Asian Slaw

I like cabbage - I always have, even as a little girl. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I grew up in Germany and I was always exposed to Sauerkraut from a young age. Or, maybe it was because my mom always had red and white cabbage in her garden and with that, there was never a lack of cabbage dishes especially in the winter months. Whatever the reason though I still love it to this day and I'm glad the rest of my family shares my love.

One of my favorite side dishes for a BBQ meal is Coleslaw. Unfortunately creamy coleslaw isn't always the perfect accompaniment. A couple of weeks ago it was one of those occasions. We had decided on a Korean BBQ for dinner. Deliciously marinated chicken, short ribs and flank steak along with rice which was the obvious choice but I wasn't sure what else to serve. I had made an Asian Cucumber Salad before that was well received but a quick look in the fridge and I saw that I was out of red onions and cucumbers. After further investigation of my vegetable drawer I decided on making an Asian Slaw.

A lot of recipes online for Asian Slaw called for Nappa Cabbage and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with Nappa Cabbage (in fact we really like it) it wasn't what I was going for. After looking at several recipes I took a little bit of this and little bit of that out of all of them and came up with my own version containing a bag of coleslaw mix along with bell peppers, serrano chillies, green onions, cilantro and a fantastic dressing which turned this into a show stopper worthy of any Asian meal.

We really enjoyed this slaw, so if this inspired you as well then give it a try at your next BBQ or Potluck.

Asian Slaw

~serves 6~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 lime, juiced

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 bag coleslaw mix with carrots

1 red bell pepper, julienne fine

2 serrano chiles, minced fine

3 green onions, cut on the bias, all of white part and half of the green

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, or food processor combine ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, oil, and peanut butter.  In a large bowl combine all the other ingredients and the toss with dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Fun Easter Cupcakes

 With Easter only a few days away I thought it would be fun to make some cupcakes that appeal especially to all the little guys. I saw the Easter chick cupcakes online made with boxed cake mix and canned frosting and thought that it wouldn't be that much more time consuming and most definitely better if I made it all from scratch. If you do want to save some time, then go ahead and by all means use a boxed cake mix along with a store bought container of frosting.

I started with an old favorite in our house, Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes. It is an easy, very pleasing recipe for which I usually have all the ingredients on hand. They are light and fluffy and to me these cupcakes go with any kind of frosting such as chocolate, strawberry or cream cheese. This time though I went the simple route, just a good plain old (but nonetheless delicious) vanilla frosting since I wanted the decoration to be the star of this cupcake. I definitely had a lot of fun making these and the kids got very excited when they came home from school and saw all the little chicks lined up on the counter. While I was making them I ran out of yellow cupcake liners, so I figured why not make a few Easter grass cupcakes with little candy eggs as well. I thought they were just as adorable. These cupcakes are simple enough that even kids could help for a great Easter activity.

Maybe you have some kids in your family as well that would get a kick out these, or make them for a fun edible table decoration for your Easter meal or brunch. I'm sure everyone is going to love these little fun cupcakes, I know we did.

Fun Easter Cupcakes 

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 Recipe of your favorite yellow cupcake or a boxed cake mix following directions on box

1 Recipe of your favorite white frosting or 1 container vanilla frosting

Shredded sweetened coconut (about 2-4 cups)

Yellow liquid food color (for the chick cupcakes)

Green liquid food color (for the Easter grass cupcakes)

Brown miniature candies (for the chick cupcakes)

Orange Gumdrops (for the chick cupcakes)

Jelly Beans or Candy Eggs (for the Easter grass cupcakes)

Directions:

Line muffin cups with paper baking cups.

Bake cupcakes according to directions of your recipe or follow the directions on the boxed cake mix. Cool cupcakes completely on a cooling rack before frosting them with your favorite vanilla frosting.

Place coconut in a resealable food-storage bag. Add about 8 drops yellow liquid food color (or green for the Easter grass cupcakes); seal bag and shake to mix. Top the frosted cupcakes with either yellow or green coconut. 

For the chick cupcakes: add eyes with brown miniature candies. Cut orange gumdrops to resemble beaks; place on cupcakes.

For the Easter grass cupcakes: Arrange Jelly Beans or candy eggs to look like an Easter Nest.

Tortilla Egg Cups

Breakfast can sometimes be a challenge especially if you have kids. A lot of times my children are fine with a bowl of cereal but every once in a while they crave something savory. Short of fixing a traditional big breakfast of bacon and eggs and sausage I decided one day to come up with something a little bit smaller and portable but still full of the traditional breakfast flavors.

Looking through my fridge and freezer I found breakfast sausage, onions, peppers, eggs and tortillas. Born was the idea of the tortilla egg cups. I figured why not make a breakfast which contained everything in a small little cup. The egg cups take about 45 minutes start to finish but you could certainly make your meat mixture the night prior, refrigerate it and then only fill the cups the day off which will certainly cut prep and cooking time to about 30 minutes.

These tortilla egg cups are a big hit at our house with plenty of variations possible since you can use any kind of breakfast sausage, any kind of vegetable like mushrooms or even broccoli and any cheese you like. They are perfect for a weekend breakfast and are a great addition to any brunch. Try them for Easter and impress your family and friends with this easy but fantastic dish.

Tortilla Egg Cups

~makes 6~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 Ramekins

1/2 pound (8 ounces) bulk breakfast sausage, any flavor

1/4 medium onion, diced

1/2 medium red pepper, diced

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup cheese, shredded

6 large eggs

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush inside of 6 ramekins with melted butter. Place on a baking sheet and fit a tortilla in each of the forms (you will have to fold them slightly to make them fit). Set aside.

Brown sausage in a pan until cooked, add the onions, cook for another minute and then add the bell pepper. Taste for seasoning. Set mixture aside to cool a little bit. (This mixture can be made the night before if desired and then refrigerated).

Take your prepared ramekins and divide filling into the six cups (about 1/3 cup each). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese on top of the meat mixture. Crack one egg into each of the tortilla cups. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.

Brush exposed tortilla with more of the melted butter and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve immediately.