Kicked Up Corn Chowder

This chowder has a little kick.  Remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeno and go easy on the Crystal Hot sauce if you don't want a lot of spice.

2 ears corn
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C red pepper, minced
1/2 Jalapeno pepper, sliced
3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 C vegetable stock
6 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 C almond milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crystal Hot Sauce
1/4 C parsley, chopped
cilantro for garnish

Baked Crab Rangoons

4 ounces Cream Cheese

2 Green Onions, Chopped 

1/4 C crab meat, crumbled

2 t Sriracha
1 Egg
1/2 C Water
12 Wonton Wrappers


Dipping Sauce:
2 T Low Sodium Soy Sauce
3 T Honey
1 t Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 t Sesame Oil
1 T Sriracha

Mix together the cream cheese, green onions, crab and Sriracha until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg and water.

To assemble the wontons: place approximately 1/2 teaspoon mixture on on corner of a wonton wrapper. Paint the egg wash all around the edges of the wrapper with your finger. Roll the wrapper on a diagonal, starting with the cream cheese corner and stopping when wrapper is rolled halfway and the cream cheese mixture is inside. Bring up the two ends, twist and use the egg wash to stick them together. Allow the remaining pointed end to naturally tuck backward. They will resemble tortellini.

Bake in a 350 oven until just starting to brown, about 15 minutes.  Serve with dipping sauce.

For Dipping sauce:  Mix together ingredients.

Easy Pear Tart

So, I had some pears that were getting very ripe. I just through this together in 5 minutes and it turned out pretty good. I used won ton wrappers to make a quick crust.

2 ripe pears
8 small won ton wrappers
1 T butter
cinnamon and sugar


Spray small tart dish (6x6-inch) with oil. Peel and slice pears and arrange in dish.

Slice won ton wrappers into thirds and arrange in lattice pattern. Melt butter and brush wrappers. Sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 350 until "crust" is starting to brown and pears are bubbly.

Kugeli (Potato Pudding)

Or as we used to tell our children when they were younger, hash brown casserole.  This is a recipe from my husband's Lithuanian grandmother.

3 1/3 lbs. Red potatoes
2 beaten eggs
½ C ground ham
¼ C butter, melted
1 very small onion
2 t salt
5 oz. Can carnation milk
¼ t pepper

Peel and grate potatoes and onion through food processor twice.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour into greased 8 x 8-inch pan.  Bake 10 minutes at 425.  Lower oven to 350 and bake 1 hour longer.