Chinese Takeout at home!

I had a craving for Chinese Takeout. I've made all these dishes separately, but I hadn't made them all at one time. So, I took on the task of all three at one time. SCORE!!! It was awesome, and no leftovers!

Egg Rolls (click here for the recipe)

These egg rolls are really pretty easy to do! I think the part about egg rolls that people think is intimidating is just the assembly... the rolling. It's more like folding them into an envelope shape. The most complicated part is rolling the wrappers and sealing them well, but that gets easy after you do it a couple of times! Don't work on the stack of wrappers while filling and rolling. Assemble each one separately to keep them from getting wet and sticking together. Keep your work space dry and neat. If you lay a wrapper down in water, the water turns to glue. The wrapper will tear when you try to pick it up or fold it. Give it a try! If you have kids, let them try too! It's a fun activity for everyone. I think it would make a great kitchen party with all the guests learning how you roll! LOL

Beef and Broccoli with Cauliflower Rice (click here)

Beef and Broccoli served over rice with a substitution of cauliflower rice for those on the New Year's Resolution diets is the casserole of the week! Comfort food doesn't have to be fattening or loaded with carbs! Cauliflower is a great substitution for carb loaded vegetables and starches. It has a neutral taste that blends well with any flavors it is teamed. Try using it in place of rice or mashed potatoes!

Mama's Tempura Batter for Sweet and Sour Chicken (click here)

Mama's Notes and tips: “Great for shrimp, fish, onion rings, mushrooms, eggplant, even fried green tomatoes!”
Use cold water to prepare the batter. Chilled light beer or Club soda can be substituted. For best results keep the batter cold by placing the tempura batter on ice.

Mama's Red Sauce (click here)
I got this recipe from my Mama's recipe file and modified it a little. When I made it, I realized it tastes just like the Chinese Restaurant's Red Sauce! I had been trying to duplicate that sauce for years because that's the main reason the hubby eats Chinese Food! LOL Stumbling on to this recipe was a real find! Mama called this Hawaiian Sauce!