Autumn Amelia

Hello everyone!

This Saturday is Chinese New Year!

And if you didn't know, Erik and I love to celebrate each year.

To help you get into the spirit, I am going to share our homemade fried rice recipe.

Make it this weekend to celebrate, or any night for a quick, delicious dinner. 

You will need:

3 Cups of Cooled Cooked Rice, We Use Brown Rice

1/2 A Tablespoon of Sesame Oil

1/2 A Tablespoon of Canola Oil

1 and 1/3 Cups of Frozen Peas and Carrots Blend

3 Green Onions Chopped

2 Gloves of Garlic, Minced 

2 Large Eggs

3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

Salt and Pepper, To Taste

In a large skillet, heat the sesame and canola oil over medium-high heat.

Once warm, add the pea and carrot blend and green onions, saute for 1 minute.

Add the garlic, and saute for an additional minute.

Push the vegetable mix to one side of the pan.

Add the eggs to the opposite side, cook and scramble.

Add the cooked rice to the pan.

Add soy sauce and stir until well combined. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

We don't add any additional meat to our rice because one, I'm not a huge fan of meat two, we usually have this on the side of some teriyaki chicken and three, the eggs already add protein to the mix.

If you prefer meat in your rice, cook some diced chicken in the oil in the skillet and remove before sauteing your veggies.

Or add in some pre-cooked cubed ham along with the rice and soy sauce.

This recipe is simple and comes together quickly.

It also makes a good portion of rice.

Perfect to eat over a few days or enjoy on its own in a larger family.

We can't wait to enjoy fried rice this weekend!

Do you do anything for Chinese New Year?

All my love,

Autumn

You will need:

Knife

Rolling Pin

Cutting Board

Pastry Brush

Lots of Candy!

 I Used:

Swedish Fish

Haribo Berries

Orange Slices

Mike and Ikes

Fruit By The Foot

Rise Krispie Treats

White Chocolate

Milk Chocolate

Cut one Rice Krispie Treat in half.

With the pastry brush, brush the top of one of the halves with melted white chocolate.

Place your choice of Swedish Fish on top.

Cut Fruit By The Foot into a three inch piece.

Place it over the top of the Swedish Fish and down the sides of the Rice Kripsie Treat.

Press the ends firmly to the Rice Krispie Treat to hold in place.

Using the rolling pin, flatten one Rice Krispie Treat to half its original height.

Place a Haribo Berry at the top of one end and roll until it's completely encased.

Cut of excess Rice Krispie Treat.

Wrap Fruit By The Foot around the entire roll and cut off excess.

Press the Fruit By The Foot firmly to the Rice Krispie Treat to hold.

Cut each Mike and Ike into three equal pieces.

With the rolling pin, flatten one Rice Krispie Treat to half of its original height.

Place the Mike in Ikes at the end of one side of the Rice Krispie Treat in a single layer, an inch or two along the treat.

Roll the Rice Krispie until it's completely encased. 

Cut of excess Rice Krispie Treat.

Wrap Fruit By The Foot around the entire roll.

Cut off excess.

Press Fruit By The Foot firmly to the Rice Krispie Treat to hold.

Erik loved the taste of the entire candy sushi dipped in it but, I found it a little too sour for my taste.

I did enjoy dipping things in it individually though.

Hello everyone!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Erik and I love to celebrate every year.

Erik attended an authentic Chinese New Year at his friends house when he was a kid and it holds a special place in his heart.

It's a tradition we plan on sharing with our kids someday.

This year I thought it would be fun to try my hand at homemade fortune cookies.

You will need:

3 Egg Whites

3/4 a Cup of Sugar

1/2 a Cup of Butter, melted and cooled

1/4 a Teaspoon of Vanilla

1/4 a Teaspoon of Almond Extract

3 Tablespoons of Water

1 Cup of Flour

Paper Fortunes to fill

Prepare your paper fortunes.

They will need to be ready to place in your cookies.

I found mine via Pinterest.

Preheat oven to 375o.

Mix egg whites and sugar on high until frothy.

Mix in butter, vanilla, almond extract, water and flour one at a time.

Make sure each ingredient has been well combined before adding the next ingredient.

With a tablespoon, spoon the batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

Spread the batter evenly into a 3 inch circle. 

Only do 2 or 3 cookies at a time.

The cookies set quickly and you will not be able to fold more than 2 or 3 before they set.

Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

If you overcook them they will break when folding.

If you undercook them they will tear when folding.

Remove cookies from the oven and quickly remove from the sheet with a spatula. 

Cookies will be very hot!

Use gloves or a thin towel to help you shape them so you do not completely burn your fingers.

Fold the cookie in half into a semi circle.

Slip in your prepared paper fortune.

Place the semi circle onto the edge of a cup and fold the edges down and into the shape of a fortune cookie.

Hold the cookie down to let set and move to a muffin tin to let cool.

This will help them keep their shape.
Enjoy!

After the cookies had completely set I used melted white and milk chocolate and sprinkles to decorate.

Since we were making these for Chinese New Year I decided to add some decorations for the festivities.

Erik and I have held onto this fortune for months.

We loved being told beaches and water were in our future.

Our five year wedding anniversary is coming up later this year.

Erik has been asking if we can go on a cruise.

Little does he know I already booked it...

I decided to surprise him and tell him tonight.

 I took the fortune off of the fridge and slipped it into one of the cookies.

I am going to give it to him tonight and tell him we are going!

I am so excited to surprise him.

Do you celebrate Chinese New Year?

How do you celebrate?