Fortune Cookies {How to: Step-by-Step}

When I was a kid I thought fortune cookies were so cool...they had a little message inside waiting to be read. Until my mom made these homemade fortune cookies I never knew that they could taste good. The fortune cookies you commonly find at Asian restaurants taste like cardboard compared to these babies! Normally, I'd just eat one, but since these are so good I can have all the fortune in the world!

You'd also be surprised by how easy and fast these are to make! Don't be scared - you'll impress your family and yourself! (See below the recipe for step-by-step pictures on how to make these cookies - or print the step-by-step PDF)

Fortune Cookies

PRINTABLE VERSION {CLICK HERE}

Yield: 10-12 cookies

Ingredients:

---

1-2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

Directions:

---

Write fortunes (or love notes) on strips of paper (no longer than 4 inches, and 1/2 inch tall or less). Fold the strips of paper up. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 2 cookies sheets or use a silicone baking mat (this is what I use).

In a small mixing bowl whisk vanilla and one egg white together until foamy but not stiff. Add flour, sugar, and salt to mixture and mix until smooth. It should fairly runny. If it's not then add another 1/2 to 1 whisked egg white (see picture below of the consistency of the mixture).

Spoon a teaspoon full of batter onto the greased or silicone lined baking sheet and using a spoon bottom, smooth the batter out into a 3 inch circle. Only do 2-3 to start and then see how fast you can do them. They cool fast and it's hard to work with unless they are still nice and hot. Make sure you place them at least 4 inches apart from each other so they won't touch each other while baking.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the cookie has tuned a nice golden brown about 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the cookie. The center of the cookie will remain a pale color. While one sheet is baking you can prepare the next sheet with more batter.

Remove the pan from the oven and quickly turn one cookie over with a stiff, wide spatula (place on a cutting board if you are using a greased cookie sheet, if you use the silicone liner you can just turn it over on the pan). Quickly place the folded fortune/love note in the center of the cookie, fold the circle-shaped cookie in half - and place the fold of the cookie on the edge of a bowl and pull the pointed edges down, inside of the bowl and one on the outside of the bowl. Put the folded cookie into a muffin tin to help it hold it's shape until cooled. Repeat this process with the other baked cookies before they cool. If you can handle doing 2-3 before the cool you could try baking 4-5 on the next sheet. They don't bend very easily if they cool off too much, so just be warned.

Once the cookies are cooled and set out for 15-30 minutes they will be crunchy and ready for serving.

Recipe Source:

---

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

Write fortunes/love notes on strips of paper
(no longer than 4 inches, and 1/2 inch tall or less)

Fold the papers up so they are ready for putting in the cookies
(this is important cause you won't have time to fold them before you fold the cookie)

Whisk one egg white and vanilla until foamy

Add flour, sugar, and salt to mixture

Mix until smooth
If it's too thick add another 1/2 - 1 egg white (that has been whisked to foam)
It should be runny but fairly thick

Place teaspoon fulls of batter onto generously greased or silicone lined baking sheet
Smooth the batter with the bottom of a spoon into a 3 inch circle
placing each cookie at least 4 inches from the others
Start with only making 2-3 to see if you can do them fast enough

Bake for about 5 minutes
or until the cookies are golden brown
about 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the cookie

With a stiff, wide spatula turn the cookie over

Here the bottom side of the cookie is shown

Place one folded fortune/love note in the center of the cookie

Fold the cookie in half

Place the fold of the cookie on the edge of a bowl and pull the pointed edges down,
one on the inside of the bowl and one on the outside of the bowl.

Place the folded cookie in a muffin tin to hold it's shape while it cools.
Once cool it will be hard and crunchy.

Repeat the process with the other cookies, making sure to move fast,
as they cool they are hard to shape. If you could handle doing 2-3,
try doing 4-5 (but don't do more than that at once)

Here they are! All cute and yummy!
They will knock your socks off as to how good they are,
the ones at restaurants taste like cardboard compared to these babies.
FYI:
Some recipes call for doing this in a greased non-stick skillet,
but they don't turn out as pretty as you can see from the following 2 pictures.
But they still do taste just as good.

Shredded Spinach & Ham Risotto

This was my first time making risotto. I bought some risotto (arborio) rice a while ago and had it sitting in the cupboard until I found the right recipe to try it with. When I stumbled upon this recipe I knew it was the one to try. In my opinion, the risotto rice didn't taste much different than regular white rice, but risotto rice or not, I thought this dish was tasty!

Shredded Spinach & Ham Risotto
Printable Version
3 cups fresh young spinach leaves
4 ounces cooked ham
4 1/2 - 5 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 3/8 cups risotto (arborio) rice
1/4 cup light cream (I used half and half with good results)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
salt & pepper


Slice ham into thin strips and spinach into small shreds. Bring the stock to boil. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter until the butter has melted. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, translucent, and starting to turn golden.


Reduce the heat, add the rice, and mix to coat in oil and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until the grains are translucent.


Using a ladle, gradually add the chicken stock. Stir constantly and add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition. Increase the heat to medium so the liquid bubbles. Cook for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy. Add the spinach and ham with the last ladleful of stock.


Remove risotto from heat and add the remaining butter and the cream. Mix well. Stir in Parmesan until it melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Recipe Source: Adapted from Delicious Suppers Cookbook

Asian Chicken Salad {with Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing}

My Aunt and I were talking on the phone one day about food and she told me about this salad she makes. It sounded divine, so I decided to add it to the menu! It was a hit - and will definitely be returning to our table again and again. This salad has all the perfect flavors, crunchies and the most yummalicious dressing!


The recipe calls for Kraft's Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing, which I had in the fridge but realized was expired, so I looked at the ingredient list and decided I could easily whip something similar up. I think I prefer the homemade dressing - especially since I had all the stuff on hand. Also, I am thinking this dressing would be so yummy to fry your stir-fry in!

Thanks Lisa for the awesome recipe!

Just a side note: I am kind of a lettuce snob, I really only like dark leafy greens. If you really want a crunch lettuce use romaine or ice berg. In the picture I used a combination of green leaf lettuce and spinach.

Asian Chicken Salad with Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

Printable Version {Click Here}

Ingredients:

---

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts or tenderloins, thawed

3-4 tablespoons Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (Kraft version or homemade version below)

A few splashes of rice vinegar

A few splashes of soy sauce

Your choice of greens for the salad (Romaine, Green Leaf, Ice Berg etc.)

Salad Toppings:

Slivered almonds

Mandarin oranges, drained

Green onions, sliced

Waterchestnuts, sliced

Sesame seeds, toasted (dry roast them in a pan on medium heat, stirring frequently or buy toasted)

Rice noodles or chow mien noodles

Shredded carrots (optional - adds more veggies and color to the salad)

Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (Kraft version or homemade version below)

Directions:

---

Heat skillet over medium heat, add chicken and drizzle with dressing and add a few splashes of rice vinegar and soy sauce. Turn chicken after 3-4 minutes and cook the other side. After the second side has cooked a few minutes remove chicken from pan and place on cutting board. The chicken will not be thoroughly cooked yet. Slice chicken into strips (see picture below) and return to pan and cook chicken until it’s cooked thoroughly and slightly browned (the sugars in the dressing kind of caramelize the chicken as it cooks).

Serve the chicken hot or chilled over the salad greens and top with salad toppings.

*Can be made gluten-free if you make the homemade dressing and don’t use the rice or chow mien noodles, also make sure soy sauce is gluten free.

Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

(www.leeshandlusrecipebox.com)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil + olive oil to make ½ cup

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (dry roast them in a pan on medium heat, stirring frequently or buy toasted)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ginger

6 tablespoons maple syrup

In blender combine the following: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger - blend until combined. While blender is running, through the lid opening, pour the oils in a steady slow stream (this will help to emulsify the oil and make the dressing smooth and creamy so you don’t have separated oil). Next pour the maple syrup in a slow stream, same way you did the oil. Pour dressing into dressing bottle or container and stir in toasted sesame seeds. Keep refrigerated.

Recipe Source:

---

salad recipe by our aunt, Lisa K. Dressing a Leesh & Lu Original, by Lu

This is how cooked the chicken will be when you slice it.

Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

Fresh green leaf and spinach salad

The salad toppings!
In a clockwise order:
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Green Onions
Slivered Almonds
Waterchestnuts
Mandarin Oranges
in the center: Rice Noodles

{The Best} Flan

• A kitchen torch sounds like a dangerous investment to me.  Without one I can't properly make creme brulee.  So, I don't.  I make flan.  It's basically the same.  Right?  Ok, not really, but it's a custardy dessert drenched in the yummiest caramely goodness.  And it is delicious.  And easy.  So, if you haven't ever made it--give it a shot.  I have experimented a bit with some different recipes and this is the one.  

A couple of tips for making flan (or any custard-like dessert):

•  - For best results, bake in a water bath for more even heat distribution and to prevent cracking.
•  - The melted sugar will solidify in the bottom of the pan when you initially pour it in, so don't freak out like I did the first time, as long as it is not overcooked it will melt again when baked.
•  - The melted sugar will spread more evenly across the bottom of your pan before it solidifies if the pan is warm.   To warm the pan up, I just place it on my back burner (where my oven vent is) while the oven is preheating.  
•  - It tastes much better after being refrigerated overnight, so plan ahead.  

{The Best} Flan

• 4 eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white sugar
• Water
• Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place 9 or 10 inch round glass baking dish on stove top to warm it up while oven preheats.  In a blender combine eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract and blend until well combined.  Set aside.  

In a microwaveable bowl or glass measuring cup, wet 1 cup sugar with about 1/3 cup water until it has the consistency of 'wet sand'.  Add a few drops of lemon juice (this will prevent the sugar from recrystallizing).  Watching closely to prevent the sugar from burning, microwave it on high until the sugar melts and turns a nice caramel color (about 2 minutes).  Pour sugar mixture into warm pan spreading quickly and evenly before sugar solidifies.  Pour egg mixture over melted sugar.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a water bath for 1 hour.  Refrigerate overnight.  Invert onto rimmed platter or plate before serving.   

Recipe Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

Zucchini Bread {coconut oil variation included}

I am a huge lover of zucchini! I love it fried, sauteed, in casseroles, cakes, brownies and of course in this tender and rich bread. I personally love zucchini bread with nuts, so I add chopped pecans or walnuts to my bread. This recipe has the perfect blend of spices. It is oh so tender and yummy.

This last time I made it I substituted coconut oil in one batch. You can use coconut oil pretty much straight across in any dessert like recipe. Of course you have to melt the coconut oil down first, but it adds the faintest hint of coconut flavor to the bread....mmmm, dreamy!


Zucchini is a hearty plant. If you haven't planted a garden yet, there is still time to plant some zucchini. Each year we shred and freeze zucchini in 2-3 cup increments so we can defrost it and have zucchini bread (browines or cake) all year long. If you've grown zucchini before you know that one plant is usually enough to keep up with, but if you had loads of extra zucchini, cause you got carried away in your planting - well just shred and freeze it. It makes for yummy treats throughout the year.

Zucchini Bread
Recipe From: Maureen G.

Printable Version - text only
Printable Version - with picture

Makes 2 loaves

Wet Ingredient Mixture:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
2 cups zucchini, grated (small or large grate is fine, I've had success with both)

In a large mixing bowl combine the above ingredients until incorporated.

Dry Ingredient Mixture:
3 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp baking powder
2-3 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground cloves
-------------------------------------
1-2 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

In a small mixing bowl combine above dry ingredient mixture and mix well.

Add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture (along with chopped nuts if you want them). Mix just until combined, being careful not to over-mix the batter.

Pour batter into two well greased and floured bread pans. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Places pans of baked bread on cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Let the bread cool completely on the rack before wrapping in foil or plastic to store.

Introducing Leesh and Lu!

My sister is joining my recipe blogging fun (the blog name has changed, so keep following)! Yahoo! We are both way excited to work on this blog together. Our goal is to have our families' favorite recipes all in one spot and to also share them with our family and friends.

I asked Leesh to write up a intro about herself. And since I never really formally introduced myself, I'll do that too!

Leesh & Lu

About Leesh:
I am a Utah girl at heart, but currently living in Oklahoma and adjusting to life without mountains. I have a sweet hubby, who is my guinea pig in the kitchen, and the sweetest blue-eyed little boy. I love to eat. If I am not eating, I am most likely thinking about what I will eat next. I don't understand people who can forget to eat a meal. It doesn't make sense. I love pickles. Dill pickles. I am persnickety about the temperature of certain foods I eat, e.g. raisins taste better cold, olives are not to be eaten warm, etc. My favorite restaurant is Red Robin. I love trying new things--both in the kitchen and in life. If I had to pick a favorite food it would probably be bread...breadsticks, rolls, bagels, tortillas...it is delicious in all its forms. Lu is definitely at the top of my favorite people list and I am excited to help her with this blog to have a collection of our families' favorite recipes.

About Lu:
My current job title as my husband likes to call it, is a Domestic Engineer (yes, I've even wrote it as my occupation on applications, etc.) I am a wife to the coolest and sweetest husband there is around, who I might add, is an excellent cook. I am also the mother of the two sweetest kiddos in the world. I love to cook, bake and dream about food. Food is what keeps us all alive. I love making it. I love tasting it. I love smelling it. And I love eating the best of it. I like most food. However, I absolutely despise watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew, and tomatoes in certain forms (e.g. on a sandwich or plain). I love cilantro and add it to almost every latin-like dish I make. I also have a love for chocolate in pretty much any form, creamy milk or extra dark. Leesh and I are excited to share what we're all about when it comes to food!

We hope you enjoy our food as much as we do!

Dutch Oven-Style Potatoes {in the Conventional Oven}

 We LOVE dutch oven potatoes, meat, cobbler, etc! Dutch oven food is kind of a summer time thing that we look forward to all year long. However, the weather doesn't always cooperate for us when we plan to do a dutch oven night. So in our anticipation for dutch oven potatoes a few weeks ago I had to resort to other options due to rainy weather. I threw my usual dutch oven potato mixture (cheesy, bacony, garlicy, oniony, potatoy goodness) into a casserole dish and baked it in the oven. The results were great and almost identical to the dutch oven style of potatoes that we love. If you have pre-cooked bacon this really comes together in a flash (I'll be sharing soon how I like to cook bacon). Now that we have this back up method to making dutch oven potatoes we can make them all year long. YES!

Serve these with your favorite BBQ meat and a side salad and you have the  perfect meal!

Dutch Oven Style Potatoes {in a conventional oven}

Printable Version {CLICK HERE}

Ingredients:

---

4-5 medium russet potatoes, washed, peels left on and thinly sliced

6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

1/2 - 3/4 cup onion, chopped

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil

Garlic salt to taste

1/2 cup water

1 cup + cheddar cheese, grated
Green onion slices for garnish (optional)

Directions:

---

If you don't have pre-cooked bacon on hand, cook bacon and set aside. Meanwhile, chop onion and saute in butter/olive oil in a medium-size skillet until soft and golden (about 5 minutes). Slice potatoes thinly (I like to use the slicing blade that goes with my food processor, that way I can have all the potatoes sliced in a matter of seconds).

Lightly grease a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 glass casserole dish. In a large mixing bowl toss the following together: sliced potatoes, bacon bits, sauteed onion and garlic salt. Pour mixture into casserole dish, pour water over top and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 1 hour. When finished cooking, test potatoes for done-ness. Sprinkle with grated cheese, cover with foil and let it melt. Serve warm and enjoy. Garnish with green onion if desired.

Recipe Source:

---

By Lu - from Leesh and Lu’s Recipe Box

Original post photo from 5/23/2011