls

Need another healthy, week night recipe? Look no further, because you have found another here!

Recently, Nabil and I have started eating rice bowls once or twice a week. The first time we made this, we actually did it because we needed to use all of our left overs before they went bad. Since then it has become a staple. The how-to is below.

Instead of buying chips from the store, we often bake pieces of corn tortilla. I think that they taste much better, and they are actually much better for you since they are baked and not fried. To do this, I drizzle olive oil on the pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 350 until crispy. It usually only takes about 15 min.

I like to use shredded chicken in my bowls. To makes this I fry a few chicken breasts on the stove in  a mixture of chicken broth and canned tomatoes. I also add chopped garlic and a small amount of chopped onions. Cook this way until chicken is almost fully cooked through. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board.

Pull apart chicken with two forks, creating a pile of nice shredded chicken. Place everything back on the stove in the remained of the liquid and stir. The chicken will soak up all remaining liquid.

I usually use brown rice for a base, add some beans (any type, I prefer black or refried), add the shredded chicken, and top with cheese and lettuce. You may add or subtract anything that you would like, or mix and match. The best part about rice bowls is that everyone can have a little something different.

I like to eat mine by dipping the chips; like fancy nachos. Nabil usually makes his bowl into a burrito. Any way you choose to eat it, will be delicious.

 

 Now that the weather is getting better in PDX, I'm hoping to start a bit more DIY posts, although you can be sure the recipe posts will not stop here.

Until next time...

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are one of my favorite light lunch items. Like many Asian dishes, it is healthy and filling but not stuffing. The bad thing about spring rolls is that they are surprisingly expensive, and they do not last long. No saving them for lunch the next day. Never fear, there is also good news. Firstly, these delicious wraps are super easy to make. And, you are able to use a lot of random things in the fridge or tailor the different roles to each person. Below are the how-to deets.

Ingredients
Spring Rolls:
Thin rice wraps - The best ones can be found in any Asian food store.
Rice noodles
Romaine lettuce leaves
Carrots- cut into long slices. I used a peeler to make the slices.
Cucumber - cut into similar long slices
Avocado
Cream cheese
Meat or Tofu- I used tofu and shrimp

Spicy peanut sauce #1: I am actually providing two options because I got this first one at the recommendation of a friend, but... it didn't turn out. It was delicious, but it was not saucy for dipping. I was more like thick, pastey, spicy peanut butter. I ended up putting it in the rolls instead.
1/2 small onion
Two mushrooms
Olive oil
Peanut butter - You have to use the fatty king you buy at the store. No all-natural cal-cutter here.
Red curry paste
Salt to taste

Spicy peanut sauce #2:
8oz soft tofu - You may be thinking the same thing I was at first (gross!), but please bear with me, it ended up being delicious.
1/2 C peanut butter - For this one I used all natural. You know, the kind you grind there at the store.
2 T soy sauce
3 tsp garlic chili sauce - I added more because I love spicy!

How to
Spicy Peanut Sauce #1:
Dice mushrooms and onions into small pieces. Saute the in olive oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft.

 Add peanut butter and water until mixed and liquid. Add red curry paste to taste. It is little difficult to taste when the paste is so you kind of have to do it by experience. I love spice, so I add quite a bit, but red curry paste is super spicy, so be careful.

Spicy Peanut Sauce #2:
Blend all ingredients. I used the Magic Bullet. I told you to bear with me. This sauce is delicious, and it is much easier/faster/healthier than the first option.
Spring Rolls:
These are the wraps that I used. I wanted to try both sizes. I think that the smaller ones actually ended up being easier to roll and looked prettier. I cut the big once in half when serving and they were probably a little easier to eat because all the goodies stayed inside better.

We used a mix of seared tofu and sauteed shrimp. We used a wine wine, peanut sauce for both. Sounds a little weird right? It went really well with the wraps though. We also bought whole shrimp instead of pre-peeled because they were much cheaper, but we had to take their heads and shells off ourselves. No problem for a few Wyomingites to save a couple bucks.

Next you want to get all your ingredients prepped and ready. Look at that array!

 Soak the rice paper in warm water until flexible and translucent. We found through trial and error that it is best to place in a few at a time. The longer they sit in water, the soggier they become and are not easy to work with. Once the paper is soft and flexible, place flat on a cutting board or prep surface.

Put piece of lettuce and stack other veggies in the center of the paper circle. I found it was easier to stack all the veggies and the add the noodles and sauces, but you may do this part however floats your fancy.

 Note: The sauce pictured here is the Tofu Peanut Sauce (Spicy Peanut Sauce #1)

Next, wrap like a burrito leaving one end open. For the bigger ones, I wrapped the whole thing and then cut them down the middle to serve. Wrapping correctly was by far the hardest part. You have to get a good sense of wrapping tight without breaking the wrap. Luckily the rice paper is very cheap, so I didn't feel bad throwing a few out when they didn't look pretty enough. Needless to say, at the end you could tell which ones I wrapped, and what Nabil wrapped. Oh husbands... no attention to presentation detail.

 These were a hit at the super bowl party. I brought home an empty plate, aka success! I will probably make them again for a summer gathering, baby shower, wine tasting, etc.

Drizzle sauce on the rolls and/or use to dip. Enjoy!

Until next time...

House Warming Gift

Last month I posted a how-to make your own succulent garden. You can find it here. At the time, I made a few smaller gardens and thought they would be useful to keep in case I needed to give a small gift. Luckily, I needed a little gift last week when we visited Nabil's sister Nora in McMinnville at her new house. I used one of my single succulent plants to give as a house warming present.

They really help to warm up the look of a window sill, and better than that, they are difficult to kill because they require very little water.

These make be great gifts for so many occasions; house warming, baby shower, birthday. One of my friends even used something similar for party favors. You can find a few pics of her mini garden here. Now I just need to make a few more so that I can grab and go on the very likely event that I forget to buy a gift before our next event. :)

Until next time...