Fried Rangoons

   Woohoo for me! 2 new recipes in a week (which means I've found my groove in life again and I can do things in the kitchen).

   If you know me, you know I have an unhealthy obsession with Chinese food. I could eat it every freaking day if my family allowed me to. One of my favorite items is rangoons; sweet ones, spicy ones, plain cream cheese, lots of crab, etc. I don't care, just give me all of the goodness. After using a lot of recipes I found off of Pinterest and testing several, I figured let me take combinations of my favorites and make my own. This one is spicy with crab (next time, I think I'll add less spice and more sweet). Here ya go!

Fried Rangoons
Approx 6 servings 

Ingredients:

This is the brand I found; any is fine

• 1 package of wonton wrappers (approx. 40-50 count; I used Nasoya brand but whatever is in your local market is good) 
• 1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese; softened 2 green onions; sliced finely 
• 2 tsp. hot sauce (I used Franks: Red Hot but another kind should be fine. My kids like this brand)
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• optional: 1-6 oz. package imitation crab meat or if you have it around, use canned crab (thats what I had and I used).

  

  This is the crab I had and used. DRAIN WELL

• optional: 1 tsp. sugar
• water for sealing edges
• oil for frying (I used vegetable oil, but whatever oil that you use to fry with a mild to no flavor is best)

 Directions:

1. Chop green onions finely. Use onion scissors if you got em! (You can get them here). If using imitation crab, chop up finely. If using canned crab, drain well. Smash through cheesecloth or my fail-safe; paper towels, to remove all water. 
   
2. Place cream cheese, hot sauce, onion powder, green onions, crab (if using), and sugar (if using) into a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
3. Take a small bowl and put water in it; you will use this for sealing the edges of the wonton wrappers.
4. Place approx 1-2 tsp. of filling in each of the wontons. Use your favorite technique for sealing wontons. My personal favorite is to fold in half and flip edges in to create a small round wonton. (see below for my version)
5. Once all wontons are filled and sealed, place aside.
6.  Fill pan with enough oil to cover at least half of wonton. Heat to med-high and fry until golden brown. Flip and cook until other side is golden brown as well. Drain on paper towels.
7. Serve and eat!!! I like to dip mine in sweet and sour sauce or duck sauce. My favorite brand is Sun Luck. 

The Way I Roll Wontons:

Place filling in center of wonton. Put water on both sides and bottom

Fold over and press to seal

Take two edges, dab with water, and press together.

Your kitchen might look like mine when you're done....sorry; I am a very messy cook 😋

Chorizo/Egg Empanadas

Yeah, yeah, yeah....it's been FOREVER!!!! But look, I have 3 kids under the age of three...I have an excuse 😋
   I got crafty in the kitchen again (let's be honest, I am always crafty in some way but this time I actually documented it for posterity's sake)! We recently relocated to the PNW (some people don't count Idaho as the PNW, but I do) and they have AMAZING Basque chorizo sausages; they're dry, slightly spicy, and not obnoxiously fatty either. I'm sure some Portuguese linguica could be substituted as well. Anyhoo, here is the recipe for my Chorizo/Egg Emapanadas!

Chorizo/Egg Empanadas
Approx 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of Kris Galicia Brown's Versatile Empanada Dough (c/o Craftsy Blog) 
• 4 links of Falls Brand; Basque Chorizo or you could substitute Portuguese Linguica or Spanish chorizo (a mildly spicy, dry chorizo); chopped into small cubes 
• 1/2 bag of country style hashbrown potatoes (any brand will do) 
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil 
• 2 tsp. cumin 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 2 tsp. onion powder (you can use about a half onion here, I just don't like them; just dice and throw in) 
• 1 tsp. black pepper 
• 1 tsp. chili powder 
• 6 eggs 
• 1 cup cheddar cheese 
• enough cooking oil to fry (I used about 1 1/2 cups) 
• optional: chopped bell peppers 

Directions:

1. Prepare empanada dough ahead of time. 
2. Chop up chorizo, onions, and peppers (if you're using fresh) 
3. Put the oil into pan and heat on medium high setting; add chorizo, potatoes, onions (or onion powder), peppers (if you choose to), cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook until potatoes are soft and golden brown. Remove from pan and place aside. 
4. Crack eggs and whisk. Scramble in hot pan. Add cheese right at the end and allow to mesh together. Turn off and remove from heat. 
5. Throw all of it (chorizo mix and eggs) into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and mixed together. Remove and chill for at least 30 mins. 
6. Remove empanada dough from refrigerator; roll and cut into small circles. 
7. Fill circle with about 2 Tbsp. of filling, seal, and chill uncooked empanadas for 30 minutes. 
8. Heat oil and fry 4-5 empanadas at a time until golden brown. I start seal side down to ensure it stays together. 
9. Enjoy! I made a mixture of salsa and sour cream to dip them into...EVEN MY PICKY KIDS ATE THEM! 

**Side note** To make dipping sauce; mix 3 Tbsp good salsa with 4 Tbsp. sour cream along with a dash of salt.