Easy Peazy Japanezy

Are you obsessed with those little fried, origami looking, cream cheese filled, chunks of heaven called Crab Rangoon??? Three for a dollar at Panda Express.  Yes, I will take twelve please.  Of course, they are on every Chinese buffet table I've ever been to.  We've made them several times at home and let me just say, you really have to love the ones you are cooking for, because they take some time.  As fast as our family eats them, well, let's just say it's gotta be love.  

We have, thanks to the wonderful and magical Pinterest, found this week's Free Recipe Friday - Crab Rangoon DIP.  It is really a no brainer.  You take the filling of a crab rangoon, put it in a baking dish and bake.  But seriously, why oh why haven't we thought of this sooner!!!??!?  You then slice the lovely wonton/egg roll wrappers and fry them up into whatever size you like.  Voila.  It takes a bit of time to fry those things up because you really only need to fry six or eight at a time.  They are very thin but, the good news is they cook very, very quickly and it's easy peazy.  The filling gets baked and after it's removed from the oven, needs to rest for several minutes to come out of that lava hot stage.  In the mean time, fry up the wonton chips while the mixture bakes or even the day before.  My family seriously thinks these wonton chips should be sold on every chip aisle - big bags, snack size bags - you get the idea.  They are so light and crispy and the flavor is so great with all kinds of dips (even hot sauce) but, until manufacturers get on this, we will have to keep fryin' up our own!

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1 6 oz. can crab meat, drained
5 green onions, diced (optional)
1 tsp honey (optional)
1 tsp soy sauce (we used a bit more)

1 tsp worchestershire (we used a bit more)
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

You can tell by all of the 'optional' items above
this is a foolproof recipe, really.
Just keep tasting and tweaking it to your liking.

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 400.
Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl
and mix until well blended and smooth.

Spray a 9x9 baking dish or a pie plate
with non stick spray.  Pour mixture in baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven when the edges are a bit golden
and the center is bubbly.
Cool a bit before diving in for the welfare of your mouth.

Fry up your sliced wontons in a large pot with 2-3 inches of veggie oil.
Gently drop a few wonton wrappers in and watch closely
toss and turn a bit and they will be done.

Drain on a wire rack and/or paper towels.
To serve, pour them up in a large basket and get ready for love.
If you won't eat them immediately,
let them completely cool and store in large freezer size baggies.

 

Ours got a little toastier than I would have liked,

but they tasted just fine! Mmm.

 

 This is how our family attacks this stuff.  Sooo good.

Serve it up with some homemade Chinese food
or make it just for snacking - either way
you'll have them begging for more!

Fortune cookie anyone???

ENJOY!!!!

Free Recipe Friday. . .say CHEEEEZ!!!

I don't know WHERE my brain was this Thanksgiving.

(BIG surprise!)

This Cheese Log is one of my most favorite things in the world.

Maybe because CHEESE is one of my most favorite things in the world!

I don't know how far back this recipe goes...

but I always remember my mom making it

at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.

For many years now, it seems that most holidays I have made this dip....

but this year, it was 7 days AFTER Thanksgiving

before I even THOUGHT about it.

It is so yummy and EASY...please don't ever buy a 'cheese' ball from

the grocery store ever again!

Do you have a food processor?

Then this is all you will need -

2 cups cheddar cheese or more (I rarely measure!)

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese - softened

1/2 yellow onion (not pictured)

appx. 1 tablespoon lemon juice

appx. 1 tablespoon worchestershire

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

SPICE MIXTURE TO ROLL IT IN

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

I guess if chili powder and paprika are not your thing,

you could definitely roll the log in chopped pecans...

just like those cute little tasteless things in grocery stores.

Begin by tossing cream cheese and onion into

the food processor. Mix well - until onion is minced nicely.

While processor is running, add all other ingredients

(except chili powder and paprika)

saving the cheddar cheese for last.

You will need to stop the processor and scrape down

the sides a couple of times during the dip making.

Mixture is ready after it is completely smooth.

See? Was that so hard???

NOW...to complete the dip...you can go two different routes

(or more if you use your imagination!)

Scrape the mixture into a bowl,

top with chili powder/paprika mixture and serve...

OR roll into a log.

To make a Cheese 'Log,' first you need to

tear off a sheet of wax paper and lay it on your work surface. 

Sprinkle your chili powder/paprika mixture down the center of the wax paper. 

Now scrape the cheese mixture out of the food processor onto the spices.

(I promise that the mixture above is on wax paper...

it is just hard to see.)

Next, fold the wax paper on top of the mixture

to make the ends of the wax paper match up.

You can even sprinkle more spice mixture on top of

the cheese mixture to cover any missed spots

and to make sure it gets coated well

for a more even look and to keep the mixture from sticking

to the wax paper and making a big mess.

Now, grab a baking sheet and slowly push against the

blob of cheese mixture...this will form a log.

You can make the log as narrow or fat as you'd like,

depending on how much you push on it.

Now roll up the wax paper and and refrigerate until firm.

After the Cheese Log is chilled, you can unroll and cover

any missed spots with more spice mixture!

YUMMO!

VOILA! ENJOY!