Egg Roll Salad

Perfect Pairing: Deep straight-sided skillet with a lid        

It is hard to believe I have been an “Iowan” for almost three months!  I don’t know where the time has gone.  Chris and I love living here and it really feels like home.  That being said, we both agree that sometimes it feels like we are playing house and soon we will have to move back into a one bedroom city condo.  Our baby boy is growing (and boy am I growing) and kicking and moving!  I love to watch and feel him moving around and getting comfy in there.  He has a tendency to stop as soon as Chris puts his hand on my stomach.  Stinker!

A big part of the move has been my transition to working from home full time.  So far I have really enjoyed the experience.  I did find that I need to make myself get out and do things because a few days will go by without leaving my neighborhood.  I’m sure it will be 10x harder once baby boy Lam arrives!  While I no longer need to pack a lunch to take to the office I find that it is much easier to have a big batch of something made at the beginning of the week so I can have a quick lunch ready when I don’t have a lot of time away from my desk. 

This Egg Roll Salad has been a staple lunch for me since I started working from home.  Not only is it delicious and satisfying it is incredibly light and healthy.  It is full of protein and fiber!  It is called an Egg Roll Salad because it tastes like the inside of an egg roll.  Side note, one thing that we miss from Chicago was the Chinese food delivery place that was a block from our condo.  The meals were just ok but they had the BEST egg rolls I’ve ever had in my life and they would legit deliver in under 15 minutes.  I miss those unhealthy rolls. 

I use my trusty straight sided skillet for this meal.  I use this skillet more than any other pan in my kitchen.  I am actually on my second generation because I wore out the first one.  Tip from the top, I found both of mine at a discount price at Home Goods.  You need a pan that has a large capacity for this recipe since you will be steaming two bags of slaw. 

I always serve this with an extra drizzle of soy sauce and sriracha.  So good!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Sloppy Joe Dip

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pumpkin Crisp

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-Ups

Five years ago on Perfecting the Pairing (my first ever "Five years ago!": Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

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Grilled Ranch Potato and Sausage Packets

Perfect Pairing: 8-cup glass measuring bowl

Friends!  Are you still with me?!  If you are, bless your heart. 

So… I have been majorly slacking on my little passion project, Perfecting the Pairing.  Let’s be honest, all of 2016 has been a bust, but the last two months have been ridiculous with ZERO posts.  I have a good reason!  Life has been bananas!  Wonderful, but bananas.  

In the last month Chris accepted a job in Iowa, we sold our condo in the city (closing soon), I started working remotely (it was an answered prayer to keep my job), we celebrated our one year anniversary, and we moved in with my parents until we close on our new home in Bettendorf, Iowa.  We kind of feel like our lives have been turned upside down but we are absolutely overjoyed with the exciting changes happening.  We are going to miss Chicago so much (especially our friends… and the restaurants) but we can’t wait to open the next chapter in IOWA.  If you follow this blog at all you know how much I love the lake where my parents live, so living there has not been a hard adjustment! 

Now that life has normalized a bit I am anxious to start blogging again!  These days I get to cook on a regular basis for more people and have access to all of my mom’s fun kitchen gadgets/serving pieces/spices/etc.  I have ZERO excuses!

The warm weather makes me want to grill all the time. Grilled foil packets are a quick and easy dinner with minimal clean up.  Everything is mixed together (potatoes, green beans, shallots, and pre-cooked chicken sausage) to make a complete meal.  The whole shebang is seasoned with ranch seasoning and red pepper flakes and thrown on the grill. 

So simple!

I pre-cook the potatoes for a few minutes in the microwave to speed up the grilling process.  I use my favorite 8-cup glass measuring bowl.  This is a must-have tool in my kitchen.  I use it all the time. 

 

Perfecting the Pairing is back!  

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  We got married! #LamsInLoveForever

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Greek Turkey Burgers

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pickle Dip (I just re-discovered this recipe and make it all the time.  Now I add a spoonful of hot pepper jelly!)

 

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Mushroom Flatbread with Pesto, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic

Perfect Pairing:  Girls' Night

A couple weeks ago Chris was out of town for the night on a mini “bro-cation”.  For the record, he did not call it this, that is 100% me.  He headed to Champaign/Urbana to watch the Fighting Illini play.  

That meant I had a night by myself at home.  I was going to miss him, but I was also going to make the most of it by making it super girly.  I was going to make the girliest thing I could think of for dinner, enjoy a mini bottle of champagne, and watch a chick flick that featured Bradley Cooper as a chef.  I was pumped.

I formulated my plan for a girly dinner as I perused the grocery store.  What is girlier than flatbread with goat cheese?  I mean, it is actually just pizza, but we call it flatbread so it sounds classy.  If I was making pizza for my husband it would most definitely have some kind of meat on it.  If I am making it for me it is going to be overflowing with mushrooms.  Chris is not a huge fan, so this was the perfect time to go fungi-wild. 

Instead of traditional pizza sauce I used a basil pesto.  So much flavor!  I always keep pesto in the freezer, it is a great ingredient to have on hand.

The sautéed mushrooms are finished off with a caramelization of balsamic, and then the whole flatbread is dotted with tangy goat cheese. 

So good.  So girly.  Dudes, if you want to make and enjoy this flatbread…. No judgement here!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Brussels Sprout and Pear Salad with Bacon and Candied Pistachios 

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Chocolate Sauce

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Butternut Squash Risotto

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Oven Roasted Salmon in Lemon Broth with Pea Puree

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Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Pesto Pizza

Perfect Pairing:  Leftover ingredients

Meet my new favorite pizza. 

So many good things on one crust!!  Admittedly, there is some prep work that goes into this because you are roasting squash and caramelizing onions.  I recommend doing big batches of each, and use them in other dishes.  Allow me to provide some ideas.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash Risotto

Autumn Salad

Kale, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Spicy Chipotle Sauce

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tahini Salad

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onion Dip

All Purpose Breakfast Casserole (squash would be delish in this too)

Customizable Bread Bowl Breakfast

I actually made this pizza because I had already planned on making Butternut Squash risotto, so I just roasted extra squash. 

You top premade crust with pesto.  Store-bought is just fine!  I had lots of homemade pesto for this recipe because my mom and I had just made 10+ batches for the freezer.  Her basil plant was legit out of control.  I buy 10 leaves of basil at the grocery store for $2 and she has a forest of the stuff.  I have zero sunshine and the opposite of a green thumb, so no chance of me growing any myself.

A generous layer of caramelized onions.

An adorable photobomber.

A layer of roasted squash.

Top with some cheese...

And bake!

So stinking good, my friends. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thanksgiving Menu

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grandma Rosie's Applesauce

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Apple Cake with Warm Caramel Sauce

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

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Roasted Vegetable Dip and Chicken Pizza

Perfect Pairing:  Golden Home Pizza Crust

One of my all-time favorite recipes on my blog is this Roasted Vegetable Dip.  I have made it countless times. 

 

A healthy mix of red peppers, red onion, eggplant, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings are roasted then processed with tomato paste and red pepper flakes.  It is ridiculously delicious and guilt-free. I have used it as a dip for crackers, vegetables, or as a spread on crostini or on a grilled cheese sandwich.  It is so versatile.

My new favorite use is using it as a pizza sauce.  Start with a pre-baked pizza crust, top it with a generous spread of the Roasted Vegetable Dip, cooked chicken, red onion or shallot, cheese, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  It is great as a main course or cut into smaller pieces for an appetizer.

I just discovered these Golden Home Pizza Crusts.  They are super thin and crispy.  If you have a pizza stone, use it with these crusts.  The nutritional stats are pretty great too, especially when you compare it to Chicago deep dish pizza.  Egads.  I am not being sponsored in any way by this company, in fact, I have not been able to find them in my local store so I have to ask my mom to stock up for me at her grocery.

Make the dip, then make the pizza.  You will be so happy you did!  I was so happy about it I made this pizza twice in two days. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grilled Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetable Salad

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Huli Huli Chicken

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Lake House Brownies (OMG)

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Light Pumpkin Cheesecakes

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Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon

Perfect Pairing:  Foil

About a year ago I started noticing miso recipes all over the internets.  I knew I liked miso.  What is not to like about miso soup?  It is salty and savory and all sorts of umami.  My knowledge of miso pretty much ended there.  I made a special trip to Whole Foods to find miso.  I was too proud to ask where it was, so I had a great tour of the store.  I did not find it on the shelf with other Asian foods which is where I was SURE it was going to be.  I found random packets of miso soup mix.  I stood in front of those googling trying to figure out if that was, in fact, miso paste.  It was not.  During the search I saw something about the refrigerated section and headed there.  At my Whole Foods it was chilling with the tofu and cheese. 

So I found miso paste….. red miso, white miso, mellow white miso.  Eh?  I JUST WANT MISO PASTE.  I decided to go with white.  That seemed innocuous enough.  It was a big tub and I had no idea how I would ever make a dent in it.  Guess what folks?  I just bought my second large tub of miso paste.  This stuff is the NUTS!

The first thing I made with it was this simple Miso Coconut Chicken and Rice dish.  It was fabulous.  I started using it in salad dressings, and mixing it with a little cream cheese to spread on toast for breakfast.  I also combined miso with butter and sautéed fresh corn in it with a little lime juice.  This was based on a dish my brother told me he had at a local restaurant.  Amazing. 

One of my favorite uses has been in this Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon.  Miso is mixed with brown sugar, mustard and rice vinegar and then basted on grilled salmon.  I grilled the salmon on foil so it is easy cleanup and dinner is ready in minutes.  

I served it with these super simple grilled seasoned potatoes and brussels sprouts.

Embrace the miso!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Coconut Cream Pie

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Traditional Potato Salad

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Southwest Salad

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Tomato Pie

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Un-Recipe Files: Warm Mini Pesto Sandwiches

   

One of my favorite summer traditions are TGIF dinner cruises.  On Friday evenings we will pull together an easy meal of sandwiches, veggies/chips with hummus/dip, Bing cherries, and an easy portable dessert.  Oh, and wine.  You must have wine on TGIF cruises!  All of this needs to be pulled together in time for sunset on the lake.  Add in some good cruising music from Joshua Radin, Amos Lee, Iron and Wine, or Norah Jones and you pretty much have perfection.  On a boat.

We usually make these simple, but deceptively delicious, sandwiches.  Start with a small, soft roll.  We usually get them straight from the grocery store bakery.  Add your favorite deli meat, half a slice of cheese (provolone, cheddar, pepper jack, etc.).  Now for the special sauce.  Mix up a quick pesto aioli using equal parts of pesto (store-bought is fine) and mayo.  Wrap up the sandwiches in a square of foil and bake in a 300 degree oven until the cheese is melty. 

Plan on two or three per person.  They are always a hit!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grapefruit Mojitos

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Mini Chile Cheese Corndog Muffins

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Lemon Trifle

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing (My very first recipe post!): Parmesan Thyme Crackers

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#LamsInLove

Today is the day!  Today is the day I marry the man of my dreams.  I have said this before, but if 10 years ago when I moved to Chicago someone told me I would get married but it would not be for a decade.... well I would not have been thrilled.  Turns out God had incredible plans for me.  Better than I could have ever, ever imagined in a million years.  I’ll save the rest of the sappy stuff for our husband and wife speech!

From the start of wedding planning it was important to us that our wedding reflect our style, lives, etc.  We tried to leave our mark wherever possible.  Since I write a cooking blog I wanted to do something cooking related, but I was definitely not cooking dinner for ALL of our family and friends.  My sister-in-law came up with the idea of salt and pepper as a favor.  Done!  No ordinary salt and pepper will do.  

Tonight when our guests arrive at the reception they will pick up their escort card which doubles as their favor.  

Inside are jars of Sriracha Salt and Citrus Pepper that were made with love.

Made with love, and lots of sheet pans and parchment paper.  It was quite the process.

Kosher salt was mixed with lots of sriracha and then dried.

The citrus pepper was made with 28 pounds of citrus fruit that we zested, and zested, and zested.  I was so thankful to have help!

In case you were curious, 28 pounds of citrus equals about 3 cups of dried zest.

We got everyone involved at Easter!

It was important to me to give some ideas to our guests on how to use the Sriracha Salt and Citrus Pepper.  I have been using the Sriracha Salt almost anytime I would season with kosher salt.  There is a bit of a kick, but it is not super spicy.  I really like it on scrambled eggs or on hard boiled eggs at breakfast.  Both are great on popcorn, steamed or roasted vegetables, grilled fish, and anything with avocado.

I love Pioneer Woman’s rosemary rolls and the last time I made them, I swapped out the regular kosher salt for the Sriracha Salt.  Divine!

Another Pioneer Woman recipe that I absolutely love are her Crash Hot Potatoes. 

These are such a delicious and easy side dish.  I just swapped out the kosher salt for Sriracha Salt and the pepper for Citrus Pepper.  

My favorite dish was a roasted chicken. 

 

The chicken is cut down the back and rubbed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Sriracha Salt and Citrus Pepper.  

The full recipe is below.  It was so easy.  Make sure you serve it with the juices on the pan!

I truly hope our guests enjoy their favors.  Please share how you used them!

Chris and I really do go together like salt and pepper.  I can’t wait to share more wedding details on Perfecting the Pairing!

Mrs. Lam, signing off!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes - Perfect with Citrus Pepper

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Spiced Up Edamame - These would be great with Sriracha Salt and/or Citrus Pepper

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Simple Lemon Green Beans - Also would be perfect with both Sriracha Salt and Citrus Pepper

Sriracha Salt and Citrus Pepper Roasted Chicken

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1, 4-5 lb roaster chicken
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 3 Tb lemon juice
• 5 or 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp Sriracha Salt
• 1 tsp Citrus Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare the chicken by removing the innards, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels.  Cut the chicken down the back with kitchen shears  or a sharp knife.  Open the chicken and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet.  Rub the olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped garlic all over the chicken.  Sprinkle the Sriracha Salt and Citrus Pepper all over the bird.  Roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes, until the interior temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

All the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.  Serve with the juice that collected in the pan.

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