We started by enjoying some Asian-inspired beverages. The Blue Lagoon cocktails, infused with Lychee fruit juice and served with whole lychee fruit in the glass, was a refreshing, fruity pairing to go with the spicy Salmon and avocado hors d' oeuvres.
Blue Lagoon
cocktail punch
1 can frozen
lemonade concentrate
3 cans of
cold water
1 lemonade
can of vodka
½ lemonade can
of Blue Curacao
juice from 1
can of lychee fruit
Ice cubes ( I made mine with lemonade)
Lychee fruit
Mix
everything together in a punch bowl and serve in martini glasses or tall
glasses. Drop a lychee in the bottom of the glass for an Asian twist. Or garnish with lemon like in this photo. serves 6
Salmon Rice cakes with avocado and hot chili
1 avacado, diced
4 oz. smoked salmon, sliced into thin strips
1 cup jasmine rice, cooked and cooled
3 tbsp. coconut milk
thai chili sauce
3 tbsp mayonaise
Stir the coconut milk into cooled rice. Press rice onto a
9x13 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Chill several hours. Cut rice
cakes into 1 inch squares, or circles using a cookie cutter. Roll the salmon
and place on top. Mix chili sauce with mayoniaise. Put a piece of avacado
(mango also works nicely) in the center and top with a drop of chili sauce.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve
at room temperature.
Pot Stickers makes approximately
48
1
package wonton wrappers
3
cups chopped napa cabbage
1
tablespoon salt
1
pound ground pork (Don't get lean pork, the fat is
good for juicy and flavorful
dumplings)
1/3
cup finely chopped green onions
3
tsp. minced ginger
2
tbsp. minced garlic
3
tbsp. soy sauce
2
tbsp. sesame oil
1
egg
1
to 2 cups warm water
vegetable
oil for frying
Dipping Sauce
4
tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce
4
tablespoons rice vinegar
1
tablespoon sesame oil
Shred
the cabbage very thin. Place in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let sit 5
minutes. Squeeze all excess liquid from cabbage and lay on paper towels. Place
everything but the water and oil in the bowl. Mix very well. Using one wrapper
at a time, dip the wrapper in water, then lay on a plate. Put 1 tsp.-tbsp. of filling in the
center. Fold in half and pinch at the center. Then make two pleats on each
side, sealing up the wrapper completely. Heat 1-2 tbsp. of oil in a non stick
pan on high heat. Place 12-16 pot stickers like spokes on a wheel in the hot
pan. Fry two minutes undisturbed until the bottoms are golden brown. Carefully
add 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Cover. Reduce heat to medium or medium low and
cook until water evaporates and wrappers are translucent. (about 4 minutes).
Transfer to a platter, wipe out the pan, and repeat with remaining pot
stickers. Serve warm with dipping sauce. 
Many hands make light work. Everyone had fun learning how to wrap the yummy pork filling inside the dough. After a quick fry in a non-stick pan, they were piping hot and ready for the dipping sauce.
That's the beauty of this gathering, we learn to get creative with our cooking. So many women have contacted me to say that they are recreating the recipes for their families and loving having new ideas to spruce up their entertaining!
Then it was on to the lettuce wraps...
Lettuce Wraps serves 6-8
◦
6 tablespoons oil
◦
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Use chicken or shrimp for the filling...
◦
2 cups water chestnut
◦
1 1/3 cups mushroom
◦
1 cup chopped onions
◦
2 teaspoons minced garlic
◦
12-16 leaves
iceberg lettuce
Sauce
◦
1/2 cup sugar
◦
1 cup water
◦
4 tablespoons soy sauce
◦
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
◦
4 tablespoons tomato paste
◦
2 tablespoons lemon juice
◦
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
◦
2 tablespoons hot mustard
◦
2 -4 teaspoons Thai chili garlic paste
Stir Fry Sauce
◦
6 tablespoons soy sauce
◦
6 tablespoons brown sugar
◦
2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 cup chopped peanuts
for garnish.
Make the sauce by dissolving the sugar
in water in a small bowl. Add soy sauce, rice wine
vinegar, tomato paste, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well. add your desired
measurement of hot mustard and garlic chili paste to the sauce mixture.
Bring oil to high heat in a wok or
large frying pan. Sauté chicken breasts for
4 to 5 minutes per side or done. Remove chicken from the
pan and cool. Keep oil in the pan, keep
hot.
As chicken cools mince water
chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the
soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. When chicken is cool, mince it like you did the mushrooms
and water chestnuts. With the pan still on
high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms
to the pan. Add the stir fry sauce and ½ cup of
the other sauce to the pan and sauté the mixture for a couple minutes then
serve it in the lettuce cups. Drizzle on remaining sauce.
Top with chopped peanuts.
Garnish with fresh pineapple, extra soy sauce and sesame seeds. Gorgeous. Healthy. Done.
Chicken or Shrimp Stir Fry serves 6
1
½ lbs. boneless chicken breasts or peeled shrimp
1
head of fresh broccoli, cut into florets
3
stalks celery, chopped
1
red pepper, chopped
1
large onion, chopped
2
cups bok choy, chopped
2
tbsp. garlic, minced
1
tsp. ginger, minced
4
tbsp. hoisin sauce
2
tbsp. soy sauce
4
tbsp. orange juice
½
tbsp. sesame oil
sesame
seeds for garnish
Heat a wok or heavy pan to hot. Add 2 tbsp.
peanut or vegetable oil. Add chicken and stir fry a few minutes till barely
done. Transfer to a bowl. Add more oil to pan if needed, then stir fry
vegetables in the order of their hardness. I usually start with broccoli, then
add peppers and onions, then celery, lastly leafy vegetables and garlic and
ginger. When veggies are barely tender, add your sauce and stir fry another
couple minutes. Add chicken and stir fry another minute till heated through.
Season to taste with more sauce, adding additional soy sauce if you like. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with
rice and fresh pineapple.
Cilantro/Lime rice serves 6-8
1
½ cups white rice
3
cups water
1
cup chopped cilantro
juice
from 1 lime
½
tsp. salt
Prepare rice. Add cilantro, lime juice and salt
to taste.
What meal would be complete without a show-stopping dessert? No need to slave all day making something. This recipe starts with a box cake mix. Don't tell anyone, okay? I like to use Pillsbury yellow cake mix. This is one of my family's favorites and I credit my daughter, Taylor for this great recipe.
Mandarin
Orange Cake
· 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
· 4 eggs
· 1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
· 1 cup vegetable oil
· 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange segments with juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs,
oil and mandarin oranges with juice. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into
prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a
toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Frosting
2 (8
ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2
cup butter, softened
2
cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
1 8 oz. tub cool whip, thawed
1
cup shredded, sweetened coconut
In a medium
bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the
vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar, then the cool whip,
and finally, the coconut. Garnish frosted cake with orange zest, mint leaves or
mandarin segments.
That's all for March...next month... Spring Salad Suppers
