Mexican Egg Rolls

I just wanted to list the recipe for the Mexican egg rolls that I conjured up last night. There are few things that I like more than an egg roll and I noticed with the addition of the egg roll dog that everything is possible with the love of egg roll wrappers. I love the idea and everything that a normal Chinese egg roll has in it, but everyone that truly knows me, knows that I like a little something different every now and then and I reinvent the wheel. I was thinking to myself the other day and Laura and I said in unison, Mexican egg roll. The joy of experimenting with flavors for these things is great. I pick what I usually like in a burrito and then I put that into an egg roll wrapper. Beef, corn, rice, beans, and cheese...yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes please. I made a chllli taco ketchup for a dipping sauce for these but you could use guacamole or sour cream or anything else that you might like. Here are the things that you are going to use.

Mexican beef recipe:
1 lb ground beef
1 small can of diced green chillies
1 diced onion
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 can of sweet corn kernels
1 can refried beans
Monterrey Jack shredded cheese
1 pouch of Old El Paso instant Mexican rice
1 pack egg roll wrappers

Start by browning the ground beef in a pot and adding in the ingredients for the Mexican beef mix above in order listed. Once the onion is transparent in the mix, add in the can of corn and the refried beans into the mix and mix until its like a pasty, beef mix. Take an average spoon and add 2 spoonfulls of beef mixture per egg roll a fork 1 spoonful of rice and a good solid pinch of cheese and put it into the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold over once, fold in the sides and roll over. Spread room temperature water with a brush over the triagular flap and that will seal the egg roll. One pack of egg rolls has 15 wrappers in it so you will make plenty. Prep all of them and you will simply deep fry them in veggie oil for about 2 minutes each until all sides are golden brown. Place onto a paper towel lined plate and let them rest because they will be really hot. These things are nothing short of amazing and have a ridiculous flavor. The cheese melts into the beef while cooking and it just oozes out and is all yummy. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Shepherd's Pie Burger

I love taking concepts and ideas from other cooks/chefs and testing them out. We saw the Sheppard's Pie Burger on Rachel Ray the other day and couldn't resist, considering Laura and I both love shepherd's pie. Beef, carrots, onions, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, gravy...so good that it make you want to smack your momma. Anyway this may sound complicated but it really isn't too bad.Here are the things you'll need.

1 lb Ground Beef
1 onion
10 Baby Carrots
1/2 package of Baby Portabella Mushrooms
2/3 cup Bread Crumbs

4 Medium Size Red Potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp pepper
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp raw horseradish
1 egg yolk

Sliced Texas Toast
1/2 stick room temperature butter
Garlic Powder

Shredded cheddar cheese

All Purpose Flour
Black pepper
Worcestershire Sauce

In a small skillet, sautee all the onion, carrots, sliced mushrooms from the first list in a Tbsp olive oil. Once done, put into food processor and pulse for 4 seconds. Add fine chopped sautee mix into raw beef with bread crumbs and mix by hand.add burgers to skillet and cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes. 6 mins first side, 4 on second.

Boil the potatoes whole for about 12 minutes until tender all the way through. Put them in a mixing bowl and put in the other ingredients from the second list. Smash in and set aside.

Add 2 Tbsp of flour into the burger drippings and mix into a roux. Mix until the roux turns medium brown and pour in water slowly until the mix is thick liquid, add pepper and 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Mix and turn heat on low.

Butter 4 slices of Texas Toast and sprinkle garlic powder on each.. Place in 375º F preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove, flip, bake for additional 2 minutes. Remove and top each piece of toast with a burger and top each with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese and place in broiler until cheese is melted. Top each with gravy and you are done. Bon Apetit!!!.

Teriyaki Egg Roll Dogs

So, I was thinking the other night how I would make an egg roll differently and eureka...put a hot dog in it. I had the wrappers, I had the Asian broccoli slaw, and I had the hot dogs. All I needed was a sauce to marinate the slaw in when I precooked it. I used a premade hot teriyaki sauce that I will more than likely not use again because they were overly spicy. I would suggest another teriyaki though next time I make these, or make your own. Here are the items that you'll need:

1 package of all beef kosher bun length hot dogs
1 package egg roll wrappers
1 package of broccoli slaw (or 1 head of broccoli (shredded) 2 carrots (shredded))
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Cut the hot dogs in half and set aside
In a skillet, drizzle some sesame oil and begin quick sauteing the broccoli slaw. Mix in the teriyaki sauce once the slaw melds in sautee process and make sure the slaw gets coated. Set the broccoli slaw aside and cook the hot dog halves in the leftover teriyaki. Assemble the egg rolls by the directions on the package and fry in vegetable or canola oil until all sides are golden brown. Dip in some sweet and sour sauce or bbq sauce and you are good to go. Try weird things sometimes and don't be afraid to step outside of the box of normality. I always pack that you should love what you eat and enjoy flavor in life. More to come soon.