Whole Chicken Wings ~ Chinese Takeout Style

 

I researched a lot of methods, spice combos and cooking techniques before finding the perfect mix for this recipe! I'll never settle for "plain fried chicken" again!

6 whole chicken wings (washed and pat dry)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon oil
1 egg

oil (for frying)

In a small bowl, mix the spices, sugar, cornstarch and flour. Stir to combine.

In another small bowl, mix the egg, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Stir to combine.
Place wings in a large bowl. Coat with the wet ingredients. Toss to evenly coat the wings. Dust with the dry ingredients. Toss to coat evenly. Let the wings marinade for 2 hours.

If the marinade is too wet and pooling in the bottom of the bowl, add a little more flour and cornstarch until it sticks to the wings. It will be a wet, light batter.

Set your fryer to 350 degrees. Fry the wings 5 minutes. Lift the basket and flip the wings. Fry for another 5 minutes or until up to temp and golden brown.

Homemade Beef Jerky

This first time I made this was for Christmas gifts for the guys to take hunting... In turn, they brought me venison to make them some more! LOL  It must have been pretty good! I like making it in the oven better than a dehydrator. Basically, you put it in the oven and walk away... Your nose will remind you it's in the oven!

2 1/2 pounds lean round steak

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

Place the meat in the freezer for a couple of hours to make it hard and easier to cut into thin strips. Cut long narrow strips about 1/8” thick.

For the marinade, combine the remaining ingredients in a gallon plastic bag. Add meat slices to the bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Remove meat from the bag and drain. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place wire racks on top. Place meat slices on the racks, leaving a little space in between each slice.

Place racks in the oven and prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. This will allow the air to circulate. Bake for 6-8 hours. 

The meat will lose about half its weight and will be dark brown. It will be dry to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Store in an air tight container. 

This recipe makes about a pound of jerky. :-)

Bacon Roll Ups

These are kind of like Rumaki, I guess. Mama always called them Bacon Roll Ups. I doubt she had ever heard of rumaki. Either way, I love bacon and these are delicious!

Rumaki

18 slices of bacon, cut in half
1 can sliced water chestnuts
5oz soy sauce
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 t black pepper
2 pkgs cocktail sausages
36 shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Using toothpicks, place a slice of water chestnut, sausage, shrimp and another slice of water chestnut on each toothpick, and wrap with bacon. Mix the brown sugar, pepper and soy sauce. Place the wraps and marinade in a plastic bag and marinate over night or 24 hrs. Cook at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is done.
* You can substitute teriyaki glaze for the marinade if you like.

Easy Egg Rolls... Chinese Take-Out at Home!

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

Egg Rolls

Egg Roll Wrappers (about 16 -18 per package)
1/2 lb Sausage or Hamburger
1/2 lb Shrimp, shelled and cut
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1 cup bean sprouts

Combine and set aside:
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1 T soy sauce
1 T sherry
1 T water
1 T corn starch

If you have a wok, that's great! If not, use a large skillet add a little oil and saute the meat and mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add the corn starch mixture and cook until the liquid thickens. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, add a little oil and return to heat. Add cabbage, sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and saute until cabbage wilts. Add to bowl with meat mixture and stir together. Let the mixture cool a little.

Take one egg roll wrapper out and place it on your work space facing you like a diamond. Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the lower corner nearest you. Brush or with your finger, wipe the edges down with water. This will seal the egg rolls so they don't pop while cooking. Fold the bottom corner up and the sides in, like an envelope. Then fold the top down to seal. Make sure each egg roll seals well. Place the on a parchment lined cookie sheet until the are all rolled and sealed. Repeat the process with the next wrapper.

It's best to use a small fryer such as a "Fry Daddy" or some with fryer with a basket. The egg rolls can split and that can cause the filling to leak. This can make the oil foam up and pop sometimes, so use caution when frying. If you use a pot on the stove, use as little oil as you can and turn the egg rolls to cook evenly.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Fry two or three at a time until they are golden brown... usually about 3-5 minutes. Keep them in a warm oven until ready to eat. Serve them with soy sauce, duck sauce, plum sauce or a spicy mustard. I like to use Mama's Hawaiian Sauce. It tastes just like the sweet and sour or red sauce.

This recipe usually makes 16-18 egg rolls.

Pork Scallopini

Traditionally, this dish is made with veal, but you can make it with pork, chicken, turkey, beef or venison. Basically it can be done with any meat or poultry that can be pounded thin. You can also change the spices. I love garlic so I add garlic powder to the flour. I sometimes like some lemon incorporated, so I substitute lemon pepper for the pepper. If you have followed my blog or read some of my recipe posts, you know that I never follow recipes to the letter, and I hardly ever cook something the same each time. I like to think of recipes as suggestions. So, make the recipe conform to your taste.

4 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup beef broth

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Flatten cutlets to 1/8-in. thickness.

In a flat dish, combine the flour, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chops one at a time and coat evenly. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil. Add chops; cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place chops in a 13x9 casserole dish. Add enough broth to come to the sides of the chops. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed.

In a sauce pan melt butter and add mushrooms, soy sauce and garlic; cook and stir for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon over chops.