I saw the Jicama-Wrapped Short Ribs with Asian Pear Slaw on the Flavor Forecast website and knew I wanted to make a variation on this dish. One of the flavors that McCormick introduced is Korean Pepper Paste and Asian Pear. I have never cooked with Korean Pepper Paste and was intrigued. It has the right amount of heat that is not overpowering. Perfect for a rice dish.

Both the beef skewers and Asian slaw recipes utilized McCormick Gourmet Crystallized Ginger. I didn’t even know about this product! It’s easy to use and so full of flavor, this will definitely be a product that will become a pantry staple in our house.

The marinade for the beef skewers only takes a few minutes together. From McCormick: Gochujang or Korean pepper paste is made from chile powder, glutinous rice powder, fermented soy beans and salt. It is used to flavor stews, soups and marinades, and as a condiment at the table. It is available in Asian markets and online specialty stores.

Make sure the beef is well coated with the red pepper marinade.

Skewer the beef. This is the most time consuming part of preparing this dish. This kind of reminds me of a beef satay (but without the sauce).

In the winter, you can grill if you have a grill pan. I love my grill pan – it doubles as a panini maker for us too!

This dish is fairly easy and quick to put together and bursting with so much flavor! I had never had an Asian pear before and am now wondering why it took so long!

Korean Red Pepper Paste Beef Skewers with an Asian Pear Cabbage Slaw

Prep Time: 40 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 50 min

Ingredients:

Asian Pear Cabbage Slaw
2 1/2 cups green cabbage, sliced
1 cup Spring mix salad, sliced
1 Asian pear, peeled, cored, quartered and then sliced
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp finely chopped McCormick Gourmet Crystallized Ginger
1 tsp McCormick Sesame Seed, toasted

Korean Red Pepper Paste Beef Skewers
10-15 bamboo skewers, soaked in warm water for at least 20 minutes
1 1/4 pounds London broil beef, sliced thin across the grain
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp honey
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp Korean hot pepper paste (Gochujang)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp finely chopped McCormick Gourmet Crystallized Ginger
vegetable oil for grill pan
Jasmine rice, prepared in a rice cooker

Directions:

Asian Pear Cabbage Slaw
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and ginger. Add green cabbage and spring mix salad and toss to ensure cabbage and salad are coated well. Refrigerate while preparing beef for at least 20-30 minutes. Toss the salad mix occasionally. Before serving salad, top with sesame seed.

Korean Red Pepper Paste Beef Skewers
In a mixing bowl or casserole dish, combine soy sauce, honey, garlic, Korean hot pepper paste, sesame oil and ginger. Thoroughly mix beef into the hot pepper paste mixture and ensure evenly coated.

Arrange beef slices onto skewers. Use 6 or 7 inch skewers or 4 inch skewers for appetizers.

Heat a grill pan on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Using a paper towel, spread vegetable oil onto grill pan. Cook beef skewers on grill pan for about 2-4 minutes on each side. Allow beef skewers to rest for 3-4 minutes and serve with Jasmine rice and Asian cabbage slaw on the side.

Modified and adapted from Jicama-Wrapped Short Ribs with Asian Pear Slaw

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I ONLY share with you my favorite brands. This post contains an affiliate link as well.

Korean Red Pepper Paste Beef Skewers with an Asian Pear Cabbage Slaw © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Did you know that February is National Cherry Month? What better way to celebrate than a Progressive Party from Kitchen PLAY? I love working with Casey and was so excited when she contacted me about this great opportunity.

Tart cherries are considered a super fruit and it’s great that they are available throughout the year in dried form, frozen or as a juice. For my part with the appetizer, I was given the task to develop a recipe with the dried form of tart cherries.

I’m not sure why, I just immediately thought of pairing it with brie cheese. First, I made sure it would taste good together and it definitely does! You can put a couple of slices of brie and dried tart cherries on a cracker and it would a perfect snack or appetizer.

So then I thought, what about little mini pockets…but these aren’t the sweet kind…they are savory!

I used a prep bowl (see top left corner) to cut out pieces of the pie dough. Added a couple of small slices of brie and a little bit of the dried tart cherries. I folded over the pie dough and pinched it shut.

After 10-12 minutes in the oven, you get this goodness…it doesn’t have to look perfect. And I have to say, these mini pockets taste best right out the oven (let them cool for a couple of minutes, of course!).

The flakiness of the mini pocket and the creamy brie paired with the tart cherries, makes a great combination!

I hope you’ll give these or one of the other recipes over at KitchenPLAY a try. (I can’t wait to make a cocktail with the tart cherry juice and sprinkle the dried tart cherries over a salad!)

Tart Cherry Mini Pockets with Brie

Yield: 18 mini pockets

Ingredients:

1 box of store bought pie dough, I used Pillsbury (comes with 2 pie shells)
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
approximately 1/2 lb brie wedge (I used closer to 0.4 lb)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Allow the pie dough to sit out for at least 15 minutes before unrolling it. Unroll and using a rolling pin, roll it out a little bit thinner (to about an 1/8 inch). Using a circle cutter or cup, cut out 3 1/2 inch circles.

Add a small slice or two of brie cheese and a few dried tart cherries. Don't over fill. Fold over and pinch closed. Repeat until baking sheet is full, about 9 or 10 mini pockets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is bubbly and the mini pockets are golden brown.

from The Little Kitchen

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, I was compensated for my participation in the Progressive Party Series over at KitchenPLAY. My opinions are always my own!

[Appetizer] Tart Cherry Mini Pockets with Brie © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

After having a facebook conversation, we all agreed it’s not sad at all when you make your own birthday cake. It started after my husband told how sad it was when I told him my plan. I didn’t think it was at all…I get what I want! Don’t you agree?

What makes this cake so amazing and the best ever? I really think it’s the coffee and the buttermilk. Coffee in chocolate cakes just brings the chocolate flavor to a new level and it doesn’t taste like coffee AT ALL. The buttermilk lends to the moistness of this cake. The frosting is the perfect ending to this cake. It’s fluffy and tastes amazing. Remember though because there’s cream cheese and milk in the frosting, the frosting and the cake (after it’s frosted) has to be refrigerated.

I have posted this chocolate cake recipe before…it was the first ever post on The Little Kitchen. If you go looking at that post, please don’t make fun of those pictures! I already know how bad they are!

In that post, I talked about a whipped frosting (made with pudding) that I would share and I realized I never did so when I told myself I’m baking my own birthday cake…I thought I would share that recipe along with some of my tips for baking cakes.

I learned this from my Wilton cake decorating instructor. I cut out pieces of wax paper that measure the same size as the bottom of the cake pans. Using a silicon brush, I spread Wilton Cake Release on the sides and inside bottom of the pan. Place the wax paper inside the pan and you have a non-stick surface. This cake batter is very wet and if you don’t do this, you’re likely to have the cake stick on the inside of your pan.

Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool inside the pan on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before flipping them onto the cooling rack. Once you remove them from the pan, be sure to peel off the wax paper and allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.

I usually don’t have buttermilk on hand but I always have buttermilk powder in my fridge. The brand I use, it’s 4 Tbsp of buttermilk powder to 1 cup of water. A tip to keep the oil from sticking too much in your measuring cup, I measure the water first then add the oil.

I actually measure all of my wet ingredients first and have them set aside before I start sifting the flour.

I always sift the flour and cocoa powder. Something else I usually do when I make this cake is measure enough out for several more cakes…in separate bowls and then place my newly made “cake mix” into plastic zippered bags with labels for what it is and date it. Homemade cake mix makes it way convenient later for making cupcakes or a tasty cake in the future…all you have to do is add the wet ingredients and bake!

Doesn’t that cake look super moist?

I love this frosting. First mix the instant vanilla pudding mix with milk. In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese and then add the cool whip and mix thoroughly. Then add the pudding and mix thoroughly.

Torting (cutting the cake length-wise to create multiple layers) this cake is necessary so you get more frosting per square inch of cake. I usually use a cake leveler but I haven’t been able to find it since we have our office torn upside down during a remodel. Using a knife and just being very careful, slice the cake lengthwise to create two layers. When I finished, I had a four layer cake.

Here are some frosting shots…it looks like buttercream, doesn’t it? Nothing like it…it’s very fluffy and creamy. Don’t get me wrong, I love buttercream but I love a good whipped frosting too.

Almost there.

Nice, huh?

Almost done…

This is seriously the best chocolate cake ever. My co-worker calls me a cake snob…I’m sorry I guess I am.

I have some other news to share too. I got a new job! This is really bittersweet for me. I really love some of my co-workers, I’m going to miss them. I have worked for this company for almost 8 years and it feels like a family. But I have this awesome opportunity in this new company, I’ll have a lot of flexibility and will get to learn a whole lot. I love learning new things and I’m really excited about the work. I’m really excited that I’m going to get to travel a little bit too…I just can’t wait to start next month! But today, I’m sharing this cake with my co-workers whom I’m going to miss.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever with Pudding Frosting

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Total Time: 70 min

...the best, that's all I have to say.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup black strong coffee (1 Tbsp coffee with 8 oz boiling water)
1 cup buttermilk OR combine 1 Tbsp vinegar with 1 cup milk OR 1 cup equivalent of buttermilk powder & water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pudding Frosting
1 cup milk
1 3.4 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature, leave out for at least an hour or two)
12 oz tub of Cool Whip (put out on the counter 10-15 minutes before making the frosting)

Directions:

Chocolate Cake
Grease a 13 x 9 inch cake pan (or two 9 inch round pans for round cake or makes about 36 cupcakes) and line the bottom of the pans with wax paper cut to size.

In a mixing bowl, sift all dry ingredients together. Then take a rubber spatula and thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together.

Mix in all of the wet ingredients and do a quick mix with your rubber spatula and then mix with an electric mixer until well blended but don't overmix.

Pour evenly between pans and bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes or until after inserting a toothpick into the center of a cake, it reveals just crumbs.

Pudding Frosting
Mix vanilla pudding mix with milk in one bowl, using an electric mixer, until pudding sets. In another bowl whip up cream cheese using an electric mixer. Add cool whip to the cream cheese and mix together well.

Add vanilla pudding to the cream cheese-cool whip mixer and mix together well.

Store in the refrigerator until the cake cools. After frosting the cake, the cake will need to be stored in the refrigerator.

For best results, after frosting the cake, refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tips:
The first thing I do when making this recipe, is to brew the coffee. That way it's mostly cooled by the time I mix it in and it doesn't start cooking the eggs.

A great time saver tip (that I learned from a CakeCentral.com forum and use ALL of the time) is to mix all of your dry ingredients ahead of time and put in a plastic zip bag or a plastic container, this way when you're ready to bake, you just pour into your mixing bowl and add wet ingredients. It's kind of like making your own cake mix. Be sure it's sealed tight and you date the container so you know when you mixed it.

Cake recipe from Barefoot Contessa at Home. Frosting recipe from my friends, Joe & Tricia.

One more thing, I wanted to say happy birthday to my friend, Julie. We have the same name and birthday!

And huge thanks to our friends, Joe & Tricia, who introduced me to this recipe. I actually never really liked chocolate cake until I had Tricia’s cake!

For more awesome chocolate cake recipes:

Blackberry Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Disclosure: This post does contain affiliate links.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever with Pudding Frosting © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

I was thrilled when I was contacted by the folks at McCormick® to participate in sharing with you their annual Flavor Forecast. What is the Flavor Forecast? It is an annual report compiled by McCormick chefs, trend trackers and food technologists that unveils trends and flavors that will drive culinary innovation in years to come. It’s really quite amazing, it’s a year-long process and this year for the first time, it includes global flavors.

I was lucky enough to participate in a webinar where McCormick Kitchen Director Mark Garcia shared with us the different trends as well as the flavors and recipes from the report.

The trends are:

Honoring Roots
Quest for the Ultimate
Veggies in Vogue
Simplicity Shines
Flavorful Swaps
No Boundaries

To find out more about the trends, flavors and recipes, visit the Flavor Forecast website! I can’t wait to share with you my recipe inspired by the trends and flavors from the Flavor Forecast!

McCormick Flavor Forecast Prize Pack (Value $140)

• McCormick Caraway Seed
• McCormick Crystallized Ginger
• McCormick Dill Weed
• McCormick Ground Black Pepper
• McCormick Ground Cardamom
• McCormick Ground Cayenne Red Pepper
• McCormick Ground Coriander Seed
• McCormick Ground Cumin
• McCormick Ground Ginger
• Honey (billybee)
• McCormick Mint Flakes
• McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
• McCormick Saigon Cinnamon
• McCormick Stick Cinnamon
• Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
• Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
• McCormick Toasted Sesame Seed
• $25 AMEX Gift Card

How to Enter

Visit the Flavor Forecast (explore the trends to see the flavor combinations, they are not listed here) and leave a comment on this post (below) answering this question: Which flavor combination from McCormick’s Flavor Forecast trends would you like to try and why?

Extra Entries

For four more extra chances to win, leave a separate comment for each type, saying you did the following:

1. ‘Like’ The Little Kitchen on facebook
2. Subscribe to The Little Kitchen via email
3. Follow The Little Kitchen on twitter and tweet the following:
   Enter to win a McCormick Flavor Forecast prize pack incl $25 GC from @TheLittleKitchn http://bit.ly/yjIy3O ends 2/2 #MCFF2012
4. ‘Like’ McCormick Spice on facebook

Details

One winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments/entries posted here on this post. Be sure to do the mandatory entry and you’re entered into the giveaway. The extra entries are optional. Giveaway ends on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As always, I only share brands that I love!

McCormick Flavor Forecast Giveaway © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Here’s what I learned about mussels from Atlantic Canada:

• They are amazingly inexpensive! I found blue mussels from Atlantic Canada sold at Whole Foods and they are sold in 2 lb bags.
• They are cultured/farmed in the ocean on ropes so there’s no disruption or dredging of the ocean floor which makes it environmentally friendly and sustainable.
• Blue mussels are harvested year-round which is why they are so affordable.
• They are good for you! They are low in fat, high in protein and Omega 3s.
• They are quick and easy to cook!

I made this Steamed Mussels in White Wine dish for my sisters and brother when we hung for our sibling retreat in November. It turned out fantastic and they all loved it! When I tried mussels at home for myself, I wanted a quick and easy recipe and use olive oil. This dish turned out great and in less than 20 minutes I had it completed.

Serve with butter-garlic bread and dip it in the sauce made from the steaming liquid! It’s so good and makes a light dinner! I made this whole pot and ate it all by myself…don’t judge, okay?

For tons more recipes you can make with blue mussels, visit the Mussel Industry Council.

White Wine and Olive Oil Steamed Mussels

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 20 min

This appetizer or light meal can be made in less than 20 minutes and tastes amazing! Serve with butter-garlic bread and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 lbs Atlantic Canadian mussels, rinsed & scrubbed, if necessary
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup of water

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a French oven or heavy-bottomed pot on high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30-45 seconds.

Add mussels, wine, cayenne pepper, parsley and water. Stir with a wooden spoon and cover. Cook 5-7 minutes, until all mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve immediately with broth.

from The Little Kitchen

I love seafood and I always say I could have seafood almost every day of the week. I’m definitely going to cook with blue mussels more this year…I would love to hear about your favorite seafood and/or mussels recipes! Do you have a favorite?

Disclosure: Mussel Industry Council provided me with Atlantic Canadian mussels for this recipe. I received no compensation and all opinions are always my own!

White Wine and Olive Oil Steamed Mussels © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

You see…I had plans, plans to make Vietnamese egg rolls with my Mom on Christmas Eve but then we changed our holiday plans and we ended up driving over to Orlando to see family & have dim sum on Christmas morning instead of having Christmas Eve dinner at our house. Anyways, long story short…no Vietnamese egg rolls!

I still wanted egg rolls and we were invited to a small block party with neighbors. The cul-de-sac next to our street…every year on Christmas Eve they light luminaries and have a pot luck. We get invited every year but since we host Christmas Eve for my family, we have never been able to attend but since plans changed, we decided to attend and I made Chinese egg rolls. Jaden’s egg rolls…she made them for me, Jessica and Bev last month.

By the way, the egg rolls were a hit at the block party! The party was so fun and we’re so lucky to have such great, fun neighbors. We even fed a few of our city’s police officers. One of my neighbors’…their daughter-in-law is a police officer and was off-duty. She told her co-workers to come on over and have some food with us. You wouldn’t believe, not even after 2 minutes sitting down with us and after making their plate…they got called out on a call. One of the officers ran back and grabbed an egg roll for the road.

I can’t say enough how thankful I am to have such wonderful friends. Last month, Jaden invited us to her house for a girls’ weekend. There we are with Coco, her sweet dog! Don’t tell my dog, Charley, but I love staying with friends who have dogs…they become my fill-in petting and playing when I have to be away from my doggie.

We made egg rolls, remember? When I was rolling egg rolls by my lonesome self, I texted Jessica (above) and told her how much quicker it was when we made rolled them all together at Jaden’s. PS Love Jessica, she’s so awesome, a friend and tons of baking talent!!

Jaden’s hands move quick…she was showing us how to roll them up. For the best tips on how to roll egg rolls and mishaps you want to avoid, check out Steamy Kitchen.

Have a bowl of cornstarch and water, dip your finger in and dab the closing edge of the egg roll. Be sure to the cover the egg roll/spring roll wraps that you’re not using while you’re preparing the egg rolls, you don’t want the wraps to dry out and become brittle.

Aren’t Jaden & Scott’s boys cute? They are so cute and such helpful, sweet kids! Love them! Love Bev too, she is so hilarious and fun!

Dinner is ready and we wheeled our dinner out to…

a nice fire. We have been wanting to buy a fire pit for our backyard forever. Going to Jaden’s and sitting by this nice fire during dinner makes me want one even more!

The next morning Jaden watered her beautiful garden and we held chickens. I handed my iPhone to Andrew, Jaden’s son, and asked him to take a picture. This is the only picture he snapped before Jessica’s chicken ran off! I just love that he caught this moment.

Then, we went over to Jaden’s lake (it’s huge!) and fed the fish. And then Coco the attack dog proceeded to attack Jessica with wet, slobbery kisses.

I love Coco! Spending a little time with her reminds me of how much I miss having a girl dog. We lost our Cinder over three years ago and still miss her terribly. I’ve been thinking and we keep discussing it, I think 2012 is the year we’re going to adopt a little girl dog! Charley needs a buddy again. Of course no dog will ever replace her!

What a fun weekend we had! Thanks to Jaden for having us. We had so much fun!! Can we do it again?

Carrots all shredded up and the cabbage too. I really need a mandoline or a shredder tool for the carrots, I know it would make my life much easier.

I used dried black mushrooms that you can buy at the Asian grocery store, the bag is usually labeled black fungus. Soak them for them overnight or for at least 4 hours and then then slice them thinly. You can also use fresh shitake mushrooms.

The perfect amount of meat for the filling!

Jaden says that a very wet filling will make for soggy egg rolls so be sure to blot the mixture with paper towels and to drain the oil and juices by tilting the baking pan to one end and allowing it to drain or blotting with a paper towel once again.

Now for the fun part, you need to wait (you don’t want to burn your mouth) but you don’t have to wait that long. Allow them to cool a little. They’re sitting atop a (baking) cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet that has a paper towel in it.

They are light and crispy and not at all greasy tasting. I love the ginger flavor and it has the right amount of filling…3 bites and it’s gone! I ate the one above as soon as I was done photographing it.

Jaden's Chinese Egg Rolls

Yield: 50 egg rolls

Prep Time: 60 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hr 20 min

These egg rolls are incredibly easy to make and even faster to roll up if you have family or friends to help you.

Ingredients:

For the Meat
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced small
3/4 lb peeled & deveined shrimp, diced small
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sugar
fresh ground black pepper

For the Vegetables
1/2 head of cabbage
3 carrots, shredded
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2-3 tsp grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
Fresh ground black pepper

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (2 packages), defrost them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
1 Tbsp cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup of cool water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil plus more for frying

Directions:

Combine the ingredients under the 'for the meat' heading (chicken, shrimp, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and ground pepper) in a medium sized bowl and allow to sit at room temperature to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil and pepper and set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok or large, deep saute pan and turn heat to the high setting. Heat pan until the oil coats the pan easily when turning and rotating it. Add the chicken & shrimp mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Turn heat down to low or medium low. Move the chicken and shrimp mixture to one side of the pan. Add the vegetables (carrots & cabbage), garlic, ginger and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine-sesame oil mixture. Continue cooking the vegetables for 1 to minute and then mix the vegetables with the chicken and shrimp.

Remove the filling from the wok or pan, scoop with a large slotted spoon (don't pour) onto a baking sheet. Spread the filling out and allow the mixture to cool. Using paper towels, blot it to remove the juice from the cooked filling. Tilt one end of baking sheet to allow the oil and juices to drain to one end of the baking sheet. Blot with a paper towel or drain the juices. Allow the filling mixture to sit and cool for at least 15 minutes.

Fill each egg roll with one heaping Tbsp of filling (making sure to grab an even amount of meat as well as veggies). Roll egg rolls carefully and seal by dipping and blotting with the water and cornstarch mixture. For full instructions on how to roll egg rolls, see Jaden's post: http://steamykitchen.com/13029-my-mothers-famous-chinese-egg-rolls-2.html.

Clean wok or pan and fill with at least 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat pan on high for at least 5 minutes until it reaches 350 degrees. Carefully add 6-8 egg rolls and fry for 3-4 minutes or golden brown. Allow egg rolls to cool slightly on a rack set up on another baking sheet.

Cook's Notes:
These egg rolls freeze great (freeze them after rolling them & before frying them). I put them in a plastic zippered bag separating the layers with parchment paper. No need to defrost them, add them to the heated oil (very carefully) and fry them a couple of minutes longer than usual.

Chinese rice wine has been so hard for me to find. I finally found it at my local Asian grocery store and was able to purchase a huge bottle for less than $2!

It's mine and Jaden's advice to buy the paper thin egg roll/spring roll wrappers at your local Asian grocery store in the freezer section. Don't buy the refrigerated brands that you can in your produce section near the tofu. They will not taste the same nor will they come out the same. The recommended egg roll wrappers are the same wrappers my Mom uses when she makes Vietnamese egg rolls.

Try Jaden's original recipe with ground pork!

Modified from Steamy Kitchen's Mother's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls.

Don’t tell Meemaw (my Mom) how much Charley loved the egg rolls. He was begging for them after I photographed them and every time I fired up the wok to fry some up. I seriously need to make more of these…this weekend.

Not shown above but my dog was getting unruly and barking at us to give him the egg rolls. He only got a bite or two…he can’t get too many table scraps because of a health condition but we don’t let him go completely without!

Now I need to call my Mom and reschedule our egg roll making session!

Jaden’s Chinese Egg Rolls © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Happy New Year to you and yours! I can’t wait for 2012 and what it will bring!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Huge thanks to Jamie from My Baking Addiction for originally posting this recipe. It’s my go to cupcake recipe. My friends and co-workers love this cupcake!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Pops

This was a guest post I did for Jaden earlier this year and by my estimation was the first to do a combination cheesecake and cake pop. It’s messy but well worth it and I was even interviewed by the Tampa Tribune about them!

Chicken Pot Pies

We make these all the time…the only chicken pot pie recipe I will use. I can’t believe I forgot to use turkey leftovers & make turkey pot pies this year.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

We love lettuce wraps! These are so simple & pretty darn quick to make too.

Beef Tenderloin Filet Skewers with Dubliner Cheese Sauce

All I can say is that I’m a Dubliner cheese addict.

Meyer Lemon Mojitos

My favorite flavor combo for 2011 is Meyer lemons & mint…you can’t miss with this cocktail. There are instructions to make it a mocktail too!

Simple Tomato Sauce

Sometimes simple is all we need and it’s still comfort food. I love Pomi tomatoes and this sauce delivers.

Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs (Slow Cooker)

Okay, I have a problem, I many obsessions with food and short ribs are one of them.

Red Rocker Margarita Chicken

Tequila and chicken…that’s all I have to say. This is actually on the menu for next week!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

The only chocolate chip cookies for me. Next time, I’m going to try it with brown butter.

Easy Ginger-Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry

My husband, Curtis, is a creature of habit and he loves this dish. He requests it all the time. We make this stir-fry at least once a month. I never get tired of it because we switch it up between chicken and beef.

Irish Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)

Another obsession of mine is the slow cooker, with red wine & Guinness beer, you can’t go wrong. It has loads of potatoes too which is the way I like it!

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Here’s another dish that we make ALL the time. We use the leftovers to make chicken pot pies.

M&M White Chocolate Candy Corn Blondies

Mmmmm…white chocolate. I blame that addiction on my Mom, she loves white chocolate!

Mini Meyer Lemon Bundt Cakes

And last but not least, I just made these this month and they had to be mentioned. They are so cute, aren’t they? They are so light and buttery, I ate too many to count as soon as they came out of the oven.

Here are some more recipe round-ups from some of my favorite bloggers:

The Novice Chef
Love & Olive Oil
Bunkycooks
Two Peas & Their Pod
Beantown Baker
Recipe Girl
Bev Cooks
Miss… in the Kitchen
Live Cook Love
Koko Likes

If you did a 2011 recipe round-up, feel free to share the link the comments. Did you have a little kitchen favorite?

Also, what’s the best dish you made this year? For me? Too hard to say just one…that’s why I shared 15. Hehe

My Favorite Recipes from 2011 © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

This is so good and refreshing, it’s perfect for the holidays!! Even better, it’s really, really easy to make. How about a holiday brunch or a pitcher of these at a holiday party?

What do you think? Do you want to give it a try? Do you have a favorite drink recipe? I want to hear about it.

Be sure to like the Sierra Mist Natural facebook page and share your favorite cocktail recipe on the Mixology tab.

Sierra Mist Natural Citrus Cooler

Yield: 2 drinks

Prep Time: 15 min

Total Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

ice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz Meyer lemon juice
1 1/2 oz citrus vodka
fresh mint leaves
4-6 oz Sierra Mist Natural

Directions:

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, juices, vodka and mint leaves. Shake all ingredients well and strain into two large glasses filled with ice.

Top with Sierra Mist Natural and garnish a few mint leaves (optional).

from The Little Kitchen

And now for the giveaway…a gift pack so that you can make your own Sierra Mist Natural cocktails!  Good luck and I hope you and yours have a very happy holiday!!

The Giveaway – Sierra Mist Natural Holiday Gift Pack

• Cocktail Shaker and kit
• Drink garnish/sugars
• Set of 4 Party Glasses
• $50 AMEX Gift Card

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post (below) answering this question: What is your favorite cocktail recipe? If you have the link to a recipe, feel free to share it.

Extra Entries

For three more extra chances to win, leave a separate comment for each type, saying you did the following:

1. ‘Like’ The Little Kitchen on facebook (comment below with your name)
2. Subscribe to The Little Kitchen via email
3. Follow The Little Kitchen on twitter and tweet the following (comment below with the link to your tweet):
   Holiday cocktails with @SierraMist Natural! http://bit.ly/rRBZVk #Giveaway too, incl $50 gift card #TheLittleKitchen ends 12/28

Details

One winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments/entries posted here on this post. Be sure to do the mandatory entry and you’re entered into the giveaway. The extra entries are optional. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

Congrats to the winner!!

Giveaway is open to anyone that has a U.S. shipping address. Winner will be contacted via email and will need to respond with requested information within 48 hours or an alternate winner will be chosen. The Little Kitchen and the sponsor reserves the right to cancel or end the contest at any time.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own, always, and I only share brands that I like.

Holiday Cocktail – Sierra Mist Natural Citrus Cooler © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

There’s something about getting up a little later and preparing a brunch or even having breakfast for dinner. I went hunting around on the Pork: Be Inspired website and when I found the recipe for this Puffy Omelet with Canadian bacon, I knew my husband would love it. Bacon has to be his favorite type of pork and with Canadian bacon in second place, this omelet was a hit!

Jill Silverman Hough recommends trying a sparkling wine with pomegranate or cranberry juice with your brunch, the next time you plan one. For more wonderful ideas your holiday meal, visit the National Pork Board. Also, be sure to follow them on twitter and facebook.

Light and fluffy, this omelet is easy to make and pretty versatile. A hand mixer is a must for this recipe, in order to beat the egg whites to a stiff peak.

If you don’t have the exact veggies on hand, you can always substitute them. Also, as my husband says, you can’t go wrong with Canadian style bacon. So what are you waiting for? Give this omelet a try!

Puffy Omelet with Canadian Bacon Filling

Yield: Serves 2

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

3 ounces Canadian style bacon, cut into thin strips
3 large eggs, whites & yolks separated
1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 ounce)
1/2 tsp fresh basil, chopped OR 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 tsp white pepper
5 tsp butter
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 tomato (large), seeded and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg whites using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored; stir in half of the Canadian style bacon, cheese, half of the basil, and pepper. Fold yolk mixture into egg whites.

In a 9-inch skillet with oven-proof handle, heat 2 teaspoons of the butter over medium heat till a drop of water sizzles. Spoon egg mixture into skillet, gently smoothing surface. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the bottom is golden.

Bake in oven for 5-6 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and outer edge comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in skillet cook the remaining Canadian style bacon, mushrooms and green pepper in the remaining hot butter over medium heat 3 minutes or until tender. Add the remaining basil and tomato; cook 5 minutes or till liquid is reduced, stirring occasionally.

Loosen sides of omelet with a spatula. Make a shallow cut across omelet, cutting slightly off-center. Spoon filling over larger half. Tip skillet or using spatula, fold the smaller portion of omelet over larger half. Slip omelet onto a warm serving platter. Serve immediately.

Modified slightly from the National Pork Board.

The Giveaway – Pork Holiday Prize Pack (Value $100)

• $25 worth of pork coupons
• 100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with the Wines You Love by Jill Silverman Hough
• 100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy with the Wines You Love by Jill Silverman Hough
• Instant-read digital thermometer
• Tiered serving platter
• Casserole dish

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post (below) answering this question: What is your favorite dish or meal that includes pork? If you have the link to a recipe, feel free to share it.

Extra Entries

For three more extra chances to win, leave a separate comment for each type, saying you did the following:

1. ‘Like’ The Little Kitchen on facebook
2. Subscribe to The Little Kitchen via email
3. Follow The Little Kitchen on twitter and tweet the following:
   I just entered to win an @allaboutpork holiday prize pack from @TheLittleKitchn http://bit.ly/tu7Blu ends 12/27 #giveaway

Details

One winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments/entries posted here on this post. Be sure to do the mandatory entry and you’re entered into the giveaway. The extra entries are optional. Giveaway ends on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

Congrats to Samantha!

Giveaway is open to anyone that has a U.S. shipping address. Winner will be contacted via email and will need to respond with requested information within 48 hours or an alternate winner will be chosen. The Little Kitchen and the sponsor reserves the right to cancel or end the contest at any time.

Disclosure: I received a gift card in order to purchase items for the recipe as well as the same prize pack as the winner from the sponsor, the National Pork Board. All opinions are my own, always. This post contains affiliate links.

Puffy Omelet with Canadian Bacon Filling & a Giveaway (Closed) © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

I was waiting for a chance to make the cake again so I could retake photos. Then, this past weekend, I had this idea that I wanted to convert the recipe into mini Meyer lemon bundt cakes. We drove all over town this past Sunday to different stores until I finally found a mini bundt cake pan. (The whole time I was thinking, if I had thought of this before, I could have ordered a pan with my Amazon Prime account.) It’s okay, I’m lucky that my husband loves to go hunting for stuff. He doesn’t like shopping but he likes looking for stuff, if that makes any sense! He calls it the hunt.

This recipe is much better as mini cakes. I have to admit that I ate 6 cakes right after they came out of the oven. The Meyer lemons make these cakes so perfect. The sweet lemony flavor along with the buttery flavor, with a dust of powdered sugar these cakes are a little piece of heaven. They even remind me of Madeleine cookies too…hmm, I have a Madeleine pan that I need to break in.

If you have never cooked or baked with a Meyer lemon before, you’re missing out. It smells wonderful in the kitchen when you zest one. I get really excited when I see and smell the cake batter too. The wonderful scent is unmistakable and unlike a regular lemon.

The left photo is from the first time I made these cakes, be sure to chop up the Meyer lemon zest if yours comes out this big. The second time around, I chopped it up a little bit more and it was perfect and I didn’t have any lemon zest stuck in my teeth.

These are perfect as a light dessert or a quick snack. Just be careful…I know you will not be able to eat just one! I made these again tonight because I couldn’t stop thinking about them.

Mini Meyer Lemon Bundt Cakes

Yield: 18-20 mini cakes

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Total Time: 40 min

Meyer lemons have a wonderful taste and these light, buttery cakes are perfect with tea or as a light snack.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (I used Kerrygold)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp grated Meyer lemon zest, plus 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice (from 3 Dandy Fresh Meyer lemons)
1/3 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup mini bundt cake pan with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl and electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs and mix well. Add Meyer lemon zest and juice and mix well.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture along with half of the yogurt and mix, to combine. Repeat & combine (be careful not to overmix). Add the remaining flour mixture and mix, just to combine. As you're mixing, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add vanilla and mix.

Using a medium or large cookie scoop, add 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp to each bundt cake cavity. Tap pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles that may have accumulated.

Bake 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in several cakes comes out clean and cake edges are golden brown.

Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a cooling rack and place on top of the mini bundt pan. Flip the pan over and remove the pan, leaving the cakes to cool on the parchment paper (on top of the cooling rack). Allow cakes to cool at least 15 minutes before dusting powdered sugar on top. Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Inspired by Everyday Food's Tangerine Cake

Disclosure: Thanks to Duda Farm Fresh Foods for providing the Meyer lemons for this recipe!

Mini Meyer Lemon Bundt Cakes © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.