Nutella Potstickers

Alrighty, you chocoholics! Today's ingredient is...Nutella. Cue the chorus of Oo's and Ah's. If you haven't tried this stuff, you're really missing out on some really addicting chocolate and hazelnut flavor. It's notable known for being a sandwich spread.

My daily ritual consists of reading an endless amount of blogs everyday. Day and night. Night and day. A couple weeks ago, I was browsing over at La Fuji Mama and she had this recipe for Nutella Banana Gyoza. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Perfect dessert for parties, potluck or whatever. It was just awesome. Have I mentioned yet how awesome Nutella is? I remember having it in sandwiches as a kid. I remember in elementary school begging for a trade with a classmate for her nutella sandwich with my plain ham sammie. Ah, those were the days.

As it just so happens, I had recently bought a jar of nutella few days before. I've been nibbling away at it for breakfast with my morning pan de sal. When I saw the recipe for the gyoza, I knew I had to make it. Last time, I had nutella on a dessert was on a crepe at the mall. The original recipe calls for gyoza wrapper, but the only thing I could find at the store was regular wonton/potsticker wrappers. They'll do. So I made about a couple dozen. One of my bestest and closest friends came by, so she helped make a few them. The ingredients were simple. Nutella, banana, and wonton wrapper.

I did a quick pan-fry of them. The key it make sure the oil is really hot. That way when you set them into the oil, they'll cook up within seconds preventing the oil from soaking too much into the wrappers. Drained them on a paper towel and then sprinkled them with a cinnamon sugar mix. You bite into them. The soft banana with the chocolate hazelnut flavor. So good. These are perfect for parties. Or if you're like me. just eat them for yourself. I did share a few. I ain't greedy.

If you don't like bananas, you can totally omit it and replace it with another fruit or just put a large dollop of nutella instead. Whichever is your choice. This dessert should be put in the "Will cause you to drool" category

Makes roughly 2 dozen or more. Adjust recipe to however many you want to make.



Nutella Potstickers
adapted from original recipe at La Fuji Mama

2 ripe bananas (sliced in 1/4-inch slice) - optional or your choice of fruit
24-30 wonton wrappers
1 jar nutella
egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp water beaten)
canola or peanut oil

Topping:
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Take a a wonton wrapper, lay it on a flat surface. Take 1/2 tsp of nutella and place a dollop on one side of the wrapper. Leave some room on the edge.

Then take a slice of banana, place it on top of the nutella.

Use the egg wash to wet one side of the wonton edge and fold over into a rectangle.

Do this same process for the rest of the potstickers.

In a large pan, Coat the pan with at least 1/4 to 1/2-inch of canola or peanut oil. Heat it on medium to high heat. You want it to be really hot.

Cook the potstickers for roughly 10-20 secs each side until lightly browned.

Place on some paper towel to drain off any excess oil, then sprinkle some of the cinnamon-sugar on top. Serve hot/warm.

Gooey Deliciousness!!!!!
The cross-section

Pan-Seared Scallops with White Wine Sauce

Sundays are usually when I try to make an elegant meal. But I had some place I had to be on Sunday, so I made the meal on Saturday night instead. I had bought some fresh diver scallops from the farmer's market that morning and I had been craving for some for quite a long while. I haven't really cooked with scallops before, so was nervous as to how it would turn out. I wanted to pair it with some kind of sauce and a vegetable.

Luckily, I had some thin asparagus in the fridge I've been planning on cooking. I researched the interweb as to how long I cook scallops. These scallops aren't cheap and I didn't want to blow it. So I prepared them, removed the cartilage which is the part that is attached to the shell and seasoning with some salt and pepper. Plus, a little coating on the top and bottom with panko crumbs. I cooked this meal in three stages. First, I sauteed the asparagus, then pan-seared the scallops for 3-4 min per side, and finally made the sauce. A white wine sauce.



One of the perks of being a featured published with Foodbuzz is being able to sample and try out various food products. I had recently received this large box of white wine from Black Box Wines. I felt it a perfect time to bust it open and use it for the sauce. I did pour a little extra to have a few sips while I prepared the meal. I like a little glass of wine every now and then. Besides, I haven't cooked with wine on this blog yet. I don't drink white wine often. I'm more of a red wine-kind of gal. It comes in a box with one of those push-button pour spouts. It's pretty neat. No opening a cork here, Just put your glass under the spout and press the little button, which surprised me as I was a bit skeptical about drinking wine from a box. I'm not a wine aficionado, but this coming from a red wine person, I did enjoy the taste of it. Now I'm trying to find any excuse to drink it or even cook with it. There's enough wine in it for 4 750ml bottles. That's quite a lot of wine. (*insert mischevious smirk here*)

Anyway, the sauce was made with white wine, unsalted butter, garlic, dry parsley, a dash of rice wine vinegar. The smell of it was intoxicating. I couldn't wait to pour it over the scallops. A good tip to know about cook with wine. ONLY cook with wines that you would drink. If you don't like the taste of a certain wine, don't use it. Simple as that.

Didn't take more that 20-25 minutes to make. I drizzled the sauce slowly over the scallops making sure it coated each one, then sat myself down by the table and enjoyed this delicious meal. My knife easily sliced through the scallops and was deliciously tender. Tasted fantastic with the sauce and asparagus. It was one of those "I wish I had made more" type meals. I am no longer afraid to cook scallops.


Serves 2.



Pan-Seared Diver Scallops in White Wine Sauce

4 Medium-Large Diver Scallops
1 bundle (2 dozen) thin asparagus (cut into match stick size)
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp panko crumbs
salt
pepper

Sauce:
1/2 c white wine
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp dry parsley
2 garlic cloves (minced)


Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and remove the tough cartilage on the side, if it has not already been removed. Season with salt and pepper and coat the ends with the panko crumbs

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and saute the asparagus for 3-5 or until tender. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Remove the asparagus from the skillet into a plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Heat the other tablespoon of Olive oil and sear the scallops 2-4 min on one end then flip and sear the other side 3-4 until cooked through.

Remove from the skillet and on to another plate, cover with foil to keep warm and let it rest.

Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and reheat. Melt the butter and saute the garlic for roughly 30-45 sec. Then add the white wine and rice wine vinegar. Add the dry parsley. Let it simmer on medium to low heat for roughly 5-8 min. Stir occasionally. If you see the scallops release some of their juice onto the plate at it to the sauce.

Putting it together:
On a plate, Place the asparagus on the bottom, then lay the scallops on top. Drizzle over the white wine sauce including the garlic bits.

Caprese Bake

Don't let this unassuming loaf fool you. Because there's some deliciousness inside. When I came home from watching Julie & Julia, I was feeling hungry. I had intended to make regular caprese sandwich, but I didn't have any bread left and I wasn't going to make any until the next day. I didn't want to go to the local bakery at that time as it was way too crowded of people who had just gotten off work. But I did remember that I had one last round of pizza dough left in the freezer. Sweet!!

I had some fresh mozzarella, one medium sized tomato and some fresh basil. Drizzled little olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto the dough, then layered the ingredients onto the rolled out pizza dough and wrapped it like the shape of a demi-baguette. The shape kind of reminds of those chicken bakes found at Costco. Have I mentioned that they have good cheap food? You don't need to be a member to buy from their food court. Hotdog and a drink all for 1-2 dollars. I do like their pizzas too. Oops...Got sidetracked there for a moment.

When you cut into it you get the gooey mozzarella goodness and the juices of the tomato oozing out. Ahhh...so good, so good.

Serves 2.



Caprese Bake

1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1 medium tomato (sliced)
6-8 oz fresh mozzarella (sliced)
1 c fresh basil leaves (washed)
balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350˚F

On a floured surface, roll out your pizza dough in a large rectangle shape.

Layer the ingredients: basil, tomato, mozzarella

Fold the side of the dough over and gently press to seal all the edges.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet seam side down.

Baked for 25 min or until golden brown.

Melon

You can't really see much from the first photo, but this is a simple classic Filipino drink that any one can make. A perfect summer drink with the most generic name you can think go. Hey, hey, it's simple and to the point. It consists of only three ingredients: cantaloupe, water, and sugar. I remember my little cousins drinking it all up. You would definitely find this on many street food vendors. You'd sometimes see this in many Filipino parties too.

The cantaloupe is shaved into spaghetti strips using a little do-dad thingy-ma-jig. I can't think of the name, but it's a double ended contraption that has a melon baller on one end and a five-ringed looking thing on the other. You just drag it from one end to the other and it will shave the melon in thin noodle strips. It's really cool. I think that the appeal of this drink. You can slurp up the melon. It's really refreshing especially now.




This is definitely a punch bowl type of drink. You can make this in big batches or a small glass. You can also make this drink with honeydew or any melon for that matter.

This recipe serve 3.



Melon

1/2 Cantaloupe (seeded & shredded)
12 oz Cold Water
1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar or brown sugar

Combine all three ingredients together. You may add more sugar if needed.

You can make this in advance and let it chill in the fridge or have it with lots of ice (cubes, crushed, shaved, etc)

Edited to add: (Thanks to Tangled Noodle and my mom) don't discard the smooshy part with the seeds! Instead, spoon it into a small mesh strainer, which is then placed over an empty pitcher. As you slowly pour the cold water over the pulp, use a spoon to mash it so that the juice is squeezed. This way, you get even more cantaloupe flavor!

Eggplant Patties

Before I start, I'm proud to announce that Bread + Butter now has a fan page on Facebook. So if you've got a facebook account, please don't be shy and become a fan. You can go to the page here or click on the Facebook icon button on the sidebar to the right after the About Me section.

Now, I guess I got you intrigued as what this dish was yesterday. I had gotten a some pretty good guesses, but none came close. Well...here it is. Eggplant patties!! I wanted to try a new way to eating them. I figured I can make some kind of veggie ball with them. Or I can go the usual route of pan-frying or roasting, but you've all seen that already. Then I thought of making them into patties of some kind. Yes, that's what I'll do. Veggie patties. Mashed them after a brief boil in some water, mixed in chopped onions, herbs, panko crumbs and an egg as a binder. The latter is optional for those who don't want egg in them. Made 4 sizable patties.

I grilled these patties babies on the George Foreman grill. It's the big old one before all the new grades they put into them. The one that's a pain the butt to clean sometimes. Here's a trick to get all that crud off. As soon as you take all the items off the grill and unplug it, run a damp paper towel up and down the grill. It removes the stuff instantly. It has to be hot still.

Anyway, you can bake these also, if you don't have a grill. I realized I didn't have any buns. Hmph! I guess I'll live without bread for one day. Eh, buns...we don't need no stinkin' buns! I ate them just the way they are. But I thought it wouldn't be complete without a creamy sauce. I mixed together a simple tomato sauce and mascarpone combination with a dash of dry herbs that I simmered for a bit to combine them then let it cool. Really good. A great match with the eggplant. The sauce can be used as a dip, too.

I served this with some zucchini sticks.

Makes 4 patties.



Eggplant Patties

1 medium eggplant - peeled and cubed
1 1/2 c panko crumbs
1/2 small onion - diced
1 garlic clove - minced
1 Tbsp dry parsley
1 Tbsp dry oregano
1 egg - beaten (optional)
salt
pepper

Tomato-Mascarpone Sauce
8oz can tomato sauce
2-3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme


For the sauce:
Combine all ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Cook for about 5 min, then transfer to a bowl.

For the patties:
Put the eggplant in boiling water for 5 min until tender. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and into a large bowl.

Mash the eggplant. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add in the onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg and panko. Mix well.

Divide into 4 patties.

To grill: depending on heat, grill patties for roughly 5 min per side
To bake: In a preheated 350˚F oven, bake the patties for 15-20 min on a lightly greased baking sheet. Flip the patties half way to give an even browning.

Random Food Stuff with an Award

For my tiny little write-up on Julie & Julia, please visit my weekly blog (after you finish reading the rest of this post first.) Don't worry, no spoilers. ;-p: The Misadventures of Little J.

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I never really began to appreciate books until I was well into college. I pretty much a lazy bum when it came to reading when I was a child. I would have rather been eating, playing video games, taking naps or watching tv. Some productive kid I was, eh? But now I've come to love books. I'm trying to catch up on all the classics I passed on. I missed quite a bit.

I've been lagging on this one. A couple weeks ago, I was tagged by the Heavenly Housewife at Donuts to Delirium. I got something called the Joy of Reading award. Here are the rules of this one:

1. Collect the book that you have most handy

2. Turn to page 161

3. Find the 5th complete sentence

4. Site the sentence on your blog

5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers

So I have a few books on my desk at the moment. Let me see... Notes on the Cinematographer by Robert Bresson, but that only goes up to page 140. Next. A cookbook on Paris (French cuisine) from Williams-Sonoma. And that's a recipe for madeleine cookies. That one just says "preheat oven to 375˚F." Umm...ok. I think I shall make that soon. But let's find an interesting one. Ah...Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I'm trying to catch up on on some classics at the moment. This was also made into a movie by Sally Potter with Tilda Swinton in the title role. A really good movie you have to check out. Anyway, here's the 5th sentence on page 161:

"At last, she cried, she knew Sasha as she was, and in the ardour of this discovery, and in the pursuit of all those treasures which were now revealed, she was so rapt and enchanted that it was as if a cannon ball had exploded at her ear when a man's voice said, 'Permit me, Madam,' a man's hand raised her to her feet; and the fingers of a man with a three masted sailing ship tattooed on the middle finger pointed to the horizon."

Phew! That was a long one. Hmm...Not sure what to make of that. Maybe prince charming sweeping me or some damsel off their feet and pointing to the future. I don't know. A girl can dream, right? So now, the five bloggers I tag for this:

Sophia from ~Burp and Slurp
Peachkins from The Peach Kitchen
Heather from Girlichef
Reeni from Cinnamon & Spice
Jamie from Life's A Feast

Oh, I added a Contact Me button under the About Me section as well as redesigned the twitter button. Follow Me, if you aren't already. Just in case anyone needs to contact me directly.

With this being a food blog and all, I just can't end this post without having something about food. A few weeks ago, I had went to an annual car show near where I live. So many awesome classic cars. I loved them all. Plus, Sha Na Na played a concert there, too. They're the guys who wrote and performed a lot of the songs in the movie Grease.

Two cars had an old-fashioned carhop tray attached to the window with display food and all. Look at me. I'm surrounded by some awesome cars and my eyes dart towards a couple of carhop trays with food. I guess food is never far from my mind no matter where I am. I just found it really cool. In the background there, you can see an old remodeled radio. I believe this was from a Chevy. I forgot what year it was. Note: ice cubes were fake.



The other one had some Bob's Big Boy food on it.


That's all for now, come back tomorrow and you'll find out what this last picture is. It was really good!!

Spicy Roasted String Beans

I love my roasted veggies. Any chance I get, I take the opportunity to roast any vegetable I can get my little paws on. For this, I used string beans. I actually needed to use them up as they were sitting in the fridge begging to be cooked. They were saying "Eat me! Please, eat me!" I replied, "I don't know what to make with you." The only choice I came up with was to roast them.

Seasoned it with salt, pepper, paprika and hot sauce to give it that little kick. I was going to use chili powder, but then I realized that I didn't have any in the spice shelf. Grr... That's another ingredient I need to add to the growing grocery list. My faithful tobasco had to make due for now. Love it. Topped it with some fresh grape tomatoes.

A simple healthy meal with a little kick.



Spicy Roasted String Beans

1 bundle string beans
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1-2 tsp Paprika
1-2 Tbsp Hot Sauce

Preheat your oven to 350˚F

Toss the string beans in the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and hot sauce. Make sure to coat them evenly. You may add more or put in less hot sauce to your preference.

Place them on an ungreaased baking sheet and into the oven for 30 min.