Eggroll Wrappers, Not Just for Eggrolls?

Egg roll wrappers/skins

Last night's post mention egg roll wrappers in passing.  I love these things!  The wrappers are really thin sheets of pasta.  I have heard you can make them at home but they are difficult with a kitchen pasta machine, and extremely difficult by hand.  (Have you rolled normal pasta dough by hand? It is very hard!)  I originally bought these to make my Mexican Egg rolls.  I had some leftover sheets and noticed a recipe on the back for... Cannelloni?!  Boil water, drop sheets in for a minute, place ricotta filling on edge, roll, cover in sauce, and bake for 20 minutes?!?!?!  I tried it!  Super easy super yummy cannelloni that I can make on my lunch break, (microwave for 5 to 10 minutes is another time saver).  That success sold me on the wonderful little guys.  I keep them on hand, always.  Leftover chicken and vegetables?  Make a broth, add the chicken, veggies, and sliced wrappers... instant home made chicken noodle soup.  I love lasagne, but to be frank lasagne noodles are a pain, even the no-boil kind.  So on a whim I decided to try the egg roll wrappers.  Everything in lasagne is pre-cooked, so you are only "marrying" all the flavors.  I layered my wrappers into individual servings of lasagne (Demarle is awesome).  They came out light, almost fluffy, without the starchiness of regular noodles.  Another score for the wrappers!  As I was looking online today for other recipes for my wrappers I came across a recipe using them to make cups.  Baked longer if re-baking (filled with custard) or shorter is filled with cold filling (taco salad).  My goal is to make a few of these recipes in the near future.  I'll post them when I try them.

A couple tips to keep in mind:

While assembling the egg rolls, keep the stack of wrappers moist by covering them with a damp towel. You can seal the rolls with a "glue" made with cornstarch and water. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer, but let them come to room temperature before using.

24 Hours and 3 Delicious Recipes

First off, I made some great food for dinner tonight!  BBQ Pork Ribs...  I was supposed to do them on the grill but I didn"t quite manage it.  First, a rub of brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, peper, and Dollar Tree Memphis Seasoning (LOVE this stuff).  I sifted it, rubbing the powder onto the ribs and dumping the clumps into a jar.  The jar then had worchestershire sauce and BBQ sauce mixed in.  All the flavors "married" in their respective positions for about three hours.  Since I didn't have a big enough oven dish for the ribs, I cut the slab in half.  I put each half in a Demarle round (meatier side down), and covered them with half the sauce.  Into the 375 oven for 1.25 hours (covered with the silpat) then flipped over, covered with the remaining sauce and left uncovered for 20 minutes more.  They were so much better than on the grill, since I have a tendency to overcook on the grill.  They were flavorful, moist, sweet with a little kick.  And clean up was a cinch, 5 minutes with warm water and mild detergent, no scrubbing at all!!!  Can't tell you how much I love my Demarle.

Second, I made Cranberry Twist relish for lunch.  My mom always makes this in the fall.  I found cranberries in my freezer when i moved, so I decided to make some today.  My mom uses an orange and a bit of sugar to balance the cranberries, but my one orange is supposed to be used for a recipe this week.  Luckily I had a Califonia pink grapefuit.  No need for adding the zest of the rind to my twist version.  I ate it all, so refreshing, sweet yet tangy.  Tastes like CT.

Third, last night "L" and I made my Mexican Eggrolls for quick meals, they are great in the freezer, healthier than frozen burritos.  Simmer, covered, two chicken breast in a cup of chunky salsa for about 20 minutes.  I put them in frozen and whole, when i see they have thawed a little I cut them up into small chunks.  Then shred the chicken, add a can of black beans (rinsed), simmer for 5 minutes.  Add frozen corn to the mix until it look right (I know it isn't specific but some people like more or less corn).  Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.  If drain off any excess liquid.  I save mine because it is great base for leftover mexican soup for lunch the next day.  You can simmer the liquid all off, but that can overcook your corn.  Then take out your package of eggroll wrappers.  Paint all four edges with egg wash or oil.  Place 2-3 tablespoons of mixture in the wrap and roll up like a burrito or the back of the package has eggroll rolling instructions.  Bake until golden brown.  Obviously I use my silpat, but if using a cookie sheet line it with foil, sometimes they leak a little.  I allow them to cool for an hour on the counter then freeze them in portions.  We eat them on a bed of lettuce with salsa, sour cream, and cheese!

P.S. I bought tumeric and curry last week! So excited to try them out this week!

New Day, New Post

New Beginnings!
I'm trying this thing again. I recently moved to Smithfield, UT, the northern end of Cache Valley, and away from my nearly 3 year roomie. I have found I have more "empty" time and I want something to show for it. So this blog is being reactivated!
But what will I talk about?! Technically, anything I want, it's my blog! But I do have an idea of a few things:
1) I have fallen more and more in love with cooking. I am CONSTANTLY trying new recipes and new ingredients. I expect that to be a common topic from now on in this blog.
2) Also, I am becoming very enthralled at couponing. I want to find out how beneficial couponing is for the single female cooking for herself.
3) What entertains me, books, movies, concerts, plays, and public venues.
4) I may not know tons about this final subject, but you will find me commenting on various current events throughout the community, state of Utah, and this great nation.
5) Finally, I will post thoughts and impressions on the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the heart beat to my life. It is what makes me, me.

So, I hope this works out better than last time.
Wish me luck!