Nutty Butter-Cream Frosted Cake

This is my fast and quick version of a cake that was only served on special occasions when I was growing up. The original was store bought from a local company and its no longer readily available. So I came up with my own version of this cake. It is less than 30 minutes of work and you can have a cake nice enough to serve to company. The hard part is letting the cake sit overnight or for a few hours so that it reaches its maximum flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 can of butter-cream frosting
• 1 1/2 cups of finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Use two 8 inch round pans. Spray with nonstick spray.
2. Prepare and bake the cakes according to the package directions.
3. Finely chopped the pecans. If you use a food processor, careful chop using the pulse mode or you might end up with pecan butter. The pecans should be small like bread crumbs.
4. Cut 2 pieces of wax paper a little wider than 1/2 of the size of the serving dish you are using and overlap at the center of the dish. This will help keep the dish neat and presentable.
5. Using a spatula, thoroughly mix the frosting in the can.
6. (OPTIONAL) reserve about a 1/3 cup of the frosting for decorating.
7. Place the first cake on the top of the wax paper and frost the center.
8. Sprinkle some of the pecans on to the frosting making sure you have covered the entire frosted area.
9. Place the second cake on top of the first and frost the top and sides. You don't need a lot for the sides.
10. Using your hands press the pecans onto the side of the cake. It will get a little messy, but its worth the effort. Make sure the sides are thoroughly covered with the nuts.
11. Using a wide flat spatula, carefully lift one side of the cake off the wax paper and slide the wax paper out. Turn the cake and repeat the process to remove the other piece of wax paper. If necessary you can use a silicone brush to brush away any leftover nuts off the dish.
12. To give the cake a nice eye appeal, take a small Ziploc bag and snip a small opening in one of the corners off and attach a decorating tip if you have it. Otherwise, you will be able to pipe the frosting through the small opening in the bag. Place the reserved frosting in the bag and decorate around the top edge of the cake. Be creative and use up all the frosting.
13. Now this is this the hard part, the cake tastes best if left to sit overnight. I believe that all the nuts and frosting get a chance to mingle and it really brings out the flavor of the the two. Otherwise, its ready to serve. Enjoy it with a nice cup of green tea or a tall glass of ice cold milk.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Light and Tasty Chinese Eggrolls

Light and Tasty Chinese Eggrolls

This is another beloved grandma chinese recipe. These eggrolls are loved by all who have tasted these lucious morsels. They are packed full of veggies and a touch of beef. The beef can certainly be omitted, for a truly vegetarin delight. While they are fried, they are not heavy or greasy. I can't remember a time when grandma (my mom) has not made these for holidays and special gatherings. These are truly a grandma classic.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz of lean beef or chicken
• 1tbsp of soy
• 1tsp of sesame oil
• 2tsp of rice wine
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• 3-4 green onions
• 2 lbs of bean sprouts
• 1/4 tsp of salt (can use up to 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 2 tbsp of stock
• eggroll skins
• canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice the beef into match stick size and marinade in the soy, sesame oil and wine. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
2. Clean and peel the carrots. Cut them into match size sticks.
3. Clean and cut the celery into match size sticks.
4. Clean and finely chop the green onions
5. Wash the bean sprout and drain all the water.
6. Mix the oyster sauce with 1 tbsp of stock.
7. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining stock.
8. In a large pan, coat the bottom of pan with canola oil. On medium/high heat stir fry the beef until cook. Remove from the pan and set aside.
9. Add a little more canola oil to the pan if needed.
10. Add the carrots and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

    
11. Add the celery and stir fry for another 3 minutes.
12. Return the beef and thoroughly mix it in.
13. Add the green onions and mix it in.
14. Add the oyster sauce/stock and mix it in.
15. Add the salt. If you are going to dip the eggrolls in a soy based sauce the 1/4 tsp will be enough salt, otherwise taste the filling and add a little more salt if needed.
16. Add the bean sprouts and incorporate them into the mix.
17. Add the cornstarch, mix it in and remove the pan from the heat
18. Remove the contents and set it in a colander to drain the juice. This is crucial because if you don't remove the liquid, the eggroll skin will become soggy. Then, when you fry the eggroll, it will burst. It is best that the filling be left to drain for several hours.

    
19. To roll the eggrolls, place about 2 heaping tablespoon of filling across one of the corners and fold the corner over. Then fold each side in and roll tightly.
20. Deep fry a few at a time until they are golden brown. Make sure that when you first slide the eggroll into the oil, the flap is facing up, so that it will be sealed at it is fried. Set them on paper towels to absorb some of the oil. If the oil is hot enough, very little oil will be absorbed by the eggrolls.
21. Let the cool a bit and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Hint: If your oven has a warmer drawer, put the eggrolls on a wire rack in the warmer drawer after you fry them. This keep them warm while you are cookng and helps to make them crisper. That way you can serve the meal when you are ready to sit with the family instead of cooking while everybody else eats the eggrolls.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

A Simple and Delicious Traditional Chinese Noodle Dish - Ma Yi Shang Shu

The name Ma Yi Shang Shu literally translates to "ants climbing a tree", but there are no ants or trees involved. My mom has been making this dish for at least 30 years. It is a true and tried recipe. I have loved the taste of this dish since I was a young girl. My sisters and I used to fight over the last few morsels of this dish. The recipe is courtesy of Grandma(my mom). The dish takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook. The only caviat is that you MUST use bean thread vermicelli, not rice vermicelli which is a mistake I made the first time I attempted to make this dish. The bean thread vermicelli will absorb all the liquid that is called for in the recipe. When I used the rice vermicelli, the dish was tasty, but we had soup, not a noodle dish. So, learn from my mistake and use bean thread vermicelli. This vermicelli can be found in any Asian store. Grandma told me to look for the red dragon on the package so there would be no mistake.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bundles of bean thread vermicelli
• 6 oz of ground pork
• 1tbsp of soy
• 1tbsp of rice wine
• 1tsp of sesame oil
• 3 green onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp of finely grated ginger, use a microplane grater
• 1 1/2 tsp of chili hot paste (if you want it extra spicy, add more of the chili paste)
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 2 tbsp of soy
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
• white pepper (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE WITH BLACK PEPPER-its a totally different taste)
• canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinade the pork in the soy, rice wine and sesame oil as you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Combine the seasonings which are 2/3 of the green onion, ginger, garlic and chili paste and set aside. The rest of the chopped green onion will be used later.
3. Combine the stock, soy, salt, sugar and cornstarch.
4. Place the bean thread vermicelli in a large mixing bowl and add enough hot water to cover the bundles. They should soft immediately, if not leave them for a minutes. Remove from the water and set aside.
   
5. Coat the bottom of a wok or deep sided skllet with oil and cook the ground pork. As the pork cooks, make sure you break up any large clumps with your cooking utensils. Once it is thoroughly cooked, which should be about 5 minutes, move the meat to one side of the pan.
6. Add the seasonings and cook until fragrant. Then mix the meat into the seasonings and continue to cook for a minute.
7. Add the soften bean vermicelli and thoroughly mix into the meat and seasonings.
8. Stir your mixed stock and add to the pan. Bring it to a quick boil and reduce the heat. Continue to cook uncovered until the liquid is all absorbed. It should take about 5 minutes or so. Give the noodles a stir once in a while. Once all the liquid is absorbed, the dish is ready.
9. Put in a serving dish, sprinkle with white pepper and throw the saved chopped green onion on. Its ready to serve.

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