Yummy, yummy Asian food.

It was my cousin Cristina's (the crazy tree climber, lol) birthday yesterday and I promised her I would be cooking her a "very flavorful" meal. We hadn't cooked anything Asian inspired in a very long time, so I decided to go for it. I'm seriously craving this right now; my stomach GROWLS as I type. I should have taken home leftovers when I had the chance, haha.

Let's start off with the Eggrolls. It was my first attempt at making Eggrolls and they came out awesome. So crunchy on the outside, super delicious on the inside. I sauteed some Garlic, Ginger & Scallions in Olive Oil, then added Mushrooms (I used Shitake for my Wonton's and they worked great, you can also use Baby Bella if your Supermarket doesn't provide Shitake), Cabbage, shredded Carrots and toasted Sesame Seeds. Lightly sprinkle Soy Sauce on top and mix it all together to get the filling of your Eggrolls. The sauce is a very simple: Honey & Soy with Garlic & Sesame Seeds. Bring to a boil, then serve.  ***Eggroll wraps are usually found in the Produce section of your local Supermarket. They are very easy to assemble & instructions will be found on the back of the package.

Ah, yes, and now the Entree. I breaded Chicken Tender strips in a Panko breading and deep-fried them. They were incredibly moist on the inside and lightly crunchy on the outside. The sauce oozing all over them consists of Hoison Sauce, Soy Sauce, Orange Blossom Honey, Serrano Chili's, Sesame Seeds, Ginger & Scallions. SO GOOOOOOOD. As for the rice, just simply stir-fried vegetables sauteed in scallions, ginger & garlic & sprinkled with Soy Sauce. Remove the veggies from Pan, add oil, let the oil get VERY hot, then throw in the rice. Toss the rice around in the Wok and then add the veggies, mix it all up & then it's ready to eat!!! (Fried thing on the right of the rice is just another Eggroll.)

I hope you had a very Happy Birthday, Cuzzy. And most importantly I hope you enjoyed your Birthday Meal! I love you so much!!!

I guess in the end, staying in and eating a homecooked meal is far better than going out in this Culinary Wasteland known as Hudson County.